4.) Giant Rat Den pt.1

Traveling into the cold night, Dawn shivered. The landscape outside was littered with piles of destroyed cars and buildings, but Dawn noticed some things had changed from her memories and were at loss on how she found herself in a forest which shouldn't be here.

"Wait a sec. What's a forest doing here? What happened to the rest of the road?" Summoning her system, Dawn pulled up her map, and indeed instead of a road, she saw a forest.

Followed by a second notice that read:

{Defeat the Giant Rat King!}

-Mission Rank: D

-Reward: 500 coins

{Failure to complete the mission will result in death. Good Luck, Player~!"}

It took three seconds for Dawn to absorb this information before shouting, "What the hell is this?!" yelled an outraged Dawn, reading the details of her mission for a second time. Especially the part that read, 'failure will result in death.'

"Oh great, first the world turned into some fantasy-apocalypse webtoon and now I gotta defeat some giant rat? This is utter bull! How am I supposed to find this Rat King anyway-Ahhhh!" Right in the middle of her rant, a hole opened below Dawn's feet and she fell down a dark tunnel.

Sliding left and right over and over again, Dawn screamed for dear life. Finally, the ride ended, and Dawn fell flat on her butt. "Ouch!" Wincing from the pain, Dawn saw nothing but darkness and tapped the beaded bracelet she wore on her wrist.

The name of this accessory was {Luminous Pearl Bracelet} which emitted a bright luster of light that allowed Dawn to see her surroundings.

"It's a good thing I brought this bracelet for 50 coins, but what am I doing inside a cave?"

Dawn continued walking forward. Hand braced on the wall, she spotted something small lying on the ground ahead of her. Getting closer, Dawn identified the object to be an injured kitten with white fur.

"Poor thing, what could've possibly happened to it?" Just as Dawn reached out, the kitten opened its eyes and began glaring at her. The feline's paws were black, along with black stripes around its ears and tails.

'Aww, it's so adorable~!' Dawn inwardly fawned over the hissing feline that had a pair of large amethyst eyes and two fluffy tails.

Encrusted in the center of its head was a small diamond shape jewel was encrusted in the center of its head. The kitten struggled as it tried to get back on its feet but just couldn't summon the strength.

"It's okay. I won't harm you. From the looks like you've suffered some injuries." Dawn examined the kitten which looked worn out from constant battles, spotting a few minor cuts around its four legs.

"Just what were you up against?" Dawn reached down and extended her arms.

The feline's amethyst eyes held hesitation, but after weighing its options, reluctantly realized it'd at least have a better chance in her hands than staying here to die in this cave.

Sensing the animal placing its trust in her, Dawn gently placed the creature in her arms and opened her system.

{Lvl.2: Twin-Tail Nightmare Neko}

-Abilities: Can shoot flames and entraps its enemies in illusions.

"Wow, that's kinda badass for a creature that screams cuteness overload." Dawn was amazed by the information she read and reached into her pocket.

"Oh, that reminds me of another object that I brought!" Dawn pulled out her third item, but before she could show it to the kitten, a growl from behind made her freeze.

Dawn felt every hair on her body stand on end and her knees buckled, hearing a voice inside her head ordering her to run. And that was what she did. Dawn could hear something chasing after her, but never once did she look back, even when she heard the creature snarling.

After running for a while, Dawn came upon a wide clear area with three entrance points and hit the breaks. "Damn it! Which way do I go?" Before Dawn could make up her mind, the creature greeted her with a growl.

Opening her system, Dawn turned around and saw a giant monstrous rat glaring down at her.

"You know, I just remembered that I hate rats! Which is ironic, seeing as I'm born in the year of the rat," Dawn nervously joked, fear clutched her heart as she cautiously took steps back.

{Lvl1: Giant Rat}

-Ability: None

-Advice: Divide and conquer! A lone Giant Rat is easier to take out than a pack.

"Well, that's comforting to know, but can I really do this?" Dawn asked herself, only to scream in panic when the Giant Rat came charging at her. It was ready to bite her head off with its long and sharp canines if the feisty kitten in her arms didn't leap up and scratch its eyes causing the monster to miss its target.

'I'm not a hero or a heroine. When I made that stupid wish, never in a million years would I believe I'd be stuck in a situation like this! But there's no use crying over spilled milk. I'd rather die swinging like a crazy bitch than cry and rollover!'

Summoning all the courage she could muster, a crazy glint entered Dawn's brown eyes as she began smiling like a maniac killer. Pulling out the {Beginner Hunter's Dagger} that she bought for a 100 coins, which was said to pierce the skin of monsters ranked from level 1 to 3, Dawn rushed towards the Giant Rat.

"You ugly piece of shit! You messed with the wrong bitch!" Dawn stabbed the rat with her dagger, ignoring the monster's cry of pain as she clumsily dodged its attack, only to stab it again. Dawn kept this up, despite it wearing out her energy.

'I gotta keep at it! This is not a place where I want to die!' Dawn encouraged herself, moving her feet when she saw the Giant Rat try to attack the injured kitten. Dawn may have not noticed, but with every second she spent dodging and stabbing, her speed increased.

"Get away from my cat, you ugly bastard!" Dawn stabbed the monster's paw, leaving itself open as Dawn rushed forward and stabbed the Giant Rat right underneath its neck. She ignored the shower of blood that painted her face and clothes.

Soon all signs of life left its eyes. Breathing heavily, Dawn heard a ding sound in her head.

{You have reached Pawn-Lvl.1! Good job, Player, and do keep up the good work~!}

Dawn read the notification that flashed before her eyes and laughed. "So this was the trick to leveling up, huh? No wonder Roger and his cronies are at Lvl.5. Every time they went out to hunt for food, they would encounter monsters, which led to leveling up their ranks just like a video game." Dawn smiled when she felt something soft and warm cuddling up against her leg.

Bending down, Dawn smiled fondly at the Twin-Tail Nightmare Neko. "Well, aren't you friendly all of a sudden? Oh, which reminds me..." Reaching into her pocket, Dawn took out a clear vial filled with pink liquid. Opening the cap, she poured a drop of the liquid into the kitten's mouth.

In a matter of seconds, the kitten's energy was restored and the scars around its legs disappeared. "It's an {Energy Revival Potion}, said to restore one energy and cure minor cuts and bruises, that I bought for the road, but I don't mind sharing it with you."

The potion Dawn gave the kitten was the one she bought with her last 50 coins. The kitten, happy that its wounds were now all healed, began licking her face to show its gratitude.

Laughing with joy, Dawn hugged the kitten to her chest. "Since calling you Twin-Tail Nightmare Neko is too wordy, I'm just going to call you Neko-chan, okay?" Dawn asked the kitten, who answered nuzzling her face.