Chapter 41: Blackbite Rat Labyrinth (2)
At the entrance to the third underground level—a wide, three-meter hole—Jokyr spoke, “Let’s take a quick rest, replenish our origin energy, and then we’ll head in.”
He removed several bags from his storage ring and distributed them among his companions. It seemed the group had only one storage ring, and Jokyr was responsible for it.
After setting up a simple camp, the group sat down on a mantle, beginning to replenish their energy by absorbing origin crystals. Jokyr stood by, guarding his companions.
Vincent, meanwhile, took a single origin crystal and absorbed it.
You recover +1 origin energy!
Talent activated!
You recover +10,000 origin energy!
In an instant, his origin energy was full.
A moment later, Clauny finished recovering her energy and sat beside him, staring up at him curiously. He met her gaze, wondering what she was up to.
“What are you doing?” he asked, seeing her openly watching him.
“Nothing. Just curious about what you look like behind that mask,” she replied, tucking her black hair behind her ear.
Amused by her youthful behavior, he decided to tease her.
“Do you want to see?”
He kept a serious tone but was grinning behind his mask.
Clauny was taken aback for a moment.
Eh? Will he really reveal his face? Why? she wondered, surprised.
She had only said it, assuming he wouldn’t take her seriously. But here he was, willing to do it just because she’d asked?
Maybe he likes me? she thought, her cheeks warming beneath her clown-faced mask.
Slightly flustered but determined, she nodded.
Seeing her serious expression, Vincent couldn’t help but grin wider.
“Alright,” he said, voice serious.
“But I’ll only show it to you. No telling anyone, okay?”
“I promise,” she nodded eagerly.
“Then close your eyes first.”
She closed her eyes without hesitation.
Still grinning, he gently touched his emerald mask, slowly morphing it.
“Are you ready?”
Clauny nodded, eyes shut.
“Alright, on the count of three, open your eyes.”
“One…”
“Two…”
He leaned in close, just inches from her mask, and whispered, “Three.”
As soon as she heard “three,” she opened her eyes—and promptly screamed, “Kyaaaaaah!”
Her scream startled the others, especially Jokyr, who was on lookout. He spun around, immediately looking at Clauny, who was covering her face with her hands.
“W-What happened?!” he demanded, hurrying to her side.
“What’s wrong, Clauny?”
Clauny didn’t answer, only pointing in Vincent’s direction.
Jokyr and the others turned to look at Vincent, stunned to see a woman’s pale face with long, wet black hair—an image straight out of a horror film. In the dim surroundings, the effect was chilling.
Vincent couldn’t hold it any longer and burst out laughing, shifting his mask back to its usual form.
“Haha, sorry! I was just messing with her.”
Clauny peeked through her fingers, immediately going silent at the sound of his laughter. The others were equally taken aback.
“You…” Clauny managed, speechless.
Jokyr swallowed hard, asking cautiously, “H-How did you do that?”
He was beginning to wonder if they’d recruited a ghost into their party.
“It’s nothing, just one of my simple tricks.”
Seeing that Vincent didn’t want to explain further, Jokyr sensibly changed the subject.
“Alright, five more minutes, then we’ll move.”
Clauny glared at Vincent and huffed in annoyance, which only made him laugh more at how easily she’d been tricked.
Just as the group finished resting, a series of hurried footsteps approached from the distance.
“Someone’s coming. To your positions.”
Jokyr quickly alerted everyone, taking position shoulder to shoulder with Swordy. Rossy stood in the middle, with Vincent and Clauny covering the rear.
The footsteps grew louder, revealing three Vyrmin warriors in tattered armor, pursued by a towering, two-meter-tall black rat.
It was a Tier 1 (4-star) Thornback Rat.
True to its name, spiky bones protruded from its spine to its tail.
With a powerful leap, the rat’s sharp incisors sank into one of the male Vyrmin, splitting him in half. His companions, wide-eyed with terror, fled toward Vincent’s party, casting a last, horrified glance at their fallen comrade as his form dissolved into digital particles.
“Get out of the way!”
The fastest Vyrmin shouted, panic clouding his mind as he ran, heedless of his companions’ survival.
“Honey! Wait for me!” cried the female Vyrmin running behind him, her tight breastplate dress clinking as she struggled to keep up.
Vincent raised his brows, recognizing the pair as the same couple he’d caught in a rather intimate moment earlier.
“What do we do, leader?” Swordy asked.
Jokyr frowned beneath his mask, then gave the command: “Make way!”
“Tch!”
As much as he wanted to block the Vyrmin who had dragged a Thornback Rat into their path, he bit his tongue and obeyed.
The male Vyrmin rushed past them without a word of thanks, forgetting his partner entirely.
“Honey—!” the female Vyrmin began, only to trip over a rock and tumble to the ground.
“Agh!” she cried, struggling to sit up as the Thornback Rat loomed above her, casting a menacing shadow. Her face went pale as she looked up at the primal, its maw open, ready to strike.
Squeak!
With a chilling squeal, it prepared to bite when a shadow shot forward, striking the rat’s skull and piercing straight through. A fist-sized hole appeared in its head.
The creature was dead.
It toppled to the ground beside the frozen Vyrmin.
Clauny’s eyes went wide as she turned to Vincent, shock evident behind her clown-faced mask.
“H-How?” she stammered.
All she’d seen was Vincent casually picking up a fist-sized rock, coating it in Origin Energy, and tossing it. Although she knew Vincent was powerful—she’d seen him take down a Peak Tier 1 Boarman in the Novice Center—she hadn’t expected him to one-hit a primal, especially one known for its speed.
As he threw the rock, Vincent finally heard a familiar notification confirming the Thornback Rat’s condition.
You have successfully killed a Tier 1 (4-star) Thornback Rat!
+25 experience points!
Talent activated! 10,000x!
+250,000 experience points!
“Yeah, I’ve grown strong enough to one-hit a Tier 1 (4-star) primal now…” he thought, feeling the stunned stares of his companions.
“H-How did you do that?” Jokyr asked, disbelief creeping into his voice. He was finally realizing that Clauny wasn’t exaggerating.
Swordy and Rossy were also staring, mouths agape.
