Oliver and I regrouped as soon as the giant rat collapsed, our breathing still a bit heavy. He kept his eyes fixed on the fallen creature, and in his gaze, curiosity blended with unease.
It was easy to imagine his thoughts mirrored my own — if something like this existed, what else could be lurking out there? And worse, if a creature of this size was only classified as level 4, what awaited us on the higher levels? The mere thought sent a chill down my spine.
While I was lost in thought, Oliver was carefully studying the rat. His eyes scanned every detail of the creature, and after a few seconds of silence, his voice broke through—firm and bewildered: "I can't even tell what kind of body type this thing has. Honestly, it doesn't resemble anything I've ever seen before… or anything that's ever existed on Earth"
I nodded in response. I couldn't say for sure it was even a rat. Sure, it looked like one at a glance, but there were subtle — and not so subtle — details that made me doubt that completely. Something about its shape, maybe the way it moved, or the strange texture of its skin, told me this definitely wasn't just a rat.
Still, lying in front of us was the dead body of something that resembled a giant rat. Disgusting as it was, at least we had food. Whether the others would be willing to eat it was another matter entirely, but honestly, given how isolated and resource-starved this place was, I didn't think we'd have many options.
"By the way, my level went up after I killed that thing" I said, pointing at the enormous rat on the ground, still giving off a faint stench of filth and death.
Oliver gave a slow nod, his gaze locked on the giant rat, clearly deep in thought. Even though I probably didn't need to share the details of my status, I decided to anyway.
If we were really going to work together moving forward, keeping that kind of information hidden wouldn't help me. If anything, being transparent — uncomfortable as it was — might actually work in my favor.
Besides, at least for now, I didn't have any attacks that could deal serious damage, especially considering that the creature had clearly noticed me first.
While I was going over my next steps in my mind, Oliver's voice cut through my thoughts, sharp and steady: "I think the most logical path forward is to level up gradually. I used [Identify] on that creature a moment ago — it was level 4. That means there might be more monsters like it, maybe even stronger. But I don't know if they naturally start out at those levels or if, like us, they're able to level up somehow"
I raised an eyebrow at that. I hadn't considered that perspective, but he had a point. We had no idea how this world worked. The monsters, their goals, their weaknesses — everything was a mystery.
All we had were these strange abilities that, somehow, gave us a shot at survival. But even with them, we were lost — like trying to play a game without knowing the rules.
Oliver and I locked eyes for a moment, as if silently syncing up our thoughts. But before either of us could speak, the sound of footsteps echoed from the darkness, shattering the tension.
We both turned toward the source instinctively, our bodies tensing. In a matter of seconds, two more giant rats emerged from the shadows, their grotesque silhouettes rising from the dark.
They crept closer, sniffing the air with alarming precision, their eyes gleaming as they scanned the area like they were searching for something—or someone.
Moments later, their gaze landed on the giant corpse in front of us. The smell of blood had probably drawn them in—at least, that's what I figured. But once they saw the body of their fallen kin, we became their new target. Their red eyes burned like embers in the dark, locked onto us with the cold focus of predators sizing up their next meal.
I heard Oliver swallow hard beside me, the sound sharp in the tense silence. He tightened his grip on his bow, his hands trembling slightly — a reaction I didn't need to see to understand. We'd reached a point of no return. Judging by the heavy atmosphere closing in around us, there was no choice left but to fight.
The giant rats stared at us with ravenous eyes, their hunger practically tangible. I'd never heard of a hunter sparing its prey out of mercy, and I doubted we'd be the first to experience that kind of luck.
I didn't waste time. I immediately used my [Identify] skill. A faint warmth rose behind my eyes as two blue screens appeared in front of me. The mana drain was noticeable but manageable. As I mentioned before, as long as I didn't stack abilities one after the other, I'd be fine.
[Giant Rat – Level 3]
[Giant Rat – Level 3]
I glanced at Oliver and caught a faint blue shimmer in his eyes. I got the feeling he was using [Identify] too, just like me. I tightened my grip on my dagger, going over our options. Unfortunately, my [Precise Strike] wouldn't be useful here — and the reason was pretty simple.
That skill doubled my damage output, but for it to be truly effective—like it had been with the last rat—I needed to stay completely undetected. Obviously, that was no longer an option. We'd already been seen by the giant rats, which meant that strategy was off the table.