-----//-----

[ Race: Wild rat ]

[ Grade: F+ ]

-

[ Evolution stage: 1 ]

[ Rank: Citizen ]

[ Level: 2 ]

-----//-----

Looking at the same status over the heads of the four Wild rats, Damian moved his gaze to their leader, who was wailing on the ground.

-----//-----

[ Race: Wild rat ]

[ Grade: E- ]

-

[ Evolution stage: 2 ]

[ Rank: Soldier ]

[ Level: 5 ]

-----//-----

Giving the status a quick glance, Damian didn't try to go into detail. Before the Wild rats could react, he turned around and dashed into the woods.

*Squeeeeeak!*

The leader squeaked angrily and shook its head in pain. It couldn't sit still when it saw its attacker fleeing. Despite the dizziness caused by the wound on its head, it chased after the enemy. The other rats trailed behind their leader.

Running straight east, Damian looked back at the rats chasing him at a high speed. Damian couldn't see their attributes in the basic status, so all he could do was hope that their Agility wasn't over 12 or else...

'No. No. Think positively, Damian, concentrate on the task at hand.' Damian shook his head, bringing all of his attention to the escape.

*Squeak! Squeak!*

Hearing the squeaks from the approaching rats, Damian raced his brain. Running between the trees, and jumping through the thorny shrubs, he took every route possible to increase the distance between himself and the rats

But, no matter how fast he ran his brain, his feet ran at the same pace, slower than the Wild rats. The distance had shrunk in a matter of minutes.

As his eyes were drawn to the leader metres besides him, Damian knew time was running out.

But he didn't need much time because he had arrived at his destination: the three adjacent trees dividing the path ahead in two.

At the pivotal point of his plan, Damian's heart was beating so fast that he could hear it. The strong beats were understandable given that a single mistake would cost him his life.

Using every ounce of strength he could muster, Damian leapt through the left path.

The terrain beyond the intersection had many unnatural elements. A few steps ahead was a 3-metre square pit surrounded by a wall of soil from both, its left and right sides. The entire pit was filled with dry leaves that could be seen from a few inches down. It was unclear how far it went.

Running through the middle of the pit was a bridge of a flat, long piece of wood.

Stepping onto the bridge, Damian ran as fast as he could on the moving thing, his gaze fixed on the terrain on the other end.

The path ahead was obstructed by a downed tree. The age had split the tree's stem in two. But, refusing to be separated, the old stem grasped the broken part and lifted it off the ground. A third party was sandwiched between the two old friends: a stone warped in a black T-shirt.

This opened up a small passageway beneath the tree, into which Damian sprung with all his might.

The world slowed down...

The leader and a rat had chosen to run across the bridge, while the rest had decided to jump over the unnatural terrain. Whether it was due to beastly instincts or rational thinking was unclear.

A step behind Damian, the leader's had its jaw wide open, dripping with saliva. The jaws were closing, intending to take a bite of the leg muscles between them.

The airborne rockets in the shape of Wild rats had launched from the start of the pit, their needles hard and ready, their noses aimed at the enemy. It was obvious from their momentum that they would jump over the pit and land right on top of their target... Damian.

Using his right foot to propel himself, Damian leapt at the gap under the tree, narrowly avoiding the leader's sharp teeth.

Airborne, Damian had his hands extended forward as his body arrived under the tree. Midair he used all his strength to grab the fluttering end of the T-shirt that warped the stone.

Tightening the cloth in his feast, Damian let his body pass under the tree. Damian's speed was slowed halfway through his short flight, by the two old friends sandwiching the stone. But how long could the old stem keep the stone from falling?

One second, that's all it could hold the stone for, as in the next moment, the stone slipped out, separating the basal from the stem.

With his face inches away from the rough group, Damian's muscles tightened as he opened his mouth and shouted...

The world returned to normal...

"Nooooow!"

Damian's body landed face-first on the ground, sliding some centimetres ahead.

*Baaaam!*

With a slamming sound, the stem met the ground, flying dust and leaves around it. It lifted the end of the wood under it.

*Slam! Slam! Slam!*

Following one slam, there were three consecutive slams. The three airborne rats had their heads slammed against the tree as their dazed bodies fell into the pit.

The leader and the rat following behind were spared by the slamming, but the sudden moment of the ground under them imbalanced their balance as they too fell into the pit.

Untouched by all the falling Brave received her signal and, as instructed, she walked from the right wall of the pit, dropping the sick with fire at the end of the pit. She walked back.

The rats that fell on the dry leaves weren't hurt in the least. In fact, the dry leaves were a soft bed for them. But, because they had an enemy to pursue, they ran to the end of the pit... or tried to.

All the flapping of their feet only made the dry leaves fly in the air and a few got stuck in their sharp claws. The more they struggled to get out, the deeper they got.

The dry leaves had air trapped between them and the heavy rats blew the air out of the gaps, reducing their height and making the rats fall deeper. By constantly moving the leaves under them away, the rats dug a deeper pit for themselves

*Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!*

The rats let out anxious squeaks as they tried to find a way out. That's when clouds of smoke started rising from all ends of the pit.

*Crackle! *

Following the first crackle, the first spark was lit in a leaf, turning the whole pit into a sea of flames.

*Squeeeeeak! Squeeeeeak!*

*Squeeeak!*

*Squeeeeeak!*

Hearing the painful squeaks of the rats, Damian dusted his T-shirt. Using it to wipe the blood on the left side of his forehead, he wore it. Climbing the fallen tree, Damian sat on top of it looking at the fire below.

Unbothered by everything, Brave hoped in her master's lap. Looking at him with her big eyes, she demanded her pats, which she received. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the pats, not minding the painful squeaks of her 'companions' in the least.

Damian looked at the crackling fire and the rats screaming inside it, in silence. Without making a single sound, he watched as the brown hairs of the rats turned crimson, producing a strange smell.

He didn't move his eyes away from the leader who was trying to use its comrades to jump past the pit, but the blanket of fire covered its body burning the last bit of sanity in its mind, turning it into a wounded beast turning around in pain.

It had been only ten minutes when system messages started popping up to the left and right of Damian's vision.

«You have killed a Wild rat!»

«5 experience earned!»

«5 class experience earned!»

«0.5 souls gathered.»

«You have killed a Wild rat.»

«5 experience earned!»

«5 class experience...»

At last, Damian moved his eyes away from the Burnet rats glancing at his left. Soon after, he looked to his right.

«Brave has killed a Wild rat!»

«Brave has acquired 5 experience!»

«Brave had gathered 0.5 souls!»

«Brave had killed a Wild rat!»

«Brave has acquired 5 experience!»

«Brave had gathered...»

If these were normal circumstances, Damian would have been surprised at the experience distribution of the system, but currently, he had something more on his mind...

Looking back at the now extinguished fire and a few rats shaking with pain in it, Damian had a question in his mind... 'Why?'

He was just a normal college student, doing his best for a good future. He avoided parties, gossip, dating, and other adolescent activities, instead of devoting all of his time to his studies. He had a bright future ahead, but one day when he woke up in a fantasy-like situation... 'Why?'

He had found it like a dream come true. He had been pondering about how he should use the system, kill monsters, and acquire skills, but he wasn't trying to find a way back to Earth. He didn't want to go back to his bright future, to his family... 'Why?'

And now, after planning and working for hours when he was watching the scene, he thought he couldn't handle it...

'Just why? Why? Why am I feeling...'

Looking up at the evening sky, Damian didn't have a troubled or disgusted look on his face; rather, his face had its lips stretched at both ends to their limits, cracking a smile.

"...so good!"