Episode 119: The King of Rats

"Shhhaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The giant rats roar in threat, drool flying everywhere.

Honestly, by this point, the psychological damage is worse than the physical.

Anyway, we've decided to quickly eliminate them.

Drawing my sword,

"——《Super Slash》!"

I unleash my Second Ultimate Technique.

金色に輝く剣を振るうと、瞬間、刃が三倍ほどに伸び、鼠の”魔物”へと襲いかかりました。

『ぎぃええええええええええええええええええええええええええええええええ！』

耳障りな断末魔を残して、先頭にいた二匹が胴体ごと真っ二つになります。

「ねーちゃん！」

と、そこで、後ろに控えていた彩葉ちゃんが金切り声を上げました。

「どうしました！？」

"These days, calling a finishing move 'Super' is so outdated! So uncool!"

"Sh-shut up... don't say anything..."

As I speak, I charge forward with overwhelming force at the approaching mouse,

"Die! ——《Slash》!"

I bring it down with my First Ultimate Technique.

Saya-chan crosses her arms and says,

"If you want, I could help you come up with a better name for your finishing move?"

Honestly, this girl...

But these little rodents don’t seem to be much of a challenge, really.

More troublesome than zombies, certainly, but not my enemy at this point.

After finishing off the eight or so "monsters,"

——Congratulations! Your level has increased!

"Wait, already?"

I'm slightly surprised.

"If I'd known I could level up this easily, I should've started sooner."

Then Hakuha smiles cheerfully, saying,

"Your confidence won't last much longer, you know?"

she said, ominously.

▼

As we progressed deeper into the "dungeon," the reason why Hakka had said it was perfect for leveling up gradually became clear.

There was no stopping—monsters kept attacking nonstop.

One after another, without pause.

And there was one more convenient thing:

The monsters within the "dungeon" have the property of vanishing like smoke when they die.

It may seem minor, but this was truly a lifesaver.

Previously, every time we defeated a "zombie," we had to burn the corpse using a "fire spell." Otherwise, there was a risk of serious infection, as well as the danger of being ambushed unexpectedly.

Especially, zombies were masters at disguising themselves as corpses. I'd been attacked by a zombie I thought I'd already killed more than a few times.

Here, such troublesome situations were completely absent.

Dead bodies I killed simply vanished. If an enemy I'd thought I'd defeated was still standing, that meant they were still alive.

In that case, it was just a matter of quickly finishing them off.

"...It's nice that it's easy, but... when is this going to end?"

"At least it's not an infinite spawn, so you can relax. Once you hunt a certain number of monsters, they won't respawn for a while."

"I see... that makes sense."

"Once we've cleared this floor completely, we'll move on to the next one."

About then, we'd dispatched a dozen more or so.

"Oh..."

As if waiting for just that moment, Hana-chan clapped her hands together with a cheerful smack.

At that instant, I felt the dungeon tremble slightly—growing faintly.

"Here it comes, here it comes!"

"What is it?"

"In an action game, being near the end of a stage... what could that mean?"

Probably a boss enemy?

Well, even without being told, I can tell just from the enormous footsteps echoing nearby.

"What should I watch out for?"

"Nothing in particular. The monsters here aren't particularly scary yet. Clearing them out is actually just to make the way back easier."

I see.

"Then let's get this done quickly."

"Yeah."

With a deep, rumbling sound, a monstrous creature emerged—essentially a giant version of the bipedal rats we'd been defeating repeatedly.

What was particularly intriguing was the dull-colored crown-like object resting atop its head.

Could it be the King of Rats?

『ぶぎぃええええええええええええええええええええええええええええええあああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああ』

さすが王様。

鳴き声も、他のより倍ほど大きい気がします。

「”すぺしゃる☆ちゅーちゅーさん”」

と、私。

「”ラット・キング”」

と、百花さん。

「”穢れ深き王”」

これは、彩葉ちゃん。

Each of us had given it a fitting nickname.

"Um, how about just 'Rat King' for simplicity? That seems safest..."

Thanks to Ayaka's decision, his name was officially set as "Rat King."

"...But I'm getting eager to fight already, you know..."

I shook my head.

"I've handled everything solo so far. I'll clear this floor myself. Ayaka, you take the next one."

"Muuu. Okay, fine."

And so, then.

"Then, I'll finish this right away... —《Meteor Crash》!"

The ultimate technique, the fifth sacred sword, reserved until now.

I unleash it directly at the face of the "Rat King."

Shugoo! The blade's pressure tore through the air, and the shockwave struck the "monster" head-on.

"Gie... E, E, E, E, E..."

In an instant, the head of the "Rat King" shattered, two eyeballs the size of melons flying off in a burst toward tomorrow's direction.

The grotesque sight lasted only a moment.

Within seconds, the "Rat King" vanished completely, leaving no trace behind.

"Metior Crash, huh?...Hmm, maybe around 72 points? Could've used a bit more punch—something like Mega-Ton Meteor Crash, maybe?"

"Hahahaha"

Ignoring Saya-chan's evaluation,

"Let's take a short break."

A beat later, the usual fanfare sounded.

――Congratulations! Achievement "Defeat of the Rat King" unlocked!

――Congratulations! Your level has increased!

...phew.

Just in the morning, two level-ups and an achievement.

That's definitely efficient, huh.

It's tough on stamina and mental endurance, though.