Chapter Thirty-Seven: Clearing the Mouse Hole Dungeon

To Li Yunfei’s surprise, the knockout drug had no effect on the Rat King.

It seemed that to bring down a boss, only the potent knockout drug would suffice.

But if he tried to drug it outside, there was no way to guarantee the boss would ingest just the right dose of the strong drug.

Next time, he might as well use only the potent knockout drug on everything. After all, he always sold a portion of each drug to the system marketplace, and now he could purchase them anytime from there.

He could sell a pack of potent knockout drug to the marketplace for just 150 yuan, but it cost 320 yuan to buy it back.

However, with his current wealth, Li Yunfei could ignore this minor expense.

When Li Yunfei and the little fox arrived at the Rat King’s cave, the Rat King was squatting by the cave wall, gnawing on a piece of fairy crisp between its front paws, with a pile of them beside it.

If its size were reduced to that of a hamster, it would have looked rather cute, but at such an enormous size, it exuded nothing but an oppressive presence.

The Rat King was much larger than a common giant rat, standing over three meters at the shoulder and stretching seven or eight meters long. Its head was as big as a water tank, rivaling the size of an adult elephant.

Most terrifying of all was its tail—thicker than even the largest python.

Li Yunfei dismounted from the little fox’s back, patted her neck, and said, “Don’t come in. This guy isn’t someone you can handle.”

Given the Rat King’s size, just collapsing to the ground could squash the little fox flat.

Li Yunfei himself had to be exceedingly cautious; he dared not let her take such a risk.

After all, he was more agile on solid ground. Riding the little fox’s back didn’t allow him to use his full strength.

The little fox rubbed her furry face against Li Yunfei’s, let out a soft cry, her eyes brimming with worry.

Li Yunfei smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I can handle that big oaf.”

With that, he tightened his grip on the Paralyzing Ant-Lion Scythe, fixed his gaze on the Rat King in the cave, and strode in.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak…”

The Rat King’s vision was clearly superior to that of ordinary rats; even before Li Yunfei came within thirty meters, it spotted him.

Seeing an intruder like a tiny speck in its lair, the Rat King flew into a rage, unleashing a string of piercing cries.

It dropped the fairy crisp, lunged forward, and as it neared Li Yunfei, raised a pillar-like foreleg and swatted down at him.

Even a light press from those thick and sharp claws would be as damaging as being trampled by an elephant.

Li Yunfei judged the trajectory of the rat’s paw, kicked off the ground, and darted diagonally forward.

His left hand gripped the end of the scythe’s long handle, while his right hand held the middle, the blade trailing behind.

As he darted past the Rat King’s forepaw, the blade slashed a wound four or five inches long and three inches deep into its leg.

The Rat King instantly stiffened. Li Yunfei was delighted; it seemed the scythe’s paralyzing effect worked on bosses as well.

Although the attack barely shaved off a sliver of the Rat King’s health, Li Yunfei felt much more at ease.

As long as the paralysis worked, taking down the Rat King would be simple.

Yet Li Yunfei soon realized his joy was premature.

The Rat King was paralyzed for less than two seconds before it recovered.

With a sharp, shrill screech, the Rat King leapt aside, narrowly avoiding Li Yunfei’s second swing aimed at its belly.

This made Li Yunfei a bit frustrated.

Had he known the paralysis would last so briefly, he wouldn’t have hesitated; he should have gone all out from the start.

As long as the interval between attacks was less than two seconds, the Rat King would remain paralyzed until his momentum faded.

In those two seconds, he could have easily moved behind the Rat King, avoiding its attacks and regaining his composure.

After dodging Li Yunfei’s strike, the Rat King spun sharply. Its long, thick tail swept through the air with a chilling whoosh, lashing toward him.

Li Yunfei channeled his spiritual power into his legs, vaulted over three meters into the air, and landed on the Rat King’s back.

The tail swept beneath him, its tip smashing into the cave wall, sending earth flying and leaving a deep groove.

With such power, even a glancing blow would inflict serious harm.

Fortunately, the Rat King’s enormous size made it clumsy against the nimble Li Yunfei, much like an elephant trying to deal with a mouse.

Li Yunfei soared through the air and landed on the Rat King’s back.

With both hands gripping the scythe, he wielded it like a hoe and drove it into the Rat King’s back.

With a sickening sound, the blade plunged deep into the back of the Rat King’s neck. Without hesitation, Li Yunfei pressed down on the handle and ran toward the tail.

A sharp sound of flesh being sliced filled the air, and blood spurted from the Rat King’s back.

Paralyzed, the Rat King couldn’t move.

This time, Li Yunfei wasted no time and began “operating” on the Rat King.

He dragged the scythe from the back of its neck to its tail, then faced the Rat King’s body, leapt backward, and as he fell, stabbed the blade into its side.

Gravity pulled the scythe downward, ripping open a huge gash in the Rat King’s side. Li Yunfei was instantly doused in blood.

He had no time to care, and with a reverse grip, stabbed at the Rat King’s belly again.

The blade pierced its stomach, and Li Yunfei ran toward the Rat King’s head.

With a wet, tearing sound, he knew the job was done—its belly had been slashed open, intestines spilling out.

All that remained was to distance himself and wait for the Rat King to die.

Reaching the Rat King’s head, he pulled out the scythe and turned to sprint out of the cave.

It had to be said, for dungeon monsters that were massive but poorly armored, the Paralyzing Ant-Lion Scythe was practically a divine weapon.

The larger the dungeon monster, the more it was restrained by this scythe.

Conversely, against small and agile monsters, the scythe was less effective.

Though the scythe was powerful and paralyzing, its unique shape meant it lacked dexterity.

Against monsters like the Giant Mantis, Li Yunfei would rather wield the Ant Leg Blade and Rat Fang Shield than try his luck with the scythe.

Li Yunfei reached the cave entrance and looked back at the Rat King.

It was already lying on the ground, limbs flailing, body convulsing, struggling to breathe.

In less than two minutes, the Rat King was dead.

Li Yunfei leveled up to 14 and collected the following loot from the Rat King: a pair of super-strong Rat Claw Blades, a super-strong Rat Tail Whip, a super-strong Rat Fang Shield, ten packs of Rat King Balm, and a stack of cash.

Rat King Balm: Powerful hemostatic, disperses bruises, relieves pain, greatly accelerates wound healing, and leaves no scars.

Its effect was that of a powerful healing salve.

With Rat King Balm, even the worst injuries were nothing to worry about.

“Dungeon cleared. Do you wish to leave?”

Li Yunfei, accompanied by the little fox, reentered the cave, gathered his loot, and mentally replied, “Leave the dungeon.”

His vision blurred, and he found himself and the little fox outside the main hall’s cave entrance, restored to their normal sizes.

When he used to clear the ant cave, he worried that someone might be outside, so he never dared choose to leave the dungeon directly.

This time, he finally experienced the convenience of being instantly transported from the depths of the dungeon to the outside world without having to run out himself.