Chapter 4: The Beautiful Girl, "Rat King"

Upon reaching their destination, the rat catcher Bevis narrowed his eyes, his deep pupils reflecting caution and vigilance. He meticulously scrutinized every corner of the vast, azure-hued underground passage. As a seasoned rat catcher, he sensed a faint yet undeniable threat lurking in the depths, as if a pair of hidden eyes in the shadows were relentlessly watching them.

He had once ventured here before to investigate, but found nothing of note. This time, however, the feeling was far more intense—a mysterious, unknown change that stirred unease within him.

“Is this the place?” Bevis asked, his voice rough. Were it not for the five gold coins promised, he would have preferred not to linger.

“Yes,” Zorn replied, gently rubbing his palm and nodding slightly. Before coming, he had prepared thoroughly. Beneath his relatively loose formal attire, he wore iron bracers on his arms, designed to withstand the bites of the Rat King. At his waist hung a revolver loaded with bullets, and his pocket held a small pouch of lime powder.

They proceeded along the quiet, blue-glowing moss-covered passage. After a short distance, Zorn stopped at a spot marked with the emblem of two intertwined serpents etched into the wall. Looking up, it was as if the rings of time unfolded within his eyes. Despite the passage of many years, the twin serpent insignia remained vividly alive, and the surrounding blue moss seemed to shy away from the emblem’s presence, as if fearful of some lingering power.

“This place… still harbors the power of the Solar Twin Serpents,” Zorn mused. “Just as my inheritance as a perfect vessel is awakening, other forces lie dormant here, awaiting revival.”

He studied the strange scene before him thoughtfully. “There’s a dangerous aura here. Perhaps… we are very close to the Rat King.” Preparing to open the door, Zorn spoke softly, “Be ready for a fight.”

“Rat King?” Bevis’s thoughts suddenly sharpened. Indeed, five gold coins were not easily earned.

As Zorn chanted the ancient incantation in the sacred Maya tongue to unlock the “Twin Serpent Gate,” a chilling wind swept through. Then, with a creak, a magical door slowly opened before them.

Normally, this “Twin Serpent Gate” could only be unlocked after a rat plague, following the church members and law enforcement’s purge of underground creatures. Only then would they discover the incantation from the scrolls, which the church would seal away, unknown to the outside world.

But here lay the advantage of being a Player—like a prophet, Zorn could grasp the world’s hidden threads and secrets with precision. Not only did he know the incantation to open this gate, but he was also fully aware of the materials, rituals, and spells required to awaken the unspeakable higher entity known as the Twin Serpent, hidden in the depths.

Yet, if Zorn were to revive that terrifying entity now, he would be the first to be consumed.

As the magical door opened, a scene unfolded before the three like a dream’s painting. Within a serene stone chamber covered with glowing blue moss lay a naked silver-haired girl of about fifteen or sixteen, reclining on a grayish plush mattress. She propped herself up slightly, her pale red eyes rippling with surprise as she gazed upon the unexpected visitors, her delicate, fair face marked by shock. Her slender, graceful figure was laid bare before them.

Zorn regarded this sensuous tableau with a teasing smile. Bevis, the experienced rat catcher, frowned, sensing something amiss but unable to pinpoint it. The young apprentice’s heart raced and cheeks flushed; such a seductive scene was something he had only ever dreamed of.

Suddenly, the beautiful image warped into a terrifying demon’s visage.

“Hiss—”

The girl snapped her mouth open, revealing black fangs. A sharp, furious roar pierced the minds of the three like steel needles.

“Damn!” Dizzy and disoriented, Bevis realized the danger too late. In a daze, he saw the graceful girl rushing toward them at an impossible speed. Pale, needle-like fur sprouted rapidly over her body. Her fingers glinted coldly like blades, and a long, steel-bar-like tail trailed behind her.

The alluring maiden instantly transformed into a bloodthirsty Rat King, hunting its prey.

“Damn… she’s the Rat King!” Bevis’s heart trembled as he desperately tried to evade. But the blood-red pupils in his sight grew larger and larger—he could not escape. He seemed to smell the foul stench of the gaping maw about to devour him.

The rat catcher was doomed.

At that moment, a strong hand suddenly shoved him aside.

“Crack!”

The Rat King’s bite missed its mark.

From the corner of his eye, Bevis glimpsed the noble youth engaged in combat with the Rat King.

As the era of steam technology gradually revived, the new breed of rat catchers had never witnessed the life form of a Rat King boss. But Zorn, a veteran who had danced through countless steam waves, was intimately familiar with the Rat King.

The false Rat King dwelt in sewers, drinking dirty water and scavenging trash—filthy and foul. The true Rat King roamed the city of Ogland, disguised as a drunken beauty, luring lustful passersby, then striking with lethal precision to enjoy her dinner alone.

The sewer chamber was merely her refuge; Ogland City was her hunting ground.

Aware of the Rat King’s methods, Zorn’s iron-willed Starmark Fighter sequence was more than enough to withstand the first-level Rat King’s “Wails of Resentment and Sorrow.”

He pushed the rat catcher aside and engaged the Rat King in a fierce struggle.

“Bang, bang, bang…”

Zorn’s punches came swiftly. His basic Skull-Cracking Fist dealt 1.5 times damage to the head, inflicting stun and suppression.

Each blow struck the silver-glimmering Rat King’s skull with brutal force. Though forced to retreat step by step, her crimson eyes still gleamed with ferocious bloodlust. As a first-level Rat King, her resilience was formidable.

While under attack, she sought an opening to counterstrike.

Casting a glance at the two stillI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.