The tarantula’s movements were incredibly fast and nimble, and it quickly closed the gap between us. Kei’s enhanced state had expired, but I could finally use mine again, so I had to focus on buying time for Kei and inflicting as much damage as possible on the tarantula while I could.
I activated my enhanced state, known as "Zen", and charged forward with my new blades, sliding on the ground to reach the tarantula’s underbelly. The tarantula tried to block my path by stomping its legs, the force of which made the ground shake. However, its large size worked to my advantage, allowing me to dodge its stomps with ease.
As I reached its underbelly, the tarantula shot webbing at me, fast enough that I could barely dodge it. One of the webs grazed my side, causing a wound that began to bleed. But I did not lose focus and pushed myself to continue, drawing on all of my strength and power until I reached my limit.
With incredible speed, I thrust my hands forward and let go of my grip on my weapons. The swords rotated fiercely in the air, each one cutting off one of the tarantula’s legs before returning to me like boomerangs. Thanks to my enhanced state, I was able to predict the exact moment to grab them again. Time seemed to slow down for me, allowing me to reach out and grab the swords. However, I was not perfect, and one of the swords made a cut on my hand, causing it to bleed profusely. Without the Zen state, I would have lost both of my hands in the process.
I had expended most of my energy, and my time had run out. I was feeling the pain from my injuries as well as discomfort in my joints. The tarantula let out a roar of pain. I knew I had to use this opportunity to escape, as I wouldn’t be able to use my enhanced state for a while. But as I tried to leave the tarantula’s underbelly, it regained its focus and spotted me. It let out a loud screech, which paralysed me for a moment, and prepared to crush me with its legs. I knew I wouldn’t be able to dodge it this time. I stood there for Zen, like a frog in front of a snake. Was this the end?
"Snap out of it!" Kei yelled at me, and I heard him. When I came to my senses, I saw him. He had regained his Zen and had jumped into the air to fall on the tarantula’s face. As the spider’s focus went to Kei, I took advantage of this to flee.
"Protect me!" Kei was about to deliver the finishing blow when the spider saw him and pointed its large legs upward, acting like tentacles. Before he could deliver the strike, they were going to hit Kei. I had to get rid of them. In me, Kei had placed his trust.
Although I had expended the majority of my energy and knew I couldn’t use Zen for a while, I still cleared my mind and closed my eyes. I forgot who I was and where I was, and I used all of the remaining strength in me to draw sol from the atmosphere. In my imagination, I saw a white rope that was far away from me. I extended my hand to grab the rope. I opened my eyes after regaining my zen.
The creatures’ many legs were closing in on Kei as he struggled to avoid them. He had numerous wounds, as some of the legs had managed to meet his skin. He was about to lose balance and fall off his feet as the creature shook violently. I didn’t spare any time and immediately fired my blades once more in the direction of the legs. I yelled "Now!" as they approached the two legs that were heading towards Kei.
When Kei heard what I said, he got his dagger ready. The tarantula legs that were going to pierce his skin were hacked off by my blades around the time he completed preparing. The blades then came back to me. Just as I was about to lose my Zen, I quickly snatched them. Time seemed to slow down for me as I concentrated on the returning blades, allowing me to grab hold of them at the perfect moment this time. I had exhausted everything and could not move an inch. The remainder is up to Kei.
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Kei’s assault had already begun. One by one, he sank his blade into the tarantula’s eyeballs in motions that were so quick that my eyes hardly registered them. Although the thing shook ferociously, Kei did not move at all. As Kei worked, blood began to drain from the tarantula’s eyes one by one. Kei jumped again while his purple eyes shone after pulling his dagger from the final eye. As he landed, he quickly extended his dagger and made a vertical cut in the air.
The tarantula was nearly cut in half. The thing’s black skin slowly changed to grey, then to pale white, and then it collapsed to the ground, gushing black blood from the wound Kei had caused. It was dead.
I could now walk because I had part of my energy back. We left the lair by stepping outside. We explored the realm until we came across the tree that had provided me with apples, and they had a healing effect. There was danger everywhere in the realm of Robhurst Grove, which was also full of wonder and mystery. I was aware that there was still plenty for me to discover about this fascinating location and that my adventure here was far from complete.
***
A week has passed since we put the tarantula to death.
We discovered other Venturers, most of them here for different purposes. We learned that when we approach the entrance to the second realm, it continues moving into a new tree but eventually finds its true spot and lets us through. It was probably done to force us to first explore the entire realm and to get us ready for the next one.
As we journeyed through Robhurst Grove, we encountered a wide variety of creatures, most of them waiting at the entrance to the next realm, like the tarantula. We had fought against many different species, each with its own unique set of skills and abilities. However, none of them were as powerful as the tarantula we had just defeated. Despite the challenges we faced, we also discovered many exotic animals and trees that we had never seen before. The dense rainforest was teeming with life, and each step we took revealed new and fascinating creatures.
We had to adapt our fighting strategies to suit each of the different creatures, as some were fast and agile while others were slow but heavily armored. Some creatures fought alone, while others fought in groups. We also observed different types of plants and trees; some of them were so tall and wide that it was impossible to see the top, while others were so small that you could barely notice them. Some of them had medicinal properties; others were poisonous. The forest was a diverse place, full of surprises and wonders.
Because I had utilised the Zen state frequently this week, I had grown accustomed to it. Limbo was teeming with sol, and the atmosphere here made it easy for me to get used to being in a state of Zen. The upside of this was that I could now use Zen for five minutes without losing focus. Kei has been able to sustain it for the full eight minutes now. I had also gotten used to handling my unique blades.
As we entered the white entrance, which did not move and had arrived at its correct spot, we felt a sense of accomplishment. As we moved along the confined corridor, the surrounding walls and roof were completely white. The entrance vanished behind us. All of our fatigue and scars magically healed as we moved through the path. It felt like we had taken a bath in a magical healing pond.
A large circular platform with runes and other weird writings was revealed at the end of the walkway. We learned from the other Venturers that this was referred to as the grand elevator. The elevator’s middle included a panel. Both the panel and the marking I received on the back of my left hand after entering limbo began to glow.
We discovered that these markings served as proof that we had entered Compound 009’s initial realm. Additionally, it made us confined to this compound and forbade us from entering any other compounds in the future. The marking on the back of my left hand began to change after the panel stopped glowing, probably registering the second realm.
As the enormous platform descended, the area around us became foggy.
[Now entering realm two: Kipduff Mountain]