Chapter 44
Hoodles of small crumbs landed on my shoulders, stirring feelings of unease and fear that prickled at my peripheral nerves.
Even before my brain could process what these crumbs meant, the anxiety and dread had already triggered an instinctive reaction, causing my body to move impulsively.
Thud.
Following my instinct, I grabbed Lir by the shoulder and jumped to the side.
A strong conviction hit me moments later: if I hadn’t done this, we would have lost our lives.
Thrown off balance by the sudden impact, Lir lifted the tip of her staff toward the sky and fell alongside me. The lightning that had been emitting from her staff struck the ceiling.
On the ceiling, directly where the white flash hit, was a spider with fangs as long as a vampire’s, extending down to its jaw. It was almost twice the size of either Lir or me—a monstrous creature.
The spider leaped off the ceiling in a crossing motion with the lightning, landing where we had been standing just moments before.
A sharp hole was left on the floor, and fragments of bricks scattered in all directions.
“Damn it, Trian…!”
“I know! Just hold on a little longer, Rex! The mages come first!”
In a battlefield, a mage is akin to a glass cannon. While their spells are incredibly powerful, capable of turning the tide of battle, the mages themselves are abysmally fragile. They lack agility to handle sudden situations and possess minimal endurance to withstand minor threats.
Thus, it’s standard practice in this world to protect the mages while engaging in combat.
However, the current situation was far from standard.
Though their numbers have decreased now, the monsters initially outnumbered us by nearly two to one, and each of them was no less formidable.
If I were to place Rex beside the mages to guard them, there was a strong possibility that the enemies rushing through the narrow doorway would not be properly held back.
So, this became a catch-22. Protecting the mages would prevent the battle from proceeding effectively, but focusing on the battle would leave the mages dangerously exposed to rear attacks.
The walls collapsing was an oversight on my part. In the games, dungeon walls never fell apart.
I foolishly assumed these walls were made of an unbreakable special material—some kind of absolute defense.
But once again, I feel it acutely.
This isn’t a damn game—it’s reality. A terrible reality without systems, game rules, invisible barriers, glitches, or experience points.
The spider, with its giant fangs reminiscent of a vampire, stretched its long legs wide and lunged its fangs toward me and Lir lying on the ground.
Lir quickly swung her staff behind my back, calmly aiming it at the spider.
Too late.
She didn’t have enough time for her mana to convert into lightning, which would then gather into a single point to form the ‘Bolt’ spell. Even though elves are known for their agility, that refers to physical movements like swinging arms and aiming staffs, not the speed of casting magic—an entirely different skill.
Moreover, her staff was violently shaking due to the suddenness of the situation. It was a clear sign of her lost focus.
Damn it.
My mind was running out of oxygen, and my tongue wouldn’t obey me. It was an emergency situation where I needed to activate my skill, but I was too busy trying to breathe.
My tongue would not move.
It felt like my sanity was slipping away. Despite my body’s extreme incompetence in responding, my brain was calmly analyzing the situation in ruthless detail.
The clarity of impending death was overwhelming.
Had I not had the ‘Calm’ trait, I wouldn’t have experienced such vivid fear, but a sigh of stupidity still managed to escape me.
“Shit.”
‘Using ‘Blossom’ in this situation would definitely involve Lir. With no defense spell in place, it won’t end with minor injuries. Additionally, Rex or Trian might be endangered. This has to be ruled out.’
It’s a situation where it’s not uncommon to get stabbed by those large fangs within seconds. My eyes would likely lose their light, and Lir lying beneath me would definitely suffer a fatal blow from the incoming fangs.
Using magic is impossible.
In that moment, despite my worn-out body, my mind made a calm and precise decision.
Clank.
The handle of the mimic’s door.
In the middle of a fierce battle where a single decision determines life or death, this was the only option left to me.
Squeak!
Deep, black void emerged from the door’s cracks, staring at us as if ready to swallow.
I pulled Lir into my arms and rolled to the side. It was an exhausting move as I had already drained most of my strength, but I managed.
There was no time to check if the mimic reacted or not.
In games, mimics are strictly programmed to attack only those who touch them.
But this is the damn reality.
So this might work.
If it doesn’t, we die.
Crack!
Seeing us roll to the side, the spider with vampire-like fangs immediately repositioned its sharp leg for a jump.
I pulled Lir as close as possible to ensure she stayed out of the mimic’s reach.
“Ha…ha…ha.”
My vision blurred.
I was on the verge of passing out from over-breathing, even though the fight hadn’t ended.
The damp, sticky, and dirty breath from the monster’s giant mouth seeped through the door crack, brushing against my cheek.
Dozens of eyes flashed simultaneously from the black void beyond the slightly opened door.
Creak!
The mimic, disguised as a door, suddenly opened its mouth wide. The door handle bumped against the wall with a metallic sound.
Whoosh!
The mimics’ wrinkled, deep-red tongue, now needle-sharp at the tip, shot out in an instant.
The mimic’s tongue pierced straight through the spider’s body that was right in front of it.
The spider, unable to withstand the sudden hole in its body, started convulsing.
The mimic’s rugged tongue slowly wrapped around the struggling prey, like a enormous hook, dragging the spider into the abyss.
Even though the spider tried fighting back by piercing the mimic’s tongue with its fangs and legs, the mimic didn’t flinch.
Thud!
After dragging the spider into the abyss, the mimic closed its mouth, appearing as if the battle inside the room had nothing to do with it.
The sound of the spider’s body being crushed was distinctly heard through the wall.
My stomach churned, and my head spun. I imagined that if the timing had been off, it might have been us, not the spider, being sucked into that void.
“Get up! You damn fools! It’s not over yet!”
Trian’s urgent cursing snapped me out of my daze.
Only then did I notice Rex, fighting off two spiders by himself.
“Can…you help a little, please?”
Rex seemed to have a hard time blocking the attacks of two spiders at once. Two spiders were rushing toward him with their fangs leading the charge.
Lir quickly rose, swung her staff, and shot bolts of lightning while Trian shot the few remaining arrows. With this opportunity, Rex slowly retreated.
I entrusted Rex’s backup to the two of them and quickly ran through the first open door, hiding in the room behind.
Even with my unskilled handling of red crystals, it would’ve been a disaster if I attempted attacking the spiders and accidentally hit Rex, who was engaged in a bloody fight with them.
“Hurry!”
Upon signaling, Lir finished shooting her lightning and ran toward the door where I was hiding.
“I’ve…made it!”
As she shouted toward Trian while sticking closely to the door, Trian also began running into the room where we were.
Once inside, Lir took charge of the continued cover fire aimed at Rex.
Soon, Trian also managed to hide behind the door crack. With another arrow notched on his string, he shouted loudly.
“Run, Rex!”
Rex, who had been struggling against the spiders, immediately turned around upon hearing Trian’s voice and rushed toward our room.
The spiders, seeing their prey fleeing, extended their legs toward Rex. But every time they did, Lir’s bolts and Trian’s arrows stopped them.
Rex almost tumbled inside, and quickly pressed himself against the wall to prepare for the next battle.
Lir and Trian ceased the covering fire as soon as Rex entered and moved to both ends of the room to focus their firepower on the entrance.
Bang!
Two giant spiders clashed against the wall simultaneously. They tried cramming their heads and legs into the doorway, competing to be the first to get inside.
“Huff…!”
Rex, exhausted, breathed heavily and lifted his axe high once more.
Like a beheaded culprit at the guillotine, the green spider’s neck was exposed. Rex’s axe swiftly swung down on it. The head of the green spider flew in a curve toward the sky.
The second spider, which had only extended its legs into the room, began pushing the green spider’s dead body aside and attempted to squeeze its entire body through the door.
Clunk!
The sound of mechanical gears clicked. With the green spider’s head severed from its body, Rex instantly retreated back from the frontline.
Whoosh!
The sound of burning air echoed in my ears. A crimson line pierced through the spider’s head and burned its chest and belly from the inside.
With the spider’s body stuck in the doorway, targeting its vitals was effortless even with poor aim.
The second spider soon collapsed, lifeless, on the floor. Finally, we had some breathing room.
“Is it…over?”
I nearly fainted as I fell to the ground.
Finally, a chance to take a much-needed, goddamn breath.
Ah…
My vision started to darken.
This was the price for pushing this cursed body too far.
