Chapter 57: Cave Rat: Leader!

The dense swarm of cave rats surged like a tide, closely following behind several people.

A fire-oil bomb the size of a bowl was thrown over.

"Squeak squeak squeak..."

What answered Ta Ke was a huge number of cave rats' urgent and angry squeaks.

"Did you poke a rat's nest?"

Ta Ke looked toward Ta Ni Lu.

"How would I know? I was merely breaking free of your sheep-transformation spell in the depths of the cavern."

"Just after breaking free, this group of cave rats somehow burst out from somewhere."

Ta Ni Lu spoke while running, panting.

This guy is already somewhat exhausted.

"Perhaps... you shouldn't have changed back; at least a sheep runs faster than you."

Ta Ke teased.

"Alright, you go ahead; I'll cover the rear."

"There are many cave rats; later, when we reach the Undead Rift Area, it will have some impact on the defense line."

"Then be careful." A Man Di said.

"You too!"

After giving a brief reminder, he also glanced at Ta Ni Lu.

Ta Ni Lu clearly felt Ta Ke's distrust, and he exclaimed angrily:

"Damn it, I'm a priest; do you expect me to assassinate a necromancer?"

"That's also true."

Ta Ke slowed his steps.

The fire-oil bombs began to be thrown one after another.

As the fire-oil bombs kept exploding, large numbers of cave rats, mutated by the ash and dark tide influence, were continually burned to death by Ta Ke's fire oil.

These cave rats are only level five or six, at most level eight or nine.

The night priest Ta Ni Lu perhaps cannot perform a large-scale cleansing.

But for Ta Ke, who is combat-oriented, any number coming is just free food.

During the cleanup, Ta Ke also kept retreating.

After all, there are simply too many cave rats—dense and endless, wave after wave, like a tide.

With the large-scale slaughter of cave rats.

The hunting trait of the cave ecology began to take effect.

Ta Ke clearly felt that pure source energy, turning into tiny streams of meridians, slowly flowed into his wizard ecology.

Through his own cultivation, absorption, and the "source energy experience" gained from killing, it directly enters his wizard ecology.

While the source energy obtained by the system goes into system storage.

The source energy stored in the wizard ecology has a limit.

Whereas the system has unlimited reserves of "source energy experience."

Feeling the manifestation of the hunting trait.

Ta Ke's mind surfaced many deep understandings of the "supernatural ecology trait."

The "ecology trait" of supernatural ecology is the embodiment and precipitation of the region's sequential power.

For example, the ecology trait of "cave ecology" is 【Hunting】.

Within the cave passages, killing other creatures yields a certain amount of "source energy experience."

As one goes deeper, the proportion of this "source energy experience" will continually rise.

Near the Demon King's Underground City, this proportion reaches its peak.

And as one approaches the surface, the effect of 【Hunting】 will gradually diminish.

Once on the surface, there will no longer be the 【Hunting】 trait.

The surface does not belong to the cave supernatural ecology region.

It is said, the world after passing through the Demon King's Underground City.

Heading to the deeper world, the "Purgatory Layer."

There dwell powerful demons, devils, magic dragons, and many purgatory-system creatures.

【Slaughter】 is the supernatural ecology trait there.

At this moment.

Ta Ke, through slaughter, is enjoying the source energy experience brought by the 【Hunting】 trait of the cave region's ecology.

"Cave rat tide?"

Ta Ke's eyes narrowed slightly.

"It's completely just sending me experience."

Not only is this the case for Ta Ke,

but for many spellcasters with decent ability, it's the same.

The 【Hunting】 trait of the cave caverns.

Makes the superpowered beings of the underground city's defense line prefer combat, because they can gain experience.

Whereas the surface city wall night watchers are not so fond of combat.

After using fire-oil bombs to slightly hinder the cave rat tide.

Ta Ke quickly began to release Blood Thorn Vines.

Soon, at the top of the earth-hole passage, a 'defense line' formed by over twenty vines was constructed by Ta Ke.

Normally, the witchcraft 'Blood Thorn Vines' grows weaker the more it fights, eventually dissipating.

Once the opponent is a relatively weak flesh-and-blood creature.

For the Blood Thorn Vines, however, that's a different story.

By killing and causing bleeding damage, the Blood Thorn Vines can continually draw blood.

This extends its duration continuously and allows its combat strength to keep recovering.

It can't withstand pressure, but it's top-notch at bullying the weak.

This is the Blood Thorn Vines.

As expected.

As Ta Ke's Blood Thorn Vines were set up.

'Papapa...'

Those twisting vines, peak of the first stage, level 19 Blood Thorn Vines.

They began a frenzied harvest of the Swamp Rat swarm.

The vines' whip strikes and slashing speed were incredibly fast, like afterimages, flickering back and forth in a frenzy.

For fear that if they slowed even a bit, the other vines would be killed.

Anyway, the Blood Thorn Vines don't consume much source energy.

Ta Ke kept retreating while continuously setting up Blood Thorn Vines.

Meanwhile, the Swamp Rat corpses piled up ever higher at the front.

Even if those Swamp Rats could fight their way through, they would need to pile up a huge amount of corpses as a pad.

Just then.

'Squeak...'

A group of unusually piercing Swamp Rat cries rang out densely.

'Finally... are they coming?'

Ta Ke narrowed his eyes slightly, looking toward the position where a large Swamp Rat tide was somewhat blocked by his own defense line.

Just now, Ta Ke noticed the abnormality of this Swamp Rat tide.

Through subtle currents, a mysterious current force was driving these Swamp Rats to chase and kill Ta Ni Lu, Ta Ke, and the others.

And that mysterious current is the 'leader-level' Swamp Rat.

Normally, these elite Swamp Rats and leader-level Swamp Rats hardly ever show themselves.

But during this ashen dark surge, and under the influence of the Dark Sun Evil God Church's ritual,

these Swamp Rats have gone completely berserk.

About seven or eight elite Swamp Rats, the size of small hunting dogs, charged to the front.

Their blood-red eyes, the size of soybeans, were filled with bloodlust and madness.

The demonized Swamp Rats had completely lost their reason and charged straight forward.

'Papapa...'

The Blood Thorn Vines, like afterimages, frenetically lashed at them.

If these elite Swamp Rats were level seventeen or eighteen,

perhaps they could hold out for a while.

but their level appears to be only around eleven to thirteen.

As the subsequent vines entangled them, the surrounding vines also went madly slashing at them.

This also happened to create an opportunity for the Swamp Rat leader.

'Squeak——'

Ta Ke's slaughter had completely enraged the demonized, bloodthirsty Swamp Rat leader.

Taking advantage of the large number of vines being drawn to the target.

Like a large hunting dog, the Swamp Rat leader, with black fur like steel needles over its body, turned into a black afterimage and lunged at Ta Ke.

'Squeak——'

A sharp hiss shot straight at Ta Ke's face.

Its speed was simply astonishing.

At this moment, Ta Ke, shrouded in shadow, curled the corner of his mouth into a slight smile.

'I've been waiting for you half a day; you finally came out.'

If the Swamp Rat leader hid within the Swamp Rat tide,

Ta Ke couldn't kill it.

But since it came out, that's different.

Having long been prepared, Ta Ke, at the moment the Swamp Rat leader darted out, perfectly anchored it with the trajectory of the Light-Shaping Spear.

The position was precisely that ferocious, fang-baring rat mouth.

'Bang!'

Accompanied by the sound of gunfire.

Ta Ke and the Swamp Rat leader passed each other.

The Swamp Rat leader's tail, like a whip of iron chains, lashed fiercely at Ta Ke.

After all, it is a level-15 leader creature.

The attack motion was astonishingly fast; Ta Ke, who had dodged the opponent's bite, had no way to dodge this second attack.

"Pa!" sound.

The Water Rat Leader's tail lashed onto Ta Ke.

Ta Ke's shadow-enveloped body surface manifested a shield with a faint blue glow, blocking the tail whip strike.

"About three lashes would be enough to break my mage robe shield; this leader's damage is indeed quite formidable."

The fallen Water Rat Leader smashed his head into the ground and rolled another seven or eight meters away.

Fresh blood spilled all over the ground.

Just seen, the Water Rat that was still mighty moments ago had been pierced by Ta Ke's Plasma Light Spear, entering through its mouth and exiting through its excretory cavity, giving the Water Rat Leader a clean through-and-through on the spot.

To others, a single sidestep could accomplish such a precise penetration—unthinkable.

For Ta Ke,

This is merely a routine operation.

It strikes your unbelievable fatal weakness; otherwise, what use would this SSS-rank 【Precision·Correction】 have?

But even so, the Water Rat Leader did not die.

This guy's vitality is terrifyingly strong.

The Water Rat Leader, violently rolling on the ground, still wanted to pull out the Plasma Light Spear.

Ta Ke obviously wouldn't give him that chance.

Hummm…

Plasma Light Spears with tremendous penetration fell one after another, and the Blood Thorn Vines blocked the surge of many Water Rats.

Ta Ke pronounced the death sentence on this rare Water Rat Leader.

………

(End of chapter)