"Sir, here's today's report."
In the dimly lit Witchfinder office, a man with long black hair slouched in his chair, staring at the mountain of papers before him. Alessio took a long drag from his cigar, then flicked it into the trash with a sigh. He picked up a random report, barely scanning it before shooting a knowing glance at his assistant.
"Let me guess," a smirk tugged at his lips, "half of this could be handled by the enforcers, but you handed it to me just to make sure I'm not 'loafing around,' right?"
"Of course not, sir," the assistant replied, her expression blank as she carefully sidestepped his accusation.
"Hm." Alessio's eyes drifted to a report on the latest monster sighting. "Oh, look at this—a monster sighting." He muttered to himself, "How thrilling."
He skimmed to the bottom of the report, then sighed, tossing the paper back onto the pile. "Seriously? A minor creature like this could be dealt with easily by the enforcers. Let them earn their keep for once."
"Are you sure about that, sir?" the assistant asked blandly, adjusting her glasses as she stared directly into Alessio's eyes. "You haven't done any real work since you were assigned to this city. If you keep going like that…"
"Alright, alright…" Alessio cut her off, a resigned sigh escaping him. He stood up, grabbing his coat from the chair beside him. Glancing at his assistant, he smiled wryly. "Fine. I'm doing the work now, so you can stop sticking these reports to my desk."
"Honestly, I think I've perfected the art of doing absolutely nothing."
As he walked out, his coat fluttered, the word "Destroy" emblazoned boldly on the back.
...
“This is delicious,” Light murmured, taking a bite of steak, letting out a satisfied hum as the taste hit his tongue. His taste buds were practically singing in delight.
He continued devouring the food he'd stolen from the restaurant, his appetite seemingly endless. No matter how much he ate, he couldn't seem to get full, though he felt content. From the chatter he'd overheard, this was a famous restaurant, popular among the wealthy. The more upscale the restaurant, the more food they kept on hand—a fact he was now taking full advantage of.
After finishing his last bite, he started gathering all the food he could find—fruits, vegetables, and meats—to take with him.
"This should last a few months... although, I think I'm forgetting something. Oh, spices! I'll need those," he said, grabbing handfuls of salt, pepper, and other seasonings. He packed everything into crates, securing them with rope. Rats scurried over, tying the crates to his back.
Light took one last look at the now-empty pantry, a small smile crossing his face. "Thanks for the food."
He slipped out through the back door and into the alleyway, moving quickly on all fours. Sticking to the shadows, he ran silently, guided by rats that helped him avoid any passersby.
After a while, he reached the abandoned slum, dropping the crates onto the ground. But then he noticed a problem: the man-made hole he used as an entrance was too small for the crates. Thinking fast, he suddenly felt a strange sense of urgency, his instincts warning him of danger approaching from the southwest.
Something—or someone—was heading straight for him.
[Battle Instinct: Can sense danger from afar, including the hostility level of opponents. Enhances battle intelligence, improving tactical decision-making in combat]
"Have I been discovered?" Light murmured. He didn't dwell long on how he might have been found. Moving quickly, he cleared the area, stashing the crates of food in an abandoned house, which the rats would protect fiercely. He then hid the entrance to the man-made hole with planks and dirt before darting off toward the public library.
Sometime later, a creature appeared at the hiding spot, sniffing around before scurrying off. Shortly after, two figures arrived. Alessio glanced around and sighed, "Ha… the rat got away."
"Sir, the mutant was first spotted in the butcher's shop. Should we check it out?"
"Really? Can't we just leave it to the enforcers to investigate?"
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
The assistant looked at him expectantly. "Sir…"
"Fine," Alessio muttered, rolling his eyes as he gestured for them to move.
...
The public library, a three-story building located in the Riverhood district, was one of the area's most prominent landmarks. Originally, knowledge—whether crucial or trivial—was restricted to nobles and high-ranking citizens. But when the churches gained influence in the empire, they built this library to make information accessible to the general population, helping people avoid the dangers of ignorance.
As the saying goes, "Ignorance might be bliss, but being unaware of your surroundings is the greatest risk."
"Ha… I can't believe this world is even more dangerous than I thought. Even something as simple as making a fire could attract a spiritual entity!"
Light clicked his tongue, frustrated. He'd assumed this world was only moderately dangerous, with humans as his main concern. But he was quickly realizing that this place was far more treacherous than he'd imagined.
According to one of the books, starting a fire in complete darkness carried a 30% chance of drawing in dangerous entities. However, the book didn't elaborate on exactly how or why this occurred.
"Is that why the sewers are kept dark?" Light guessed as he skimmed through the book. Titled 101 Things to Look Out for in Darkness, it was one of the most recommended guides, so he picked it up out of curiosity.
The book detailed precautions to avoid attracting dangerous entities, triggering anomalies, and other hazards. For example, it warned against reading a book while drifting in the deep ocean, though it didn't clarify exactly why or how the danger worked.
Light turned to the next page but paused, glancing out the window. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows over the city. He quickly gathered the books most relevant to him: the one he was holding, a history book, and a few others.
"Unfortunately, the system doesn't have a storage feature; otherwise, carrying these would be a lot easier," he muttered. With five books in hand, he slipped out through the library's back door. The place was almost empty, and with no guards around, he could come and go undetected.
As he moved through the shadows between houses, a rat scurried up and chirped at him. Light picked it up, narrowing his eyes.
"Ignatius… is being chased?" he murmured, nodding as the messenger rat continued chirping. "Alright, let's go help him."
Light climbed up the wall and sprinted across the rooftops on all fours, moving faster this way than on two legs. Heading west, he kept his eyes sharp, scanning the streets below for any sign of Ignatius. The sun was sinking quickly, and he knew he needed to finish this before night fell.
"There he is," he muttered, spotting Ignatius up ahead.
Light watched as Ignatius was chased by four men. They had tattoos on their arms and wore tattered clothes, their expressions hungry and relentless. Ignatius was running for his life, tears streaming down his face, snot dribbling from his nose. As he passed by the house where Light stood, Light sprang into action, leaping down and landing on the back of one of the men with force.
"Ah, shit! Who the hell is that?" one of the men growled, yanking a knife from his pocket.
"Dammit, Jacob's dead!" A bald man with a scar across his mouth looked at Jacob, whose neck was twisted, blood pooling around him. Shock painted his face.
"What...?" Light was taken aback—he'd only meant to knock the man out, not kill him. But it seemed his Giant's Strength ability had done more damage than he intended.
[Giant's Strength: With every rank increase, physical strength becomes significantly higher than that of standard classes, enabling feats of extraordinary power.]
Shrugging it off, Light decided it didn't matter; he planned to take care of the others anyway. Without a second thought, he disappeared and reappeared behind a black-haired man clutching a knife. Light extended his claws and plunged them directly into the man's heart.
[Extendable Claw: Able to extend a razor-sharp claw from the hand, deadly in close combat, and capable of piercing most defenses.]
"No! Please, have mercy!" The bald man dropped to his knees, his eyes wide with terror as he watched his last companion collapse. Tears streamed down his face as he continued to beg.
Light crouched down to face him. "Why were you chasing him?"
"I—I don't know him! Some guy in a black robe told us to bring him an adult human. He said he'd pay 100 Echo each! Please, let me live! I swear I'll turn over a new leaf!"
'In the end, they're just thugs,' Light thought. 'And Ignatius might not be their only victim… Still, I have to get rid of him now that he's seen me. But…'
Light studied the bald man, who was a pathetic sight—he looked terrifying at first, but up close, he was as frightened as a child trapped in the dark. Light had considered killing him, but a better idea came to mind. To survive in this world, he'd need strength—and manpower. As a Ratkin, he couldn't always operate freely on the surface. He'd need eyes and ears aboveground.
After a moment of thought, he made his decision. Light cut a small wound on his wrist, and green blood trickled out. He grabbed the bald man by the jaw, forcing his mouth open, and made him swallow a drop.
[Plague Body: The body comprises toxic substances and diseases, granting full immunity to all forms of poison and infection. Physical contact with this body's blood can spread plague-like effects to enemies.]
The bald man's face contorted as snot began to pour from his nose. His body convulsed, his limbs jerking uncontrollably, eyes rolling back in agony. After a few moments, he stilled, panting, and looked up at Light in horror.
"This is poison," Light said coolly. "It'll corrode your insides, starting with your organs and moving to your brain, until you're lost to madness. If you want to live, come back to me every week for the antidote. And if you breathe a word about what happened here, the poison will finish you off instantly."
Light stood up, looking down at the terrified man. His blood was lethal to his enemies—a toxic blend of poison and disease that spread like a plague. Fortunately, he was immune to it. And the worst part for his enemies? There was no antidote at all.