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Chapter 33: Rat King
🕑 Added 2025-01-29 12:41:23 +0000 UTCThe damp air crept up to his scales. The squeaking sound echoed through the cave, marking where the Ratmen had gathered. With his trusty axe at the ready, James marched on.
Soon, he found a clearing. This time, no gates, no inscription, no bunker. Just a clearing, like an arena where the Ratmen and a much bigger Ratman gathered. As if it was not clear enough, a golden crown adorned the huge Ratman’s head. Just like James, the Rat King brought a war axe in its hand. Once James had entered, it stood up, facing him.
James was ready for the boss fight. However, he certainly wasn’t ready if the boss had 10 underlings that surrounded him. James thought the mobs would watch, just like when he fought that Alpha Wolf. They didn’t. The Rat Slaves picked up clothes or ropes and made an impromptu sling with them. Some equipped crude bows to join the fray.
James tried to shield himself with his axe, but some stones inevitably hit him. It hurt less than he thought, but it was distracting. Moreover, the occasional arrow that was shot at him really put him on edge. James shot a Rat Slave with his crossbow, ignoring the Rat King, who marched with his war axe toward him.
Only after shooting another one with his poisoned bolt did James decide to engage the Rat King. Both axes glowed golden as they unleashed their axe skills. A thunderous explosion rang through the arena as both axes clashed. James’s overwhelming strength pushed the Rat King back several steps.
Without delay, James drew his sword and launched a thrust. However, the Rat King also drew its sword and parried him. James was stupefied. Even when the Rat King had fallen over, James didn’t take advantage of it. The Rat King used the same battle style as him. A thought flashed in his mind. Was this deliberate by the system, or was it simply a coincidence?
“Damn, I want that sword. Is it a katana?” James grinned with envy. The correct term would be Odachi, a long sword from Japan. It was much longer than a katana.
An arrow stabbed through his leather armor as James admired the Rat King’s sword. It sent a sharp pain to his shoulder. However, with his scales and armor, such arrows from low-level Ratmen and crude bows didn’t pose a threat to him. James refocused his attention on the Rat King.
He bit another wooden arrow bolt, filling its wooden crevices with his life-leeching poison. This rat used the same technique as him. Pushing it back with all this distraction would prove to be difficult. James planned to use his poison and deliver a fatal strike once its attention was elsewhere.
James wasn’t the brightest tool in the shed. He forgot that he had magic. No. He actually remembered, but he thought ice magic would prove futile against this Rat King. Even though he had purchased his Mana Core and Mind Magic for 700 coins, it was left unused, like his engineering degrees.
And so, the battle restarted. This time, James was the one who leaped at the Rat King. Axe and sword at the ready, he started with a thrust, which was deflected with its axe. The King countered with its Odachi, which was deflected by James’s axe.
James formed multiple icicles and launched them toward the mob who harassed him. But since most of his attention was on the King, all of them missed.
The vermin let out a golden glow on its sword. James prepared his own sword skill. Even though it was supposed to be the same sword skill, James pondered. It had a different stance activation.
“Were weapon skills different for each wielder?” James muttered. However, all spear skills that he saw from Sahuagin and Orcs were similar. The axe skill that the Orc Boss and the vermin before him used was similar too.
The Rat King lunged with its sword. A golden flash came toward him like a meteor, and it was met with an upward slash from James. Both sword skills clashed in a resounding boom.
Weapon skills had a margin of error in their activation. But they had limits in their posture. For example, the sword skill Hurricane could only make an upward slash. It was similar with his axe skill too. His axe skill could only make a swing from the right side. James could change the direction and posture, but he couldn’t activate his sword skill with a downward slash, and he couldn’t activate Powerstrike from the left side.
James widened his eyes because, this time, he was the one losing. The Rat King overpowered his left orc arm. He wasn’t thrown away like during the Orc Boss battle, but he was pushed back several steps. The King let out another skill with its axe next, and James barely followed.
As both skills collided, the vermin was the one who was pushed back. James finally understood where the vermin’s power lay. James’ left orc hand and right golem hand offered different stat bonuses. That meant this Rat King’s hands were better than James’ orc hand.
“I will be taking those hands!” James muttered. There was no time to load the bolt and launch it at it. So, he took a more direct approach. He lunged at it with his axe. James threw his sword at it. Throwing your weapon was considered a stupid move, but in the heat of the moment, it could distract your enemy.
It took all it had to deflect that sword with its ōdachi. Then James stabbed his bolt right into its shoulder. It roared in pain and used all of its strength to push him away. The slaves that had merely watched from the sidelines, throwing stones and arrows, suddenly came toward James with renewed vigor.
If the boss lost, they would be next. Such a message was transmitted to them from the king, erasing their cowardly nature. These slaves were now a death squad, capable of making a suicide attack. James didn’t fear such mobs. He summoned icicles and launched them toward the vermin.
They might have dodged it before, but since they were closer, they were bound to get hit. James’ magic made a shish kebab out of them. With a single tug of his spider web, the sword that was on the ground flew back to James’ left arm.
The Rat King stood beside its soldiers. No. It stood beside its children. It couldn’t be helped that their children organized themselves based on skills. However, the fact that it was their father made the children brave. Together, they made a desperate charge toward James.
James didn’t know of their bond, nor did he care. This world revolved around survival. No matter the reason, James had to kill them or he himself would perish. Such was the cruel world James had been thrust into.
And so, James launched his axe skill. A clash of resolve soon sparked between the Rat King’s axe and James’s. Both roared with vengeance and determination. This time, through sheer will, the Rat King actually held on with his skill. But that determination was mistaken.
James thrust his sword. The Rat King thrust its. The vermin thought James would try to deflect its sword, but it was evident that James was a maniac. He didn’t try to defend himself. James’ thrust stabbed into its torso while its sword embedded itself deep into his shoulder. James was a beast. Opening his maw, James bit into its arm.
Poison didn’t increase its lethality even with more doses in this world. So, James pulled out immediately and dealt with the approaching rat slaves who messed around with him. The poison slowly worked through the Rat King, sapping its strength.
Even when wounded, adrenaline fueled James to keep going. A golden glow shone from his axe as he approached the king. The few slaves tried to cover their king, but they were useless against the power of the skill.
The Rat King’s vision blurred. It was unsteady on its feet. Its hands were heavy as the poison and wounds weakened it further. It couldn’t muster the strength to launch a skill. All it could do was raise its axe overhead, trying to block the incoming golden meteor. It knew it was futile, as the golden meteor blew through its axe like a piece of glass. The meteor caved into its shoulder, ending its life.
[Congratulations! You have leveled up two times to level 36. You have earned 100 coins.]
[Name: James]
Age: 35
Sex: Male
Level: 36
Coins: 800
Stats:
STR: 125 (up 2)
DEX: 117 (up 3)
Magic: 71 (up 3)
Mana: 780 (up 20)
Skills:
Novice Axe Mastery Level 4 (Powerstrike, V-slash)
Beginner Sword Mastery Level 7 (Hurricane)
Beginner Bow Mastery Level 7 (Quickshot)
Magic:
Mind Flay
Mana Sonar
Unique Skill:
Chimera:
Goblin Stomach (Iron Guts) (Stomach Slot)
Mana Core (Water Spell: Ice Spear, Water Manipulation, Magic +60, Mana +1000) (Extra Slot)
Orc’s Left Arm (STR+10%) (Arm Slot)
Eyes of Mana (Mana Sense) (Right Eye Slot)
Golem Arm of Valhalla (STR+30%, Physical Resistance +30%, Negative Trait: Repairable, Mana -200) (Right Arm Slot)
Sahuagin’s Webbed Feet (+10% Dexterity in Water) (Leg Slot)
Sahuagin’s Lungs (Underwater Breathing) (Lung Slot)
Golem Core (Poison Resistance) (Negative Trait: Mana -250, Magic -10, Repairable) (Heart Slot)
Orc’s Torso (Torso Slot)
Orc’s Head (Head Slot)
Shadow Snake Fang (Intermediate Life Leeching) (Mouth Slot) (New)
Jumping Spider’s Spinneret (Thread Creation) (Extra Slot 2)
Equipment:
Leather Armor Set (+10 DEX)
War Axe
Longsword
Crossbow
Waterspout Dagger
Mask of Identity
Leather Bag
Sphere of Fethusiane
Cloak of Dark Night
[Available Body Parts:]
Rat King’s Fur (Physical Resistance +20%) (Skin Slot)
Rat King’s Legs (STR +25%) (Leg Slot)
Rat King’s Arms (STR +30%) (Arm Slot)
[Would you like to buy health potions for 100 coins?]
James finished off the remaining rat slaves and plopped down as the wound on his shoulder kept bleeding. Before he could ask, the system had already offered him what he needed.
“Buy it.”
James undressed himself. He let out a silent curse as his leather armor was full of holes from the arrows of the rat slaves. A black box soon teleported right before him, carrying the bottle filled with red liquid.
[Reminder: Health potions are to be smeared on the wounds.]
James chuckled as he gave his thanks to the system for reminding him. He remembered that he had asked the system to remind him in the future.
[You have lost a substantial amount of blood. It is not life-threatening. However, we recommend you buy a hematonic potion if you wish to fight with your full strength in the near future.]
“No. I am not in a hurry,” James said.
The number of coins he had really ticked him off. It was 900 coins, but since he needed the health potion, the coins dropped back to 800.
Nevertheless, the time for choosing his reward soon came.
“What should I choose?” James muttered.
At first, the Rat King’s arm seemed obvious. But so did the feet.
He was getting tired of Sahuagin’s feet. They felt a bit sluggish.
“Ugh… the arm or the feet. If I choose the feet, I get two for the price of one. If I choose the arm, I would only get a marginal increase in my arm power. But what if the next stage is in water?” James muttered.
His Sahuagin feet were indeed normal, just like human feet. But they worked wonders when James was underwater.
James could only stare at the Rat King’s corpse, ignoring the portal that had spawned beside it.
