Arachsh, the spider responsible for Myrina's injury, appeared to be the same monster that had brought her to her current situation.
If she couldn't defeat it at her best, she stood no chance at her worst. Though a part of me wanted to heed her advice to run away, I was uncertain.
After all, I was just an ordinary guy, unlikely to be of any help against such a formidable creature. I wasn't well-versed in hunting either, as Romos had always been by my side to advise me when I did anything, and Myrina had shielded me during the battle with the wolves.
Despite these considerations, I refused to flee. Running away would accomplish nothing in this situation. The monster would easily catch up to me, and even if Myrina managed to hold it back temporarily, it would eventually return and slaughter the entire village. There was no safe place to hide.
With Romos' bow in hand, I mustered all my strength to draw back the string and aim the arrow. My trembling hands revealed my deep-seated fear. I hesitated to shoot, afraid that the massive spider would turn its attention towards me instead. But I had to do it, and I had to do it now!
Without overthinking, and after a torrent of internal self-encouragement, I released the arrow. It whizzed through the air like a graceful swan, finding its mark and piercing the human head atop the spider, exiting through its eye.
However, any relief I felt quickly dissipated as the giant spider remained standing, its legs wriggling and turning. This was my worst nightmare; it would surely target me next. My heart raced, threatening to burst from my chest.
Before the spider could fully turn, a resounding crunch echoed through the air as Myrina thrust her spear into one of its legs, shattering it to pieces.
"This is so unfair. Weren't Amazon Warriors supposed to be proud creatures?" mocked the human head, speaking clearly despite the arrow piercing its supposed ‘brain’.
Myrina ignored the creature's words, and I followed her lead, knocking back another arrow. I trusted Myrina to protect me if the monster targeted me. Not that I had a choice but to trust her.
Despite the pain in my fingers and the bowstring digging into my flesh, I didn't feel anything, thanks to the rush of adrenaline. This bow was stronger than my usual one, but I barely noticed the strain.
As I released another arrow, it bounced off the spider's exoskeleton when it raised one of its legs in defense.
Myrina faced the towering spider, its hairy legs ready to strike, and a sickly yellow liquid oozing from its mouth. Gripping her weapon firmly, she prepared to confront Arachsh's deadly venom.
Taking a deep breath, Myrina charged forward, thrusting her spear toward the spider's eyes. Despite its size, the spider dodged and moved its legs frantically. Seizing the opportunity, I shot an arrow into its backside.
The monster hissed, unable to turn towards me as Myrina relentlessly swung her spear. Each blocked attack weakened the spider's exoskeleton, causing cracks along its legs. However, Myrina's reckless fighting style left her vulnerable, and the spider sunk its venomous fangs into her arm, the same arm she used to protect her neck.
Though the fight seemed to tilt in our favor, my relief was short-lived. Myrina's wounds reopened, and blood flowed more profusely. Her leg bandage turned crimson, and her poisoned arm turned dark purple as the venom spread.
"Damn it!" I stumbled over my arrows and took a shot. However, my amateur aim caused the arrow to fly too low, hitting the spider's abdomen instead.
"AGHhHH!" Arachsh recoiled in pain. In that brief moment, Myrina and I shared a silent understanding. The abdomen was the monster's weakness!
Myrina seized the opportunity, striking the spider's legs with her spear. The battle raged on, each strike bringing us closer to victory. Meanwhile, I continued shooting arrows at its vulnerable abdomen, weakening the monster's legs. The old hunter's cabin was filled with spare arrows, fortunately, as many of my shots missed their mark!
"You chose a terrible place to engage us," I remarked. If the ambush had taken place elsewhere, we likely would have succumbed without a fight.
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The ground surrounding the creature was littered with countless arrows, many of which had found their mark in its abdomen. Fortunately, the monster's size spared me from the worry of accidentally harming Myrina.
"You wretches!" the spider bellowed, momentarily stunning Myrina before turning and charging directly at me.
The eerie movement of its legs sent a shiver down my spine, while its venom-dripping fangs added to the unsettling sight. However, I stood my ground, drawing my bow. There was no cause for concern; I had complete trust in Myrina.
Before the monster could even reach me, it stumbled and collapsed to the ground. Myrina's spear had pierced two of its legs, causing a strange purplish liquid to ooze from the wounds.
But before the creature could mount any further resistance, I released an arrow that struck true, finding its way into the spider's mouth. The beast's body immediately went limp. I almost sighed with relief, but Myrina wasn't finished. She began hacking away at the monster's remaining legs, revealing that it had merely feigned death.
Unfortunately for the creature, its gamble had failed. Myrina skillfully used the tip of her sharpened spear to rip open the spider's belly, exposing purple intestines and crimson blood that spilled onto the ground. The internal organs grotesquely resembled those of a human.
Myrina smiled victoriously before her body slumped to the ground. I hurried to her side, and she weakly smiled at me. "It seems we have vanquished the malevolent monster. Though it appears this is the end for me."
I grasped her hand tightly, tears welling up in my eyes after holding it for so long. "I'm sorry, if I hadn't come here to check on the hunter, you wouldn't have had to-"
"Shut up before I use the last of my strength to slap you," Myrina smiled weakly. It was clear she didn't even have the strength for that, but I wasn't going to call her out on it now. Her haunting purple eyes stared at me intensely. "Also, a man shouldn't cry. Crying never saved anyone. It makes you look weak and solves nothing. You're a hero now, so you have to act like one."
She was right. Instead of despairing, I needed to find a solution. "You're not going to die!"
She chuckled, defying the gravity of the situation. "Why? You're going to use your 'miracle power' again, miracle boy?"
Oh, how I despised that title. But I couldn't change it; the closest thing I had to a miracle was my Gamer Interface. Wait... maybe there was something there that could help her!
Class: N/A → Class Change Available!
Traits: [Transmigrator]
Level: 4 → 5
Strength: 0.9
Agility: 0.8
Constitution: 1
Spirit: 2
Luck: 4
Skills Page ≫
My eyes skipped over reaching level 5, which was likely my reward for the experience gained from helping to kill the Arachsh. But I didn't dwell on that. Instead, I noticed that my Class had unlocked!
I clicked on it, and a row of options appeared.
Choose New Class:
Warrior (Common)
Ranger (Common)
Thief (Common)
Scholar (Uncommon)
Young Hunter (Rare)
Alchemist (Rare)
***
"Why? Are you going to use your miracle power again, miracle boy?" Myrina couldn't resist making one final snide remark. That's how she wanted to die.
Yet, Myrina didn't truly desire death; she struggled to conceal her emotions. Fear enveloped her. Would she truly journey to the fabled Land of Warriors her people spoke of? Did such an afterlife even exist?
Before encountering Idas, Myrian would never have questioned the teachings of her mentors. However, they had erred in one aspect— not all men were wicked, as Idas had proven. Perhaps the Land of Warriors was merely a concept crafted by her people to breed fearless warriors unafraid of death.
An Amazon's lifespan extended nearly 200 years, granted by the favor of the gods, and most were descendants of Demi-Gods. Thus, they seldom fretted about life and focused solely on achieving a noble and honorable demise.
Though she convinced herself she was content, each time the thought resurfaced, a profound longing settled in her chest. She didn't want to die! There were so many things she had been unable to do in her life!
Still, even in her last breath, she tried putting up a brave front.