After a few days of training and relaxing at home, John had almost reverted back to his normal life as a villager. However, that short period of peace was interrupted as he received a package and a message from his master. The young man held the letter in his hands and read the contents.

John, we cannot wait a moment longer. The Rath'een army will relentlessly continue their attacks unless we can cripple their path into the village, and the only way we'll be able to do that is by destroying their tunnels once and for all. Majerio had just finished creating the explosives. There are four of them in the package. It is time to act. I will take my warriors outside the village and create a diversion - it should give you just enough time to get into the tunnels, set the explosives, and escape. Be careful, John, and good luck!

- Daedalus

John trembled slightly when he finished. The explosives were finished. It was time to set off. Without a word, he quickly packed some necessities along with the packaged explosives into his bag and equipped his armor. He pulled out his weapons to check their conditions before nodding in satisfaction. With the sword sheathed at his side and the dagger hidden behind his back, John hurried towards the designated area - the Deep Rath'een Tunnels.

..........

*COUGH* *COUGH*

"What is that smell? Ugh!" John grimaced as he entered the main tunnel and was immediately assaulted by a horrendous stench.

A lingering putrid odor, caused by the mixture of sweat and excrement exuded by the number of Rath'een warriors that had passed through the tunnels, filled the place. Not to mention, the natural heat of the earth had accentuated the smell to whole new level. This stink was so terrible that even a Rath'een would grimace from a whiff. It had been only a few minutes since John had entered the Deep Rath'een Tunnels, yet he felt that he had suffocated to death a couple of times. After a few more minutes, he finally could not stand the reeking odor. Immediately, John turned tail and bolted out of the tunnel. As he collapsed in front of the entrance, he greedily gulped down some fresh air. When his senses recovered, John realized that he must reenter. Just thinking about that caused him to shudder. The young Shadow Walker did not want to enter once again, however, he knew that he had a mission to accomplish and everyone fighting outside the village was depending on the task completion.

John swallowed hard and steeled his mind. He reached into his bag and pulled out a handkerchief. After wetting it with some water, he tied the cloth around his face. He had heard that a wet cloth could be used to block out smoke from being inhaled. Could this method also be used for smells? Well, he'll find out soon enough. With a deep breath, he ventured into the tunnel once more. Not even a minute has passed before John dove out of the tunnel, his eyes bulged as he struggled to rip away the cloth. Once he successfully pulled the wet cloth down, he coughed fiercely and gasped for air. The wet cloth method did not help at all. After his breath stabilized, John collapsed on the ground and laid there with a sulking expression. What can he do now? The odor was too powerful to resist. Just a whiff of it could make his head spin in agony as if he was poisoned...wait...poisoned? That's it!

John reached into his bag and pulled out a potion. The potion contained a light blue liquid with a viscosity like water. This potion was known as a Cleansing Potion. He had bought one just in case as he heard that the potion could remove up to three negative buffs. Should he drench the cloth with the potion so that it would act as a filter? But what if it doesn't work? After all, this cost as much as a full heal from Allegra. Should he risk it...or....

"No...there's nothing else I can do. Daedalus and the rest are waiting for my success. I must do this. I must risk it!"

John crumbled up the handkerchief and emptied the potion onto the cloth. Once the liquid had evenly spread throughout the fabric, the young Shadow Walker tied it over his face. He glanced at the tunnel entrance once more and entered. John walked for a while and thought that there wasn't anything wrong. However, it was then that he realized that he was holding his breath. He clenched his jaws and inhaled. Oh! There was no smell! It worked! The potion had cleansed the smell. John laughed as his motivation increased. He unsheathed his sword, held up his torch, and confidently explored the tunnel.

..........

A few days ago....

"So what do we have to do once Majerio completed the explosives?" John asked Daedalus one day while they were sparring.

"One of my scouts came back from the tunnels with information that the main tunnel connects to a large cavern which leads to three other smaller tunnels. Once Majerio finished making the bombs, we need to set them in each of the three tunnels and blow them up." The old trainer replied as he dodged a swing from John's wooden sword.

"I see."

"Oh, and make sure you save some explosives for the main tunnel as well. We don't want to leave that open."

"Okay."

"Don't forget. There may be some Rath'een guards patrolling in those tunnels. Do not let your guard down...like here!"

Daedalus swept his training sword at John's legs, intending on tripping him. However, John deftly reacted to the attack with a kick. As he kicked the sword away, he spun around and held his sword at his master's neck.

"I know. I won't do something inexperienced like that."

"Good. Good! Well done."

..........

Currently....

John was standing at the end of the main tunnel. The information Daedalus received from his scouts were correct. At the end of the tunnel, a relatively large cavern with stalactites at random points on the ceiling displayed before him. At the opposite end of the cavern were three tunnels, each lit up with torches. All he had to do was simply walk to the tunnels and set up the explosives. Easy, right? Well, it would have been if not for the Rath'een warriors on guard. There were five Rath'een enemies resting near a tent - one Rath'een Warlock, one Rath'een Brawler, and three normal Rath'een warriors. Judging by their auras, it seemed that the Rath'een Warlock was the strongest of the bunch with a level of four while the rest are at level 3. In the past, John would recklessly charge at the five enemies but now he had more experience. Now, he knew that it would be foolish and dangerous of him to charge against these opponents. Thus, John decided to wait. Sooner or later, some of these enemies might leave and the remaining warriors would be just enough for him to handle. And so, he put out his torch so to prevent the enemies from detecting him and waited. Around half an hour later, two of the normal Rath'een warriors deviated from the rest and headed towards the middle tunnel while the Rath'een Warlock entered the tent. Upon seeing this change, John raised his alertness and drew out his dagger.

He slowly crept towards the tent from behind and stabbed open a small hole. He peered inside and saw that the Rath'een Warlock had fell asleep. This was a good chance. With the Rath'een Warlock's guard lowered, John will be able to quickly kill it. He tiptoed to the side of the tent and peered at the remaining two enemies. They had their backs turned towards the tent. As for the other two normal Rath'een warriors, it seemed that they had already entered the middle tunnel. With such luck on his side, John did not waste this chance. He quickly sneaked to the entrance of the tent and slipped in. As he entered through the flaps of the tent, he glanced at the enemies outside once more before turning around.

"Good. It's still asleep. Hehe, this bastard won't know what hit him." John spun his sword around so that tip was pointed at the sleeping Rath'een Warlock.

He held onto the sword with both hands in order to steady himself. With a glint in his eye, the young warrior plunged his sword into the Rath'een Warlock, dealing a Piercing Strike worth almost half of its health. The enemy screamed as blood squirted out from its wound. The Rath'een Warlock, even though it was in pain, was still able to concentrate enough to fire a Frostbite at its attacker. Luckily, John saw the attack coming and back flipped out of the way. The ice magic attack blasted out of the tent. While the Rath'een Warlock struggled to its feet, John lunged forward with a sharp kick to the face. As the Rath'een jerked its head back and revealed its neck, the young Shadow Walker dashed in front of the enemy and pulled out his knife. With a swift slash, the Rath'een Warlock collapsed onto the ground, blood pouring out of a gaping wound. John did not waste any time as he pulled out his sword from the corpse and spun around, just in time to meet the charging tackle of the Rath'een Brawler. Having heard the screams of the Rath'een Warlock coupled with the Frostbite that came flying out from the top of the tent, both Rath'een guards understood what was happening. There was an intruder in their midst! The Rath'een Brawler dashed into the tent and saw John slice open the Rath'een Warlock. Anger flared in its eyes as it charged towards the young Shadow Walker with its hands raised, intending to tackle.

However, the Rath'een Brawler underestimated John's reaction speed as the young warrior spun around and leaped forward. The young Shadow Walker hopped onto the diving Rath'een Brawler and, using its face as a stepping stone, flipped over to the normal Rath'een warrior by the tent's entrance. The young man pierced his sword towards the surprised Rath'een, dealing 71 damage points. Before the Rath'een warrior could scream in pain, John whipped out his knife and tore away its throat. As the Rath'een warrior crumbled, a whooshing sound alerted the young man. He reflexively brought up his arms to block and was blown out of the tent by a powerful Tail Whip. As John flew in the air, he expertly twisted his body so that he would land on his feet. Using the momentum of the unstable landing, the young warrior lunged forward with a fierce Piercing Strike. The Rath'een Brawler held up one of its arms to guard and swung its other arm with a hook. Both warriors' attacks landed in a fierce display of cross counter. The brutal Swipe stunned John, causing him to lose his grip on his sword. The young Shadow Walker staggered back and shook himself awake. He looked up just in time to see the Rath'een Brawler pull out the embedded sword and threw it at him. The young warrior flung himself to the ground, barely dodging the flying blade. While on the ground, he launched himself forward and headbutted the Rath'een Brawler in the stomach. As the Rath'een keeled over, John kneed it in its face, blowing its head back with such force that a sharp crack could be heard. The Rath'een Brawler spewed out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground, its neck clearly snapped into pieces.

John sighed with exhaustion after murdering the three enemies. The young man swiftly searched through the bodies and looted anything valuable and easy to carry. As he pocketed the valuables, he recalled about the two Rath'een warriors who left earlier and wondered if they were back or not. John peeked out through the tent and when he didn't see anyone, he pushed the flaps away and stepped out. Those two normal Rath'een soldiers must have went to get reinforcements. They will be back for sure. John decided that he should enter the middle tunnel and intercept them before they could call on any support. With his next course of action confirmed, John rushed into the middle tunnel. Luckily, the tunnel was well lit so he did not have to bring his own torch. It would be terrible if the Rath'een warriors turned around and saw the flickering movements of his torch. Anyways, as John sped through the tunnel, he noticed some faint noises. It was Ratspeak - the common language of the Rath'een Horde. He must be close! John quickly decelerated to a slow pace so that the enemies could not detect his footsteps. As he approached the sound, he caught sight of the two enemies before him. They were leisurely walking with their weapons sheathed and their heads facing forward. The Rath'een warriors would sometimes face each other when speaking but they never bothered to turn around. When John noticed this behavior, he began to gradually creep up on the two unsuspecting enemies.

"Chiezit Sef, wii (1)? One of the Rath'een complained as it spat out a blob of mucus.

"Sswu kii. Zhe ki-ang (2)." The other Rath'een warned as it looked at its companion disapprovingly.

"P-Ppu (3)...."

"Hisswu, szze Sef (4). Sef chii kii (5)."

"Keh (6). Szze (7)! Kii chim (8)."

"Shh! Siiiii (9)?"

The Rath'een warriors suddenly stopped as they heard a distinct shuffling behind them. Their hands reached for their weapons as they slowly pulled out their knives. Immediately, they spun around and screeched an ear-piercing warcry. Their knives shot forth towards the source of the sound. But their enemy, John, was prepared. He had already thrust his sword towards the closest Rath'een. Due to the differences in weapon length, the young Shadow Walker was able to land a Piercing Strike first and critically wound the Rath'een warrior. The level 3 Rath'een clutched its bloody injury and collapsed dead. John let go of his sword and swung his knife upwards, clashing into the incoming knife and parrying it away. The Rath'een, upon seeing its attack fail, threw its knife at John and charged. It latched itself on John's shoulders and aimed at his neck with a fierce Bite. However, John had expected this move the moment it climbed on top of him. He raised his arm up and blocked the bite with his armguard. As the rat bastard held on with its teeth, the young warrior grabbed the Rath'een by its clothes and flung it over his shoulder. The Rath'een warrior crashed into the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood and spittle. The heavy toss had managed to damage some of its internal organs. With its vitality diminished, the Rath'een struggled to its feet. However, John tripped it with a leg sweep and straddled on top of the Rath'een. He cracked his knuckles a few times as he grinned menacingly at the rat beastman. With fists raised, the young Shadow Walker began pummeling.

Tens of punches later, John grabbed the half-conscious Rath'een by the neck and placed it under a chokehold. As the Rath'een warrior struggled to breathe, John tightened his grip and twisted sharply. A resounding crack echoed within the tunnel. With a sharp turn, John had broken the Rath'een's neck. The Rath'een warrior flailed for a couple of seconds before going limp. Only after John had made sure that the enemy in his arms was truly dead did he release his hold. The young warrior retrieved his weapons and looted the corpses. Once he pocketed a pouch of money, he headed back to where he came from. It was time to blow up the tunnels. He cannot waste any more time as time was of the essence. John exited out of the middle tunnel and began installing the explosives at the entrances of the three tunnels. Minutes later, he stood at the opposite end of the large cavern, a yarn connected to the explosives at his feet. He walked up to a lit torch and borrowed some fire. John approached the yarn on the floor and bent down to light it up. Suddenly, a loud earth-shaking roar of anger erupted from within the tunnels. John looked up in surprise as he saw a huge Rath'een barrel out of the middle tunnel.

The man-sized Rath'een warrior glared at John with its angry red eyes and bellowed in awkward human tongue, "Despicable human! Die!"