Chapter 43
Pssssht!
A crackling sound erupted from Lir’s small staff.
The sound of steel clashing rang out from Rex’s prosthetic hand and axe handle, and the sound of Trian’s bowstring stretching to its limit filled the air.
Boom!
With a tremendous vibration, a spider’s leg burst through the door, smashing it to pieces as it entered our room.
“Oggar D’ Astellaraaaa!”
The devout Barbarian swung his massive axe while revering his god.
With a powerful warcry, the air around him shredded as he unleashed a ferocious blow.
Rex’s axe cleanly sliced off the front leg of the wolf spider, whose body was covered in fur, but the monster didn’t even let out a scream. Instead, it discarded the severed limb into the room.
The severed leg rolled toward where Lir and I were standing, drenching Rex in its bright blue blood. The wolf spider then began pushing its massive head through the doorway, rubbing the cross-section of its cut leg against the floor.
Whoosh!
Trian’s arrow struck the wolf spider precisely in the eye. Though wounded, the spider continued forcing its body into the room under pressure from the horde behind it.
Before the wolf spider could fully pass through the narrow doorway, another spider’s leg appeared in the gap.
Trapped in the doorway, the wolf spider flailed its severed, bleeding leg in the air. Its bright blue blood splattered everywhere.
Twisting its massive furry body in an attempt to squeeze through, the spider caused visible cracks to form along the doorway and walls.
Whoosh!
Rex’s axe slashed through the air again, splitting the wolf spider’s head in two. The energy began to drain from the furry monster’s body.
The corpse of the wolf spider now blocked the doorway like a barricade, preventing the other spiders from entering.
Boom!
Boom!
Like a horde of zombies, the giant spiders rammed their bodies into the corpse blocking the doorway. Before long, the wolf spider’s body began inflating like a balloon.
I aimed the red crystal at the entrance and took a deep breath.
The wolf spider’s corpse exploded, spraying guts and flesh across the room.
“Bolt.”
A blinding white flash shot forward from the tip of Lir’s staff. Two smaller spiders, covered in the wolf spider’s remains, squeezed through the doorway.
One of the smaller spiders wobbled as it was struck by the white lightning Lir fired at it. The thunder had been toned down to avoid being too loud, so it didn’t kill the creature instantly.
Trian fired multiple arrows at the stumbling spider.
The five arrows struck the spider precisely in the joints between its chest and abdomen. Soon after, the second spider collapsed, sprinkling blood across the floor.
I fired the red crystal’s beam at one of the two spiders that had entered the room.
“Damn it…”
My vision blurred.
It felt like my brain wasn’t getting enough oxygen. My head was numb, and the sensation in my hands and feet was fading.
The aftereffects of the explosion had still not subsided.
It was exhausting just healing the torn wounds, yet my body seemed to scold my brain for moving so much.
Damn it, the hyperventilation is coming back.
I can’t afford that now.
With that thought alone, I tried my best to control my breathing and endure.
The crimson beam shot forward in a straight line, grazing the spider’s body.
The target was far and small.
Not only was I unfamiliar with controlling the artifact, but I was also experiencing symptoms of hyperventilation.
It wasn’t easy to quickly move and accurately aim at the small, scuttling spider under these conditions.
The crimson beam merely tore off two of the tiny spider’s legs. The monster didn’t scream, and instead, used the now exposed cross-section of its severed leg to leap toward Rex and bite into his neck.
Crack!
Rex shoved his prosthetic hand into the monster’s mouth that was lunging for his throat.
He immediately swung the spider, which had his prosthetic still inside its maw, and slammed it into the dungeon wall. The spider, about half the size of Rex, was instantly crushed.
Rex then swept the wall after smashing it with his prosthetic. The spider’s body shattered like it was run through a grinder, turning his prosthetic blue.
“Bin, Mr. Bin…!”
Lir wore a worried expression as she watched me struggle with my labored breathing.
“Suck it up…! Focus, Lir!”
It’s just hyperventilation. My head is slightly dizzy and my vision is going dark.
Compared to Rex, who has been holding the front lines after taking a direct hit from the explosion, this is nothing.
I yelled loudly at Lir to urge her on, even though she was older than me. There was no time for formalities in a combat situation.
“They keep coming! Mages, stop slacking and focus!”
Lir quickly turned her head away from me and focused her gaze on the tip of her staff.
The red crystal on my shoulder began to dissipate. As my surroundings grew dim, I concentrated my senses on the foreign object near my heart and barely managed to maintain the crystal.
I can’t afford to be a burden any longer.
Boom!
The battle continued.
A giant spider with blood-red eyes began forcing its legs and body through the door, just like the wolf spider had earlier.
Rex lifted his axe to sever the legs.
At that moment, a massive, inexplicable pressure emanated from behind the cracked wall.
“Damn…!”
Sensing the abnormality, Rex hastily brought his raised axe into his chest and ducked his head.
The spider’s sharp leg slashed through the air where Rex’s head had been moments ago. The wall Rex had been leaning on collapsed, revealing a giant spider’s head with blood-red eyes behind it.
The spider attempted to engulf Rex with the rubble of the collapsing wall. Seeing the mouth full of venomous fangs, Rex scrambled to roll away, leaving melted chunks of his flesh on the floor.
“Hmph…!”
Rex let out a rare groan of pain. However, his body showed no signs of slowing down from the pain.
“Bolt!”
Lir’s second flash of lightning pierced the giant red-eyed spider’s mouth, spraying its insides everywhere. The red spider stiffened momentarily.
I quickly took aim with the red crystal at the opportunity. Though rigid and enormous, I wouldn’t miss this time.
Despite my blurred vision and disrupted breathing, I maintained my concentration purely through willpower.
It was a desperate struggle to not become a burden to the party.
Once again, the crimson beam shot forward in a straight line, striking the red-eyed spider’s head directly.
The attack was perfectly on target.
However, the monster did not die.
Even with half its head gone, the spider continued moving. Rex quickly swung his axe and climbed onto the dying giant spider’s leg to reach its head.
The skin of the red-eyed giant spider was disgustingly tough. Rex swung his axe four times into the creature’s head before the massive monster slowly collapsed to the floor.
Another giant monster fell.
But the battle was not over.
The collapse of the red-eyed spider crushed the remaining wall, creating a new pathway between our barricaded room and the frenzied room on the other side.
New legs appeared over the corpse of the giant spider.
Powerful magic comes with significant noise, so it couldn’t be used in this current situation. To effectively block the many enemies with limited firepower, we needed to restrict their route of entry.
With the wall gone, the number of paths the monsters could use had doubled, making this the worst possible situation.
“Damn it, Rex fall back! We’ll retreat one room and reorganize our formation! Mages, provide covering fire while Rex falls back!”
We needed to fight from the most advantageous battlefield possible. The monsters were formidable, while our mages had to deliberately weaken our spells to avoid thunderous sounds.
Rex began stepping backward while blocking the charging spider’s legs with his axe and prosthetic.
If he turned his back now, his body would be pierced by the spider’s legs. Our mages and archer needed to create an opening for him.
“Iiiih…”
Trian’s arrows rained down like a baptism. His quiver was getting lighter, and the chill grew stronger with each passing moment.
I slowly stepped backward while aiming the crystal at the spiders climbing over the red spider’s corpse.
I couldn’t help but feel a chilling sensation from the sight of the spiders relentlessly charging toward us.
It wasn’t just because they were more brutal and可怕 than I could imagine.
The number.
Yes, the numbers didn’t add up.
Before the battle, Trian clearly stated that seven spiders were following us.
One wolf spider, two small spiders, and one giant red-eyed spider.
In total, four spiders had been killed, and there should now be three spiders left in front of us.
However, strangely, only two spiders appeared.
“…One.”
I don’t know how I managed to notice this abnormality. I lacked battle experience, and my vision was fading due to insufficient oxygen reaching my brain.
It must be thanks to the Calm trait.
“Hold on.”
A chill ran down my neck.
Instinctively, I shifted my gaze left and right.
Had the remaining spider entered through the door instead of the broken wall?
No, all that remained in the doorframe was the spider’s entrails.
Where could the other one be…?
Suddenly, cold fragments began falling and tapping against my shoulder before my thought was even finished.
