"Ooohhoho——!"
A strange cry echoed in Ken's ears.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
Huh? (´・_・`)?
A massive black shadow loomed over him.
Ken instinctively reached out to touch it. It was hard and unyielding.
A boulder? he thought groggily.
As his vision cleared, the truth came into focus—standing before him was a rhinoceros, towering over two meters tall!
Their eyes met.
Ken smiled awkwardly.
He hastily withdrew his hand, scrambled to his feet, and bolted without a second thought.
Where the hell am I?
Is this still Earth?
And why is there a rhinoceros this size just wandering around?
"I only went out to buy soy sauce! I heard Fairy Tail's Centenary Mission update was dropping, so I waited by the roadside for the bus..."
As he sprinted away, fragmented memories of what happened earlier began piecing themselves together.
He remembered: a drunk driver, speeding recklessly in broad daylight.
Ken had been waiting obediently at a red light, only to be launched through the air.
He had read plenty of novels where the protagonist reincarnates after dying—but dying twice? That was a first.
"Roar!!"
The rhinoceros, sluggish to react at first, suddenly charged after him, bellowing furiously.
Ken darted across the rough terrain, jagged rocks jutting out at every step. The uneven ground made him stumble repeatedly, but he pressed on.
Meanwhile, the rhino's massive feet slammed into the earth with thunderous force, the ground trembling beneath each step.
Ken glanced back and realized with horror—the beast was gaining on him.
Gritting his teeth, he made a split-second decision.
"Bet it's brain-dead!"
He dove behind a nearby boulder, pressing himself flat against it.
The rhinoceros's heavy footsteps slowed, then stopped altogether.
Ken exhaled slowly, cautiously peeking around the rock's edge.
"Why is it still here?"
"Wait... what's it doing?"
The beast was crouched low, muscles tense, one hoof pawing at the ground.
It was preparing to charge.
Ken's heart sank.
He shifted, trying to reposition himself, but—
Crack!
The rock behind him shattered like glass.
Too late.
The rhinoceros's charge had been so powerful, it obliterated the massive boulder like it was nothing.
"Seriously? Am I going to die again?"
"And both times by getting smashed into oblivion!?"
Ken squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable.
His body traced a graceful arc through the air.
"This is it... goodbye, world."
Yet, strangely enough, apart from a few scrapes from sliding across the ground, he felt no serious pain.
The full-force collision had barely left a mark.
Even more bizarre—he could sense a faint warmth, almost a kind of kindness, radiating from the shattered stones around him.
What... is happening?
The rhinoceros, momentarily confused by Ken's resilience, readied itself for another charge.
But this time, Ken didn't run.
Instead, his gaze drifted to the fragments of rock scattered across the ground.
Compelled by something he couldn't explain, he picked up a piece—and popped it into his mouth.
"Crunch, crunch..."
He didn't even think about it. Maybe it wasn't even him thinking anymore—maybe it was instinct.
Expecting a gritty, bitter taste, Ken was surprised to find the rock crisp and refreshing.
Almost immediately, a surge of strength erupted in his gut, flooding through his limbs.
"What... the hell is going on?"
Ken stared at his hands in shock as newfound power coursed through him.
Without warning, a primal roar tore from his throat.
A wave of pressure blasted out from his body.
The rhinoceros skidded to a halt, startled by the force.
It was only a brief hesitation, but it was enough.
Ken clenched his fists tightly, his heart pounding.
"That burst just now... was that me?"
"If I can control this strength... maybe I can beat this thing."
"Roar!!"
The rhinoceros shook off its fear and charged again, even faster than before.
But Ken stood his ground.
He inhaled deeply, planted his feet, and braced his arms forward.
The beast's massive form loomed larger and larger until its ferocious eyes were nearly upon him—
"Boom!"
The impact shook the earth.
But Ken didn't budge, his hands pressed firmly against the rhino's rough, horned face.
"I stopped it!"
"These rocks... they're not normal. Eating them boosts my strength!"
Suppressing the excitement rising in his chest, Ken leapt to the side.
The rhinoceros staggered clumsily, struggling to turn its bulk around.
Seizing the opportunity, Ken quickly gathered more shattered rocks and devoured them.
With each bite, even greater magic surged within him.
"The more I eat, the stronger I get!"
The fear that had once gripped him had completely vanished.
By the time the rhinoceros finally turned to face him again, Ken was ready.
He even extended a single finger, taunting:
"Come on."
"Ooohhoho!!!"
Furious beyond reason, the rhinoceros let out a deafening roar and charged with everything it had.
At the same moment, Ken closed his eyes and took a steady breath, focusing on the transformation within.
When the beast was mere meters away—
"Now!"
Ken unleashed all the power he had stored.
A maelstrom of energy, fused with the rocks he had eaten, erupted from his mouth.
His eyes flew open in shock as a colossal sandstorm, swirling with rocks and raw force, tore across the battlefield.
The rhinoceros was swept off the ground like a feather and hurled into a towering rock formation over ten meters away.
"Bang!"
Dust exploded outward.
The stone cracked and splintered like spiderwebs.
The rhinoceros lay sprawled atop it, motionless.
Ken stood there, mouth agape—not from releasing more power, but from sheer disbelief.
The strength he had unleashed... it was far beyond anything he could have imagined.
As the realization hit him, it was like lightning striking his mind.
"Wait... this is..."
"Dragon Slayer Magic!?"
"I'm... a Dragon Slayer!?"