I sighed, tired from the constant heat and my physical exertion.

After another twenty minutes of walking and a few more encounters with Tiletiks, I had completely entered this new, rocky area.

The ground was bare and black, and thick slabs of stone pierced upwards through the floor. It felt like a maze of cracked rock.

Of course, there was still a thin layer of that dark orange dust coating every surface, but it wasn't as thick as before.

I didn't like it.

I felt out of my comfort zone, in a place I had no previous knowledge of.

It was how I felt when I first woke up, but I had grown used to that thick dust blowing between the endless boulders. It had become familiar, no matter how messed up that "familiar" place actually was.

But now, I was in a much more sinister area. Walls and ledges formed cramped corridors, and there were too many hiding spots. Demons could be all around me, and I would have no idea.

I shivered despite the heat.

The thought of being entirely surrounded by demons was so terrifying I nearly froze up, but I kept my legs moving.

If this was where I could find more Tiletik's, I had to continue on. I had to kill them, to get XP, to level up. I had to get stronger.

After peering over a large rock ledge obscuring my vision, I quietly hopped over the top and continued moving. Although I didn't want to go too far into this strange rocky area, I knew that this was where those spiders had come from.

It seemed like the Tiletiks mostly lived here, which was honestly strange to me.

The only demons I saw here, dead or alive, were those spiderlings. Even though I had encountered much stronger demons nearby, these tiny spiders managed to claim the territory. It made no sense to me.

Was there something I was missing? Were these things somehow more of a threat than I previously thought? Could I be making a mistake, traveling so far into their territory?

A nearby shadow moved.

I instantly brought the Cirilka blade up from my side.

Another spider crept from a shadowy alcove, and I groaned. Even though I had somewhat gotten used to fighting the spiders during my short exploration, I still hated being jumped by them.

But the Tiletik had no respect for my thoughts and rushed at me across the rocky ground.

This one seemed slower than average. Good. I wasn't in the mood for a hard fight.

My blade crashed down into the Tiletik.

You Have Slain: Tiletik Spiderling, Level 1

+6 XP

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I stepped over the corpse and kept moving.

A particularly intense heatwave blasted my skin, and I grit my teeth, huffing out a frustrated breath.

I didn't know what I was so angry for, but I was currently filled with an irrational urge to hit something. I just wanted to sit down and yell at that horrible, smoky sky.

My eyes turned upwards with the thought.

Was that even a real sky? I had yet to see a hint of actual clear blue, since everything above me was covered by a thick orange smoke that seemed to drown out all light.

It was a reminder that I wasn't safe. I was no longer on earth; I was somewhere else—a place where even the sky itself wanted to torture me.

I used to stare deep into the night sky back home, taking comfort in it. Taking solace in the fact that my problems were actually unimportant, insignificant in the face of everything else. When I looked at the stars, my problems always seemed... so much smaller.

I couldn't help but chuckle at my thoughts.

Those old problems really did feel small, now that I was here.

Just think, back then, I was told I was crazy for throwing myself into dangerous situations. People had said how I was insane after I told them what I did for fun. They were almost scared of me when I said what I did.

But looking back on it now, my past life seemed downright tame. Those judgemental assholes who told me off; they sounded even more stupid.

What would those people tell me, if they were here?

No. They wouldn't be saying anything. If they were in my situation, they would have already died. Because not a single one of them is as strong as I am.

I kicked a stray rock, and the dull pain brought me out of my spiraling thoughts.

Shit.

I need to get back on track. I couldn't get distracted, not here.

A black shape darted across the rocks to my left, and my eyes snapped to attention. Another Tiletik stood, ready to pounce, and a grim smile crept over my face.

I was getting sick of fighting the little bastards, but I was willing to indulge if it meant I could release some stress.

The Tiletik leaped at me, crossing the twenty-foot distance in a single second.

My whole body twisted out of the way, and I stabbed upwards with my blade.

I felt the sword connect, and the spider fell out of the air.

Whirling to the prone demon, I quickly stomped downwards before it could recover. I had already learned firsthand how fast those spiders could be, and I didn't want to be bitten.

The demon tried to dash back into the shadows.

I didn't give it a chance.

You Have Slain: Tiletik Spiderling, Level 2

+12 XP

Alright, those things were definitely attacking more frequently.

While I was walking, I had encountered a Tiletik every five to ten minutes, but now I was getting into fights at twice the speed. That was probably a good thing, right? It meant more XP.

It also meant I was getting closer to something. Probably their nest.

I honestly looked forward to seeing what kind of boss monster I would encounter, once I could find where they lived. I hoped it would be strong enough to level me up. A good boss monster should be able to do at least that much.

I passed underneath a stone arch and looked around a large outcropping of stone.

My eyes unfocused, and I let out a gasp.

It seemed like I wouldn't have to speculate about the boss monster any further.

I saw a massive cliff face, the top of which I couldn't see. But what interested me was the cave mouth, opening in front of me.

The cave was ten, no, fifteen feet tall, and just as wide. It was also covered in massive white webs, so thick they could be mistaken as curtains.

I counted at least fifteen Tiletiks, crawling all over the curtains of the web.

That wasn't counting the strange ones.

There were Tiletiks twice the average size, with ruby skin and dagger-like mandibles.

I saw a spider with countless glinting eyes covering every surface of its body, watching all directions at once.

Then I noticed a massive Tiletik, six feet long, sitting on the ground.

Holy shit.

How was I going to beat those things?

I heard a shuffle behind me and turned to look.

Tiletik Hunter: Level 7

Tiletik Hunters are the assassins of the family, with some crazy sharp claws and terrifying combat skills. Sure, their eyesight isn't the best, but that doesn't matter when their claws can punch through the armor of demons more than twice their level. Advice for combat? If you don't want to die, don't get into melee range. These things are dangerous.

A ruby-red spider, the size of a large dog, stood five feet away from me.

I ran.