If I remembered correctly, the Snow Giant back then had a health bar of 【9000】, while the massive red-named rat in front of me had a health bar of 【/】! Back then, the ones besieging the Snow Giant were a group of Orderers above level 6, and even Lucille, who was level 8, was present. But the Ignia in front of me was only level 4. There was simply no way to fight...
"Let's go." I pulled Ignia, who was still frozen in place, and started running. This movement caught the giant rat's attention, and its screech seemed to be aimed in our direction. Anyway, that thing would have noticed us sooner or later. The magic trap had already been broken, and with Ignia's current abilities, she couldn't come up with any effective countermeasures.
Behind us, bursts of piercing screeches erupted—sounds that were no longer what a rat should make, but more like rage and roars! 【Rage~】 I had encountered this attribute before, back when it appeared on the Snow Giant. Probably the explosion of those smaller rats had triggered its anger...
Once Rage appeared, the battle would turn into a deathmatch. And on our side, we didn't have a sturdy level 6 Orderer warrior like Captain Kree.
"W-what is that thing?" Ignia had never seen a magical beast like this before. Although magical beasts generally resembled their animal counterparts, she had never seen a rat this huge.
"Don't look back!" I pulled her along as we kept running. But the rats were clearly faster than us. I could already hear the squeaking of the smaller rats behind us, almost right at our heels...
"What... what do we do?" Ignia didn't dare look back, feeling that if she did, the rats might catch up.
"Wait for the Rage effect to wear off!" "Huh?" She didn't understand what I meant at all. What Rage effect?
But there was no time for a clear explanation. The two of us ran from the edge of the sewer entrance toward the flower-and-bird market area, where I could already see shops with people in the distance.
"There are people over there!" "It's fine. Maybe it'll scare the rats off," I said.
Last time I saw the Rage state, I hadn't paid attention to how many minutes it took to fade. If the Rage wore off, the rats might feel intimidated when they saw the crowd.
As I ran, I glanced back. The massive red health bar and name were just a few meters behind us—so close I could even see the giant rat's leaf-like whiskers and the drool dripping from its teeth... Too close. It was about to pounce on us.
"This way!" I pulled Ignia into a nearby shop, weaving through the panicked crowd. The street immediately fell into chaos...
Our sudden change in direction caught the giant rat off guard, and it couldn't stop in time. But the smaller rats charged in after us. I might never forget this scene for the rest of my life—a dark, swarming mass of rats piling over the threshold and flooding in. My instinct was to use magic.
But Ignia was faster! A flash of red lit up among the rat swarm, like a piece of iron heated red-hot. The scorching heat kept the rats at bay... At the same time, she raised her staff and ignited a flame. A stream of blazing fire appeared at the tip of the staff. She thrust it toward the rats, and they retreated a step.
"What is that?!" A voice came from behind us.
I had no idea what kind of shop this was—we just ran into the nearest one. Looking around now, it seemed more like a livestock feed store.
"Who are you people?! And what about those rats outside..." The man cowering in the corner asked again, his voice tense. His eyes were fixed on the rat swarm at the door, which kept surging forward and then pulling back...
People who worked in the ranch area weren't unfamiliar with rats, but he had never seen so many gathered together, let alone an even bigger one standing at the entrance.
"They're rats from the sewers." "Sewers???" I gave a brief answer, not caring if he understood. My eyes were locked on the giant rat outside—it had come back!
Because of its size and the ring of magical flames Ignia had set at the door, they couldn't get in, but they kept howling at the entrance. The rats' screeching even drowned out the panicked noise of the crowd on the street.
【/】 health... Still that high, unchanged. But the 【Rage~】 status had shifted slightly. It was starting to fade, like a skill's duration was about to end.
I had guessed right. No matter what form of status or effect, it couldn't last forever... It had entered Rage because it saw its offspring blown up. Seeing me and Ignia, the "culprits," made it even angrier, but its temper would gradually cool. With so many people on the street, it might suppress its emotions a bit.
Just as I thought the giant rat might calm down, it rammed the door with its body. The 【Rage~】 effect above its head, which was about to disappear, was now joined by an 【Anger!】 emotion.
This... I looked at the giant rat standing upright, with only a door separating it from Ignia, who was maintaining her flame magic. Oh, I see.
Seeing the situation, I realized I had considered the skill's duration but overlooked the emotions and the current circumstances. The "murderer" of its offspring was right in front of it. Even if the skill faded, so what? The fury in its heart wouldn't diminish! Even an old dog still has a few teeth!
Under the giant rat's roar, I heard scurrying sounds on the roof.
"They're up there! They climbed up!" the shopkeeper behind us shouted. He didn't fully understand the cause, but the danger was imminent...
The roof! I looked up. This was a mud-brick house with a wooden roof. If the rat swarm jumped down from above, we'd have no escape. Running here had led us into a dead end.
"There's a basement! I have a basement! Let's hide in there!" the shopkeeper suddenly said.
"Does your basement have an exit? Otherwise, we'll just be trapped inside." From one dead end to another!
"It's completely sealed. It should hold them off... Once they leave, we can come out."
The noise on the roof grew louder. For now, this was the best option. I just hoped the basement was as sturdy as he claimed. Otherwise, going in might mean never coming out... And we couldn't stay in that kind of environment for too long.
I glanced back at the giant rat at the door one more time. In that single look, I suddenly noticed a new status and display above its head that I had never seen before. 【In conversation...】
"What are you standing there for? Let's go!" Ignia urged anxiously.