Chương 17: Rascal Rats

Noa and his friends entered the dungeon, greeted by a rush of cold air and eerie music. The torches flickered, casting shadows on the damp stone walls. They held their breat breath, aware of the danger lurking in the darkness.

As they moved forward, their eyes scanned the surroundings.

They passed through winding corridors and descended a flight of stairs until they reached a dimly lit chamber.

The metallic walls absorbed the light, casting everything in a shadowy hue, and an overwhelming sense of dread hung in the air.

An eerie sound filled the air, which grew louder the closer they got to what seemed to be a chamber.

In the center of the chamber was a large circular platform that could rise or lower into the ground. On a stone pedestal rested a small, ornate chest.

Noa's heart raced with excitement, thinking that the chest must be containing a treasure or other valuable loot.

However, his excitement was short-lived as he heard a hissing noise behind him.

He turned his back and sighted several creatures with glowing eyes, about to come at them from all sides. Noa and his friends quickly readied their weapons, preparing for a fight.

Noa flinched at the sight of the creatures and asked, "Holy crap! What are those?"

Since Noa just got out of the military, he had never tried to play in the dungeon yet or see those creatures in front of him.

Eden turned to him and replied, "They're Rascal Rats, mutated from ordinary rats. They're about twenty times bigger, have sharp teeth, and can easily tear your flesh. We need to be careful."

Genetic modification had existed for a long time. However, these genetic modifications had gotten out of hand recently.

The Rascal Rats' genes were modified through advanced genetic engineering techniques, enhancing their physical abilities such as strength, speed, and agility.

The evolved were further evolved, and rats had fast reproductive rate, so it didn't take a long time evolving them into this.

It should've been illegal, given the massive danger it posed. But now, the world was ruled by androids, who had no problems defeating these monsters.

For them, mutated animals were a source of entertainment, serving as preys to be hunted. Most of the mutated animals in the dungeons were either imperfect products or for farming. As they didn't have much intelligence, Androids found it easier to control them.

Noa retrieved his electrical traps from his pocket and quickly threw them around the rascal rats. The traps emitted a faint hum and low blue glow, indicating they were ready to stun any approaching creatures.

The rascal rats charged with ferocity, but Noa and his friends held them off with their weapons and electrical traps.

"So-Rin, watch your back!" Noa shouted when he saw a rascal rat leap towards her.

Noa ran to protect her, but Blue, her AI companion robot, beat him to it. Blue lunged at the rascal rat and bit it, causing the sharp-toothed creature to flounder for a few seconds before finally freezing and becoming still. Blue then tossed the lifeless carcass aside.

When another wave of monsters came pouncing at their group, Blue fired lasers from his eyes, which glowed blue, protecting So-Rin.

The monsters rushed back like flowing water, but this time, Eden eradicated them with his gun. The sound of his shots echoed through the tunnel as he fired with precision and accuracy. Noa joined in, and together they started a one-sided slaughter until the leftover rascal rats scurried away.

Breathing heavily, Noa and his friends paused to catch their breath, feeling the physical toll of the battle as the adrenaline rush wore off.

"Is everyone okay?" Noa asked, looking around at his companions.

So-Rin nodded, clutching her weapon tightly. "I'm fine, thanks to Blue," she said, patting the synthetic fur on its robot head.

Eden smirked, holstering his gun. "I could do this all day," he said, flexing his nonexistent muscles.

"Not me. They smell terrible," So-Rin replied, waving her hand in front of her as if to disperse the smell.

Noa chuckled, feeling grateful that everyone was safe. He retrieved some nutrition and water from his inventory.

"Here, ingest some nutrition and water," he said, offering the supplies to his friends. "We need to keep our energy up for the next battle."

"No need. I have mine," So-Rin declined.

Noa then offered the supplies to Eden, who gladly accepted them.

As they ate and drank, Noa remembered the chest and picked it up from the center of the chamber.

He opened it, revealing a small, glowing thing that seemed to pulse with otherworldly energy. He held it up to the light, examining it closely.

"What do you think that is?" So-Rin asked, peering over Noa's shoulder.

"I'm not sure," Noa replied, turning the glowing thing over in his hand. "But it looks luxurious, so it must be important."

Eden interrupted, "Congratulations. You have proven yourselves worthy of this artifact."

Noa and So-Rin exchanged confused looks.

"Artifact?" Noa asked.

"Yeah, the crystal key you hold is an artifact. It's a key to unlock a locked dungeon. You will need it later," Eden stated.

Noa looked at the object in his hand. It's a crafted key from a rare palladium which was known for its high melting point and resistence. Its handle was adorned with futuristic symbols that represented knowledge and power required to unlock the hidden buildings. In the middle of the key was an embedded blue crystal that emitted ethereal glow.

Noa felt a thrill of excitement run through him. With the crystal key in his possession, he might unlock the secret buildings or dungeons and uncover its hidden treasures.

"So, we've killed the monsters and gained the artifact. But why is there no notification?" Noa asked, managing his breath.

"No, you haven't completed the quest," Eden responded.

"What?" Noa shrugged. "There's only an hour left. We've used too much time for the training at the guild's base."