Rattus

Thapira POV: 

"Watch out ! Mr. Jim"

I shouted out as soon as one of the Rattus leaped towards us. 

"It can't be, the report said there were only 10"

Jim exclaimed while pulling out his knife. 

"How can we handle them ?"

I asked him while keeping my eyes fixed on the monsters.

"No idea !"

Jim spat out calmly.

"WHAT !!"

I shouted with disbelief at his response.

"How am I supposed to know, I'm not even a part of the subjugation squad. Don't you think you should do something about it? You are an adventurer, right ?"

Shoot, he was right. I am an adventurer, but I had never seen a freaking giant rat the size of a dog in my life. Moreover, I didn't even have a weapon on me. Could I really take them on with just my bare hands? Back on Earth, I only knew boxing. Damn it.

"Oy boy, why are you lost in thought in this situation ?"

Jim snapped me back to reality.

"I have a plan !" 

I blurted out.

"Nice boy ! What is it ?"

Jim asked, his voice a mix of fear and urgency. 

To be honest, I had no plan, but as an adventurer, I knew I had to do something in this situation, Jim might get hurt otherwise. Even though he appeared muscular and capable, there was a hint of timidity in his eyes, a clear sign of terror as he stared at the remaining living Rattus. 

"Mr. Jim, can I have your knife?"

I asked him. 

"Yes, sure but what are you –"

"Listen, Mr. Jim, I need you to inform the others and ask for help. I'll keep these monsters occupied here" 

I said, taking the knife from his hand.

"Are you sure you're going to be fine?" 

Jim hesitated, his voice laden with concern.

"Don't worry, I'm an adventurer"

I assured him with a smile, just before he turned to leave the site. 

[HIIIISSSS]

The 2 rats hissed out an eerie sound while staring at me. 

After Jim hurried away, one of the rats suddenly leaped at me, its sharp claws slashing through the air. I managed to dodge to the side, but there was no time to catch my breath as another began to charging at me with its large jaws gaping wide. Pushing off the ground, I jumped over the charging beast, but as I did, the first rat struck from behind, crashing into me. The force of the impact sent me flying, slamming into the wall.

For me, these rats were no joke, their speed and strength far surpassed my expectations. Moreover, their strategic approach to the attack suggested that they were not ordinary rats like those on Earth. These creatures were really smart and worked well together. 

Just as I was about to use my knife, I realized I had dropped it at the start of the assault. How clumsy of me. Now, I found myself backed against the wall, with these monsters closing in and cornering me. 

[HISS]

As the two beasts prepared to jump at me simultaneously, an unexpected surge of memories flooded into my mind. Images of training and knife handling emerge vividly, like I had done it a long time ago.

My body began to moved with astonishing speed, as if it had been trained many years for something like this.

I started to feel light, my movements swift and precise. I quickly dodge these beast attacks and pick up the knife that was left on the ground. 

Clutching my small knife, I suddenly felt a wave of confidence like I never did before. Even though it was just a cutting knife, I felt as if I could handle these monsters easily with just this.

Gripping the knife firmly, I slashed rapidly at the beasts with styles, cutting them into pieces as blood sprayed wildly around me. 

"Thap …. What the hell is .. going on?"

"What is that ?"

"Did he do that ?"

Jim returned to the site, accompanied by the remaining members of the squad, all staring in disbelief at the scene before them.

I stood still, puzzled about what just happened to me during the attack.

It seemed as if someone else's memories had merged with mine. It was as if I had acquired new knowledge, skills and experience from someone that I don't even know.

"Is it the owner of this body ?"

I accidently muttered out loud in surprise.

"What ? Did you say something, Thap ?"

Jim asked, approaching me to check how I was. 

"Ah .. Mr. Jim… you are back !" 

I sidestepped his question with a nervous chuckle. 

"Damn, you really did kill them. Honestly, I'm amazed at how capable you are !"

Jim praised me, giving a pat on my back. 

"I can't believe you killed a rank D monster without a scratch!" 

Rex exclaimed, folding his arms and staring at the corpse. 

"Rank D"

I muttered, still processing to what he was talking about.

"Yo, Thap, what is your rank by the way ? "

Jim asked me casually.

"He's probably ranked B or C for sure."

John shouted out confidently. 

"Nope, I was a newbie, a rank F"

I answered them with a poker face. 

"WHAT !!!!"

They were shocked to learn that I was just a newbie, but the only thing bothering me was the memory I had somehow acquired during that battle.