The Great Taratects should have been formidable foes. Their larger bodies, stronger webs, superior speed, and vicious intelligence made them the perfect predators of the dungeon.
But in the face of overwhelming strength, speed, and endurance, they were nothing.
The 20 Great Taratects attacked in unison, surrounding him. Their glowing red eyes gleamed in the darkness, and their razor-sharp mandibles clicked hungrily.
They spun thick, reinforced webbing around him, trying to restrict his movement.
Two of them lunged at his legs, aiming to bring him down.
Three others climbed the walls and ceilings, attacking from above.
The Lesser Taratects swarmed like a black tide, biting and clawing at him.
But it wasn't enough.
His enhanced Endurance made their attacks barely noticeable. The fangs that would have been deadly before now couldn't even pierce his skin.
Instead of panicking, he ignored the Lesser Taratects and focused only on the Great ones.
With fluid, ruthless movements, he tore through them.
His dagger flashed, slicing apart two Great Taratects in a blink.
A single kick sent another one flying, its body crashing against the cavern wall.
[10 Slashes!]—a whirlwind of deadly cuts that shredded three more.
He caught a lunging Taratect midair and slammed it into the ground, crushing its body under his weight.
The fight that should have been a desperate battle of survival turned into a massacre.
One by one, the Great Taratects fell. The cavern echoed with the agonized screeches of their dying brethren. The surviving ones hesitated for the first time.
And then, they ran. They had no choice. What they had come to hunt had turned them into his prey. Realizing the difference in their powers, they had no choice but to run, run with their tails between their legs—not that they had any tail in the first place.
He grinned.
"Now you're running? After all that?"
Without hesitation, he gave chase.
The Lesser Taratects scattered, clinging to the walls and ceilings, trying to escape.
The remaining two Great Taratects moved fast, their legs scuttling across the dungeon floor in a frantic rhythm. But he was faster.
His surroundings blurred as he pursued them, his agility now beyond anything these creatures had ever faced. The cavern stretched ahead, its rocky formations casting long shadows under the dim glow of bio-luminescent fungi. Their webs, once a terrifying obstacle, now felt like nothing more than strands of thread in his wake.
But then—
They vanished.
One second they were in his sight, and the next, they disappeared into the shadows beyond his vision.
He skidded to a halt.
> "Tch... a trap?"
Charging in blindly would be stupid. The dungeon was vast, and he had no idea what lay ahead. Running into another nest or something far worse was a risk he couldn't take.
A faint clicking sound echoed from the distance, barely audible beneath the dripping water and the shifting walls of the dungeon. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the cavern, his breath steadying. He needed to be careful.
He took a deep breath, calming himself. Then he glanced at his system notifications.
> [Chain Quest Complete!]
Reward: Recovery Potion (x5)
Extra Reward: 20,000 Sigils
His eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Twenty thousand? Now we're talking."
He immediately brought out a recovery potion and downed it. The effects were instant. His HP and Stamina surged back up, washing away the exhaustion creeping into his muscles.
"This is good. Too good. A few minutes, and I'm back at full strength."
He flexed his fingers, rolling his shoulders. A fresh wave of energy coursed through him.
"I need to save these. If I get into real trouble, these potions could be lifesaving."
Next, he pulled out his new reward—Silkweave Cloak.
The moment he saw it, his face twisted in disgust.
"Eww, what the hell is this?"
It was made entirely from spider silk. White, tattered, sticky in some places.
> [Silkweave Cloak Equipped]
+5% Evasion against Physical Attacks
+5% Resistance to Web-Based Restraints
His expression softened slightly.
"Huh. Not bad."
He adjusted the cloak, feeling its lightweight texture against his skin. Though ugly, it moved easily with his body, almost like it wasn't there at all.
With that done, he took a moment to assess his situation.
The dungeon stretched ahead, eerily silent. Only the distant echoes of scuttling creatures remained, hidden beyond the darkness.
"Now what?"
Going back was impossible.
The Serpent Nest was still behind him. No way was he walking back into that death trap.
The Taratects had run away, but why? What if they weren't retreating—but leading him into something?
"Moving forward... could be even worse. I'm sure doom is waiting for me ahead." He thought to himself, completely unaware of the danger looming over him.
Doom was not waiting for him ahead.
It had come to greet him itself.