What the hell even is authori—

SCRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAWRRRRRRRR!

Oh, dear. That doesn't sound good. A menacing roar interrupted my train of thought. The sound was distant, but with my extraordinary hearing, I could locate where it came from. I raised my ears and focused on listening to my surroundings. I could hear something rhythmic, yet it was very faint.

..Tahk...Tahk...Tahk...Tahk...

It was getting louder and louder by the second. What is it? Wait, This rhythmic thumping, the monster...it's...running, and it's towards me...

Shivers ran down my whole being, and cold sweat broke out my forehead. My body was having a hard time moving while my thoughts started to muddle.

This was the primal fear of the unknown, and it was consuming me. The only thing I know about the incoming monster is the sound of its footsteps. I froze in place as my mind and instincts clashed with each other. The former told me to tuck my tail and run while the latter insisted on standing my ground. I am in a state of panic. This is bad.

SCRRRRROOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

Like blowing a horn as a declaration of war, the unknown beast roared menacingly once more, announcing its intent to hunt me down. How the hell did it notice me from that far?! I can't even see you! I'm legally blind! Give me a break!

A weird familiar feeling that I've always enjoyed welled up within me as my mind and instincts continued their conflict. My heart was thumping, and with each beat, the feeling grew stronger and stronger. It was anticipation. With the joy of discovery and the thrill of a fight, my heart supported my instincts. I decided to stay and wait for the monster to come closer.

...TAHK...TAHK...TAHK...TAHK...

The footsteps were getting even louder. My hairs stand on end, the fear will always be present, but the excitement within fills me to the very core. Instinctively I raised my tail and pointed the sharp end towards the front. The spike at the tip of my tail gleamed dangerously. The substance within my claws and tail is something to avoid.

...

Dead silence. It stopped in its tracks. Why the hell did it stop? My body tensed even further as I kept my guard up. I need to maintain my focus. Even if it stopped, it doesn't mean it's not there anymore.

... ... ...

I stood there ready to fight for what felt like an immortal moment, choosing not to move, choosing to focus on the matter at hand. There was still no sign of the monster. The only sound that my ears could pick up was the flowing river and the gentle wind that brushed the hairs at the tips of my ears, accompanied by the sound of my heart beating with intensity.

「Keen Senses Proficiency Increased: Level 1 > Level 2」

「Your senses have grown sharper.」

The mechanical voice rang inside my head, snapping me out of my trance. As I read the dialogue that appeared in front of me, my body suddenly felt extremely heavier. What the hell?! Just trying to stand up and keeping my head raised was draining my energy.

KRkkKKk...Krrakkkkkkrrrk..Krkkk

Spiderweb-like cracks slowly started forming on the ground I was standing in, and a shadow dawned upon my existence. I exerted effort lifting my head up to gaze upon who was above me.

What the hell are you...

「Identifying...」

A creature easily thrice the size of me was hovering above my head and casting a shadow over me. It had the face of a bat mixed with some facial features of a cat. It had long dark whiskers emanating a purple hue, two sharp fangs protruded out of its mouth that reminded me of a saber tooth, and its eyes with slit pupils glowed green. Its body was covered in iridescent feathers that brilliantly gave off a gold and white sheen. The creature had a horse's body, and instead of hooves, it had sharp, menacing talons.

I felt a mix of fear and admiration as I struggled to keep my head up while looking at the creature. Its wings...I could see them flapping vigorously, but it wasn't creating any sound. It knew I could hear it, and it resorted to flight instead.

I gulped saliva. The pressure this creature exerted was making my whole body sweat and tremble. We locked eyes with each other. It was a death stare between predator and prey.

Hey, how about we become friends? I tried to communicate with it to save myself.

Squeak...Squeak?

SKROOOOOOAWWRRR!

KKk...Krrakkkkk

You didn't have to shout that loud! Its roar reverberated within my body and made me dizzy. The ground beneath me started to form more cracks. It told me prey had no right to make demands, sheesh.

「Identification Complete. Showing Results...」

「Beastiary Unlocked!」

「Beastiary Entry #0274: Praestigiae De Caelo (Sky Mirage Chimera)」

「Basic Profile Acquired!」

「Praestigiae De Caelo (Sky Mirage Chimera) - Cunning and agile, the Sky Mirage Chimera uses its lesser gravity control to hinder its foes from moving before going in for the kill using its extremely sharp talons. A rare species that was hunted down close to extinction due to its prized iridescent feathers.」

「Hunt down 20 more to gain access to the intermediate profile.」

「Beastiary Completion Rating:

These words resounded through my mind not as the familiar mechanical voice but as a chunk of information that I instinctually knew.

「Calculating rewards for the first beastiary entry...」

The mechanical voice rang inside my head and said something that caught me off guard. Rewards? Huh?

SKKKKRRRRRRRRROOOAAAARRRRR!

The chimera roared loudly, announcing its intent to attack. It was hovering only a few meters above me. It quickly swooped down its talons, ready to carve a piece out of my body. I forced my body to move using every ounce of strength I had in my rodent body. I threw myself to the side to dodge the incoming assailant.

CRAAAAAAASHHH!

Dirt and dust flew as the chimera struck the ground where I previously was. The air pressure created due to the force of the impact threw me a bit further than intended. My body stayed in the air for a few seconds before landing.

Ke-Heok! Ahk... I rolled on the ground as I failed to gain my footing. I quickly stood up, and a burning sensation greeted me. A warm feeling trickled down from my side to my stomach. My grey fur was stained with scarlet liquid. I was bleeding.

I quickly inspected the wound. The cut ran through my entire right side. Fortunately, it was shallow. That still hurt like hell.

The dust cloud obscured my vision of the chimera. I could only see its silhouette through the cover. Its glowing green eyes pierced through the cloud and locked onto me. The purple glow that emanated from its whiskers started to fade. Like a lie, the heaviness that weighed me down suddenly disappeared.

I have no chance of fighting it. Hell, I'd even die before I put a scratch on it. Luckily my legs have a hidden technique that has been passed down through our family in every generation, and that is to run for my life. I put strength into my legs and booked it. I'm not stupid to fight something clearly stronger than me. What am I? An anime protagonist?

「The Skill 「Flee」 has been activated.」

「For a brief period after being hurt, you can sprint 35% faster.」

It flapped its wings, and the dust cloud instantly dispersed. Power filled its legs as it readied to propel itself towards me. A sense of urgency dawned upon me. I hurriedly moved my little rat legs quickly so that I can gain distance from it. Run faster, goddammit!

VWOOOSH! KKRRKKK!

It flapped its wings with terrifying force and leaped towards me with all its strength. I heard the ground shatter as it took off. I quickly scanned my surroundings to look for a place to hide. A brilliant idea occurred to me. I rushed to my left and headed towards the dark flowing river.

Being chased by something so fast yet so silent was extremely terrifying. I knew it was behind me. I knew it was getting close, but I couldn't hear it. I couldn't look back to see or hear how close it was. All I needed was to go near the bank of the river, and I'll be fine. Hopefully.

Thud THud THUd THUD

What's this? Not again?! My footsteps! They're starting to get heavier and heavier. It felt like I was trying to run on quicksand. I was nearing the riverbank, and exhaustion started to eat away at my body. Just a few meters more!

THUD! THUD! THUD!! THUD!!!

I gritted my teeth as I persevered through the heaviness. After a few more desperate steps, I finally reached my desired location. I stood at the very edge of the dark river and turned around to look behind me. The chimera was a few seconds away from me before it would swoop down to end my life. I was ready.

SKRRRRROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARR!

It boldly declared that it would take my life right here, right now. It brandished its dagger-like talons towards me as it started to dive-bomb towards my location.

SQUEAAAAAAAK!

COME AT ME YOU FILTHY ABOMINATION!