TBV 03

The Rat Who Repays Kindness

The curse of destruction, born alongside Calix Nepherto and rooted deep within his soul, had long been waiting for a chance to break free from its host and engulf the world.

And in just three days, it would be his execution.

That meant there were only three days left until the world truly ended.

Calix gritted his teeth and shook his head slightly.

‘No. I can’t let that happen.’

A memory surfaced in his mind—the moment he regained consciousness after a year of being consumed by the curse.

Pink hair fluttering like petals. Golden eyes sparkling like stars. The radiant storm of divine power swirling around her—he still remembered it vividly.

‘…Maybe she could do it.’

With divine power strong enough to bring even a cursed monster like him back to sanity, perhaps she could purify the curse of destruction itself.

‘If her power can suppress the curse long enough for me to endure…’

But his soul had already been intertwined with the curse for so long that they had become one.

If exposed to divine power, his soul might be torn apart completely—or worse, swallowed again by the curse.

He paused.

‘How ironic. Instead of repaying a debt, I might end up demanding everything she has.’

He smiled bitterly at his own shamelessness, then straightened his back.

Even if this world was destined to end, he couldn’t just collapse quietly.

‘Whether it works or not… I have to try.’

He clenched his fists.

Crack.

The mana suppression shackles binding his arms and legs immediately developed fine fractures.

They were never meant to suppress the “curse of destruction” in the first place.

He relaxed his strength again and exhaled softly.

‘Good. Escaping before execution shouldn’t be a problem.’

Even if he was recaptured soon after, it didn’t matter.

If it bought time until the saintess woke up again, that was enough.

Meanwhile

“Hey. Food for today.”

As always, a guard arrived and tossed bread and water through the bars.

I dodged the flying bread cleanly as it landed above my head.

“Tch. Missed again,” the guard muttered, clicking his tongue in disappointment.

Apparently throwing bread at the cell rat was his little hobby.

What a creepy guy.

And yesterday, I’d been hit on the head by a piece of bread that was basically a stone.

I swear I lost at least a hundred brain cells that day.

Damn it. My brain was already the size of a peanut.

I was about to glare at him in revenge, but the guard had already walked away.

Clack, clack.

His footsteps faded completely.

And then the final boss, who had been sitting like a tree stump all this time, slowly reached out his hand.

He picked up the bread rolling on the dirty floor and brushed it off.

Then, as usual, he offered it to me.

“…Eat it.”

I had accepted it every day since I woke up as a rat—but not today.

I stood up on my hind legs and crossed my tiny arms into an X.

“Chii!” (No!)

Then I pointed at him.

“Chik!” (You eat it!)

Calix Nepherto tilted his head slightly, watching my performance.

“…Are you telling me to eat this?”

I nodded proudly.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“…It seems you understand human speech.”

Uh-oh.

That was not supposed to happen.

Before I could panic, he leaned in close.

“Who are you?”

I stayed silent.

“Answer me. Even if you can’t speak, you can nod or shake your head. Are you some kind of monster? Or a familiar sent here to approach me?”

His hand moved closer like a snake.

If I got caught, I was dead.

So I chose the most reliable strategy in history.

Run.

Pitter-patter!

I sprinted between the prison bars.

Calix tried to follow—but his large body blocked him.

Too big. Too inconvenient.

I stuck my tongue out at him proudly.

Ha. Idiot. Go on a diet.

And I ran down the dark prison corridor.

Later

If you thought I was going to escape and find the prince, the knight, or the mage tower master—wrong.

I was very good at Korean.

Which means I knew my limits.

Right now, I was just a disgusting rat.

My status window was gone.

My divine power was gone.

All I had were tiny teeth and even tinier claws.

There was no way I could punish those traitors with this body.

At best, I could scratch their pretty faces a little.

‘But world destruction is a different story.’

I smiled and stopped moving.

My target was three meters ahead.

“Heh heh. See that? He didn’t even dare complain when I threw the water bowl at him.”

A shady guard bragged while drinking liquor.

Another laughed.

“Of course. When else do we get to mess with a prince like this?”

“He’s not even a prince anymore.”

“He’ll lose his head tomorrow anyway.”

“Ha! True.”

The guards laughed loudly, filling the prison corridor with disgusting noise.

Perfect.

Thanks for the smoke screen, idiots.

I bowed slightly in mock gratitude and crept forward.

Their keys were hanging from the guard’s belt, jingling.

I climbed the wall, bit the leather strap with my tiny teeth—

SNAP.

It broke instantly.

I grabbed the keys mid-fall before they hit the ground and landed smoothly.

Perfect landing.

I am amazing even as a rat.

I strutted away proudly.

Back at the Cell

“Chik!”

I proudly placed the stolen keys in front of Calix.

“….”

He looked at me, then at the keys, then back at me.

Suspicion filled his eyes.

I pretended innocence.

A pure, harmless rat repaying kindness.

Like the sparrow from old fables.

Except instead of berries, I was giving prison escape tools.

Totally normal.

“…Keys taken from guards… one day before execution,” he muttered.

“Suspiciously convenient.”

I scoffed internally.

‘So what if it’s suspicious, you bastard?!’

Do you want to stay here and get your head chopped off while overthinking?

Calix let out a dry laugh.

Then, surprisingly, he picked up the keys.

“…But refusing a gift would be impolite.”

He began removing his mana suppression shackles.

See? I knew it.

Tsk. Acting all suspicious for nothing.

I suppressed my smugness (barely).

Calix Nepherto.

Final boss of the world.

The man I personally knocked out with a bat.

And now—

My weapon of revenge.

Once he got out, he would destroy everything.

Perfect.

He was basically a biological apocalypse machine I was releasing.

Yes. Go, Calix Nepherto!

Destroy them all!

“….”

“Chii?”

Why… is he just standing there?

And why is he staring at me instead of leaving?