The Rats

I've been laying down and resting for the past few days since it was challenging to digest hundreds of rats all at once. Consuming so many souls simultaneously also seemed to have a considerable effect on me and my size; I was now an enormous white snake (around 20 feet long). I even wondered how I would get out of that place. Impressively, despite all those rats fighting back and struggling for their lives, I don't have any clear wounds on my body.

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It was easier than I had imagined. Apparently, rats aren't much of a challenge. I also understood why the Sixth Sense bothered me about that stone earlier. As soon as I entered Ratland, Artemis invoked the stone, blocking the entrance.

The initial reaction of most rats upon seeing a predator enter their domain was to flee in desperation. However, that didn't prove to be a good idea. Now, with a size much larger than that of the rodents, it was easy to kill them using my fangs or by crushing their bodies.

Initially, I consumed their souls gradually, knowing that it would make me grow. Their life energy worked wonders for my body. I only consumed enough to expand my stomach and keep eating those wretched creatures.

Even when hordes of dozens of them came at me, attempting to harm me by using their claws and teeth to fight for their lives, their efforts were futile. Thanks to Bloodlust, my regeneration was too rapid for those little ones to do anything.

And so the battle continued for a while, my size exponentially increasing as I harvested their lives. I suppose a normal snake wouldn't survive here; it would become their food instead. But deep down, I was still human, and we're exceptionally good at destroying any life we touch.

However, something surprised me: one of the rats was different, much larger—about three times the usual size. It seemed to secretly lead the other rats. My Sixth Sense pointed out this observation; it's a truly formidable skill.

A rat with a certain level of intellect is rare to see. When I looked at it, it clearly noticed me. And what confirmed its intelligence was that the remaining 100 or so rats gathered and converged toward it in order to protect it.

Then, a completely new phenomenon unfolded before me. Just as I was about to plow through those rodents, killing and consuming them, those converging toward the same point vanished in a brilliant light—brighter than the moss covering all the walls.

My Sixth Sense's Danger Sensor went haywire, and what I saw before me was the largest Rat King in history. Not a rat with a crown, as you might think, but a real phenomenon where rats are entwined by their tails. However, this one seemed much worse.

An amorphous creature formed before my eyes, almost humanoid, except its body was entirely composed of rats intertwined with moss serving as glue. A terrifying sight.

<<"Sir, I don't have records of the creature we're seeing, but due to how Sixth Sense is behaving, recommend not confronting it directly in its current form.">>

No kidding—I didn't expect to win against that thing. It was massive, even larger than me. So, I thought about consuming all the remaining souls, which brought me to my current size.

Worse than that, even with my new size, it still seemed larger than me. It didn't appear to be just 100 rats there. And furthermore, Preparation didn't reveal any Weaknesses to me—nothing that was easy to understand, at least. Its weak point kept changing constantly.

My idea was simple: if I were to lose to a damn aberration, I would use everything I had. At least the Danger Sensor wasn't bothering me anymore.

It began to advance, and I started to flee. In terms of speed and agility, it wouldn't be able to match me, even though it could easily grab my tail or some other part of my body.

Artemis, I want you to use the Ace in the Hole to consume all the phosphorescent moss around me. In the darkness, I can make use of Stealth.

<<"Well thought out, sir.">>

As soon as it realized it couldn't catch me, the creature began throwing rat bodies at me while I extinguished the natural lights. These were lifeless bodies, and it seemed to have an endless supply.

Some of these bodies hit me as I circled the area, leaving scratches and minor injuries from the impact. Still, it was nothing compared to the hordes of rats that had torn me apart a few hours ago.

After sustaining some significant wounds, I managed to remove most of the moss, revealing that the oval chamber we were in had various water infiltrations among the rocks. This reinforced my theory that we were beneath a lake. Either way, the only source of light now was the creature itself, and I could use my Stealth.

Successfully hidden, it began searching the chamber for me, launching rats in various directions to illuminate the area. It failed miserably in finding me. Having a skill was a significant advantage in combat.

Its form now resembled that of a human, albeit composed of rats. It started receiving my bites, and I watched as my venom decayed the dead rat bodies that made up its form. However, to deal with this, it simply detached those rats.

It seemed to be adapting to its current body, shaping it as needed. And in this battle, after realizing that throwing rat bodies wouldn't work, it raised its "hands" to its "head." From the rat bodies forming its head, a series of red eyes began to sprout. These eyes seemed to see me, as I felt my Stealth skill dissipate

<<"Seems like a ritual, sir.">>

Aren't we in a Sacred Field?

<<"Well, those who cast the spell did so in normal sections of cave. I think it would be difficult for them to notice a chamber within one walls. Unfortunately, Sacred Field doesn't cover this area.">>

The creature then raised its hands above its head, and a ball of rats began to manifest out of thin air, emitting a red light.

<<"That's casting a ritual.">>

The ball of rodents split into several rat beams, hitting me directly in various parts of my body. I expected it to be over, but…

<<Ritual Nullification activated.>>

<<"The ritual it cast was from a common skill, sir. I'm pleased to inform you that we've learned our first ritual: Manifestation of Plagues. Would like the back using Enemy God?">>

<<Yes >> <<No >>

Well, I suppose I had nothing to lose.

With my confirmation, I witnessed the true power of a legendary skill. As soon as the creature realized its ritual had no effect, its thousands of eyes widened. And then it noticed that I was also casting a ritual, causing it to step back a few paces. It seemed to have realized something.

The previously dark chamber began to illuminate in a red mist, and my eyes, once blue, took on the same hue. Then, the walls started trembling. I was confused because all I had asked for was a Manifestation of Plagues, not an earthquake. But then I understood.

From the cracks where water used to flow, blood now began to gush forth. And then… hundreds of thousands, no, millions of insects started ejecting from the walls—flies swarming everywhere. The room seemed engulfed in a hurricane of insects, yet they dared not fly near me.

They began to penetrate my enemy's flesh, and it was even hard to see what they were doing as the creature from before now thrashed about aimlessly.

Amidst the infernal buzzing of that swarm, I swore I could hear the desperate cries of the still-living rats—all consumed by my ritual. Impressively, when the screams ceased, the insects vanished into thin air, and the blood that had flowed from the walls returned to mere water.

Moreover, the flies seemed to consume my enemy for me, as my body began regenerating the previous wounds. Or was it the nullification from earlier?

My only reaction was to stare at the pile of bones before me, utterly stunned and speechless. So, was my legendary skill capable of this?

<<Assassin skill upgraded, Hunter Rodents added to the list.>>

Apparently, dealing with creatures like that would now be easy. An epic skill that made hunting them easier, right? That was good, but it still didn't undo my shock.

From the pile of bones, a large soul emerged—yellowish and covered in black veins—and it was absorbed by me.

<<"Congratulations, sir. I never doubted you for a moment. knew mere demon like that couldn't handle your malevolence.">>

Artemis… was that what you meant by a 3-degree difference?

<<"I see you've grasped it, sir. This is the power of a skill like The First Sin firsthand. Additionally, temporary mission has come to you.">>

<<Feeling like a new snake>>

<<Rest, don't use the acquired soul, and wait until Artemis studies a more suitable purpose for it.>>

<<Time 7 to complete: Days>>

<<Rewards: A way to get out of this chamber.>>

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And that's why I've been resting until now.

At least during this time, Artemis explained that I had likely just faced an unlucky demon who sought refuge here and got trapped after the Sacred Field was cast. When the rat society moved in, he—being more experienced than me—possessed a rat since his physical form must have been destroyed. What I faced was an extremely weakened version of him.

Luckily, my skill allowed me to capture that bastard's soul, but I suppose it would take a bit longer for me to get out of here. Artemis hasn't found a use for the soul yet.