ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝟠: 𝔄𝔡𝔥𝔢𝔰𝔦𝔳𝔢 𝔅𝔬𝔬𝔱𝔰 ⓇⒺⓋⒶⓂⓅⒺⒹ

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The edge he once held slipped away as the fight dragged on, his stamina and Spirit Energy gradually waning. The prolonged battle had nearly draining him. The relentless onslaught took its toll, and a few of the lower-level poisonous spiders managed to bite him, causing his health to steadily decline.

The venom from their bites coursed through his veins, each sting a painful reminder of the danger that now surrounded him.

In the midst of this struggle, he noticed something that halted him in his tracks. The Lv.10 Poisonous Spider, the Matriarch that had orchestrated the attack, began to move toward him, closing the distance with deliberate intent.

Realization dawned on him—the Matriarch had been trying to engage him in a battle of attrition, letting the lower-level spiders sap his strength and Spirit Energy until he was too weak to fight back effectively. It had bided its time, waiting for him to exhaust himself before making its move.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ Lv.2 Poisonous Spider Killed ﴿ x 23

﴾ Lv.3 Poisonous Spider Killed ﴿ x 9

﴾ Lv.4 Poisonous Spider Killed ﴿ x 4

﴾ Congratulations! You have reached Lv.4 ﴿

﴾ 5 Undistributed Stats are available ﴿

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

But he refused to let the Matriarch seize the upper hand. The stats gained from his recent level-up fueled his confidence. As the Matriarch advanced, a cold, determined resolve flashed in his eyes. ‘You’ve finally come out of hiding? Don’t think for a second you’ll leave’, he thought, his mind sharpening with icy focus.

Ignoring the pain and creeping fatigue, he immediately accessed his remaining Undistributed Stats. Without hesitation, he allocated 3 Stats to his Spirit Attribute and 2 to his Endurance Attribute.

The moment he did, a surge of renewed energy coursed through him. His Spirit Energy reserves expanded, providing the power needed to sustain his║Sword Aura║. Simultaneously, the boost to his Endurance fortified his body, slowing the venom’s effects.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾Congratulations! You obtained the Skill, Lv.1║Passive Stamina Regeneration-I║ ⧼Uncommon⧽ by reaching 20 Stats in Endurance Attribute.﴿

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

As he reached the threshold of 20 stats, an unexpected shift occurred, unlocking a new skill. The passive ability made its presence known subtly, enhancing his stamina recovery. The change was immediate, restoring his lost stamina at an accelerated pace he hadn’t experienced before.

In a bold, perhaps reckless, move, he chose to allocate all his stats at once. The decision caused a brief lapse in his defenses, a momentary vulnerability that the spiders lurking nearby quickly exploited. Their fangs sank into his exposed skin, the sharp pain a reminder of the risk he had taken.

He had taken a calculated risk, believing that the venom from these lower-level spiders wouldn’t be lethal in the short term.

The spots where the spiders had bitten him throbbed with a pain that was sharp and unrelenting, as though dozens of staples had been driven into his skin simultaneously.

But as the pain surged, so too did a newfound resilience within him. The recent increase in his stats brought a slight, yet crucial, recovery of both stamina and spirit energy, allowing him to muster the strength needed to fight back.

Drawing upon the power of the Stage-2 Sword Aura, he activated the newly unlocked║Aura Extension║. The Cyan aura burst forth from his weapon, extending a full meter beyond the tip of his ║Rusty Short Sword║.

The once modest blade appeared as an incredibly sharp weapon nearly one and a half meters long, glowing with a lethal intensity.

Focusing all his strength, he swung the aura-extended sword at the Spider Matriarch. The blade struck with precision and force, slicing cleanly through the creature's head. The impact was so powerful that the spider's head split into two gruesome halves, its body collapsing instantly as death claimed it.

The Spider Matriarch hadn’t seen his hidden attack coming, and its demise had been swift, but the aftermath was proving to be far from over.

Blood sprayed from the wound, splattering across the right sleeve of his snug, moisture-wicking compression shirt. The liquid, thick and venomous, began to burn through the fabric almost immediately, searing his skin beneath.

Feeling the searing heat spread across his shoulder, far stronger than the venom from the smaller spiders, Jay acted without hesitation.

He tore the sleeve away from his body, but the venomous blood had already done its damage. His shoulder bore the brunt of the burn, the venom eating into his flesh and leaving a raw, painful wound that throbbed with each passing second. The sensation was a relentless mix of burning and stabbing, making it difficult to focus on anything else.

Desperate to cool the fiery pain, Jay reached down and grabbed a handful of ground mud, pressing it firmly against the burn. He knew it wasn't the wisest move—mud could introduce bacteria into the wound and worsen the situation—but the immediate relief it offered was too tempting to ignore. The cold, damp earth drew some of the heat away from his skin, dulling the worst of the pain for the moment.

With one hand still holding the mud in place, Jay removed his boxing wraps with the other, aware that they weren't the cleanest option but still necessary. He wrapped them tightly around his shoulder, securing the mud and applying pressure to the wound. The makeshift bandage would hold for now, though he knew the risks involved.

The pain lingered, a constant reminder of the battle he had just fought, but he forced it to the back of his mind, knowing he couldn't afford to lose focus.

He felt a surge of relief, glad that he had decisively used the║Aura Extension║. If he hadn't, the battle could have taken a far darker turn. The Lv.10 Poisonous Spider had already proven its danger, with its blood alone being so venomous that it burned through his skin.

Jay could only imagine how much more lethal the spider's venom would have been if it had managed to bite him directly. The thought sent a shiver down his spine, reinforcing the importance of his quick decision.

The information from the notification seared into his mind, the Achievement Title he had gained already etched into his thoughts. He quickly grasped the potential of the title, realizing it could be the very thing that might help him settle the situation.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ Lv.10 Poisonous Spider Killed ﴿

﴾ Congratulations! You have earned the Achievement Title║Lesser Arachnid Hunter║ for eliminating numerous Spiders of the Lesser Arachnid Species ﴿

﴾ Lesser Arachnid Hunter ﴿ ⧼Common⧽

* Increases all Poison related abilities by 10%.

* Lesser Arachnid races will fear you, while Higher Arachnid Species will become more aggressive towards you.

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

Once he activated the new Achievement Title, all the Poisonous Spiders around him began to retreat, crawling away as if confronted by the nemesis of their race.

The sight brought a grim satisfaction, and he felt a wave of relief wash over him. It was fortunate that he had earned this title; though it would make the higher races of the Arachnid Species more aggressive towards him, he didn't care much. He knew that once he could fully utilize his Looted Stats, they would have to rethink their aggression.

After unleashing the║Aura Extension║with full power, his Stamina and Spirit Energy were at the lowest he had ever seen.

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﴾ Stamina: 2/100 ﴿

﴾ Spirit Energy: 1/80 ﴿

Exhaustion clung to him like a heavy shroud, every muscle in his body pleading for rest. The battle had drained him to his very core, and the idea of simply lying down where he stood and succumbing to sleep was almost irresistible.

His eyelids drooped, and each breath felt like a monumental effort, the fatigue wrapping itself around his mind, urging him to surrender. But he knew he couldn’t give in. Not yet.

With sheer determination, he forced himself to stay upright, pushing back the creeping darkness at the edges of his vision. His breaths came in ragged gasps, each one a struggle against the overwhelming weariness that threatened to pull him under.

His gaze fell on the nearby║Lesser Stamina Fruit║, its vibrant color standing out against the dull landscape. With a trembling hand, he reached out and plucked it, the movement feeling sluggish and heavy.

He bit into the fruit, its tangy sweetness filling his mouth as he chewed quickly. The effects were almost immediate—a surge of energy coursed through him, driving back the fog of exhaustion and clearing his mind. The revitalizing power of the fruit seemed to spread through his body, restoring some of the stamina he had lost.

As the energy coursed through him, he couldn't help but think of how much worse things could have been. If he hadn’t earned the║Lesser Arachnid Hunter║title, the remaining spiders would still be swarming around him.

Without the title’s influence causing them to flee, he would have had to fight tooth and nail against every last one. In his current state, already depleted of stamina and spirit energy, the battle would have been brutal.

As he bit into the second║Lesser Stamina Fruit║, he glanced down at his legs, where the familiar, persistent pain continued to throb.

The bite marks from earlier were still visible, dark lines tracing the slow spread of poison through his veins. The venom had been coursing through his body for some time.

But he remained calm, his focus unwavering. He had already discovered that the Poisonous Spiders possessed a║Poison Resistance║Skill, and he had been careful to loot it from the dead spiders whenever the opportunity arose.

He didn’t even need to touch them to claim the skill—just being within a certain distance was enough for him to do the trick. Theability had proven invaluable, allowing him to build his resistance against the venom that pulsed through his veins, keeping the worst of its effects at bay while he fought.

Thanks to that, the poison wasn't as devastating as it might have been. His Health Points, which had been dangerously close to plummeting earlier, had stabilized. The resistance granted by the skill kept the venom in check, preventing it from inflicting further damage on his body.

Moreover, the fruits he ate had an unexpected benefit—they carried an anti-toxin effect that slowly neutralized the poison in his body.

Realizing that, Jay continued to eat, consuming four more of the║Lesser Stamina Fruits║. With each bite, he could feel the venom being gradually purged from his body, the dark lines fading as the fruits worked their way through his system.

By the time he finished the last fruit, the poison had been completely neutralized, leaving him with only the lingering soreness of the bites

He didn’t linger among the spider corpses for long, quickly deciding to move on. With a sense of urgency, he activated║LOOT║and focused his gaze on the Spider Matriarch.

A familiar interface surfaced before his eyes as he honed in on the fallen creature, ready to extract any valuable abilities or items it held.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ Choose one to loot from the Dead Lv.10 Poisonous Spider ﴿

﴾ Lv.10║Blood Poison║⧼Common⧽ ﴿

* grants the ability to transform your blood into a poisonous substance. The potency of the poison increases with the skill's level, allowing for more effective and dangerous use as the skill progresses.

﴾ Lv.10║Hydraulic Leap║⧼Common⧽ ﴿

* grants the ability to leap up to 50 times your body length by harnessing your blood fluids for propulsion. It's a powerful tool for rapid movement, useful in both combat and evasion, with potency increasing as the skill level improves.

﴾ Lv.10║Poison Resistance║⧼Common⧽ ﴿

* Increases your resistance to poison by 10%, reducing the damage and effects of toxic substances. Higher skill levels offer enhanced protection against Poisonous attacks and Venomous environments.

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

The ║Poison Resistance║ Skill was essential at that moment, and the ║Blood Poison║ Skill appeared quite useful. Still, it was the║Hydraulic Leap║Skill that truly caught his attention.

"I should have a way out if I run into something stronger than me," he mumbled to himself. Weighing his options, he ultimately chose the Lv.10║Hydraulic Leap║but decided to hold off on merging with it, opting to wait until he returned to his safe place.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ 10 Stats Looted ﴿

﴾ Lv.10║Hydraulic Leap║⧼Common⧽ Looted ﴿

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

Jay started sifting through the remaining Poisonous Spiders, searching for those that had slipped his attention during the earlier fight. Each one had the same skills, though at lower levels.

Not wanting to waste time going through them one by one, he decided to use 'LOOT' on all the spiders simultaneously. To his relief, it worked perfectly, saving him the effort and time.

However, his relief was short-lived. To his disappointment, the overall stats he managed to loot only amounted to 114. Despite being able to steal 10% of their stats, the low total revealed just how weak these spiders had been.

‘No wonder I could handle so many of them and walk away with just a few scrapes’, he thought to himself.

As he reviewed what he had gained, he noted that the spiders possessed three skills in total:║Hydraulic Leap║,║Blood Poison║, and║Poison Resistance║. Other than the first skill, which he had directly looted from the Spider Matriarch, the other two were not particularly high-level, stagnating at Lv.5.

When he looted all the skills he could, only the highest-level ones remained in his possession. He had hoped the skills of the same level might combine and level up, but that was just wishful thinking.

As he was about to leave, something caught his eye—a pair of black boots partially concealed beneath the carcass of the dead Spider Matriarch. They were lying beside the fallen Lv.10 Poisonous Spider, and he was certain they hadn’t been there before. Intrigued, he used║Inspect║on them, and a notification appeared.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾║Adhesive Boots║⧼Common Grade⧽ ﴿

* Able to use an adhesive force to attach to any surface, whether vertical, horizontal, or inverted, these boots allow the user to move freely across challenging terrains. The adhesive force can be activated or deactivated at will, providing complete control over when to stick or release from a surface, making them invaluable for both combat and exploration.

Effect: Agility + 5 ⧫

Requirements: 15 Agility

Condition: Perfect

Durability: 100/100

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

﴾ Lv.2║Inspect║⧼Common⧽ ➟ Lv.3║Inspect║ ⧼Common⧽ ﴿

After using the Skill ║Inspect║ so many times, it finally leveled up. He couldn't help but wonder how long it would take to level it up again, but for now, he was excited to have discovered a Spirit Item. The ║Adhesive Boots║ even increased his Agility Attribute by 5 Stats, a significant boost.

He guessed the boots might be a reward from the System for killing the Lv.10 Poisonous Spider. Without hesitation, he quickly picked up the║Adhesive Boots║, and a notification appeared, offering the option to form a bond with the Spirit Item.

﴾Do you wish to form a bond with║Adhesive Boots║⧼Common⧽?﴿

He agreed, but unlike when he activated the Achievement Title║Training Maniac-I║, there was no dramatic notification. The Safety Mode he had enabled was still active, so his Agility Attribute increased by just a single stat. He would have to wait for the remaining stats to gradually follow over time, as his body slowly adapts.

After establishing the bond, he slipped on the║Adhesive Boots║, which magically altered in size to fit him perfectly. The transformation was seamless, as if the boots had been crafted specifically for him. The snug fit made him feel more grounded, yet light on his feet.

Satisfied with his new gear, Jay quickly turned his attention to the surrounding area. Wasting no time, he began plucking as many║Lesser Stamina Fruits║as he could find, knowing their value in helping him recover and sustain his energy.

With his provisions secured, he carefully retraced his steps, moving cautiously through the dense forest as he made his way back to his tree hideout.