"Do you have any idea who that person is?"

Light and Ignatius stared at the man-made hole as they placed food into it one piece at a time. Light also ordered the rats not to touch any of the food. Below the hole, Nyx was packing the food back into the crates taken from Scrapfang Depot.

"I have no idea, master. But since they were wearing a robe and looking for an adult human, it's probably some kind of cult member searching for a human sacrifice," Ignatius replied.

"A cult?" Light narrowed his eyes. He knew about cults from books he had read. They served chaos gods and made sacrifices—that’s what cults always did.

"Yes. The empire labels them as pests, but they never really try to get rid of them," Ignatius added, noticing Light's confusion. He glanced at the now-empty crates and sighed in relief.

Light didn't say anything else. A cult, or whatever it was, wasn't his concern at the moment. He cleaned up the hole, hid the crates, and covered the man-made opening before heading inside.

He suddenly paused as a thought struck him. Raising his head, he looked into the darkness below the house and saw a pair of glowing green eyes staring back at him.

[Mutant Rat]

[Gender: Female]

[Race: Evolved Rat]

[Rank: Knight Class]

[Energy: 101]

"A mutant rat?" Light muttered with a frown, staring at the creature. He frowned because his King’s Aura ability wasn't working. He whispered to himself, "Is it because of the difference in strength?"

He checked the system, confirming his suspicion. The disparity in strength was indeed the issue; his King’s Aura only worked on those one rank above him, not higher. Light glanced regretfully at the mutant rat before turning away.

A Knight Class mutant rat would have been a powerful ally, but there was nothing he could do for now. He decided to wait until he ranked up.

Unknown to him, as he disappeared from sight, the mutant rat entered the man-made hole. It sniffed around before vanishing into the darkness.

...

"Did Nyx do well? Nyx carried all the boxes by herself!" Nyx said cheerfully as Light bit into an apple.

Light nodded and patted her head. "You did well, Nyx."

"Nyx, are you ready?" he asked, watching her expression turn serious.

"Yes, master, Nyx is ready to go!" she nodded vigorously.

Light made a cut on his wrist and paused. He realize could control its effect if he wanted to. He could make his blood harmless or deadly, but it would always carry poison and disease. He had been puzzled at first when Nyx drank his blood and survived.

He then figured it must be related to her nature; perhaps the mutant rat was resistant to his blood. Unfortunately, he couldn't see the full status of creatures, including their skills and abilities.

Nyx opened her mouth, letting the blood drip in. Moments later, she began to twitch and gripped Light’s hand, her voice low and strained, "Nyx doesn’t feel good."

[You have granted the Half-Ratkin Nyx your gene.]

[Time until Ratkin birth: 24:23:10]

"It’s okay, Nyx," Light said, supporting her and placing her gently on the bed with a reassuring smile.

"Uhm, Nyx will be okay—for the master and the ratkin!" Despite the pain, Nyx mustered her strength and spoke with determination in her eyes.

Light smiled softly, patting her head once more. He then glanced at the baby ratkin lying next to her. The tiny creature was small, its eyes closed as it rested.

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He could hardly wait for the new ratkin to reach adulthood. According to the system, a baby ratkin would grow into an adult in just one week. At that stage, they would be able to walk and talk.

His bloodline truly was powerful.

...

Time passed as quickly as a flying banana, and without realizing it, Light had been living in this world for a year.

The swarm had grown steadily, and today, Light sat in his office recording the resources they had "gathered" that day. After a while, he stretched his arms and glanced out the window. The sewers looked the same as always, except now they were lively instead of lonely and quiet.

Ratkin moved about, fortifying the area and chatting with each other like ordinary people.

A smile formed on Light's face as he checked his status. It had been a while since he last did so.

[Name: Light (Male)]

[Race: Ratkin]

[Title: The First Ratkin, Ancestor of the Ratkin]

[Rank: Soldier Class]

[Job: None]

[Skills & Abilities: Enhanced Night Vision, Extendable Claw, King's Aura, Plague Body, Giant's Strength, Battle Instinct]

[Energy: 121]

[Buildings: 1]

[Ratkins: 49]

Forty-nine Ratkin in a year might seem few, but it was an impressive achievement, especially considering Nyx had birthed them all. If he had more mutant rats, the population might have reached a hundred by now, but this was still good progress.

All the Ratkin were adults now, and with the resources they'd gathered, Light could finally build a barracks. Currently, the Ratkin were lacking in combat ability; only Ignatius and Light were capable of fighting.

Light stepped out of his office, and the noise of the bustling ground floor greeted him immediately.

"Hey! How much did you grab this time?"

"I got a whole sack! Almost got eaten by a human's pet—a giant fire-breathing lizard!"

"A lizard? That sounds like a dragon."

'Could they be talking about that dragon statue meant to ward off weaker creatures?' Light thought as he listened in. He always found their conversations amusing.

"Found this shiny rock in one of their lairs. Think it’s magic?"

"That’s just a button."

"A button? Does it summon lightning?"

"Nope. Humans use them to keep their clothes from falling off."

"Pfft! That’s ridiculous. Who needs those? We’re better off without them!"

Light glanced at the so-called shiny rock, realizing with a sigh that it was just a clothing fastener. The Ratkin’s ignorance of the outside world was understandable; they’d never had formal education and had always lived in the sewers. Stealing books had been his first step toward teaching them, but the results weren’t what he’d expected.

"How are you, Father?"

A large Ratkin, bigger than the others, approached Light with a plate in hand and set it on the table.

"We just saw each other a minute ago," Light said, taking an apple from the plate.

[Kratch]

[Gender: Male]

[Race: Ratkin]

[Rank: Soldier Class]

[Energy: 51]

"They say when you greet your parent, it means you need something," Kratch said with a shrug and a hint of a hum in his voice.

Kratch was Light’s third-born. Unlike his siblings, Kratch was blunt, wise, and spoke in a straightforward manner. Light valued his intelligence, though he never openly showed favoritism.

"So, what do you want?" Light asked.

"I want to go with you to the surface. I need more books; I’ve read all the ones we have."

"No," Light shook his head. "We’re not stealing anything today. The Witchfinders are already wary of the sudden disappearances of many things. We need to wait a few months for things to calm down."

Stealing always had consequences. The Enforcers and Witchfinders had begun investigating the incidents on the surface, but fortunately, the Ratkin’s natural stealth meant they hadn't been discovered yet.

"Today is the new year, which means the church and the empire are preparing to cleanse the sewers again." Light paused, meeting his son’s eyes. "What do you think we should do?"

"How about we cause some trouble?" Kratch suggested.

"Go on," Light said, intrigued.

"We should stage a major event that diverts their attention from the sewers. While they're focused on that, we can prepare an escape route just in case. I’ve heard there’s a Royal Academy nearby, full of noble children. Kidnapping some of them would force the empire and church to respond immediately. To make it more effective, we could destroy the academy gates. Meanwhile, we should tighten patrols here and stay hidden, letting them waste their time searching shadows."

"And if things go sideways?" Light probed.

"Then we’ll have our escape route ready. It’s always smart to have a backup plan," Kratch said with a confident grin.

Kratch's plan was solid, and Light approved of it, but it wasn't a permanent solution to their endless problems. No matter what they did, as long as they lived under the Empire’s and the Church’s watchful eyes, trouble would always find them. This was why Light's current plan was to leave the city.

However, leaving the city was proving to be more difficult than he had imagined. Over the past year, he had gathered information: the outside world was rife with dangers. Terrifying entities and creatures roamed freely, especially at night. Monsters, cults, and other races were rampant beyond the city's walls.

The city itself was heavily guarded, fortified by both magic and advanced technology. Light had even seen a colossal construct at the gates—a giant robot known as the Adamantium Golem. It was an imposing sight, towering over everything.

The only viable way out was through the underground.

“Why didn’t I think of that?” Light muttered, a sudden realization dawning on him. Rats were known for creating intricate tunnels underground, and as Ratkin, they shared many of those natural traits. Why couldn’t they simply dig their way out?