Monster Tribe

What kind of monster was attacking this group of Black Rats?

Even with Moss's current strength, there was no way she could face such a huge group of Black Rats head-on!

Unless she used her speed to scatter them, then spent several days taking them out in batches!

Moss hid in a corner, watching the group of Black Rats gradually approach her direction. She thought to herself:

At a glance, there are still nearly two or three hundred of them. With how crazed these Black Rats are, at least half of them will have to die or be injured before they flee, right?

A group of more than four hundred Black Rats had been driven out here. What could have driven away such a huge group of Black Rats?

Moss felt that even the two-meter-tall giant lizard she had encountered before probably couldn't face more than four hundred Black Rats alone!

The thing driving away this group of Black Rats was probably not merely a single monster!

In other words... a Monster Tribe?!

Moss was shocked by her own conjecture, and she was certain these monsters were absolutely not Slimes!

During her five months of research and observation, she had discovered that the Slimes in the sewers did not form groups!

Or rather, they did not consider other Slimes to be their own kind!

Whenever two Slimes encountered each other, there was only one possible outcome: they devoured each other!

After devouring each other, a new and stronger Slime would appear. That was how Slimes leveled up!

Moss had been quite surprised when she discovered this pattern. After all, in her impression, Slimes usually appeared in groups!

However, after observing them for some time, Moss quickly discovered the reason!

It was caused by their extremely weak souls and the nearly instinctive consciousness of Slimes!

Without intelligence, they could not develop the group consciousness possessed by intelligent creatures!

There might be high-level Slimes in this world capable of gathering other Slimes, but there were definitely none in the sewers!

Moss had once discovered traces of humans in a certain section, along with the corpse of a Slime that had not yet disappeared. It had been more than a meter in size.

Clearly, the people of this world knew about the characteristics of Slimes. They regularly came to the sewers to clear out Slimes that had grown too large!

Moreover, Slime Formation was related to the surrounding environment. An environment like the sewers absolutely could not give birth to a fire-breathing Slime!

I didn't expect there to be other monsters here. I thought there were only Slimes—and they're even monsters capable of controlling flames!

Moss marveled inwardly, feeling both delighted and faintly uneasy.

As everyone knew, methane inevitably accumulated in sewers!

During her five months of exploration and research, Moss had also discovered quite a few sections where methane had built up.

If that methane were ignited, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The sewers would definitely suffer serious damage, and perhaps even the city above would be affected.

Squeak, squeak, squeak—

The group of Black Rats in the distance continued approaching rapidly. Moss could already hear their cries rising and falling.

The cries of Black Rats were different from Moss's voice. They were sharp and grating, extremely unpleasant to hear.

She had no choice but to suppress her thoughts and focus on what lay before her.

I'll hide for now. This isn't the time to settle accounts with these creatures.

Feeling the Magic Power within her, Moss realized that she had already expended quite a lot. She decided to avoid their edge for the moment!

Breath Holding! Stealth!

As the two talents activated, Moss's entire body seemed to merge into the darkness.

Her breathing disappeared, and even her heartbeat weakened.

Climbing!

Moss's Magic Power coated her limbs. Her hands and feet seemed to have been smeared with glue, allowing her to cling tightly to the smooth sewer wall.

Before long, Moss climbed to the top of the sewer, where there was a recessed passage.

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish...

Squeak, squeak, squeak...

Rustle...

Moss stood silently in the passage at the top, watching the Black Rats hurry past as she thought to herself:

I wonder whether the people above know that a fire-attributed monster has appeared in these sewers. Will they send someone to clear it out...?

As the group of Black Rats moved away, the previously noisy sewer returned to silence.

But Moss did not continue moving. She was considering whether she should keep going!

The group of Black Rats was already a superpower in the sewers. Their strength was not something ordinary creatures could face head-on!

When she came back this time, Moss had never intended to run into this group of Black Rats.

She had only wanted to find a slightly warmer place in that sewer, somewhere she could spend the winter.

Besides, with her current strength, she would not be in any danger as long as the entire group of Black Rats did not mobilize. She could definitely escape or even counterkill them!

But now, the situation had changed. A force stronger than the group of Black Rats might have appeared in her old home's sewer.

Its strength was unknown, its numbers were unknown, and she did not even know what kind of monsters they were!

Moss stared at the dark passage ahead, her thoughts churning endlessly. Her body seemed frozen in place, utterly motionless.

But gradually, Moss began to smile. A faint laugh accompanied her murmured words.

"Hehehe... Interesting. I have to go take a look now, don't I? Will these new monsters bring me any surprises?"

She lowered her body from its upright position and continued toward her intended destination.

Speed Enhancement!

Moss once again turned into a streak of black shadow, but this time, she was not as fast as before!

To be safe, Moss abandoned the idea of reaching her destination within a single day!

To preserve enough stamina and Magic Power for escape, she spent a full five days this time!

"Achoo...! Ugh, wuuwuuu~~~"

Moss rose from Little Ball and let out a powerful sneeze, rubbing her trembling body.

"So cold! It's been getting colder and colder these past few days. My Cold Resistance has already reached Level III!"

Only five days had passed, yet the temperature had dropped so drastically. In particular, today's temperature had plunged off a cliff!

She had been woken by the cold that morning. Moss had never expected that!

Moss felt extremely fortunate. Luckily, she still had Little Ball and a scrap of cloth to use.

Otherwise, if she had slept directly on the ground, the freezing floor would have drained away a huge amount of her body heat. She might have gotten sick even if she did not die.

Although Little Ball was also cold to the touch as a Slime, it provided insulation and would not absorb the heat from Moss's body.

She rubbed her body, exhaled a breath of cold air, and slowly made her way to the still-flowing sewage river.

Gulp!

Moss took a shallow sip of water and felt as if she were swallowing an ice cube!

"Brrr—the weather is terrible!"

The temperature in the air should already have been close to zero degrees. She could even see some puddles beginning to frost over!

Moss endured the cold and drank a few more mouthfuls of water to replenish her fluids.

She summoned the food she had prepared earlier from her Pet Space, then ate while speaking to Little Ball beside her:

"Today is finally the day. After walking another one or two kilometers, I should reach the entrance to the sewer where I was born."

Plop!

Go home! The master's home?

Little Ball's cheerful voice rang out in Moss's mind, filled with curiosity that only half understood.

"Ah, that's right! My old home... I just don't know what it's like now."

Moss stuffed the remaining food into her mouth and spoke indistinctly.

After eating and drinking her fill, she continued on her way!

Moss recalled Little Ball, lowered her body, and shook off the droplets of water that had somehow gotten onto her.

Speed Enhancement! Stealth!

Whoosh!

In the darkness, an almost imperceptible black shadow flashed past.

Moss no longer slowed down and began running at full speed.

After only a few minutes, Moss had already reached the entrance to her destination...!

"We're here. This should be the place!"