Chapter 22 – The Sludge Devourer
The dark water rippled.
A grotesque noise, like bones being crushed inside a drum of meat, reverberated through the narrow sewer corridors. The smell grew heavier, as if the air had been saturated by rot accumulated over centuries.
Cael and the black-armored knight stopped, their eyes fixed on the end of the gallery—where the darkness seemed thicker, more alive.
From the blackness, something crawled out.
It was a shapeless, pulsing mass, larger than a bull, with a shell of hardened slime. Its eyes were scarlet holes in a face that lacked any defined form, and its arms—four of them—were an amalgam of human bones and rat limbs fused by rotting flesh. When it opened its mouth, it revealed a row of rusted metal fangs, as if it had been consuming weapons and armor for years.
"Mini-boss detected: Sludge Devourer. Estimated level: High. Weakness: fire."
"Oh, and avoid being bitten. You don't want to catch what it has."
"Fantastic," Cael muttered. "Any chance it just wants to talk?"
The Devourer roared, a guttural sound that made the water vibrate. It advanced like an avalanche of living mud.
The black-armored knight ran to the flank, trying to distract the creature with quick strikes, but his blades hit the shell without having much effect. Cael dashed to the other side, drawing a semicircle and activating the Fire Spell: Crimson Burst, which he had obtained from the grimoire in the gacha.
The explosion set part of the creature's body ablaze, making it shriek in fury and immediately turn toward him.
"Well, now I'm the target."
The monster lunged. Cael rolled underneath, but the impact cracked the floor, throwing water and debris in every direction. One of the deformed arms nearly struck him, but he parried with the Abyssal Blade, only to be thrown a few meters against the wall.
"Nngh... okay, that hurt."
"You're doing well! You haven't died yet. That's already above average."
The Devourer approached, faster now. The knight drove his sword into the monster's side, forcing it to divert its attention. Cael seized the opportunity and got to his feet, activating the fire spell again—this time, aiming directly at the creature's eyes.
The burst exploded. The monster shrieked, clutching its melting face. The shell began to crack. Cael ran, leaping toward the monster, and with a shout, drove the Abyssal Blade into its throat, sinking the blade to the hilt.
The Devourer twitched... and stopped.
It fell backward, causing the water to splash like a tsunami against the walls.
Silence.
Cael fell to his knees, panting, his body covered in slime and dark blood. The black-armored knight approached, wiping his blade.
"Impressive," he said, in a tone that was almost... respectful.
"Yeah, it was... educational," Cael muttered, spitting to the side. "I hope the next ones are cleaner."
"Side Quest: Abyssal Rats – Completed."
"Reward available: Access inventory."
"Tip: you should check that corpse before running off. There might be loot."
Cael stood up slowly.
"Let's see if this trash was carrying anything other than diseases..."