Don't Pick Up Rabbits from the Abyss

The monsters of the Abyss found a newborn white rabbit and named him Bai Mang. They assumed he was a soft, sweet little darling, and all fought over who would get to raise him. Little did they know that this cute bunny was a calamity incarnate...

A dragon hoarded all kinds of glittering treasures in its cave. One day, while sorting through them as usual, it found that every single treasure was pocked with holes.

The dragon roared, "Which idiot messed with my treasure?!"

Bai Mang hugged a gemstone and gnawed away. "Huh? I'm not allowed to chew on it?"

The dragon wept. "Oh dear... The baby's teething. Go ahead and chew, then. Want to go teethe on the black goat's stuff?"

The black goat disapproved of the dragon's stinginess. It pointed to its own stone cave and told Bai Mang to chew all he wanted.

Bai Mang hopped onto the tender wild grass the black goat had worked so hard to find and gobbled it all up with gusto.

The black goat held back its heartbreak. "...Did Mang Mang eat too much?"

Bai Mang hopped into a corner of the cave and started digging, yelling that he was hungry as he dug.

The black goat went out to find more food. Suddenly, it heard a thunderous crash. Looking toward the sound, it saw its cave collapsing, collapsing, collapsing...

Bai Mang hopped out from under the pile of rubble, eyes red, and stared innocently at the black goat.

The heartbroken black goat sent Bai Mang to the home of a mutant capybara, who was calm and kindhearted.

The capybara lived in the water, so it wasn't worried about Bai Mang wrecking the place. But Bai Mang didn't like water, so he kept stomping on the capybara's back.

The capybara fretted until it had gnawed through a patch of water grass. Then, despite its body having been trampled and broken, it carried Bai Mang off to the next monster's home.

At last, amid the Abyss monsters' anxious days and sleepless nights, Bai Mang grew up and learned to take human form.

The monsters hurried to pack his bags. They bundled up a pile of rocks and grass in a banana leaf and sent Bai Mang away from the Abyss.

Hugging the banana leaf and gnawing on the antlers a camel deer had just shed, Bai Mang said wistfully, "I don't want to leave home..."

The monsters all encouraged him at once. "Mang Mang has grown up. Go out and see the world. Off you go!"

If this little menace didn't leave soon, the Abyss would be completely wrecked!

-

After leaving the Abyss, Bai Mang stumbled upon the entrance to an underground city where humans lived.

When he was being checked, he opened his banana leaf and explained to the guards, "These are my toys and food."

Hearing his innocent words and seeing the rocks and grass in his hands, the people around him looked at him with sympathy.

Once inside the underground city, Bai Mang was fascinated by his new surroundings. Excited, he ran wildly around the room, hopping up and down.

The dormitory being used as his temporary residence was poorly built, and it collapsed beneath his feet.

It was just a collapsed house. Bai Mang was used to it, and climbed out of the rubble, thinking it wasn't a big deal.

...But this time, it seemed like a pretty big deal.

Bai Mang was handcuffed and brought to the interrogation room. Sitting across from him was Fu Huo, an expert specially invited by the underground city.

Fu Huo sensed Bai Mang's true identity. "You're a mutant rabbit."

The monsters of the Abyss had warned Bai Mang not to reveal that he wasn't human. So he silently took out a blade of grass and offered it to Fu Huo. "Want some? This grass is really tender."

Fu Huo: "...Are you trying to bribe me?"

Then, one day...

Bai Mang got angry, so Fu Huo went to the Abyss and picked him a handful of grass. He brought it back and tried to cheer the little rabbit up. "Want some? It tastes like home."

A bystander who knew nothing but had been listening in: "...I'd heard Expert Bai came from humble beginnings, but I never thought he actually grew up eating grass back home. Poor thing!"

[Advance notice blurb written on 2026-01-02]

Theme: Treasure life and live with optimism