Chapter 5: The Generous Spoils of War!

"Huff... puff..."

Leaning against the wall, Bevis struggled to stand steady, gasping for air. Even though the air in the sewer was foul and reeked of rot, it felt precious at this moment.

Just a moment ago, the high-pitched shriek of the [Rat King]—a creature that felt not like a monster from a nightmare, but the very embodiment of one—had been released in its dying throes. It felt as if he had been submerged in the depths of a frigid ocean. For one second longer, he felt he would have suffocated to death.

Fortunately... he had survived. But the stinging pain deep within his soul made it hard for him to keep his footing. As a rat catcher, he was experienced and well-traveled, and as a transcendent, he had seen his fair share of scenes. But this? This was something he had never encountered before. A [Rat King] that looked human—more beautiful, in fact, than the vast majority of young women.

Before, he had truly believed this place to be the private boudoir of some noblewoman. The illusion had deceived his eyes, and he had nearly paid for it with his life. Fortunately, at the critical moment, someone had given him a push.

Recalling the events that had just unfolded, even though the Rat King had been executed by the young nobleman, he still felt a lingering sense of terror.

"This is... the Rat King?"

His gaze swept over the human-like silhouette of the silver-furred [Rat King]. When he spoke again, Bevis noticed his voice was hoarse and trembling.

After staunching his wounds and dragging the Silver-Glow Female Rat King from the filthy trench to the side, Zorn sat on the ground to recover his strength. He looked at his hands; luckily, his iron bracers had blocked most of the damage. Even so, the backs of his hands were mottled with blood and covered in lacerations. The sharp, claw-like blades of the Silver-Glow Female Rat King had been even more formidable than he had imagined. Fortunately, a pugilist’s arms and legs possessed exceptional defensive capabilities and a high tolerance for pain, allowing Zorn to maintain sufficient combat strength even while injured. With the extraordinary recovery speed of a transcendent, he would be back to normal after a few days of rest.

"Yes." Zorn nodded, looking at the snow-white, furry corpse of the Silver-Glow Female Rat King. "This creature is the Rat King. If I’m not mistaken, there should be quite a few skeletons of vagrants and other unfortunate souls inside."

A man-eating, bone-spitting Rat King.

Bevis felt a tightening in his chest, an indescribable weight pressing down upon him. Within the sewers of Ogran City, there existed a monster even more terrifying than the rumors suggested. He had been here for a long time without ever discovering it. Looking at the dark, deep sewer surrounding him, his breathing grew heavy and stifled.

Crossing the trench, Zorn checked on Isaac, who was lying unconscious on the ground, and spoke softly. "He just fainted. His breathing is steady, and there are no strange sounds or weird murmurs; he should be fine. He’ll wake up in a bit."

Earlier, when Zorn had called for help, young Isaac had bravely raised his slingshot to fire at the Silver-Glow Female Rat King, holding his ground until the creature’s second shriek caused him to lose consciousness. Facing such a horrific monster, although his attacks had been ineffective, he had displayed enough courage and composure in the face of fear.

Staring quietly at the prone Isaac, Bevis’s eyes, steady even in the darkness, flashed with a strange light. "Perhaps... he is already prepared."

Zorn glanced at the Silver-Glow Female Rat King’s corpse, where a silvery radiance was beginning to diffuse, and then at the rhythmic pulsing of the azure fluorescent moss.

He withdrew his gaze and hurried into action. Passing through the magic gate he had opened earlier, he entered the nest of the Silver-Glow Female Rat King. The deep azure light illuminated the entire lair.

Circling to the other side of the stone bed, his pupils constricted. The ground was piled with sun-bleached bones—at least seven or eight human skulls. Many of the bones bore traces of licking. The man-eating Rat King had slept cradled by bones.

Had Zorn arrived even a little later, more vagrants would have been devoured by this cannibalistic Rat King. Once the rat plague broke out, the [Rat King] beneath Ogran City would have become exceptionally terrifying and powerful, perhaps even gaining "evil spirit" characteristics. By then, many residents would have been dragged into the underground and imprisoned, becoming food for the [Rat King] or sacrifices to demons and evil gods. Once it reached that point, it would be much harder to resolve.

Although Zorn and the rat catcher had joined forces to kill this [Rat King], Zorn knew very well that the "rat plague" would only be delayed, not ended. Soon—very soon—a new [Rat King] would be born. It would be an even more vicious, tyrannical, and bloodthirsty creature. It wouldn't be taken seriously until the terrible catastrophe erupted, sweeping through Ogran City and leaving behind irreparable scars.

If he were merely a [Player], Zorn wouldn't care about the outbreak of disaster. But now, he was a part of this place; Ogran City would be the incubator for his own growth and strength. He was determined to fight against these damned evil spirits and the sources of such horrific disasters, and to reclaim what was rightfully his.

The dining room, boudoir, and nest of the Silver-Glow Female Rat King were not large. A moment later, Zorn found what he needed under the bed. It was a "Monster Treasure Chest"—about the size of a lady’s handbag, covered in short, snow-white fur. In the world of *Sacred Relics: Eternal Epic*, there were many magical creatures. The "Monster Treasure Chest" before him was one of those that could integrate well into the lives of transcendents, nobles, merchants, and the middle class in the future.

Zorn had already considered the idea of a "Monster Treasure Chest Factory." Through professional breeding techniques, he could promote the production of chest monsters—seven or eight, or even a dozen at a time—cultivating ones with better temperaments, brighter colors, and larger internal capacities. This was definitely an investment with a high rate of return.

After opening the chest to inspect it and confirming that the items he needed were inside, Zorn closed it with satisfaction. There were about 3,200 Krug gold coins inside—coins from the "Krug Highland Empire," which had long been submerged in the depths of history in the "Mist Highlands of Saint Caan." They held a higher denomination than the imperial gold pounds of the [Republic of Otanston], which was now located in the northern border of the continent, adjacent to the mist and controlling the Gulf of Erhai. One Krug gold coin was worth approximately 1.6 gold pounds.

Over five thousand gold pounds, plus a forbidden item. This was the lucrative income Zorn had earned by leveraging his [Player] information advantage. Low risk, high profit. This was more profitable than robbing a bank.

When Zorn reappeared in the sewer carrying the monster chest, the veteran rat catcher saw what the young nobleman was carrying but pretended not to. At this moment, the rhythmic pulsing of the surrounding blue fluorescent moss began to grow dense and rapid.

Both of their gazes fell upon the corpse of the [Rat King]. The once-gleaming silver body was now shriveled and withered, its fur having lost its luster, becoming matted and coarse. Above the corpse, an object the size of a thumb, resembling a brilliant silver star, hovered in the air.

"This..." Bevis the rat catcher squinted as he examined it.

"This is a sacrificial offering that can be exchanged for transcendent power from the mysterious and unknown," Zorn said slowly. "Or rather... it is a core material. Though, it would still require a ritual, other materials, and a price we would have to pay."

A stepping stone into the transcendent world. A key to opening the door of the extraordinary. Bevis understood perfectly what the young nobleman meant, and he understood the immense value of this material derived from the mysterious Rat King. He looked at Isaac, who was still lying unconscious nearby, but he was too embarrassed to speak. After all, the young nobleman Zorn had been the primary force in taking down the Rat King.

Zorn used a piece of leather he had taken from the Rat King’s blue-fluorescent nest to wrap the material and stuffed it directly into the hands of Bevis.

"This..." Bevis felt a slight tremor in his heart; he opened his mouth, wanting to say something but unable to find the words.

"Just consider it a welcome gift for Isaac. Noble lords are always rich, aren't they?" Zorn said with a self-deprecating smile. He himself was on the verge of bankruptcy. This material was worth at least hundreds of gold pounds, but for the sake of future investments, Zorn was quite generous.

*Future [Legendary God-Hunter], I will be your guide.*

Just as Zorn was debating whether to take the Rat King's corpse back with him, a sound emerged.

"Aka... las..."

"Aka... las..."

It sounded like a whisper rising from the darkness in the depths of an endless purgatory. Accompanied by dreamlike, bizarre murmurs, Zorn felt the world around him become hazy, illusory, and unreal. The once-solid and straight underground passage seemed to sway slightly, and the path ahead twisted and turned. In the sewage of the sewer, shadows seemed to be moving, and strange, pale faces began to emerge from the filth.

"Coming so soon?" Zorn’s heart skipped a beat.

The two exchanged a look and, without a word, quickly joined forces to lift the unconscious Isaac and began to run wildly along the path they had come.