Benny took his time to calm his nerves and strategize. From the earlier ambush, it seemed the ugly rat could be temporarily blinded by his light crystal—but it was such a short window, maybe one or two seconds at most.
He'd also noticed that the mutated rat hadn't been able to enter the sanctuary. It could be because of the light, or maybe the sanctuary actually had some kind of warding effect against these monsters. Whatever the reason, the rat couldn't cross the threshold, and he'd take full advantage of that in his plan. Though whether he could pull this off depended entirely on how brave he could manage to be. His cowardice and weak will were a double-edged sword—they'd kept him alive this long, but they could also paralyze him when he needed to act.
He picked up his sword from where he'd dropped it earlier. The rat bastard was nowhere near the sanctuary entrance now.
All he had to do was lure that fucker here and take its head off. Maybe it was his gnawing hunger giving him courage, suppressing his usual weak-willed nature and letting his survival instinct take control.
Taking one step at a time, he ventured out of the sanctuary. He'd learned that the mutated rat relied heavily on its hearing and smell to navigate.
He'd picked up a stone earlier to use as bait. This would all come down to luck, sheer determination, and enough insanity to finally eat something fresh.
An unhinged grin spread across his face. "Here I come, you motherfucker. I hope you taste as good as you are ugly. Hehehehe."
He was now in the dark corridors—open spaces on all sides where he couldn't see far even with his light. He'd actually taken a second light crystal earlier, but he wrapped it in cloth to hide its glow. Only the one tied with rope hung openly from his waist.
He took a deep breath, visualizing his strategy and the victory that would follow.
"It's time to go!"
He threw the rock and waited for that rat bastard to take the bait.
Seconds began ticking by. Nothing. He was sweating, anxious about where the rat would appear from. He knew it wouldn't attack him directly with the light on him—it would go for the sound source instead. Seconds stretched into a minute. Then he heard it: the sound of claws hitting stone, quick and aggressive. It seemed to come from the right side, each footstep getting stronger and louder.
Betting that he wouldn't get attacked first was dangerous, but he didn't care about that right now.
As the rat launched itself through the air to pounce on where he'd thrown the rock, he could finally see the shape and silhouette of the disgusting creature.
He had only a split second while the rat was airborne—this was his moment to strike. With every bit of power, energy, and strength he had left, he gritted his teeth and made a downward slash aimed at the rat's neck. A slash would be more effective than a thrust with his broken sword.
His blade met the rat's hide, slicing deep and tearing flesh. Blood gushed out as the creature let out a squeaking sound of pain and agony. This might have been the first time it had ever been wounded.
Thinking it would be that easy, a smile spread across his face—but he didn't see the counterattack coming. The rat's tail whipped like a club, hitting him hard on his right side and sending him tumbling several feet across the ground.
An even exchange, but he was clearly at the disadvantage no matter how you looked at it.
His entire right side went numb. He struggled to understand what had just hit him.
"Fuck! Damn it!" he screamed. The pain hadn't fully registered yet—adrenaline was blocking most of it. He struggled to get up, but thankfully he'd wounded the rat enough to slow it down temporarily. Otherwise, he would have been truly screwed.
Realizing this, he tried getting to his feet to prepare for another assault. Instead of approaching the rat, he shouted at it.
"Come here, you ugly bastard!"
It was a taunt he managed to force out, though his knees were trembling and his resolve had been shaken. He steeled himself to kill this future meal of his.
"Come and face my blade, you coward!"
He wasn't only addressing the rat—part of it was directed at himself. The rat saw red, enraged that its prey had dared to wound it. The creature charged straight at him, bleeding from its side but no longer caring about the light. It didn't have the intelligence to realize this was an elaborate trap designed for its destruction.
It took the bait. Benny continued making noise with his sword but was no longer in that position—he'd left the light crystal at his previous spot and moved as silently as possible. The rat leaped again, rows of sharp, jagged teeth and razor-sharp claws aimed at where the sound had been.
Benny, using his weaker left hand, positioned himself on the rat's left side. He'd already unwrapped the second light crystal, placing it beside the roped one.
"Bingo, you motherfucker."
He'd realized from his first strike that the rat's hide wasn't too thick, and his sword, even broken, was sharp enough to slice through it.
Waiting on the left side, he slashed his broken blade across the creature's neck. He could feel the skin tear as his sword made contact. To finish it off, he kicked the bastard and sent it toppling onto its right side, exposing its underbelly. He drove the blade straight into its heart, killing the creature.
The left slash to the neck should have been the killing blow, but since he was using only one hand—his weak side, no less—it wasn't enough to decapitate the rat. But it was sufficient to weaken it enough that he could knock it down and deliver the fatal stab.
"Food fucking secured!"
He stumbled to the ground as well. The adrenaline was already wearing off, and pain from his right side came rushing back. He might have broken his arm and a few ribs. But he was alive, and that was all that mattered.
He was left in a seriously weakened state. This gamble had nearly cost him his life. So many things could have gone wrong, but thankfully this dumb fucking bastard wasn't smart enough to see through his trap.
"Hahahahaha! I fucking did it!"
He laughed through the pain. They say the pain you feel means you're still alive, and those who survive would become stronger.
For now, he left the rat's carcass where he killed it. It was only about twenty meters from the sanctuary, but he was too injured to drag it back. He left the two light crystals there so he could find the body easily later. Right now, he needed to treat his wounds and retreat to safety.
He almost had to drag himself back from exhaustion and pain. But there was still madness and a wild glint in his eyes—he was happy. A victory like this was a massive morale booster, especially for someone like him.
He'd actually done it. He'd killed something and secured food. Maybe, just maybe, he could survive this hellhole after all.