I know for sure I went to sleep outside, but the warmth around me is even greater than that of sleeping in the house. Perhaps I am on fire, and my brain has yet to comprehend it. Waking up, Haruto found all the rabbits, Yuuta, Shiki, and even Bluey were sleeping either on top of him or clinging to his side. Haruto was drenched in sweat, appearing as if he had just got out of a pool. Crawling from within the pile, the fresh air made Haruto relax. Seeing as there would be no grinding today, Haruto decided to go for a walk since everyone was still asleep. The combined force of Shiki, Sura, and Bluey should deter any danger. 

Haruto stealthily left the slumbering creatures, a skill he mastered after sneaking by his parents whenever he skipped class that day. Perhaps I should homebrew a ninja class. Once in the forest, Haruto began aimlessly wandering around. The deeper he went, the more higher leveled trees he saw. At one point they started blocking out the sun. The temperature remained moderate even with the sun being blocked out, and some level 1 giant butterflies fluttered around the trees. Finally, I see some creatures at the same level as my subjects and it's a butterfly of all things. A single tear rolled down Haruto's face.  

The further he went, the more critters he saw, such as a level 25 mockingbird that zoomed around singing a beautiful melody. A level 45 woodpecker hard at work, drilling into a level 50 pine tree. Upon seeing Haruto, the woodpecker tweeted a bit, then returned to its work. Haruto whistled back and continued his expedition. Further up in the trees, he saw level 30 flying squirrels buzzing about in a squadron. Their targets were, of course, the acorns lying amongst the forest floor. They dive-bombed four at a time to get as many as they can, before soaring back up. 

In the corner of his eye, he noticed a level 55 feline stalking about silently. To think even a cat would be considered an enemy, but this cat is twice the size of a typical house cat. I don't remember these types of monsters in "Heroes Of Darkness."This must be a completely different world. The squirrels in the air became wise to the stealthy feline and began making chirping noises. Unfortunately, some squirrels on the ground were too focused on the acorns and were assaulted by the feline. The little squirrels circled around for a bit. Then noticing Haruto, all landed beside him. At first, he was confused, but then he remembered his "friend of nature" title. The squirrels got to work swiftly, picking up acorns as if the area around Haruto was the safe zone. The feline at first strutted towards them, but when it saw Haruto, it jumped up in a fright and darted away. 

I was never much of a cat person, but come on, I'm not that scary. The squirrels filled their mouths with acorns, then in a friendly gesture, handed Haruto the extra acorns. I don't need them, but the squirrels seem adamant on me accepting their offer. Such is the principle of equivalent exchange. Sighing, Haruto took the offerings and filled his armor with acorns. Once they saw him accept the acorns, the squirrels nodded their heads then ran up a tree before flying away. I wonder why my title didn't work on that feline. Is there a prerequisite, hmm. Noting this anomaly, Haruto decided to walk deeper into the forest to befriend other animals. 

In a very muddy area, he observed level 35 boars running amok, their eyes were a maddening red. The boars rammed into each, the trees, and any creature unfortunate enough to walk near them. A monstrous level 60 boar with horns that almost penetrated its own head stamped around. Haruto noticed fire around its hooves. None of the level 35 boars dared to ram it, and the level 60 boar ignored them. Without a care in the world, some level 40 boars strutted into the mud area. The word female was in their names. All the boars began grunting and snorting busily making their way to the females as if the level 60 boar was just a figment of their imagination. 

Haruto could sense the bloodbath in the making. There were no friends to make here, so he left the area before the battle royal began. While walking, Haruto saw a daring scene. A level 60 bald eagle swooped down and attempted to carry away a level 40 murk rat. The speed of the eagle was frightening, creating blurs and afterimages as it disappeared through the trees. Even more frightening was how little noise the eagle made, almost no sound could be heard. By the time the murk rat understood what was happening, the razor-sharp claws had dug deep into its body. As soon as its attempt to struggle began, it ended, and the eagle swiftly disappeared with its prize. Haruto wondered if his and the rats' roles were reversed if he would notice the eagle. I didn't hear it. I just so happened to see the blur, and upon focusing, felt the subtle killing intent. But if it came from my blind spot, would I notice it before being clawed to death? I find the lack of friendable creatures concerning.

Going further in after witnessing this scene, more and more bizarre scenarios were seen by him. A level 50 murk rat was fighting an ant the size of a dog. The murk rat was bigger than the previous one, and its two teeth came down into a sharp point. The mandibles on the ant looked frightening, and the stinger was as long as a kitchen knife. Still, the ant's level was merely level 15, which made Haruto believe the murk rat would win for sure. That was his guess until a swarm of ants appeared and quickly covered the rat. Haruto couldn't see beneath the swarm, but he could hear the murk rat's pitiful screams. 

Seeing the scene IRL in its full bloody glory was a different experience than in any video game. Haruto's iron stomach convulsed, feeling weak as puddy. I'm sure a company would be bashed for having such sounds and unnecessary gore in their games. It would destroy the rating system. Rated M might as well be E if such things existed. The horror genre would only be for the strong of heart, and even then, they would question themselves. It would be a cult classic of psychopaths.

 Not 5 mins passed when all screams ceased, and only bones were left as the ants disappeared into the foliage. Haruto steered clear of that area and continued wandering. He watched giant earthworms moving around the littered ground. The earthworms were lazy by nature, and only sported a level of 30. But curiously, none of the creatures except for ants took the time to hunt them. Some lazily follow near Haruto as if walking with an old friend. But his pace was a bit too quick for some, and they were picked off by ants.

Hearing a loud screech overhead, Haruto looked up and watched as two bald eagles battled it out. Their screeches rattled his eardrums. It was almost like lightning crackled each time one opened their beaks, the battle was breathtaking. Haruto's eyes could barely keep up as they darted about zooming towards each other like missiles, using their beaks to stab into the other. The battle was brutal, and neither bird enjoyed the advantage, making Haruto believe they would just die together. That was until a single level 80 falcon burst onto the scene and began shredding the now weakened eagles.

The two eagles put up a valiant effort, but their injuries proved too much as the first eagle had its head chopped off by the falcon's talons. The second one tried to dive into the forest for cover, but it too fell into the claws embrace. The falcon did not even keep the bodies of the eagles, merely screeching in victory. This was the first animal Haruto met that was a higher rank than him. Its screech caused Haruto to feel danger, so he observed it intently. Feeling his gaze, the falcon locked eyes with Haruto. After circling a few times, it disappeared back into the forest's deepest parts.

The deeper Haruto traveled, the more animals popped up, this was a stark difference than his swamp that only had two choices: slimes or toads. I almost miss how simple things were. Every time Haruto thought he saw the worst, the forest had to offer. An even worse scene popped up in front of him. From Felines devouring muskrats. To muskrats devouring muskrats. He even saw an earthworm sliding out the mouth of a dead boar. Such horrors will be imprinted into his mind. He could only lock them away in the hopes that nightmares wouldn't plague his dreams. As he moved about watching the unholy abominations murder fest, he noticed some familiar imprints on the ground. He walked up close to the mark and saw they were shaped like elk hooves. Haruto began to follow these tracks to find the herd and ensure their safety in this hellhole.