[You killed a Common Rat +5 Exp.]

Yeah, the experience points suck for now, yet these guys are great for practice. The Death Rats taught me that I'm not prepared for C-rank tasks. Those critters go wild, and it isn't the first time CineMraft lured me into a false sense of security.

It's the same deal as with the bandits. Sniping them from a distance is easy, but I was a sitting duck once they got near. It's only thanks to DragonSlayer's spell that they didn't kill me immediately. My fencing skills need a lot of work.

They are horrible. It's not because of my left hand, Tank even said it's an advantage. Well, whether you can fool the mobs by it or it only works on players he didn't tell. The harsh truth is that my character was always spoiled.

[You killed a Common Rat +5 Exp.]

There is no embellishing for this. Every basic mob had their moment when they almost killed me after I thought they couldn't hurt me anymore. Of course, the first incident with the zombies is understandable.

Being brand new to the title, equipped with the wrong weapons and no armor does that to people. It was a rough awakening, but well within expectations. After the tutorial, the shield and the mail made my life so much easier.

This is the problem though, it became too easy. This isn't a balanced system. The fact that it took me hours to land a single hit on Tank should have been a red flag. That he broke my shield within a minute should have been another.

[You killed a Common Rat +5 Exp.]

Thinking that a piece of wood or even the armor he gifted would solve all my issues was naive. If that's the only thing a player can depend on, have someone take it away, or give them a counter, and you're done. And it happened over and over.

Zombies and skeletons are large, easy to hit, and slow. Hold up the shield, keep backing away from them, and they no longer pose a threat. Not until the archers almost bled me to death, shooting through my defenses.

Then the zombies overwhelmed me with sheer numbers near that dungeon and broke my shield. Blocking their attacks with my sword alone is too much for me. There's only so much this character with its limited stamina can do.

So while the rats are squishy, and you need no more than a glancing hit, I got too comfortable with them too. They couldn't bite through the two Res of my armor, and sat around, waiting for me to kill them. Missing a few times didn't matter.

[You killed a Common Rat +5 Exp.]

The first issue came with the plague rats, that spread their disease on me. They gave that much more Exp for a reason, although countering it was simple. An antidote to prevent sickness and they became a glorified pincushion again.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

So what did the devs do? Give them only one more point of damage, and have them move around. The difference was so huge and unexpected. They became both deadly and impossible to hit, and not only that, but they doubled their numbers too.

Me, - the stupid and lazy player, - got used to how simple it is to cut them down, and that they pose no threat. Thank God I didn't run straight inside to pull all their aggression, and only had to fend off the first dozen.

They ran circles around me and attacked my weak spots. When it comes to enemies that could wound me, there is no way to fight more than two at once. It might be less in my case because of my terrible fencing skills, so it must improve.

[You killed a Common Rat +5 Exp.]

With the zombies, block two strikes, cut one, and my ten HP borrowed me enough time to hold out until the numbers favor me. Well, assuming there were no more than six, like on the spawn points. But twelve rats that are closer to their real-world counterpart?

They chipped away my health and avoided my strikes. Most of my attacks missed by a huge margin, regardless of which hand or weapon I used. No, the shield worked better than expected, yet using it for punches left me open and vulnerable.

So in short, the order of the day is that my stabs and cuts must improve. And what better way is there to practice them than to try and cut off their tails on the first go? Earlier I attempted stepping on them or using my hand to hold them down, but it was too slow for the Death Rats.

[You killed a Common Rat +5 Exp.]

It was also too slow for the Plague Rats since the antidote ran out before finishing them off. And here is why the common ones are the best. Tails are tails, and these don't spread disease. This means there's no need to hurry because of the timers, or worrying about food poisoning.

They can't harm me no matter what, and I have about three hours to practice on them. The income from cutting their tails off is only an added benefit. The aim is to cut them off without using any help or let them bite me in the process.

[You killed a Common Rat +5 Exp.]

"And that was the last one." The inventory has thirty-six extra drops now, which means the first round is a success. It takes longer than I hoped, but for the first time in three days, there is no rush. The mission is over, so leaving one alive might have been a good idea.

Well, whatever. Let's check out the other one.

Life is good when you have a plan. It doesn't have to be fancy or give you guarantees, only one you can see the end of. Stumbling upon the escalation thread on Wroddit gave me a clear goal, thanks to the Pharmacy guys.

Instead of running around like a madman, this might be the fewest risks I can take in this game. And it's even profitable, thanks to the ratting errands running out. Let's hope no other player comes along to steal them. That would make a three-hour plan into a three-hour waste.

And this is another reason why the lower-rank missions are better. As the Wrodditors put it, people who want the quick money will pick the highest possible class. CrimsonMage's party started with an F-rank job and waited six more hours to reach the highest tier.

Selena might have sniffed them out, but let's hope she won't give my quests to others too. That way, the fed's mission will end within six hours, and I'll become a rat-tail-billionaire. This is why plans are so great, it's the first time I see the end goal within reach and a set time frame.

Arriving at the next scene, the same villager offers the same E-rank task. All right, another thirty-six rat tails then.