Chapter 15: Underground Waterway #4

Chapter 15: Underground Waterway #4

It hurts like hell.

My wrist is pierced by a large molar, which is painful, but…

The giant rat’s teeth are coated in poison. A poison that lasts a damn long time once you’re infected.

It takes at least two days for natural healing.

“Nine Stars” does not forgive player carelessness.

If you get poisoned and happen to not have an antidote? Then it’s a game where you have to die.

‘This is agonizing, really. If you’re going to kill me, do it quickly.’

I could feel the cold poison flowing through my veins.

Slowly, but surely, I felt myself approaching death.

My limbs were starting to stiffen, and breathing was becoming difficult.

The antidote is right next to me. I could use it immediately if needed, but I’m not.

I’m intentionally trying to die.

Will it turn out as I expected?

My vision slowly blurred.

⋯

⋯

⋯

「Revived due to the effect of the trait: Immortality.」

「A portion of your abilities will be permanently lost due to the after-effects of Immortality.」

「However, since your abilities have already dropped to the minimum level, they will not decrease further.」

Lich, resurrection.

My whole body felt stiff.

This is what it feels like to die from poison and come back to life.

It’s natural that my abilities didn’t decrease. I had already siphoned them all into my Reliquary.

What I was more curious about was…

‘Oh, I feel fine now?’

Does dying and coming back to life remove all negative status effects?

I wanted to verify this.

And, judging by my improved condition compared to before I died, the answer is already clear.

‘Status effects seem to only apply to one life.’

I gained a great reward.

It was worth enduring the pain to die of poisoning once.

‘Even if I’m hit by powerful poison or curses, I can just die and come back.’

Furthermore, this allows me to think of strategies that will become a great weapon for me in the future.

Potions that grant great strength for a short time but come with massive after-effects.

The effects are excellent, but the subsequent ability reduction or lingering illness due to drug addiction makes them difficult to use carelessly.

But I, Estel, can boldly take drugs without fearing those after-effects.

‘Once I die, the after-effects are reset too.’

Several impressive items are already coming to mind.

I know.

How to obtain those items.

And how destructive the power of those items is, making me willing to endure the price of death with a smile.

The return of the Lich is imminent.

***

There is an ordinary sewer rat.

This rat struggles to survive in the harsh environment of the underground waterway.

In the process, its body gradually grows larger, its temperament becomes more ferocious, and its teeth even drip with poison.

This is a giant rat.

The rat’s struggle for survival does not end here.

The sewage water constantly flowing through the waterway, the thick magical energy pooling stagnant.

The rat, constantly exposed to such hostile environments, undergoes dramatic mutations.

There are two notable changes.

First, despite being a rat, it impudently walks on two legs.

It can’t stand upright like a human, but merely scurries with its back bent awkwardly.

However, in any case, the rat gains the powerful weapon of free hands.

Second, its intelligence improves.

As its body grows, the volume of its brain also increases, allowing for more advanced thought processes.

This is the main enemy of the latter half of the underground waterway, the Ratman.

-Squeak squeak… Die… Human….

The Ratman’s red eyes gleamed maliciously.

Unlike the giant rat, it doesn’t blindly charge forward driven by instinct.

The Ratman maintained its distance from me, patting the floor of the waterway with its disgusting tail.

“Senior.”

“Yes!”

A flash of light appeared behind me.

A Magic Arrow flew past my face, aiming for the Ratman’s head, but…

-Squeak-!

As I said, Ratmen are intelligent.

It dodged the Magic Arrow with a simple sidestep.

Look at this guy, he dodges well?

As expected of a beast-man monster, it’s different from mere beasts.

‘I need to finish this quickly.’

Flora and I are mages.

If we continue the battle, our mana, a resource, will be consumed.

We can’t fight indefinitely.

There are several ways to defeat a Ratman, but I decided to take the fastest route.

Tap tap.

I charged towards the Ratman, closing the distance in an instant.

-Kyaak! Squeak squeak!

The Ratman’s dirty claws lunged towards my face.

Instinctively, I wanted to shut my eyes tightly, but I couldn’t.

You must never lose sight of the opponent’s attack. That’s the basic of combat.

Clang.

At a perfect timing, a Magic Shield appeared in front of me and deflected the claws.

The Ratman’s narrow eyes widened in surprise.

Yes, this is it. I knew I could count on you.

“Nice one, senior.”

I shouted briefly and rushed into the Ratman’s embrace. Its surprised eyes filled my vision.

It was flustered, but I wasn’t.

That’s why it dies, and I win.

「Magic Arrow」.

I aimed at the Ratman’s lower abdomen in a pistol shape and fired without hesitation.

Fzzt.

-Kshhhk…! K-kyak….

The creature, with a hole in its stomach, knelt down. Blood-mixed saliva dripped from its mouth.

“That pose is perfect.”

It’s presenting its neck as if it’s well-rehearsed.

It’s like a pair of perfectly matched professional wrestlers.

I concentrated mana into my dagger.

「Frost Sword」.

Swoosh-

The Ratman’s head fell into the waterway, splashing sewage in all directions.

The journey of the sewer rat, which had evolved through the struggle for survival, ended here.

“W-we won…”

Flora frowned at the sight of the headless Ratman corpse.

It must be her first time fighting a beast-man enemy. It’ll take some time to adapt.

I washed the blood off my dagger in the water.

“Senior, you did well. But about that Magic Arrow you used at first, you don’t always have to aim for the vital points. It’s good if you hit the vital point, but if not, just focus on hitting it somehow and accumulating damage.”

“Ah- Right. If I had hit the Ratman with the arrow earlier, its movements would have been slower. Then it would have been much easier to block the next attack.”

“Exactly. That’s what I’m trying to say.”

Flora understood the point immediately without me having to explain it in detail.

‘I like that she’s quick to understand.’

Although she’s usually a ditzy girl, she’s quite sharp in actual combat.

After all, she was selected as a trainee mage at the magic tower.

She’s not completely stupid.

I briefly finished giving feedback on the recent battle.

Attack pattern A is okay for now. Let’s master B and C as well.

Good. Everything is going smoothly.

There are no variables deviating from the plan I envisioned yet.

“Estel, why are you smiling?”

Flora tilted her head, her eyes wide with curiosity.

“I was smiling?”

“You were grinning as if something good happened? Tell me too. Let’s laugh together.”

Was I grinning without realizing it?

Suddenly, I remembered playing “Nine Stars” all night.

My body was exhausted, but I was so happy I felt like I was going crazy.

Dopamine was flooding my brain, making it feel like it was melting.

Even back then, I think I often grinned while playing.

Because it was fun. Because I loved the game. Because I was so good at this game.

Yes. Just now, I felt a faint sense of that old feeling.

The feeling of being immersed in the game and steadily climbing the ladder of growth.

“I was smiling because you’re so commendable.”

“Yes-? Ah, what is it? Suddenly.”

Flora let out a small, disappointed laugh.

But she didn’t seem to dislike the compliment.

***

We continued to explore the underground waterway and hunt Ratmen.

“Senior, it looks dangerous ahead. Let’s go around the other way.”

“Yes.”

I carefully examined the mud smeared on the wall.

To someone without knowledge, this would be nothing more than meaningless mud paste.

But I know this is the language of the Ratmen.

As a seasoned player of “Nine Stars,” one must know Ratman language.

-Patrolling this area. Three comrades.

-Trap at the corner. Above the ceiling. Falling rocks.

-Passage blocked. If there’s someone inside, let’s ambush them.

Knowledge is indeed power.

The Ratmen, without any suspicion, wrote their messages in large letters on the walls.

They probably never dreamed that a human would be able to read Ratman language.

They will pay dearly for their carelessness from now on.

We hid and ambushed them, and sometimes used their traps against them, steadily killing the Ratmen in the underground waterway.

“My bag is getting quite heavy-“

Flora said, adjusting the shoulder strap of her bag.

Thanks to monopolizing the vast underground waterway and hunting alone, the harvest was quite substantial.

I already have 380 magic stones.

I’ve also collected plenty of giant rat tails and whiskers, and even by-products from Ratmen.

And what’s even more exciting…

“What kind of potion is this?”

Flora shook a small glass bottle containing a light blue liquid near her ear.

Unlike giant rats, Ratmen have a low chance of dropping unidentified potions and scrolls.

This is why you should kill them as quickly as possible.

If you drag it out, the Ratman will drink the potion.

Loss of loot? Absolutely unacceptable!

“Is the light blue one soda-flavored, and the pink one strawberry-flavored? Estel, want to try one each?”

“Senior, give me that.”

Strawberry flavor, my foot.

I took the potion from Flora’s hand.

There are only two types of potions that Ratmen carry.

Healing Potion. And Poison Potion.

There is no way to distinguish them. Color, taste, and smell are unrelated to the potion’s properties.

The identity of unidentified potions varies randomly with each game, so you have no choice but to appraise them one by one.

If I had “Appraisal” magic, it would be perfect for this situation…

There’s no other way.

I have no choice but to drink it myself to find out.

“Ugh-“

As soon as I drank the blue potion, my throat began to burn.

「Drank Poison Potion. Poisoned.」

If Flora weren’t here, I would just die and be done with it, but I don’t want to reveal my “Immortality” trait yet.

So, I immediately took the antidote. I also drank the remaining pink potion.

「Drank Healing Potion. Health recovered.」

“Hyaaaak…!”

I clutched my throat and convulsed.

Why does the healing potion hurt more than the poison potion?

It feels like tearing and sewing raw flesh without anesthesia.

“Estel, are you okay?”

When I came to my senses, I was lying with my head on Flora’s lap.

Am I okay?

It hurts this much.

No, objectively speaking, I suppose I’ve recovered. My health has been restored.

They say good medicine tastes bitter, but…

This is beyond bitter; it’s like tearing my mouth apart.

“⋯I’m okay, but I’m not.”

“Yes? What do you mean…”

“Still, it’s better for me to drink these than you, senior.”

If necessary, I can die.

From the perspective of maintaining the party’s combat strength, this is the best option.

It would be problematic if Flora died now.

I still have a lot to exploit her for.

However, Flora seemed to misunderstand my words.

“Estel…”

Her face was filled with emotion, and tears welled up in her eyes.