81 Katsuki VS Giant Rat

The second floor wasn't that much different from the first floor, the only thing new was that a new monster showed up aside from the Dungeon Rats.

<strong>[Name: Feral Dungeon Rat</strong>

<strong>Race: Monster</strong>

<strong>Stats:</strong>

<strong>8 Strength</strong>

<strong>7 Dexterity</strong>

<strong>3 Endurance</strong>

<strong>2 Magic]</strong>

They were basically just a little bit stronger than the normal Dungeon Rat albeit also a little bit slower, but against both Katsuki and myself, the difference wasn't even worth mentioning.

I told Katsuki not to bother with taking out the Mana Crystals since they weren't worth that much money and would slow us down significantly if we were to try and extract each one.

I also learned that corpses in the dungeon eventually get absorbed by the dungeon by turning into Mana. Any equipment left behind would also be absorbed before forming into a treasure chest to appear somewhere in the dungeon for others to find.

Quite a morbid system if you think about it.

We eventually managed to find the stairs to the next floor after a good fifteen minutes of searching, the dungeon really is quite small it seems.

Descending the stairs, we were now face to face with the boss of the dungeon.

<strong>[Name: Dungeon Rat Matron</strong>

<strong>Race: Monster</strong>

<strong>Stats:</strong>

<strong>18 Strength</strong>

<strong>5 Dexterity</strong>

<strong>20 Endurance</strong>

<strong>5 Magic]</strong>

Honestly, it was a little hard not to feel disappointed when I saw the stats of the boss. I mean… I know it's a beginner dungeon and all but… I'm pretty sure I could just kill it with one punch you know?

Like… It's literally just a really, really big rat that is the size of a car, nothing else special about it.

Using [Screened], I checked both of our stats.

<strong>[Name: Aster Nilm</strong>

<strong>Title: Young Mistress of Nilm Family</strong>

<strong>Race: Meslatar</strong>

<strong>Stats:</strong>

<strong>431 Strength</strong>

<strong>430 Dexterity</strong>

<strong>428 Endurance</strong>

<strong>460 Magic</strong>

<strong>Skills:</strong>

<strong>Hunting (Tier 2), Cooking (Tier 2), Martial Skill-(Dagger Proficiency (Tier 2), Unarmed Proficiency (Tier 2), Bow Proficiency (Tier 2), Sword Proficiency (Tier 1), Polearm Proficiency (Tier 1), Axe Proficiency (Tier 1))</strong>

<strong>Magic Skills:</strong>

<strong>Mana Management (Tier 2), Umbramancy (Tier 2), Electromancy (Tier 2), Lumenmancy (Tier 1), Pyromancy (Tier 1), Hydromancy (Tier 1), Aeromancy (Tier 1), Geomancy (Tier 1)]</strong>

<strong>[Name: Katsuki</strong>

<strong>Title: Mistress Aster's Personal Maid</strong>

<strong>Race: Inugami</strong>

<strong>Stats:</strong>

<strong>24 Strength</strong>

<strong>38 Dexterity</strong>

<strong>18 Endurance</strong>

<strong>38 Magic</strong>

<strong>Skills:</strong>

<strong>Assassination (Tier 1), Martial Skill-(Dagger Proficiency (Tier 1), Throwing Proficiency (Tier 1))</strong>

<strong>Magic Skills:</strong>

<strong>Umbramancy (Tier 1), Pyromancy (Tier 2), Mana Management (Tier 1)]</strong>

Oh? Katsuki's stats actually improved by quite a bit, I didn't even notice.

I was just thinking about firing a laser and ending the boss when Katsuki tugged my sleeve.

"Mistress… If it's not too much to ask, could I be allowed to fight it by myself?"

I tilted my head, "I don't mind, but why?"

"I would like to test myself, Mistress. If I am unable to even protect Mistress from a monster like this, then I would be a failure as your servant and slave. I wouldn't even deserve to stay by your side."

I smiled wryly at her, "It's not like I'm keeping you by my side for such a reason, you know? I won't abandon you if that's what you're worried about."

"Mistress is kind. My own family had abandoned me and it was Mistress who had taken me in and given me a new meaning in life. I have already decided that this life of mine belongs to Mistress."

Unn… They do say that sometimes being too kind is not a good thing either. Since this is something she wants, I suppose there's no reason to reject her.

I don't think she'll lose to that boss just by looking at the stats but I'll stand by just in case anyway.

I nodded at her, "Very well, I will allow it."

She bowed a perfect ninety degrees, "Thank you, Mistress! I will bring you victory!"

Looking behind, I saw Mary and Sebastian sharing a look before turning back to me, their eyes silently asking me if it was alright.

I gave them a quick nod of my head to show them they did not have to worry and they returned my nod with one of their own.

Katsuki then started walking towards the boss, getting its attention as she held the dagger in her hand with an underhand grip, watching the boss while approaching it cautiously.

Even though she might be stronger than the boss in terms of stats, she can still get hurt if she gets hit by its attacks. Not to mention the fact that Katsuki doesn't know how strong it is because she can't see its stats like I can.

The Rat Matron let out a low squeak, wary of the sharp weapon in Katsuki's hands. Monster or not, it does understand that the object in my maid's hands was dangerous to it.

The two of them started circling each other, the Matron taking a moment to look at us before realising that the only threat was Katsuki and promptly ignored us.

Right then, music also started playing, this time the tune seemed to be suggesting there's A Place In The Stars for her or something.

It would be so easy to just just jump out from behind and kill the boss right now but I managed to refrain myself from doing that. This was Katsuki's fight, not mine.

Incidentally, she was also the one to make the first move.

With her superior speed, she sped past the Rat Matron and slashed at the boss's side with her dagger.

The giant rat hissed and tried to swipe at my maid with its claws, missing by inches as Katsuki leaned back to avoid it.

In response, she dove back in and delivered another slash along the boss's other side.

The monster tried another claw swipe again which Katsuki easily evaded once more, opening the monster up for another slash along its side.

She repeated this two more times and it looked like this would be an easy victory for her, except that it seemed like the boss actually had the capacity to learn attack patterns and adapt to them.

Katsuki tried doing the same move again but the moment she stepped past the boss, the Rat Matron's tail came crashing forward on her abdomen, throwing my maid against the far wall of the room.

The boss wasn't going to let this opportunity go and immediately pounced towards my Inugami maid with its jaws wide open, intending to finish her off.

I was just about to leap in to save her when Mary pulled me back, letting me see that Katsuki was still not out of the fight yet.

She shifted her body to the side to avoid the bite that came down next to her head, the boss snapping its jaws shut on empty air.

It reared back to try again and this time Katsuki lifted up her dagger to jam it in between the boss's jaws to block it.

Flicking her other hand, a knife fell out from her sleeve and she immediately stabbed it straight into the giant rat's right eye.

The boss reared back and screeched in pain, allowing Katsuki to roll away from it right before the boss slammed down its claws at where she had been moments before.

It twisted around and glared at Katsuki with its one good eye, the knife still lodged in its eye socket.

The Rat Matron tried to whip her with its tail again but this time Katsuki was ready to avoid it and allowed the attack to sail over her head.

She then tried moving in to stab at the boss again but the rat started to swipe its claws furiously at her, preventing her from getting close.

It was then I noticed Katsuki's mouth was moving to murmur something under her breath, right before she thrusted her palm out and a blast of fire engulfed the rat and set its fur aflame.

The boss let out a shriek in panic and quickly rolled onto its back, trying to put out the fire.

An action that Katsuki seemed to have been wanting it to do.

With its belly now exposed, Katsuki leapt on top of the rat and drove her dagger deep into the boss's neck, going so far as giving it a twist before pulling it back out.

The Rat Matron tried to roll back to its feet and crush her but Katsuki was already leaping out from under her.

She reached out her free hand and grabbed onto the knife that was still stuck in the Matron's eye socket and pulled it out, drawing a gurgle of pain from the monster.

The boss tried to use its one good eye to find where my maid was but Katsuki was already there to plunge the knife into its last remaining eye, effectively blinding it.

With its eyesight robbed, it started to thrash around randomly in hopes of catching Katsuki but my Inugami maid had leapt away to create distance between them, allowing her to summon another blast of fire to set the rat alight once more.

Instinct guided the boss to roll over on its back and Katsuki jumped onto its belly again, this time using both her blades to plunge into the wound on its throat.

She then pulled her hands apart and the giant rat's throat was sliced open, the boss thrashing its claws in the air for a moment more before finally dropping lifelessly to its side.

Katsuki leapt off its corpse before hurrying towards me and curtsying, "Thank you for waiting, Mistress."

Ahhhhh~ She's so cool!