Chapter 71: A Mutant Gold-Eating Rat?
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"This is... a Gold-Eating Rat?"
With his Heavy Eyes activated, Lin Ye could clearly see the creature the Mandala Snake was chasing—a small white figure darting through the forest. He blinked in surprise.
The Gold-Eating Rat was a small omnivorous soul beast, known for living in colonies and its peculiar habit of seeking out and devouring metal ores.
In the soul beast world, the Gold-Eating Rat was small in size and should have been a target for most predators. However, its sharp teeth and claws, honed from gnawing through hard metals, along with its sheer numbers in the thousands, made it a dangerous prey. Even a powerful beast like the Thunderstorm Demon Bear wouldn't dare face a swarm of these rats. While the bear might crush a few easily, it couldn't handle the overwhelming numbers if the rats swarmed over its body.
However, this particular Gold-Eating Rat looked quite different from what Lin Ye had read about. Ordinary Gold-Eating Rats had golden fur, but this one was snow-white, with only a small tuft of golden hair on its forehead.
"What kind of soul beast is this? Could it be another species that looks like a Gold-Eating Rat, or maybe a mutant? Was it cast out by its colony because of its color, which is why the Mandala Snake is after it?"
Lin Ye's thoughts raced as he observed the strange creature.
Just as Lin Ye pondered over the white rat, it seemed to notice him too. With an excited squeak, the rat rushed toward him, with the Mandala Snake close behind, relentlessly pursuing its prey.
"Hm?"
Seeing the white rat running straight toward him, Lin Ye furrowed his brow. He stood up from his spot by the campfire and drew his iron sword.
He wasn't planning to deal with the rat, of course. It was too small to be worth his attention. No, Lin Ye drew his sword in preparation for the Mandala Snake, which was bound to target him next.
Mandala Snakes were notoriously vicious creatures. Although its original target was the rat, Lin Ye had no doubt that, once it passed by, the snake wouldn't hesitate to take a bite out of him as well.
More than that, though, Lin Ye had another concern—his roast rabbit. If the giant snake followed the rat into his camp, the meal he had painstakingly prepared would be ruined!
That, Lin Ye decided, could not be allowed to happen.
"Squeak, squeak!"
The little white rat zipped past Lin Ye in a blur, barely giving him a second glance. Lin Ye had no reason to stop it, so he let it go without issue.
"Hisssss!"
Right behind it, the Mandala Snake slithered through the forest, its long, dark-green body gliding effortlessly between the trees. Its crimson eyes locked onto Lin Ye, and without hesitation, it lunged at him, its jaws wide open and fangs gleaming.
"Hmph! Courting death, are we?"
Seeing the snake recklessly attacking him, Lin Ye let out a cold snort. He gripped his sword tightly, his body blurring out of sight in an instant.
In the next second, Lin Ye appeared beside the snake's head, his sword flashing in a swift arc.
Shing!
With a sharp whistle, the sword sliced cleanly through the snake's skull, piercing from one side to the other before embedding itself in the ground with a soft thunk.
"Clang!"
The blade trembled as it struck the earth, humming with residual energy. Lin Ye landed lightly beside the snake as its massive body crumpled to the ground with a loud crash, sending leaves and branches flying.
"How foolish."
Glancing at the snake's lifeless body, Lin Ye walked over and yanked his sword from the dirt.
This Mandala Snake was only about seven meters long—barely seven hundred years of cultivation, if that. It had dared to challenge him? In this part of the forest, Lin Ye had already proven himself by defeating the likes of the Thunder Bear King, the Demon Wolf King, the Ghost Leopard King, and the Scarlet Tiger King. Even those powerful beasts couldn't take him down—what chance did this mere snake have?
After dispatching the snake, Lin Ye calmly extracted its venom sac and fangs—both valuable materials. Selling them in Eternal Night City could easily fetch a thousand gold soul coins or more. A decent profit for such little effort.
With the snake's most valuable parts in hand, Lin Ye returned to his campfire, resuming his task of roasting the rabbit.
"Ah, that smells good…"
Turning the spit, Lin Ye sprinkled a few spices he had purchased in Eternal Night City over the meat. The rich aroma filled the air, making his stomach growl in anticipation. As the rabbit's skin turned a perfect golden brown, he couldn't help but smile.
"Finally, it's ready!"
He pulled the roasted rabbit from the fire, tore off a leg, and took a big bite. The savory flavor exploded in his mouth as the tender meat practically melted on his tongue.
"Mmm, delicious!"
Chewing happily, Lin Ye marveled at the juicy, well-seasoned rabbit. The Grey-Haired Rabbit, despite being a low-level soul beast, had far more meat on its bones than an ordinary rabbit, and its flesh was lean and flavorful from all the running it had to do to avoid predators.
As he devoured more of the rabbit, Lin Ye grabbed his water pouch, taking a swig of the sweet juice he had collected from a vine in the forest. It perfectly balanced the richness of the meat.
"Tomorrow I'll be leaving this place… I'd better enjoy myself tonight!"
Leaning back against a tree, Lin Ye glanced up at the moon while tearing into his meal. He was already planning to catch another rabbit for later—after all, it wasn't every day he got to feast like this.
Just as Lin Ye was savoring the last few bites, a rustling sound came from the nearby underbrush.
"Hmm?"
He stopped mid-bite, turning to peer into the bushes.
Out from the shadows emerged the small white rat from earlier. It stood a few meters away, staring up at him with bright, curious eyes, squeaking softly.
"The Gold-Eating Rat from before?"
Lin Ye raised an eyebrow, momentarily surprised.
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