The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1159 - 177 - The Forest Of Doom (1)

Ayaka’s POV

Today was the first real day here—excluding yesterday, which barely felt real at all. Yesterday was confusion, panic, and half-formed thoughts crashing into each other. Today, though, was different. Today was the first day we consciously stepped into this place, fully aware that it wasn’t a dream we could wake up from.

This was officially our first day.

All of us were heading into the forest to hunt a demon tiger.

Before this mission, I had tried to prepare myself the only way I knew how—by reading. Books, records, fragments of knowledge left behind by people who had survived long enough to write things down. From those texts, demon tigers were described as creatures that were, at their core, still tigers. But "still" felt like the wrong word. They were larger, their bodies swollen with unnatural strength, their fangs and claws evolved into weapons meant solely for killing. Faster. Smarter. Much, much deadlier.

According to the records, the number of people who died to demon tigers every year reached roughly seventy thousand.

Seventy thousand.

That number alone made my chest feel tight. Entire cities could disappear with casualties like that. And yet, what truly unsettled me was the next line I remembered reading—the part that said this wasn’t even considered the most dangerous threat in this world.

How twisted did this place have to be if seventy thousand deaths a year wasn’t the worst it had to offer?

The highest recorded death tolls were attributed to natural catastrophes. Floods. Earthquakes. Magical disasters that wiped entire regions off the map. And then there were bandit attacks, monster swarms, wars sparked over resources and power. Death here wasn’t an anomaly. It was routine.

That realization clung to me as we walked, refusing to let go.

"It’s better if we stick together," I said to Kaori, keeping my voice low. The forest felt alive in a way I wasn’t used to, like it was watching us just as closely as we were watching it.

"You’re right," she replied without hesitation.

She held her sword loosely at her side, but there was nothing relaxed about her posture. Her grip was firm, practiced. Ready. One sudden movement, and she could react instantly. Seeing that made me feel a little more at ease—and a little more aware of how serious this all was.

All the girls stayed close together, our steps naturally syncing as if we were afraid to create even the smallest gap. The boys, on the other hand, walked ahead of us, scanning the path, shoulders squared, expressions focused.

They looked fearless.

Or maybe they were just pretending.

Boys will be boys, I thought. It felt almost comforting, in a strange way. Even here, even now, that part of them hadn’t changed. They still tried to look reliable, still tried to act like shields standing between us and danger.

Back then, before all of this, it used to annoy me. The way they showed off, the way they tried too hard sometimes. But now... I missed it. I missed the normalcy of it. I missed how easy things used to be, how we could joke, argue, and laugh without worrying about whether the next moment would be our last.

I missed my classmates.

Now, it felt like all of us were balanced on a thin, fragile line, stretched tight beneath our feet. One wrong step, one unexpected push, and everything we had—our trust, our bonds, our shared past—could collapse all at once.

I really hoped that wouldn’t happen.

We hadn’t known each other for three years for nothing. Those years meant something. I cherished them. Every stupid moment, every shared secret, every ordinary day that I’d taken for granted back then.

As we walked deeper into the forest, we suddenly stopped.

No one gave a signal. No one spoke. We all just froze at the same time.

Our senses had sharpened so much that even the smallest disturbance felt amplified. A single sound—just one—had cut through the air, sharp enough to grab hold of our instincts and squeeze.

That was all it took.

Weapons were raised. Muscles tensed. Breathing slowed.

We didn’t know what it was, but if our bodies reacted this strongly, it couldn’t be ignored.

Then, from the brush ahead, something moved.

What stepped into view wasn’t a monster, or a bandit, or anything remotely close to what we had imagined.

It was a rabbit.

For a brief moment, there was silence. Then, almost in unison, we lowered our weapons.

"It’s nothing more than a fuckin’ rabbit," Amakawa-kun said with a click of his tongue. "And here I thought it was something I finally got to fight with my power. What a boredom."

"Don’t say it like that," I replied, frowning slightly. "I’m sure it just came here because it’s lost."

The rabbit stood there, still and quiet. Too quiet, maybe—but at the time, I brushed that thought aside.

I stepped forward and reached down, gently grabbing it with both hands.

The moment my fingers closed around its fur, my entire body screamed.

Every hair on my body stood on end, an overwhelming sense of danger crashing into me without warning.

"Look out!" Kaori shouted.

The rabbit’s eyes snapped toward me, glowing red, its body moving with a speed that didn’t match its size. It lunged.

But my body reacted before my mind could.

My hand found my sword. The motion was smooth, instinctive, practiced in a way that scared me. I unsheathed my katana in a single motion and swung.

There was resistance—it was brief but sickening—and then nothing.

I didn’t even realize what I’d done at first.

My thoughts were blank. The only thing in my head was the need to survive. That was it. No hesitation. No doubt.

Warm liquid splashed against the side of my face.

The rabbit’s body fell beside me, split cleanly in two. It writhed on the ground for a moment, spasming weakly, before going completely still.

I stared down at it.

Blood dripped slowly, the metallic scent filling the air. The warmth on my cheek lingered, heavy and unmistakable.

I knew this world was dangerous. I understood that. But killing something—actually killing it—made my stomach twist violently. I hadn’t expected my body to move like that, to act without permission.

And yet... if it hadn’t, what would have happened to me?

"Kuh, I wish I was the one who killed it," Amakawa-kun muttered.

"Are you okay?" Kaori rushed over, her voice tight with concern. She looked at my face, my hands, the blood staining my skin. It was obvious to her—I wasn’t okay.

I mean... I had just killed something.

All my life, I’d never killed anything bigger than an insect. Bugs were pests. This was different. This was flesh and blood, still warm. The sensation on my cheek felt like it was burning itself into my memory.

"It’s fine, Ayaka," she said softly. "You did it to protect yourself. It’s not your fault."

I understood that. Logically, I did.

Emotionally, it didn’t matter. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

She took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the blood from my face. Her movements were careful, almost tender, like she was afraid I’d shatter if she touched me too roughly.

"As expected..." I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. "We’re not going to return to normal, are we?"

She didn’t answer.

Last night, she’d said she didn’t know. But now, standing here, I realized the truth. She did know. We all did. We were just too afraid to say it out loud and were afraid that acknowledging it would make it irreversible.

We’re not coming back normal.

That much was already clear.