--- Note: Chapter 2 of the manga is now available. I'll be posting it on Webtoon and MangaPlus. Just those two. Honestly, I like MangaPlus better, so I might end up exclusively uploading it there, but I'm open to your opinions.
mangaplus: https://mangaplus-creators.jp/titles/1c2605160342090027404876
webtoon: https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/the-rat-kid-survives-the-apocalypse/list?title_no=1143504
[What the fuck am I looking at...] – I frown when, upon returning from patrol with my grandpa and the others, the very first thing that catches my eye is an unreal scene that seems to scream: "Astrad is awake."
[Get in, I'm telling you to get in, goddammit!] – Astrad shoves Zeus's ass in an attempt to push him through the front door; (something that is obviously impossible.)
[[[GRNNNNNNNN]]]
At the same time, through the open window, you can see Alice, Ruby, and Kora trying to pull Zeus inside, distorting the poor dog's face as he gets violently yanked by his mouth and ears.
Crack, crack
The house creaks under the immense pressure the four of them must be exerting. Are they trying to break the door down? Can someone do something about this?
[Ah, hahaha... well, at least he seems to be doing fine now...] – Sophie lets out an awkward laugh at the scene, while Ana and Jennifer can only nod with bitter smiles.
[GAHAHAHA, my grandson is always so interesting.] – My stupid grandfather, lacking any common sense as usual, walks off with the rest of them to go about his business, leaving us behind as if we were just a bunch of kids playing around.
[Aren't you going to do anything?] – I walk over to Louise, who, for some reason, is lounging in a beach chair in the yard, watching the scene with a soda and some snacks.
I mean, I can understand why the rest of the gossips in Milia's group are just watching without daring to say a word, but her?
[Hmm, I'll think about it when the view stops being so good.]
I didn't quite get that answer, so I followed her gaze, but again, she's just watching Astrad act like a clown.
Then I noticed he was completely drenched, making his shirt somewhat transparent as it clung to his body.
[Push, PUSHHHHHHHHHHHHH!] – Along with his shout, he shoved with tremendous force, making his surprisingly toned muscles—for an otaku—bulge clearly through the sheer shirt.
Gulp
We unconsciously swallowed hard... W... What's with this weird feeling?
Even though I've seen him shirtless several times, this feels completely immoral for some reason.
[Mmmm~~~] – Hearing that seductive hum, I look back at Louise. She had pulled out a pair of binoculars from god-knows-where and locked them onto Astrad, biting her lower lip.
Can this woman, who wouldn't even deign to look twice at a guy during our high school days, really be this shameless?
[Hey, let me borrow those?]
[[[[Jennifer?]]]]
[What? The view is free... don't act all innocent. Earlier, when he was unconscious, you guys totally took the chance to cop a feel too.]
[What?!]
[[[Eek?!]]]
Faced with a sudden wave of bloodlust, we instinctively shrank our necks back.
[U-um, no, I just...]
[Well, you know, he was hurt and well...]
[We were just helping...]
[I was just surprised he was hiding such a great body and honestly, I just got carried away.]
[[[JENNIFER!]]]
[What? Do you want me to lie?]
Just as I was about to smack this loudmouth...
[GYAAAAAAAAA!] – Astrad's sudden scream grabbed our attention.
Over there, Astrad had thrown himself to the side, and right where he had just been standing, there was a massive... well...
[SON OF A BITCH, ARE YOU TRYING TO SHIT ON THE RAT BOY?] – Astrad complained about almost being turned into a poop-man.
GRRRR
Zeus, whether out of anger or embarrassment, popped his head out the door and, in one swift motion, clamped his massive jaws around Astrad's head, violently shaking him in the air.
[GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!]
[[[[[....]]]]]
Sigh... I'm glad you're okay... But... is it really that hard for you to try and be normal for just one day?
Astrad's POV
[How you've managed to survive this long is beyond me...] – Amelia comments with a hint of reproach as she bandages my head.
[It's not the rat boy's fault, it's the fault of this stupid dog who had a shit-clog in his magic skill.] – I complain, pointing at Zeus. He has returned to his normal size and is now lying next to me, being comforted by the rat boy's long-term investments—also known as Alice, Ruby, and Kora.
Grrr
[GYAAAA!]
I cry out in pain as Zeus chomps down on my ankle.
[Don't move, jeez.] – Amelia ignores my suffering and forces my head to rest against her chest while she treats my wounds.
[...Yes, ma'am] – With my face shoved between Amelia's boobs, I decide that this is actually totally fine.
You couldn't exactly call them massive, but she definitely has what it takes.
The pain in my ankle? It's a well-known fact that whether that hurts or not depends entirely on the plot. And right now, we've got some good plot.
[So, have you guys figured out your night shifts yet? Is it your turn today? Did you get lucky?]
[Ugh, has the sexual harassment already started?]
[Kekeke, how do Tuesdays and Thursdays sound to you?]
[Hmph, I'm not discussing this with you.]
[Kekeke]
Before I could ask her who she was going to discuss it with, then...
[Not even three days dead could cure your stupidity, huh?] – The receptionist skank returned with her bossy tone.
[You wench, your shift will be whenever I get hot, so you can cool me down with your freezing, icy heart.]
[HA, ha, ha, look how hard I'm laughing. By the way, stay away from my daughter, I don't want her catching your lice.]
[Woman, I already told you, even if you're going senile, you can't just go around sprouting whatever bullshit you want. Who is your daughter? If I go by your shitty tongue, maybe it's Louise or Kiti; go find them and get your facts straight.]
[Who's senile? You damn brat. I don't need to get anything straight, my daughter is right there.]
The skank insists on pointing at mommy-girl. But I refuse to accept this information as factual.
A being of light who cooks the delicacies that the rat boy eats, perfectly cleans the floors the rat boy walks on, and, generally, never gets mad.
She is like the perfect version of a mother.
In stark contrast, this receptionist skank looks like the type who burns water when she boils it, breaks the broom while sweeping, and has a filthy mouth.
[Amelia, clear things up for this delusional woman once and for all, you shouldn't be so tolerant.]
[[[...]]]
[No... I've already told you a thousand times that she is my mom... We even showed you pictures.]
[Pfff, that's not your mom, that's AI-generated. She's Louise or Kiti's mom, she's got a foul mouth just like them.]
[[SHE IS NOT MY MOM!]] – Kiti and Louise's voices echo from somewhere, full of complaints.
Then whose is she?
[I see... It's the menopause... Guh]
A fist slams into my stomach.
You skank, if you weren't the mother of my food source, I'd...
[Shut up. I also wonder how something so good could come from something like me, but then I remember her late father and realize she just got all his genes. Not a single drop of my blood runs in her veins.]
[And how did someone that pure marry something like you in the first place?... Never mind, I see it now. Guh]
[Where the hell were you looking when you said that?]
An ass man... In another life... We could have been brothers...
The rat boy weeps for a brother he will never get to meet.
[For your information, my husband wasn't a miserable creep who only looked at physical appearances. He wasn't like you.]
[Oh yeah, right, I'm sure he fell for your "sweet personality." Why don't you go ahead and rub your "personality" right here? Look.]
The rat boy points at his crotch: Come on, rub your personality here.
[I am going to beat you.]
[Eek]
Fear.
[Enough, you two. Astrad, how are you feeling?] – The auntie who suddenly appeared instantly ruins my fun.
[Hungry.]
[Didn't you just eat?]
[Not that kind of hungry.]
[[[We are being serious here.]]]
[The rat boy is also being very serious.]
[[[Ugh...]]]
GYAHAHAHAHAHA.
But I am serious.
[Anyway, I have a favor to ask you] – Auntie –
DIARY ENTRY NO.: 035
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Rattus cryo gelus
REGIONAL ALIASES:
Nordic Folklore: The Tooth of Fimbulvetr
Urban Legend: The Morgue Frost
Net Nickname: The Freezers
NICKNAME (ASTRAD): The Absolute Zero Plague
📊 THREAT ASSESSMENT
CLASSIFICATION: ELEMENTALIS / PARASITUS
A manifestation of cold in the form of a plague. It infests the coldest spots in human settlements (morgues, cold storage warehouses) and steals heat to survive, essentially becoming a biological infestation.
DANGER LEVEL: GREEN (5 Stars)
A very deceptive 5-star Green. If you see just one, it's a joke; a single kick is enough. But nobody ever just sees one. The true danger of this creature is the swarm. It's not a fight; it's localized and accelerated climate change. A swarm of these things can drop a room's temperature below freezing in minutes, freezing you in place before you even realize you're shivering.
AGGRESSIVENESS LEVEL: REACTIVE
Like any rat, they are cowards. Their aggressiveness is reactive and defensive. If you corner one, or worse, get between a swarm and their nest, they will react with suicidal ferocity. They don't attack to kill; they attack to immobilize you with their bite and let the cold do the rest.
🧬 COMBAT PROFILE (TL;DR)
TYPE: Beast
AFFINITY: Ice
🎯 MAIN WEAKNESSES (Theoretical):
Fire (They might steal heat, but come on, fire burns, right?), Intense heat, Salt (speculated to melt their frost "shield").
📌 KEY STRENGTHS (Reported):
Aura of Cold (a swarm creates a hypothermia zone), Freezing Bite (causes instant cold necrosis), Extreme cold resistance.
📚 ORIGINS AND COMPARATIVE MYTHOLOGY
Nordic Myths: Considered the "children of Fimbulvetr," the mythical winter that preceded Ragnarök. Creatures born not of ice, but of the cold itself, that gnawed at the roots of the world.
Urban Folklore: The "real" explanation for "cold spots" in haunted places, especially morgues and slaughterhouses. They weren't ghosts; they were these fucking things nesting in the walls.
Speculative Biology: A branch of Rattus norvegicus that underwent an anomalous mutation, developing an inverse endothermic metabolism: they do not generate heat; they aggressively absorb it from their surroundings.
📝 DETAILED ANALYSIS
PHYSICAL AND SENSORY DESCRIPTION:
Physically, it is nearly identical to a common sewer rat, but its fur is permanently covered in a thick layer of brittle, white frost. Their eyes are a pale, milky blue, and their breath is visible as a constant cloud of vapor. Their body is cold to the touch, at an unnaturally low temperature. They don't smell like ammonia like their cousins; they give off a sharp, clean odor, like ozone or fresh-fallen snow.
BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY:
They are a cold-zone pest. They infest cold storage rooms, morgues, food processing plants, and deep underground tunnels. Their bite is their primary weapon: they inject an unknown agent that isn't venom, but a freezing catalyst, causing instant cold burns and tissue necrosis. A swarm generates a collective "aura of cold," drastically dropping the ambient temperature. This is not a deliberate attack; it's a side effect of their joint metabolism, but it is their deadliest weapon, causing severe hypothermia in minutes.
☣️ PROTOCOLS
RECOMMENDED ENCOUNTER PROTOCOL (Theoretical):
DO: USE FIRE, right? I mean, it's the old reliable... it's not going to eat it... right?
DON'T: Underestimate them as "just rats." Try to shoo them away with a stick (they will bite you). Stand still in an infested zone.
FIELD REPORT (Report from a slaughterhouse worker, Chicago, 1974):
"...I walked into Freezer B and the thermostat was broken. It read -40. I thought it was a glitch... until I looked at the floor. It was moving. Hundreds of them, covered in ice. Before I could even shut the door, one jumped onto my boot. I didn't feel it bite. I just felt... a crunch. When I got out and took my boot off, my two small toes were black and hard as fucking coal. They snapped off. Just fell right off."
🎤 ASTRAD'S NOTES (THE ONLY SHIT THAT MATTERS):
What kind of sick developer thought it was a good idea to give passive Area of Effect (AoE) damage to a low-level mob? A normal rat is already disgusting, but no, evolution was like: "let's patch this and give 'em an elemental ice skin." You see them and think, "oh, look, a fucking Alolan Rattata," and five minutes later your HP bar is shivering in the red.
And what the fuck is up with that damn bite? Don't fuck with me, back in my day rats were honest; they gave you rabies, the bubonic plague, and bullshit like that. How did we jump to a frost burn where a bite on the finger means an automatic amputation? Which means if it bites my dick... Shit...
Honestly, I want to place it higher on the Tier List, but unfortunately, individually they are basically just regular rats. You can definitely kick a fucking rat, right? Even with bad luck, you shouldn't die... and if you do, maybe you were better off that way anyway.