HC:Pacifist | Ch. 66 - Front Crawl (Patreon)

"Thank you for the thoughtful gift." Roth checked the skill card that his guide had just offered him

Sewer Sludge (Common)

Skill description: The many chemicals that make it down to the city's sewers make this a very inhospitable environment. Your cells become better adapted to deal with toxicity and can generate more potent poison.

Skill effects: Passive. All poison skills are 20% more effective.

This was the first gift Roth received from the ratans in Hilsford. It seemed like a particular skill for those that favored poison-related skills, but he would keep it in his inventory for now. Skill cards were practically weightless, and he didn't mind keeping them until he figured out what to do with them. His attention went back to his guide.

Sewy was a black rat as giant as a small dog. Thank goodness he didn't have fleas, but his smell was disgusting. Roth was given a debuff for the 100th time since he'd reached the sewers.

The smell around is so strong that you feel dizzy. You've received [Dizzy] debuff. -3 to all stats, -10% movement speed.

No wonder the sewers weren't popular. He kept receiving debuff after debuff all the time. At least, because of this, his new stat was also improving.

Your body is beginning to adapt to the hostile, toxic environment. +1 resilience.

So far, he has unlocked five resilience points. Being the sewers was the perfect place to make the character more resistant to debuffs and in-game curses.

"I appreciate you showing me around your turf, Sewy." Roth twisted his mouth. How had this creature's mother dared to try to make the word sewer sound cute?

"No problem. How can I say no to some free cheese?" Roth checked his map. After a few hours, even with the time he'd spent traveling the sewers, his map was still only at 35%. He still had 65% of stink town to explore.

Roth tried out his new gadget for the 1000th time.

Cybernetic Scanner (Rare)

Item description: A tool used to run diagnostics on machinery.

Item effects: Active. Allows you to perform rudimentary analysis on some objects. Cooldown: 30s

Even though it gave no stats, Roth thought the little semi-transparent colored monocle made him look cool. His only regret was that the scanner occupied the space one of his earrings would have had. He only had one of the [Raven Feather Earrings] equipped while his newfound toy occupied the other. He scanned Sewy one more time.

Sewer Rat (Friendly)

Lvl. 13

Mob description: Sewer rats are constantly exposed to toxic chemicals, making them highly resistant to poison. Their teeth are exceedingly sharp and can easily chew electric cables.

HP: 500

Energy: 50

Skills: [Ratan Strike]; [Ratan Dash]

Compared to before, Roth could now read a short description of the mobs he encountered and also see their energy level and some of their skills. Sometimes, it worked on non-living objects too.

Sewer Moss (Common)

Item description: Moss thrives in the damp, warm environment of the sewers. It can prosper even with little sunlight, making it one of the most common plants in the sewers.

Roth spammed the active scanning skill at whatever chance he got. After all, what else did he have to do? After leaving Mario's lab, Roth explored the whole sewers. The worst thing was that the parts he needed to map out the most were the smelliest.

Fortunately for him, he was on good terms with everyone down here. He was going around the different nests asking for local guides to show him around their turf. Thanks to this, he already knew four entrance and exit points to the sewers that didn't require him to use [Miniaturize].

"I'm sorry to ask, but why do you keep hopping around like a bunny?"

"Uuhh, just doing exercise. Nothing important." Feeling the pressure of being unable to level up or quest freely, Roth decided to try multitasking. Instead of running behind the ratans in the sewers, he jumped, hoping to unlock a title. He knew he looked silly, but he had already gained +1 dexterity from doing this.

"You humans are so weird and strange. And you're so gross too. One time I saw one of... Look! Alligator feces!" The rat picked it up and snacked on it. Roth felt like throwing up, but he kept jumping, trying to get his mind off the filth around him.

"Say what, Sewy... do you know if there's a way out of the city through the sewers?"

"Sure, there is."

"Where is it?"

"Follow me."

Sewy turned a sharp left, and Roth jumped after him. Roth didn't want to lose exclusivity in his trade agreements but didn't want to use the city's gates. If Gary had followed him here, he might be staking out the entry and exit points of Hilsford. He wanted to know if there was a secret entrance to the city through the sewers.

Roth started hearing a distant rumbling as if a machine turned on. As they drew closer, the sound became louder and stronger until it drowned every other sound in the tunnels. The hollow echoes only increased its volume. It was running water.

A formidable river flowed unrestrained. Its current carried the debris and discarded garbage from the city above. The speed at which the floating trash was carried showed that the river's current was nothing to scoff at. Even though the water wasn't slimy and putrid, it was still murky and dirty.

"Here. All you have to do is to jump in, and the river will take you out of the city." Roth gulped. The current seemed strong.

"I haven't swam in a while. Is there any other way out?" tried Roth. The thought of swimming through debris and garbage didn't sound very appealing.

"Hmmm. Not to my knowledge. The only way in and out of the city through the sewers is through the river."

"The current takes you out of the city?"

"Yes. Leaving is easy, but you must swim against the current to get back in. Are you a good swimmer?"

Roth already knew what his next exercise would be.

*

"Grandpa! Grandpa! Look at me!"

"Oh wow! What a fantastic jump!" Sergeant Jazzinald never skipped an opportunity to play with his grandson in the park. He knew from previous experience how quickly they grew. This was the time to make some memories.

Despite the war leaving him with enough nightmares for the rest of his life, at least he received a sizeable pension that left him with a nice income and plenty of free time. The enhancement surgery they had given him in the army gave him strength beyond his years. He was glad to use his enhanced vigor to play with his grandson.

His mind went back to the letter he had received earlier. He hadn't yet had time to log into the game and follow its instructions. But even before he did that, he considered the implications of what it said.

"Why don't you go try those slides? I'll be watching you from that bench over there. OK?" The brat took off, prodding a burst of laughter out of the old Sergeant. Even though he wanted to spend time with his grandchild, he couldn't resist rereading the letter he'd received earlier that morning.

Dear Sgt. Jazzinald,

My son was supposed to have left jail over a month ago. Thanks to you, I know some terrible people kidnapped him. I don't know if you have children, but I'm sure you can imagine the pain it causes me to know my baby is being kept away from me.

I haven't seen my son in over four years. When he was sent to jail, he had severe anger management issues. But prison changed him. He has become meeker and kinder. I was looking forward to seeing my son and seeing how much he's changed.

Sergeant, I beg of you... please help me get in touch with my son. Please send him a message telling him to contact HarmlessShark. He's a family friend who's trying to help us set him free.

If you're willing to assist us, please contact him in-game. He'll tell you more about Roth.

Gratefully,

Bessie Tailor

The Sargeant looked up and saw his grandson happily playing in the slides. Knowing this poor woman desperately sought her son, he couldn't stand still. She hadn't told him much about why that young man was so broken, but there should be no harm in finding out more.

His thoughts went back to Stuart. It had been decades since he had lost his friend in the war, but not a day went by that he didn't think about those events. He knew there was no choice but to leave him behind back then. It was him or the whole 14th. He'd made the right call, but that didn't mean it was easy.

The sergeant sighed. He couldn't leave this boy behind. Even though he wasn't at war anymore, some war was still left in him.

"Lenny! Get back here. Grandpa has to go home now! I have to go help a friend!"

*

"The current over there isssn't too ssstrong."

Sewey had refused to walk with Roth along the river, claiming it was snake territory. Sure enough, before long, Roth found his slithering friends. He scanned the snake wrapped around his neck like a luxurious living scarf.

Sewer Snake (Friendly)

Lvl. 16

Mob Description: The high toxicity of the sewers has only made the venom of sewer snakes more powerful. They like to lurk in the shadows and strike at unsuspected prey, paralyzing them with their potent venom.

HP: 100

Energy: 200

Skills: [Snake Venom]; [Snake Strike]

Sssuzie was his current guide, helping him find the best place to practice his swimming. Roth had seen firsthand that they were swift
swimmers.

"Don't you have a representative? Do you know? Like a king or queen?"

"There are no sssenators down here."

"What's a senator?"

"A member of the sssenate."

"Senate?" Roth was getting vibes similar to when he'd heard about the Council of Badgers. Suzie remained silent for a few long awkward seconds.

"You wouldn't underssstand." If this had any similarities with the Council of Badgers, he'd have to keep unlocking reputation points with the snakes before being privy to their sacred meetings.

Guided by Suzie, Roth reached a place where the water was calm and the current wasn't as strong.

"Thisss should be a good ssspot for you." Thank you, Suzie. I think I'll be OK. The snake climbed off his neck, slithered into the ground, and disappeared into the pipes.

Roth studied the pool. A rotten pier hinted at this being a place where some service boats used to be kept, but not anymore. Roth threw a piece of old paper on the pool and observed that the current carried it very slowly. The water didn't seem to be too dirty either.

Taking down the Gazpachos would probably take some time, and he should experiment with swimming against the current while he was still here. This way, he could guarantee a way in and out of the city that didn't risk Loki finding him out.

Although Roth wasn't the best swimmer, there was a pool in his old school. Children had a gym class every week in the pool, giving them some working knowledge of basic strokes. The one he felt most comfortable with was the front crawl.

Roth considered whether he should take his equipment off before starting to swim, but he would lose some stats if he did. Perhaps the extra drag from having clothes on would also help him gain stats or unlock a title faster. He tipped his toes in. It was lukewarm. Roth jumped in.

The foul water makes you sick. You've received a [Sewer Fever] debuff. -1HP every 5 seconds for a minute.

Another debuff for his collection. Roth was happy to see that even though there was more than enough water for him to swim freely, he could also keep his head above water if he stood up.

Roth began practicing his swimming. At first, his movements were clumsy. He hadn't swum in a very long time. But with each lap he swam, he began to recall the swimming techniques he had learned as a child. Roth kept adjusting his stroke angle and kicking power, trying to ensure that his movement came from his whole body, not just his arms.

It was incredible that the technique with which he swam was affecting his swimming speed. This hadn't been the case with running or climbing. After all, the technique didn't affect running or climbing a ladder as much as swimming did. After half an hour, Roth had found a comfortable rhythm and fell into a pleasant swimming groove.

He only needed to take a break every 15 minutes. Swimming was exhausting his energy more than his running did. After two hours of swimming, he heard the pleasant ring of a notification.

Ch. 65 - Mario

INDEX

Ch. 67 - Swimmer