I Was Reincarnated as the Weakest Monster, but I’ll Use My ‘Return from Death’ Skill to Become the Strongest! Even as the Weakest Monster, I Want to Get Stronger, Take Human Form, and Build a Harem… But Why Do Only Yandere Non-Human Girls Keep Showing Up? - Chapter 1.3

Reflected in the puddle before me.

Was my own image.

A single white-furred cat, its pristine coat untouched by bl00d or injury.

My legs were intact. My stomach was unscathed.

There wasn’t a single trace of red anywhere.

“Huh? What? …Wait, huh? What is this supposed to mean?”

Staring at my unblemished reflection, I muttered in confusion.

Something was wrong.

Just moments ago—no, literally seconds ago—I was killed.

“…This is too much for me to process right now.”

The pain—the sheer, soul-crushing agony.

The despair—the looming certainty of death.

That wasn’t a dream. It was real.

There was no mistaking it.

And yet, here I was. Completely unharmed.

It didn’t make any sense.

“Appraisal.”

With no way to make sense of my situation, I decided to activate my “Appraisal” skill—my only unique ability—hoping it would provide some kind of explanation.

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much.

But then—

“…This is messed up.”

The answer was right there.

◆◆◆◆◆

Name: None
Race: Cat
Level: 1 / 10
Rank: H
Title: “Egg of Possibility”

Attack: 3
Defense: 1
Magic Power: 1
Agility: 5

???:

• “Return from Death”

Unique Skill:

• “Appraisal”

Skills:

• “Bite”

◆◆◆◆◆

One new entry had appeared on my status screen—something that wasn’t there before.

“Return from Death.”

That had to be it.

That had to be the reason I was still alive.

If the name meant what it implied—then this skill literally reversed death itself.

How twisted.

I couldn’t help but shudder at the implications.

But…

It also meant that, in the end—this ability had saved me.

I was alive because of it.

And judging by the position of the sun, I had been sent back to the exact moment when I first woke up as a cat.

“…”

Another clue was my level.

It was still 1.

The bug I ate, the level-up I gained—all of that had been erased.

So even my experiences weren’t carried over?

Damn it. I suffered through that for nothing.

Well… I suppose it would be broken if I could die and keep everything from the future.

Still, what a brutal way to learn how this works.

“Sigh…”

One thing was clear.

If I die, I’ll come back.

But—

“…I am never dying again.”

Just because I can come back from death doesn’t mean I ever want to experience that again.

That sensation—that horrible, gut-wrenching feeling of being torn apart—was something no words could describe.

No sane person would ever willingly go through that twice.

And on top of that—

I still had no idea how this “Return from Death” skill actually worked.

《Return from Death》

As I focused on the skill, a series of garbled symbols suddenly filled my vision—

A jumbled mess of unreadable text.

What the hell…?

When I used Appraisal on Return from Death, all that appeared was a string of corrupted, unreadable text—nothing but a jumbled mess of meaningless symbols.

No details. No explanation.

Just complete nonsense.

Relying on a skill like this… is terrifying.

What if there isn’t a next time?

Even if it worked twice, there’s no guarantee it’ll work a third time.

I can’t afford to place my trust in something so unreliable.

I need to survive on my own strength.

“…My plan stays the same.”

No matter what happens, I have no choice but to grow stronger in this forest.

I’ve already seen firsthand that there are creatures far stronger than me lurking here.

I’ve died once, and I know exactly how easy it is to get killed.

If I want to make sure it never happens again—

I have to become stronger.

“Nya!”

I lunge at a bug scurrying past the edge of my vision.

My feline reflexes take over.

I swipe it up—

And without hesitation, I shove it into my mouth.

“Guh.”

That same disgusting sensation spreads across my tongue.

The faint crunch. The erratic twitching.

The brush of tiny wings against my mouth.

The wet, revolting taste coats my tongue.

Memories of the last time I ate a bug flood my mind.

“This won’t break me.”

Before, I thought this was the worst thing I had ever experienced.

But compared to dying—

Compared to being torn apart—

This was nothing.

── Your level has increased by 1.

I will get stronger.

I will escape this forest.

And I will never die again.