Level 4.

I looked at my status with slight disbelief. Just a few hours ago we had stepped through that gateway, and now I could feel every muscle in my body trembling from exhaustion after running countless kilometers as living bait. Next to me, Darius glanced at his own status, which showed level 5and he looked as though the whole expedition were nothing more than a leisurely stroll in the park—accompanied by that irritating smirk that never left his face. The number of rats we had managed to kill in this cursed gateway far exceeded my wildest expectations. Killing those monsters had proven to be a much faster way to level up than relying on our own skills.

Although, if being living bait can be called “killing” monsters, then I suppose I’ll have to redefine what the word really means.

I looked at my stats:

Name: Ashira

Level: 4

Talent: Legendary – Eye of Chaos

Experience: 170/1200

Stats:

Strength: 9

Agility: 17

Stamina: 24

Intelligence: 42

Chaos Energy: 1000

HP: 290/290

Mana: 190/215

Unassigned Stat Points: 0

I had wanted to invest all my points in Intelligence to have as much mana as possible, but I quickly realized that I also needed more Stamina to increase my HP and Agility to keep up with and dodge the attacks of those damned monsters. In the end, I allocated my points: 5 to Stamina, 2 to Intelligence, and 3 to Agility. Darius focused on Agility, Strength, and Stamina, which made him almost an indestructible killing machine in close combat.

I glanced at my mana bar and, with relief, noticed that nearly all of it had already regenerated.

"You know," said Darius, wiping the blade of his dagger against his pant leg, "after so many hours of fighting, taking down these rats has become boring."

I snorted under my breath, stretching slightly. "If boring means running for miles with an army of mutants on your tail, then I have no idea what could possibly be exciting for you."

Darius chuckled softly. "Well, at least you're not complaining about a lack of exercise."

I was about to reply to his comment when, before I could say anything, I felt a sudden, forceful tug from behind. I lost my balance and crashed to the ground, landing painfully on my back. I heard a loud metallic clang as metal struck something hard. Looking up, I saw Darius—with his muscles tensed—using his shield to block the enormous, curved claws of a gigantic rat. The creature had matte, grayish-brown fur, marked with scars and bulges, and its red eyes glowed in the darkness.

The force of the attack was so immense that Darius's feet slid slightly along the ground, yet he managed to hold his position. A furious cry tore from his throat as he pushed the monster away with all his might, forcing it to retreat deeper into the corridor.

I quickly got back on my feet and, without wasting any time, concentrated my mana to launch a sphere of energy directly at the gigantic rat. However, to my surprise, the creature dodged to the side with a grace I hadn’t expected from such a massive beast. Its body arched into an unnatural curve, and its claws scraped against the stone floor as it resumed its original stance. Then its wild roar echoed throughout the corridor, penetrating me to the very bone. At that very moment, I felt a strange surge of energy in the air. I watched in alarm as dozens of smaller rats began pouring out of the tunnel, their movements much faster than usual. They were more aggressive—as if the roar of their leader had emboldened them.

Before I could respond, I saw Darius vanish from my sight, racing at breakneck speed toward the gigantic rat. His shield disappeared, and in its place a dagger materialized in his hand, gleaming in the dim corridor light. With fluid grace, he dodged the smaller rats without slowing for even a moment, ready to confront the larger foe.

I glanced at the approaching wave of mutants and sighed heavily. There was no time to think. I focused my mana into my hands, feeling the familiar warmth of energy pulse just beneath my skin. I extended my arms and fired a series of energy orbs at the oncoming rats. Their high-pitched shrieks filled the corridor as the first of them began to fall.

But for every fallen shadow, three more took its place, and their numbers seemed endless. Still, I couldn’t afford a moment of doubt. I began to slowly retreat down the corridor, continuously launching more energy orbs to maintain my distance. I had to keep the upper hand and avoid being surrounded before the monsters could close in from every side.

Suddenly, I came up with another idea. Instead of wasting mana on individual orbs, I decided to harness chaos energy. I activated my skills: Basic Energy Analysis, Basic Energy Manipulation, and my talent, Eye of Chaos. I quickly began scanning the surroundings for suitable stones—ones that could be easily overloaded with energy and explode on contact.

After a moment, I found several stones that were perfect for my plan.

Object Name: Pyroxynite Stone

Energy Type: Neutral with a Hint of Fire

Status: Unstable

Properties:

  Hardness: Medium

  Magical Conductivity: High

  Potential Applications: Energy Conductor, Explosive Material When Overloaded

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Their natural magical conductivity made it easy for me to overload them with chaos energy, which guaranteed a spectacular explosion. I scanned the area for a more spacious tunnel that could accommodate both me and the entire horde of rats. I needed to find a place where they would all converge in one spot – then I could throw several charged stones simultaneously, creating one massive explosion.

After a quick run through the winding corridors, I finally spotted a larger, open space that was perfect for my plan. I grasped the stones in my hands and focused on my hair, attempting to channel the amassed chaos energy into my palms. I felt that familiar tingling as the energy began to flow through my body. Directing it into the stones, I used my energy manipulation to inject chaos into their cores.

With my teeth clenched and my breath quickening, I hurled the stones with all my might toward the approaching horde of monsters. They streaked through the air with a hissing sound, leaving behind subtle trails of chaos energy that shimmered with a violet glow in the dark corridor.

Barely seconds after the first stone struck the ground, an explosion shattered the silence of the underground. A deafening boom reverberated off the stone walls, and the burst of light briefly illuminated the entire chamber, casting bizarre shadows on the mangled bodies of the rats. The shockwave followed immediately after the flash, sweeping everything in its path.

The explosion was far more powerful than I had expected. The overwhelming noise filled the corridor, and the shockwave rolled through the space with destructive force. The rats were torn to shreds – and they weren’t the only ones to suffer. The stone walls trembled, and the ceiling above me began to collapse.

Before I could react, the shockwave hurled me backward with enormous force. I flew several meters back, tumbling helplessly in the air before landing hard on my back. Pain shot through my body as the impact against the cold, stone floor squeezed the breath from my lungs. I lay there for a moment, trying to catch my breath, while dust and fragments of stone slowly settled around me.

Seeing the ceiling beginning to cave in, I forced my body into action. I focused on the chaos energy in my hair and redirected it inward, channeling it into my muscles to fortify my body. The tingling that surged through my arms and legs bolstered my strength. Without a moment’s hesitation, I pushed myself up and sprinted forward, determined to escape the tunnel as quickly as possible.

Stone fragments began falling with a terrifying crash, shattering on the floor right behind me. Every step felt agonizingly slow, every breath unbearably heavy. The ceiling split with resounding cracks as dust and rubble filled the air, reducing visibility nearly to zero. My heart pounded wildly as I dashed beneath collapsing blocks of stone, feeling the dust settle on my skin.

At the very last second, as another set of massive slabs began to fall, I lunged forward and rolled to the side just before an entire section of the corridor crashed down behind me with a deafening roar. I lay on the cold stone for a moment, gasping heavily.

"You idiot... absolute idiot," I muttered to myself, struggling for breath. "Who throws dynamite into a tunnel and expects the ceiling not to collapse?"

Gathering my strength, I slowly got to my feet and glanced back at the ruined corridor. "Great, I almost turned into mush," I grumbled, brushing dust off my clothes. I sighed deeply and straightened up. "Time to go back and see how Darius is handling that giant rat."

* * *

I returned to the spot where Darius was still battling the giant rat. As soon as I appeared at the edge of the arena, I could see that the fight was in full swing. Darius and the creature were clearly exhausted, yet neither showed any sign of giving up.

I also noticed a dozen or so corpses of ordinary rats scattered across the floor. I sighed inwardly, realizing that not all the monsters had chased me into the tunnel.

Darius nimbly dodged the rat’s attacks, executing lightning-fast evasions and counterattacks. Although the creature’s body was riddled with wounds, none were deep enough to hinder its movements seriously. The beast continued moving with astonishing speed and strength, as if it were oblivious to the pain.

I observed the battle carefully, analyzing the situation. It became clear that I was too slow to keep up with the rat’s rapid movements. If I attempted to join the fight, I would only be a burden to Darius. So I decided to remain on the sidelines, avoiding unnecessary danger.

But then I suddenly remembered a conversation with Darius—the one where I managed to destabilize his energy during our first encounter. That thought lit up my mind. If I could destabilize the energy in Darius’s body, perhaps I could try the same with the giant rat.

I activated the Eye of Chaos along with my Energy Analysis ability. My gaze pierced through the air, focusing on the rat. I saw energy coursing through its body, searching for weak points I could exploit. I concentrated on the wounds it already had, knowing they would be the perfect target for my attack.

I reached for the energy gathered in my hair, slowly channeling it into my hands. I focused on compressing a large amount of chaos energy into a small, precise stream that took the form of a thin, violet needle. Despite its diminutive size, the needle pulsed with enormous, chaotic potential.

I waited for the right moment, watching Darius as he deftly dodged the rat’s attacks. I knew I had to be sure that my strike would hit its mark. Finally, during one of his offensives, Darius managed to push the creature several meters back. As the rat was airborne, I knew it wouldn’t have any chance to evade my attack. Without a moment’s hesitation, I raised my hand and, with all my strength, fired the needle straight at the monster.

The needle embedded itself in one of the creature’s wounds, penetrating directly into its interior. In a fraction of a second, the monster roared in pain as its body began to tremble. Spasms wracked its muscles, and dark violet energy started to seep from the wound, spreading across its body like lightning, destabilizing its movements and forcing it to retreat.

Seeing what was happening to both the monster and me, Darius quickly connected the dots. His expression changed dramatically. Without any hesitation, he sheathed his dagger, rushed over to me, and summoned a gigantic shield to cover us both.

A second later, the monster exploded into tiny fragments. The blast was deafening, and the shockwave shook the entire corridor. Chunks of flesh and bone slammed against the shield, scattering in every direction. The air was filled with the biting scent of blood as dust and debris settled like a dense fog.

[SYSTEM]

Congratulations! You have defeated the Elite Mutant Rat!