The Ratman Shaman's End

'I've been waiting for you.'

The Random Teleportation Scroll is the core item for clearing the Underground Waterway. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the reason I hunted Ratmen, scouring every corner of the sewers like a louse-picker, was solely to obtain this single scroll. Now, the preparations were complete. Flora and I headed toward the final area that remained blank on our map.

"Seonbae, just stick to the plan we discussed," I reminded her once more.

The dungeon boss hiding in the deepest part of the Underground Waterway: the Ratman Shaman. According to my calculations, our party's current strength gives us an 80% or higher chance of taking it down. However, that only holds true if the plan goes off without a single hitch. If our luck turns to garbage or an unexpected variable arises...

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'It’ll be a total wipeout.'

I don't mind dying. I can just resurrect. But it’s not just me who dies. Flora dies too. If this kind-hearted girl’s life ends because of my poor judgment... could I really handle that? Could I just move on like nothing happened, the way I used to click my mouse back when I was staring at a monitor screen? I can't "restart" anymore.

The pressure crushed my chest.

'Hey, are you scared? Why are you acting so out of character?'

I shook my head vigorously. I haven't come this far to shrink away now. If I get bogged down in negative thoughts, my field of vision will narrow and my reactions will slow.

Suddenly, my hand felt warm. Flora had placed her hand over mine.

"Estelle-ssi." Flora nodded firmly, as if trying to reassure me. "Everything will be fine. I'm actually quite strong now, you know?"

"...Yeah. You're right, Seonbae."

I forced a smirk. I’m the one who was the strongest player in Nine Stars. There’s no way I’d get frustrated in a low-level dungeon like this. After taking a light breath, I moved forward again.

A single path stretched out before us. On both sides of the road, murky water cascaded like waterfalls, falling endlessly into the depths of the underground. At the end of the path was a room where a faint light leaked out. It was like the temptation of a small flame luring a moth.

The boss of the Underground Waterway, the Ratman Shaman, was in there.

The biggest difficulty in tackling the Shaman is, of course, this: the cheap design of the boss room. 'This part is a real pain.' If you enter defenselessly without prior knowledge, you’ll taste hell.

Built to fit the Ratman's physique, the narrow path is difficult even for a human to walk with their shoulders squared. The moment adventurers pass that path and enter the room, the first thing they encounter is... ten Ratmen fully prepared for battle. Before they can even grasp the situation, they’re swarmed by the Ratmen. Add to that the attacks from the Ratman Shaman standing guard in the back, and there’s no way to hold out.

'It’s basically designed to kill off beginners.'

Of course, it’s only a setup to screw over beginners. If you don't know, you get hit, but if you know in advance, there’s always a countermeasure.

I held Flora’s hand and gripped the Random Teleportation Scroll in my other.

"Shall we go, Seonbae?"

"Okay!"

Somehow, Flora looked less nervous than I did. Is she the type who’s surprisingly good under pressure? I tore the scroll, which was covered in complex patterns.

Whoosh— The mana stored in the scroll sprayed out in a circle, creating smoke. And then, nothing happened. But from now on, we had to hurry. The Random Teleportation Scroll takes effect a certain amount of time after use. I counted the numbers in my head. 5, 4, 3...

"Now!"

We entered the boss room without hesitation.

—Kishishit!

—Human, how dare you...

The red eyes of eleven Ratmen glared at us in unison. Sharp claws lunged from all directions, and the Shaman behind the Ratmen began to chant a spell. At that very moment, exactly at the knife-edge timing I had calculated, the scroll’s effect triggered.

Shu-shu-shuk. Space distorted violently, and I, the Ratmen, and Flora all lost our physical forms and were sucked into a dimensional rift.

"Seonbae, don't ever let go of my hand!" I shouted with all my might. But my voice was twisted and stretched, so I wasn't sure if it would be conveyed properly.

"%@@#4..."

Flora’s lips moved, but I couldn't understand what she was saying. I gave up on communicating and instead squeezed our joined hands even tighter. A moment later, the scenery before my eyes changed completely, and our bodies were thrown onto the floor of the sewer.

"Seonbae!" I looked for Flora first.

"...Ugh, my head. Where, where is this..." Flora clutched her forehead and looked around.

'Thankfully, we landed in the same place, just as planned.'

The mechanism of the Random Teleportation Scroll: if your bodies are touching at the moment of teleportation, it’s judged as "traveling together" and you are moved to the same location.

'And the location is good, too.'

While Flora was bewildered, I quickly checked the surrounding terrain. Looking at the map, we weren't far from the boss room. Luck was on our side.

"Can you move?"

"Ah, yes! I'm okay now."

"Let's move. From now on, it's a race against time."

We started running toward the boss room. The random teleportation effect of the scroll can be easily resisted if you have even a little bit of magic resistance. So, where is the boundary in the Underground Waterway between enemies who have resistance and those who don't? The answer is this: the Ratman Shaman has resistance, but the Ratmen under its command do not. In other words, the Ratman Shaman is left all alone in the boss room right now.

This exquisite boundary is the key point of this dungeon raid. The Ratmen scattered throughout the Underground Waterway must be bewildered right now, trying to find their way back to the boss room, but...

Sorry, but I’m faster. I ran the shortest route looking at the map, and we were near the boss room to begin with.

—Kishishit...!

The Ratman Shaman’s whiskers trembled with rage. We’ve already met, so there’s no need to exchange pleasantries, right?

"Seonbae, stick to the plan!"

Battle start.

Bang! Flora calmly fired a Magic Missile, opening the attack.

—Kishik, clumsy, human...!

The Ratman Shaman swiped its hand as if shooing away a fly, batting the magic away. It didn't do a speck of damage. Well, just as expected. I didn't even have high hopes for it. But my goal from the start was just to interrupt its spellcasting. Even if Flora’s attack was pathetic, the effect of distracting it was certain.

In that gap, I pulled the Phylactery from inside my cloak.

My combat power jumped nearly twofold in an instant. I didn't have the luxury to enjoy it slowly. The effect of the ability release wouldn't last long. I immediately focused my mana into my fingertips.

Magic Missile: Estelle Style

Magic Missile: Attribute Imbuement (Frost)

Zap— The target was the space between its eyes. A laser with amplified output, drawing on the power of the Phylactery, struck the Ratman Shaman’s forehead.

—Kyaaak!

The Ratman Shaman’s eyes rolled back, turning white. However, even though the Magic Missile hit directly, it didn't fall in one blow. 'Tough as expected.' A monster that’s a dungeon boss isn't easy. Even within the game, it had plenty of stat bonuses like toughness and magic resistance. If I can't penetrate it even after hitting a vital spot...

Zap— Zap-zap—

I just had to hit it several times. I didn't stop, burying the second and third Magic Missiles into various parts of its body.

Thud. The Ratman Shaman dropped to one knee. It seems even a boss can't withstand critical damage, as a large hole was blown through its stomach. 'If that had hit its head, it would have been an instant kill—' It’s a bit of a shame, but I’m satisfied that the crit landed.

—Kshaak... I, I will kill you... Definitely...

The Ratman Shaman’s eyes glistened, mixed with pain and hatred. But one of its blood-soaked hands was moving secretly...

'Wait.'

It wasn't just trembling from pain. The Ratman Shaman had completed a strange hand seal, hidden from our sight. As expected of a rat, its cunning is top-notch.

"Seonbae, keep attacking!"

I shouted to Flora and prepared to attack again, but... it was already too late.

—Kishishi— I will restore this flesh and blood...

Spell: "Regeneration."

The gaping wound began to fill in again. It’s a unique skill of the Shaman that maximizes natural healing until health is fully restored. On top of that, the Ratman Shaman used another spell.

—Kishaa... Sha— Grrr... Grr-ark!

Spell: "Wild Liberation."

The face of the Ratman Shaman, which had been in the shape of a cunning rat, twisted hideously. Its stature, which only reached the waist of an adult male, instantly bloated, transforming into a giant with muscles so tight they looked ready to burst.

"You idiot, you think I'm just going to watch?"

While the Ratman Shaman was undergoing its violent mutation, I gripped my dagger and approached. "Frost Sword." I struck its head with all my might with the frost-covered blade, but... Clang— An unpleasant friction sound of bone scraping followed, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and the blade, which had torn through its skin, was blocked, unable to pierce its skull.

The pupils of the Ratman Shaman, with the dagger stuck in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠its forehead, flickered for a moment, then slowly stopped twitching. Soon, it glared at me and slowly stood up. It had grown so large that I had to stand on my tiptoes and tilt my head back as far as I could just to look at its face.

Shit. It grew way too much.

"Estelle-ssi, the Ratmen outside are...!" Flora shouted urgently.

—Kishik—! Help the boss...!

—Tear them to death, gouge their eyes out, Kyat—!

The subordinates who had been scattered everywhere were slowly returning to the boss room.

"D-don't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠come in—! We're closed for business right now...!"

Flora blocked the path with a magic shield without being asked. She could hold out for a while with that, but not for long.

"Seonbae, forget that, attack the Shaman first."

"But the Magic Missiles aren't working at all—"

"It's fine. Just do anything."

The Ratman Shaman, reborn as a muscle-man, cracked its shoulders. In a moment, all its wounds would be healed, and once the full-scale counterattack began, we wouldn't have the means to hold out. We had to decide the outcome now. I straightened my hand and covered it with mana.

"Frost Sword."

My hand was losing all sensation, as if I’d plunged it into icy water in the middle of winter. I didn't have a dagger, but the Frost Sword could be used with my bare hand as a medium. If I delayed too long, my body wouldn't be able to handle it and would succumb to necrosis. And if I went one step further here, pouring everything out without thinking about the consequences...

The white ice blade extended as long as my body. How about this? This should work.

—Kiyat...! What is that... you cheeky human...!

The Ratman Shaman’s gaze changed. Did it instinctively feel the danger? It seemed to realize that if it allowed this attack, it was fucked. Even though its wounds hadn't fully healed, the Ratman Shaman moved its body recklessly.

Swish— With a sound of air being cut, it swung its claws violently.

Shit. Just a little, if I had just one more second, the preparation would be finished. Just as I was about to clash with the Frost Sword, a glass bottle flew from behind me.

—Kishaak?

Both I and the Ratman Shaman stared blankly at the glass bottle for a moment. Soon after, a magic bullet flew and hit the bottle in mid-air with exquisite skill.

Crash! Blue liquid poured over the Ratman Shaman’s head. The Shaman blinked, looking dumbfounded for a moment. Then, its eyes slowly narrowed.

—Kraaaaark! Gaa...!

The Ratman Shaman clutched its eyes, letting out a groan of agony. Deadly Poison Potion. And a combo with Magic Missile. A.k.a. "Eyeball Terror." I had taught it to Flora, but I hadn't had high hopes that it would work in a real battle.

"Seonbae, you're the best. That was really cool just now!"

"Now is the time, Estelle-ssi! Finish it off!"

I didn't need to be told. As I rushed forward, Flora’s magic shield appeared before my eyes at the perfect timing. Nice assist. I stepped on the shield as a springboard and leaped with all my might. My field of vision suddenly rose sharply. I looked down at the Ratman Shaman’s giant body beneath my feet. I held the Frost Sword high.

Slash—

I plunged down like a flash of light.