A tiger ghost lives in the mountain behind our village.

Or at least, that's what the villagers used to say.

Only kids believe those kinds of rumors. Now that I'm all grown up, there's no way I'd fall for such a trick.

Isn't it obvious the story was just a lesson to keep people from getting lost or having accidents in the mountains after dark?

I'm not the type to be swayed by such lies.

So, I went.

I'm the type who just has to do exactly what I'm told not to do.

Even as an adult, I need a dopamine hit like this once in a while.

And so, in the dead of night, I finally climbed the mountain.

But I must have taken a wrong turn... the path started getting treacherous.

I couldn't see a thing, stumbling and bumping into things as I staggered forward.

I shouldn't have come. I really shouldn't have ignored what the elders said.

Just as I was thinking about turning back, I fell into a deep pit.

Panicked, I shouted for help and tried to climb out, but no one came.

How many hours passed like that?

I started to hear footsteps from a distance.

And the shadow I saw from inside the pit was...

A giant person?

No, it didn't seem human.

Whether it was really a tiger ghost or not, it had a massive frame with ears and a tail.

The black silhouette looked down at me and tilted its head.

What's this tiny little thing?