What on Earth is This Smell?
The pungent stench was so overwhelming that Bukjin’s head spun for a moment. There’s poison in the Ghost Rat’s droppings!Bukjin screamed internally as he scrambled to escape the pit. Compared to Baek Geum-un, Bukjin’s movement techniques and Mystic Energy were far superior; a trap of this depth shouldn't have been enough to hold him. However, the Ghost Rat King had no intention of letting him go.
The white tuft of fur between the Ghost Rat King’s eyes flashed with a brilliant light. It was casting a spell. Suddenly, the mud at the top of the pit began to writhe and squirm as if it were alive, surging downward to bury Bukjin alive. Fortunately, Bukjin’s reaction speed was exceptional. He managed to thrust his upper body out of the hole just before the mud completely sealed the entrance.
"Dammit!" Bukjin sputtered, speechless at the absurdity of the situation. Right then, a sharp, searing pain shot up from his calf. Letting out a strangled cry, Bukjin poured every ounce of strength into wrenching his legs free from the muck. When he looked down, he saw three deep gashes on his right calf, oozing blood.
"Son of a—!"
It was the Earth-Tunneling Technique. The Ghost Rat King could move through the mud as effortlessly as a fish through water, striking its prey with razor-sharp claws from below. Luckily, Bukjin’sPeerless Sword Body was highly developed, so the wound was relatively shallow. Had it been Han Bul-bu or any of the other students, their leg would have been halfway severed. In the earth, this muscular Ghost Rat was a truly elusive and terrifying predator.
Gritting his teeth, Bukjin summoned his Virtue Sword. Gripping the hilt with both hands, he unleashed a relentless barrage of strikes against the ground. The earth trembled violently under the assault. Faced with such overwhelming force, the Ghost Rat King retreated, not daring to show its face. But the moment Bukjin paused to catch his breath, the creature lunged back into the fray with lightning speed.
"You slippery little bastard!" Bukjin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. When they first entered the canyon, he had wished for a 'Taunt' skill to draw the monsters' attention. Now, his wish had been granted with a vengeance—the Ghost Rat King was hyper-focused on him and him alone.
Bukjin’s movements became a blur of frantic activity. Fortunately, his mental fortitude was immense, allowing him to react to the Ghost Rat King’s erratic patterns. Thus, the man and the rat remained locked in a desperate, clinging struggle. Eventually, the cacophony of squeals echoing through the canyon began to fade. While the Ghost Rat King was formidable, its subordinates were not. Under the relentless pressure from Han Bul-bu and the others, the rest of the pack had either been slaughtered or scattered in terror.
As the Ghost Rats vanished, the thick clouds of dust finally began to settle.
"Haa... haa..." Han Bul-bu panted heavily. Beside him, Ak Hong-hyang was drenched in sweat. Baek Geum-un had retreated to a nearby stream, stripping off her filth-stained outer skirt to wash it. All three had fulfilled their duties, each having hunted at least ten Ghost Rats.
A moment later, Baek Geum-un returned from the stream, her clothes damp in several places. "Let's head back," Han Bul-bu said. All three bore various minor nicks and scratches, though none were deep. On the other side of the clearing, Bukjin was also gasping for air, looking utterly exhausted. The Ghost Rat King had been an incredibly troublesome opponent. Its hide was as hard as steel, and its thick muscles seemed capable of exerting at least five hundred pounds of force. It was an expert at hurling sharp stones and could dive into the earth in the blink of an eye.
Worn out, Bukjin lost the desire to continue the hunt. "Phew, that's enough! No point wasting all my energy on that thing in a life-or-death struggle." He decided to call it quits. The Ghost Rat King, too, seemed to have vanished back into the depths of the earth.
"Did it retreat after realizing it couldn't win?" Bukjin wondered as he sheathed his sword. The four of them gathered their kills and cautiously made their way back through the narrow path of the canyon.
Shortly after the four humans departed, a few round, chubby Ghost Rat pups tumbled out from a corner of the canyon. They stared toward the exit and began to squeak piteously, as if calling out to someone. Soon, a mother Ghost Rat hopped onto a boulder. She raised her paws, gesturing and mimicking movements as if trying to communicate.
Where is the Great King? Where is our Great King?
Only then did the Ghost Rats realize that their leader—the one who had taught them to fight, protected them, and led them to this fertile territory—was nowhere to be found. Could he have been defeated by those villains just now? The canyon erupted into a frantic chorus of squeaks and cries.
Suddenly, a Ghost Rat emerged from the ground, chattering excitedly. The entire pack let out a cheer and began digging furiously. Moments later, within a massive pit they had excavated together, they found the Ghost Rat King. He was unconscious, slumped against a subterranean rock formation. The rats dragged their king out and laid him on a high flat rock, frantically pressing on his chest as if trying to perform resuscitation.
Finally, the Ghost Rat King slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he did upon regaining consciousness was cover his face with both paws. He looked utterly mortified. In truth, he had been moving so fast while using his Earth-Tunneling Technique that he had accidentally slammed his head into a massive boulder and knocked himself out cold. As the Ghost Rat King sat up, the pack cheered and hopped around in joy.
A moment later, the Ghost Rats lined up in two rows, their expressions filled with lingering regret as they prepared to see their leader off. Standing tall at the canyon entrance, the Ghost Rat King’s eyes gleamed with grim determination. He waved a paw at his subjects, then turned and marched gallantly toward the forest, his broad back radiating a sense of heroic destiny. He was the king of the Ghost Rats, a male with the burning ambition to become the Emperor of his kind. He could not let the invaders go unpunished.
Revenge. I will have revenge on those who slaughtered my kin!
"It took you half an hour to complete the mission. That is longer than the planned time," Ban Hoe-min said with a stoic face as the four disheveled students returned. "However, the previous reconnaissance failed to detect the presence of a Ghost Rat King. Since this was an unforeseen variable, I will grant you a passing grade."
Suddenly, Cho Heun pinched his nose. "What on earth is that smell?"
Han Bul-bu gave a bitter smile and opened his mouth to explain, but Bukjin and Baek Geum-un shouted in unison, "Don't say it!"
"Huh?" Baek Geum-un looked at Bukjin, her eyes narrowing with sudden suspicion as if she had realized something. "Senior, don't tell me..."
"It's not what you think. I did not fall into a pit of filth. You're mistaken," Bukjin insisted. Hearing their exchange, Ak Hong-hyang and Han Bul-bu immediately took several steps away from Bukjin. They had already been keeping a cautious distance from Baek Geum-un, wondering why the stench was so strong even though she was far away. It turned out Baek Geum-un wasn't the only one who had taken a dip in the 'rat latrine.'
"Alright, let's move on to the next objective," Cho Heun said, leading the students out of the valley and deeper into the heart of Bukhwang Mountain.
After they left, a burly Ghost Rat emerged from the ground, twitching its nose and sniffing the air. It immediately began tracking the direction Bukjin’s group had taken. Half a day passed quickly, and night began to fall. A temporary camp was set up by a small river flowing through the mountain. Ban Hoe-min sprinkled a special medicinal powder around the tents. It served to repel poisonous insects and snakes, and was effective at keeping most wild beasts at bay.
Bukjin dug a hole by the riverbank and lined the bottom with pebbles. He then filled the hole with water and climbed in, scrubbing every inch of his body clean. Seeing this, Baek Geum-un, Han Bul-bu, and Ak Hong-hyang followed suit, digging their own pits to wash away the filth and grime of the day.
"Have you lived in the wild before?" Ban Hoe-min asked, observing Bukjin’s efficient methods.
"No, sir. It's just a method I thought of," Bukjin replied. In reality, he had read books like 'Survival in the Woods' back on Earth. A short while later, a campfire blazed brightly at the riverside camp. The flickering light cast a warm, orange glow on the faces of the young men and women. They were exhausted after a full day of travel and their battle with the Ghost Rats. However, this first taste of real combat in the wilderness was a fresh experience for them, and they were growing without even realizing it.
In particular, a faint, subtle killing intent was beginning to form around the students who had hunted magical beasts and seen blood. Their composure and ability to react in real combat were also improving. This was the true benefit of such a trial. Killing beasts was different from killing humans, but the experience of a life-and-death struggle was an invaluable lesson for the students of the 3rd Academy.
Not far from the tents, a burly Ghost Rat watched the students with wary eyes. For a moment, a look of deep resentment flared in its gaze. It had just witnessed the humans—the ones who had slaughtered its kin—skewering its fallen comrades on wooden sticks and roasting them over the fire. The Ghost Rat King knew exactly who those dead rats were.
Humans are cruel creatures. Just you wait. This Great Emperor of the Ghost Rats will make you pay! The Ghost Rat King renewed his vow of revenge. But a moment later...
Wait... what is that smell? It smells... incredible. The rat fell into deep thought as it stared at its kin being roasted to perfection over the fire. How can it smell this good? Is this the scent of grilled meat? Is fire-roasted meat tastier than fruit or grass? The Ghost Rat King felt as if a whole new world was opening up before his eyes.
"These should be ready to eat now," Cho Heun said, carving up the well-cooked Ghost Rat meat and handing portions to the students. Bukjin hesitated for a moment, then declined the meat.
"We shouldn't just eat wild animals recklessly," Bukjin warned. "Especially with rat meat—what if we catch some kind of plague or parasite?"