CRUNCH. CRUNCH. CRUNCH.

  The sound of mandibles tearing into flesh echoed through the clearing like a macabre symphony. Cassian, curled up at the back of her hollow in the tree trunk, felt every fiber of her being scream in terror. The monstrous centipede had returned to its meal, but she could see its glistening segments contracting rhythmically with each bite of the deer-like creature.

  How the hell did I end up here? The thought spun in her mind like a scratched record. Lucien. That bastard Lucien knocked me out, and now I'm... where exactly?

  The deer—some majestic creature that must have stood nearly two meters at the shoulder—was already half gone. One of its hind legs had vanished, its opened flank revealing organs that... didn't quite match what Cassian remembered from biology class.

  Because this isn't Earth, genius, a sarcastic little voice whispered in her head.

  ---

  It had started fifteen minutes earlier.

  The centipede was gnawing through the trunk with methodical patience, its mandibles sinking centimeter by centimeter into the ancient wood. Cassian had pressed herself as deep as possible into the hollow.

  "Get lost, get lost, GET LOST!" she'd hissed through her teeth, that feminine, melodic voice coming from her throat making her want to puke.

  Then the sound changed.

  A heavy thudding. Footsteps. Heavy, frantic, desperate.

  The centipede froze, its antennae twitching. Then it raised its massive head, instantly losing interest in the trunk.

  Cassian risked a peek through the fissure.

  What she saw stunned her.

  A deer—but oversized, broad as a draft horse, its antlers skeletal and complex like the branches of an old oak. Its dark fur was marbled with pale, ashen spots that contrasted strangely with the rest.

  Behind it, four wolves.

  Normal wolves, these ones. Well, mostly normal—maybe a bit larger, their eyes a little too intelligent. They hunted their prey with coordination, anticipating every move of the deer.

  The deer burst into the clearing, its hooves churning the wet grass. The wolves followed, jaws open, ready for the kill.

  And everyone froze at once.

  The centipede uncoiled from the tree in a fluid, obscene motion, its three meters of length deploying like a deadly spring. Its cry—that sound that should never exist, somewhere between a siren wail and twisted metal screeching—pierced the air.

  The wolves didn't hesitate for a second.

  They scattered like smoke, abandoning their prey without a backward glance.

  The deer tried to escape. Its injured legs slipped. It righted itself, facing the centipede with a kind of desperate nobility, antlers lowered in defense.

  The centipede struck.

  Fast. Too fast for something so massive. Its segmented body wrapped around the deer in a flash, its multiple clawed legs finding purchase in the flesh.

  Then the mandibles closed on the neck.

  CRUNCH.

  ---

  Now, twenty minutes later, the centipede was feasting. And Cassian... Cassian was thinking.

  I need to get out. Now. While it's distracted.

  She leaned slowly toward the hollow's opening, scanning the clearing. The centipede was about ten meters away, its attention fully on its meal.

  This is my chance.

  Cassian slid out of the trunk with agonizing slowness, every muscle tense. Her bare feet—fuck, WHY am I barefoot?—touched the wet grass. Cold. Soft. Her new senses amplified every sensation—the texture of each blade, the moisture creeping between her toes, the earthy scent of moss.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  She placed one foot in front of the other, heart pounding so hard she was sure the centipede could hear it.

  Two meters. Three. Four...

  The centipede swiveled its head.

  Their eyes met.

  "SHIT!"

  Cassian dove back toward the trunk. The centipede exploded into motion, its massive body covering the distance in an instant. Its mandibles snapped inches from her ankles as she threw herself into the hollow, knees scraping rough bark.

  "FUCK FUCK FUCK!" she yelled, the high-pitched voice making her curses almost comical.

  The centipede stopped at the opening, its multiple eyes fixing on Cassian with disturbing intelligence. Then, slowly, deliberately, it returned to its meal.

  But it didn't take its eyes off her. One of them stayed locked on the trunk permanently.

  It's toying with me.

  ---

  The minutes stretched like molasses. The deer diminished visibly. The centipede ate with mechanical efficiency, leaving only the hardest bones. At this rate...

  "One day," Cassian murmured. "It'll take less than a day to finish. And then..."

  She didn't finish the thought. No need.

  Cassian slowly extended her arm out of the trunk, up to the elbow.

  The centipede pivoted instantly, abandoning the deer. It lunged at the arm with terrifying speed.

  Cassian yanked it back in a flash, heart exploding in her chest.

  "Okay," she gasped. "Okay, message received. You're fast. You're attentive. And you're an asshole."

  The centipede went back to eating, but kept that one eye fixed on her.

  I'm trapped. Completely, totally trapped.

  ---

  She sat at the back of the hollow, pulling her knees to her chest. Well, she tried to, but...

  "Fuck this..." She looked down in disbelief. "What the hell is this size?!"

  Her breasts—because she had to call them that, even if her brain screamed denial—pressed against her thighs, creating an absurd physical barrier. She literally couldn't see her feet.

  Okay. Okay, let's recap. Calmly. Rationally.

  She took a shaky breath.

  I'm Cassian Dermont. I was 17. I was a guy. Tall. Strong. Rich. Popular. Hot. Smart. No bragging.

  Lucien beat me. Me and my whole crew. Easily. Like we were kids.

  Then... black. And I wake up here. In this trunk. In this body.

  While examining her hair, her finger caught something. A firm edge, on the side of her head.

  Breath catching, she looked at her hands. Small. Delicate. Nails perfectly shaped, slightly pointed.

  She brought her hands to her temples again, slowly this time. Her fingers traced a clean line, cartilage extending... and ending in a fine point.

  "Elf," she whispered. "I'm a fucking elf."

  Hysterical laughter threatened to escape. She swallowed it.

  And this body... damn, THIS BODY.

  She looked down at her chest, massive under the oversized black robe she wore. The fabric was soft, almost silky, falling to mid-thigh. Practical for hiding, less so for... everything else.

  The fat's in all the right places, she thought with a mix of horror and morbid fascination. Slim waist, wide hips, and this... this THING on my chest. Who the hell designed this body?! Some hentai character?!

  Her hand started to rise, almost out of scientific curiosity. I mean, I should test the physics, right? To understand this new body and...

  She froze.

  The centipede was gone.

  "What?" Cassian leaned toward the opening, scanning the clearing. The deer was still there, half-eaten. But the centipede...

  Gone.

  What the fuck? Why would it leave now? It hasn't even finished...

  An opportunity.

  Cassian waited. Five minutes. Ten. The centipede didn't return.

  Now or never.

  She slipped out of the trunk, every sense on high alert. Grass under her feet. Light wind on her skin. The smell of death from the deer.

  The clearing stretched before her, beautiful and terrifying. Flowers she'd never seen dotted the ground—some electric blue, others a red so deep it looked black. They glowed faintly, pulsing in rhythm with... something.

  Magic? she wondered. It's gotta be magic, right? In isekai stories, there's always magic.

  That thought stopped her dead.

  "Isekai," she murmured.

  And in isekai, there's always...

  "System," she said aloud, almost timidly.

  Silence.

  "System?" she repeated, louder. "Status? Menu? Inventory?"

  Nothing. No floating window. No synthetic voice in her head. Just the rustle of wind and distant insect buzz.

  "Fucking..." Panic started rising. "No no no, this can't be. There HAS to be a system. It's the rules! You can't drop me in an isekai WITHOUT a system!"

  Still nothing.

  Cassian forced herself to breathe. Okay. Maybe... maybe it unlocks later. Or needs a special condition. Kill a monster? Reach a certain level? Meet the god who brought me here?

  Or maybe you're just screwed without cheat codes, dumbass.

  She shook her head. No. Not the time to panic. Priority one: survive. Get out of this clearing. Find civilization. Or at least somewhere without giant centipedes.

  Cassian glanced at the deer's body, black blood pooling around it. Then she looked in the opposite direction from where the centipede might have gone.

  "That way," she decided. "Away from that fucking monster."

  She started walking toward the forest edge, bare feet instinctively finding the safest spots. Her new senses were incredible—she could hear small creatures rustling in bushes, smell moisture in the air, see details she'd never noticed before.

  At least there are perks to this elf body.

  The forest opened before her, massive trees rising toward a double sky. Their bark nearly black, leaves deep green tinged with blue. Vines hung between branches like sleeping serpents.

  Cassian was almost at the edge when she saw it.

  The centipede.

  It was there, perfectly still between two trees, segments blending into shadows. Waiting.

  Their eyes met.

  "Oh, you bastard..."

  The centipede charged.

  Cassian spun and ran.

  ---

  "SYSTEM!" she yelled while sprinting across the clearing. "I'M REALLY SORRY FOR INSULTING YOU! ACTIVATE NOW!"

  Nothing.

  The centipede gained ground, its multiple legs creating a nightmarish clatter. Cassian raced toward the tree trunk, her old refuge, when the centipede did something unexpected.

  It cut across the clearing, physically blocking the path.

  It predicted my move. This asshole PREDICTED my move!

  Cassian veered at the last second, abandoning the trunk idea. She plunged into the forest in the opposite direction, lungs burning, hair whipping her face.

  It trapped me. All that time, it was PRETENDING to leave. It knew I'd come out. It knew where I'd go.

  "Fucking cunning centipede piece of shit!" she shouted, the high voice making the insult almost comical.

  The monster was right behind her now, so close she could hear its wheezing breath. Its mandibles snapped, missing her heels by inches each time.

  And her breasts...

  Boing boing boing.

  "SERIOUSLY?!" Cassian tried to ignore the disturbing sensation of her chest bouncing with every stride. "It's like when I jumped naked in my bathroom but WORSE!"

  Boing boing boing.

  Focus on SURVIVAL, not physics!

  A tree loomed ahead. Cassian dodged it just in time, shoulder scraping bark. The centipede didn't slow, flowing around the obstacle with obscene agility.

  It's catching up. Inch by inch, it's catching up.

  She could feel its breath now. Hot. Damp.

  It's over. I'm gonna die in this ridiculous body without even understanding how...

  The ground exploded in front of her.

  Cassian screamed, skidding to a stop. Dirt and roots erupted like a fountain. And in the center of the chaos...

  Another centipede.

  Bigger. Much bigger.

  The one chasing her was three meters. This one... easily five. Maybe six. Darker segments, thicker carapace, mandibles the size of a car door.

  An adult.

  The younger centipede had no time to react. The adult coiled around it in a fluid, brutal motion, multiple legs gripping. The young one thrashed, body twisting, but it was clearly outmatched.

  They'd been too focused on each other—the young on Cassian, the adult on the young. The ambush was total.

  Cassian froze for half a second, brain refusing to process what she saw.

  If it had targeted me...

  No. No time to think.

  She turned and ran.

  The screams of the two centipedes intertwined behind her, a horror concert pushing her to find energy reserves she didn't know she had.

  Her feet pounded the forest floor. Branches. Roots. Rocks. She dodged everything with uncanny agility.

  Boing boing boing.

  "Oh fuck, shut up!" she yelled at her own chest.

  She thought about finding shoes.

  Boing.

  "...And a bra. Definitely something to hold these mountains in place."