novelraw Chapter 17: Fighting Mutant Rats in the Sewer
Chapter 17: Fighting Mutant Rats in the Sewer
[Giant Mutant Rat – Lv.9]
A highly aggressive rodent that has adapted to the toxic conditions of the sewers. Larger and stronger than an average dog, it possesses sharp fangs capable of tearing through flesh and a disease-ridden bite that can inflict infections. Its meat is lethally poisonous—even when cooked, consuming it will kill within a minute..
There were five of these rats.
“Screeeeee—!”
A piercing shriek echoed through the tunnel as the mutant rats emerged from the darkness, their red eyes gleaming with hunger. Their mangy, matted fur dripped with filth, and their jagged teeth glistened with a sickly sheen. One bite, and I was certain I’d be sent straight to a hospital—if I even survived long enough to reach one, not that there was one in here.
I instinctively raised my sword, tightening my grip. Unlike the sluggish zombies I had faced in the first scenario, these creatures were fast and agile, and judging by the way they moved, they were used to hunting in packs. Sure enough, one of the rats pounced without hesitation, scraping its claws against the stone as it closed the distance in an instant. I barely had time to react before another flanked me from the side, forcing me to step back as its jaws snapped dangerously close to my arm.
As expected, they’re well-coordinated…
The third rat darted in from my blind spot, but I already anticipated it. Twisting my body, I swung my sword in a quick horizontal slash. The blade met resistance as it tore through the rat’s flesh, sending a spray of dark blood onto the damp floor. Fortunately, they were quite a bit bigger than a corgi, so hitting them wasn’t as difficult as fighting cockroaches.
You have hunted [Giant Mutant Rat Lv.8].
You have gained 8 EXP.
Nevertheless, I had no time to celebrate. The moment the first rat fell, the others grew even more aggressive. The remaining four spread out, encircling me and screeching as they bounced off the tunnel walls. One tried to bite me on the leg, while another leapt from the side with its claws ready to rake across my face.
I barely managed to sidestep the first, but the second was too fast. In a split-second decision, I grabbed something from my inventory—the old magic tome—and thrust it forward. The rat crashed into it with full force, momentarily stunned. Without hesitation, I swung the hefty book down like a hammer, slamming it into the creature’s skull as hard as I could. The impact sent the rat flying into the tunnel wall like a ragdoll with a sickening thud.
You have hunted [Giant Mutant Rat Lv.9].
You have gained 9 EXP.
Holy shit! This book is ridiculously hard! I briefly stared at the tome in my hands with shock. However, while it had proven surprisingly effective in a pinch, it wasn’t exactly practical as a weapon; it had an extremely short reach, and swinging it around felt awkward.
Regardless of that, the remaining three rats wasted no time in capitalizing on my momentary distraction. One pounced to bite my hand with its disease-ridden fangs. In response, I bashed the rat with the tome horizontally, just as I had with the previous rat. The impact sent a wet crunch through the tunnel as its skull caved in, splattering brain matter and innards across the grimy wall. It was a truly gruesome sight.
You have hunted [Giant Mutant Rat Lv.7].
You have gained 7 EXP.
The other two rats froze, momentarily stunned by the brutal display. Capitalizing on their hesitation, I immediately switched to the offensive, and with a sharp dash forward, I swung my blade at the nearest rat, killing it in one strike.
You have hunted [Giant Mutant Rat Lv.8].
You have gained 8 EXP.
The last remaining rat, now realizing it was alone, turned to flee deeper into the tunnel.
Not a chance.
Without thinking, I hurled my sword straight at it. The blade cut through the air before plunging into the rat’s back, pinning it to the damp stone floor. What a lucky throw. The fact that my first-ever sword throw landed so perfectly made me pause for a moment. The Luck stat truly was useful…
Hrm, maybe I should invest more into the Luck stat… I thought, rubbing my chin. Then I shook my head. Nah. I can’t rely too much on something as abstract as luck. Better to save my points for when I need them against stronger enemies.
After all, I wouldn’t be able to grow much stronger without gaining another class or going through a class advancement. Besides, these rats were barely above the cockroaches in terms of threat level—just bottom-tier fodder in this scenario. I was sure that there were Bet-rank enemies in this scenario lurking somewhere.
Walking closer to the pinned rat, I noticed that it was still alive. Apparently, it was the strongest out of the five, as it was noticeably larger than the others. Without hesitation, I gripped the hilt of my sword and twisted it sharply to kill the rat before yanking the blade free.
You have hunted [Giant Mutant Rat Lv.11].
You have gained 11 EXP.
Once I ensured the vicinity was safe, I put the rats’ corpses into the inventory before continuing with the exploration of the sewer. The reason I took their corpses was that their hides could be sold, and the poison their meat and blood contained could be used in times of need.
Giant Mutant Rat Corpses x5I walked through the maze-like tunnels for another half hour while hunting any monsters I encountered along the way, including three mutant cockroaches and even seven mutant leeches. Glancing at the progress of my main objective, I frowned. I had only explored 1 percent of the required minimum—barely one hundred thousand square meters. At this rate, it would take me forever to clear this!
“No wonder this is a party-based scenario,” I muttered. With two people, exploration would be both faster and safer. The narrow tunnels made large groups impractical, but having a partner would’ve been ideal.
I sighed, feeling a bit of regret for opting to go alone. But there was no use crying over spilled milk—I had made my choice, and I would see it through.
At any rate, I had yet to find a single ladder leading to the surface, which meant I was likely far from the urban center. If I wanted to reach a more developed area, I had two options: keep following the tunnels until I found an exit or backtrack and search for a different path.
Neither option was appealing since both would slow my exploration progress. But before I could decide, I heard something distinct—not the usual scuttling of cockroaches or screeching of rats, but a faint, distant clanking sound.
Metal against stone?
I halted, listening intently. The rhythmic clangs echoed through the tunnel, steady and deliberate. This wasn’t random noise—someone, or something, was making it. It was like the doing of an intelligent creature.
Cautiously, I crept toward the source. The dim tunnel began to widen ahead, and as I rounded a corner, a flickering light in the distance came into view. The sewer passage opened into a large cavern, where wastewater cascaded down from multiple channels, pooling into a dark, stagnant reservoir. All sorts of strange plants were growing all around it.
Squinting, I spotted a group of six humanoid figures standing in the middle of the cavern. They were bipedal, completely covered in long, tattered cloaks that concealed their entire bodies. But beneath the hoods, I caught glimpses of green skin, and even writhing tentacles surrounding their mouths, eerily similar to the flying octopuses I had encountered before, just of a different color.
What the hell…?
But then, a System description of the monster appeared before me.
[Abyssal Thrall – Lv.16]
Once a human, this unfortunate soul has been corrupted by the influence of an unknown eldritch entity, twisting their body beyond recognition. Their mind is corrupted to serve only the will of their unseen master. Though physically frail, it can wield strange, abyssal magic.
The thralls stood still, as if waiting for something. They were whispering strange, unintelligible language to each other, clicking and hissing in a way that sent an unnatural chill down my spine. This wasn’t just a group of random monsters. Something far more complicated was at play here.
“How interesting,” I muttered, scanning the place all around.
If they were gathered here in numbers, then there had to be a larger camp somewhere nearby, likely deeper within the cavern. Creatures like these wouldn’t simply linger in an open area unless they were stationed here for a reason. Whether they were guarding something—or preparing for something—I needed to eliminate them to proceed further.
No other choice. I have to kill them all in one fell swoop.
By using the special effect of my cursed coat, I should be able to get close enough unnoticed and strike while their guards were down. These beings didn’t seem overly perceptive, but I couldn’t take any chances. The disorienting effect of the coat was still present, despite Mental Resistance helping dull it, though it hadn’t been much of a problem so far.
I exhaled slowly, reinforcing my focus before proceeding to stealthily creep toward them. Step by step, I moved along the damp stone, careful not to disturb the shallow pools of murky water. The thralls remained focused on whatever ritual or task they were performing. The dim light illuminating that had been illuminating the cavern came from a stick held by some of the thralls.
Soon, I got within striking range—about five meters from the nearest one. Any step further, and I wasn’t confident that the cloak’s effect would continue to mask my presence.
Hmm… This is going to be hard without improving my speed. With that consideration, I decided to invest ten points in my Dexterity.
Dexterity: 6 → 16
Just as I did that, one of the thralls turned its head toward me, locking its inhuman eyes onto me. Now!
With all my strength, I launched myself toward the nearest enemy and sliced through its neck before it could react with my sword. Black blood sprayed into the air as its body crumpled to the ground, unmoving. My newly improved speed was impressive.
You have hunted [Abyssal Thrall Lv.15].
You have gained 15 EXP.
Before the others could even register what had happened, I spun around, driving my blade into the chest of a second thrall. It let out a gurgled hiss, its tentacle-covered face twitching violently as I twisted the sword and yanked it free.
You have hunted [Abyssal Thrall Lv.16].
You have gained 16 EXP.
The whispers stopped.
The remaining thralls turned toward me in unison, their eyes filled with hostility. Then an ear-splitting screech emerged as one of the thralls opened its mouth, causing me to wince slightly at the sharp noise reverberating through the cavern. So much for taking them all out unnoticed.
It’s unfortunate that I don’t have a stealth-related skill… This would’ve been a lot easier.
I tightened my grip on my sword as the thralls began their attack by starting to chant something.
The fight was on.