Chapter 6 - Rat's vs. Riri's Luck Stat

Thirty-two Agility meant Riri's body moved before conscious thought finished processing the threat. She sidestepped left. The rat's trajectory carried it past her shoulder, claws raking empty air. It hit the ground with a wet thud, scrambled for purchase on the tile, spun to face her. Riri's knife was already moving—a downward slash aimed at the creature's exposed flank. The blade connected. Fur parted. Flesh opened. Blood the color of old oil spilled across cracked tile. [Corrupted Rat HP: 28/45] The rat shrieked—high-pitched, distorted, nothing like an animal should sound. It twisted mid-leap, jaws snapping toward her wrist. Riri yanked her arm back. Teeth clicked shut an inch from skin. She kicked—boot connecting with the rat's ribcage, sending it skidding across the platform. [Corrupted Rat HP: 0/45] It didn't get up. The body twitched once, twice, then went still. The HP bar flickered and vanished. [Enemy Defeated: Corrupted Rat - Level 3] [+15 EXP] [Credits Earned: 3] → [Credits Earned: 9] (System #2 Triple Reward Bonus Active) [Objective Progress: Clear all enemies (1/87)] Riri stood motionless, knife dripping black blood onto her boot. Her heart hammered against her ribs—adrenaline, not fear. The rat's corpse lay three feet away, already starting to dissolve into gray mist. One down. Eighty-six to go. She exhaled slowly, forcing her pulse to steady. Checked her Status with a mental command. [Riri Lee - Level 1] [HP: 120/120] [MP: 50/50] [Stamina: 94/100] [EXP: 15/100] Stamina drain was minimal. Six points for one combat encounter—dodging, slashing, kicking. At this rate, she could sustain maybe fifteen fights before needing a tonic. Manageable. Movement erupted from the left tunnel. Three more rats burst onto the platform, spread in a loose arc. Two Level 3s, one Level 4. Their health bars hovered like accusatory eyes. [Corrupted Rat - Level 3] [HP: 45/45] [Corrupted Rat - Level 3] [HP: 45/45] [Corrupted Rat - Level 4] [HP: 60/60] They didn't charge immediately. Instead, they circled—low to the ground, tails lashing, eyes locked on her. Pack tactics. Wonderful. Riri shifted her weight, keeping the knife between her and the closest rat. Her gaze flicked across the platform—benches, support pillars, a maintenance door hanging off its hinges. Open ground favored numbers. She needed a choke point. The Level 4 rat lunged first. Riri spun and ran. Not retreat—repositioning. Her boots pounded across tile as she made for the narrow gap between two support pillars. The rats followed, screeching, claws scraping concrete. She reached the gap, pivoted, braced her back against one pillar. The first rat squeezed through— Riri's knife met it mid-leap. Blade punched through the creature's throat, angled upward into its skull. The rat convulsed once and went limp. [Enemy Defeated: Corrupted Rat - Level 3] [+15 EXP] She kicked the corpse backward into the gap, creating a temporary barricade. The second rat tried to jump over its dead companion—Riri caught it in the side, dragged the blade through ribs and viscera. [Corrupted Rat HP: 12/45] It twisted, jaws snapping at her forearm. Teeth grazed tactical fabric—didn't pierce, but the impact jarred her grip. The knife slipped. Riri grabbed the rat by its scruff with her free hand, slammed its skull against the pillar. Once. Twice. The health bar bottomed out. [Enemy Defeated: Corrupted Rat - Level 3] [+15 EXP] The Level 4 rat hung back, eyes tracking her movements. Smarter than the others. It didn't try to force through the gap—instead, it started circling, looking for another angle. Riri's stamina bar blinked. [Stamina: 76/100] Eighteen points in three fights. She'd need to pace herself. The rat found what it was looking for—a gap beneath the bench to her left. It dove. Riri didn't wait for it to emerge. She vaulted over the bench, landed in a crouch on the other side, knife ready. The rat burst from beneath the bench—and stopped dead. A rusted support beam had collapsed across the bench's back, creating a cage of corroded metal. The rat was trapped, wedged between iron and tile, snarling and thrashing. Riri blinked. That beam hadn't been there ten seconds ago. System #2's interface sparkled with barely contained glee. [Luck Proc: Environmental Advantage!] Of course. Riri stepped forward and drove the knife through the rat's skull. It stopped moving. [Enemy Defeated: Corrupted Rat - Level 4] [+20 EXP] [Level Up! You are now Level 2!] [+15 Stat Points Available] [HP and Stamina Fully Restored] Warmth flooded her limbs—the level-up effect. Exhaustion evaporated. Her stamina bar refilled to 100/100. Riri wiped the blade on her tactical pants, leaving a smear of black ichor across the fabric. Four rats dead. Eighty-three remaining. She pulled up her Status and dumped all fifteen points into Agility without hesitation. Dodging kept her alive. Everything else was secondary. [Agility: 32 → 47] Her body adjusted instantly—movements felt lighter, smoother, like someone had reduced gravity by ten percent. Good. She'd need it. The platform stretched ahead, empty except for corpses dissolving into mist. The tunnels gaped like open mouths. Riri chose the left tunnel and started walking.