They followed the trail until they reached a hollowed tree trunk. A low chittering sound echoed from within. Liam gestured for Aria to stand back. He raised his axe and nudged aside the loose bark. Two large rats emerged, each about the size of a small dog. Their mangy fur bristled with patches of exposed skin. One had a crooked crownlike ridge on its head, while the other had a scar that ran down its snout.
[Everrat King – Level 35]
HP: 32000/32000
Skills: Summon Horde, Frenzied Bite
[Everrat Queen – Level 35]
HP: 32000/32000
Skills: Summon Horde, Poison Fang
Aria's eyes widened. "They really do look different."
Liam moved quickly. The King let out a sharp squeak, but before it could flee, Liam smashed the hilt of his axe into its side. Liam followed up by slamming the Queen with a forceful push, pinning it against the log. With a series of moves, Liam bound the pair's limbs using magical rope he had prepared earlier.
The King and Queen squealed in protest, their eyes glowing furiously. Liam ignored their stares, and nodded to Aria. "We'll drag them out to open ground. They'll start calling for the swarm soon."
Aria hoisted the Queen, while Liam took the King. They chose a wide clearing some distance away. The moment they set the rats down, the rodents began squeaking loudly, their calls echoing through the trees.
Almost at once, a skittering emerged from all around. Dozens of tiny forms darted between roots and brush. Soon, about a hundred Everrats poured into the clearing, drawn by the frantic cries of their leaders.
Liam grinned. "Here they come."
[Everrat – Level 25]
HP: 5000/5000
Skills: Basic Bite, Disease Scratch
The swarm rushed in, squealing and snapping. Liam planted his feet, raising Stormcaller. Aria stayed just behind him, ready to assist if needed.
"Waveforce!" Liam shouted, sending a shockwave across the front line of rats.
Everrat slain! +1000 XP
Everrat slain! +1000 XP
Everrat slain! +1000 XP
The first row dropped, writhing as Stormcaller's lightning crackled. More rats leaped over their fallen kin, fangs bared.
Liam activated waveforce again, smashing another cluster in a single blow.
Everrat slain! +1000 XP
Everrat slain! +1000 XP
A few of rats managed to get close to Liam, attacking him with razor claws
[-1000]
[-1000]
"Healing Light" Mia casted
[Illuminated by Healing light - +1000 HP/s for 6 sec]
A few rats would often circle around, trying to attack Liam from the side. But Aria hurled small throwing knives, pinning them to the ground. Within minutes, the entire swarm of one hundred lay motionless.
Aria, being stuck at level 1, was the most vulnerable to getting seriously injured by the rats, but the soldiers were so frenzied by their King and Queen's plight that no one tried to attack her.
Liam's XP bar crept upward. "That's the first batch," he said, breathing steadily and chugging a mana potion. "We need many more if we're going to reach ten thousand."
Aria wiped sweat from her brow. "It's a start."
They walked through the forest, leading the bound King and Queen. True to Liam's prediction, the pair continued calling out to any Everrat within range. Groups of rats came charging in from every direction. It became a grim cycle: find a safe spot, wait for the rodents to swarm, wipe them out, move on.
Everrat slain! +1000 XP
Everrat slain! +1000 XP
Ding! Veteran's Knowhow triggered: 5x EXP
Everrat slain! +1000 XP → +5,000 XP
With each wave, Liam's XP soared. Occasionally, the Veteran's Knowhow perk activated unexpectedly, multiplying his gains further.
Ding! Veteran's Knowhow triggered: 10x EXP
Everrat slain! +1000 XP → +10,000 XP
Everrat slain! +1000 XP → +10,000 XP
Rats kept appearing, lured by the King and Queen's relentless squeaks. Even as the hours passed, the swarm never seemed to end. Aria provided cover with throwing knives and well-timed kicks whenever a stray rodent slipped past Liam's arc of destruction.
Eventually, night fell. Liam lit a torch, continuing the methodical slaughter. He took short breaks for water and to check on Aria's stamina. The forest floor piled up with rat corpses, and still the squeaking continued.
Everrat slain! +500 XP
Ding! Veteran's Knowhow triggered: 80x EXP
Everrat slain! +1000 XP → +80,000 XP
Level Up!
Level Up!
Level Up!
A whirlwind of system notifications flooded Liam's vision. His body glowed with the surge of experience. He checked his status panel.
Loot Collected – 400 x Rat poison, 200 x Rat Hide, 100 Gold coins
You have reached Level 40!
You have slain 10,000 monsters!
Achievement Complete – "Endless Hunter": +500 gold, Dagger of Madness unlocked.
At the same moment, a glimmer rose from the largest Everrat corpse. Something shimmered in the moonlight—a strange, spiraled bone the size of a dagger.
You have slain 10,000 Everrats!
Achievement Complete – Slayer of the Rats
Item Acquired: Everrat Spine
Liam's hands shook slightly as he picked it up. He exhaled in relief. "We got two. That's one crucial piece for Stormcaller's repair."
Aria beamed, though exhaustion dulled her eyes. "That's… amazing. You also seem to have become a lot stronger than before"
Liam nodded, checking his new level readout:
---------
[Player: Liam Carter]
Level: 40 (Soldier)
HP: 26800 (110 HP regen/s)
MP: 1660 (9 MP regen/s)
Free Attribute points - 20
New Items - Everrat Spine (Legendary), Dagger of Madness (Legendary)
Dagger of Madness (Legendary)
Normal Attack - 2000 Physical Damage
Active Skill - Mad Dance - Raises all forms of damage by 500%. User is unable to use spells throughout the duration Mad Dance is active
Duration - 5 seconds
----------
The entire party sank to the ground, surrounded by countless rodent carcasses. The King and Queen Everrat, still bound, had long since stopped squeaking. They stared in sullen silence, their once-desparate squeals now reduced to soft whimpers.
Liam, however, was unfazed. It was not like Everrat monsters were some docile creatures. They frequently destroyed crops and harassed the village and city alike.
Slowly, he got up and headed towards the Everrat King and Queen
Overhead strike!
Waveforce!
With Liam's increased strength, killing level 35 monsters did not take much time.
At the same moment, another glimmer rose from the Everrat Queen's corpse. Something shimmered in the moonlight—a strange, spiraled bone the size of a dagger.
"Aoooo" Vix gave another low growl, indicating that something good had surfaced.
"Another Everrat Spine! Though the drop rate is abysmally low, it is never zero! Looks like we got really lucky!!"
"Guess this was a great run," Mia chirped in as well, very happy with her progress
"Did you gain a lot of levels as well?"
"Yup, killing those level 25 monsters really sped up my levelling"
Saying that, Mia pulled up her stats
[Player: CherryBlossomFairy (Mia)]
Level: 25 (Healer)
HP: 11000 (50 HP regen/s)
MP: 3200 (20 MP regen/s)
Attributes
Physique - 30
Dexterity - 8
Willpower - 50
Endurance - 9
Charm - 33
Luck - 18
Weapon: Apprentice's Blessing Wand
+60 Magic Power
Passive: +10% healing effectiveness
Armor: Blessed Initiate Robes
+50 Armor, +10% Light Resistance
Skills:
[Healing Light] – Heals 2500 HP, 6s cooldown, 200 MP
[Radiant Pulse] – 1000 AoE Light damage, 15s cooldown, 300 MP
[Minor Purify] – Removes 1 debuff, 20s cooldown, 200 MP
[Silver Maiden's blessings] (New) - Casts a defensive shield around a target, absorbing all damage from threats not exceeding the caster Duration - 2 second, 20s cooldown 500 MP
Passive: Light Channeling (+12% healing and light damage)
Perk: Empathic Aura (Nearby allies gain +3 HP/s regeneration)
"Yay! I unlocked a new skill. All hail the carry"
Mia made an exaggerated bowing gesture as she beamed on gaining 11 levels at once
Aria, however, was confused.
"Levels? Carry? What are you people on about?"
"It's nothing, Aria. We are done here. Let us return back to the forge now." Liam said as he got up.
This hunt went really well, but he still needed to get the other two items to restore stormcaller.