Author Becomes Character (Revised version)

Going into the forest felt like a huge step in this new life of mine. It was so different from the life I had before I got reincarnated here. Back in the city, I spent most of my time writing stories and studying—basically living in my own little bubble. The most "adventurous" thing I did was decide whether I should use the red or blue pen to write my notes.

But now? Now, I was actually stepping into a forest, feeling the ground squish beneath my feet and dodging trees like they were trying to take me out. It was kind of scary—like, what if a squirrel decides to have a vendetta against me?—but also super exciting. This wasn't just reading or writing about adventures; this was the real deal. No more pages of made-up danger. I was living the danger. Or at least, I hoped it wouldn't be too dangerous.

We walked through the forest for what felt like forever, but it was so eerily quiet. No animals, no rustling in the trees—nothing. It felt like we were in some weird forest simulation where nature forgot to show up. I started to get frustrated.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and glanced back at my brother, Calvin, who was right behind me. He looked way too suspicious.

"I didn't do anything!" he blurted out, his hands up in defense like he was caught stealing cookies.

I raised an eyebrow. "What exactly are you not doing?"

"Nothing! I swear!" he insisted, and I couldn't help but feel like this silence was all somehow his fault.

I had no choice but to believe my brother, since I don't actually have proof of him doing something, so I kept going deeper into the forest, my footsteps soft on the ground. Suddenly, I saw something move in the distance—just a shadow at first. My heart started racing, and I quietly moved closer, hiding behind the trees to stay out of sight.

As I got closer, the deer noticed me and lifted its head. In the soft light, I could see it clearly against the trees. I stayed still, watching as it looked around before going back to eating.

I decided to move closer, reaching for my sword. But when I lifted it, the sunlight caught the blade and reflected, startling the deer. It jumped and ran off into the trees.

I cursed under my breath and lowered my sword, feeling frustrated. But I knew this was just a small setback. I took a deep breath and pushed forward, determined to keep going. As I grumbled to myself, feeling frustrated, I suddenly heard laughter behind me. It was Brother Calvin's voice, way too cheerful for the situation. I spun around, scowling, but his laughter just got louder, echoing through the trees like some kind of forest concert.

I rolled my eyes and sighed, giving up trying to look serious. I turned back around and walked off, muttering under my breath. If he thought this was funny, he could keep laughing. As I trudged on, time seemed to blur, but I didn't let it stop me. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted another movement—something in the shadows. This time, I was cautious. No way I was messing up again.

Slowly, I crept forward, trying to be sneaky. And there it was: a black rabbit. It looked pretty harmless, but of course, it had the silliest name ever—Rabbimon. Who thought of that? It sounded cute, but also kind of dumb. I mean, couldn't they have called it something cooler?

The Rabbimon is devouring a deer, I think this is the deer that got away from me earlier?

I swung my sword down at the Rabbimon, and it went down like a hot knife through butter. Seriously, the thing didn't even put up a fight. It was sliced clean in two with barely a sound. I stared at the result, surprised at how sharp my blade was.

I quickly wiped the sword off to get rid of the blood.

"Wow, nice. Looks like the blacksmith did a good job," Brother Cal said, peering at the now-dead rabbimon.