“What on earth is happening!”
Due to the heavy plate armor, Sunhyung, who was usually agile, seemed to be reaching his limit with such rapid and prolonged movements.
But what could they do?
Now everyone knows.
The increasing number of spiders attacking from behind and the current situation deviated significantly from expectations.
“I don’t know either, but it seems like the boss is the problem! Sangsoo, how much more magic can you use?”
“Maybe a Crowd Control spell? I have some magic left. This will slow them down, not kill them though!”
“Then, when I give the signal, please support from behind! Just tie their legs for now.”
“Got it!”
Sangsoo also followed Jeonghyun’s words.
He wasn’t a fool who only stuck to his pride even in emergency situations.
Jeonghyun felt the remaining daggers on his side.
He already knew how many he had thrown, but it was necessary to confirm again.
Five left.
Facing the upcoming battle with the boss, he was reluctant using any more daggers.
But unavoidable circumstances are always present.
“I’ll handle the front, and you guys take care of the rear!”
If both the front and rear were attacked simultaneously, he would have to deal with the back alone.
Kirek!
Since the situation required close combat, a collision occurred directly in front.
At times like this, there was no distinction between front and rear.
“Be careful, both of you! They’re fast!”
Even Sangsoo, who used magic, and Jeonga and Doyoon, who pulled out short swords, had to enter the battle.
Meanwhile, a spider had already attacked Jeonghyun.
It would be easier to handle if he threw a dagger, but he decided to deal with it directly this time.
Having learned the movements of the rock spiders through several fights, Jeonghyun was familiar with them.
Kieek!
The spider approaching Jeonghyun bounced off, legs or wide-open pincers.
Either one would cause serious injuries if hit.
However, conversely, avoiding the attack itself was not difficult if he dodged that point.
To Jeonghyun, who could see the attack path, it was an easy task.
Intentionally matching the speed of the party members, Jeonghyun’s body accelerated.
Clang!
Sparks flew from the spider’s claws hitting the ground.
It was an unbelievable sound, considering it was a collision between a living creature and a rock.
However, there was no time to be surprised by the unfamiliar sound that had been commonplace since entering the gate.
Jeonghyun’s foot, which had strongly struck the ground, bounced off.
Turning toward the spider’s flank, Jeonghyun swung his dagger for the third time.
Again, the spider’s legs extended irregularly.
Next was aiming for the forehead.
It was an area that could be easily pierced with a dagger.
The dagger and Jeonghyun’s strength, needed no further explanation.
Crack!
Along with the sensation of breaking, viscous fluid spilled from the mace and flowed onto the ground.
By then, the battle in the front had somewhat concluded.
The spiders were writhing with their legs curled in various directions.
Sangsoo’s lightning magic played a significant role.
If it were a regular mana bolt, they would have been bound and turned into lifeless bodies already.
“If it’s finished, let’s run again!”
They had caught quite a few by now, but it was unclear how many more there were.
In a situation where healing was not properly received, everyone had quite noticeable wounds one by one.
After the battle, when the adrenaline evaporated, they would likely suffer from severe pain.
‘I hope I can feel the pain.’
The group started running again.
Sangsoo glanced at Jeonghyun with a curious look, but there was no longer the sense of hostility from before.
If he were an F-rank level 3, he would have met the standard for entering a typical rock spider cave.
However, meeting the standard did not mean he could demonstrate the combat power of a D-rank level 2 or 3.
But Jeonghyun was different.
Perhaps he had more influence on hunting than himself.
Moreover, the range of sensation and judgment ability that could not be expressed merely by grade or level was indeed remarkable.
Sangsoo had a sense of why Sunhyung, Jeonga, and Doyoon had been so amazed by him.
Once again, how far had they run?
Suddenly feeling something strange, Jeonghyun stopped everyone.
“Wait a moment!”
Whether it was a relief that they could finally stop running or anxiety about another change in the situation, their expressions were hard to separate into two distinct emotions.
Jeonghyun felt the same.
“The spiders behind us have started to retreat.”
The spiders that had been intentionally approaching at a matching speed, had suddenly disappeared.
No more spiders were felt ahead.
“If that’s the case…”
Jeonga seemed to have a hunch and trailed off as if she had figured something out.
Everyone nodded simultaneously.
Jeonghyun spoke, “Looks like this is the boss’s destination.”
As they moved forward, it didn’t take long before they reached a large square.
The ceiling was about three times the normal height, and the width was much larger.
The spider pathways, holes, were densely packed, and at the front upper part, there was a large hole big enough for two people to pass through comfortably.
There was nothing similar to the cave the group had come out of, this was likely the end of the gate. This is probably where the boss stays.
“Indeed, the boss is not here.”
Sunhyung, with a tense face, raised his shield and looked around.
According to the information they had found, the boss of the Rock Spider’s cave was waiting in a square called the “boss room.” It seemed the team from the association hadn’t discovered it, probably due to tactics similar to the one they were employing now.
“He’s quite intelligent.”
Considering the fact that it had led regular spiders all the way here, it was clear the creature was capable of roughly estimating its opponent’s strength before choosing its prey.
“We don’t know where it will come from. Everyone, stay alert.”
Even without Jeonghyun reminding them, each member had their weapons ready for immediate use.
The situation had led them to the last part of the gate, which was not originally part of their plan. The boss that had driven them all the way here finally revealed itself from the large hole in the ceiling.
“Kirik.”
“It’s out!”
The creature emerged, not even attempting to surprise them, but rather slowly pulling its body out. It was about the size of a medium-sized truck, but what stood out the most was its color.
“White?”
It was entirely different from the ordinary Rock Spiders, displaying a white body and red eyes, clearly visible in the dark cave. The distinctive feature of a mutated boss, Albino.
As it fully exposed itself on the common ceiling, the creature stared down at the five people for a while.
Everyone watched anxiously, unable to even swallow their saliva in the face of its overwhelming presence.
Amidst this, Jeonghyun took action.
Paang!
He forcefully threw one of the five remaining daggers.
Even the party members beside him couldn’t tell when he had drawn the dagger due to his quick movement. A strike using his D-rank Dagger attribute, perfectly executed without any concealment.
Pak!
The thrown dagger, tearing through the air, seemed to pierced itself in the center of the white head, but,
“Kieeek!”
The creature quickly twisted its head, barely avoiding it. Nevertheless, Jeonghyun’s dagger tore through one of its five pairs of eyes, penetrating deeply.
The giant spider roared in pain, whether from agony or rage.
Jeonghyun immediately shouted, “Sangsoo, Jeonga, Attack!”
“Uh, oh, okay!”
Sangsoo and Jeonga, who were absentmindedly watching the scene, immediately regained their composure at Jeonghyun’s call and launched their respective attacks.
Whether the creature mocked them or not, hunters were the ones who killed monsters without hesitation.
Was it not enough that they killed humans without hesitation, but did they also play with their prey in such a teasing manner?
Honestly, Jeonghyun felt a bit of fear, but his mind was surprisingly calm.
The memory of being helpless against monsters was sufficient, back when he was ten and lost his parents.
Even if this were the end, he wouldn’t collapse in despair.
He was a hunter, and the white spider in front of him was a monster.
That was all.
Whether mutated, a boss, or its size, those things didn’t matter.
He just needed to seize the moment when the creature was still off guard.
Ping!
Chirrit!
In an instant, two attacks flew toward the spider.
The first to hit was Jeonga’s arrow.
While the creature was still disoriented, Jeonghyun’s arrow calmly pierced through the joint of the third leg.
“Kieeek!”
The massive body wavered once, but that was it. Due to its size, it seemed inadequate to affect its nerves.
However, immediately after, Sangsoo’s lightning surged through its entire body.
“Not yet. It won’t die from this!”
Jeonghyun spoke confidently as he drew another dagger, but he didn’t throw it. Even if he threw several daggers, the creature wouldn’t die easily.
It would be more important to observe its reaction when such attacks were unleashed.
“Kieeeeek!”
Clearly, the creature, now agitated, began to move, screaming in anger from the tip of its head.
The previous calmness was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, other spiders, similar in nature, rapidly crawled over their heads.
“It’s coming!”
Sunhyung’s warning.
His arms and the massive shield above them were trembling ever so slightly.
In a typical battle, he would have to use the shield to block the falling spider, which was about the size of a tower shield.
But could he really block that?
No one, including Jeonghyun, expected that.
But if that guy decided to jump, it was a fact that Sunhyung, a tank class, couldn’t dodge it.
Given the circumstances, there was no choice.
One more move.
But it had to be as effective as possible.
Jeonghyun called for Sangsoo.
“Sangsoo, can you enchant my dagger with magic?”
“What? Well, let me see…”
Sangsoo quickly inspected the dagger Jeonghyun was holding and nodded.
“Yes, it’s possible!”
“Then use the strongest enchantment you can! Right now!”
There was no need to hesitate once confirmed.
Jeonghyun, almost at the destination, simply threw the dagger at the spider.
“Ah! Give the signal!”
Sangsoo, who seemed to have overlooked that, hurriedly used his magic, but fortunately, the lightning spell was properly cast.
To enchant a weapon with magic, two conditions were necessary.
The mage had to be capable of casting the magic onto the weapon.
And the metal used to make the weapon had to contain magic.
The electric currents danced on the indigo Marium dagger.
And it flew straight to the third joint of the opposite third leg where Jeonga’s arrow was stuck.
If he had just thrown the dagger, it wouldn’t have been much different from Jeonga’s arrow.
In that case, increasing the destructive power contained in the projectile would suffice.
Since the dagger moved through electrical impulses, its physical size near the nerves would not matter much.
“A-alright!”
“Watch out!”
And as if to prove Jeonghyun’s plan, as soon as the dagger hit, the giant spider, standing still like a lie, finally began to fall.
As the location was not far from where the party was, Jeonghyun grabbed Sunhyung’s leg and pulled, pulling him away from the falling range of the Boss Rock Spider.
Thud—
A sound like rocks colliding filled the square, and through the thick dust that rose, a flipped white body with eight legs came into view.
Undoubtedly different from an ordinary spider, its eight legs moved fiercely, as if shouting that it was different.
But Jeonghyun smiled with satisfaction.
‘Just getting it to land on the ground is already halfway to death!’
