Sato stood there for a moment, breathing hard, then looked at the status window again.
He knew what he needed most right now.
If he didn't heal faster, he would die here.
He focused and allocated the points without hesitation.
**+4 Vitality**
The change came instantly—a warm rush spreading through his body, like fresh blood flowing stronger, deeper. The cuts on his arms and legs began closing faster. The poison's burn dulled. His breathing steadied. He felt a little more solid, a little less broken.
Then a new notification appeared.
**[Congratulations! Regeneration (Passive Skill) has reached Level 2.]**
**Regeneration speed increased by +10%.**
Sato let out a shaky, exhausted laugh.
"Hahaha… damn you all," he muttered, swaying on his feet. "I'm going home."
His voice was hoarse, raw, but there was a spark in it—stubborn, defiant.
Then he felt it.
A pressure.
Heavy. Crushing. Crawling up his spine like ice water.
Fear—real, primal fear—gripped his chest.
He turned slowly toward the deeper end of the tunnel.
From the darkness, something emerged.
A rat.
But this one was massive—at least five times larger than the others. Its fur was matted black and gray, scarred and patchy. Its red eyes burned like twin coals. Its teeth were the length of short swords, claws gouging the stone floor with every step. The tunnel itself seemed to tremble as it moved.
Above its head, the system text hovered in cold blue letters:
[Hard-Skinned Rat King – Level 28]
Sato stared.
Then he laughed again—a broken, almost manic sound.
"Hahaha… damn it. Did their mom come too?"
He raised the Asam Sword, hands shaking but steady.
"Damn you all to hell," he whispered.
The Rat King let out a low, guttural growl that echoed through the tunnel.
Sato didn't hesitate for even a second. He understood instantly—he had to act now, or he would die.
The Rat King was massive, its bulk wedged slightly in the narrower part of the tunnel, making its movements slow and cumbersome.
Sato seized the advantage.
He darted to the right, slipping past the beast's side in a blur of motion. He swung the Asam Sword hard toward its throat.
The blade struck.
But the hide was impossibly thick—thicker than the smaller rats. The sword rang like metal hitting stone. No blood. No cut. Just a dull clang.
"Damn it… its skin is even tougher than the others," Sato muttered to himself, frustration burning in his chest.
Then the air shifted.
Three invisible claw-like slashes ripped through the darkness.
Sato dodged left—barely. The strikes gouged deep furrows into the wall behind him.
He tried again, closing the distance, aiming for the neck once more.
Same result. The sword bounced off.
He attacked two more times—fast, desperate.
Nothing.
"This thing… I have to kill it somehow," he growled, voice tight with anger and fear.
Then he remembered.
The skill he'd used on the smaller rats.
Single Slash.
He focused. Mana pulsed through him.
He charged again, slipping to the side.
Single Slash.
The blade flashed—blue light trailing.
This time it worked.
The cut opened—a thin line across the Rat King's throat. Black blood welled up.
Sato's eye lit up with hope.
"I did it!"
But in his moment of triumph, he let his guard down.
The Rat King reacted.
Its massive, spiked tail whipped around with brutal force.
Sato tried to dodge—too late.
The tail slammed into his side like a battering ram.
He flew backward, crashing hard into the wall. Pain exploded through his ribs. He gasped, tasting blood.
He slid down, struggling to rise.
Then the three claw slashes came again.
Sato rolled desperately.
He avoided the first two.
The third caught his right hand.
Three fingers—index, middle, ring—were sliced clean off.
Pain seared through him—white-hot, blinding.
Sato screamed, clutching the ruined hand. Blood poured from the stumps.
The Rat King advanced, tail coiling for another strike.
Sato staggered to his feet.
The beast swung again—tail like a club.
It smashed into him once more.
Sato was hurled sideways, slamming into a large boulder with bone-jarring force.
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
He collapsed, gasping, vision swimming.
The Rat King loomed over him.
Sato's mind raced through pain and panic.
Not like this…
He forced himself up, sword in his left hand now.
Sato knew he had to think of something fast, or he was dead.
The bonus stat points from the level-up flashed in his mind.
He dodged another swipe from the Rat King while glancing at the system window, heart pounding.
*Its skin is too damn tough—I can't pierce it,* he thought desperately.
**+3 Strength**
**+3 Agility**
**+2 Endurance**
The change hit him like a surge of fire through his veins. His muscles tightened, denser, more powerful. His movements became sharper, quicker. The fatigue in his limbs eased slightly—he could breathe a little easier, endure a little longer.
He gripped the sword with his left hand, right hand still bleeding from the severed fingers. The Rat King stared at him, red eyes glowing.
It attacked again—the three invisible claw slashes ripping through the air.
Sato dodged, rolling to the side. The strikes gouged the stone wall, sending shards flying.
He thought quickly while moving.
*Single Slash… I can only use it one more time. But the wound I made earlier is on the wrong side for my left hand. It's awkward.*
Then he saw it.
Blue threads in the air. Lines of movement. A perfect path.
The Rat King lunged, aiming for the wound on its throat to finish him.
Sato grinned—wild, exhausted, defiant.
"Haha… looks like there's no other way."
He charged with everything he had left.
The Rat King sensed the attack on its wound and twisted to protect it, roaring to intimidate him.
That was its mistake.
Sato used the opening.
He slipped underneath, sword raised in his left hand. His half-working right hand pushed the blade with all his remaining strength.
**Single Slash.**
The sword flashed—blue light trailing.
It sank deep into the throat, cutting through muscle and sinew.
Sato roared.
"Dieeeeee!"
He twisted the blade with both hands, forcing it downward.
The Rat King convulsed.
Its massive body split open—throat to belly—in a spray of black blood and gore.
The beast collapsed with a thunderous crash, shaking the tunnel.
Sato fell to his knees beside it, completely spent. His body had no strength left. He gasped, covered in blood—his own and the monster's.
The Rat King lay still.
Dead.
Sato stared at the corpse, vision fading.
He had won.