I moved west, towards the slums. The rain was falling in earnest now. It had transformed from a gentle drizzle into sheets of water, turning the world into a blur of muted colors. People started opening their umbrellas while some took shelter under eaves and ledges. The cold raindrops hardly mattered now. Being already soaked meant there was little point in seeking cover for me. As I had seen earlier, the drainage system of this city was pretty advanced. There was no flooding in the streets, with most of the water going down the storm drains at each street corner.

Something the city planners of Earth can learn from this world.

I walked slowly, observing my surroundings, looking for an open manhole to gain entrance to the sewers, to no success. The further I walked, the more the clean, multi-storeyed buildings of the city center gave way to crumbling houses and patched walls. I soon reached the slum area. The small mud houses looked even more depressing in the rain-clogged streets.

I take back my praise for the drainage system. What good is progress if not everyone can enjoy it?

The streets were mostly empty, save a couple of people wading through the dirty water with resigned expressions. The filth mixed in water somehow managed to smell even worse, making it nearly unbearable.

Ugh! If only there was a way for me to turn off this powerful nose of mine. Heightened senses were fantastic for survival, but absolute torture in places like this.

The water was reaching my ankles at some of the places, making it hard to walk. I decided that it was a good time to learn how to swim in my feline body. The sewers ahead would likely be partially flooded, and drowning in filthy water was not how I wanted to die.

Better to practice now than when I'm fighting for my life underground.

My first attempt was nothing short of embarrassing. I tried but failed miserably, looking like a fish flopping around helplessly rather than a graceful swimmer. It was hard to control my limbs as I tried to swim, splashing water everywhere.

I tried again, paddling with my front paws and instinctively kicking back my legs. But I wasn't moving forward at all, just barely staying afloat.

The problem, I realized after several more failed attempts, was that I was trying to swim like a human in a cat's body. My new body was too light and my muscles and bones didn't work the way they used to as a human. What had been second nature in my human body was now working against me. My body was agile on land but felt clumsy in water. The more I tried to rely on human techniques, the worse it got. My paws slipped through the water, offering little resistance. And every time I tried to paddle harder, my body sank deeper.

I got the murky water in my mouth and nose a couple of times, which left me coughing and sputtering.

Fuck! I need to let my feline instincts take hold of my body and not my human brain.

It was a strange sensation, deliberately loosening my conscious control and allowing this body's natural programming to take over. But as soon as I did, things began to improve. I extended my paws further into the water and brought them back in a scooping motion. Kicking back my legs in short, rapid busts instead of long, sweeping motions also helped. Slowly, I was able to stay afloat more easily. My tail, which was previously dead weight, helped me change directions and keep my balance. It was strange, feeling like I had another limb to control, but once I stopped fighting it, everything became easier.

With every stroke, I was getting better at swimming. My naturally streamlined body shape, which I had cursed moments ago, helped me move more easily. I was far from mastering swimming as a cat, but I had learned the basics. I kept swimming as I went deeper into the slums.

I had already come across a few alleys with manholes, but none of them were open. After searching for half an hour, with my patience wearing thin, I finally found an entrance. It wasn't at the same place where I had first exited, but it was similar. It was also in an alley which looked even worse than the earlier one. The alley was full of filth and I retched as I waded through the water to reach the manhole. My paws sank into something soft that I deliberately chose not to identify.

I hate this world.

There were no rats aboveground. Not thinking much, I lowered myself down the manhole. My paws found the ladder rung, and I started descending. Water fell on my head and face as I went down one step at a time. The underground was dirty. The sewer canal had overflowed, and the sidewalk was a mixture of filth, mud, and water.

I found my feet on the ground and quickly started moving opposite to the flow. It was dark as hell, but that didn't bother me in the least with my eyes seeing everything as if it was twilight. As I moved, I started marking X on the wall with my claws at regular intervals. The marks were deep enough that they would remain visible even if the water rose higher.

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Don't wanna lose my way back.

The surroundings got filthier as I moved deeper into the sewers. It looked as though the sewers were never cleaned this deep into the slums with years of accumulated grime coating every surface. The smell was overwhelming, even worse than it had been above ground. I could distinguish every horrible component of the stench. There was decay, waste, mold, and something else, something chemical that made my nose burn.

Even though they were overwhelmed by the rush and gurgle of the water, my ears were pricked to catch even the littlest of sounds. And it was as I reached a corner that I heard them–the incessant squeaks of rats.

I peeked out from behind the corner to find a long corridor stretching into the darkness. It was dry, which meant that it wasn't in use. And since it wasn't in use, it was a natural cleaner than all the sewers I had traveled through so far. Though "clean" was a relative term down here.

But the main attraction was the colony of rats. I assumed they were venomous because of their huge size.

Jackpot! A goldmine of XP!

But a plan was needed. These weren’t ordinary rats that would run away at the first sign of danger. Rushing in would have only meant the death of me. A quick death if I was lucky. A slow, painful one, if the venom was as nasty as I suspected. I need to separate them into smaller groups that I could handle.

I crouched patiently in the shadows, observing the rats. They seemed to have organized themselves into distinct groups, like an ant colony. Some were rummaging for food in the filthy sewer water, while others tended to the brood in small alcoves in the walls.

That explains why they are in a dry sewer. Don’t want the progeny to die. But why is this channel dry? It’s as if it’s blocked. Whatever. Who cares?

The rats’ level of organization was fascinating and terrifying. These weren't mindless animals. They had rather developed a society of sorts. Learning this made me waver a bit about the thought of killing them. But I knew that they wouldn’t hesitate killing me so I shut down that part of my mind.

My mind rushed through all the possibilities. I was thinking of luring them one by one when I heard the sound of water intensify. It was coming from deep within the sewers. I smiled, with a plan forming in my mind. I looked back at how far the last ladder was.

Not too far away. Doable.

With a sigh, I got out of my hiding place in full view of the rats. A couple of alert ones sensed my presence as soon as I made it known. I sauntered towards the colony. The ones who saw me started squeaking and hissing loudly letting others know about me.

Come on.

Soon the entire colony was staring at me, hissing and screeching and growling loudly as if they wanted to tear me apart.

Yes, that’s it! Come attack me fuckers.

I stopped a safe distance away, nevertheless, none of them made a move, too wary of me. Then a rat, who looked far bigger than me, as big as a small dog, emerged from an alcove.

Ah, fuck. Is he a Level 2?

The big rat stood in front of all the others, looking at me with suspicion. All the other rats went silent after seeing him. I hissed.

Come after me, fucker!

It was no use. I don’t know what held them back, but no rat moved. I could hear the sound of the water getting louder and louder. I had to make a move or it would be too late.

Fuck it!

I ran towards the big rat making the rats hiss again. Then the bigger rat growled and started running towards me as well. Seeing their leader attack, all the other rats attacked, too.

Gotcha!

I halted and turned, running back towards the main sewer. I rat at a slower pace so that the ones behind me think they could catch me. Seeing me turn tail, the Level 2 growled louder. All the other rats became wilder as well, probably happy seeing their arch-nemesis species fearing them. I smiled inwardly.

Rats will be rats.

Quickly turning the corner, I increased my speed. My focus was on the ladder a couple hundred feet away from me. The rats were still following me after turning the corner, completely oblivious to their surroundings. If only they’d paid attention they’d know that the main sewer was going to flood very soon.

Reaching the ladder, I jumped up with all my momentum, catching onto the lowest rung, and quickly pulled myself up. I climbed a few stops before focusing on my pursuers. The Lever 2 rat was close behind me and he had reached the ladder. He was growling at me from below; the ladder being a little too high for him to climb.

The other rats of the army were still a bit behind. And far behind them was the water. The main sewer was flooding, and the water level had increased by about a meter. Everything on the sidewalk was being swept aside. The water was roaring pretty loud now. And it was only now that the rats paid attention to it.

It was mayhem. They went from being courageous and angry to being filled with fear and panic. Some started running back to the tunnel we had come from, some started climbing the walls, while some dumb ones ran here and there, making things difficult for everyone else. To be honest, I was envious of their climbing skills. They quickly found grooves and rough patches in the walls and climbed a few meters within moments. The enormous rat below me also climbed the wall and was only a couple of steps below me now.

Fuck you bitch!

I climbed down a step and attacked him with [Claw Swipe]. He dodged. He fucking dodged while being on a wall. I just sat there for a couple of moments admiring his agility. He growled and climbed the step beneath me. We just sat there, hissing at each other. He tried to attack me with his jaw but then pulled back, seeing me attack. We were at a stalemate. No side was willing to overextend. A single successful attack could be the game over for the other side.

The flood had now reached the scurrying rats. The ones who were still on the walkway got swept in it, their screeches getting drowned in the water. Thinking I was off guard, the rat tried to attack me with its paw.

Are you stupid? You rat!

That was a mistake. Rat legs aren’t long and are not made for attack.

I guess frustration got to him.

I wasn’t about to give up a free hit. I attacked his paw with all my force. And it went flying. I was just as shocked as the rat. My claws had become pretty sharp due to the passive skill.

Seeing a stump where his right paw was, the rat cried in pain. I pushed on the advantage and an attack on his snout made him jump back.

And he went down. Down in the flood.