In the southern continent, there exists a forest. In the forest, there is a briar patch. And in that briar patch, there are bunnies. Hundreds of bunnies, hidden among the thorny briars, trying so hard to survive. And among those many bunnies, there is a boom bunny.

  The boom bunny is a uniquely smart individual. Through careful analysis of predator habits, territories, and food sources, they've been able to survive significantly longer than the other bunnies. For 9 years they've survived, at the great cost of countless other bunnies.

  Sometimes they let others venture out first, as bait for lurking dangers. Sometimes they ate bad grass, so as not to be exposed when the hawks fly overhead. Sometimes they scavenged the corpses of starved predators in the desolate winter. And every time, they avoid a death another bunny faces.

  Of course, they held much more guilt and regret than any other bunny. Their desire to survive costs the lives of his fellow bunnies. Sometimes, they wonder if they could've saved at least a few. With a high enough level, surely they could fight back? Surely they could defend their kin?

  ...but doing so would risk their life. A single mistake is all it takes to lose everything.

  The bunny suffered 9 years of guilt, unable to save their kin. At best, they could order everyone around so that the youngest are least likely to die. But that doesn't prevent death, it simply changes who dies. If only there was a way to fight back, to guarantee safety.

  And then, as the leaves fall and pile up on the ground once again, they reach level 20. A rare achievement among bunnies. And with it, came evolution. And with the evolution came a way to truly fight back.

  No longer shall boom bunny let others go first only to perish. They shall take the lead, and unleash their newfound power against any and all threats. Of course, they do need to be careful of collateral damage. Luckily, it only takes a few minutes to explain the concept of explosions to most of the other bunnies.

  And so, overconfident with power, the boom bunny threw themself into danger, only to annihilate that danger. Of course, the boom bunny knew that there are still a few threats that they can't handle. But most wouldn't even target a small bunny, and so they assumed themself to be relatively safe now.

  And then came a fox, sneaking through the grass. Boom bunny heard them already, and so warned the other bunnies to go away from them. Partway through giving orders, the fox pounces. Boom bunny's "Instinct" skill doesn't react. Next thing they know, they're pinned down by the fox.

  But the fox doesn't attack beyond catching them. Did they hesitate? Don't they know how dangerous a mistake can be? Well, it's not a lesson you can learn twice. Boom bunny detonates the grass around them, just like how they defeated every predator before. They prepare the inevitable fall after being thrown up by the force...

  ...Except the fox is still pinning them down. And then the bunny is picked up, filling them with shock.

  As the smoke clears, and the fox holding the bunny remains unscathed, boom bunny's confidence in their explosion fails them. How did a simple fox manage to survi- no, outright ignore their attack? In hindsight, they never did test exactly how strong their explosion was against something that could survive a blast. At what level allows something to survive it? Level 20, like them? level 40? How strong is this fox?

  And then the fox brings them face-to-face with a shadow in the shape of a wolf. The manifestation of an idealized wolf, a menacing presence that the bunny has only ever felt and hear of, but never witnessed. And the prime wolf was now staring directly through the bunny.

  In a way, this answered part of a question. This fox had some sort of connection to the prime wolf. Of course it'd be able to survive their explosion. After all, the prime wolf is surely not one to be swayed by any weakling.

  For a few agonizing minutes, the bunny is held between the two menacing predators. They're almost tempted to unleash another explosion, but there was a flaw with the skill; the bunny had to say out loud what they're detonating. The wolf should be able to react and kill the bunny before they can finish activating the skill.

  Suddenly, the fox releases the bunny. They don't bother to stick around for any moment longer, sprinting across the flower field, through the forest, back to the briar patch. And there, afraid for their life, the bunny falls asleep.

  Over the next few weeks, boom bunny would encounter the fox several more times. Every time, they try whatever they can to not get caught. And every time, Mochi catches them anyways. And every time, they're let go without any harm. It only makes them more wary of the fox's intentions.

  Nikola watches as Mochi completes another practice hunt. He gives an approving nod, much to Mochi's delight and exhaustion.

  Over the last few weeks, Nikola did his best at teaching Mochi how to actually hunt effectively and efficiently. And through that great amount of effort, Mochi is more capable of supporting herself in terms of meat. And not a moment too soon, as the first flake of snow begins falling in the morning.

  Of course, it isn't all just hunting practice for Mochi. There's plenty of other things she did in preparation for winter. First, for her den, she dug out a channel by the entrance to protect against the colder wind. She also added a layer of sticks and leaves and mud above her den as an insulating layer, though it's only needed until the snow gets thick enough, as snow itself is an insulator.

  Inside, the floor is covered by shed fur, as Mochi's winter coat replaced her summer one. There's an especially large amount of fur in the bed, as it's fairly comfortable to rest on. Unfortunately, Nikola does not shed fur, likely having to do with his unique shadow-based biology (or at least that's Mochi's best guess).

  Mochi also took advantage of the mana gems still in storage. She kept on getting them as gifts from the crows, likely because the crows couldn't use them. Well, neither could she, really. But she does know enough alchemy to turn them into something more useful.

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  By covering a mana gem with charcoal, it can draw out a tiny amount of raw fire mana. Then, placing a rock on top of it causes the fire mana to warm up the rock. The effect is tiny, but in an enclosed space and over a long time, it actually warms up the den slightly.

  Nikola silently considers this an incredible waste of mana gems, but is at least assured that the mana gems aren't spent in the process. If consumed, there's enough for even him to level up, much less Mochi who's undeniably a low level and such would benefit greatly from consuming the gems.

  Though, he still doesn't understand fully why she would keep so many in storage. He tried asking a while ago, but it seemed she didn't quite understand the question. The language barrier remains a major obstacle.

  And as the first snow piles up to a thin powdery blanket, the inside of Mochi's den remains warm and cozy! Just like she planned. But this is only the beginning. For the snow will only get worse, and eventually there may even be blizzards.

  But Mochi isn't going to worry about that for now. Instead, she's hungry again, and so it's time to put all that practice to the test!

  Today's hunting ground is the river, which is already shrinking as the source freezes up. This forces some to get into slightly more vulnerable positions to get a drink. For example, a squirrel that's forced to stray far from their safe trees.

  Mochi takes position in the cold grass, slowly shuffling forward. She's careful of the snow, making sure not to step on any hidden sticks or anything. Periodically, she freezes close to the ground as the squirrel looks up and around for movement. When it sees nothing unusual, it returns to drinking, and Mochi takes another step forward.

  Then, when she's close enough, Mochi pounces. In a single instant, she's able catch the squirrel, and snaps its neck. Silently celebrating the successful hunt, Mochi carries her prize back home to eat, giving a quick glance at Nikola who was watching behind a tree's shadow.

  Giving one last approving nod, Nikola runs off for his own hunt, as well as exercise a bit of his more destructive skills. Sniffing around, he locks on to a deer that passed by a few hours ago. Swimming through shadows, he rapidly approached the location of the smell.

  He stops, hidden within the shadows. He found the deer, but there's something unusual about the surroundings. He can't quite tell, nothing looks unusual. Yet, a faint whisper of doubt lingers. It's a minute of observing that the prime wolf notices what was so odd; the deer isn't moving.

  No, its image was moving, back and forth, looking around. But the scent, the source, is still and unmoving. An illusion, likely. And a very competent one, capable of movement. He contemplates on using 'Analysis', but decides to wait and hope for any other details to be revealed first.

  And sure enough, after a few minutes, the prime wolf's patience is rewarded. The illusion flickers off, revealing the deer on the ground with something sitting atop.

  The entity appears to be anthropomorphic, with sharp clawed hands and bony feet. The chest is covered in heavy brown fur, but it's hard to tell whether or not it's clothing. And it has the head of a bee, eyes devoid of light despite the sun shining through the clouds.

  The prime wolf attempts to use 'analysis' now. If even this is an illusion, then he knows enough to run. But thankfully, the result appears.

  The prime wolf doesn't hesitate. Diving deep into the shadows, he runs as far and fast as possible. For several minutes, he continues to run. He doesn't see the bee head watching him leave, nor the glimmer of disinterest in its eye. He keeps running, until he reaches the forest's edge.

  "What was that thing? Level 93 with a title, imperceivable stats, 'Assimilate'? There's no way it's native to the forest. Dammit, where's the crow when you need her!"

  He lets out his frustration with the lazy wise crow, before carefully thinking of how to handle this entity. Obviously, he can't fight against them, that would just lead to his death. As far as he knows, the prime wolf is faster than them, so running if he ever encounters them again is a good choice. But what about the fox?

  Nikola runs over to Mochi's den, checking the surroundings and erasing any sign they were there. Then he dives inside, much to the surprise of a resting Mochi.

  ...Right, how can he tell Mochi about the danger in the forest...

  Pom's antenna has been twitching for the past few weeks. Something has been bothering her, but it was hard to describe what it was. A faint... nostalgia? Homesickness? No, those weren't the right words. It was more concrete than that, a mental tug to something vaguely familiar, yet undoubtedly different.

  When she told Dorlin about it, he suggested that maybe it has something to do with her past, something so long ago that she's forgotten, but that her antenna vaguely recognizes. The idea was appealing, but also frightening. There weren't many good things left from her past, she was certain.

  In any case, Dorlin offered to take Pom to whatever or wherever the source of it was. Yet, when she pointed to the forest, he hesitated. The forest was a dangerous place, and Pom was still just a child. If something were to happen...

  He reluctantly agreed, but they would go in a month during the middle of winter. It is during this time that the most dangerous predators are dormant, and there is a lack of hiding spots from which they can get ambushed.

  Until then, he'll teach Pom everything she needs to survive in the forest, should something go wrong. During the night, he reads several books, specifically on first aid, and medical treatment for Belmthene. And unbeknownst to him, Pom practices her archery and wax forming skills. She refused to be a burden during the trip.

  But one day, a dull stinging sensation echos through her antenna. It wasn't painful, yet it caused Pom to panic. She recognized the sensation from a long time ago, one that she will never forget.

  It was the signal for when the hive's queen was injured.

  She ran out, towards the source, into the blighted forest.

  Boom bunny was having a terrible, terrible day. As always, that damned fox came around again! This time around, they managed to escape, only to run into some weird clawed bee monster thing(?). It was fast, but through perfect timing, the bunny managed to blow up the ground right as before they got grabbed. And this time, they invested a large amount of mana for even more power!

  Of course, this distraction did result in them getting caught by the fox, to which the bunny kept on shouting curses. But as the smoke clears, the bunny and fox watch as the monster stands mostly unharmed, except for a minor burn on its arm. Something shimmers, as blue flames break out of its back, revealing twelve tails.

  And Mochi begins to run, still holding the bunny. The language barrier between Mochi and Nikola meant he couldn't fully explain the unusual nature of the monster. But at the very least, Mochi understood that this thing was strong.

  And as Mochi runs, a bolt of blue flames zips right next to her. The bunny shouts out a warning, but it isn't understood in time. With one swipe, the flames shoots straight through the fox.