The wet, pulpy remains of the spider clung to his palm as he stared at the notification.
[30 XP gained.]
He blinked. "There's XP for creatures like this?"
Slowly, he uncurled his fingers, letting the lifeless, broken body of the spider drop to the ground. In his past life, the very sight of an insect this large would have disgusted him. He would have jumped back, maybe even screamed.
But now? After seeing the absolutely disgusting scene of the serpent's cannibalism, this barely registered.
Yet, a strange sensation slithered down his spine. His skin tingled, not from fear but from a deep, primal awareness—like something unseen was watching him.
A flicker of movement in the shadows.
He gritted his teeth. I can't stop here. I have to move forward.
With a flick of his hand, he summoned the Nethrite Dagger from his inventory. The cold blade felt reassuring in his grip as he stepped forward, body tense, ready.
The darkness thickened. The light from the glowing fungi that had been scattered throughout the cavern was now sparse, casting eerie, elongated shadows against the jagged rock walls. The air felt… different. Denser.
Then—
Something sticky brushed against his face.
He recoiled instantly, hands snapping to his cheek. The substance stretched, clinging stubbornly to his fingers as he yanked it away.
It shimmered slightly in the dim light.
"Web?"
His gaze flicked upward.
There, draped across the path ahead, was a massive, intricate formation of webbing, thick as rope, layered and connected like a hunter's trap.
The silence pressed in.
Then—
A sharp, unnatural clicking sound echoed through the cavern.
A tremor ran through the web.
His breath hitched.
He wasn't alone.
From the corner of his eye, something moved.
A dark shape skittered across the webbing with unnatural speed, its legs shifting in a blur of synchronized motion. Its glossy black exoskeleton gleamed like polished obsidian.
It wasn't like the previous ones—this one was bigger.
Much bigger.
Faster.
And it was lunging straight for his throat.
His body moved on instinct.
SHNK!
The Nethrite Dagger carved through the air with lethal precision. He barely registered the motion—just the sudden resistance of flesh against steel, then the sickening sensation of slicing through something solid.
The spider's body split apart midair, its halves landing with dull thuds on either side of him. A thick, putrid liquid oozed from the severed sections, its stench overwhelming.
A notification blinked before him.
[500 XP gained.]
[Level 9 reached!]
His grip on the dagger tightened. Something's wrong.
The air around him felt charged, buzzing with tension.
Then—
The entire web shook violently.
At first, it was a faint, distant sound. A low rustling, like the wind stirring dry leaves.
Then it grew.
A chorus of skittering legs.
Echoing. Surrounding him.
He turned sharply, heart pounding. Shapes moved in the darkness—dozens of them.
No.
Hundreds.
Small black bodies shifting, writhing, creeping toward him with terrifying unity.
He wasn't fighting one spider.
He had awakened the entire nest.
A new notification flashed in his vision.
[Chain Quest Activated.]
[Kill 100 Lesser Taratects.
Reward- Silkweave Cloak ]
"A hundred?!"
"And whats the point of giving a cloak?"
His mind reeled, but there was no time to panic. The first wave was already upon him.
The first Taratect lunged—he sidestepped, slashing diagonally. The dagger cut through its legs, sending it crashing onto its back, twitching.
Before it could recover—
STOMP!
He crushed its skull beneath his boot.
Another leapt from the side—he twisted mid-step, ramming his dagger into its underbelly, then kicked it off his blade, sending its lifeless body flying.
The swarm didn't hesitate.
They came from all directions—a flood of gnashing mandibles, writhing legs, and venom-dripping fangs.
One tried to bite his ankle—he sliced off its head.
Another landed on his shoulder, trying to sink its fangs into his neck—he grabbed it with his bare hand and crushed it against the wall.
Then—
A flash of white.
He barely dodged as a larger Taratect spat a glob of webbing toward him, the sticky mass striking the cavern floor, instantly hardening.
"Some of them can shoot webbing?!"
Two more dropped from above—one with elongated fangs, venom visibly dripping.
Another thicker, bulkier one bulldozed toward him, its heavy body slamming against the cavern wall as it missed him by inches.
They're adapting!
His heart pounded.
At first, there had been panic. But as the battle continued, it faded—replaced by something cold.
Something sharp.
His movements sharpened, becoming more fluid. He wasn't just reacting anymore—he was predicting.
He could sense their movements, their attacks, the way their legs tensed before leaping.
This body…
It was fast.
It was strong.
And it was built for killing.
A slow, chilling grin spread across his lips.
"100 kills?"
"Fine."
"Let's see how long you last."
The Taratects shrieked.
And the true slaughter began.