The Ghost Rats' Foul Trap
The students arrived at a canyon nestled between small, jagged peaks. Ban Oe-min, the First-Year Grade Dean, descended gracefully to stand before them.
"A pack of Ghost Rats makes its home deep within this canyon," Ban Oe-min announced. "Your task is simple: the four of you will head inside, hunt ten rats each, and return. This is your first official mission."
A flicker of anticipation crossed Han Bul-bu’s face. According to their textbooks, a Ghost Rat was significantly larger than a common rodent, roughly the size of a small dog. They were earth-attribute magical beasts that lived in complex tunnel systems. Their primary methods of attack involved conjuring earthen mists to obscure vision or hurling stones with surprising force.
Back at the academy, the students had practiced against live Ghost Rats in controlled environments. However, those had been captive specimens raised by handlers. Wild packs were a different breed entirely, though the difficulty was still considered manageable for their level.
"Let's go!" Baek Geum-un shouted. Showing no sign of fear, she was the first to dash into the canyon.
"Wait! Be careful!" Han Bul-bu called out, startled. As the most senior student among the four, he felt a heavy responsibility to protect his juniors, and he hurried after her.
Bukjin exchanged a look with Ak Hong-hyang before they both followed the lead pair into the gorge. Behind them, Cho Heun and Ban Oe-min remained at the entrance, watching and waiting.
Inside the canyon, the terrain changed rapidly. The three sides were flanked by sheer, vertical cliffs. The stone surfaces were so unnaturally smooth that climbing them would be nearly impossible; without a single blade of grass clinging to the rock, the cliffs looked like massive stone mirrors. The only way forward was a narrow path winding through the center.
After traveling about a hundred yards, the environment shifted again. The temperature dropped noticeably, and the ground became a treacherous mess of uneven mounds. Tangled vines snaked across the floor, and stunted trees and shrubs struggled to reach waist-height. The faint, rhythmic sound of running water echoed from somewhere in the distance, but it was masked by a peculiar, pungent stench wafting through the air.
Baek Geum-un wrinkled her nose, covering it with her hand. "Ugh! The smell is revolting! We should think of a way to lure the Ghost Rats out. Let's finish this quickly and get out of here!"
Bukjin suddenly recalled a mechanic from one of his mobile games. If only I had a 'Taunt' skill right now, he thought. I could pull the whole pack out without breaking a sweat.
"Look over there! What is that?" Ak Hong-hyang whispered, pointing toward a small tree about thirty yards away.
Bukjin turned his head, his eyes narrowing. "A mole?"
In his line of sight sat a plump, mole-like creature the size of a puppy. It was clutching a piece of red fruit in its paws, rolling around lazily on the ground while watching the four humans approach.
Wait, is that seriously a Ghost Rat? Bukjin blinked, feeling a bit let down. It looked nothing like the ferocious beast he had imagined. It’s actually kind of cute. They want us to hunt something that looks like a plushie?
His motivation began to wane—until the creature changed.
Suddenly, the Ghost Rat’s round, adorable body rippled with corded muscle. Its glossy fur stood up in sharp, needle-like points. A patch of white fur on its forehead bristled as its expression twisted into something feral. It let out a piercing, unnatural shriek.
The ground began to tremble.
Whiz—!
A sharp stone tore through the air with a lethal whistle, flying straight toward the group.
"Watch out!" Han Bul-bu roared, drawing his sword and stepping forward to deflect the projectile. "Commence the hunt!"
Baek Geum-un, fueled by adrenaline, charged at the snarling rat. Ak Hong-hyang drew her blade as well, flanking the creature from the side.
Is it really something to get this excited about? Bukjin thought. To him, the Ghost Rat looked clumsy and slow—an easy target. He drew his Jeong-ui Sword and moved forward, intent on finishing his quota as quickly as possible.
Then, the unexpected happened.
Thud—!
Baek Geum-un, who had been charging ahead, suddenly vanished into the earth!
It was a pitfall trap, expertly concealed by the rats. While the hole wasn't particularly deep, the walls were coated in a slick, greasy substance. Despite her agile footwork, Baek Geum-un couldn't find any purchase to climb out. To make matters worse, a foul, nauseating odor began to billow up from the pit.
Huh. These little vermin are smarter than they look, Bukjin noted, watching the scene with the detached amusement of someone watching a house fire from across the river. They actually set traps.
"Junior Baek! Grab this!" Han Bul-bu shouted, tossing a rope into the hole.
"Get me out! Hurry! Just get me out of here!" Baek Geum-un’s voice was high-pitched with genuine terror.
Han Bul-bu heaved on the rope, dragging her out of the pit. As she scrambled onto solid ground, her clothes were covered in a brown, viscous filth that radiated a stench so powerful it was practically a physical force.
"That's... Ghost Rat excrement," Ak Hong-hyang said, her voice trembling with disgust.
"What?" Bukjin nearly gagged. They dug a hole and filled it with crap?
"Ugh! I can't breathe... the smell is so thick..." Baek Geum-un swayed on her feet, looking dazed and intoxicated by her own stench.
"This is bad! Ghost Rat droppings are toxic!" Ak Hong-hyang warned.
"Blegh!" Bukjin felt his stomach turn. "Don't tell me you actually swallowed some?"
Baek Geum-un’s head snapped toward him, her face flushed with fury. "I just inhaled the fumes when I fell! I didn't eat it! What kind of disgusting thoughts are going through your head?!"
Bukjin flashed a mischievous, shameless grin. "Hey, it’s okay. Accidents happen. A mouthful or two between friends... I won't tell a soul! Right, Senior Han?"
Han Bul-bu and Ak Hong-hyang looked like they were using every ounce of their martial cultivation just to keep from bursting into laughter.
"Everyone, stay sharp!" Han Bul-bu commanded, regaining his composure. "There has to be a leader directing them. Ghost Rats are annoying enough in a pack, but if there's an alpha giving orders, this is going to be a headache."
When magical beasts developed a hierarchy and began acting with tactical coordination, their combat effectiveness increased exponentially.
"Senior Im! If you tease me one more time, I'll kill you!" Baek Geum-un screamed, still wobbling from the toxins.
"Whoa, Junior Baek, calm down," Bukjin replied quickly. "Take your antidote first. If you get that worked up, the poison will just circulate through your system faster."
Gritting her teeth, Baek Geum-un pulled a vial of antidote from her pouch and downed it. Ignoring the filth clinging to her skin, she raised her sword and charged forward again, her eyes burning with a vengeful light. Individually, a Ghost Rat only had the combat power of a 4th-grade Warrior, and under her furious assault, the rodents began to fall.
The alpha rat—the one with the white patch on its forehead—began kicking the ground and shrieking commands. Under its direction, the pack scattered with military precision.
Whiz! Whiz! Whiz!
From every direction, the rats began a coordinated barrage, hurling jagged stones at the students. Suddenly, a massive cloud of dust erupted from the ground, choking the air and blinding the group. With their vision obscured, dodging the incoming stones became a nightmare.
Thwack—!
A stone caught Han Bul-bu square in the forehead, leaving a nasty, purple bruise.
"Ow! Stop it! Get away!" Baek Geum-un was screaming as stones pelted her from all sides. To make matters worse, jagged earthen spikes began erupting from the ground in random intervals, forcing them to constantly watch their feet.
The students were being driven into a corner. The rats were using the environment perfectly—stones, dust, and spikes combined to create a chaotic battlefield.
Bukjin decided it was time to get serious. He expanded his Mental Power, and his perception sharpened instantly. Everything within a ten-foot radius became crystal clear. He could sense the vibrations of the spikes before they emerged and pinpoint exactly where the earth-attribute energy was being concentrated.
Mental power really is a cheat code, Bukjin thought. He sheathed his sword and prepared his hidden weapons, activating the Twin Flying Condors technique. This style, which utilized Hand-Arrows, included specialized footwork for evasion. It allowed him to dance through the hail of stones while simultaneously launching a counterattack.
Zip—! Zip—! Zip—!
His custom-made Secret Silver arrows hissed through the air. Guided by his mental perception, every shot found its mark. Within seconds, four Ghost Rats lay dead.
Too easy! A confident smirk spread across Bukjin's face. This chaotic, low-visibility environment was the perfect playground for his hidden weapon mastery. He moved like a ghost, darting between rocks with fluid agility, his hands a blur as he picked off the rats one by one.
"This mission is child's play for—"
Crr-ack!
Bukjin’s boast was cut short as the ground gave way beneath him. He plummeted into a pit.
An unbearable, eye-watering stench hit him instantly. His legs sank deep into a thick, viscous sludge.
What?! I fell for a rat's trap?! Bukjin was genuinely stunned. He had been using his mental power! He had been moving with extreme caution! He was certain there was no hole where he had stepped.
And yet, here he was.
Screee—!
A Ghost Rat with its head held high and razor-sharp incisors bared lunged toward the edge of the pit. It was the alpha.
Only then did Bukjin realize what had happened. The alpha rat had timed its own earth magic perfectly, liquefying the ground beneath his feet the exact moment he stepped down, bypassing his initial scan.
Bukjin flicked his wrist, firing three hand-arrows in rapid succession.
Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew as the alpha rat used its hardened claws to swat the arrows out of the air. The brief flash of light allowed Bukjin to see the bottom of the pit he had fallen into.
It wasn't just a hole filled with droppings. Scattered among the filth were the carcasses of various magical beasts and half-rotted bone fragments.
Holy... Bukjin’s blood ran cold. This wasn't just a nuisance trap; it was a death marsh. The space beneath the canyon floor was a vast, interconnected network of tunnels and chambers, resembling a primitive, stinking sewer system that stretched out into the darkness.