In the Avatar of Gods novel, the Shadow Realm is depicted as one of the nine mystical realms, a dark dimension that has long served as the bridge between Earth and the Nether Realm.
This dark world has been the site of countless battles, with various hidden forces—avatar warriors from different nations and secretive organizations—exploring its depths. These groups have sought to monopolize the gates, reaping the rewards of hunting supernatural creatures and amassing power.
Unfortunatly for Rama, throughout the four books, none of the main characters ever mention the condition of the Shadow Realm on Bali island.
According to the novel, the Shadow Realm gates opened and closed coinciding with the transitions between day and night— a Twilight hour. If he could hold out until then, there was a chance that a gate might appear somewhere within the island. But until that happened, his primary focus had to be on staying alive.
Rama carefully observed the situation outside the guest house. He counted at least a dozen ghouls prowling the grounds within the estate walls, their dark forms moving with an unsettling grace. Two of them were dangerously close, sniffing around the guest house, likely drawn by the noise and the scent of blood from the earlier battle.
He decided that sneaking out was his best bet.
With his speed and agility, crossing the open yard toward the main gate would be suicidal. He opted to slip into the nearest building—the left-wing building of the estate.
As Rama stepped into the building, he immediately noticed the heavy presence of spider webs draped across the walls and ceiling.
He hesitated, considering the possibility of retreat. The thought of being trapped in a building swarming with spiders was far from appealing.
Just as he was about to turn back, movement caught his eye. A spider, about twice the size of his fist, emerged from the shadows, hanging delicately from one of the webs. Its body was covered in a sleek, dark exoskeleton, and its legs ended in sharp, metallic blades. The sight of its menacing fang startled him before a piece of information surfaced in his mind.
[Blade Spider]
The name of the creature made him feel relief, as Rama remembered that this was a tier 1 creature. Its bladed legs and fangs, while sharp, weren't long enough to inflict any life-threatening injuries, and the venom it carried was paralytic rather than lethal. The real danger would come if he allowed himself to be overwhelmed by a swarm of them. But alone, or in small numbers, these spiders should pose a manageable threat.
"This might actually be a good opportunity," he thought. The prospect of farming these creatures to level up seemed both practical and necessary.
"Alright, let's do this,"
As Rama inched closer, the Blade Spider became acutely aware of his presence, its multiple eyes glistening as it crawled along the wall with unsettling grace. Rama felt a rush of adrenaline surge through him, amplifying his focus. His passive skill, Reader POV, helped him remain calm and aware as he prepared for the encounter.
The moment the spider lunged toward him, he reacted instinctively.
With a quick flick of his wrist, he swung his dagger at the creature mid-air, aiming for a decisive strike. However, the blow didn't land as deeply as he had hoped. The spider tumbled away, but it was far from defeated.
Rama wasted no time; he chased after the falling arachnid, positioned himself above it, and thrust his dagger down with all the force he could muster.
SPLATTT!!
The spider's body convulsed violently on the ground, writhing for a few seconds before finally going still.
Rama wasted no time checking his Spirit Points (SP), noting the increase from 20% to 30%. The boost was modest, but he couldn't afford to be distracted. The sound of more spiders crawling toward him drew his attention, their presence signaled by the faint rustling and skittering noises echoing through the darkened building.
Three more spiders appeared, their menacing figures moving with eerie precision. Rama's heart raced, but he forced himself to stay composed.
"I am ready!"
Rama fought with all his strength. It was far from easy—his movements were stiff, but he did his best to strategically use the hallway to confront each incoming spider. After eliminating the third spider, he began to feel winded, his breath coming in heavy gasps.
Unfortunatly, the relentless stream of spiders showed no sign of slowing down. More of the arachnids scuttled toward him, their presence growing increasingly menacing.
Realizing that fleeing outside might attract the attention of the ghoul, Rama quickly sought refuge in the secluded bedroom on the first floor, hoping it would offer a tactical advantage.
Three spiders burst into the room, their legs clicking ominously against the floor. Rama engaged them immediately, managing to take down one spider with a well-placed slash. He kicked another one away, but before he could stabilize his position, a third spider leaped onto his back and began to bite him with its sharp fangs.
ARGHH!!!
The pain was intense as the spider's venom began to take effect.
[You received mild paralysis]
Rama struggled to shake off the attacker, but his efforts were hindered by the spider's relentless bite. With his HP steadily decreasing and the paralysis poison starting to stiffen his body, he knew he was in grave danger.
Desperation drove him to the ground, where he rolled and wrestled with the spiders, trying to dislodge them.
"Dammit!! Get off me!!"
[You received moderate paralysis]
When Rama finally managed to dispatch the fourth spider, he collapsed onto the floor, utterly spent and paralyzed from the venom. His HP had plummeted to a critical level, dropping below 30%.
Just as he was catching his breath, another spider scuttled into the room. It moved swiftly across the floor, its malevolent eyes fixed on him. Before he could react, it lunged at him, its fangs sinking painfully into his face.
"Arrghh!! It hurts, you filthy bastard!!"
Rama cried out in agony, his voice strained by the pain. Desperation drove him to act with whatever strength he had left. In a frantic move, he bit down on the spider, trying to immobilize it with his teeth.
With a final surge of determination, Rama grasped his obsidian dagger and drove it into the spider with all the force he could muster.
SPLATTT!!
The spider's death was swift and messy, its body twitching as it expired. As its lifeless form slumped to the floor, a series of notifications flashed before Rama's eyes:
[Congratulations on completing your tenth kill]
[You received a completion reward]
[You have leveled up]
In pain, Rama whispered "Open reward..."
[The following rewards are available]
Reward 1: Full recovery of current physical condition
Reward 2: Three additional stat points
Reward 3: One random item (tier 2)
It was the same three choices.
With only 15% HP remaining, his left arm torn apart and his body paralyzed by the spider's venom, the choice to use the full recovery option seemed like the most obvious and sensible one. It was the lifeline that could save him from certain death.
But as he lay flat on the floor, battered and broken, Rama hesitated.
This game had proven to be far more challenging than he'd anticipated. It was like playing in hard mode, and his weak stats only boosted its difficulty to a nightmare level.
To survive, he needs to take a chance and test something important.
"If another spider comes, I'll choose the full recovery, But if not... I'll wait."
It was a gamble, a crazy decision, one he blamed on his Reader's POV skill.
One minute…
Two minutes…
Three minutes passed, and finally, what Rama had been waiting for arrived.
[HP: 15 (16)%]
This small but significant increase confirmed what he had hoped—the game had a self-regeneration feature. It likely only activated when he was still or resting, just like he was now.
Relieved by this discovery, Rama decided to wait a bit longer. His eyes remained locked on the open bedroom door, scanning the darkness outside for any sign of movement. Every sound made him tense, but as his HP slowly ticked upward, he felt a small measure of hope.
17%… 18%… 19%…
Time seemed to stretch on endlessly, but after what felt like an eternity, half an hour had passed. His HP had reached 25%, and he noticed that the paralysis that had gripped his body was beginning to fade, shifting from moderate to light.
Encouraged by this, Rama decided to change his position. He carefully pushed himself up, leaning his back against the wall beside the door, his legs stretched out in front of him. With the dagger clutched tightly in his hand, he was ready to stab anything that dared enter the room.
Rama waited patiently, each passing minute feeling like an eternity. Another hour crept by, and to his astonishment, he noticed something remarkable—his missing arm had begun to regenerate. The process was slow, but it was undeniable. At the same time, the paralysis that had gripped his body was now completely gone.
More than three hours of resting passed before his left arm was fully restored. His HP had climbed past 80%, and the once-crippling exhaustion had mostly faded. Rama felt stronger, more complete as if the pieces of himself that had been missing were finally being put back together.
With a deep breath, he returned to the reward option and made his choice.
"I choose reward two."