I lifted the Nightsky blade, watching the sewer's weak light slide off its surface like water. The steel was so black it made the shadows around us look gray. Ancient runes flickered to life along its length, casting strange patterns on the stone wall.
A heavy silence settled around us. The group watched in quiet anticipation; their breath held in suspense. Even the drip of water, usually constant in the background, seemed to halt for the moment, as though the entire sewer waited alongside them.
I pressed the blade to my wrist. A sharp pain followed by warmth. Blood welled up and flowed along the blade’s edge, moving upward against gravity, tracing its way toward the core of the sword as though drawn by some unseen force.
Skill learnt : Blood Weapons Blood Weapon: Self-inflict bleeding status, perfect for giving your weapon a grimdark feel
I sipped a mana potion and gathered what remaining mana I had left. A dark aura swirled around my body, condensing into a silhouette of a giant knight.
Skill learnt: Dark Aura Dark Aura: Create an intimidating aura of darkness. Great for dramatic effect
And then I began a chant. My voice was low but powerful, the words flowing through me as though they had been etched into my soul:
> Flesh of my flesh and blood of my blood
>
> I have conquered a thousand worlds
>
> And will conquer one more
>
> You who seek adventure
>
> You whose wanderlust knows no bound
>
> I will provide the ecstasy you seek
>
> So heed my call
>
> Warriors of Darkness
>
> Assemble
I poured all my aura into those final words, amplifying them with an echo that reverberated around the chamber. A moment passed. Nothing happened. My companions exchanged confused glances, doubt creeping in.
"So... what exactly should we be seeing?"
"Wait for it"
"I don't think—"
Then, with a rush of shadows, they appeared. One by one, a group of warriors teleported into the dank air of the sewer chambers. Hundreds of them graced our presence, their form shimmering into existence.
"Rangers emerged first, wearing cloaks of absolute black that reflected not even a hint of light. My eyes tried to track them but they blended perfectly with the shadows, their positions betrayed only by the whisper of arrows cutting through the murky air.
Knights followed, their armor immaculate as if they'd just stepped out of a royal armory. They moved together in a robotic unison, creating a symphony of clanking metal that echoed in the room. The platoon of knights marched around the room, searching for rats to slaughter.
Next, clerics manifested themselves in intermittent jet black fire. Their garments were predominantly black, purple and red. Dark emblems of assorted religions hung around their neck, illuminating them with a dark halo that acted as a sort of outer shield. They chanted together in perfect synchronicity that filled the room like a Gregorian choir.
Finally, the mages arrived in swirling vortexes of raw power. Fire, ice, and lightning danced around their fingertips, while shadows coiled at their feet. The air itself seemed to crackle with barely contained energy as they joined the hunt.
Rangers, knights, clerics and mages. A myriad of classes assembled for a singular purpose. The extermination of rats. It was a massacre, executed with the cold precision of a well-oiled machine. Squeaks filled the air, but not for long, as the rats fell quiet, one after the other, felled by the barrage of attacks. The warriors moved in perfect coordination, systematically going after each rat, leaving no stone unturned. At the rate they were going, the sewers would soon be a graveyard of rodents.
Lysa’s eyes widened as she raised her hand, pointing at the chaotic battle unfolding before us. “By the shadows,” her voice quavered with surprise. “I never knew you were a summoner”
I sighed inwardly. I’m a knight. Not a rat-catcher, not a summoner. Why is that so difficult to grasp?
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“This is ridiculous” Tirion eyes scanned the chamber, taking in the slaughtered rats and the mysterious warriors fighting them. “I have never seen a summoner control this many minions before. And they're all humanoids as well."
I’m a knight. I’m a knight. I’M A KNIGHT.
He turned to me, a newfound respect evident in his gaze. "I must admit, I was beginning to doubt for a moment there. But this..." He gestured broadly at the rat-strewn floor. "This is beyond my imaginations."
“How is this even possible.” Lysa composure was cracking. “ I’ve never seen anyone summon more than a handful of familiars.” She pushed her hair back, mind visibly racing. “The mana required for a summoning of this magnitude. This defies all known thaumaturgical principles! Even the legendary summoners in ancient text never managed something like this.”
“Noctus really is amazing isn’t he” Estella interjected, cutting off Lysa’s rant. Her eyes shining in admiration. She framed the scene with her fingers, studying the carnage like a choreographed dance. “Such an overwhelming display of force. This is … it’s perfect.”
I stood silent, letting their words wash over me. Honestly, it felt good to be admired and I savoured the moment. A warm fuzzy feeling spread through my chest. The awe in Estella's eyes, the newfound respect from Tirion, even Lysa's shocked admiration. It all combined to create a heady feeling of accomplishment.
But it wasn’t divine magic that brought forth this army. No. I worked with a different kind of sorcery, one of silicon and electricity, where lines of code replaced arcane runes. This miracle had its origins in technology.
Multi-accounting.
Such a simple term for such a complex operation. Each of these warriors, these supposed manifestations of my summoning power, was in reality a separate account I had painstakingly created and programmed. They were bots devoid of true purpose. Marionettes for me to puppet.
The whole summoning ritual was nothing more than an elaborate theatre. I could have recited Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers and it would have the same effect.
It was a beautiful idea that came while observing the rats. Their greatest strength was their numbers. Fine. Two could play that game. And so, I bought almost a thousand copies of the game and registered every single one. It wasn’t easy due to the VR nature of the game requiring a real human but I was able to purchase biometric data off the dark web to masquerade my bots as humans.
The accounts themselves were all level-one trash. But then again, you don’t really need much more to deal with rats. Basic attacks will kill them just as dead as a legendary spell.
Getting them to my current location was tricky, but my golden locket held the solution. “Thank you, Ada.” I gave a silent prayer.
Golden Locket of Eternity: Allows a loved one to teleport to your current location
By registering all the accounts as a family member, they qualified as a loved one and could be teleported. It felt wrong using Ada's gift this way, but I couldn't see another option.
After that, all that was left was getting a navigation and combat script to control the bots. Not exactly beginner stuff - you need pathfinding algorithms smart enough to handle 3D terrain without getting stuck on every pebble, combat AI that won't friendly-fire your allies into oblivion, and most importantly, anti-detection routines to avoid getting flagged by the game's behavioral analysis.
Thankfully, there's a marketplace for everything if you know where to dig. Deep in the bowels of certain forums, behind layers of private chats and reputation checks, you'll find the real professionals. Not the script kiddies selling public hacks that get detected within a week, but the veterans who treat this as a business.
I found what I needed from a coder who went by "ShadowScript". The guy had a reputation for clean code that could dodge anti-cheat like a ghost. His asking price made my eyes water, but his battle-tested framework had everything: distributed control systems to prevent server load spikes, randomized movement patterns to avoid automated detection, even emergency protocols if things went south. I could do it myself of course, but I was in a rush...
All in all, it was an expensive endeavor. Each copy of the game cost fifty dollars, plus the virtual machines and proxies needed to prevent the accounts from getting flagged. But the satisfaction of clearing these annoying critters? Worth every penny.
As the last rat fell, silence descended upon the sewer. Moments ago, there had been chaos – the clash of weapons, the sizzle of spells, the desperate squeaks of dying rats – now there was only the soft drip of water and the amazed gasps of my companions.
I surveyed the scene with satisfaction. The sewer floor was littered with rat carcasses, some charred by magic, others cleanly dispatched by blade or arrow. The stench of death mingled with the already foul air, creating a miasma that made my eyes water.
Quest Complete: Rats slain: 1,000,000/1,000,000 You have earned the achievement: Slayer of Rats Slayer of Rats: Deal 50% more damage to rat type monsters
I had mixed feelings about this new ability. On one hand, a fifty percent damage amplification was massive. In a world where every advantage could mean the difference between life and death, it was a boon I couldn't ignore. On the other hand, the idea of even seeing another rat made me nauseous. Some achievements came with memories I'd rather forget.
The black flames that had blocked the exit began to flutter and fade, dissipating like smoke in a strong breeze. As they vanished, our escape route revealed itself – a dark tunnel leading away from the cavernous arena. My army of alternate accounts stood motionless by the side, forming an honor guard that ushered us out.
Then they began to disappear one by one, like candles being snuffed out by an invisible hand. Not according to my commands. Not according to my scripts. Panic gripped me. What was going on? This wasn't part of the plan I mentally reached out, trying to check the server farm where they were located. No ping response. No heartbeat. Nothing but a flood of notifications:
Your account has been suspended due to violation of terms of service
My head started spinning as the world around me began to blur and distort. The sewer walls seemed to breathe, expanding and contracting like the flanks of some great beast. I stumbled; my legs suddenly weak beneath me. Through the haze, I heard the muffled sounds of my companions shouting out to me
"Noctus!"