Encountering the Black Rats Again

A 270-degree flip in midair... back-first into the water!

Splash!

Moss plunged into the rushing river like a Filipino diver possessed, kicking up a huge spray!

Ah! The judges at the side all held up scores of zero! Zero! Zero!

Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!

Three little frogs resting by the riverbank croaked in displeasure.

Moss's sudden arrival seemed to have disturbed their leisurely rest.

One by one, they hopped aside, preparing to find somewhere else.

Meanwhile, Moss, in the water, began paddling with both hands and legs!

Talent: Breath Holding III + Swimming III + Diving III (Activated)

Moss resisted the force of the rapids and swam desperately toward the bank!

As expected, the current in the main channel is still fierce. Last time, I almost got swept away... And it's so cold!

As Moss struggled upstream through the water, she thought to herself:

But compared to before, I'm much stronger now!

The corner of her mouth curled up slightly as her body swayed rapidly through the water!

In the rushing river, Moss darted toward the shore like a nimble fish!

In the blink of an eye, she had dived all the way to the bank!

Splash!

Moss planted both hands, pushed off hard, and leaped straight from the water, flipping several times through the air as she descended toward the shore!

However, just as Moss was about to land, three black shadows suddenly struck from the darkness!

"Ha! You three again!"

As if she had known all along, Moss twisted her body and actually paused in midair for an instant!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The three black shadows shot beneath Moss, slicing through the air with sharp whistles!

Only then did Moss clearly see what the three attacking shadows really were!

Just as she had expected, they were three long, slender tongues covered in slime!

Thud!

Moss dropped down and stomped fiercely on the point where the three tongues met!

Claws!

The flexible pink tongues rapidly deformed under Moss's foot, nearly snapping apart!

Pain shot through them, and the three tongues instantly retracted!

"Last time, you nearly swallowed me, but you did pull me out of the water, so I didn't hold it against you..."

Moss straightened up, looking at the three huge toads that had hopped out from the corner, and said with a smile:

"I didn't expect you to still be this stubborn. I'm busy today, so don't push your luck!"

Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!

The three croaks rang out together. Moss indicated that she could not understand toad language!

And Moss realized that they probably could not understand her squeaks either.

Ribbit—

The toads seemed to have little patience. After a single croak, they lashed their tongues at Moss again.

But for Moss, who had already been on guard, these lightning-fast tongues were easy to evade.

With a single backward jump, she made all three tongues miss!

Moss steadied herself, spread her hands, shook her head, and said helplessly:

"Haaah~ We really can't communicate. Looks like you don't intend to let me pass."

Then a feral smile appeared on Moss's face, and she instantly crouched low.

"Then I won't hold back. I'll kill you!"

Speed Enhancement! Claws! Sprinting!

Whoosh!

Moss instantly turned into an afterimage and charged at the three toads!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

At that moment, the three retracted tongues had readied themselves again and shot toward Moss once more!

Moss sprinted at top speed, but she did not panic in the slightest when the three tongues closed in on her!

She dug all four limbs into the ground and launched herself into the air, flying toward the three tongues almost parallel to the ground!

Both claws struck at once!

Her sharp claws instantly slashed through the tongues coming from the left and right, severing them both!

But Moss did not stop. She brought her hands together with the motion and hammered down the tongue attacking head-on, instantly breaking through the encirclement of the three tongues!

In an instant, offense and defense switched places!

Moss surged forward at high speed, entering her own attack range!

Borrowing the momentum of her Sprinting, she drove a Claws strike straight into the chin of the toad in front of her!

This blow gave her opponent no chance to resist!

Mana Release!

Moss smiled faintly as the magic power contained in her hand exploded directly!

The surging magic power, carrying the sharp properties of Claws, instantly shredded the internal organs inside its body!

That toad's death was certain. Moss did not hesitate and immediately pulled her hand free!

Her right hand, still wreathed in undispersed magic power, swung clockwise toward the left!

Moss twisted the sharp magic power into a long whip!

Turning Horizontal Slash!

In an instant, the toad on the left, which had not yet reacted, was sliced in two by Moss's magic whip!

Moss still did not stop. Using the force of her rotation, she sprang hard toward the right!

Pfft!

A chop from her left hand easily pierced its soft lower jaw and went straight into its brain!

A smooth little combo, two seconds total, three enemies slain!

"Perfect..."

Moss slowly pulled her arm from the motionless toad and stood there laughing softly.

"Hehehe, you're just three little animals affected by Mana Essence! You're nowhere near as strong as magical beasts. Even Slimes are stronger than you!"

She casually shook the mixed fluids from her hand, then tore off and began eating two toad legs.

She was not hungry right now, but everything she had eaten before had already been digested. It would be a waste otherwise.

"Not much flavor, but really tasty! Much better than bugs."

Moss ate as she sighed. Most plants and animals in the sewers carried unpleasant odors.

The fishy stench of centipedes, the sour fishiness of lizards, the bitterness of spiders, the foul reek of scraps—even plants that grew by absorbing sewage had a stink to them!

Meat from amphibians, which was almost flavorless, was already a rare delicacy to Moss.

But unfortunately, there were far too few amphibians in the cave, and finding them was too troublesome.

Gulp!

After gnawing down two thighs, Moss rubbed her stomach and nodded.

"Mm, I can't eat too much. This is about enough."

She summoned Little Ball and sent the remaining toad legs and some of the toad meat back into the Pet Space. As for the rest, she could only leave it here.

The Pet Space had limited room, and it did not preserve food. If she stored too much and could not finish it, it would spoil.

Splash, splash...

Moss ran to the river and briefly washed her hands. Looking at the swiftly flowing river, she turned toward the upstream direction.

"If my estimate is right, I should arrive after passing five tributaries upstream."

Moss muttered softly, then continued on her way.

Speed Enhancement!

She turned into a black shadow once more and raced down the path back!

However, before she had even run a few kilometers, Moss had to stop again!

Because she had encountered creatures far beyond her expectations!

Black Rats!

A huge swarm of Black Rats!

And these Black Rats were not in good shape. Every one of them looked sickly!

Moss hurriedly stopped, staring uncertainly at the swarm of Black Rats in the distance.

"What's going on... Why are these guys here?!"

"They look injured too!"

Moss stood where she was, sweeping her gaze across the suddenly appearing Black Rats and observing their wounds from afar.

Suddenly, Moss's eyes widened, then her brow furrowed deeply.

"These are all burn marks... The creature capable of causing this kind of damage in a place like this can only be...!!"

Magical beasts!

And one that possessed powerful supernatural strength—the power of flames!

"Who is it?!"