Chapter 33: The Second Invasion

As all the guests left, bedtime arrived.
I’d hoped this moment wouldn’t come, but no more guests appeared.

“Piggy, let’s go upstairs.”
Worried about another attack, I sent the pig-bird to the second floor first.

“Bbi bbi…”
It whined, reluctant to sleep, but I managed to settle it and returned to the first floor.

Leaning on the bar, I watched the garden through the glass.
A gut feeling told me tonight wouldn’t be quiet.

“Not sleeping?” Bernell asked, following me downstairs.
“I have a feeling we’ll get hit again tonight.”

At my words, he changed into armor and drew his sword.
“If you’re that worried, I’ll stand guard.”

It might be unnecessary if no attack came, but I couldn’t refuse.
I was grateful Bernell stayed at the café. Imagining facing this with just the pig-bird and me was horrifying.

“You heard the Young Blue Sage, right? Rats hide in dimensional holes. I keep thinking they’re lurking, waiting for a chance.”
“Just rats. If they show up, I’ll take them out.”

“Even ‘just rats’… you know they keep coming unless you eradicate them completely.”
Their breeding and agility were relentless. Without professional extermination, they’d persist, sneaking into unexpected places.

“I wish the cats had visited today.”
“Didn’t they say the cats are why the rats targeted us?”

“True, but…”
I couldn’t blame Catsy now—her presence brought too many benefits.

“Go sleep. I’ll stay up. If rats appear, I’ll handle them.”
I tapped the bar, pondering.
Will they come? When? Must I live in constant worry?

“How about we take shifts? Staying up every night alone is too much.”
“I don’t need sleep.”

“Even demigods need rest. Look at Piggy—it sleeps soundly.”
The pig-bird, being a baby, slept a lot.

But it wanted to be with me more than sleep. If I woke, it’d stir, whining, stumbling after me as if hating being left alone.
If it were smaller, I’d carry it all day.

“Lack of sleep could affect work. My plan’s more rational.”
We clashed over shifts, but Bernell couldn’t win.

He took first watch; I went to bed. I suspected he wouldn’t wake me for my shift, but exhaustion drove me to bed.

Nestled in the pig-bird’s feathers, I was deep in sleep when—
Thud, thud, THUD!
A sudden jolt woke me.

“Damn it…”
As expected, the second attack had come.

I calmed the startled pig-bird and rushed downstairs. Black rats swarmed the garden.
Thanks to the boosted defense level, the café wasn’t taking as much damage as before.

Bernell was outside, cutting down rats that vanished into black smoke. There were twice as many as last time.
Their speed stretched the fight.

“Where are these bastards coming from?”
The garden fences were a wise choice.
The rats couldn’t breach the tall, tight barriers, instead ramming the café’s walls.

“Look…”
I spotted a rat dodging Bernell’s sword, leaping into the air—and vanishing, as if slipping into a hole.
Others followed, jumping into the void.

Their appearance and retreat were as sudden as deities arriving.
Bernell scowled at the escaped rats.

“They really made rat-holes in the dimension?”
If they could come and go freely, another attack was inevitable, likely with more rats, knowing our defenses were thin.

Imagining the garden overrun with black rats gave me chills.
“This can’t go on.”

Confirming the rats had fled, I stepped outside.
“Why’re you up? You can sleep.”
“No way I can sleep through an attack. Did you see them escape? There’s definitely a rat-hole here.”

Bernell suggested poison or smoke, but normal methods wouldn’t work on evil god minions.
“Unless we seal every hole, they’ll keep coming.”

Initially, their status as evil god minions scared me, but now I was angry.
They ruined my crops, damaged my walls, and now disrupted my sleep.
I couldn’t live like this. I’d protect my café.

“I’m ending this tonight.”
I pulled out a recipe card.

Wishstone’s visit today unlocked a new effect for the jewel berry smoothie: Insight.
They’d said it felt like their vision cleared.

No matter how I looked, I couldn’t see the rat-holes. They must be invisible to normal eyes.
To secure a peaceful future, I had to exterminate them.

Manager Mode Open!
Latte Art Available: (1/3)
Transform reality with your heightened presence through ‘Latte Art.’
Select an effect from an A-rank recipe to design as Latte Art.

The outdoor tap had raised the café to rank 4, giving me two Latte Art slots.
Since designs were permanent, I’d been picky, as my cards’ effects felt weak.
Thankfully, designing didn’t cost Causality, unlike rank-ups.

Latte Art Design Selected!
Choosing the jewel berry smoothie card updated the interface.

Latte Art Available: (2/3)
[Beginner] Jewel Berry Smoothie Latte Art – Upgradable –
(Causality needed for next upgrade: 12 cheok)
Effect:

• Increases user’s Insight for [10 minutes].
• Cooldown: One Dream

Activating the skill, the smoothie’s sweet aroma filled the air, and a milky-white light burst forth.
A circular berry-like pattern wove a magic circle in the air, transforming my vision.

“Oh…”
I understood why Wishstone said their vision cleared.

Everything was sharper, almost alien, as if borrowing another’s eyes.
Information about objects flooded my mind, taxing my eyes and brain.

“My God…”
With heightened insight, I looked where the rats vanished.
The truth hit me.
What should’ve been empty void was riddled with holes.

“Those… are all rat-holes?”
It was revolting. Goosebumps crawled up my arms, and I rubbed them frantically.

“What’s wrong?”
“You can’t see… right, only I can.”

The rats from the past two nights were nothing.
Hundreds, thousands, hid in the void, their red eyes gleaming, watching the café.
The holes matched their numbers.

I hadn’t wanted to blame Catsy, but how could I not? She’d drawn this horde and hadn’t shown up in days.
“There are so many. Every inch of the void is pierced with holes.”

Pointing them out, Bernell’s face hardened.
“Just rats.”
“No, there are too many! If they all poured out, they’d overwhelm this place.”

This was an emergency. Bernell alone couldn’t handle it.
What now? Wait for Catsy, hoping her idol would summon her?
Could we hold out? What if she dismissed it as trivial?

“Huh?”
Among the holes, one emanated a stronger presence—larger, with fiercer red eyes.
Instinct told me it was the leader.

Could it be the true evil god controlling these minions?
“I found the boss. If we take it out, won’t the others retreat?”

Fighting thousands seemed impossible, but targeting one felt doable.
Yet, an evil god strong enough to tail Catsy and harm her dimension couldn’t be weak.
Could Bernell handle it?

“I’m not afraid of rats.”
Unlike my worry, Bernell was fearless.

As if provoked, the leader’s hole radiated intense malice.
“Where is it?”
“There…”

I considered barricading the café and holding out for other deities, but Bernell moved faster.
He leapt, thrusting his sword into the void I pointed at.

Stab.
“CHEEEE!”
A horrific sound of tearing flesh and a piercing rat scream echoed.