The sky was starting to turn red, giving a warm dusk hue as Arthur walked through the city streets. The roads weren't too crowded—just a few merchants closing their stalls, kids running home, and the faint smell of baked bread drifting from afar.
"Almost there," Arthur muttered while glancing at the blinking bread icon on his card.
Bounciechomie, now comfortably perched on his shoulder, let out a soft sound.
Bloop... bloop... (with a "bread bread bread" rhythm playing in its head).
Arthur shrugged. "Yeah, yeah. I know. You're more excited than I am."
A few minutes later, they arrived in front of a small rustic bakery. A sign read "BAKERIN – Fresh Bread Anytime", though the 'N' looked like it was about to fall off. The air was filled with the sweet scent of dough and melting butter.
As Arthur opened the door, a small bell rang, and a middle-aged man in a flour-covered apron immediately turned toward him.
"Oh! You're here for the rat quest?" he exclaimed with a mix of enthusiasm and stress.
Arthur nodded. "Yeah. The one with the free bread bonus, right?"
The man gave two enthusiastic thumbs up. "Exactly! But... there's a little extra detail I didn't get to write on the notice."
Arthur frowned. "Extra?"
Bounciechomie stopped swaying and stiffened on his shoulder.
The man chuckled nervously. "Hehe... yeah, so... the 'rats' I mentioned might be... kinda... um, big?"
Arthur squinted. "How big?"
"Well... about the size of a full-grown dog," the baker replied with an awkward smile. "Aggressive ones. And... maybe one or two of them can stand on two legs."
"…Excuse me?"
"But hey, free bread!" the baker quickly added, lifting a plate of warm baguettes like he was offering it to a wild animal.
Arthur stared at the bread.
Bounciechomie stared at the bread.
Arthur and Bounciechomie exchanged looks.
"...Okay. Where's the door to this rat hell?"
The shop owner led Arthur to a door and opened it, revealing a staircase that descended into the basement.
The wooden stairs leading downward looked fragile, creaking with every step. The delicious aroma of bread that had filled the bakery earlier was slowly replaced by a damp stench—a mix of mold, dust, and... something that smelled suspiciously like rotten cheese.
Bounciechomie shrank slightly on Arthur's shoulder, its tiny body beginning to tremble.
Bloop... bloop... (with the rhythm subtly shifting into a minor key).
"Don't start playing horror background music, bro," Arthur muttered quietly.
Once he reached the bottom, Arthur found himself standing before a narrow, dimly lit corridor. The flickering oil lamps added an eerie ambiance. Strange marks were etched into the walls—scratch marks, maybe?
Arthur glanced back up at the shop owner, who was still standing at the top of the stairs.
"You really called this a 'slight extra detail'?" he said, pointing at the scratches.
"But... but the bread's free?" the baker shrugged helplessly.
Bounciechomie shot the baker a glare, its expression like it wanted to report him to the Familiar Workers' Union.
Arthur sighed and stepped forward. "Okay. I'm going in. But if I don't come out in ten minutes…"
"I'll set up a small memorial in front of the store. With a picture of you and some sunflowers. Promise," the baker replied quickly.
"...I meant I'm going to haunt you."
"Ah. Noted."
Arthur walked into the corridor, his right hand brushing against the cold wall to steady himself. Faint squeaks of rats echoed in the distance, occasionally interrupted by the sound of… footsteps?
Bounciechomie suddenly twitched its ears.
Bloop?! (A surprised note.)
"You heard that too?" Arthur whispered.
Suddenly, from the far end of the corridor, a large figure appeared—a rat, its eyes glowing red, standing upright on two legs like a person. In its hand—er, claw—it was holding… a loaf of bread?
Arthur blinked. "Wait... did it steal the bread?"
Bounciechomie: Bloop... bloop... (now playing a full-on JRPG boss battle theme).
Arthur took a deep breath. "Alright. Bread rat. Let's dance."
Just as he expected, the robotic voice echoed in his head again, like an overconfident notification from a budget RPG. It offered the skill deemed most appropriate for this absurd situation.
[ Rodent Monster Detected ]
[ SSS-Rank Skill: RodentSlap Recommended ]
Even the system sounded unsure at the end, like an intern forced to pitch a project that wasn't his idea.
Arthur slowly raised his right hand. A faint glow began to gather in his palm.
"SSS-Rank Skill: RodentSlap... activated," he muttered, half-embarrassed.
The giant rat let out a low growl, the loaf of bread still clutched tightly in its claw.
SLAAAPP!!
A solid slap landed squarely on the rat's face, complete with a sound effect more fitting for a Saturday morning cartoon. The rat was instantly flung backward, slammed into the wall, and collapsed dramatically—like an overenthusiastic background actor.
Arthur hadn't even caught his breath when a loud creeeaakkk echoed from above.
He looked up.
"…Of course," he sighed.
Four more rats dropped from the ceiling like ninjas. They landed surrounding Arthur, each one standing on two legs. One of them... was wearing a chef's hat?
"I don't know whether to be impressed or horrified," Arthur said, tightening his stance.
Bounciechomie had already restarted the boss battle theme, this time more intense, with extra drums.
One rat lunged at him—
SLAP!
The second tried to attack from behind—
SLAP!
The third attempted to spit something at Arthur—
SLAP!
And the last one, the chef hat-wearing rat, had just raised its wooden spoon when Arthur locked eyes with it.
"…Not everyone's meant to cook, brother."
SLAAAPP!!
In less than a minute, all five rats lay unconscious, sprawled across the floor.
Arthur dusted off his hands, satisfied. "Alright. Bread rats—done."
Bounciechomie swayed slowly.
Bloop... bloop... (victory theme).
From the top of the stairs, the baker's voice called out again.
"You done down there?"