A notification flickered into existence.
World selection: Random.
Loading host consciousness into the new world…
10%…
20%…
40%…
The numbers crawled forward like insects across Ethan's vision.
"You are now entering the next world," Xixi's voice rang out, bright and artificial, painfully out of place.
"Your first official mission… begins now."
The world folded in on itself.
Space twisted. Light bent. Ethan felt his body being pulled apart thread by thread, as if something unseen was peeling him open from the inside. His stomach lurched violently. His skull rang, a shrill whine drilling straight through his brain.
Then... Everything went dark. Darkness.
Pain dragged him back.
Ethan gasped sharply, his breath hitching halfway as his lungs burned like they were filled with smoke. His head throbbed viciously, each heartbeat pounding against his skull. A high-pitched ringing screamed in his ears, drowning out everything else.
It felt like he had been run over by a truck.
"What the…" he muttered hoarsely.
He shook his head, nausea rolling violently through his stomach. His vision swam, blurred shapes overlapping until they slowly snapped into focus.
CLINK.
The sound was sharp. Metallic.
Ethan froze.
He lowered his gaze.
Chains.
Thick, blackened iron shackles wrapped tightly around his wrists, engraved with unfamiliar runes that glowed faintly red, like dying embers. The metal bit into his skin, which was already bruised and scraped raw.
"Huh? Chains?!" Ethan instinctively jerked his arms.
CLANG!
The chains snapped taut, the impact sending a violent jolt through his shoulders. Pain exploded down his arms, white and blinding.
"What the fuck...?!" His breath came out ragged. "Why am I chained?!"
Slowly, he lifted his head.
He looked around. The cell was small, barely large enough to stretch his legs without hitting the cold, rough stone walls. The air was thick and damp, smelling of mold and rust, with an underlying stench that made his stomach churn. Faint flickers of light from the corridor outside barely reached in, leaving most of the space in shadow.
The walls themselves were horrifying. Dried blood painted them in uneven, crusted streaks, a brownish red that twisted and cracked like old paint. Deep scratches gouged the stone—long, desperate marks that seemed to claw toward freedom. Whoever had been here before had clearly tried to escape… and failed.
Beyond his bars, other cells lined the corridor. Some prisoners sat slumped against the walls, eyes empty, gazing at nothing as if they had already given up on life. Others stared back at him with sharp, calculating malice, studying him like a predator sizing up fresh prey. Occasionally, one of them muttered something under their breath, a faint hiss of warning or threat that made Ethan's skin crawl.
In the corner of his own cell lay a skeleton. Its bones were yellowed and brittle, ribs cracked and splintered inward. The skull was tilted unnaturally, jaw frozen in a silent scream, remnants of torn cloth hanging limply around it. Ethan stared at it for a long moment, expressionless, the sight sinking into his chest like a stone.
So this was a prison.
"…Xixi?" he finally called out expressionlessly.
A small white rabbit popped up almost instantly, ears twitching nervously. "Yes, Host?!"
"Where's the world's information?"
"Still loading!" Xixi said, her usual cheerful tone carrying a hint of urgency. "Just wait a bit longer!"
Ethan exhaled slowly through his nose, swallowing back the nausea that rose from the oppressive stench. His gaze drifted back to the shadows, to the other prisoners, and to the skeletal reminder of what might happen if he lingered too long in this place.
Suddenly, a strange, prickling sensation brushed against his lower back—soft, warm, and oddly heavy, moving on its own as if it had a life separate from his body.
Ethan froze, every nerve screaming. His shoulders tensed and he twisted his neck awkwardly, muscles tight and sore from the fall.
A bushy tail swayed weakly behind him. Its fur was dull, clumped with dirt, and streaked faintly with dried blood. The movement was unnatural, twitching slightly with his own shallow, panicked breaths.
"…Why do I have a tail?" His voice was low, brittle, like a thread ready to snap.
Xixi hesitated, her ears drooping slightly. "It appears that in this world, the Host is a fox beastman."
"…A beastman." The words tasted bitter on his tongue.
"Yes!" Xixi chirped a little too cheerfully, though the urgency in her voice betrayed her.
Ethan closed his eyes briefly, letting out a slow, defeated breath. "…I already hate this world."
Heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor outside. The vibrations ran through the stone floor, rattling the iron bars of the cell and making Ethan's tail twitch involuntarily.
The cell door screeched open, the hinges protesting in a high-pitched, drawn-out groan.
A massive figure stepped inside. The guard was a boar beastman, thick and muscular, his gray bristles rough against the dim light. His snout was broad and scarred, one tusk chipped near the base, and a jagged scar ran diagonally across his face, pulling one eye slightly downward, giving him a permanent, menacing glare.
His uniform was stretched tight over his bulk, buttons straining, revealing the sheer size of his frame. In one massive hand, he carried a tray.
Without a word, he tossed it onto the floor like it was garbage.
Something wet splattered against the cold stone.
The "food" was barely recognizable—gray, half-liquid sludge crawling with mold, sour and rancid, reeking like rot and decay. The stench made Ethan gag violently.
"Eat up," the guard sneered, his voice low and dripping malice.
"Last meal, you fucking palace cunt."
He leaned forward, saliva pooling in his mouth, then spat. The glob struck Ethan's cheek with a wet, sticky smack and slid slowly down his jaw.
Ethan froze, nausea surging violently, his stomach churning. Dude, really? Are you serious…?
The guard laughed softly, a low, wet sound that made the back of Ethan's neck crawl. Then, without warning, he grabbed a handful of Ethan's hair and yanked his head back hard, forcing him to tilt upward. Pain flared through his scalp, sharp and burning, vision blurring at the edges.
"Why so quiet, little fox?" he said mockingly, voice thick and wet. "Where'd all that attitude go, huh?"
The guard's breath was hot, fetid, carrying the stench of alcohol, rot, and sweat. Ethan's nose wrinkled involuntarily, and bile rose at the back of his throat.
"You should've known better," the guard continued, letting his fingers rake through Ethan's hair like a predator inspecting a catch. "Pretty little thing like you… thinking you were special. Thinking you could play games in the palace. Thought you could get away with it, huh?"
Ethan's tail twitched against the floor instinctively, muscles stiff and aching. Fuck, he was going to skin this mother fucker the moment he got out of these chains!
His fingers dug into Ethan's scalp.
"You know," he added thoughtfully, eyes dragging over Ethan's body like he was inspecting meat, "you should have let me fuck you when you still had the chance. Maybe I would have considered helping you escape and be my little sex slave. After all, I have never tasted a fox before."
He chuckled lowly.
Ethan yanked violently at the chains, his expression darkening.
The runes on the shackles flared crimson, heat searing straight into his wrists. His muscles went slack, strength draining out of him as if something had been sucked straight from his blood.
The guard laughed louder.
"Imperial suppression shackles," he said proudly. "Specially made to fuck with beast bloodlines. They disrupt instincts, drain physical strength, scramble nerve signals."
He stepped back, watching Ethan slump.
"Doesn't matter what you were before. In here, you're just a weak piece of shit waiting to die."
He made a slicing motion across his throat.
"Tomorrow," he said cheerfully, "your head comes off."
Then he deliberately stepped into the tray, grinding his boot into the rotten food until it smeared across the stone.
"You should've been a good little pet and stayed quiet," he sneered. "Instead, you betrayed the Emperor."
Without warning, he kicked Ethan hard in the stomach.
The impact knocked the breath clean out of him. His body folded, a strangled sound tearing from his throat as pain ripped through his abdomen.
The guard didn't stop.
Kick. Again. Again. And Again.
Each blow landed heavier than the last. Something cracked. Warmth flooded Ethan's mouth as blood burst between his teeth and spilled down his chin.
The guard finally stopped, his boot soaked red.
Satisfied, he turned and left.
The cell door slammed shut.
Silence returned.
Ethan collapsed onto the cold stone, body trembling uncontrollably. Blood pooled beneath his cheek as he coughed weakly.
"Host…" Xixi whispered, hovering close. "Are you okay?"
Ethan let out a broken laugh.
"…Do I look okay?"
He swallowed blood and forced his eyes open.
"Give me the world information," he rasped. "Now."
The notification appeared.
First Mission
World Name: Do You Dare Touch Me?
World Type: Beastman Historical / Imperial Court
Current Status: Stable — Nearing Collapse
Difficulty Level: E (Easy)
Main Quest:
Guide the destined couple to their happy ending and prevent the impending destruction of this world.
Note:
This is no longer a tutorial.
Failure will result in permanent death
He stared at the difficult level, speechless. Easy? You call this fucking easy?!