Battle Black Rat Again

At the end of the main road, the ground suddenly rose like a cliff, reaching over twenty meters high when she looked up.

There was a circular opening in the cliff face, four or five meters across, with a blackened, rusted ladder nailed to one side.

Moss knew the height difference was meant to prevent floodwater from flowing backward. Above it was her former home!

Rumble!!!

The roaring water exploded in Moss's ears. Bursting droplets splashed over her body, and a faint warmth rushed toward her.

She stood beside the waterway and looked up at the stream overhead, mixed with filth!

"Just as I thought, this is the place. I didn't take a wrong turn!"

Moss smiled and felt the temperature around her.

She did not know whether it was because of her earlier run or because of the waterfall that still carried some warmth.

It was not cold at all here. This place and the area a kilometer away felt like two different worlds.

Even the number of animals moving around had increased considerably. Despite the roar of the water, she could still hear rustling from the corners.

Moss glanced at the several pairs of blood-red eyes flashing in the darkness, and the corner of her mouth curled up.

"I didn't expect some stragglers to stay behind instead of leaving."

As she spoke, she watched the shadows gathering around her from every direction!

Black Rats!

Moss showed no panic as she watched the Black Rats gradually surround her.

"So that's it. Were all of you abandoned because your injuries were too severe? How heartless of your leader..."

The Black Rats before her were clearly more seriously wounded than the ones she had encountered five days ago.

Some of them had nearly half their bodies rotted away. Moss could not even understand how they had survived.

Squeak... squeak squeak!!

As though they had spotted some peerless delicacy, the Black Rats stared fixedly at Moss, shrieking nonstop as they drew closer!

This time, Moss finally heard what the Black Rats were saying.

"Food!"

"This kind... tasty!"

"So hungry!"

The piercing shrieks rang out continuously, but Moss merely smiled, swept her gaze around lightly, and said:

"What? Do you want to attack me?"

Invisible mana bloomed from Moss's body, crashing into the surrounding Black Rats like the roar of a savage beast baring its fangs and claws!

Talent: Mana Enhancement + Mana Release (Activated)

Pressure Impact!!!

Bang!

The approaching Black Rats all recoiled at once. Their noisy cries vanished as though someone had pressed pause.

Rumble—

The roar of water once more filled every corner of the space. It was clearly deafening, yet the surroundings were silent as death!

"Then be careful not to break your own teeth...!!!"

There seemed to be a red gleam in Moss's eyes, and her slightly hoarse voice was thick with killing intent!

Squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak—!!!

Perhaps Moss's intimidation had stirred their ferocity, or perhaps it was the survival instinct of creatures grievously wounded!

In an instant, the stunned Black Rat pack erupted into chaos, screeching as they charged at Moss!

Whoosh!

At that moment, Moss moved as well!

She brought her hands together, and invisible mana instantly spread outward!

Talent: Mana Release + Exploration + Mana Perception (Activated)

Wide Area Exploration!!!

Mana swept through the area, and countless streams of information instantly flooded Moss's mind!

Moss closed her eyes, deliberately shutting out the interference from her vision to make the information in her mind clearer.

In just one second, the first Black Rat to attack had already rushed to Moss's side!

Squeak—!!!

Its half-rotted face was filled with savage killing intent as it shrieked and bit toward Moss!

Yet with her eyes closed, Moss only smiled faintly in the face of the incoming attack.

With a light sidestep, the attacking Black Rat instantly shot past Moss!

A tiny difference could lead to vastly different results!

The Black Rat's sharp teeth did not even touch Moss. Less than 0.1 millimeters separated them, yet it could not reach her no matter what!

Moss sneered, slightly raised a hand, and casually thrust it toward the Black Rat beside her!

Claws!

Pfft! Whoosh—!

Still in midair, the Black Rat felt a chill run through its body, followed by a sudden lightness!

Bang!

The airborne Black Rat fell straight to the ground. From its neck to its abdomen, its body had been opened like a garment. It was dead beyond doubt!

Plop!

Only then did the organs spilling through the air fall to the ground!

After extending that claw, Moss no longer paid any attention to the Black Rat behind her. She knew it was as good as dead!

What she needed to face now were the dozens of Black Rats that had already charged in!

"Hmph..."

Moss curled her lips in a cold snort, lowered her body, and mana instantly surged wildly over both claws!

Talent: Mana Enhancement + Speed Enhancement + Strength Enhancement + Claws + Mana Release (Activated)

Blade Hail!!!

Whoosh!

With a sweep of Moss's claws, countless crescent-shaped slivers of mana burst outward in an instant!

Pfft pfft pfft pfft pfft pfft—

Blood-red flowers bloomed in the air. Warm blood splashed over Moss's body and streamed down afterward.

The surroundings fell silent once again!

Dozens of Black Rats lay soundlessly across the open ground around Moss, and the bloody stench made her slightly nauseous.

In a single instant, Moss's strike had killed nearly half the Black Rat pack!

"Haaah..."

Moss let out a deep breath. More than half the mana in her body had already been consumed!

She straightened up, looked at the remaining Black Rats that had not been caught in her previous attack, and slowly said:

"Get lost. Hide in the corners, and I'll spare your lives..."

The moment Moss finished speaking, the Black Rats that had still been hesitating shrank back at once, turned around, and fled!

Rustle rustle rustle...

Moss quietly watched the Black Rats retreat, and her tense body gradually relaxed.

She looked at the dead Black Rats around her, then at the blood covering her body, before silently walking toward the waterway.

Splash...

Standing in the not-too-rapid river, Moss felt the temperature of the water and began her first bath in several days.

"Whew..."

Only after washing the blood from her body did Moss let out a long breath.

"It still won't do. I still have too little mana!"

She stretched out a hand and clenched it, her expression somewhat gloomy.

The Black Rat pack had lost nearly half its strength after being injured, yet even so, she could not eliminate them all in one go.

In the end, she was still too weak.

But then Moss revealed a faint smile.

"Still, the talent techniques I developed over the past few days worked very successfully..."

Using multiple talents together really could produce an effect greater than one plus one!

Some talents could even develop entirely new ways of being used due to the way they influenced one another!

For Moss, that was undoubtedly good news.

She simply had too many talents. Who else in the world possessed a full thirty talents at her age?

"Hehehe... I should have even more talents in the future, right? I wonder what new techniques they'll form then?"

"But for now, my biggest problem is still my lack of mana. I need to train Mana Enhancement!"

After freshening up, Moss returned to the shore.

"The annoying pests are finally gone. Now I should go see what this so-called new monster actually is!"

In the pitch-black, dim sewer, a figure emitting a faint fiery-red glow lay beside the waterway, enjoying the steam rising from the water!

"What is that? A Salamander?!"

Moss was currently hiding in a corner, staring at the monster in the distance as she exclaimed softly!