NOVEL'S EXTRA: I Will Die at the Peak-Chapter 75: Rabbits’ End

Kiki was speechless. His eyes were fixed on the thing in front of him, and he couldn’t move a muscle.

It felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs; he wanted to take a step, but his body wouldn’t obey. His gaze scanned the massive silhouette rising out of darkness.

The creature stood over ten meters tall. Its entire body was made of a dense, viscous black fluid. It looked as if it had been born from shadows themselves. Darkness dripping from its surface burned and rotted ground wherever it touched.

Dozens of goat heads protruded randomly from its torso, each facing a different direction. Their eyes were pitch black, yet a strange, eerie awareness glimmered within them. Some were screaming, some whispering, and others simply stared in silence.

Thick, slimy tentacles wrapped around nearby trees, ripping them from their roots and pulling them into its body, where they dissolved completely, leaving no trace behind.

Thousands of tiny eyes were constantly opening and closing all over its body. Between them were grotesque, twisted mouths, twitching and writhing unnaturally.

Aura radiating from the creature was indescribable. Air trembled, ground subtly quaked. An invisible pressure blanketed the surroundings, making it hard to breathe.

Kiki wanted to run. Every instinct screamed at him to flee. But his legs wouldn’t move. His heart pounded wildly, eyes widened, and a scream knotted in his throat, struggling to escape.

But all he could do... was stare.

---

Namnam stopped when he realized there were no footsteps behind him. He quickly turned around.

Kiki hadn’t moved an inch. It was like he had been nailed to ground, frozen in place, staring at the slowly approaching creature. He wasn’t running or reacting—just frozen.

Namnam didn’t hesitate. He sprinted back. Reaching Kiki, he grabbed his arm and, without turning to face the creature, began pulling him away at full speed.

"Kiki, come on! Snap out of it! Do you want to die?! Run!"

Namnam’s voice was sharp, but beneath it was not only fear, but unwavering resolve. His words pierced through fog clouding Kiki’s eyes. Kiki blinked, shook his head, and finally started running with Namnam.

Breathing was fast and shallow. Feet tangled slightly, but they pushed forward, refusing to fall. Despite fear, they moved in sync.

After a while, still running, Kiki spoke between gasps:

"Thank you, Namnam... You brought me back. I would’ve stayed there otherwise."

Namnam didn’t reply. Just gave a slight nod and picked up pace.

At that moment, Kheret’s eyes were watching them. The massive entity had noticed the two tiny beings. At first, it hadn’t paid them any mind. But then, something about them caught its attention.

---

Kheret had immediately sensed potential within those two small beings. They possessed energy far more intense and pure than any other creature it had consumed or brought under control.

All its mouths whispered in unison:

"A high-quality energy source..."

Suddenly, movement changed. Black fluid forming its body condensed rapidly. Massive, hoof-like appendages slammed into ground with overwhelming force. Earth cracked, trees trembled. Kheret had now decided to pursue them seriously.

However, Namnam and Kiki were unaware of the growing threat behind them. All they could think about was getting as far away from forest as possible. Breaths were ragged, legs drained of strength, but they couldn’t risk stopping.

After nearly ten minutes of a grueling escape, they finally reached the clearing where their burrows were located. Both were gasping for air. Namnam collapsed to ground and shook off his fur.

"Shihihih... haah... Go that far from the burrow again? Never. That thing... it was terrifying," he said, voice still trembling.

Kiki didn’t answer. No strength left to speak. Eyes were vacant, mind still stuck on horrific image.

At that moment, an adult rabbit approached them, frowning.

"What happened to you two? Why are you so panicked?"

Just as Namnam opened his mouth to respond, ground trembled slightly. Then came the sound—a low, bone-chilling bleat that tore through silence of forest:

"Meeeeeeeeeeeh..."

This time, much closer.

All rabbits in burrow flinched. Some shuddered in fear, others grumbled as their sleep was disturbed. One of them, dragging head out of burrow while mumbling, said:

"Who the hell is making that noise? We’re trying to sleep here!"

Cold sweat rolled down Namnam’s forehead. Ears upright, eyes widened with dread.

"T-That’s its voice. It’s come all the way here. What do we do now?"

Kiki tried to speak, but tongue wouldn’t move. He opened and closed his mouth. Finally, in a hoarse whisper, he managed:

"I-I... don’t know."

---

Before rabbits could even comprehend what was happening, an ancient tree that housed many of their burrows suddenly cracked from within under a strange internal force. Its trunk exploded, and rabbits inside were hurled into air. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Before they could even understand what was going on, black tendrils snatched them midair and pierced through their bodies. Then, a massive mouth appeared and devoured them one by one, erasing them from existence.

A deep silence fell over clearing.

But it didn’t last long. After a moment of stunned shock, chaos erupted. Rabbits scattered in all directions without even managing to scream. Each fled toward a different path—but everywhere they looked, black fluid was creeping in.

From that fluid emerged grotesquely deformed, beast-like creatures that surrounded them from all sides.

There was nowhere left to run.

Kiki and Namnam felt an indescribable sense of despair settle over them as they realized they were completely surrounded. Namnam turned his eyes to Kiki; face twisted with a mixture of fear and anger.

"This is your fault, Kiki. Why did you even want to go so far away? Look at us now..." he said. Voice was shaky, but firm.

Kiki couldn’t speak. Eyes welled up with tears, and he lowered his head. He knew why—but it no longer mattered.

Suddenly, sky darkened. Air grew heavy, and wind stopped. Rabbits froze in place and all looked up at once.

A formless mass was rising in sky. This time, Kheret’s body bore no familiar shape. It had turned into a massive sphere covered entirely with goat heads, eyes, and mouths. Slowly, it ascended—then began to descend at the same speed.

Kiki lifted his head. Now he knew exactly what was coming. This was the end. Death had arrived. He simply stared.

He had been curious... wanted to leave the burrow. Perhaps he had hoped to discover something new. But that curiosity had now brought about the end of a species.

As soon as Kheret’s dark mass touched ground, it began absorbing everything around it.

Black fluid oozed through every crack and crevice, filling all empty space. Rabbits were swallowed one by one. No screams. No calls for help. Everything happened in an instant.

Moments later, area fell completely silent. Not a single trace of the rabbits remained.

Kheret slowly morphed back into its previous form—a towering goat-shaped monstrosity. It stood still. As its eyes swept across area, it muttered to itself:

"I can hardly extract any energy from the ones I devour anymore..."

With a slight lift of its head, it continued walking.

This place had been just one of many small communities Kheret encountered during its journey. Along the way, it had devoured dozens of animal herds and tribal settlements, consuming every living creature without hesitation.

But these rabbits had been different. For the first time, it had come across beings that radiated such pure and concentrated energy.

Still, it didn’t care much. Didn’t look back.

Now, it was nothing more than a silent goat walking toward its god.

---

Meanwhile, the special knight unit under Noa’s command—trained as raiders—had been steadily progressing. Over time, bandit-like traits had begun to show in their behavior. Stances were more relaxed, gazes more confident.

One knight quietly crept up behind his comrade. He pressed the blade of his sword to the other’s neck and spoke in a mocking tone:

"Hand over everything you’ve got, or I’ll take your head and parade it around camp. Come on, move it!"

Feeling cold steel at his throat, the other knight paused, then chuckled and responded:

"How about you hand it over... or I’ll take your manhood."

At that, the first knight’s expression changed instantly. He looked down—and sure enough, his comrade had his knife aimed right at a delicate spot.

"Hey, chill! I give up, alright? I was just messing around!"

From a distance, Lieno watched the two mischief-makers with a sharp glare.

"You two! Get in line. Now!"

The pair instantly straightened up, lowering their weapons and falling into formation.

Lieno approached slowly. He stopped in front of them, giving both a cold, unwavering stare.

"Looks like you’re starting to learn a few things," he said, circling them.

The other knights watched the awkward scene with amusement. It was one of the rare forms of entertainment in camp.

Lieno stopped and spoke in a loud, firm voice:

"When I tell you to fall in line, why are you still standing like proper knights? This isn’t preparation for a royal march. You’re supposed to be acting like bandits. Look more disorganized, relaxed, and out of control. Got it? A knight doesn’t look like a bandit unless he acts like one."

The two knights loosened up, grinning slightly.

"Yes, sir."

Lieno gave a small nod, turned his back to them, raised his sword, and resumed the training from where he had left off.