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Chapter 9
My goal is to prevent destruction.
Of course, simply becoming stronger on my own isn’t enough to stop it.
To prevent destruction, I inevitably need the help of others, and especially the assistance of powerful individuals capable of clearing high-risk dungeons.
The problem is that, just before the dungeonization phenomenon begins, countless strong people lose their lives over the years.
Some die of natural aging, but more often, they perish due to unforeseen accidents.
“I can’t save everyone, but I have to save as many as I can.”
Even saving just one of them would slightly increase the chances of preventing destruction.
The problem is that to save people, I first have to reach them—but as a third-grade Holy Knight, I can’t go on external missions.
Only second-grade Holy Knights can conduct outside activities.
“So, I have to level up to second grade as quickly as possible.”
To take the promotion exam from third grade to second grade, two conditions must be met.
The first condition is achievement.
Every mission completed gives an achievement score based on the mission’s content and results, and I must accumulate enough of these points.
The second condition is rank.
Even if I have enough achievement points, I can’t take the promotion exam unless I reach the Low Master rank.
Right now, my rank is Low Adept.
I have only one step left to reach Low Master, and once I’m ready, I can ascend at any time.
Ultimately, the real problem is achievement points.
In my previous life, it took two full years to accumulate the points needed to become a second-grade Holy Knight.
Even I, slightly faster than average, took that long. Most other Holy Knights needed around three years to gather enough points.
Only one mission can be completed at a time, and the missions a third-grade Holy Knight can take give very few achievement points, making it hard to accumulate points quickly.
Even I, who took on missions almost every day without fail, needed two years to gather sufficient points.
“To accumulate points faster, I need to take missions in Zone 2.”
The difference in achievement points between Zone 1 and Zone 2 missions averages threefold and can go up to fivefold. But initially, I cannot take Zone 2 missions.
To handle Zone 2 missions, I must first prove my minimum competence. If I can confidently showcase my skills to Gina, a second-grade Holy Knight, and gain her recognition, I might be able to take Zone 2 missions.
Then I can accumulate achievement points faster than I did in my previous life.
“Time to show my true skills.”
“It’s been a while, Shadow Rats.”
Unlike the half-formed monsters like wild dogs, which lacked cores, the Shadow Rats are complete monsters with cores.
But that doesn’t necessarily make Shadow Rats stronger than wild dogs.
Their basic species limits remain; in terms of size and raw physical power, wild dogs can be far stronger.
The advantage of Shadow Rats lies in the core, and in numbers.
“They’ve shown themselves—eight of them—but that’s not all.”
Regardless of type, rats typically live in groups of at least ten.
“The rest are probably hiding.”
Shadow Rats mainly use ambush tactics, lying in wait to strike. The ones not yet visible are likely waiting for me to let my guard down.
“They’re probably over there, and there, maybe over there too.”
Even without seeing them, I can anticipate where they might be hiding. I first secured a safe position to guard against ambush.
“This should be enough.”
The spot I chose has faint sunlight even in the shadows. Not a huge difference, but enough.
Standing in the light, I reflected it with the blade of my Holy Steel Sword, illuminating areas where the Shadow Rats might hide.
The Shadow Rats’ stealth relies entirely on shadows.
“…Squeak?”
Even faint light can reveal them.
Moreover, Shadow Rats live their entire lives in shadows, so their eyes have evolved to detect even the smallest light. Exposing them to sudden light temporarily blinds them.
“Squeak!”
“Squeak, squeak!”
Reflecting light toward the Shadow Rats blindly chasing me, as expected, the temporarily blinded rats stumbled and screeched.
I didn’t waste the moment—two of the nearest Shadow Rats were instantly decapitated.
“Squeak…?”
“Snap…?”
After three fell in an instant, the others approaching me slowed slightly, sensing something unusual. But this didn’t change much.
Even if they felt fear, their instinct to attack intruders was stronger. They continued advancing, albeit more slowly.
I continued using the reflected light to blind and efficiently eliminate them one by one.
“Snap, squeak!”
“Squeak! Snap!”
“Squeak!”
Something felt off.
“The numbers aren’t decreasing…?”
Initially, there were eight Shadow Rats. Even including the hidden ones, there should have been just over ten.
Yet, despite killing many, nearly ten Shadow Rats still remained.
“The corpses are still there?”
No, the Shadow Rats weren’t reviving.
This must mean new Shadow Rats are entering.
“There’s a nest nearby.”
Apparently, there’s a Shadow Rat nest close by.
“There aren’t any obvious holes nearby…”
Given their size, the hole would be more like a small animal burrow than a rat hole, but I didn’t see any around.
“Maybe it’s just too dark to see?”
I scanned the area, but the shadows made it hard to see corners.
“The suspected locations are inside that alley, and under that tree stump…”
Based on my past experience, I pinpointed two likely nest locations. I kicked away the Shadow Rat that lunged at me and ran toward the alley.
“Alley first.”
Inside the alley, the characteristic rat smell became strong.
“Found it!”
I suspected the alley more than the stump, and it was the right call.
“Squeak, snap.”
“Squeak, squeak, squeak.”
More Shadow Rats revealed themselves, confirming the nest inside the alley.
“Squeak, snap!”
“Ugh!”
The deeper I went, the more rats appeared, blocking my way. I swung my sword to clear them efficiently and moved forward.
“If I take out the leader, the rest will scatter.”
So there’s no need to fight every rat—just the leader.
As I ran down the alley, I heard a faint sound.
‘Huh?’
Almost imperceptible, but it sounded like something leaping. My eyes naturally turned toward the noise, coming from the right wall.
But nothing was there.
Nothing but a black shadow falling from the air…
‘That’s…!’
I rolled to avoid the falling shadow.
“Wait, it’s not just Shadow Rats.”
The black shadow was a Shadow Rat’s evolved form—the Shadow Rat.
Its appearance as a black shadow was due to its Shadow Camouflage ability.
Though better at hiding than the Shadow Rats, it can’t fully blend in, so focusing allows its location to be tracked.
The problem, however, is the number of Shadow Rats.
“There are too many…”
More than ten shadowy forms, probably Shadow Rats, appeared.
Fighting just Shadow Rats is fine—even dozens or hundreds aren’t a problem. It would take time, and I might take a few hits, but it’s not dangerous.
But Shadow Rats are different.
Right now I can distinguish them, but during a chaotic battle, it would be hard. Ambushes could happen anytime.
Also, so many monsters in one place means there’s likely a superior monster leading them—a leader. But I don’t know what kind of monster it is, so attacking blindly is risky.
‘Maybe I should stop here and not overdo it.’
I could handle it alone, but this mission is with Gina. I’m just testing my skills for now, but if Gina intervenes, she could easily handle the leader regardless of what it is.
Sure, my score might be slightly lower, but no need to overexert myself. I turned to ask for her help.
“…What’s this?”
But behind me weren’t Gina, but dozens of Shadow Rats blocking my retreat.
“Where did these come from?”
I hadn’t killed any Shadow Rats so far, only lightly clearing a path. The surviving Shadow Rats following me was expected.
But this number was insane.
The Shadow Rats blocking my path were several times more than the ones I had encountered in the alley.
‘Definitely more than before.’
Even accounting for hidden ones, it’s too many.
‘Were they herded here?’
Perhaps they came from outside as well, not just the alley.
‘Still too many…’
Even if all the Shadow Rats I encountered in the alley had gathered, it wouldn’t fill the alley this densely.
‘Did all the Shadow Rat groups in the area come together?’
If so, it would explain the numbers, but it’s still unnatural. Even if I invaded the nest, there shouldn’t have been enough time for all the groups to gather.
“Someone’s deliberately driving them here…”
There’s no other explanation. I roughly guessed who and why.
‘Gina.’
Gina likely herded the Shadow Rats as part of a test.
‘Pretty extreme, huh?’
Not just many Shadow Rats, but also numerous Shadow Rats and possibly their superior leader—a huge pack. Even a third-grade Holy Knight alone couldn’t handle this.
‘Seems intended to intimidate…’
Sometimes, highly skilled new Holy Knights are deliberately put in danger to prevent overconfidence. This seemed like one of those cases.
But sorry, Gina’s plan won’t succeed.
‘This isn’t really a challenge for me.’
