He reached for the wardrobe and opened it to find an assortment of clothing inside. There were shirts, pants, robes, and even some armor pieces that looked like they belonged to a nobleman or warrior.
Noah selected a black shirt and dark trousers, along with a pair of sturdy boots. The fit was perfect, hugging his new form in a way that made him feel comfortable, yet ready for action.
Dressed and slightly more at ease, Noah closed the wardrobe and took a deep breath. The peace of the hot spring and the quiet of the room were a welcome reprieve, but he knew it wouldn't last.
The rats would find a way to track him down again, and the questions about the building's purpose and the true nature of his reincarnation still loomed over him.
He glanced at the door and listened for any sign of movement. For now, the rats seemed to have lost his trail, but it wouldn't be long before the scent of his blood drew them again. He had to keep moving, to find some answers about where he was and why this place was crawling with demon-eating rats.
Noah squared his shoulders and prepared to leave the room. As he reached for the doorknob, the system's chime echoed once more in his mind.
Ding!
[New Mission: Escape the Building.]
[Objective: Find a way out of the structure. Rewards: 50 Satisfaction Points. Penalty for Failure: The rats will be the least of your concerns…]
Noah's lips tightened into a grim line as he read the message. The system's words were clear enough—he needed to get out, and soon.
Noah finished reading the mission details displayed before him, his gaze hardening as he absorbed the implications. Escape the Building. That was already his plan, but now that the system had turned it into a mission with a reward attached, his determination solidified.
Fifty Satisfaction Points seemed like a decent amount for a first mission, though he had no idea how valuable those points would ultimately prove to be. It didn't matter—he needed to get out of this place, and any advantage the system could provide was worth pursuing.
Gripping the doorknob tightly, Noah opened the door and stepped back into the corridor, his steps as quiet as he could make them. The rats had been drawn to the scent of his blood earlier, but now that his wounds had healed and he had changed into fresh clothes, he hoped his presence would be less detectable.
The corridor led him to a staircase that split in two directions—one descending further down into the unknown depths of the building, the other spiraling upward. He hesitated only for a moment before deciding to go up.
The possibility that the lower floors were underground was too great a risk; if there was no exit below, he would only be trapping himself further.
By ascending, he could at least reach the roof, and if it turned out to be too high to climb down from, he would figure out another way. The most important thing was finding a way out.
He started his ascent, climbing with a mixture of caution and urgency. When he reached the floor where he had barricaded the entrance with the table, he quickly shoved the table aside.
Scratch marks and deep gouges marred the wood, evidence of the rats' frenzied attempts to break through. The sight made him shiver involuntarily, but he continued upward, his muscles tense and ready for action.
Noah alternated between sprinting and walking at intervals, covering ground quickly but not wanting to draw attention to himself. Every few flights of stairs, he would pause to listen for the telltale sounds of scurrying or squeaking.
Noah's senses remained on high alert, and though he encountered no immediate danger, the deeper he ventured into the upper levels, the more unnerving the sight became.
The higher he climbed, the more bodies he found. Demons of various races lay strewn about, their forms twisted and broken. It was a grotesque scene, one that told a story of slaughter and desperation. Some of the fallen demons wore fine clothing, ornate robes, or jewelry that suggested wealth and status.
Others were dressed in plain garments, as if they had been servants or lower-ranking individuals. It was a stark contrast, and Noah couldn't help but wonder what had occurred here.
'Were they hosting some kind of gathering?' he thought, stepping over the body of a demon whose horns had been shattered. The memory fragment from the original owner of this body had shown him a glimpse of the massacre, but nothing more.
Whoever had orchestrated the attack had ensured that none of the guests or staff would survive, leaving behind only a grim mystery.
But speculation could wait. He had a mission to complete.
He continued his ascent, his breaths coming in steady rhythms as he counted the floors—ten, fifteen, twenty. The building seemed impossibly large, and the higher he climbed, the more questions he had.
"How far do you extend?"
"What kind of place is this? "
Before he could dwell on these questions, he heard a faint rustling that quickly grew louder. His pulse quickened. He knew that sound.
The rats had found him again.
A small group of them emerged from the darkness at the top of the stairs, their red eyes gleaming with that unnatural hunger. There were fewer of them this time, but Noah wasn't about to underestimate them again. He spotted a broken piece of wood lying nearby, shaped like a crude bat. He snatched it up, gripping the handle tightly as the first rat lunged at him.
With a sharp swing, Noah brought the makeshift weapon down on the rat's head, smashing it into the ground with a sickening crunch. Blood sprayed across the floor, but he didn't pause to savor the moment. More were coming. He swung again and again, each strike sending another rat flying, their bodies breaking apart on impact.
Ding!
[You have killed a Demonic Rat! +0.05 Satisfaction Points!]
[You have killed 3 Demonic Rats! +0.15 Satisfaction Points!]
The notifications popped up one after another as he dispatched the vermin, the accumulation of points slowly increasing with each kill. He wasn't gaining much—only fractions of a point per rat—but there was a certain satisfaction in knowing that he was eliminating the very creatures that had terrorized him not long ago.
Despite his efforts to avoid bloodshed, the combat was invigorating. He felt the adrenaline coursing through his veins, his senses sharpening as he moved with newfound precision.
The makeshift bat became an extension of his will, and as the last rat leaped at him, he swung with all his strength, shattering its body against the wall.
The corridor fell silent once more, save for the sound of Noah's breathing. He had managed to kill them all. As he glanced at the system's interface, he noticed that his total Satisfaction Points had risen to 3.5.
It wasn't much, considering he had killed seventy rats in total, but it was a start. The points were a reminder that he was progressing, even if the journey was only beginning.
He took a moment to catch his breath, leaning on the bloodied bat as he collected his thoughts. This building was proving to be far more dangerous than he had anticipated. If he wanted to escape, he would need to be more careful, more prepared. Although uncertain, he believed the rats weren't the only danger lurking here.