[Title Earned: ‘Ratkin Hunter.’ This title will upgrade as kills increase.]
[Current Bonus: Bane – 10% damage against giant rats and ratn.]
As the title activated, an invisible force surged through Gauss’s body. His attacks now hit even harder—especially against the rat-like creatures swarming ahead.
He watched the writhing black tide of rodents crumble under the blaze, turning to charred corpses and scattered embers. A subtle wave of relief passed through him.
Those tiny rats were only threatening in numbers. Up close, they were cannon fodder. A few flas and they were toast.
The only real threat left? The giant rats—stubborn, tough, and still kicking.
"Squeeee—!!"
Several nearby giant rats locked their glowing red eyes onto Gauss.
Their eyesight sucked, but the blinding flash at the tip of Gauss's staff every ti he cast a Firebolt was practically a beacon.
Growling low like angry hounds, the rats darted forward, skillfully avoiding the leftover flas as they charged at the pair.
Whoosh!
Gauss coolly let loose another Firebolt. It hit the lead rat square in the chest—igniting it instantly. The creature scread, thrashed, and dropped.
One down.
But Gauss frowned.
The spell was still new—he hadn’t fully mastered it yet. Casting was a bit clunky, and lining up his shots took ti.
These rats were fast. He needed sothing more reliable.
"Magic Missile."
Bright blue energy surged at the tip of his staff.
Gauss narrowed his gaze at the charging targets.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh!
Three glowing missiles ripped through the air, screeching with power, and slamd straight into three giant rats.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Like hot knives through butter, the missiles tore through their bloated bodies. Blood, guts, and bone splattered everywhere.
None of them even had ti to scream.
Right beside him, Alia had been about to cast Entangle—but froze when she saw it. Her breath caught.
That was so serious power. And deadly precision.
She had practiced with Gauss in the forest before and had seen his spells in action. But seeing it in a real battle? That was another story.
Still stunned, Alia slamd her oak staff into the ground.
A pulse of vivid green magic burst outward like a shockwave, rippling from her feet.
“Entangle! Nature’s Bind!”
With her free hand, she pressed toward the earth, channeling pure nature energy into the soil.
RUMBLE!
The ground ca alive.
From every patch of dead grass, moss, and charred dirt, thick, snakelike vines burst upward—writhing, whipping through the air, and wrapping around the legs of every charging rat, yanking them to the ground.
Dead trees cracked open, roots breaking free. Shrubs stretched unnaturally, twisting into makeshift tripwires.
In seconds, the battlefield beca a trap.
The vines didn’t just bind the rats—they ford a living barrier around Gauss and Alia.
“Nice timing!” Gauss shouted, shooting her a thumbs-up.
Entangle might not be flashy, but used right, it was a ga-changer—especially when paired with AoE damage.
He didn’t give the rats ti to react.
Gauss raised his staff again. More blue flashes exploded from the tip.
Triple-cast Magic Missiles—boom after boom—slamd into the helpless rats trapped in the vines.
Thud! Crack! Screech!
Bones shattered. Rats shrieked. The field was clearing fast.
[Giant Rat Slain ×1]
[Total Monster Kills: 382]
He counted 14 giant rats down.
Outside the church, all that was left were a few dazed rats scampering aimlessly.
Too bad regular rats didn’t count toward his kill score—he’d be way past 500 by now.
Gauss sighed and glanced at Alia. Her control spells made his job ridiculously easier.
And best of all? She wasn’t greedy for kills. Love that.
“Alright, let’s rest up while we can.”
With Entangle still fading, Gauss popped off his mask and pulled food and water from his bag. He ate casually, unfazed by the blood-soaked, stinking battlefield around him.
“Want a bite?” he asked, holding out a chunk of rations.
“I—uh—no thanks.” Alia stared at him, speechless. “You can eat in this stench?!”
The air reeked of rot and smoke.
Gauss just shrugged.
“It’s whatever.” He didn’t even flinch. He could sll it, sure—but food was fuel. His Energy Gland trait made that even more true. You eat when you can.
Expression calm, he kept chewing, dead bodies all around, like it was just another lunch break.
“…You're sothing else,” Alia muttered. She’d lost her appetite completely.
But their break didn’t last long.
CREEEAAK—
The heavy, rotting doors of the church groaned open slowly.
Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.
Heavy, rhythmic footsteps echoed from inside, mixed with deep, guttural rat growls.
Then—
From the shadows burst over a dozen mounted ratn—riding giant rats even bigger than before, their armor gleaming with rage and hate.
“Screeech!!”
Gauss stared at them.
“Wow. No breathing room at all, huh?”
He brushed crumbs off his gloves and slipped the mask back on.
This was definitely the elite squad.
These new rats were bulkier, faster, and more vicious. Their riders carried heavier weapons and moved like trained cavalry.
Fifteen of them. Way too many for a “small” ratn tribe.
He pushed the thought aside. Ti to focus.
The ratn spread out in formation, surrounding them.
Clearly, so scout had witnessed the earlier massacre and warned them.
Archers atop the chapel began firing flaming arrows into the leftover vines.
“Smart rats…”
Gauss nodded to himself. They weren’t blindly charging in. They were clearing obstacles first.
Not bad for monsters.
Flas crackled as the vines burned away.
Alia turned to Gauss, eyes asking: What now?
She didn’t hesitate—he was the anchor now. She trusted him.
“We wait. Rest a little more.”
“Got it.”
The ratn kept their distance, forming a periter while shrieking to each other.
They clearly assud Gauss and Alia were just squishy mages. Once the vines were gone, they’d rush in and tear them apart.
Gauss? He was all for it.
Let ’em wait.
The longer they held back, the more his stamina and mana recovered.
They had no idea he thrived in drawn-out fights.
The battlefield grew quiet. Only the wind and scattered rats remained.
“How many more big Entangles do you have left?” Gauss asked, watching the vines disintegrate.
“Large-scale? Just one more.” Alia replied with a bit of guilt. “But I can still cast smaller ones a few more tis.”
“Good. Save them for when it counts.” Gauss didn’t sound mad. The earlier cast had done its job—bought them ti.
Now they just had to play smarter.
“Roger that!” Alia nodded. Then quickly added, “I’ve still got lee skills. And... my partner’s here!”
Even before she finished, a deep wolf howl echoed through the air.
“Cool. Do your thing.” Gauss said simply.
They were both bronze-tier adventurers. They knew their limits.
The last of the vines turned to ash.
“SQUEEE!” The ratn scread and charged.
Fifteen mounted riders flew toward them from all directions.
Gauss raised his staff, eyes scanning for the closest threats.
But he didn’t fire just yet.
Magic Missiles had a range limit. The farther the target, the easier to dodge.
He waited, focused. Then—
“Magic Missile!”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three missiles tore out.
Two slamd into their targets—blasting ratn off their mounts in an explosion of gore.
The third was narrowly dodged. One ratn yanked his mount into a sharp turn and avoided it with only a scrape.
Not bad.
[Ratn Slain ×2]
[Total Monster Kills: 384]
New entry added in monster index.
Gauss didn’t even look at the system log. He was already shifting his aim to the next targets.
These guys were the real deal.
After two more precision kills—
The rest of the cavalry reached them.
Alia’s massive gray wolf lunged in with a snarl, tearing a ratn’s throat out in one clean bite.
She followed up, swinging her oak staff in a wide arc—
THUD!
One ratn was smashed straight into the dirt, limp and twitching.
Then her staff ca down hard on a giant rat’s skull. The beast dropped instantly.
Still—no one matched Gauss’s kill rate.
He holstered his staff, flipped his wrist, and drew a long sword.
Switching to close combat.
A ratn thrust at him. Gauss dodged with a leap, graceful and fast.
His blade flashed.
Slice!
One clean decapitation. A rat head flew skyward.
Gauss danced between enemies, his Gauss Omni-Armor flaring blue with every glancing blow.
His Basic Swordsmanship was clean, efficient, deadly.
His Enhanced Leap gave him unmatched mobility.
He wasn’t just holding the front line—he was the front line.
A magic-user who fought like a seasoned warrior.
He didn’t like to admit it, but… sotis lee was just more effective.
From the shadows of the chapel roof, a hidden ratn scout saw it all—and bolted in pure panic, sprinting toward the cellar.
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