Following those traces forward, sometimes other traces would cover them, and sometimes the traces would cross the not-too-wide, not-too-narrow sewer "river surface."
Under the headlamp's illumination, the "river" filled with microorganisms and various things seemed to be steaming with hazy mist, like a thick soup personally brewed by Nurgle.
Whenever this happened, the three would try to find if there were any paths connecting both sides ahead.
After all, although all three felt they could jump across with a mighty leap, if they slipped, it would be the same fate as King Shaya after being slashed by a strong wind.
Another ten minutes passed, and the traces increased.
It seemed they had arrived at the activity area of those things.
According to their speculation, these things should have appeared in the Tokyo area at least within the last few months.
Otherwise, there shouldn't have been any movement at all. Moreover, based on the ecological niche of those rats, they should be invincible in the sewers. As long as they could reproduce normally, their numbers should be endless, as the sewers certainly weren't lacking in food for such scavengers.
As they got closer to the densely traced area, the three noticed that the central waterway seemed significantly wider than the path ahead. This was likely because there was some important building nearby, and it was specially constructed to avoid problems.
Keli and the other two felt it; even through their masks, a surging impulse made them somewhat hungry.
Although they didn't hear movement or see objects due to the gurgling water, those things were right beside them.
Those lightless pipes, the murky, bottomless water, and even the somewhat cracked fissures in the dome.
Those things were right there, perhaps "observing" the few outsiders who had entered their territory with their eyes filled with whites.
"This really is…"
Kazuma gripped his trembling hand. He felt like a certain glasses-wearing guy from Tsukihime, already struggling to resist pulling out a dagger and dismembering everything around him.
After walking for a few more minutes, the group began to find animal droppings and… leftover bones on the ground.
The stark white bones were exposed before them. If they hadn't at least had experience cutting other things down to the bone, the mere flicker of a headlamp would have been enough to send ordinary people screaming and fleeing.
There were snake bones, and bones from other small rodents or geckos, but no wild dogs or cats were found.
Perhaps it was because the sewer's defense system was quite good; currently, those things hadn't managed to break out of the sewers.
However, the group also discovered some obviously abnormal skeletons.
"Is this a fish…?"
Kirito crouched down. He found a fish skeleton on the ground that was clearly too large for a sewer creature. Although it was scattered, the largest piece indicated its somewhat massive size.
The supporting fish bones were nearly 30 centimeters top to bottom, reminiscent of the European catfish often seen in videos of giant fish.
Yet, such a colossal creature was now reduced to these scattered bones, providing a more direct sense of impact.
If it weren't for their arrival, this place would surely have been overrun with rats, but now those creatures seemed to have abandoned their nests out of fear.
Keli swung his flashlight, and every now and then, he could see the shadows of rats scurrying in the distance. They maintained a certain distance from the group and grew in number, but they still didn't dare to pounce as before, as if facing a few weasels invading their den. They could distinguish between predator and prey, and even if their numbers were many times greater, they dared not attack rashly.
Continuing forward, the traces peaked at one point and then gradually began to diminish again.
And that point was a drain.
"Tsk!"
Keli clicked his tongue.
He had originally thought the lair of these creatures might be brazenly out in the open.
But based on the current situation, their lair might be in the sprawling network of tunnels.
This was somewhat strange, as those rats in this sewer should have no need to hide their young.
As Keli and the others approached the opening, the rats in the distance also stopped their retreat.
Instead, they began to stand in clumps, as if they would swarm them if the group made any further move.
This further confirmed Keli's hypothesis: this should be the entrance to their den, and there were likely young inside. Driven by animal instinct, if Keli and the others made another move, they would fight to the death, even if they were afraid.
However, what Keli and the others wanted was for them to fight to the death.
"Heh!"
Kazuma also saw this at a glance, like a hunter reaching for a doll sister, an undead person reaching for the skull of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Lan Meng reaching for Bai Ciernan's hot dog, he stretched out his wicked hand, making a gesture as if to reach into the hole.
Heh heh! I'm going to kill rats!
As Kazuma reached out, the other two prepared for battle, just waiting for these rodents to swarm them.
However, what happened next left the three of them somewhat bewildered.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The rats suddenly and urgently scattered in all directions, just as they had when the group had gone on a killing spree earlier.
Just as the three were wondering, a familiar roar echoed out.
"Roar!"
The three had heard this sound before: a dry, wolf-like yet not wolf-like roar, and a thick, ape-like yet not ape-like roar.
However, that was when they had just entered the sewer, and the sound had come from afar.
But now, the sound seemed to be right next to them.
Keli and the two others spun around abruptly. It was the way they had come. As three strong beams of light shot out, Kazuma gasped under his mask.
"Splash!"
Murky, foul-smelling water surged like a curtain being torn open.
Hard, thick scales, yet due to its overly plump body, they appeared somewhat bouncy.
The eye membrane, as large as the bottom of a bowl, retracted, revealing a pair of eyes filled with bloodshot and no visible pupils.
The snout, which should have been slender due to the skeleton, appeared like an open-mouthed frog due to its excessive bulk. However, the sharp fangs spoke of the giant creature's identity.
A crocodile.
Something no one would expect to see in such a situation.
And it was an extremely large crocodile. According to biology, crocodiles, as a type of creature, tend to get wider before they get longer as their size increases.
And this one's immense width already occupied the entire "riverbed."
The scales bristling on its body twisted with its claws and torso, carrying it towards the three like a galloping sports car at a speed that felt utterly impossible for its size.
"What?!"
Kazuma was horrified. The three of them didn't care about much else, raising their weapons and preparing to confront this thing. However, looking at its thick, heavy scales, it felt difficult to even begin to strike.
-------------------------------
I've just uploaded the latest chapters on Patreon!
If you're following this story and want to read ahead, come check it out and support me there!
Here's the link: [patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you all so much for always being with me!