An unusual screech filled the air, sounding like something from the depths of hell—a mix of raw pain and fury.

"Alright, just one more! You can hold on!" Light encouraged, watching from the side as the mutant rat struggled to give birth to a Ratkin. Her bloodshot eyes and the pool of blood beneath her showed just how much pain she was in. Some of the smaller rats supporting her had been crushed under her powerful spasms.

Light felt a strange, indescribable feeling as he watched the mutant rat give birth to his child. He couldn’t quite explain it, but there was an odd connection there.

After a while, a small infant Ratkin finally lay on the ground, covered in a strange liquid. But it didn’t end there. As soon as the mutant rat finished giving birth, a series of cracks echoed, and her body began twitching uncontrollably.

Light quickly carried the infant Ratkin to safety, then stepped aside, watching in awe as the mutant rat began to evolve.

Initially, he was curious about why the mutant rat was evolving, so he checked the system for answers.

According to the system, as the first Ratkin—or Ancestor of the Ratkin—in this world, his blood carried unique powers. It held a force that could activate an evolutionary pathway for creatures of similar species or within the muroid family. However, to evolve, the creature needed certain conditions, including strong mental resilience to endure pain. Without this, the creature might either fail to evolve and die or, worse, become an abomination.

If the evolution succeeded, the creature would gain enhanced abilities, such as increased agility and speed, heightened senses, rapid regeneration, and strong resistance to plague, poison, and disease.

The screeching finally stopped, and what appeared before Light was a creature almost as tall as he was. She had a sleek white coat, piercing green eyes, sharp claws, and thorny spines running from her head to her tail, now more defined and deadly. She stood upright, almost human-like in her stance.

[A new race had evolved, thanks to the ancestor’s blood:

Half-Ratkin

Description: A race evolved from the blood of the Ratkin ancestor, gaining various enhanced abilities.]

Before Light could react, a voice came from the white Ratkin.

“H-Hello, Master Light...” The voice was mature and feminine but cracked, as if she were speaking for the first time.

"You can speak?" Light was shocked.

"Indeed, master Light. After I evolve into half-ratkin I become more smart-er?."

Light was still a bit surprised, but a surge of joy filled his heart. Finally, he could speak with someone of the same race—he wouldn’t be lonely anymore. Smiling softly, he asked, “What is your name?”

“Name? Let me think for a moment.” The Ratkin spoke in a daze as if searching through her memories. Before her evolution, her memories had been blurred, and difficult to understand. But now, things were clearer, and she could access more knowledge from her past.

'Name... Master Light called me Mutant Rat, didn’t he? That must mean… my name is Mutant Rat… Mutant Rat?' Tilting her head, she looked up at Light and said, “Mutant Rat?”

“Ha…” Light’s smile twitched as he responded, “Mutant Rat? Is that really your name?”

"I think... Master Light called me Mutant Rat, so that must be my name, right?" She nodded to herself, feeling satisfied. "Yes! I am Mutant Rat!"

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Light had indeed called her “Mutant Rat” a few times, as that was simply the name of her species. After all, he couldn’t name every rat he encountered, even the special ones. He sighed briefly, then explained, “Mutant Rat isn’t a name; it’s just your species. Alright, since you don’t have a name, I’ll give you one.”

He paused thoughtfully while the newly evolved mutant Ratkin looked at him with eager, sparkling eyes. The sight struck him as oddly endearing. Clearing his throat, he said, “Your name is Nyx!”

Nyx’s eyes widened, and she broke into a wide smile. “Nyx is Nyx? Nyx isn’t Mutant Rat anymore?”

“Exactly,” Light nodded.

“Nyx is happy! Thank you, Master Light!” she exclaimed, bouncing with excitement. Suddenly, she stopped and asked, “But Master Light, what does Nyx mean?”

“Ah…” Light opened his mouth to answer, but he hadn’t really thought it through. The name had just come to him. After a moment, he replied, “Nyx means darkness. I’m Light, and you’re the darkness. Nyx.”

'I just made that up, though…' he thought to himself.

“So, Nyx, let’s give it our all and work together for the Ratkin!” Light said, offering his hand with a gentle smile. He was beginning to feel a new sense of purpose in this world.

Instead of shaking his hand, Nyx wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

“For the Ratkin! For Nyx’s children! And for Master Light!” she declared warmly.

'What a good girl. She’s so innocent and naive… cute.' Light thought with amusement, and a resolve appeared in his eyes.

'She must be protected!'

“Master, I’m going to go now, so— I’m sorry!” Ignatius, who had just entered, froze in shock when he saw the two Ratkin hugging. Blushing, he quickly retreated outside, closing the door.

'What was that? Is that Master’s wife? Did I just walk in on a couple… but they were just hugging… still, what if...' The more he thought about it, the more nervous he became, imagining his master’s response: "Why were you spying on us while we were… creating our offspring? You must have a death wish."

“I-I should apologize more…” he muttered, still nervously waiting outside.

“What?” Light’s voice startled him from behind.

“Ahh!” Ignatius fell backward with a yelp, then quickly recovered, realizing it was his master. “I shouldn’t have done that, Master! I’m sorry, please let me live!”

“Enough. Let’s go,” Light sighed, not wanting to deal with Ignatius’s antics any longer.

“W-where are we going, Master?” Ignatius asked nervously.

“To the surface,” Light replied, glancing upwards.

“A-alright…” Ignatius nodded, leading Light toward a hidden exit. But before they could get far, Nyx appeared in the doorway, waving her small hand with a shy smile.

“Master Light, take care!” she called out.

Light waved back with a soft smile. For a moment, a vision of his mother flashed in his mind, and he felt a pang in his chest, his eyes widening slightly. Quickly, he shook his head, pushing the memory away.

...

Ignatius led Light through a hidden exit, a rough, man-made tunnel in the slums, likely dug by Ignatius himself using his Knight Class strength. As they climbed out, the bright sunlight stung Light’s eyes, forcing him to shield his face until he adjusted. Once his vision cleared, he surveyed the area.

As Ignatius mentioned, this place was an abandoned slum, its vacant streets filled with the lingering odors of dirt and decay. Yet there was an eerie silence, broken only by a faint rustling here and there.

"This place used to be home to the impoverished," Ignatius explained, noticing Light’s look of curiosity. "After the church built new housing, most people moved, though a few wander back from time to time."

Light nodded, saying nothing, when suddenly, a large black rat scrambled over to him, followed by a swarm of smaller rats. The large rat climbed onto his hand, and, perched in Light's palm, let out a squeak. Light petted it absently and murmured, "There are still a few people around… children, hiding.”

This rat was the leader of the sewer rats, sensing Light’s presence the moment he emerged. Light’s expression softened slightly.

“Alright, you’ve got your task. I’ll take a look around on my own,” Light said.

“But, Master… what about your protection?” Ignatius stammered, glancing around nervously.

Light handed him the black rat. “Keep this one with you. Hide him in your clothes if you have to, but don’t leave him behind. His name is Nathan; he can sense danger and command other rats. If anything strange happens, he’ll signal.”

Ignatius nodded, nervously tucking Nathan into his pocket as he walked away, not noticing the small swarm of rats that followed him from a distance—skittering along walls, darting between shadows, and watching over him as Light’s unseen eyes.

Light stood there for a moment, watching Ignatius disappear into the distance, his lips twitching into a faint, knowing smile.

"Alright, time to steal some food."

What he currently lacked the most were information and food. He hadn’t eaten since devouring those three cats, and his hunger was gnawing at him. The sewers provided no sustenance.

As for information, Ignatius had mentioned a public library located in the southwest part of the city. He planned to go there after stealing some food.