I had to stop blaming my mistakes on "rust" and actually try and improve, so I could be stronger than in my past life.
…
A few days have passed… and I… have absolutely no clue where I am as this entire dungeon was a cramped maze.
It felt like I was about to go insane just staying inside of this dungeon because everything looked the exact same, the smell was horrendous, and the taste of the sewer water, which I have lived off of, was torturous.
I would rather be drinking doggy dirt diarrhea than this sewer water… plus. Plus! I probably have every disease known to man now.
The only thing that's slightly helping me now is the black mask which I thankfully still retain on my face.
But, when I thought it couldn't get any worse… the number of monsters that I began to encounter essentially quadrupled right before me.
I ran into literal hordes of these sludge that I could barely even kill, and the fast-paced movements of the rats gave me no time to rest.
When the lack of sleep began to catch up with me, I felt my mind slowly melting into a puddle of brains.
Tack Tack Tack Tack Tack
I heard the clicking of a few rats clacking their teeth together from down the sewer, and instinctively, I ran in the opposite direction, only coming to face a larger horde of rats.
"ARGHHHHHH!" I shouted as I summoned a large spear of water and shot in straight through the middle of the horde, killing only a few.
The rest just piled back into the middle and charged towards me, the annoying clacking of their teeth continuously residing within my ears.
I ran and ran until I had diluted the horde into about ten rats, allowing me to just wipe them out with a few more spears of water.
But now, I had run completely dry on mana… meaning I was helpless at the hands of this horde of sludge chasing after me.
"HUFF… HUFF… HUFF… HUFF… PISS OFF! LET ME HAVE ONE SECOND TO BREATHE!" I shouted back at the sludge, but they just continued to push forward.
…
Another few days have passed, and the sleep deprivation has now caught up to my body, slowing me down past my actual speed and stamina.
This also meant that I was actually getting hit by these slow-ass monsters…
"HUFF HUFF HUFF HUFF HUFF HUFF,"
Tack Tack Tack Tack Tack
All of a sudden, I felt something latch onto the back of my leg, and a pair of sharp teeth bit down into my calf, tearing part of it away.
"AHHHHHHHH!"
I let out a blood-curdling cry that mingled with the clacking of these damn rats' teeth, causing my mind to seemingly melt even more.
Slowly, I crawled away while the rats toyed with me by literally kicking me and stomping on my already injured leg.
Tack
Another one bit down hard into my other leg, causing me to reflexively punch backward, sending the rat flying across the sewers.
The others were angered by this and began to bite all over my body.
But thankfully, I saw my mana get up to the threshold that allowed me to create a small spear of water that danced around the metal and rusted pipes, slaying these damn rats.
"Ack… *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*... Dammit, did they break one of my ribs?" I muttered before lying on my back, trying to ease the pain.
I thought this was going to be the end, but in a few cruel panels before me, my face crumpled in anger.
[A few gods are amused by your struggling]
[Next Side Quest has been revealed]
.
[Side Quest: Slay Twenty Sewer Rats]
[Description: This side quest has been revealed because you are in a tight spot and need something to help you continue living. But, amuse the gods more for a reward… Kill twenty more rats for a special prize.]
[Reward: [Small Healing Potion]
[Penalty Upon Failure: Death]
[Time Left: 1 Hour]
.
"This is amusing to you all…This is amusing?" I muttered through gritted teeth before staring down the hallway.
A pack of about five more rats had found me, and with my melted mind, I had lost almost all my humanity as they charged toward me.
Their clacking teeth had been drowned out by my bloodlust, and as soon as they reached me, I grabbed one of their faces and gouged their eyes out.
Blood sprayed everywhere, almost blinding me in the process.
"DIE! YOU STD CARRYING MOTHER FUCKER!" I shouted as I dug my fingers deeper into its eye sockets.
The other rats began to bite me, but I just continued pressing further and further into the rat's head until its body went limp.
CLACK
A pair of teeth chomped down onto my shoulder, causing me to cry out in pain, but I didn't stop as I then grabbed this rat.
My vision had been blurred with blood, and it only got worse as I dug my fingers into the rat's head.
"ARGHHHHHH!" I cried out before completely crushing the rat's head.
There was so much adrenaline pumping through my body that the pain that I had just felt a few seconds ago slowly faded away, and my body was filled with fake motivation.
Tack Tack Tack Tack Tack
A group of about twenty more rats appeared, but they appeared too late as my mana had regenerated to a point where I could be more creative.
[Water Manipulation]
I created about thirty spikes that sprouted from the water below us, wiping out only a part of the large group while scaring away the rest.
The original group that continued to ravage me though still latched on and tried biting through my spine.
BAM
I punched the one biting at my neck and then shook the rest off before creating just enough space for me to catch a glimpse of the rest.
[HP: 4/35 MP: 0/10 SP: 2/15] - Normal Human
"Holy shit, I might actually die,"