Chapter 16: …The Pit

The Void Spiders attacked the moment they appeared from the tunnels, firing their web projectiles at me. Webbing splattered against the stone walls behind me as I ducked and dodged.

They didn’t relent, shooting another wave of webs in my direction, forcing me to roll sideways and nearly lose my footing. They continued to pour out from the tunnels above, wave after wave. Their bodies were sleek and glossy, each half the size of an average human, with white fangs that signaled danger. Their sounds filled the chamber – high-pitched screeches and chittering clicks. And there were so many of them, like the tomb itself was alive, vomiting them forth through these tunnels.

Perhaps I was too bold, thinking I could take them…How many could I actually kill before they completely overwhelmed me? Would I even be able to kill one?

I darted left, then right, just barely staying ahead of their shots. And then, when I thought things were already hard enough, I saw them start to shift. The front wave crawled down the walls. One by one, they reached the ground, fangs bared, their predatory eyes trained on me as they began to close in.

There was a dozen of them on the ground, scattering around me like an ambush. I had to keep moving, dodging the web projectiles from the wall spiders and avoiding the ground spiders from tightening their circle. I activated Flame Sword, engulfing Nightfall in flames to keep the spiders at bay. The fire made them wary, and they hesitated just long enough. I used Dash Step, feeling the surge of momentum as I dashed sideways, just a millisecond faster than their projectiles and clawed strikes. The skill’s relatively low cooldown and stamina cost allowed me to spam it a few times in succession, keeping ahead of their attacks.

The pressure kept mounting as a second wave of spiders reached the ground, quickly closing in. I used Blade Rush – normally an offensive skill to close the distance between me and an enemy – but here, I used it defensively, dodging an incoming web shot while also landing a swift strike on the targeted Void Spider with a Time Delay Swing-imbued Nightfall. It barely made any damage, but that was fine as I wasn’t expecting to kill it with my sword – I just wanted to keep them moving how I wanted.

Using Dash Step and Blade Rush in tandem, aware of their cooldowns, I darted between the spiders, each strike and dash pulling them closer together. The heat from my flaming sword scorched the webs around me, adding a faint smell of burning silk.

Finally, I’d managed to pull them into a tight cluster. I used Dash Step again to gain distance and attempted to select Ember Flask from the inventory, but as I did, I realized my right leg wouldn’t budge.

[Condition Applied: Rooted by “Spider Silk”]

I glanced down, dread twisting in my gut. One of the web projectiles had hit, wrapping around my ankle and gluing me to the ground.

I brought the flaming Nightfall toward the web binding my ankle, knowing that I’d risk damaging myself in the process, but I had to be mana efficient. Using another fire spell while Flame Sword was still active and draining my mana would be foolish. The flames crackled, but the webbing was dense, burning far too slowly for the time I had.

The spiders, of course, didn’t wait for me to break free. Those on the walls lined up for more shots at my immobilized self. One projectile flew toward me, and I twisted just in time, narrowly dodging it. Another followed right after, and I ducked to evade it, my foot still trapped. As the number of projectiles grew and the ground spiders closed in, I knew I had to use my last line of defense.

I activated Moon Barrier.

Tiny, shimmering hexagons unfolded around me, forming a protective shield. I breathed out in relief as the barrier held steady against the barrage of incoming web projectiles and the lunges of the ground spiders, who were attempting to bring it down. I knew the barrier wouldn’t hold forever - it was my strongest defensive spell, courtesy of Nightfall, but with a long cooldown and a max duration of just thirty seconds.

Nightfall’s flames continued burning through the web, but time was running out. The spiders crept around me, fangs and claws poised, their screeches growing more haunting and chilling with each moment. Meanwhile, the system didn’t care about all that, bluntly reminding me that things could only get worse in this place.

[Mana: 19% - Recommended to Consume a Mana Elixir]

Damn. I could feel Flame Sword draining my mana, but I couldn’t afford to drop it yet. I opened the second inventory and selected the two remaining Lesser Mana Elixirs.

[Item Consumed: Lesser Mana Elixir x2]

[Mana: 59%]

Then another message flashed my vision.

[Night Vision: Lumindew Effect Expiring. Time Remaining: 00:00:59]

Great. The last thing I needed was to lose vision right as I fought for my life in a sea of spiders. I quickly selected the last Lumindew from my second inventory and consumed it, refreshing the night vision effect for another thirty minutes.

[Item Consumed: Lumindew x1]

[Night Vision activated. Duration: 30 minutes. Visual range enhanced in low-light areas]

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Finally, the last stubborn threads of the web around my ankle burned away, and I pulled my leg free, wincing at the faint scorch on my boot.

[Condition Applied: No Longer Rooted]

[Health: 91%]

Looking around, I realized just how tight the circle around me had grown. There were now around fifty Void Spiders on the ground, piling on top of each other, all hungry and eager to bare their fangs at me. I glanced at Moon Barrier’s timer.

[Moon Barrier: Time Remaining: 00:00:06]

With six second left before my last line of defense fell and the spiders overwhelmed me, my mind raced for a solution. Even if I died, I’d wake up again - but then all of this would be for nothing. I’d forget about ever visiting here, repeating the same fight the next time I find myself in this pit. I had to make this count!

A plan formed in my mind, and I watched the timer tick down, knowing timing would be crucial.

3

2

1 –

The barrier shattered, scattering like pieces of glass under the spiders’ claws. In the same instant, I activated Blade Rush, targeting the furthest spider I could reach within the skill’s casting range, just enough to get me past the horde that formed around me.

My body surged forward, crossing the distance immediately, leaving the spiders behind me grasping at thin air. Appearing next to my target, I didn’t stick around for long. I spotted another spider further away, aimed, and used Blade Rush again, closing the distance with another dash. I repeated it once more, targeting a relatively isolated spider on the far side. This time, I circled around the monster using Dash Step, evading its claws and the web projectiles flying at me from the walls.

I slid around behind the spider, gaining enough distance to assess the entire pit from my new position. The scene gave me goosebumps. The spiders moved toward me, more spilling from the walls, even the one behind me. There wasn’t really a safe place for me in this pit, and I knew that even this relatively peaceful moment will be short-lived.

But this was it - the best shot I’d get to take as many of them with me as possible. I selected the Oil and Ember Flasks from my second inventory, and the glassy flasks manifested in my hands.

With an accurate and trained motion, I threw both at the oncoming horde, watching it sail over the closest spiders and land in the densest point.

The Ember Flask burst on impact, combining with the oil from the Oil Flask to enhance the explosion. A wave of fire rolled across the ground, engulfing the closest spiders in flames. The blast scattered some while leaving others writhing, their bodies charring in the heat, covered by burning oil.

Yet the explosion didn’t kill any of them. Those hit directly took the most damage, dropping to around 70% of their HP, yet the burning damage continued ticking. The ones in the outer ring remained mostly healthy, with around 90% of their HP. Others didn’t seem affected by the blast at all, but at the very least I could see them slow their advance.

I opened my inventory again, about to grab the second Ember and Oil Flasks, hoping it would bring me closer to finish the job. But then, a sudden weight slammed into my back, and sharp fangs sank into my shoulder, sending a wave of pain through my body.

[Health: 16% - Reaching Critical Level - Please Consume a Healing Potion]

[Status Effect: Poisoned - Health drain at 1% per 5 seconds]

I gritted my teeth, fighting off the spider that clung to my back and throwing it off me. But the damage was done. My head spun as the poison took effect.

I knew I needed to remove the poisoning with the Gethril Root, or take the Heartspore Tonic to neutralize the damage over time, but the spiders were too close. The one that had just bitten me was already preparing for another lunge. I tried to activate Blade Rush to escape, but the system flashed a terrifying message.

[Insufficient Mana for Blade Rush]

I gritted my teeth, resorting to Dash Step instead, darting a short distance back, then again a few more times, nearly running out of mana completely. But I had gained some distance, likely enough time to select and use only one or two items before they killed me.

Passing on the Gethril Root, I selected another Ember Flask and Oil Flask, aimed them at the mass of spiders I’d struck before, and hurled it forward. But my arms had weakened from the poison, and the throw ended up falling just too short.

The flask exploded with a burst of flame, but the spiders I’d hoped to hit were only in the outer ring of the blast, their HP bars dropping from around 60% to around 40%. It wasn’t enough.

[Health: 8% - Reaching Critical Level - Please Consume a Healing Potion]

The message reminded me of my dire situation, but I knew I had no time to waste. I just needed to use the last Ember Flask. Sadly, it wouldn't be enhanced with an Oil Flask as I ran out of those, but it would have to suffice.

I attempted to select it from my inventory, but one of the spiders lunged at me, and I rolled to the side, cutting my item selection short.

The swarm of Void Spiders encircled me, and I realized this was the end. A grand attempt that was going to end up fruitless. The worst part was that I wouldn’t remember any of it, so I wouldn’t be able to adjust for my next run and would likely repeat the same fight, ending up with nothing to show for it. Stuck in this endless loop.

Damn it!

Then, just as the swarm was about to devour me, a piercing screech echoed through the pit. The sound reverberated off the walls, sending a chill down my spine. The spiders around me halted and immediately went silent, and only now did I truly realize how much noise they had been making. They stood there calmly and simply waited, their legs twitching.

I followed their gaze to the largest tunnel above us, where a dark, monstrous shape was descending, moving with slow, deliberate movements. The creature’s massive body filled a sixth of the entire pit, at least fifty times larger than any of the Void Spiders. Its name and level appeared above it: Arachnid Mother, Level 85.

Realizing I was about to become their mother’s meal, I didn’t waste a second. An Ember Flask would do no damage to her, but I could still take out her nasty little children. I used this moment to select the last flask from my inventory before quickly hurling it toward the spidery mass in the center of the pit, exploding on impact.

The XP gain messages popped up milliseconds before Arachnid Mother bit my head off.

[+294 XP]

[+294 XP]

[Level Up! You have gained 1 Skill Point]

[Skill Point Available: Choose a skill to level up]

[+294 XP]

[+294 XP]

[+294 XP]

[+294 XP]

[Level Up! You have gained 1 Skill Point]

[2 Skill Points Available: Choose a skill to level up]

[Health: 0% - You Have Died]