prynovel Chapter 4250 The Valley-Stealing Ratman
Chapter 4250 The Valley-Stealing Ratman
Chapter 4250 The Valley-Stealing Ratman
The Ratmen, also known as the Valley Stealers, are the wings of the God of Abundance in the plane of Druna.
It looks a bit like a gray Totoro, standing chubby, but its hands and feet are more like a human's.
Don't be fooled by their short and stout appearance into thinking they are clumsy. In fact, they are natural thieves, not only agile but also with extremely fast reaction speed.
In the world of Druna, some tribes of the Spikes with abundant granaries often have measures to guard against the grain-stealing Ratmen, but these are basically useless.
The grain-stealing ratmen can steal your food without you even realizing it, and you won't even notice them right under your nose.
They lack the ability to hide, but with their almost precognitive reflexes and small, agile bodies, they can always evade all traps and sight at the last second and complete the theft.
At this point, the rabbit girl's tone suddenly became somewhat subtle.
"The standard talent of the Valley-Stealing Ratman is... 'Ominous Signs of Danger.'"
"Judging from the name, you can probably guess that its talent is very similar to that of gray porcelain, both of which are a kind of early warning of danger."
It is precisely because they have this almost instinctive intuition that the rat people almost always choose to make a living by "stealing grain," which is also the origin of their name.
"With this kind of early warning, they can make extreme evasive maneuvers when danger is imminent."
They can steal food from the barn right in front of the guards because their accurate danger warnings, coupled with their judgment of the situation, allow them to constantly move out of the guards' blind spots.
Of course, its talent for "predicting danger" cannot compare with that of gray porcelain.
Gray Porcelain's "danger sense" is at its very core, a truly conceptual talent. In contrast, the Valley Stealer's talent is at best a low-level intuition; it's practically useless against someone who can suppress their malice and murderous intent.
"In my opinion, the Valley Stealer Ratman is a relatively safe choice and is very suitable for the current lopsided arena," the rabbit girl concluded. "However, whether its talent and reaction speed can support it to launch a counterattack in that instant is something I cannot say for sure at the moment."
Angell nodded in understanding.
After all, the lopsided arena is too special, with a huge gap between the two sides. Even if many external variables are eliminated, it is still difficult to make an accurate prediction.
Next, the bunny girl mentioned the second option—the dwarf child.
Judging from its body shape and skin condition, it resembles a human child, but its skin gleams with a coppery sheen, and its beard is beginning to take shape, making it difficult to determine its exact age.
"The dwarf, to be precise, is the cub of the bronze-striped dwarf."
Copper-patterned dwarves? This was the first time Angor had ever heard of this race: "Are they the dwarfs commonly seen in adventure novels?"
Rabbit Girl: "I don't know what the adventure novels you mentioned have to do with them. However, these bronze-patterned dwarves are a humanoid sub-race in the ancient world. They are very strong, and when they grow up, their strength is comparable to some newborn trolls. They are excellent at mining."
Ancient Asiatic boundary?
Angell had heard of this world; the Box of Reincarnation was right there. He wondered how Frost and the others were doing...
Just as his thoughts began to wander, Angell instantly pulled him back.
The present is more important than Frost's situation.
"The 'Dwarf Child' is the childhood of the Bronze-Striped Dwarfs, which is also a relatively special stage."
"Adult bronze-striped dwarves possess great strength and focus, but their reflexes become sluggish. However, when bronze-striped dwarves are young, their 'bronze blood' is at its most active, and their bodies are not stiffened by years of mining. During this period, their reaction speed is astonishing, comparable to many monsters known for their agility."
“The common talent of bronze-veined dwarves is ‘Copper Vein Perception,’ which is remarkably effective at sensing copper ore within ley lines.” The rabbit girl paused abruptly, “The common talent of child dwarves is also ‘Copper Vein Perception,’ but it differs slightly from that of adult bronze-veined dwarves.”
The "copper vein perception" during childhood may be in the early stages of talent development, as it is difficult for dwarfs to accurately distinguish the metallic veins in the earth.
However, at this moment, their innate sensitivity is extremely high. Although they cannot distinguish the metal veins, they can clearly sense the chaotic energy aura around them.
"You can think of it as a inferior version of energy perception."
Under this perception, the dwarf can instantly detect the appearance of the ethereal raiders, and combined with their powerful reaction speed, it may have a surprising effect.
“However,” she changed the subject, pointing out a major hidden danger of dwarf children, “precisely because they are young and their minds are not yet settled. If you choose to ‘let them be,’ they may forget your tactics because of fear, or be distracted by the playfulness of children, or even not understand what you are saying when you are formulating tactics.”
Simply put, this is an option with a decent upper limit, but a very low lower limit.
"Personally, I think the dwarf children are not as good as the rat people, but in some aspects, their energy perception is stronger than their sense of danger."
Danger intuition can be blocked.
However, energy sensing is an objective reality. Although the Void Raider can try to shield it, it is better to use that energy for bursts and increase the attack ceiling than to spend a lot of effort shielding it.
Therefore, the bunny girl felt that the short boy also had a chance of winning.
Finally, the rabbit girl mentioned the candidate who seemed least like a living being: a shapeless energy entity, which was none other than the Wind Spirit.
The appearance of the Wind Candle Spirit resembles a flickering blue flame, like a candle burning in the wind, hence the name "Wind Candle Spirit".
“It’s not life in the conventional sense, but rather an elemental spirit accidentally formed by highly condensed wind elements and the remnants of the deceased under specific conditions. You can think of it as a special kind of energy life.” The rabbit girl’s tone became cautious. “Its primary talent is ‘airflow vision.’ It doesn’t see with its eyes, but rather constructs an image of the world by perceiving changes in the airflow throughout the space.”
"In theory, any entity, even if invisible, will inevitably disturb the airflow as long as it is moving, and will have nowhere to hide in its perception."
"Moreover, it can condense highly compressed wind blades, which are extremely fast and deal considerable damage. Logically speaking, it shouldn't be categorized as 'disparate'."
The rat people and dwarfs in front can still be considered as "vulnerable," as even ordinary people could defeat and kill them.
But Feng Zhuling has already entered the extraordinary realm.
It's not that much different from the Void Raider.
"Theoretically speaking, it's actually quite effective at controlling invisible natural disasters." Rabbit Girl: "But personally, I think this might be a deceptive option."
“From the perspective of checks and balances, once it is strong in all aspects, it will inevitably be weak in some areas. And I believe its weakness lies in… its uncontrollability.”
After all, the Wind Candle Spirits are not flesh and blood beings, and as energy beings based on remnant souls, their thought processes may have some unknown problems.
But one thing is certain: because of its remnant soul, its ability to empathize with others will definitely not be high.
According to the masked referee, forcibly "manipulating" in this situation may lower the synchronization rate or even be counterproductive.
Therefore, when faced with the Wind Spirit, the only option may be to "let it go".
However, if left to its own devices, no one can be sure whether its thinking can comprehend complex tactical instructions.
It is even more uncontrollable than the short-statured child.
"It may be the strongest of the three and the most effective against invisible natural disasters. But I think choosing it is a real gamble."
I gamble that the remnant soul that constitutes the Candle Spirit has not lost too much of its self; I gamble that its remnant soul prototype is an intelligent life; I gamble that it can understand Angell's instructions.
After explaining the information for the three options, the rabbit girl asked softly, "What are your thoughts?"
Angell was also struggling with this decision.
Should we choose the relatively stable Valley Stealer Ratman, gamble on the Dwarf Child's energy perception, or take the risk and try the Wind Spirit's perfect counter?
Angell raised his head, his gaze shifting between the three options on the screen.
"I'll choose... the Skaven."
His gaze finally settled on the rat-man who was less than a meter tall, with eyes that darted around, revealing alertness and cunning.
Despite his inner turmoil, Angell made his decision quickly.
Because time was so tight, with only a little over an hour, he not only had to complete three uneven arena challenges, but also had a knowledge-based test to follow, and he was afraid he wouldn't have enough time.
So, he ultimately chose the ratman based on his intuition.
However, although it was an intuitive choice, Angor also had some considerations: Wind Spirit was too ethereal and uncertain; although the dwarf boy's talent was amazing, his cub's temperament was an unacceptable variable in a life-or-death battle.
The Rat Man may be the least outstanding of the three, but he is definitely the most stable.
"Omens of Danger" can greatly improve the margin for error, and the thief's innate agility and precision are the best vehicles for executing the "one-hit kill" tactic.
And let's take a step back.
Even if the ratmen lose, Angor personally feels that his chances of winning against the Void Raiders are very high.
No matter how skilled it is at assassination, it's all for naught if it can't break through the Nightmare Illusion Barrier. Confident in its own strength, Angor quickly made its choice.
Of course, Angor still hoped that the ratmen would win.
After all, if I were to take the stage, the Void Raiders would lose their weakness-enhancing effect. If I were to fail in one strike, they would likely become more cautious and harder to deal with.
Rabbit Girl: "Actually, I prefer the rat people."
Both the dwarf and the Wind Spirit need to "gamble," but she prefers absolute stability to gambling on a possibility.
"So, will you choose to let things slide or manipulate them?"
Angell replied without hesitation: "Manipulation."
While the ceiling for letting things slide might be higher, such a high ceiling isn't necessary in this one-sided matchup.
Because this is an unconventional battle, the contact is only for a moment, and life and death are decided in that one moment.
In this battle, Angor didn't even need to be too familiar with the ratmen's fighting style. As long as he could grasp that one moment of reaction, success or failure would depend on that one move.
Rabbit Girl: "I'll be watching from outside, waiting for the good news you bring back."
Angel nodded and ended the call.
Then he looked up at the masked referee.
“I choose it, the Valley Stealer Ratman,” Angor said, pointing to the image and making his decision.
"A wise choice." The masked referee's tone was ambiguous, neither genuine approval nor a mere formality.
With a graceful wave of his hand, the other images on the screen receded like a tide, leaving only the image of the Valley Stealer Ratman, which rapidly magnified and solidified.
The next second, the Valley Ratman wearing tattered leather armor and clutching a rusty short sword stumbled and actually appeared on the arena next to Angor.
It seemed somewhat bewildered, its nose twitching nervously as it looked around.
The moment it saw the masked referee, it seemed to understand something. It glanced at the unequal arena, then turned to look at Angel, its eyes filled with pleading.
It didn't say a word, but Angell saw its longing in its pleading eyes.
It doesn't want to die.
Faced with the ratman's desperate gaze, Angor did not respond immediately, because the masked referee spoke first.
"So, which command mode will you choose?"
Angell: "Manipulation."
"as you wish."
The moment the referee finished speaking, Angel felt as if an invisible thread had extended from his spirit, connecting him with the anxious Valley Stealer before him.
He could clearly feel the ratman's rapid heartbeat, tense muscles, and... that deep-seated, almost instinctive fear and vigilance against danger.
Even if there is no disturbance at all, this vigilance is like the five senses, full of a sense of presence.
Angor had previously worried that if he were to control the ratman, he might not be able to fully utilize its talents. But now it seems that he can retract that worry.
Once you enter control mode, it's almost like you've possessed a ratman.
The rat people's regular talents do not need to be actively activated; rather, they are like "passive effects" in a game, existing naturally and with a very high level of presence.
"Do you need to devise a battle strategy now, or should we start the battle directly?" The masked referee looked at Angor.
Angell: "Is there a time limit for developing a strategy?"
Masked Referee: "There are no strict restrictions, as long as the battle is completed today. You can devise a strategy that takes two or three hours if you wish."
Two or three hours? Angel doesn't have that much time.
However, since he had been given time to formulate a strategy, he was not going to waste it.
Although this battle only lasted a moment, and there's no need to be too familiar with the body's combat abilities, gaining a deeper understanding and being able to seize that fleeting moment is still a good thing.
Next, Angel spent two or three minutes familiarizing himself with the body's talents, and even deliberately created a phantom limb attack to familiarize himself with the effect of "Omen of Danger".
Then, he broke out of control mode and chatted with the ratman.
We gained a deeper understanding of the ratmen's combat habits and their instinctive manipulation of their talents.
Then he turned to look at the masked referee, ready to begin this lopsided duel.
However, before activating it, Angor looked at the ratmen beside him and suddenly thought of something. He gently summoned the Nightmare Node and tried to attach it to the ratmen.
The masked referee did not stop it upon seeing this.
After doing all this, Angor looked at the masked referee: "I choose to begin the battle."
Masked referee: "Then, both sides, please take your positions."
As soon as he finished speaking, Angor thought the ratman would walk directly onto the arena, but to his surprise, the ratman disappeared on the spot and entered the arena.
The moment the ratman disappeared, the Nightmare Node that Angor had attached to the ratman remained in place.
Angell: "..."
The ratmen's entry into the arena refreshes their physical status, no wonder the referee saw it but didn't stop them at all.
(End of this chapter)