"Haaaa!"

Adis charged at the Rots, feeling anxious and tense. His pounding heart constantly warned Adis of the danger he was about to face.

The Rots didn't stop. They hissed like snakes, then squeaked. As if ready to pounce, all the rotting rats surrounding Adis immediately ran, baring their sharp teeth and fishy-smelling claws.

Rats aren't inherently aggressive unless they sense imminent danger, when their passive nature takes a 180-degree turn. This was especially true when they attacked a lost traveler with a pleasant scent.

They fixed their eyes on Adis. Prey, not peril, occupied their gaze. Fearlessly, they surrounded the young man, squeaking with joy.

However, Adis himself was undaunted. As the older sibling, his job wasn't just to help his mother, but also to resolve any problems that arose in their home. These included petty arguments, fights over food, cleaning, teaching, and even simple tasks like exterminating mischievous rats that tried to steal food.

As the rotten rats attempted to attack Adis with their claws, Adis rolled to the side and managed to avoid their attack.

A rat emerged from the old well. Its snout protruded, visible to Adis. Seizing the opportunity, he immediately stabbed the rotten creature with a knife.

The rat squealed in pain, purple blood gushing out, and its small body fell to the bottom of the old well.

【You have successfully exterminated the Rots, obtaining 10 vials】
【You have successfully exterminated the Rots, obtaining 10 vials】

“Haahhh… with this, I have eliminated two rotten rats, and six more to go.”

For the sake of my family, my siblings, and Mother… I will not lose to a bunch of ugly creatures like them, Adis thought.

Crimson-eyed, the Rots shrieked then lunged Adis. As if enraged that a human had killed their family, a faint black aura emanated from their stinking black fur.

Adis noticed the subtle changes in the rotting rats. He swallowed his own saliva, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Rats shrieked anew, this time with heightened hysteria and intensity. As they ran, their speed was no longer the same as before, and even Adis himself had difficulty tracking their movements.

One Rot managed to escape Adis's attention, and by the time he recovered, the rotting creature had already scratched Adis's left leg quite hard.

"Ughh!!—"

Then another Rot followed, targeting Adis's right leg. They were like a small, coordinated army with a plan to deal with Adis. Their speed and attacks became more focused.

Once again, Adis received a direct hit on his right leg, causing the young man to growl and fall to his knees.

His expression was now distorted, as if he wanted to scream, but Adis chose instead to bite his left arm, shouting out his frustration as loudly as he could.

The Rots squealed again, as if laughing at Adis with their distinctive voice.

However, the rotten rats wouldn't let Adis rest in peace. They charged at the young man again, as fast as the wind. One of them even attempted to puncture Adis's stomach with a daring leap, but Adis managed to anticipate the attack with precision.

If he had failed to thwart that attack, the attack would likely have punctured his stomach, causing fresh blood to gush out.

"D-damn! They're too fast—w-wait a minute, my points!"

As if receiving a lesson, Adis suddenly remembered his attribute points. He immediately brought up the information panel regarding his stats.

Sure enough, there are still three points I haven't allocated. If I add them to my agility, maybe I can keep up with their speed, he thought.

Without further thought, Adis pressed the plus sign next to his agility stats, and his stat points rose from four to seven.

【Status】
Strength: 6
Agility: 4 -> 7
Endurance: 4
Intelligence: 4
Wisdom: 6
【Point Distribution: 0】

“Th-th-this? M-m-my body—”

Unfortunately, the rotten rats surrounding Adis had no intention of letting their prey breathe. Swiftly and ferociously, they once again attacked Adis with the speed of the wind.

However, what they didn't realize was that the changes occurring in Adis's body occurred in the blink of an eye. As the Rots' squeaks resonated with each other, Adis's body moved with reflexes faster than any of theirs.

Realizing their attack had failed, the Rots immediately maneuvered, but Adis was faster. The young man managed to stab his knife into a rotting rat near the old well.

"Now there are only three left... and two inside?" he asked himself as he caught his breath.

Now there were five targets left for Adis to kill. Three outside and two inside. Considering all the options and everything else, Adis could only clench his teeth and stare straight ahead.

He had forced himself to move. From the outside, he might have appeared normal, but in reality, the young man was enduring pain.

I don't know how much longer I can endure this pain, but I can't fall here, he thought.

Adis wasn't brave or gifted. However, the driving force that kept him going was his own family.

They weren't his genuine family—connected by blood and born of the same parents—but they were the ones who had accepted Adis since his parents died nine years ago.

As an orphan without a foster family or relatives willing to accept him, the orphanage was the only place that welcomed him with open arms.

As long as he could survive and keep moving forward to reunite with them, Adis tried to muster the courage to do something unconventional. One of those was to fight the foul creature before him.

He tightened his grip on the knife. His face was starting to sweat, and in his worn and torn jeans, he still stood steadfast. There was no complaint visible on the young man's expression, only a determination to survive.

"Go, you bastard rat!" he shouted fearlessly.