War Rats

"These damn rats again!" grumbled the old man as he smashed the head of a rat trying to steal meat from his storage.

Tossing the dead rat into the trash can, he stepped outside. Three black cats were lounging on his doorstep, lazily grooming themselves. The moment he tried to pick them up, they hissed in protest.

"When are the government and the church going to deal with these pests? Honestly, what's even happening with our money?" he muttered, clicking his tongue as he carried the cats in his arms.

Behind the storage area, there was a small hole, just large enough for an adult cat to fit through. It was pitch black inside and reeked of feces, forcing the old man to cover his nose as he pushed the cats toward it.

"You three are worth 300 Echoes, so time to earn it and do your job!"

The hole behind the storage had been there since the day he bought the shop. Although he had wanted to seal it up, the former owner had warned him against it. According to the previous owner, some creatures lived there. It brought a bad smell, but also luck—and the hole was its way in and out.

If he ever tried to seal the hole, the former owner had warned, he would suffer misfortune for the rest of his life.

After setting things back in place, the old man continued chopping the meat. Under the dim red light, the steady rhythm of the knife echoed in the room. Unbeknownst to him, hidden beneath the shadows of the hanging meat, two glowing green eyes watched him silently.

...

In the pitch-black hole that led to the sewers, countless feet shuffled in the darkness. The eerie sound of grinding teeth mixed with the hissing of cats echoed through the tunnels.

"Why?" a voice suddenly spoke from the shadows.

"Why am I a rat?! Why? Me? A rat? What the heck!"

Light couldn't believe what was happening. He was going through an existential crisis. He touched his head and shook it in disbelief. It would've been fine if he were reincarnated as a goblin. A dog? That would be manageable. Even becoming a woman wouldn't have been so bad. But a rat? No.

Light collapsed onto the grimy ground, his tiny rat claws scraping the surface. He had no idea how he was supposed to live now. After all, he was just a rat, living in a sewer. He sighed, but quickly covered his mouth as his breath stank.

"What am I supposed to do? Should I just commit suicide?" he muttered, gazing at the ceiling with lifeless eyes. "If I die again, will I get reincarnated again?"

After pondering for a while, he decided to end it. But before he could act, a holographic screen suddenly appeared in front of him.

---

Congratulations!

You have become the first-ever Ratkin to exist in this world.

I am the system that will guide you from now on. Note: I am not a sentient being, so please refrain from talking to me. I am simply designed to assist you in achieving your goals.

The system has three main functions:

1. Energy Source – The system can gather Energy from various sources like artifacts, items, gems, stones, corpses, and more. You can use Energy to empower yourself and other Ratkin.

2. Buildings – The system can create structures to train Ratkin into various professions like Ratkin Warrior, Ratkin Warlock, Ratkin Thinker, and so on.

3. Condense – Energy can be condensed into Energy Cores, which can be used for magic, to power technologies, and more.

Note: Buildings are only usable by Ratkin. By birthing more Ratkin, you will gain a strong army and can build a powerful stronghold.

If you have any questions, click below:

(More Information)

---

Light sat up, staring at the words forming in front of him in amazement. The sudden appearance of a system cheat gave him enough motivation to reconsider killing himself. He swiped the holographic screen and clicked the option to access more information.

His first concern was whether he'd keep the system if he died again. Maybe he could reincarnate as something better—like a dragon or a demon, perhaps. But every answer he received left him sighing in resignation, his mouth twitching in frustration.

According to the system, since this was his second life, if he died again, he would enter the normal cycle of reincarnation, losing all memories of his past life—and he wouldn't receive any system or special advantages.

"...Alright, I guess living as a rat isn't so bad, right? Maybe I'm being too dramatic..." Light muttered to himself. Despite saying that, though, his mental state was still human, even if his body was now that of a rat.

With a human mindset, there was no way he could bring himself to eat garbage or worse. But for now, he just had to endure and figure out a better place to live. First, he needed to know what kind of world this was.

"Let's check my status first..." Light exited the information tab and navigated to another option. An icon with a rat face and his name, 'Light,' caught his eye. He clicked it.

---

Status

Name: Light (Male)

Race: Ratkin

Title: The First Ratkin, Ancestor of the Ratkin

Rank: Civilian Class

Job: None

--

Skills & Abilities

- Night Vision (Improved), Extend Claw, King Aura, Plague Body, Giant Strength, Battle Instinct.

--

Attributes

Energy: 0

Buildings: 0

Ratkins: 1

---

Next to his status was an image of a humanoid rat, standing taller than the average adult. It had glowing purple eyes, sharp white teeth, and smooth white skin.

"This is my appearance? But why do I look... more handsome and charming?" Light wondered aloud, his rat-like face displaying confusion.

He stood up, towering over normal rats by at least ten times their size. The sound of scurrying filled the sewer as rats moved about. From his higher vantage point, he noticed a group of them fighting three black cats that had strayed into their territory.

To the starving rats, the cats weren't invaders—they were just another source of food.

---

Black Ferlin

Gender: Male

Race: Cat

Rank: Low Class

Energy: 1

---

The cats were pitch black, blending almost perfectly into the darkness of the sewer. It would have been impossible for anyone else to see them, but as a Ratkin, Light had night vision and enhanced eyesight. The other rats had also evolved night vision after spending years in the shadows.

"Low class and civilian class, huh? I should be stronger than them..." Light clenched his fists, preparing to fight. According to the system, both "Low Class" and "Civilian Class" represented an individual's strength—not just in terms of physical power, but also intelligence, magic, and overall threat level.

In other words, if a weak baby had greater intelligence than a normal adult, they could still be considered Civilian Class. Likewise, an adult with a strong body but low intelligence might still rank as Civilian Class, even if they lacked brains.

Light dashed through the horde of rats, forcing his way toward the cats. With swift force, he raised his leg and kicked the cats away.

"Meow!"

"Sorry, cat..." Light muttered as he grabbed a nearby rat and hurled it at the cats. They hissed in response, quickly darting away from the rat and focusing on Light. Now that he had appeared, the three cats immediately saw him as the bigger threat.

"No matter where you run, you can't hide from me," Light said, his voice calm. His claws extended, growing sharper, while veins pulsed beneath his skin. In a blur of speed, he vanished from his spot and reappeared beside one of the cats.

The cat's eyes widened, but before it could react, its head was already rolling on the ground.

---

You gained +1 Energy.

---

After swiftly killing the first cat, Light turned his attention to the remaining two. It was easier than he expected—after all, he was far more powerful than a mere cat.

Under the shadows, two glowing purple eyes vanished as a low chuckle echoed, followed by the dying hisses of the last cat.

---

You gained +1 Energy.

You gained +1 Energy.

---

As the Ancestor of the Ratkin, Light received many benefits, including heightened battle intelligence. After finishing off the last cat, he now had 3 Energy and a fresh food source. He picked up the lifeless bodies and began heading toward the deepest part of the sewer, ignoring the protests of various rats scurrying about.

He still had many things to figure out, and the depths of the sewer were the safest. It was home to many creatures—rats, water-dwellers, and more—but most were low-class monsters. Light wasn't concerned about them.

"But how do I breed Ratkin? Don't tell me I have to... with a rat?" He muttered to himself as he trudged through the dark tunnels. The thought sent a shiver down his spine, and he quickly checked the system for more information.

A moment later, he froze in place, the three dead cats slipping from his grasp, immediately swarmed by the hordes of rats trailing behind him.

"Fuck..." he cursed under his breath.