The streets were empty and there were no signs of any zombies walking around the area, the streets smelled like pee, but the scent of the cave they were in front of was incomparable. If it wasn't for the constant smell of blood and decaying corpses, they would've vomited because the smell was just that nauseating.
Riku and the rest could already make a guess on what's in there and they were wondering whether they should go inside for the sake of leveling up or if they should just leave it.
They didn't have anything to lose if they ignored the cave, however Riku and the rest wanted to level up and based on their experience these rats gave higher experience points in gaming terms.
It was however undeniable that they really didn't know the condition to level up, but there was no doubt that killing one rat contributed more than killing a zombie.
[Name: Takahashi Riku
Age: 18
Strength: 16 (+5)
Intelligence: 21 (+4)
Vitality: 20 (+1)
Agility: 16
Dexterity: 11 (+1)
Status points to allocate: 0
Skills: 3
Physical Skill:
Melee Weapon Techniques Level 2
Passive skills:
Psychological Distress Immunity Level 2
Unique Skill:
Appraisal
Skill points to allocate: 6
Equipment:
Ring of Hope, Mask of Pareidolia, Ambrogio's Spear
Set Item: Bones (1)
Bone Gauntlets
Titles: "The First Survivor", "Undying","The Judge"]
Looking at his status, Riku couldn't help but feel confident that they would be safe if they just decided to scout the cave, that thought however didn't last long as he realized that he was being overconfident.
As strong as Riku is as of this moment, he didn't have the strength to be able to go in the rat's nest and come out unscathed. It would be a different story if it wasn't the rat's territory but that isn't the case now.
Furthermore he didn't have the ability to protect his two companions who were not as strong as he is.
It would seem like there was no need for a discussion but the trio felt a sense of urgency when they saw the increasing numbers of Variants in the groups of zombies they found. It was one of the reasons why they were also hunting rats instead of zombies.
It is true that it was getting easier for Riku to deal with one Variant but there was still a great risk that Riku didn't want to take.
At least if they hunt the rats,it is possible to escape as long as they can make sure they're not getting surrounded, unlike fighting the Variants where all their attention must be focused on fighting that they couldn't even think about escaping otherwise there's a huge chance they'll die.
"I think we should just go in there and risk it. With Kohaku around she'll be able to detect most of the rats and depending on the inside, it might be easier for us to fight in there."
Eliza suggested, which was reasonable. The hole was big enough for anyone to fit through and wide enough for Riku to stand there and use his spear with no hindrance. The cave leads underground and the passageway was at least 45 degree angle and wasn't a straight jump down. Eliza continued to explain.
"If the chamber doesn't change in size, we could utilize it to our advantage and take turns in fighting with Riku fighting alone followed by me and Rikka while Riku would rest. As for Kohaku, she'll be the one who'll act in case things go awry."
Riku and Rikka couldn't find any significant flaws with her plan, while it is true that it relies mostly on the passageway leading underground it's not like they couldn't turn back if things don't go according to their assumption.
Besides, even if there were flaws in her plan as long as it wasn't a life threatening flaw they would just adjust the plan, Riku and Rikka wanted to go down there anyway so it was better that Eliza had an actual plan albeit it was quite simple.
Going down the passageway, the trio were lucky seeing how there was no other passageway that leads to other areas, it was just as they were hoping it to be. The passageway was dark but they had their phones to use as a flashlight.
Oddly enough, they didn't meet any rats on their way which only made the tension higher. Just as they were walking down the passageway, Kohaku suddenly stopped and growled ahead of them.
Using their flashlight, they lightened up the area ahead of them but the light could only go so far. No rats can be seen ahead of them and they didn't make any noise in hopes of hearing any signs of the rats incoming.
Despite the lack of signs, Riku trusted Kohaku and immediately put his phone down as he gripped his spear with both hands.
Silence permeated the passageway and their breathing are the only things that could be heard.
Just as they were waiting for the rats a squeaking noise could be heard ahead of them and the light couldn't reach the darkness when they tried pointing their flashlights at the source of the sound.
Squeaking noise can continuously be heard throughout the passageway and just as Riku and the rest have decided to approach scurrying noises can be heard as the ground shook slightly, rats running towards them can be seen.
Some were as big as a dog while some were even bigger than a dog. Their eyes showed signs of madness as they didn't even hesitate to approach the group despite the mutant fox with them who can be considered a predator of the rats.
The rats were gnashing their teeth and the ones in front immediately jumped towards Riku who swung the spear that slashed through the bodies of the ones who jumped forming cuts into their bodies that killed most if not all of them.
The rats however were unwavering, they threw themselves against Riku like suicide bombers, Riku however with his spear was almost unreachable, Riku would slash, thrust or chop against the horde.
One or two rats would eventually get closer but Kohaku was there to deal with them, Riku continuously whittle down the rats but it seems like the amount of rats were endless and they'd continue to jump at Riku.
They continued to charge at him until the stacked bodies of the rats made a natural border between the two sides. There were some rats that were behind Riku, those were the ones that made it past the tip of Riku's spear and charged at Eliza and Rikka who dealt with the rats easily.
The bone gauntlets was also a great help, it made it possible for Riku to attack with one hand and defend with another. The gauntlets had a few bite marks that bent it slightly. The rats on the other side of the bodies glared at the trio for killing so many of their comrades.
Riku was physically well and his injuries were healing a lot thanks to the spear but he couldn't exactly say it didn't take a toll on him. The fight was mentally exhausting and if it wasn't for his high intelligence, the effects would probably be seen midway through the fight.
He couldn't rest though as he waited for the rats to attack, he slowly backed away though so he'll have more room to fight since the corpses in front of him could be a hindrance in the upcoming fight.
The standstill continued until a squeaking sound can be heard deeper in the passageway. The rats hissed at Riku and the rest before running deeper into the passageway.
Seeing their retreating backs, Riku and the rest couldn't help but raise their alertness thinking to themselves that the rats must be planning something but after waiting for a while there was nothing else that happened so they thought they must've retreated for now.
Riku was finally able to rest and while they were resting they took the opportunity to discuss their plan of action now. They could either follow the rats and go deeper or they could go back now, it was however decided immediately that they'll go deeper now that they've come this far.
There was of course a change in plan and now Eliza and Rikka were at the front while Riku stood at the back ready to pierce the rats that were dangerously close to the two.
They dived deeper into the passageway finding human bones and some other kind of bones along the way, There were also one or two rats that'd attack them while they were going deeper but Eliza and Rikka would easily take care of them.
They continued to tread the passageway carefully while paying attention to every detail when they finally saw the horde of rats in front of them and at the very back of the horde was a unique rat.
It had two heads and its tail split into two midway, when it opened its mouth the upper jaw would split into two, the left and the right and it had two sets of teeth. Its eyes stared venomously at its enemies as it stood in its two legs, its arms had sharp long nails that were about six inches long and it was as tall as Riku.
It hissed at Riku's group followed by the horde of rats in front of it charging at Riku and the rest.