In the south of the capital of the Kingdom of Valeria, there was a thriving village inhabited by people of all classes: the poor, the commoners, and the wealthy. The village was about 150 kilometers away from the royal capital. It was well known for a guild called "Lion's Heart" and was bustling with adventurers. Among the available missions, there were various types, such as search, assistance, and combat.

Ilarion stood before the mission board, where a fifth-level golden-rank mission had been posted for a long time due to the targeted monster—a spider with large red eyes and long, powerful arms. Some teams had attempted to eliminate it, but they ended up becoming its prey.

He took the mission and proceeded with the acceptance procedures. It was eleven o’clock at night; the weather was snowy, the sky was clear, and the moon was full. He put on his clothes, took his swords, bow, a bottle of water, and some food, as it was going to be a long night. Unlike those before him, he wouldn’t face the spider head-on. Understanding an opponent's strengths and weaknesses is half the battle.

The dreaded spider lived in a forest north of the village. After forty minutes, he took some time to prepare a trap. He hunted some animals to use in determining the spider’s strengths and weaknesses. By the time he reached the spider’s cave, it was midnight, and the moon hung in the middle of the sky, illuminating the dark, cold forest.

He moved a few meters away to place the meat he had caught, covering it with blood to attract monsters. Then, he backed off, sat on a rock, and took out something warm to drink while waiting—but it was cold. Fortunately, his ability allowed him to manipulate objects: turning solids into liquids or vice versa, making the intangible tangible, or altering temperature. He heated his cold coffee and watched.

An hour later, some ghouls appeared. Not the best result, but they would serve their purpose. The dreaded spider emerged, sensing their presence. It was tall, perhaps 1.5 to 2 meters, with large red eyes and eight long, muscular arms.

The battle was one-sided. Watching hideous ghouls being crushed and torn apart by a grotesque spider wasn’t thrilling. He repeated the baiting process twice, but it yielded no benefit other than revealing the spider’s brutality. By 3:30 AM, the sun would rise in thirty minutes, signaling the final trap.

"This is exhausting…"

Three and a half hours in, just when Ilarion was about to give up, he saw light at the end of the tunnel. The spider was confronted by a lightning wolf, and at that moment, Ilarion realized its weakness—light. That’s why it hid in the cave during the day.

The battle between the lightning wolf and the corrupt spider was epic and brutal.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Even though the spider faced its natural counter-element, it was no easy opponent, nor was the wolf. Ilarion observed the overwhelming aura of the lightning wolf—swift and powerful—dodging the spider's eight arms that tried to trap it. But the spider didn't anticipate what the wolf would do next. The wolf unleashed a powerful lightning bolt straight into the spider’s eyes.

The spider shrieked in agony, and the wolf tore into its arms, maiming and disfiguring them one by one. Though stunned by the light, the spider didn't completely stop moving. It redirected its remaining arms away from the wolf, pretending to be paralyzed.

When the wolf sensed its opponent was weakened, it let its guard down and moved toward the spider’s head.

That was the trap.

A massive violet web shot out, ensnaring the prey. The wolf was powerful, but the spider was more cunning. Enraged, the wolf unleashed all its strength, trying to burn the web with its lightning. But how much energy did it have left?

The wolf lunged at the spider’s neck, biting with all its might, leaving a deep wound. The spider, once again shocked by the lightning, struggled as the wolf prepared to bite deeper and unleash another electric burst.

But suddenly, the wolf's body weakened.

Ilarion realized the web was poisoned.

The remaining arms ripped the wolf apart. The spider retreated into its lair, and Ilarion didn’t dare follow—who knew what horrors lurked inside? Instead, he gazed at the wolf’s corpse, then at its glowing horn. He took the horn, considering how to use its natural power.

With his innate ability, Ilarion could transform objects. He decided to convert the horn into its owner’s element—lightning.

---

The day passed quickly. Ilarion slept, then returned to observe the spider. After hours, a terrifying howl echoed in the distance.

Two smaller lightning wolves appeared—they were likely family members of the fallen wolf.

Spider vs. two wolves…

The area lit up instantly. The first wolf unleashed a bright lightning bolt, striking the spider. It roared in pain, resisting with its arms to shield its weak spots. The second wolf, enraged, charged at full speed and climbed the spider’s body.

The spider attempted to ensnare it in its web, but failed—the wolf was too fast. As the wolf neared the spider’s injured head, the spider released a thick web, trapping it. The wolf struggled to cut through the web, and when that failed, it tried burning it with lightning—but it wasn’t enough.

It suffered the same fate as its kin.

It happened too fast for the first wolf to assist its sibling, as it was occupied fighting four of the spider’s arms. Their plan might have been for one wolf to distract the spider while the other attacked its wounded head.

But they hadn’t accounted for the spider’s web.

They met their end.

At that moment, Ilarion seized the opportunity. Charging his swords with lightning, he struck swiftly, decapitating the spider.

---

When he returned to the guild, his appearance was terrifying. Everyone thought he had died, but when they saw him carrying the heads of the wolves and the spider, their respect for him soared—he had slain monsters that even the strongest in the guild couldn’t defeat.

With a smile, Ilarion said,

"A fruitful hunt."

He greeted John, the mission handler, and handed over the trophies—the heads of the wolves and spider, along with valuable materials: skin, meat, claws, and a bit of spider venom.

As a reward, he received an excellent sum—

five silver coins for the wolves,

three gold coins for the spider and the mission.

"This is what I’ve been waiting for all these years!"

"I will go to the academy in the capital. Even though I’ll be studying with people younger than me, I will benefit from it. So, trivial matters don't concern me."

"I'll return to the capital after ten years… It's funny to think about it."

"My sister and my family's knights won’t be able to harm me—because the academy is under the Imperial Faction’s protection, and nobles have no authority there."

---

Writer’s Questions:

1. What is the name of the royal capital?

2. What was the rank of the spider mission?