Chapter 3

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 3

Chapter Title: Swift Escape Like a Rat

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"Huff... huff..."

I sprawled out flat on the grass.

This was the entrance to the dungeon, where the ceiling opened up to let sunlight pour in.

It was what they called the safe zone.

Just a few steps away from the monsters, a place where they almost never showed up.

Every now and then, a lost slime might wander in, but it was peaceful overall.

I survived.

I really made it out of that hellish tunnel alive.

Rodentia let out a cheer of relief too.

The Horned Rat climbed onto my stomach and wagged its tail as the tension drained from its body.

I stared blankly up at the sky.

Blue sky. White clouds.

A peaceful scene that made the desperate struggle from just minutes ago feel like a dream.

"I'm gonna rest here a bit."

I caught my breath and lay there in a daze for a while.

Then the Horned Rat started squirming on top of me.

"Chit! Chiiik!"

"Huh?"

Particles of light began drifting off the chittering rat's body.

"Whoa, Lord! What's wrong with it?"

No sooner had Rodentia finished speaking than the sharp horn vanished, and the mystical aura faded away.

As its size shrank, the rat scampered off as if it had never helped me, dissolving into smoke.

Just as Rodentia explained, it was no ordinary creature.

Probably because it was a servant of a god.

I slowly got up and looked around.

Adventurers were starting to emerge from the other passages, one or two at a time.

Some covered in blood, leaning on their comrades for support.

Others grinning ear to ear, laden with loot.

Seeing them made it all feel real.

"Time to get out of here."

I pulled myself to my feet.

I followed the gentle uphill path toward the exit.

A wide-open plaza came into view.

"Whoa..."

The dungeon entrance was like a bustling marketplace.

A hive of activity with people coming and going everywhere.

In one corner, adventurers were counting coins or maintaining their weapons.

Merchants hawked their wares from stalls lining the paths.

"Potions for sale! Fresh healing potions, just brewed!"

"Buying mana stones, hides, bones! Anything you've got!"

The clamor and vibrant energy washed over me.

It smelled like life.

Rodentia marveled, looking around in wonder.

I was just about to nod when...

"...Huh? You?"

A familiar voice drilled into my ears.

And those unforgettable, punchable faces.

"Hey, isn't that Reti?"

"What? That rat bitch survived?"

It was those guys who had used me as bait and run.

The leader, the swordsman, and the healer were sorting their gear, staring at me with perfectly fine faces.

Half shock, half disgust on their expressions.

When Rodentia asked, I answered.

"The adventurers who ditched me and ran."

Rodentia cried out in outrage.

Anger surged in me too, but cold memories flashed through my mind at the same time.

Right, what came to me now was me.

'Reti's' memories.

Reti, the daughter of an ordinary Ratkin family.

One day, a massive flood destroyed her home.

Her parents died, leaving the little rat girl homeless and wandering.

Then she fell for a scam promising work, saddling her with massive debt.

To pay it off, she was sold as a porter.

A life of timid obedience, doing whatever she was told.

"Hey! Reti! What the hell? How'd you get out?"

My body froze as the adventurers approached, shouting.

"Reti! Ah, shit... You deaf or something? Answer me!"

My tail trembled, my round ears flattened.

'It's muscle memory!'

The daily abuse from those guys was ingrained in my body!

The old me would've apologized, shaking in fear.

But.

'Not anymore.'

Inside me were the memories of an adult man from Korea who'd been through it all.

I wasn't just some scared rat anymore, running and hiding.

"Lord, this is my situation. What should I do?"

I gave her a quick rundown, and Rodentia scoffed.

In other words...

"Spot on."

That was when the swordsman's eyes locked onto my waist.

There was my modified crossbow.

And the material for that crossbow? Kyle's bowstock.

"Hey, rat bitch, muttering to yourself... Wait, isn't that Kyle's bow?"

"That thieving slut!"

The swordsman's face turned red with rage, and he charged at me like he was about to draw his sword.

"Hey! Reti! Stop right there!"

Eyes turned our way.

I flashed them a grin.

Then I raised my right hand, flipped them off politely and firmly, and shouted.

"Fuck you!"

"Did that bitch lose her mind?!"

I spun around and bolted at full speed.

A chaotic marketplace was a Ratkin's playground.

My small body let me weave through the crowds!

"Coming through!"

Thud!

"Hey!"

I dodged between merchants' stalls, sprinting toward the nearby woods.

Shouts echoed behind me.

"Stop! You damn rat! Catch the thief!"

"Reti! You think you can run with that debt?"

Debt?

Who gives a shit.

That scam contract could rot in hell anyway.

I threw myself into the forest nearby, resolved to die if they caught me.

"Somehow, I got away clean."

In the end, those Bronze Rank adventurers couldn't find me.

I ran and hid in bushes over and over.

Eventually, a small village appeared before me, a bit away from the Green Crucible Dungeon entrance.

An unnamed rural spot at a crossroads leading to the dungeon.

Thankfully, the adventurers hadn't followed me this far.

"Phew..."

I hunkered down in an alley corner to catch my breath.

As the tension eased, hunger hit hard.

I rummaged through my pockets—a few coins, that was it.

At least I wouldn't starve right away.

I bought a hunk of hard rye bread from a nearby bakery and used the rest for a place to sleep.

"This'll do."

The best I could afford was an empty barn.

I lay down on a pile of hay in the corner of the barn.

The rustle of straw and smell of dry grass.

It might be the worst bed to some.

But to me, it was pretty comfy.

I nibbled on a bit of bread and stared at the ceiling.

Moonlight filtered through the cracks above.

My hand naturally went to my head.

Soft fur, round and big ears.

And the thin, long tail swishing behind my butt.

"Haa..."

I sighed.

Too much had happened in one day.

I'd nearly died, met a self-proclaimed goddess rat vision.

Killed a monster, ditched a party.

And the biggest change was myself.

'Who the hell am I, anyway.'

A Korean man in a Ratkin girl's body from another world?

Or a Ratkin girl who awakened her past life's memories?

The former felt unfair, the latter confusing.

My past life had been a grind.

Paying off student loans, job hunting, overtime hell.

My only joy was whittling wood on rare free weekends.

And here? Same bad luck.

A indebted porter chased by debt collectors.

I fiddled with the crossbow by my side.

The rough wood texture felt familiar under my fingers.

A sensation I'd felt countless times in my past life.

The immersion and thrill of making it weren't lies.

'Whatever.'

The thought popped into my head.

Who cared who I was?

What mattered was that I was alive now, thinking, creating with my own hands.

And that reflection in the blade earlier? Pretty cute.

Ash-gray hair, round eyes, adorable ears.

Way better than my drab past-life looks.

"Yeah. I'm Reti."

I muttered, thumping my tail.

Life as a cute Ratkin girl.

Not bad.

Time to accept it.

Since it's like this,

might as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠well enjoy it here.

Whoosh!

Then the Hamster Wheel I'd set aside started spinning noisily.

A sign she had something to say.

I sat up and looked at it.

Rodentia's vision poked its head out from inside the wheel.

"Nah. Just thinking."

"...Something like that."

I chuckled.

How to deal with this shameless self-proclaimed goddess was one of my worries.

The young 'me's memories held plenty of interesting stuff.

Gods really existed in this world.

The most worshipped were the major gods of the Pantheon Temple.

There were also countless minor gods and spirits.

Local deities revered by races or regions.

Some had real power; others were just strong spirits pretending to be gods.

'Guess I was a smart rat. Even knew stuff like this.'

Rodentia was probably one of those minor gods.

'Goddess of rodentkin, huh.'

I wasn't sure if she was legit or a con artist—my common sense was lacking here.

But she definitely used magic-like powers.

Small scale, but no ordinary being.

I'd seen her enhance the crossbow and summon the Horned Rat.

'Doesn't matter if she's not a real god.'

For now, she was a reliable buff dispenser and chat buddy.

Respecting her wouldn't hurt.

"So, Lord, what'd you want to say?"

At my question, Rodentia's vision leaped out of the wheel like she'd been waiting.

She planted hands on hips and declared solemnly.

"A mission?"

The Pantheon Temple.

The holy site enshrining all gods, the heart of this world's faith.

It was on the opposite side of the continent—months away by carriage.

"Register for what?"

Rodentia ranted passionately.

Hmm.

Not a bad offer, honestly.

I had nowhere to go anyway.

Better than wandering aimlessly—heading to a clear destination sounded good.

Plus, stronger divine powers meant better survival odds for me.

Long-term, it was a solid deal.

But.

"I got no money, Lord."

I said firmly.

"Can't walk to the Pantheon Temple. Need carriages, food, a bed."

I turned out my empty pockets.

"I'm broke. Spent my last coin on bread."

Rodentia's ears drooped.

"Yeah. So first, we need cash."

I held up the crossbow.

"Hunt with this, take quests, whatever. Plus, sticking around here risks those adventurers or debt collectors finding me."

This village was too close.

By morning, they might come sniffing around.

"I'll leave at dawn tomorrow. Head to another city, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clean up my identity, save some money, then go to the Pantheon Temple."

Rodentia nodded, convinced right away.

"If I make money. If I make money."

I replied vaguely and lay back down.

The hay rustled beneath me.

What would tomorrow bring?

Anxiety mixed with a strange thrill in my chest.

At least starting tomorrow,

I'd do what I, Reti, wanted—not what others ordered.

I wrapped my tail around myself and closed my eyes.