The chittering grew louder.
Not scattered.
Not random.
Layered.
From every direction.
Arman stopped mid-step.
Altair's eyes narrowed.
Then—
Without warning—
Every torch bracket along the sewer walls flickered.
And died.
Total darkness swallowed the corridor.
Not dim.
Not shadowed.
Absolute black.
Arman's heart slammed once against his ribs.
"What—?"
Altair's voice was steady.
"They extinguished it."
"They?"
Before Arman could respond—
The chittering intensified.
Closer.
Many.
Too many.
Altair's vision adjusted first.
Shadow element affinity.
He could see shapes.
Movement.
Swarming.
"Rats," he said sharply.
"How many?"
"…A lot."
Arman reacted instantly.
Refinement.
Heat.
Minimal compression.
He formed a small hovering flame above his palm.
[Spark Flicker]
A modest sphere of light ignited the darkness around them.
And what the light revealed—
Made his breath catch.
The sewer floor was moving.
Not water.
Not sludge.
Bodies.
Dozens.
No—
Hundreds.
Rats.
But wrong.
Larger than normal.
Skin patchy.
Eyes glowing faintly green.
Teeth too long.
Some had exposed bone along their backs.
Mutated.
They were surging toward them.
From ahead.
From side tunnels.
From behind.
"Entrance!" Arman shouted.
They turned and ran.
Claws scraped against stone.
The swarm poured after them.
The sound alone was suffocating.
They reached a junction—
And froze.
Another mass of rats flooded from the rear tunnel.
They were surrounded.
No clean path.
Altair moved first.
[Shadow Cloak]
His form darkened—
But instead of vanishing fully, the shadows thickened around him.
Then expanded.
He stepped beside Arman.
"Stay close."
The shadows spread outward from Altair's body—
Condensing into a thin dark membrane around both of them.
Modified.
Not concealment.
Barrier.
Arman understood instantly.
"Good."
The rats lunged.
The first wave slammed into the shadow barrier.
Some were deflected.
Others squeezed through.
Arman clenched his jaw.
"Mage's Hand."
He cast—
[Mage's Hand]
But this time he reshaped it immediately.
Compressed.
Elongated.
Sharpened.
A translucent force blade formed along his forearm.
Unstable—
But sharp enough.
The first rat leapt at him.
He slashed downward.
The force blade cut through flesh.
It dissolved instantly—
But reformed as he focused.
Another lunged.
He stepped forward—
Cut.
Step.
Cut.
Behind him, Altair reshaped his weapon again.
[Weapon Form]
Shadow split into two short blades.
Double swords.
He moved in tight arcs.
Precise.
Every strike severed spine or skull.
But for every rat that fell—
Two more replaced it.
The swarm pressed harder.
Claws scraped against the shadow barrier.
The membrane flickered.
"Too many!" Arman shouted.
Altair didn't answer.
He stepped forward instead.
Pushing.
Clearing a path.
"Break through!"
They advanced step by step.
Arman maintained Mage's Hand in blade form.
Mana draining steadily.
The rats began biting through clothing.
One latched onto his calf.
He felt teeth sink into flesh.
Pain shot upward.
He kicked violently and slashed it apart.
Altair's arm bled from multiple claw strikes.
But he did not slow.
The barrier flickered again.
Weaker.
They were almost at the entrance shaft.
Light from above barely visible.
"Now!" Altair said.
They surged forward simultaneously.
Altair expanded the shadow barrier one last time—
Forcing a narrow gap in the swarm.
Arman leapt through.
Climbed the ladder.
Altair followed immediately behind.
Rats poured upward after them—
But as they reached the surface—
City light and open air disrupted their formation.
They retreated back into the sewer.
The swarm dissolved into darkness.
Arman collapsed onto the stone pavement.
Breathing ragged.
His vision blurred.
Altair dropped to one knee.
Blood soaked through his sleeve.
"Poison," Altair said quietly.
Arman felt it too.
Burning under the skin.
Dizziness creeping in.
"Guild," Arman forced out.
They stumbled through the streets toward the Adventurer Guild.
Guards stared at them.
People moved aside.
When they pushed through the guild doors, Mei immediately stood up.
"What happened?"
"Mutated rats," Arman said, struggling to stay upright. "Sewer. Hundreds."
Mei's expression changed instantly.
"Mutated?"
"Coordinated," Altair added. "Organized movement."
Mei's eyes darkened.
"That suggests might be Rat King".
"Rat King?" Arman managed
"If a Rat King has emerged, it can control the swarm."
Her voice sharpened.
"That is no longer Rank E."
The poison intensified.
Arman's knees buckled.
Altair swayed but remained standing a moment longer.
"Call… healer," Altair said calmly.
Then his vision finally blurred.
Both of them collapsed onto the guild floor.
The last thing Arman heard—
Was Mei shouting for assistance.
And somewhere beneath Rostam—
The chittering continued.
≡ Status ≡
Arman — Human — Level 2
Occupation: Mage
──────────────
HP: 18 / 115
Mana: 21 / 64
Stamina: 9 / 110
Status Effects:
Poisoned (Unknown Type)
Bleeding (Minor)
Mana Control: 17%
──────────────
Skills
Mana Perception Lv. 1
Spells
Minor Fire Sphere (Improvised)
Mana Push
Flame Bolt
Mage's Hand
──────────────
≡ Status ≡
Altair Everett — Human — Level 10
Occupation: Assassin
──────────────
HP: 37 / 162
Mana: 12 / 84
Stamina: 4 / 148
Status Effects:
Poisoned (Neurotoxic Variant)
Multiple Lacerations
Mana Control: 28%
──────────────
Skills
Shadow Cloak
Enhanced Perception
Agility Boost
Weapon Form (Shadow)
──────────────