A Champion of Rats

Chapter 3

Tutorial (2)

The situation was something like this.

This sewer used to be the ratlings den, but one day, goblins came in, killed a bunch of them, and took away their home.

Of course, there were more details to the story, but this was all I could understand from the shallow and halting speech of these rats.

At first, the rats had also resisted the goblins, but they couldnt compete either in weaponry or in military organization, so theyd naturally lost in the end. The ones before me were the remnants who were hiding here.

"Indeed. Right. That's it.

I get it, but did you need three hours to explain that?! Three whole hours!

Three hours? What. Is that?"

Thats right, theres something like that Oh, you ignorant bastards.

I was feeling so weak even my words were slurring. Id been ignoring it for a while.

"You. Vagabond. We. Colony. New brother! Receive. Give! In return. Help! Us!"

A colony' referred to a community of rats, and vagabond' was a term for rats who didnt belong to a colony' and roamed around.

In other words, theyd accept me into their community and Id help them in return.

I hesitated for a moment. Because, just looking at the situation, I could see that he was trying to use me.

But a group of goblins was out there, and I was reluctant to just leave.

As I pondered, the ratling whod brought me here suggested something. Oh, by the way, his name was First'. He was the guy whod become my right-hand man in the future.

"First. Meal. New brother. Been a long time. Special meal.

When the phrase special meal' came out, the younger and the elderly rats all flinched.

Why? Because you get to be that special meal' if youre unlucky.

Thats common sense, isnt it? Ratlings are cunning, cruel, and greedy creatures, and theyre merciless to the weak of their own kind.

They treat their slaves and their prey much worse than humans.

The rats who were on the younger or the elderly side were quickly encircled by their stronger brethren who were in their prime, as if theyd been waiting for such an opportunity.

The younger and elderly rats were the majority, but they didn't dare put up a fight.

Realizing the situation, I cried out in surprise. To have your first meal by preying upon your own kind? I couldnt agree to that, at least not now.

What do you fucks think youre doing!

"We. Are. Not. Fuck."

"Huh?"

"Falk. Is. Your. Name. Last time. Goblin. Fight. I heard."

Fuck it, you bastards

"We. Are. Not. Fuck."

"Ah, really alright, let's say thats true. What are you doing?

Then First' said with an expression full of pity, as if he was looking at an idiot.

Special meal. Meat. Now. Our. Kin. Are. Only meat left."

Understanding his meaning, I shouted at the ceiling.

"Hey you. You made a real good game, you fuckheads. How do I log out?

"Log. Out?"

Ugh, making money sure isnt easy. Fuck Hey, forget all that. Can I get something else to eat? Something a little less disgusting.

"Need. A lot of. Food. Eat. More. Get smarter. Eat less. Weak. Die."

It was true that I needed to eat a lot to get strong and smart.

Rats require a higher amount of food than other races to survive. Not only that, the amount of food also determines their intelligence and physique.

In other words, the more nutrients they get, the stronger and smarter they become. Maybe that's why rats literally risked their lives for food.

Food' is essential for survival' and evolution'. So First' continued to explain to me the importance of special meals.

However, I refused again and again. Less than a day had passed after starting the game. I was reluctant to prey on my own people.

I liked playing hardcore, but there was a limit to everything. And above all, rat meat was disgusting.

Another ratling intervened.

"We. Want. Eat. Meat."

The other bastards all screamed in unison that they too wanted to eat meat. At this point I wanted to go and ask her'.

Why did you design such a perverted race that eats its own kind? Didnt you have any other options? Like handsome elves or muscular barbarians?

Whether they knew what I was thinking or not, these idiots kept shouting for meat. They were dancing with excitement. (I mean this literally.)

"Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat!"

I was at the limit of my patience. All the stress thatd been building up inside due to various reasons, such as my mothers sickness, my worries about the future, and my sudden employment, all erupted at once.

Fffffuuuck it, fine! You nasty assholes! Fine! I'll get you meat!

Everyone looked at me with surprised eyes. I thought Id said something wrong, but suddenly they started cheering. Even the young and the elderly rats cheered.

Falk! Falk! Falk! Falk! Falk!

It looks like they're cheering, but why does it sound like theyre swearing at me?'

That was how I happened to become a meat delivery boy for the rats.

As I was about to return to the hole Id come from, First followed me.

"Me too. Go. With you. You. Amazing. Meat. Me too. Help. Falk.

I was too exhausted to argue.

Itll be tough. Do as you like. And stop tacking on fuck at the end of your sentences.

"Got it. Falk.

You son-of-a But more importantly. What's your name?"

"Me? Name. Dont have one."

None? Then, should I make one up for you? Talking feels uncomfortable if theres nothing to call you by."

"Me? Name?"

He had a surprised look. This was when I came to know how valued names were for them.

Umm come to think of it, youre the first one I met. So let's go with First'. Its easy to remember, too. Start with Fur'. End with St'. How about it?"

"Great! I like it! I am. First!"

I got the directions from First' and returned to the sewer.

Surprisingly, this body that could squeeze into and out of narrow gaps was quite useful, and besides that, I also quite liked the eyes and nose that worked smoothly despite the darkness and the stench.

Rats might not be too bad.

I used my sleek and muscled body to shoot through the sewers.

It was a gigantic place, and after wandering around for a while, we arrived at a section submerged in water. First was about to wade into it, but I put my hand on his shoulder to stop him.

No, doing that will make noise that others might hear. See there, those parts of the sewer walls sticking out of the water? We can cross from there.

"Oh! Falk! Smart!"

Shut up, please.

Me and First started crossing over to the other side by stepping over those outcropped parts of the wall.

When wed almost reached to other side, we smelled goblins.

Kahak. I don't like it here. It smells.

"Cant be helped. Need to lie low. First recover here, then take revenge.

"I'm sleepy. Why do we need two to patrol?

Stop complaining! Just before. One of ours got attacked. Search has stopped. We move in twos till we catch the culprit. Keep patrolling.

I guessed it was about me. But what bothered me more was that the goblins were more erudite than the rats. My god. Were we a race inferior to even the goblins?

"Meat. Goblin meat. Good. Chewy.

Can we take them?

"Oooh! Great! Goblin. Good! Strong but good! Two. Eat to the full!"

I leaned further and observed the two goblins patrolling.

The lack of torches suggests that they had natural night vision, but the conversation made it clear that they werent used to the smell of the sewers. Above all, they were poorly armed and hadnt noticed us.

In other words, they were vulnerable.

There was a sudden sense of tension thrumming in my veins. I knew it was a game, but I was feeling very nervous at the thought of the upcoming fight. This game was too well-crafted.

For a moment, I considered simply retreating, but then I remembered that I wasn't just playing for fun. I was doing this for money.

I might have to test how the game system would react if I killed them. And more than anything, First's eyes filled with expectations were bothering me. His eyes were shining far too brightly for an NPC.

It's really, needlessly high-quality.'

I passed the club to First. Because I remembered how hard itd been to catch the goblin with it. In th end, men are made to wield blades.

"Ill count one, two, three. On three, we attack.

"Great. One, two, three But. Whats count mean?

Fffuuuck

I sighed and charged at the back of the goblins. Fortunately, First followed right behind me.

Susurr-

I moved swiftly like the wind and plunged my dagger into one goblin's shoulder. The green-skinned shorty understood the situation only after hed been stabbed.

The goblin screamed in pain, but unfortunately it wasn't a fatal wound.

He turned and saw me. Those goat-like eyes gave me goosebumps.

I muttered to myself.

This is a game. This is a game. It's a really fucking well-made game.'

I couldn't finish him in one shot, so I had to tangle him from up close. Unfortunately, he was stronger than me.

He knocked me over and climbed on top of me.

I tried to ask First for help, but he was occupied with the other goblin.

Useless bastard! I shouldve taken the club!'

The goblin climbed on top of me and pulled out the dagger stuck in his shoulder. His grin was dripping with malice.

Was it instinct? The moment the goblin raised the dagger, I surged up and bit his neck with my snout.

My sharp fangs pierced flesh and cut through bone.

Blood!'

The goblin's green blood flowed naturally through my fangs and into my mouth. I mightve gone crazy, but the taste of that blood was amazing!

Just a single sip of that indescribable sweet and salty taste filled me with a surge of energy like Id just downed a bottle of energy drink, and I unconsciously bit down harder with my snout.

Then, the neck bones completely snapped, and all strength drained out of the goblin's body.

It was my victory.

Feeling excited after getting a taste of goblin blood, I immediately jumped at the second goblin that First was dealing with.

He was so distracted with his own fight with First that his side was completely open. My dagger stabbed into his earhole.

Something soft yet dense broke inside.

And the goblin trembled and collapsed.

I involuntarily licked the dagger. The sweet and salty taste of victory rode down my tongue and lit my brain on fire.

This game I loved it!

Editor's Notes:

None for this chapter.