When I stepped through the doorway, the door closed behind me. I was surrounded by darkness with the exception of a single light. Hanging on the wall was a small metal sphere on a rope. The metal ball pulsed with a soft yellow glow. I took the strange lamp by the rope and nodded as I took my next steps down the stairs into the cellar.

  This odd lanturn is convenient. It seems that finding the rats will be the hardest part by the looks of things.

  As I descended the stairs, the air grew cooler, albeit laced with the scent of alcohol. The cellar came into view as I reached the bottom, and I swept my lamp across the space, illuminating rows of barrels lining the stone walls. On the far side of the cellar, shelves held an assortment of items. Most displayed wine or beer bottles. A few held small instruments I’d never seen before. I’m sure they had something to do with all the barrels around.

  Whatever. I’m here as a test to kill rats with a knife. Why a knife? Is that supposed to make it harder, or what? What am I supposed to do with this? Stab the rats? It doesn’t sound too dangerous. Why did he make it sound so?

  I scoured the room for any signs of the elusive rodents and found none. With a frown, I moved on to the next room, where there were even more barrels. They stood stacked from floor to ceiling, and some had spigots protruding out. As I made my way through the room, I heard a peculiar scratching noise from somewhere beyond the next doorway. I tightened my grip on the dagger. The leather on the handle pressed against my palm as my knuckles turned white. I cautiously advanced, my lamp guiding the way.

  The scratching grew louder, filling the room with an eerie cacophony until I stood at the threshold, frozen in shock. What I saw before me was not a rat, but a grotesque hybrid of a rodent and a human. Its mangy fur clung to its wiry frame, and its bloodshot eyes locked onto mine. I shrieked and dropped the lamp. The light didn’t go out, but it bounced on the ground before rolling behind me. Instinctively, I turned to head out of the cellar. Before I could get far, the creature pounced on me from behind.

  I barely managed to keep my face from slamming into the ground, but in that brief struggle, I noticed that the creature was slightly shorter than me. Sharp claws dug into my back, causing me to scream in pain.

  Am I going to die again? Pain radiated from my back. No! Not again. This time, I’m fighting for my life!

  I rolled over and swung the dagger at the creature. It fell to the side, its claws shredding more of my back, but my dagger cut its forearm. Freed, I scrambled to my feet away from the creature. When I turned around, I saw it licking the wound I caused.

  “Yes. Fight. Make good mate.” Its raspy voice sent a shiver down my bleeding spine. Then I got a good look at it and wished I hadn’t. The creature reminded me of a werewolf from horror movies, except it wasn’t a wolf, but a rat instead. It was also completely naked, allowing me to see it was obviously male, and his statement of a mate made my eye twitch. “Yes, good mate.”

  I gagged. Anything but that.

  I started backpedaling, keeping the dagger raised and pointed at the creature. He crept on all fours towards me. When I made it to the threshold of the first room, the rat monster leaped, claws outstretched. I swiped the blade across my body while holding it with both hands. The dagger stabbed through one of the creature’s hands, but he still tackled me.

  I grunted as I hit the ground. The monster stood over me, pulling the dagger out of his hand. He threw the blade away and grinned at me. I kicked him in the gut and scrambled towards the ladder.

  I need to get out of here.

  A clawed hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back, throwing me into a shelf full of wine bottles. Also, he gave me four cuts on my shoulder. The bottles rattled as I tried to stay on my feet. The creature held his claws out as he marched up to me. When he got close to me, I grabbed one of the wine bottles by my head and swung for his head.

  He leaned back, and my attack missed. As my arm crossed my body, he grabbed my wrist and slashed it with his claws. I dropped the bottle, and it crashed against the stone floor. He took another step towards me and stepped on a shard of glass. He flinched back, and I took the opportunity to shove him even further.

  The glass didn’t puncture my shoes as I ran over it to get away from the monster, but he followed me. I grabbed one of the shelves and tried to throw it at the creature, hoping to do some severe damage. The shelves toppled onto the rat monster. Bottles of alcohol bottles hammered against him but didn’t do visible damage. They did, however, shatter as they hit the ground, leaving a rather nasty trap of shattered glass surrounding him. He shrugged off the shelves as he narrowed his eyes on me.

  Good, that should at least give me the time to run away.

  Before I could run, the creature pounced for me again. I ducked underneath, but as I stood up to run after he sailed over me, he pounced again as soon as he hit the ground. He tackled me onto all the broken glass from the shelf.

  I felt all the glass stab into every part of my body. My head, my back, arms, and legs. There was nothing I could do but scream. The rat monster didn’t take pity on me as he opened his jaws and bit into my shoulder. I felt his teeth scrape against my bones.

  He released me from his bite and crawled off me. “Strong mate survives.” He turned and started licking his wounds.

  “Patience. Patience!” It sounded like the creature was scolding himself. “Wait for mate. Get food, be ready. Yes.” He mumbled as he walked away.

  I didn’t pay much more attention to where he went as my shoulder burned and my vision blurred. After all that, I’m still going to die. Mr. Black was right. I’m not ready. This was stupid to even try.

  Then Mr. Black stood over me, his arms held behind him. “Do you understand now, Miss Lone? The Soul Nexus is unforgiving and dangers you can’t comprehend await you.”

  I writhed on the ground. More glass dug into my back while other pieces sank deeper. “Help me, please.”

  His wrinkled face frowned. “Even still you wish to defy your fate? Only the suffering of existence awaits you.”

  “I don’t want to die,” I whispered. It was getting harder to breathe. “I can’t.”

  Mr. Black held forward one of his hands. In it was a bottle of black liquid. “If you want my help, you will have to see this through to the end. There will be no chance to back out again. You will be playing by my rules. Is that a price you’re prepared to pay?”

  I nodded weakly.

  It looked like he swallowed a large lump in his throat. “So be it.”

  The bottle in his hand began to vibrate before shattering in his hand and showering me in both shards of glass and whatever liquid was inside. He pulled out a second bottle. The same thing happened. Two more bottles followed the second in rapid succession, soaking me in whatever heavy liquid that was.

  Then something appeared in my vision.

  Compatible host.

  No system found.

  Sufficient cosmic energy supplied.

  What? There was no voice, just a simple message in a small blue box in the center of my vision.

  Installing system…1%

  The whole situation was more than I could handle. I wanted to ask Mr. Black what was happening, but he was gone, as if he was never there.

  He sent me down here to kill rats as a test. I found a giant rat-person monster who bit me. He deliberately tried to kill me. How could he just leave me lying on a bunch of broken glass and a puddle of wine and have been soaked in a strange liquid when I asked him for help. And why is this little blue box telling me there’s something being installed?

  Installing…3%

  There it is again! What’s installing and where? And why am I seeing this box like a little text message?

  My shoulder and back started feeling warm. I could feel the blood oozing out of countless cuts and the bite, but there was more. It felt like my wounds were already infected and inflamed. Then the heat grew into a more painful burning until all I could feel was my body engulfed in the horrible sensation.

  Installing…7% Collecting all available material…

  The searing pain continued to grow. Then there was the weird sensation of something crawling into my back. Millions of tiny pinpricks outlined every cut on my back.

  I wanted to scream. But my screams died in my throat. My eyes bulged from their sockets as my back arched. The ceiling was still barely visible from the lamp that still rolled on the floor. Make it stop! Please, I’ll do anything.

  Installing…15% Error…Foreign DNA found.

  Foreign DNA? I couldn’t think too much more as the pain cranked up another level, and I went from a silent scream to being unable to breathe. My heart pounded in my chest as the rest of my body locked up. I couldn’t flail around anymore.

  Installing…25% Expelling corrupted wererat DNA…

  My shoulder started spraying blood.

  Installing…37% Stabilizing host…

  The burning sensation started to ease up, but my body still wouldn’t respond. I still couldn’t scream for help.

  Currency module installed.

  Upgrade module installed.

  Host baseline confirmed.

  Language module installed.

  Installing…55% Connection established. Building interface.

  Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

  A series of blue boxes flashed across my vision. Each one vanished before the new one appeared. I didn’t know what to make of all the messages. I was in too much pain to comprehend my situation at all. And even as my vision blurred, the boxes in my vision were perfectly visible. The pain died down for the time being, and I could comprehend what I was reading.

  Installing…77% Paused. Inquiry:

  Which type of enhancement is the host’s preference? (Please select one.)

  1: Mystical enhancement. Nanites will infuse the host with more primordial energy. This will augment the host to become more in tune with the elements as the host takes on the characteristics of each element.

  2: DNA evolution. The host can absorb DNA from harvested lifeforms and choose which traits to augment their body with. Nanites will perfectly fuse the host’s DNA with the harvested DNA. There will be a 0% chance of rejection, failure, and uncontrolled mutations. These traits can be replaced, enhanced, or combined.

  3: Artificial augmentation. Nanites will enhance the host’s body by replacing parts with cybernetic versions. These parts can be replaced or enhanced further.

  4: Locked. Artificial soul detected.

  5: Locked. Host is not a dragon.

  6: Locked. Host is not undead.

  7: Omnithrope Infection. The nanites will be converted to act like a non-transmutable unique virus. The host will gain various werecreature traits and be able to upgrade them. Further were-forms will be available for the host as well. Each form will empower the host and be able to be used interchangeably.

  Several others continued saying locked for various reasons, from obvious to outright ridiculous. What on Earth is a miniature giant space hamster? The pain had lessened significantly, but my body wasn’t moving. My eyes closed themselves, leaving me to see only the swarm of blue notifications. Thankfully, all the ones that said “Locked” disappeared, leaving me with only four choices.

  Why don’t I feel the need to breathe? I can’t even feel the passage of time. Whatever is going on, something wants me to choose between these three options. None of them sound pleasant. I don’t like the idea of taking on the characteristics of elements. That just sounds wrong in a lot of ways.

  I considered the second option. Fusing DNA? That’s going to be a hard no for me. You just said that you expelled foreign DNA, and now you want me to willingly alter my DNA? You must be out of your mind. Also, that sounds like the fastest way to become some disgusting freak like that lizard slug at the gate.

  Then I looked at the description of the omnithrope. No, just no. Never in a million years. That sounds like something straight out of a horror film.

  That left only one option left.

  Artificial augmentation selected. Resuming installation.

  Wait! I didn’t say I wanted that one, yet.

  Installing…95% Please select starting augment…

  Overwritten…Fixed selection, cellular regeneration augment selected.

  Re-initializing senses…Done.

  Re-initializing motor function…Done.

  Returning host to peak condition…Done.

  Installation… 100%

  My eyes snapped open as I gasped for breath. The air, as musty as it was, tasted sweeter. It felt cooler against my skin. I could feel the broken glass against my back, but not in it. All the spilled wine was soaking into the shredded back of my clothes. Nothing felt like it had dried yet, but it still felt disgusting.

  I heard what sounded like tapping. The glass shifted as I sat up. Pieces of glass tumbled onto the stone floor. The licking stopped, and I saw the world’s largest rat sitting on the ground next to me. It wasn’t the humanoid rat, but an actual—albeit oversized—rat. Its head was turned towards me and its whiskers were twitching as it sniffed me.

  I freaked out and tried to scramble away. My hands caught several small pieces of glass that I then threw at its face. It flinched back as it covered its face. Several small cuts lined my hand as I rolled out of the glass.

  The maliciousness in the rat’s eyes had me looking for the dagger. The dagger was along the wall, too far away. So I grabbed the largest piece of sharp glass within reach. The rat pounced. I rolled past him and further from the glass. It landed on the broken wine bottles.

  Uh, where did the black liquid go? Nevermind. Concentrate on the impossibly large rat.

  The rat let out a screech as the glass sliced open its paws. I charged him, my piece of glass angled to stab at him. Glass crunching under my shoes caused the animal to turn to face me, only to have the piece of glass in my hands stab into his neck. I could feel the glass slide in my grip and cut my hand further. But it looked like I hit something vital, as blood seeped from his neck.

  I looked down when I felt an itch in my palm. The lines where my hand was cut from the glass stopped bleeding. Somehow, I could feel the skin closing up and healing.

  What the…?

  My thought was disrupted as the creature scrambled over the broken glass towards me again. Pools of blood mixed with the wine with each step. Its claws slashed at my legs, and I felt the claw scrape against my shin bone. I stumbled backwards and put my hand on my leg. Again, the itching sensation returned, but on my leg, I could clearly feel the wounds close up and stop bleeding.

  The rat stumbled as it took another step towards me. Blood matted most of his fur at that point. It reached for me and wheezed before going limp. In the bottom right corner of my vision, I saw a small display of one hundred and fifty. I blinked, and the message disappeared.

  What is that?

  I heard other scratching and squeaking sounds. Two more rats just as large as the first were stalking towards me. Coincidentally, they were also blocking my path to the ladder out. I scrambled over to the dagger and picked it up.

  The rats continued to pad along as they kept their eyes locked on me. I really don’t want to fight both of them at once. Looking to the doorway where I found the monstrous rat person thing my head instantly turned away and towards the other doorway.

  The two rats took off after me just as I sprinted for the other room. Their claws scraped against the stone floor as I jumped over a line of barrels. One rat followed me by jumping on top of them.

  I wildly swung the dagger at the three foot long rat. I wasn’t expecting to hit it and was hoping more to keep it from charging me.

  The rat’s yellow eyes glinted as it leaped from the barrel to the ground. The other rat scrambled around the barrels. I backed further into the room. My reflexes, somehow quicker than before, flashed the dagger between the second rat. The blade met resistance and then sank deep into the rat’s shoulder. It screeched an ear-splitting sound that echoed through the room.

  Before I could even process the victory, the first rat circled around from behind me. With a powerful spring, it launched itself at me with its claws outstretched. I sidestepped just in time, feeling the rush of air as the rat’s body flew past. It crashed into a shelf of dusty bottles, knocking a few of them off and shattering them.

  The rat recovered quickly, shaking off the broken glass and whirling to face me again. My grip tightened on the dagger as I held it up between us. The rat I cut licked its wound a few times before limping towards the doorway while keeping its eyes on me.

  The unharmed rat’s movements were more cautious. It circled me, keeping its body low. I looked around and saw that there was another doorway that led to another room. If I head through that door, will it circle back to the entrance?

  Likely sensing my hesitation, the rat lunged to my right. It slashed its claws through my knee. I screamed as I stumbled back. The familiar sensation of something rapidly healing the wound returned. I have super healing now. It still hurts though.

  As the pain seared through my knee, I gritted my teeth and focused on the rat. Sensing my vulnerability, it lunged again with its claws aimed at my face. Reacting on instinct, I brought up my dagger and caught its neck with my weapon.

  The animal went limp as it pushed me to the ground and onto my back. In the corner of my vision, there was another display of one hundred and fifty that rapidly counted up to three hundred.

  I didn’t have time to consider what happened. Even though the rat on top of me was dead, the other one was running towards my face. I used the rat corpse on top of me as a shield to save me from more pain.

  Both rats tumbled together, freeing my dagger as I rolled away and to my feet. I glanced at the other doorway, contemplating my options. Then my blood froze as the humanoid rat creature walked into the doorway.

  But before I could move, the rat untangled itself from its partner and bit down on my ankle. My leg collapsed as it went limp. I slashed the dagger at the wounded rat, my dagger cut into its side but clipped a bone.

  It wasn’t enough to kill it, but the attack was enough to get the rat to let me go while stumbling away. I could see its breathing was also suddenly more ragged as blood seeped from its wound.

  The injured rat, now limping heavily, retreated towards the doorway, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. I crawled away from it as I watched my ankle straighten itself and recover its strength.

  With what I could only assume was a smirk, the rat creature leaned forward on a couple of barrels. “No mate? If not mate, then food.”

  With my ankle and knee miraculously healed, I regained my footing and tightened my grip on the dagger. The wounded rat was retreating, leaving a trail of blood behind.

  Knowing I wouldn’t be able to outrun the rat creature, I lunged towards him. With a swift strike, I aimed for its face. My dagger found its mark, slicing through the creature’s cheek.

  The rat creature howled in pain as it swiped its claws across my chest. His claws dug deep and left four deep gouges and sent me spinning until I fell sprawled out onto the ground.

  The wounded rat’s body was lying in the doorway, completely still as the puddle of blood around it grew ever so slightly. The three hundred in the corner of my vision then jumped up to four hundred and fifty.

  I really wanted to know what was going on, but the rat creature picked me up and threw me into a stack of barrels. I could feel something in my back crack before I fell to the ground in immense pain.

  My vision swam as I tried to stand back up. The rat creature stalked closer, a wicked smile on its face.

  I reached out and grabbed a nearby wine bottle. I threw it at the monster with everything I had left in me.

  He leaned back to easily avoid the projectile. The monster reached down and grabbed my leg. It lifted me up and held me in the air. My other arms flailed around, desperate to find anything to pull me away from it.

  It threw me into the far corner of the room, far away from both exits. The impact with the wall knocked the wind out of me as I crumpled into a heap on the ground.

  A small blue box flashed in the corner of my vision as the monster approached me.

  Warning: Severe damage sustained. Energy levels critical.

  The monster grabbed me by the neck and lifted me off the ground. My legs desperately kicked at the creature, but the monster was too strong. As the pressure increased, I raised the dagger and stabbed into its forearm. The creature flinched and tried to throw me away, but as it snapped its arm back, I held onto the dagger with both hands.

  The dagger and my body stayed together as I hit the wall again. It dropped me to the ground and ripped the dagger out of its forearm. I could see a red cascade of blood flowing from the grievous wound I inflicted.

  The rat creature was heavily bleeding as it cradled its wounded arm. Every movement wracked my body with pain as I tried to push myself up and run to the exit. A growl rumbled behind me before claws dug into my back and hoisted me up.

  I screamed as it felt like I was being ripped in half. The rat then chomped down on my shoulder. His teeth dug into me. My bones shifted from the force of the bite. Desperately, I stabbed at his head. I couldn’t aim or get a good swing, but I had to do something. I need to survive.

  The rat creature released my shoulder, and I slumped to the floor. The pain was unbearable, but I couldn’t do anything. My body was too weak to move, and my vision was blurring. There was a heavy thump and the sound of something pouring onto the ground.

  A small box flashed in the bottom corner of my vision, the small number in the corner of my vision became three thousand one hundred. Rolling to my side, I saw the rat monster had my dagger in its eye and a barrel that had a spigot was now pouring beer onto its unmoving corpse.

  It’s over. I’m alive.

  However, it wasn’t enough to ease the pain. I could feel the blood seeping out of me. The itching returned, but this time, I couldn’t feel my legs. I couldn’t tell if they were healing or not. The outer ring of my vision was darkening.

  Several deep breaths calmed me down as I could feel the pain slowly subsiding as the itching covered my body. What’s going on? What’s with these numbers that show up when I kill these monsters? And how do these monsters exist? Somebody better have some answers for what is going on.

  I looked up to the source of a scratching sound. Staring at me inches from my face was another rat. Its yellow eyes blinked as a drop of drool hit my forehead. I barely got my arm up to protect my face as it dropped from the barrel.

  It latched onto my arm and pulled it. With a primal scream I drove the dagger into the base of its neck. It instantly went limp and released my arm. The number in the corner of my vision rose another hundred and fifty.

  The sound of clapping echoed throughout the cellar. I turned to Mr. Black standing over the one rat clapping his hands. “Well done. You stand a chance now.”

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