The Stranger

The sensation of exerting full force yet missing the mark was deeply unpleasant for Simon. He felt a surge of frustration rise in his throat, momentarily choking him.

Swinging his iron rod in vain, the Water Rat Beast lunged at him and sank its teeth fiercely into his left thigh.

Simon grimaced in pain but reacted swiftly, clenching his left hand into a fist and unleashing the "Fangs of Gluttony" downward.

The four ten-centimeter-long fangs plunged deep into the Water Rat Beast's skull, splitting it open.

With a swift motion, Simon lifted his left leg and kicked the decapitated head of the Water Rat Beast away, leaving behind ghastly wounds.

A soul essence swiftly entered Simon's body, and finally, a message appeared in his mind:

"Level 2 Soul Essence User: Essence 4/20"

Having slain one Water Rat Beast, Simon faced two more approaching from opposite sides of the raft—one lunging towards him and the other targeting Lily Grace.

More threateningly, another Water Rat Beast ignored the two individuals and began gnawing at the raft.

"Damn beast!" Simon's eyes blazed with a mix of shock and fury. His body felt heated as the essence he had just absorbed dispersed throughout his limbs, accelerating the healing of his wounds.

On the back of his right hand, which was holding the iron bar, the veins were like earthworms, and he turned and rushed in the direction of Lily Grace, ignoring the rat that was lunging at him.

Lily Grace is just an ordinary girl, who can't even kill the lowly corpse beasts, and how can she resist the terrible water rat beasts.

Only the Rat could bite her delicate white neck off at a glance.

Simon is afraid of being alone. He doesn't want to be alone anymore. He needs a companion.

He finally found a partner, and he didn't want to lose it again.

So, he couldn't let Lily Grace die.

With a roar of rage, Simon's speed suddenly increased, and as he pedaled the raft from side to side, he raced across the swaying raft faster than a rat, and the iron rod flew out with a sudden blow.

With a thud, the iron rod smashed into the back of the Vole that had attacked Lily Grace.

There was a crack in the crisp spine, and the rat gave a sharp, shrill cry, and his back collapsed.

Simon was thrown so hard that he could not stand still, and he fell off the raft and into the water.

All of a sudden, Simon had no time to react, a mouthful of water was poured into his mouth, and he was choking and coughing violently.

A sharp pain in the back muscle, which is the sting of being bitten by a tusk into the back muscle.

The original sentence has been polished to enhance professionalism while maintaining the original meaning.

Simon was aware that he had been attacked by a rat on his back. Subsequently, he experienced a sharp pain in his lower leg as another rat bit him from beneath the water. The rat exhibited enough strength to bite into one of his lower legs and attempt to pull him further into the water.

Simon was overwhelmed with excruciating pain around his nose and mouth, bitten on both the back and lower leg, and dragged into the water by the two biting rats.

In a matter of seconds, Simon found himself being pulled into the water, with his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears submerged. The last thing he heard was Lily Grace's cry.

"It's all over," crossed Simon's mind.

He did not believe it was all over for himself but realized that Lily Grace was in dire straits.

Despite managing to break the spine of the rat that attacked her, there is no telling how many other rats are lurking nearby. Shortly after falling into the water, she fell victim to two rats' attacks; it is unlikely that other rats will let Lily Grace escape.

From her outcry, it became evident that she had been assaulted. Lily Grace was just an ordinary young girl who fell prey to a water rat and stood no chance of survival.

She has passed away.

At the thought of Lily Grace's death, Simon's heart gushed with unspeakable sadness and anger.

These fucking monsters.

In the water, Simon held his breath, whirled and contracted himself, and bent over. Although he did not dislodge the Rat as it clamped down on his back, the gluttonous tooth of his left hand pierced the Rat as it clamped down on his calf.

The voracious teeth were so sharp that they cut deep gashes on the back of the rat's head and neck. The gash was nearly ten centimeters deep and nearly severed the rat's neck.

A spiritual source fell into his forehead, and a message came into his mind.

"Level 2 Spirit Source: Spirit Source 5/20"

At the same moment he struck back with his right arm, elbowing the Rat that was biting his back, and suddenly he saw three more dark figures rising rapidly in his direction in the water below him.

Three more water rats.

Simon's scalp tingled as he watched.

At that moment he heard a "crash", the sound of something heavy falling into the water, and from above his head. Simon looked up and saw a figure falling into the raft from above.

"Did Lily Grace fall into the water? No, her physique is not so substantial."

These thoughts flashed momentarily, but the figure that fell into the water had already stretched out, unexpectedly agile underwater, more nimble than a fish. In an instant, they dodged past Simon, diving deep into the water with a plunge, delivering a fist blow to the water rodent clinging to their back.

The punch seemed lacking in destructive force, failing even to break the water rodent's outer skin. Yet, the rodent, struck by the blow, suddenly rolled its eyes back and its mouth fell open, stiffening in death. Simon saw a spiritual essence emanate from the rodent's body, flying towards the mysterious figure.

In a sudden realization, Simon understood. This was another entirely unfamiliar person, a spiritual essence wielder like himself. Having just leaped from the raft into the water, they had swiftly delivered a fatal blow to the water rodent latched onto their back. Their descent was swift, closely following the emergence of three more water rodents below.

The startled water rodents scattered rapidly, with one lunging upwards to bite Simon while the other two attacked the sinking person from left and right.

Simon's legs continued their rhythmic motion, propelling him upward as the water rodent closed in. Just as it seemed about to bite Simon's leg, he suddenly retracted both legs upward and dove downward. His left arm extended swiftly, striking the water rodent with "Gluttony's Fang."

The water rodent, its neck slashed by "Gluttony's Fang," spewed forth a torrent of fresh blood, its slender neck nearly severed, with only a thin strip of flesh keeping it together. The creature met its instant demise.

Simon once again gained a spiritual essence, increasing his total to 6 out of 20.

Meanwhile, the massive figure sinking below displayed remarkable aquatic agility, maneuvering like a spirit fish to evade an attack from one water rodent. His right arm extended smoothly, delivering a heavy blow to the head of another water rodent.