So far, Nathan's hunt had been totally uneventful if you exclude the exchange with the rabbit. Most of the creatures in the forest seemed to be actively avoiding him, or at least that's how it looked from his perspective.

Or the bunny is still following me?

A shiver ran down Nathan's spine at the thought. Of course, he was hoping that the bunny would have gone its separate way after having eaten about four of the weird fruit, but he honestly couldn't tell.

What he could tell was the fact that he needed to heal. The bite on his wrist wasn't healing, and neither was the one on his leg. Which meant that there was no special regeneration stat that was hidden from him.

It did make for a good thought to bounce around his head though: would the system let him die from the wounds if it got infected?

Best not to find out.

Worst-case scenario, Nathan would find his way to the nearest dungeon and take a dig at it if he couldn't find any monsters out in the forest. He did doubt that it'd come to that though, as there were sure to be monsters that would like to try their luck with the lone human walking through the forest alone.

A couple of steps forward Nathan rotated his sword absentmindedly, letting the little action keep his sword at the ready in case he was attacked while trying to navigate the forest. His mind trying and failing to split itself between keeping track of his current surroundings and trying to daydream.

A skitter broke through the monotonous walk, causing Nathan to glance around the forest, his sword now stationary as he anticipated an attack. Whatever had skittered around him had been fast, very fast, but it definitely wasn't faster than what his enhanced perception could catch.

That's a tail.

A rat's tail to be specific. It wasn't covered in fur and actually had the looks of a rat's tail, which was enough for Nathan to come to that conclusion. With a smile on his face, he faced the last place he saw the rat hiding. The tip of its tail was poking out behind a tree.

Gotcha.

Nathan charged at the tree, sidestepping at the last second to strike at what was behind the tree. His sword pierced through what felt like flesh with ease. The beast behind the tree let out a dying shriek. Then and only then did Nathan go ahead to get a good look at the beast, his gut telling him he was only a handful of kills from the next level.

Yeah, that's a rat alright.

The... everything of the beast filled the requirements for being checked as a rat. The entirety of its frame seemed to be swollen up though, the rat was probably the size of a shopping cart right about now.

"Mutation," Nathan spat out the word with disgust.

He'd just finished uttering the word when a lot of chittering broke out in the previously moderately quiet forest.

Hells.

Nathan didn't even need to turn behind to know that there were rats behind him, rats probably the size of a shopping cart if this one was anything to go by. He did turn around though to a sight that left his jaw hanging open.

Shit.

Rats, a couple of rats had seemed to pour out of nowhere, their beady black eyes staring at him as they chittered incessantly. From what he could see, there'd probably be about seven rats out there. A semi-circle had been formed, seven facing him while a dead rat was behind him.

Before deciding on a fight or flight response, Nathan did the one thing that had been on his mind since killing the first rat, something that had immediately made him feel a little bad after killing the first in one strike. He analyzed the rats.

[ Bala Rat

Level 7 ]

[ Bala Rat

Level 9 ]

[ Bala Rat

Level 9 ]

[ Bala Rat

Level 7 ]

[ Bala Rat

Level 10 ]

[ Bala Rat

Level 12 ]

[ Chief Bala Rat

Level 15 ]

A grin spread across Nathan's face at the information provided by the system. This was exactly what he'd been looking for, an easy chance to level up. Well, the first rat he'd killed had probably been on par with the weakest of the bunch, but even the strongest rat he'd be able to handle if he could quickly take out the smaller fry and handle only that rat with his full attention.

A level-up right about now would be helpful. Nathan charged at the rats, the chittering getting higher in pitch as they rushed to meet his charge. He made sure to avoid the apparent leader at level fifteen, instead going for the others at the lower levels. They stood no chance.

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The level seven's couldn't even leave a scratch on him, his constitution too high for their claws or teeth to leave a dent in. Within two quick strikes, Nathan took them out of the equation, a little more hurriedly than he would have liked, as something was gnawing on his feet, already having torn through his sneakers.

Fucking rat.

It was a level nine rat that was trying to bite his legs off. The other rats joined in on the attack as one other rat went for his second leg. His already bloodied and worn-out sneakers, which had served him for over three months and had almost made it through five days of a literal apocalypse without falling apart, were now in tatters.

"Rarggggh!!"

With a roar of vengeance, Nathan swung at the nearest rat with unbridled fury. How dare they pick apart his sneakers! The sword went about a quarter way through the side of the rat's side before losing momentum, but Nathan wasn't going to be deterred by such an inconsequential detail. He pulled out his sword and thrust downwards at the exposed neck of the oversized rat, his sword going through the other side and killing the damned rat that was still trying to tear through his feet in its dying gurgle. The rat had managed to achieve minor levels of success on that front before it was no more.

Three down, four to go.

Four to go?

Nathan looked around to see the level ten and the remaining level nine rats trying to take him down, while the level twelve rat stared at him with its beady eyes. But that wasn't what worried him. Where was the chief rat? Where was the damned thing hiding?

"Oompff"

[Warning Health below 75%]

The breath had been knocked out of Nathan's lungs, falling face-flat on the ground with the rats that had been going at his feet managing to scuttle away before his fall. Nathan pushed off from the floor in record time. The chief actively participating in the battle while its underlings were still alive was something Nathan hadn't expected.

Shit.

He'd finally paid attention to the system notification informing him of his health lost after the clash with the chief rat. It'd taken a quarter of his health pool out with a single attack. He'd have to figure out something when it came to all the high-level monsters that just barrelled into him whenever they felt like it.

Right now, Nathan charged at the rat that had so far stayed away from the fight. He ignored the other rats as his sword flashed upwards, beginning its arc as he swung for the level twelve rat. He'd rather fight the chief rat with the level nine and ten rats as its support rather than the level twelve.

Predictably, Nathan's sword bounced off the fur of the level twelve rat, not even leaving much of a mark. But he was already on the move, delivering a punch straight at the skull of what was probably a rat with a smug expression on its face.

Crack!

[Life steal triggered]

Nathan's fist had caused the rat's face to ripple. The force behind the punch broke something in the rat's face, and he hoped that it was its skull. Before he could confirm, though, he was hit from the side, tossing him away from the level twelve rat.

Thud!

[Warning Health below 50%]

His body hit a tree with a sickening thud. His right side exploded with agony. Nathan grunted as he raised his head, staring at the chief rat that was beside the level twelve rat. Its snout sniffed around the rat that still hadn't stood up from Nathan's punch. A grim smile cut across his face. The level twelve rat wasn't dead, but it was certainly out of the fight.

Four down, three to go.

Gritting his teeth, Nathan grasped for his sword that had fallen from his hands, getting on his feet when he had the hilt in his right hand. A grimace on his face as the pain intensified as he took a step. Something was busted on his right side.

Come on!

He waved his sword at the two other rats in the pack. He needed them dead to get himself to the next level. Else the chief rat had good odds of killing him, blood rebellion or no blood rebellion.

His goading seemed to work as the pair charged at him. The chief rat, preoccupied with checking up on its second. Nathan was relieved at the charge. He couldn't do one of his own as it pretty much hurt like crazy to just breathe, so he stood and waited for the rats to get within range. His sword arced as soon as the first of the rats got close enough.

His blade caught the first rat through the neck, cleanly cleaving through the damned thing even as his injury flared up with the movement, making him grit his teeth to prevent himself from screaming. The pain muddled his abilities so much that Nathan couldn't reset his stance before the second rat barrelled into him.

Pain exploded in his right side as the rat made contact with the area. And even though its force wouldn't have been enough to throw Nathan off his feet, it still did as he had to avoid aggravating the injury. With desperation, Nathan launched a wild haymaker. His fist connected with the rat, going through its head like it was a balloon.

The rat's body dropped to his lap even as euphoria passed through Nathan. His ragged breath stabilized as the level-up healing took care of his injured side, his wrist, and his leg. He would have fallen on the ground and rested, but he had a chief rat that seemed it was done checking up on its second.

Status

Name: Nathan Orion

Moniker: N/A

Level: 13

Archetype: Blood Berserker

Class: Blood Pawn

Imprints: Balls of Steel, Skull Crusher, Demon Slayer, Bronze-Dungeoneer.

Strength: 17

Dexterity: 10

Vitality: 11

Constitution: 10

Perception: 10

Dao: N/A

Faction: N/A

Ra'hal coins: 7,940

Free points: 4

He'd struggled against the last two level fourteen monsters he'd come across. Both monsters had ripped into his flesh like it was nothing, with the wolf barrelling into him like a ram and tearing out massive amounts of his health with each hit, just like the level fifteen rat had been doing with ease.

Nathan had so far been fortunate to avoid being bitten by the chief rat so far. He had no doubts that it'd do far more damage with its teeth than the bunny had done with its canine. He needed to improve his constitution as fast as possible. Strength was nice, but what was the point of having overwhelming strength when each attack he took tossed him aside like a rag doll?

Constitution it is.

Three points to constitution,

One point to strength.

Constitution: 14

Strength: 18

##

Free points: 0

Nathan jumped to his feet as he faced the chief rat. The rat seemed pissed enough as it charged at him. With his sword poised at his side, Nathan stood as he braced for the charge.

Dumm!

The rat's forehead met Nathan's torso and bounced off him, rather than tossing him like the previous time it barrelled into him. Nathan barely moved, his feet sliding a little bit backward. The chief rat shook its head in confusion before trying to close the small distance between them, its jaws opening up as it went for a bite.

Nathan's sword flashed upwards, going for its exposed mouth as he sought to pierce through it, only to be slapped away by a paw. The rat put distance between them as it carefully considered him and the change in situation. Glancing behind Nathan, it let out a fearful chitter and bared its teeth in his direction before turning and running back into the forest.

"Yeah, better run, you coward."

Well, that was close.