I moved toward the scream without thinking twice.
This was the first time since waking up in this world that I had heard a human voice. And not just a voice. A scream.
My legs carried me forward as fast as they could. My breathing turned ragged, each step hammering against my chest until my heart felt like it might tear itself apart. Fear and urgency mixed into something raw, something instinctive.
Finally, I reached the source.
I stopped behind a thick tree and peered ahead.
What stood before me made my blood run cold.
A colossal leopard loomed in the clearing. Its massive body was wrapped in fur that crackled with faint yellow currents, sparks crawling across its muscles like living lightning. Its eyes burned emerald green, filled with uncontrollable rage, staring downward.
I followed its gaze.
Cold sweat slid down my spine.
My claws dug into the bark of the tree without me realizing it.
Beneath the beast's front leg lay a man.
Dead.
His body was twisted at an unnatural angle, crushed into the earth like a broken doll.
A short distance to the right, a wooden wagon lay half-destroyed, one wheel shattered, the frame splintered as if it had been struck head-on.
And in front of the wagon-
A woman.
She was on her knees, screaming with everything she had left, clutching a baby tightly against her chest. Her arms wrapped around the child as if her own body could somehow become a shield.
Her voice wasn't just fear.
It was desperation.
RWARRRRRR!
The thunder leopard roared and the forest trembled, leaves shook as birds scattered. The ground itself seemed to flinch.
The beast took a slow, deliberate step toward the woman.
She crawled backward desperately, curling her body around the child, shielding it with everything she had.
One glance at the beast was enough.
I was no match for that thing, not like this.
Even my monster instincts screamed danger. My body froze behind the tree, every muscle locked tight, fear sinking deep into my bones.
But when the leopard closed the distance, when it came within a hundred meters of the trembling woman, I couldn't stay still anymore.
Before fear could pull me back, before instinct could force me to hide-
BLINK.
The world twisted and I was standing between the thunder leopard and the woman before I even realized that there were other humans hiding, waiting, hoping for an opening.
Right now, all I could see was the beast in front of me.
Its emerald eyes met mine.
The system responded instantly.
[Leonia – Queen of the Thunder Leopards encountered]
[Status
Level: 150
Experience: 9945 / 10000
HP: 8000 / 8000
MP: 4000 / 4000
Stats
STR: 250
AGI: 360
INT: 200
SPD: 400]
The air felt heavier.
The thunder leopard lowered its head slightly, electricity crackling more violently across its fur. And I realized something terrifying.
I hadn't jumped in because I had a plan. I hadn't jumped in because I believed I could win. I had jumped in because I couldn't let it happen.
My body was still trembling.
Leonia's gaze locked onto me, and there was no mistaking it. Pure fury. I had interrupted her hunt, challenged her authority, and stepped into her territory without permission.
But winning was never my goal.
Protecting was.
Without breaking eye contact with her, I turned my head slightly toward the woman and shouted with everything I had.
"RUN! NOW!"
For a split second, I thought she might move.
Instead, she screamed even louder.
Her eyes widened in sheer terror as she looked at me, then her body gave out. She collapsed to the ground, unconscious, the baby slipping slightly in her arms as its cries pierced the jungle.
The sound froze my heart. I panicked.
Then it clicked.
No matter how clear my words were, no matter how human my thoughts remained, I was still inside a monster's body.
To her, it wasn't a warning.
It was another beast roaring.
And Leonia moved. She lunged at me with terrifying speed, claws tearing through the air as violent yellow currents crackled around them. The ground exploded beneath her paws.
BLINK.
I vanished just in time.
The world twisted, and I reappeared above her head. Without thinking, I swung both arms down, claws raking toward her eyes in a desperate, violent sweep.
The attack connected and did nothing.
Not even her unguarded eyes bled.
Leonia only shook her head once. That single motion hit me.
Her skull clipped my body, and the impact sent me flying. I slammed into the ground to her left, the force tearing the air from my lungs.
Pain detonated at my core and spread through every part of me. My vision blurred as I coughed, warm blood splattering onto the dirt.
I rolled weakly and forced myself upright, my limbs screaming in protest. My body trembled, but I raised my head and locked eyes with her again.
She turned toward me slowly.
The emerald glow in her eyes burned brighter, anger rising, focused entirely on me now.
Good.
I crouched lower, fighting through the pain, keeping her attention where it belonged.
I bared my claws and met her gaze.
"Good," I shouted at Leonia, breath still shaking.
"I'm your prey."
I shifted my stance, preparing myself to take Leonia's blows, and whispered-
"Not her."
Leonia lunged at me as if she had understood my intent.
Thunderous claws tore through the air from every direction, each strike carrying the weight of a killing blow. She pressed harder, faster, leaving no room to breathe.
They were too strong. Too fast.
There was no way I could dodge them normally. So I kept blinking.
Up. Left. Right.
Always just out of reach.
"One hit," my mind screamed, "one hit and I'm done!"
A claw sliced past my face, so close that I felt the pressure ripple through my fur. It struck the fading residue of a blue energy particle left behind by my last Blink.
I realized something terrifying.
If I blinked too far away, she would turn back to the woman.
I couldn't let that happen.
Every position I blinked was, closer to her, to keep her attention locked on me.
Slowly, step by step, Blink by Blink, I dragged her deeper into the jungle.
Away from the wagon.
Away from the woman and the child.
The plan was working.
The woman's figure began to fade from my peripheral vision, swallowed by trees and shadow.
Relief surged through me.
"Yes… just like that," I thought. "Keep chasing me."
A smirk tugged at my lips and that was my mistake.
Leonia twisted her body mid-stride. Her long tail whipped toward me with terrifying speed.
I reacted on instinct.
Blink.
But my timing was off. Just slightly. Instead of appearing to her side, I reappeared behind her.
The moment I materialized, I knew. This was bad.
Leonia did not strike me. She turned her head.
Her gaze slid past me, back toward the clearing, toward the woman.
My heart dropped.
She leaped.
Her massive body soared over my head, lightning trailing her as she shot toward her true target.
It took me a split second to understand what had happened.
Then I saw them. Three humans burst out from behind the trees.
They grabbed the unconscious woman and the screaming child, lifting them together as they ran.
Fear exploded inside my chest.
No.
Not now.
Not after all this.
Adrenaline flooded my veins, burning away the pain, the fear, the doubt.
I blinked above Leonia's charging form.
Heat surged into my mouth as blue particles gathered violently.
"Helion Breath!"
A pillar of blue energy slammed into the ground in front of her.
The earth scorched instantly, a blackened line tearing across the forest floor as I swung my head sideways.
The blast cut off her path, forced her eyes away from the fleeing humans.
I landed hard on my feet between Leonia and the people once more.
My body shook. My lungs burned.
And Leonia…
She glanced once toward the fleeing humans. Then she looked down at me.
For a brief moment, there was disbelief in her emerald eyes. Not at my strength. Not at my presence.
At my courage.
That disbelief lasted less than a heartbeat. Then it twisted into fury.
A thunderous claw struck from my right, faster than thought.
I tried to Blink. Nothing happened.
My eyes widened in shock at the sudden failure, then came the impact.
Pain exploded through my body.
It felt as if my bones shattered from the inside as my body was hurled sideways at terrifying speed.
Whoossh!
I crashed into a nearby tree.
The impact snapped its thick trunk in half. The broken mass fell sideways, missing me by mere inches.
Thud!
My body collapsed at the base of the fallen tree.
Leonia roared again, her voice tearing through the clearing as she stared toward the empty path where the humans had vanished.
They were gone. Safe.
I couldn't feel my right arm anymore. Blood dripped from my forehead, from my jaw, soaking into the dirt beneath me. Every breath sent knives through my chest.
Yet a slow breath escaped my lips.
A sigh. Not of relief but of success.
And then…
GRRRL!
A low growl pressed down on the air, heavy with restrained rage. The scent of a predator filled my senses.
Two burning emerald eyes moved into my field of vision as Leonia stepped closer and lowered her massive head until her gaze was level with mine.
Those eyes… Death was written clearly inside them.
My body refused to move. There was no strength left. No energy. No escape.
Still, I met her gaze.
And despite the pain, despite the certainty of what came next-
I smiled.