Wrath of the Giant Rat!

Once the players got to work, the spiders in the dungeon and the ratfolk in the mines were the ones who suffered.

Having found reliable teammates, One Leaf Knows Autumn decisively chose Cave Spiders, the most profitable targets, for farming.

Though those Cave Spiders looked like trouble, seemingly around levels 10 or 20, he had already discovered that in this ultra-high-freedom world, level did not mean everything. So-called stat panels and health bars were only for reference! For example, while those Cave Spiders were formidable in combat, they were not particularly intelligent.

Furthermore, they possessed an extremely strong sense of territory. Even their own young would be eaten if they approached carelessly.

While that made them exceptionally dangerous, it also meant that as long as players did not venture too deeply, they would most likely only face one spider at a time.

And as long as they took down a Cave Spider, not only would they receive ten times the rewards of killing ratfolk, they could also wipe out all the spider eggs near its web! On top of that, One Leaf Knows Autumn had paid special attention to every quest in the quest log.

Clear Spider Nest was practically the only quest available right now that could provide unlimited Contribution Points!

At their current leveling speed, they would soon hit the level 3 cap. Earning Contribution Points was the top priority of the current version!

Aside from ambitious veteran players like One Leaf Knows Autumn, most players still chose the relatively more "adorable" ratfolk.

First, skeletons were not on the ratfolk's menu.

Faced with these Skeleton Soldiers whose intelligence was no less than that of humans, the ratfolk were not merely dumbfounded—they had no idea where to bite.

Second, these ratfolk not only had low health bars, but could also drop equipment.

The only trouble was that their morale would constantly collapse, sending them scurrying everywhere and disrupting the players' tail-cutting.

Unfortunately, the players' levels were still too low in the current version, and none of them had skills that could mow down enemies like grass.

And the undead came with Fright Aura, so dealing with opponents who had no will to resist at all was truly a headache...

Thunder City's Underground Street.

Though this place also belonged to Saint Siss Church's parish, it was one of the few places in Thunder City untouched by the Holy Light.

There were thieves who fenced stolen goods, wanted Pirates, blackhearted merchants who lent money at exorbitant interest, and smugglers conducting illegal deals... Some even joked extravagantly that even the Demon King of Hell would have to leave behind two kidneys before he could leave.

There were even more outrageous rumors that evil followers of Outer Gods hid in those gloomy alleyways...

In short, this was no good place.

In the tavern next to the Thieves' Guild, smoke curled above an oak table gleaming with grease.

Three men, none of whom looked like decent people in either dress or appearance, were playing Beat the Noble.

Naturally, they were not actually beating up nobles. It was merely a card game, supposedly with a history of a thousand years, and it had even once been popular at the royal court of the Ryan Kingdom.

Sometimes, Jack could not help wondering what kind of king had such heavy tastes.

Did getting beaten up feel good?

"Come to think of it, why haven't we seen that little chick Chris lately?"

He belonged to the Black Snake Gang and had some business dealings with several fellows from Silver Scimitar.

Chris in particular.

Though that woman was only a Black Iron-level thief, she was remarkably skilled at kidnapping and extortion.

He happened to have a job for her, but the middleman could no longer get in touch with her.

And it was not just her.

The entire Silver Scimitar seemed to have vanished from Thunder City without a trace.

With his keen nose, he could not help suspecting that those petty thieves had offended some major figure.

Like the Andes Family...

The scar-faced man grinned.

"Chris? That flat-chested brat whose chest is flatter than mine? Someone seemed to have seen her at the Sword and Broken Sword Pavilion yesterday."

The smoke-puffing man tossed down a black king and seized the turn from Jack.

"The tavern next to the Adventurers' Guild? What was she doing there?"

"Who knows? Fishing for a rich sucker, maybe?"

The smoke-puffing man paused his card play, thought for a moment, and said,

"I think she really caught one. I heard someone saw her leave with a noble-looking man near North Gate Station."

The scar-faced man burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha! Which young master has such heavy tastes?"

"North Gate Station, huh? Thanks for the information." Jack threw four fours onto the table and spoke with interest.

The smoke-puffing man said he could not beat that hand and removed the cigar from his mouth.

"What? Is that job impossible without her?"

"There aren't many nimble female thieves... Others could do it too, but I'm used to working with someone familiar."

At that, Jack paused for a moment.

"Besides, I'm a little curious what exactly she did."

The scar-faced man suddenly stopped smiling and gave him a meaningful look.

"...Thunder City hasn't been peaceful lately. You'd be better off keeping a lower profile."

But Jack did not care. He curled his lip indifferently.

"It's Commercial Street that isn't peaceful. What does that have to do with us on Underground Street?"

In the far northern outskirts of Thunder City, deep within North Peak Mine, a fat giant rat sat atop a heap of gleaming white bones.

His name was Gachi.

Until just a few days ago, he had only been a Slave Rat raised by the Demon King on the first floor of the dungeon. Yet now, he had become the leader of tens of thousands of Slave Rats.

Perhaps—

Before long, he would be able to possess his own clan, just like the ancestors of those great clans.

To achieve that great goal, he had to hurry and store up more fat.

At that moment, the food stolen from human farms was piled before him on his throne of bones.

There was not only pork, beef, and mutton, but also bread baked crisp on the outside and soft inside, along with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Gachi ate until his belly bulged, his waistline and height swelling visibly, like a water-filled balloon.

Yet remarkably, despite stuffing himself so wildly, he did not burst from all the food. Instead, his bloated body granted him even greater strength.

That was one of the ratfolk's traits.

Not only could they cram food far exceeding their own body weight into their stomachs, they could also turn it into part of themselves.

And beyond their racial talent, there was also their faith.

Endless eating was precisely the ritual that pleased Gerlo, the Gluttonous Rat, one of the Three Rat Gods!

At that moment, Gachi did not realize that by following his instincts, he had accidentally performed a divine selection ritual known as the Gluttony Ritual. Though his posture was clumsy and laughably ridiculous, he had indeed successfully pleased Gerlo, causing the latter to grant him a better appetite and strength far beyond that of an ordinary Slave Rat! Watching their leader feast heartily, the nearby Slave Rats' eyes reddened with greed. They wanted to rush forward and gorge themselves on meat, yet did not dare act out of line.

Earlier, a foolish little rat had reached for the food, only to be grabbed by their leader, bitten cleanly through the head, and eaten with a crunch.

Just as Gachi was enjoying himself, a ragged ratfolk suddenly ran in from the cave entrance, squeaking shrilly.

"Your Majesty! Lord Gachi! Something terrible has happened!"

Still chewing without pause, Gachi let out an extraordinarily long belch and replied lazily.

"What is it? If it's Adventurers, don't bother me..."

The rich scent drifted all the way from the heaps of bones to the cave entrance, making the rats drool onto the ground.

The ragged ratfolk pressed his head firmly to the ground and continued shrieking in a trembling voice.

"No! Not Adventurers! It's the Demon King!"

"The Demon King?!" The instant Gachi heard those words, his fat body trembled so hard that the chicken leg in his hand fell to the ground.

"The Demon King?!"

He screamed and tried to roll over and climb up, but he had grown so fat that he nearly caused an earthquake.

The Slave Rats attending him squeaked and fled in every direction. Seeing this, Gachi hurriedly reached out and grabbed them all back.

"Don't run! Get back here! Where do you think you can run to? Back to the dungeon to feed the spiders? Or do you expect human farms to take you in? Only I can give you a place to stay!"

With one roar, he intimidated those spineless traitors. Then he glared at the rat standing at the cave entrance and forced vicious words through his teeth.

"You're lying! The Demon King is dead! We saw it with our own eyes! Otherwise... how would those spiders dare occupy our nest!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several ratfolk carrying short spears and clubs stepped forward viciously, ready to seize the little rat.

The scrawny ratfolk trembled all over, his head pressed tightly against the ground, blood even scraping from the dark fur on his forehead.

"What I said is true! Great King! The previous Demon King really did die, we all saw it! But, but, but last night, a Demon King came back with a group of Adventurers! And... he's a necromancer!"

Gachi froze.

A Demon King came back with Adventurers? What kind of joke was that?!

As for a necromancer—

What could a few skeletons possibly do? Before he had eaten himself this fat, one rat could fight ten of them! "You're messing with me! Chop him up!"

Gachi roared. The Slave Rats, who had long been unable to hold themselves back, swarmed forward and chopped the shrieking little rat into minced meat, then began gnawing at him with wet smacks.

Watching the Slave Rats tear into their own kind, Gachi sank into thought atop the bone pile.

A new Demon King...

It might actually be true.

He had been prepared for it all along. Sooner or later, Hell would send a new leader to clean up the mess. He simply had not expected that airborne leader to land on his territory.

He had already escaped the dungeon. Did he have to flee even farther into the mountains? There was nowhere near enough food there, and he neither wanted nor could leave the human city-states! But—

His underlings could not be allowed to know any of this.

Looking at the ratfolk who were still not satisfied, Gachi raised his booming voice and shrieked.

"You! Once you've eaten your fill, get into the mine and find those human things!"

"This mountain is our territory!"

"If they dare come in, let them see what we're capable of!!!"

"Squeak—!"

The ratfolk waved their filthy swords, spears, and clubs, letting out shrill battle cries under their leader's encouragement.

Watching that vast sea of servants, Gachi's unsettled heart finally calmed somewhat.

Perhaps—

Things were not so bad after all.

This Demon King might be far weaker than he had imagined. Otherwise, he would not have lingered at the dungeon entrance all this time.

Even in the worst-case scenario, it was still ten thousand against a handful.

No matter how he calculated it, the advantage was on his side!

—

(Thanks to "Seaside Stone Statue Waiting for the Time Ship" and the other alliance leaders for the rewards!!!)