CHAPTER 1
“Gasp, gasp!”
Each rough breath felt as if my throat was being torn apart.
My fist clenched tightly, causing my nails to dig into my palm, and my muscles convulsed.
My knees kept giving out.
But I couldn’t stop.
Otherwise...I’ll be devoured!
The man cursed himself, gritting his teeth.
I should never have listened to the rumours about the appearance of a beast.
I shouldn’t have set foot in this dangerous forest.
If only I hadn’t taken Jepetto’s words about overflowing gold so seriously!
But regretting it now was too late.
He was already being chased.
How far did he run?
The man felt both puzzled and curious.
Eventually, going against the instinct that said to stop, he turned back and was met with an indistinguishable beast rushing towards him with sharp fangs gleaming in the dark shadows.
“AAAAHH!!”
As his legs gave out, the man tumbled forward and frantically crawled towards the tree in front of him.
‘Darn it, darn it!’
Desperately leaning against the tree trunk, he quickly drew out a dagger.
The trembling hands gripping the dagger seemed to be in the midst of an earthquake.
‘I’m going to be torn to pieces soon. I’ll be devoured by this beast, and there won’t be any remains left!’
Facing death, blind courage overcame fear.
“Get away! You monster!”
Even though he heard the beast making some noise, the man’s ears were filled with his own terror, unable to hear anything else.
A beast speaking? It must have been madness born of terror.
The man tightly closed his eyes and swung the dagger with all his might.
And finally...
Thud.
The blade struck something hard.
“.....”
A trembling sigh mixed with fear escaped through his trembling lips.
The man slowly opened his eyes and stared in sorrow at the beast’s impaled hand.
This is bad. I’ve really provoked the beast.
Only then did the man collapse to the ground.
“I-I-I’m sorry. Please spare me! I have a wife and children at home. They’re depending on me to live. If you spare my life, I’ll never forget this favour.”
He begged, sobbing and pleading, as if his hands were praying to survive.
He poured out his soul about why he had to live.
Although he knew that the beast wouldn’t understand human speech, he couldn’t stop his desperate pleas.
But no matter how much time passed, the excruciating pain of being torn apart didn’t come.
Sensing something strange, the man slowly lifted his head.
“Huh...?”
There was no one in front of him.
Except for the man’s dagger and the bloodstains of the beast.
***
‘This monstrous recovery ability’
When the blade stabbed into my hand, it was dizzying.
It was probably due to the pain being severe, as if someone had cut through the weakest jelly.
However, it was only for a moment; as time passed, the wound slowly healed.
Strangely, it was my heart that hurt more.
When I recalled the image of the man swinging the sword as if to kill, I felt infinitely depressed.
‘That’s too much.’
With a sigh, I opened the iron door and went inside.
From afar, the pure white rabbit family hopped over, lining up in a row.
As they waved their forepaws and wiggled their noses, it seemed like they were urging me to tell them the results quickly.
Unable to resist their cuteness, I touched the rabbits one by one with a light tap.
When I finally touched the baby rabbit at the end, it couldn’t hold back and fell over to the side.
“This time was really the worst. ”
“Even though I told him not to do it, he didn’t understand.”
Maybe it was because I was too happy to see someone after a long time; that’s why things went wrong.
Despite wanting to clear up the misunderstanding and have a conversation, things didn’t go as planned.
In the end, I had to see blood to realise it once again.
How monstrous of a beast I was.
“Anyway, in an empty forest, if a creature with two legs appears, it’s bound to be frightening.”
As I touched my face in the fountain, the water rippled, and the beast’s appearance became blurry.
Looking at this sight, no one would believe that I was just an ordinary university student from South Korea.
I hadn’t been in a traffic accident, didn’t succumb to a rare disease, and certainly didn’t fall from a great height and scream to my death.
I just slept as usual and woke up to the morning sun peeking through my eyelids.
But now I was in a completely different world than where I used to live.
When I faced the ceiling, which was significantly different from an apartment, I was dumbfounded.
‘What is this, a dream?’
Looking around, I felt uneasy.
The air flowing through my nostrils was fresher than usual, and the chirping of birds from outside was so loud that it was almost annoying.
Above all else...
‘Why do I have such keen eyesight?’
I could see every detail of the wooden door. It was strange.
Did I turn into a Mongolian overnight?
“Ah!”
Having such a random thought, I turned around and found a mirror.
Without any preparation, I met the gaze of a black beast whose identity I couldn’t figure out.
“...Aaaahhh!!!”
As I screamed, the beast in the mirror opened its mouth and screamed as well.
‘What a horrifying set of fangs! I’m going to be torn to pieces soon!’
Forgetting that the beast was copying my actions, I opened the visible door in front of me and dashed out with all my might.
The surrounding scenery passed by rapidly as I ran at full speed.
The brightly shining hallway, the splendid chandelier dazzling enough to make one’s eyes hurt, the spacious hall seen only in movies, and the beautiful garden filled with colourful flowers in full bloom
As I stepped outside and felt the cool breeze, my mind cleared.
‘Where on earth is this?’
I turned slowly, but I didn’t feel the menacing presence of the frightening beast chasing after me.
Rustle...
Rustle...
Rustle...
However, my attention was entirely on the mysterious sound coming from the dense forest.
What is it this time?
But contrary to my expectations, what emerged in front of me as I looked for a place to run was...
‘A rabbit?’
It was a pure white rabbit.
The rabbit with perked-up ears stared at me with its black eyes and then sprinted towards me at full speed.
I was accidentally bitten by its obese body due to its amazing velocity.
But what caught my attention was the letter affixed to its fluffy body.
Without much thought, I bent my knee and accepted the letter as the rabbit hopped around, seemingly urging me to read it.
As I unfolded the paper, unfamiliar characters caught my eye.
However, it didn’t pose a problem; it was naturally readable.
[To someone,
The body you are currently inhabiting has been cursed by a dark sorcerer.
It’s a curse that turns you into a monstrous beast forever if you don’t receive a kiss imbued with true love.
Isn’t there something hopeful about the possibility of breaking the curse?
But I can’t bear to face the fate that lies before me. I’m so torn apart that I don’t have the strength to change it anymore.
So, I swapped our souls somewhere in this universe. I will make use of your body.
Please remember that you don’t have much time. If the leaves of the Life Tree on top of the tower all fall off before the curse is broken, you will die. There’s nothing else I can say but sorry.
I have one request. Please try to stay away from the circus. Dying here might be the best way out.
Lastly, this is a letter from me, Nathan Rafaelia.]
First, after reading the short letter,
‘Such poor handwriting.’
The wobbly and unsteady shapes looked like a kindergarten student’s first attempts at writing.
‘So, the beast I saw earlier... and the person named Nathan Rafaelia or something, who was originally the owner of this body, exchanged souls with me?’
My mouth hung open in awe of the incredible fantasy.
No way, could it be?
However, despite my denial, my body was heading towards the fountain that spouted clear water.
At the same time, I tried to shake off the uneasiness I had been feeling since earlier.
The overly high field of vision, or the beast’s hands, as I read the letter
But my efforts seemed to be in vain, as the reflection on the rippling water showed not a person but a massive something.
Pitch-black, dark black fur,
A glint of gold even in the darkness,
Sharp fangs that could tear apart anything with just a touch,
Claws so sharp they seemed to cut through the air.
In that spot stood a strangely huge beast wearing a blue vest.
‘This can’t be real.’
I wanted to faint, but my body was too tough and stubborn for that.
Instead, I stood there stupefied.
Eventually, I slumped down in despair, and the rabbits hopped around me, trying to comfort me.
“Peep! Peep!!”
(“Are you okay?“)
To think that I can understand what the rabbits are saying...
I closed my eyes tightly in disbelief.
***
A week passed.
I held my arm up to the pouring morning sunlight, but the black fur of the beast remained.
“I have to get up.”
After much contemplation, being turned into a beast did have its advantages.
Overflowing strength!
Unlike when I was human, I greeted each fresh and healthy morning with renewed vitality.
The only downside was that I had too much strength and ended up breaking things.
Snap!
Crackle!
“......”
I looked down at the doorknob I had accidentally snapped off with a wistful expression.
I thought I was being gentle.
But I decided not to worry too much.
‘It’ll just recover on its own anyway!’
At first, I must have been quite surprised.
Unconsciously, I waved my arms here, there, and everywhere.
If it weren’t for the magic restoring everything, the castle would have already collapsed.
I swayed my head back and forth as I walked down the hallway, and the tantalising smell filled my nostrils.
Sniff sniff.
My mouth couldn’t help but water.
‘I wonder what dish they have today.’
With a cheerful heart, I entered the dining room.
Contrary to my worries, this place was the magical castle I had seen in my dreams.
The meals that came without fail every time, the warm and cosy sleeping place Moreover, the castle and its gardens were so beautiful that time passed like flowing water just by looking at them.
‘It’s perfect.’
I adjusted without issue because Nathan Rafaelia’s second letter included a thorough description of the Rafaelia Castle.
And now, with my comfortable body, the beast’s appearance even seemed cute.
‘Thanks to her, I’ve been enjoying myself for a while.’
But now I had reached my limit.
The constant silence and loneliness had eaten away at me.
It felt like I needed to go outside to breathe.
“So, today I’m going out no matter what...”
Before I finished my sentence, the rabbit family gathered around me hesitantly.
It was only natural, since leaving this beast wasn’t an easy choice.
“Don’t stop me. I can’t keep hiding here forever.”
I convinced the rabbits who were clinging to my feet.
To fall in love, I had to meet a person.
With a firm determination, I lifted the concealment magic surrounding Rafaelia Castle after breakfast.
As I excitedly headed outside, curious gazes followed me, but I paid them no mind.
‘Who knows, maybe I’ll meet someone who won’t avoid me when I speak to them?’
I had no idea how foolish and naive this thought was as I cheerfully stepped forward.
Luck was on my side, as I encountered a person just as I went outside.
“Excuse me, wait!”
“Aaaah!! It’s a monster!”
“.....”
