Chapter 46
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Rat Ranger Birth! (1)
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Sunlight poured through the clear morning sky onto the ruins of the forest village.
The village, once mere ruins shrouded in silence, now buzzed with vibrant energy.
Clang! Claaang!
Cheerful metallic echoes rang out from every corner.
Ratkin girls hauled wooden pillars as thick as their own bodies on their shoulders.
Other girls diligently sawed and hammered away.
Their eyes sparkled with life after driving off the previous night's monster attack with their own hands and securing a meal.
The group's numbers had noticeably swelled.
Pickpocket girls and other street-smart kids had scurried back and forth from the capital's slums, bringing along familiar faces.
This was my secret order.
"Bring back kids in similar straits! But not the ones who openly pick pockets. Focus on farmers who know fieldwork, seamstresses who can stitch clothes, craftsmen who handle wood or metal. Tell them they'll get a leak-proof home and hot meals for free if they join us."
"Chit! Got it!"
The result? Our population jumped by over a dozen in just a few days.
An elderly farmer chased off farmland on the capital's outskirts.
A seamstress fired without notice after injuring her hand at a textile factory.
Even a wandering carpenter who couldn't find work roaming the streets.
Laborers discarded as useless from the slums trickled into the ruins word by mouth.
"They really... let us eat and live here?"
The Ratkin who first stepped into the ruins half-doubting.
But then they caught the ecstatic aroma of meat stew bubbling over the hearth and saw the safely cleared house foundations?
Every one of them dropped to their knees, tears of gratitude streaming down their faces.
'Still... why are all the ones gathering girls?'
Ratkin society had far more females by nature, they said.
So nine out of ten in the group were young girls.
Whatever. It didn't matter.
More population meant explosive growth in loyal labor and faith!
But we couldn't just celebrate endlessly.
"Whenever numbers grow, trouble always brews unexpectedly."
To escape the clamor of reconstruction above, we gathered in the damp, moldy chill of the collapsed sanctuary's basement.
I lowered my voice before Mani, Sena, and Rodentia.
"I'm giving those kids Rapid Bowguns. I'll train them rigorously to serve as a vigilante militia guarding our territory and as adventurer mercenaries earning their keep."
Sena pointed out sharply.
"Reti, we can't arm just anyone. They're bowing in thanks now for food and shelter, but what if they get ideas later with weapons in hand? Theft or betrayal? We can't control that many."
"True. Full bellies and fat storehouses breed wandering thoughts."
Mani scratched her grease-smeared chin in agreement.
"You're both right!"
I shared their view.
Just a few weeks ago, that pickpocket girl eyeing my wallet was now a resident here.
Poverty and innocence weren't the same.
I presented two pillars to keep this precarious refugee camp running smoothly.
"First, spread faith! Bind them with the Lord's words and prayers. Instill fear and awe that the divine watches always—they'll police themselves."
Shallow faith alone wouldn't suffice, of course.
We needed physical control too.
"Then, select only the thoroughly vetted for an elite vigilante squad."
Excellent, my apostle!
Rodentia beamed, slapping her knee at my words.
Indeed! To lead a larger flock, you need a wise shepherd and fierce guard dogs!
We agreed to implement a two-stage vetting system immediately.
The first stage: the Eye of God.
"I'll watch like a hawk during worship and prayer—whoever slacks or dozes gets noted."
Sena volunteered as heresy inquisitor.
Perfect! Apostle Sena, test their faith! I'll scatter Spirit Horned Rats everywhere to monitor the children's every move!
From today, the Hamster Wheel Church's days and nights would fall under the vast surveillance net of the Horned Rats.
The Big Wheel Sister's gaze to weed out traitors and lazy freeloaders.
The second stage for those passing that tight filter: trials of the flesh.
"Once we pick candidates, I'll handle training."
"Training? Reti, you can do that?"
"Yeah. Learned from a book."
Sena and Mani's eyes filled with thick skepticism.
No way to explain my past-life military service.
The final selectees, filtered ruthlessly?
Only the retooled ones surviving hellish training would earn vigilante status.
'Time to unleash the spicy version of the K-Rat Army!'
After the leadership meeting, heading topside brought another harsh reality grabbing my ankle.
"Reti, big problem. We're critically short on drinking water!"
Sena shook an empty wooden bucket, frowning.
The old well abandoned in the ruins' corner was cracked dry, spewing only dust.
To quench thirty throats and boil stew in the massive pot, we needed vast amounts of water.
"Headache. Hauling from the nearby stream wastes too much time..."
Then, Hilde, slacking under a shady tree, coughed awkwardly and stepped forward.
"Ugh, you primitive rats! Fretting over a clogged water vein?"
"Got a fix?"
"Of course! Make way. The great Adlerheim magus rifleman steps in personally!"
Hilde strutted pompously around the dusty dry well.
She closed her eyes, pressed pale palms to the ground, and thick blue mana rose like haze.
"The vein flows here! Spirits of the earth, open the path! Spirits of water, surge forth!"
Rumble!
With Hilde's clear chant, a dull crack echoed from underground as bedrock split.
Immediately, a cool, clear fountain shot skyward.
Whoosh!
"The vein flows here! Spirits of the earth, open the path! Spirits of water, surge forth!"
⟨ Earth and Water Summon ⟩
The parched well filled in seconds. Splashing water cooled the midday heat.
"Woooah!"
"Water gushed! It's water!"
The Ratkin cheered en masse, swarming Hilde.
"Elf forever!"
"Pfft, basic skills. Ahem!"
Hilde waved it off like it was nothing, but her twitching lips and sky-high nose betrayed her.
Hilde the elf—her magic was top-notch.
With the urgent water crisis solved, the territory's infrastructure soared.
A Ratkin girl chased from capital farms sniffed the black soil around ruined foundations and gasped in delight.
"The soil's way richer than expected! Probably 'cause it hasn't been tilled in ages!"
"That good?"
"Yes, village chief! Monster corpses and rotten leaves made perfect fertilizer."
Village chief had stuck, apparently.
Forest organics had layered over time into rich humus.
Fertile beneath the barren look.
We planned to buy seeds from the market—veggies, potatoes, sweet potatoes—for self-sufficiency.
Meanwhile, Mani scraped collapsed hearth rubble to whip up a crude smithy.
"Weapons later—tools for building first!"
Ratkin with carpentry or smithing assistant experience clustered around.
They carved wood and hammered glowing iron per Mani's hearty commands.
Clang! Claaang!
"Good pace... farm tools soon too..."
Hearing the lively clang, I pondered.
At this rate? Crude mass production of 1-2 basic Rapid Bowguns daily.
Simple vigilante uniforms to seamstresses—easy fix.
Territory skeleton shaping up nicely.
Still far to go.
Farming and weapon production needed nails, tools, seeds—basics in short supply.
"Sigh, buying retail at the capital market for all this... we'd go broke."
Bulk from nearby villages cheaper, but no trusted connections.
As I brooded, chin in hand—
Rattle rattle!
A noisy wagon rolled up dust at the village edge.
"What! Alert!"
I rushed to the entrance as a lookout Ratkin girl dashed over.
A large supply wagon escorted by heavily armed human adventurers.
A familiar squirrelkin bounced on the driver's seat, waving wildly.
"Reti! You really here!"
Polly of the Acorn Merchant Guild.
"Polly! How'd you know?"
I bolted over, hugging Polly as she jumped down.
"Half-doubted myself! Hired pricey human adventurers this time, but wild rumors among capital merchants made me check."
Polly dusted the cargo hold, tongue out.
"Young Ratkin scooping up food and supplies en masse. Rat swarms nesting in dangerous northern forest ruins. Came curious—and boom, you guys!"
Timing like rain in drought.
We signed exclusive construction materials and food contracts on the spot. Heavy silver pouches clinked satisfyingly into Polly's arms.
Sipping fresh herb tea post-deal, Polly glanced around and lowered her voice.
"By the way, northern outskirts, right? Be careful!"
"Why? Monsters all cleared."
"Not monsters. Why else hire expensive human escorts?"
Polly's bushy tail bristled tense.
"Dug around after that bandit mess—nasty rumors lately."
"What rumors?"
Polly leaned to my ear, whispering.
"Ratkin vanishing wholesale near northern highways and capital slums. Even merchant caravans gone without trace, wagons and all."
Caravan serial disappearances.
A chill current raced down my spine hearing Polly.
Oakwood guildmaster's slave cartel ledger.
Pickpocket girl's tale of kin loaded nightly into black carriages.
Scattered pieces linked into one ominous line.
I set my teacup down firmly.
'Gotta form the vigilantes ASAP.'
But couldn't throw green ragtags with no trigger time into guard duty.
Needed bone-grinding, soul-crushing rat retrofitting.
'Time to kick it off. Chit!'
Days later.
I pulled red scrap cloth from storage.
Folded it bandana-tight around my forehead.
Checked my reflection—round rat ears poked cutely over scarlet fabric.
'No peaked cap, pity... but still solid.'
Past-life drill instructor reborn perfectly in this world's Hamster Wheel Church.
"Mani, Sena. Assemble candidate trainees in the training yard."
"Uh? Y-yeah, got it!"
They flinched at my red hood's manic glint.
Hurriedly gathered the kids in the clearing.
Under blazing sun, twelve Ratkin candidates in single file.
I prowled like a tiger, hands clasped behind, snake-cold gaze sweeping low under the red hood.
"Listen up! You're no fragile mice anymore! I'll reforge you into bloodthirsty steel rats—Rat Rangers!"
My danjeon-powered demonic bellow shook the ruins.
"Responses from now on: 'Sir!' only! Understood?!"
From kindly village chief to hell's messenger—the kids shrank, terrified.
Tense pickpocket girl quivered, lips mumbling unwittingly.
"Chit...?"
My ears caught that ant-crawl whisper.
I snapped my neck stiff, glaring.
"Who! Who dared 'chit' in this sacred yard?!"
"...Eek, eeeek!"
"All! Drop and give me push-ups!!"
My thunderclap sent Ratkin sprawling flat on dirt.
Even Hilde and Mani under the shade gaped, hands over mouths.
Floating Rodentia coiled her tail at my sight.
Gasp! Apostle Reti can be that terrifying!
This moment, I was no benevolent apostle.
A foul-mouthed, grit-armored tough rat.
Devil-slaying marine rat!
"Sir!!!!!!!!"
The red-hooded drill instructor's hell training tore the serene northern forest peace to shreds!
Amid the Ratlings' agonized screams, the curtain rose on Rat Ranger Squad 1's brutal saga.