Chapter 13: Curse of Plague (1)
[Enter the dungeon 'Cton Sewer'.]
"Sigh."
As soon as I entered the sewer, the acrid smell stung my nose.
Immediately, Lokhan put one of the antidote herbs he had prepared under his nose. I poked my nose again, but this is better than the sewage smell.
slap.
When he took out the Orc Battle Axe, his muscles slightly tensed.
The sewer rats didn't make Lokhan nervous, but he didn't mean to deal with them carelessly. Even those who gave only a small amount of items and experience points were quite usable opponents in some ways.
jjik.
As I walked while recalling the topography of the Cton Sewerage in my memory, a mouse the size of a dog soon appeared. It was only a rat in name, but it was already so big that it wouldn't be strange to call it a monster.
"Did you come alone?"
Fuck!
As he threw the ax at the sewer rat, which was charging towards it with red eyes, it split from head to spine at once.
One shot one kill!
Sewer rats were no longer an opponent in front of Lokhan's overwhelming attack power.
[Ax Mastery has increased by 0.1%.]
"It was good."
This was the only advantage the sewer rat had. that there are many. That meant that it would be good to raise skill proficiency soon.
As your skill level increases, you have to fight a stronger opponent to increase your skill level, but now it was in the early stages, and it was in the very beginning.
Therefore, raising the ax mastery to 30% was enough with a sewer rat.
And in order to demonstrate 100% of the weapon's attack power, a minimum proficiency of 30% had to be filled.
"Slaughter."
After the hunt, Lokhan didn't forget to pick up the slaughter knife and get the hide.
The tail of the sewer rat, which is a quest item, automatically enters the inventory, but Rokan wants to raise the proficiency of the slaughter skill in advance. At 2 coppers for 10 sheets, it was an investment for the future even if it was not money.
Of course, if the number is huge, the story will be different.
"Then let's run"
After swinging the orc battle ax around, Lokhan started running quickly toward the depths of the sewer.
Jiji Jijik!
The sewer rat was surprisingly the first mob. When it sees a person, it does not run away, but recognizes it as prey and pounces on it.
As soon as he started running with a slithering sound, more than twenty sewage rats started chasing after Lokhan.
Rokan's movement was fast, but the speed of the rats in the sewer was not far behind.
"It's okay."
When the right number was gathered, Rokhan turned.
Creeping!
I stopped running and started dealing with the rats that had flocked to me.
The Cton sewer map was wide enough for hundreds of people to hunt at the same time, so there was no end to it.
Besides, Lorkhan had no intention of staying in these sewers for long. There is no reason to drag it for a long time in the yard where you know all the roads and features.
"dash! strike!"
The pattern of running, hunting, and butchering was repeated, and the skill level was accumulated one by one.
Originally, he would have gone around the road where he didn't have to go for the mastery work, but maybe it was because Rokan's control had already reached the level, and his mastery was rising better than expected, so it didn't seem necessary.
'Let's fill only 500.'
After slaughtering a thousand sewer rats, he could get the title of 'King of the Sewer', but he didn't have to aim for that.
As for the title effect, it only slightly increases the attack power against 'rats', but as far as he knows, rat-type monsters haven't appeared since then.
'At least Ratman is everything.'
So it was a waste of time to wait here.
[Outstanding achievement! You slaughtered 500 sewer rats.]
[You have acquired the title 'Rat Hunter'.]
[Rat Hunter] [Normal]
You who slaughtered 500 sewer rats non-stop. Rats are afraid of you.
[Retention effect]
- Increase attack power by 5% when fighting rats
[special effects]
-You can use [Rat Hunter's Fear] to bring out instinctive fear.
After several more rounds of sheep hunting, the target of 500 was easily filled.
Thanks to this, he was able to use a skill called Rat Hunter's Fear, which allowed him to evade the battle with rats, but unfortunately, he didn't need it anymore.
Just in time, it was beyond the realm of sewer rats.
key kick
Instead of a sewer rat, it was a 'contaminated rat' that appeared in front of Lokhan. It is a monster with a grotesque appearance that looks similar to a sewer rat, but has fungus-like growths all over its body.
It was a level 12 monster that was definitely stronger than a sewer rat, but there was something really scary about them.
It was poison. It overlapped 5 times, and the way it became addicted was also a problem.
"Slaughter."
[You have been poisoned by the contaminated rat poison. HP decreases by 1 every 10 seconds.]
[Be careful. Contaminated Rat Poison stacks up to 5 times.]
Poisoning is also through the body.
It would be an embarrassing situation for Rokhan, who had to improve his slaughter skill, but Rokhan didn't care.
'Anyway, the contaminated rat's poison ends in 30 seconds.'
The duration of the poison was short, and such a light poisoning was rather welcome.
[I have overcome the poison in my body.]
[Poison resistance is created.]
This is because frequent exposure to poison can create 'resistance' that is difficult to raise.
I didn't get bitten by the sewer rats because I was embarrassed, but if it was this, I could have moderately lowered my stamina.
"first aid."
[First aid increased by 0.1%.]
When using first aid while checking the slowly decreasing health, the skill level rose even if the health did not recover.
Are you full on the first drink? When you use the skill continuously until the health is restored, the fine health is restored intermittently.
Whether life was restored or not, the skill level steadily increased.
'Looking at this, it's called Ilta Double Blood.'
If you feel it is dangerous, use the antidote you have purchased to detoxify and replenish your vitality.
Contrary to popular belief, the Cton Sewer was a dungeon that could suck honey in many ways, as long as it didn't have a terrible smell.
If I had to express it, it would be like durian. Tastes like heaven, smells like hell. Of course, Rokan, who once ate dried durian, couldn't agree with that, but to put it that way, he did.
So Lokhan continued to slaughter the tainted rats and advance.
'I think it's about time to come out'
From Lokhan's point of view, there was no difference between a sewer rat and a polluted rat. It was the same no matter how many of them you drove and caught, and it was no exaggeration to say that there were no risk factors if you only cared about managing your vitality through poisoning.
After going on for a while, we finally reached the end of the Cthon sewer.
"Was it like this?"
Standing at a dead end and looking around, Rokhan dragged the corpse of the tainted rat he had just caught and threw it here and there.
It was lined up with the feeling of 'I can't remember the exact location, so at least one is right!'
bubbling... … .
Then one of them boiled. However, it seemed that the leather melted, and then it came back to life with flashing red eyes. Its size also grew significantly, making it even bigger than Lokhan.
[Plague Rat][Lv 23]
A new name popped into his head.
His appearance became even more grotesque, and even his forehead was studded with a piece of magical purple jewel, but Rokhan lost his temper at a strange part.
"Shut up, kid."
On the subject of a mouse, he doesn't like the fact that he's taller than himself, the average height of Korea.
Fuck! Kiek!
Before he had time to properly stance, the plague rat grabbed his stomach and backed away.
bubbling... … .
It's normal when blood spurts out and intestines ooze out, but the belly of the guy drawn long by the orc battle ax quickly recovered as air bubbles rose up. It was the power of the jewel embedded in his forehead.
"Keeek!"
After completing first aid, the Plague Rat poured out its anger toward Lokhan. Besides his long teeth, sharp claws protruded intermittently, preceded by oozing ooze.
"Kheheheheung!"
At that guy, Rokhan threw a War Cry at him.
Of course, it was the guy who suffered the loss. The level is similar, but the difference in ability is so great. As all of his stats declined, the rough guy's movements instantly shrank.
"dash."
This is where Rokan's control shined.
Dash's efficacy was not just to increase speed. It was not a skill for a blow like a strike.
Agility boost that lasts for three steps. If you don't move for more than 1 second, the skill will be canceled, but that was enough.
Rokhan added amplified agility and slit open the plague rats in succession.
"The Rat Hunter's Horror."
burrrrr. Pooh!
His attempts to deal with it were neutralized by the fear effect. Anyway, since it was also recognized as a 'rat', the fear effect was applied even though the duration was short.
In the meantime, his thick belly skin burst like tofu. Because it was so powerful, it exploded without being cut. Recovery seemed difficult this time.
"joy!"
Even in the midst of that, he stuck out his teeth and tried to bite somehow. However, he was not Lokhan who would be taken lightly.
He hit the ax handle, crushed his jaw, and kicked him off the ground.
"You're nothing, bastard."
[You have leveled up.]
The experience gained from catching sewage rats and contaminated rats exploded when they met the experience of plague rats. In addition, the level rose one more, and the life force that had been lowered by the poison of the poisoned rat rose again.
sparkle!
Checking the inventory, this time it was full of useless japtem. As I approached the corpse, clicking my tongue, the purple jewel embedded in his forehead shimmered as if tempting me.
The moment I picked it up, a problem arose.
[You have been cursed with the plague.]
[All stats decrease slightly.]
[HP decreases by 5 every 10 seconds.]
[Be careful. If not treated quickly, death may result.]
It is the curse of plague.
However, Rokhan was not at all embarrassed. In his previous life, there were many people who died while wandering around without knowing why, but he already knew the cause.
Plague Gem. The power contained in the purple jewel he retrieved invaded Lokhan's body. And even after time passed, it would continue to gnaw away at the vitality.
"after! This smelly place is also graduation."
Either way, Lokhan climbed back up the sewers and got out to the surface.
The curse of the pestilence gnaws away 30 health per minute, but Lokhan's total health was already over 1,000, so this was enough.
* * *
"Ugh, the smell!"
"Look at that person. It must have been in the sewer."
"Wow, manners come. Do you want to go around like that?"
"Oh fuck! Wash up and go!"
Rokhan was going to find a security post as soon as he got out of the sewers, but changed his mind. It was because he couldn't seem to get around at all.
He was already paralyzed, but the others were different.
No, at this rate, it seemed that every place where the footprints were engraved would smell. It would be a waste if his reputation was drastically cut.
Even at this moment, his life force was continuously decreasing, but as soon as he confirmed that he could survive somehow with the use of bandages, Rokhan hurriedly left the equipment laundry and ran into the inn to wash himself.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone