"Man, this sucks!"
Kai was sitting in the middle of the dirt path, waiting for his leg to start working.
Because Kai couldn't move, he thought about all he's done and what he could have done better.
Starting with Gnomak, Kai was underprepared. If he had more rocks or gone for the legs straight away, he would have had a much easier time.
Next to the Mushroom Monsters, Kai underestimated them because of their level. Although levels are important, they don't mean everything.
If a level 5 could hurt a level 20, then a level 10 or 15 could certainly kill a level 20.
"Hahaha, finally something!"
shaking his leg Kai started to gain some feeling in it.
Sensing something looking at him, Kai turned around. Standing along the side of the path was another Paralysis Mushroom Monster.
"I'll kill you!" Kai roared at the mushroom.
Despite what Kai said, he didn't move, more like he couldn't. With the effects of the paralysis, Kai could only stare at it with hateful eyes.
The Mushroom Monster only turned its head in response.
As the Mushroom Monster got closer and closer to Kai, he was tempted to throw his mallet, smashing it where it stood.
But doing that would make Kai weaponless. What if more Mushrooms came after he threw his mallet?
Although Kai was strong enough to kill the Mushroom monsters with his hands, it would be best if he didn't have to risk touching them.
Holding his mallet, Kai waited for the opportunity to strike. Though it never came.
The Mushroom Monster stopped 10 feet away from Kai. Just standing there, staring at him.
"Are you making fun of me?"
Looking at the Mushroom standing there, just out of reach, Kai was getting mad. He thought the Mushroom knew he couldn't move and was making fun of him. How could he allow that?
Just like that, the Mushroom Monster and Kai had a 30-minute staring contest.
No party wanted to give in.
"Hahahaha!" Kai sneered
Feeling his strength return to his leg, Kai jumped up and rushed at the Mushroom Monster.
Once Kai was in reach, he swung his mallet, killing the Mushroom.
Returning to the dirt path, Kai ventured forward with a happy expression.
"Shouldn't have mocked me!"
"I'm starting to hate this place!"
It's already been hours since Kai came to the Mushroom Forest. All there was to eat was mushrooms. All there was to drink was mushrooms!
This whole place is mushrooms!
If Kai could leave this place soon, he wouldn't need to find food or water. He would take his chances with the next floor area.
Kai didn't need to eat and was used to eating little amounts.
The higher one's leave, the less they would need to eat and drink. Eventually, they wouldn't need to eat or drink at all. Purely existing off of energy.
Rushing forward, Kai was ready to leave this place.
"I'm sick of forests now!"
The air turned cold with a light breeze.
"That's odd."
Kai never felt any weather change since coming to the dungeon.
The dirt path turned black, and the blue light emitted from the mushrooms decreased.
Tiny white strings stretched from mushroom to mushroom.
"Cobwebs, huh? Did it have to be spiders?." Kai whinnied.
Looking at the cobwebs that littered the mushrooms along the path.
A shiver was sent down Kai's spine.
Continuing forward, Kai made sure to spend extra time looking around in case whatever made those cobwebs came for him.
Kai didn't fear spiders nor hate them.
What Kai didn't like were cobwebs. Cobwebs are messy and unpleasant to look at.
Despite thinking that way, Kai still had to admit that patterners inside a spider's web were somewhat interesting.
The path opened into a circle-shaped open area.
Mushrooms were like the walls and ceiling in the area. The light from the mushrooms was enough to illuminate the entire open space.
At the back, across from Kai, was the familiar white portal.
It's as easy as walking through it, and Kai was another step closer to leaving.
Except for the 4-foot-tall spider hanging in the air.
Hanging by a single string, a black spider with yellow stripes up each of its eight legs, connecting on its back. Eight ruby eyes staring into Kai's.
"{Inspect}."
{Agnoth, The Black Spider Queen - Floor Guardian}
{Level-20}
"Finally, a fair figh-". Before Kai could finish, hundreds of eyes shined through the mushrooms surrounding the area.
shaking his head, Kai sighed, "Nevermind, let's just get this started."
Spiders surrounded Kai, yet not one made a move to attack Kai.
'That's odd,' Kai thought, 'They have the numbers advantage, and their queen is the same level as me.'
If all the spiders were to attack at once, the chances of Kai surviving were close to zero. Yet the spiders just watched him, or perhaps they were watching the Queen.
"Are they waiting for instructions?"
As Kai was thinking about it, movement snapped him out of his thoughts.
The Spider Queen crawled up the string, clinging to the bottom of a mushroom. Crawling around mushrooms, the Spider Queen made its way to Kai. Shooting silk from its back, the Spider Queen intended to immobilize Kai.
By making sure Kai couldn't move, the Spider Queen would have an easier time killing him.
Dodging the silk shots, Kai watched every movement of the Spider Queen. He also kept an eye on the spiders in the mushrooms.
Thankfully for Kai, the spider hadn't moved an inch, or at least that Kai could tell.
Dodging another silk shot, the Spider Queen was now above Kai. Instead of jumping down on Kai, it kept shooting silk shots.
If any silk were to hit him, it would significantly decrease Kai's speed.
"What a Floor Guardian you are! Standing somewhere I can't reach, hailing down attacks, without any way for me to resist! Shameless!" Kai roared.
Thinking about it, what the Spider Queen is doing sounded awfully familiar.
It must have not been important since Kai couldn't remember.
Dodging five more silk shots, Kai was getting annoyed.
Looking around, Kai got an idea, "Since you don't want to come down, I'll make you." Grinning, Kai ran straight at the nearest mushroom.
Raising his mallet, Kai cut straight through it, bringing it crashing down.
~Boom~
The mushroom collapsed into another mushroom.
The spiders hiding in the mushrooms scurried away, moving farther into the mushroom forest.
Moving farther back, the Spider Queen knew it couldn't stay above forever. Shooting six shots rapidly, the Spider Queen jumped down onto Kai.
This way, if Kai dodged the silk shots, the Spider Queen would get a chance to attack. And if Kai dodged the Spider Queen, he would get hit by the silk shots.
Looking at the incoming attacks, Kai gripped his mallet. If Kai waited till the very last second, he might be able to hit all the silk shots and the Spider Queen in one go.
Three silk shots to his right, three to his left, Spider Queen in the middle. Kai wasn't fast enough to completely dodge it all, no matter how he looked at it.
The attacks were now only five seconds from hitting.
Wait!
Three seconds.
Wait!
One second
NOW!
Swinging with all his might.
~Crack~
Kai actually managed to hit all seven targets.
Though the price was, his mallet was covered in the spider's web.
~Boom~
Upon impact, Kai cracked part of the exoskeleton; his attack sent the Spider Queen flying toward the ground.
~SCREEEE~
Getting up, the Spider Queen screeched at Kai, rushing at him. The Spider Queen was extremely quick, by far the fastest thing Kai has fought before.
"It was an accident, I swear."
Seeing as the Spider Queen gave up on using tactics to injure Kai before coming in, he knew he made it mad.
Whether it was because of its pride or because it didn't think they would be useful, the Spider Queen gave no orders to the other spiders watching the fight.
Raising his mallet, Kai waited for the Spider Queen to get close enough.
~Boom~
Kai slammed his mallet.
"Oh no!"
The Spider Queen jumped out of the way at the last second.
Taking her chance, the Spider Queen rushed at Kai, trying to stab him with her many legs. In order to dodge and avoid being hit, Kai had to leave his mallet behind.
Blocking, punching, and kicking, Kai and the Spider Queen was an intense close-quarters fight.
Kai had cuts along his arms and legs from the constant attacks, while the Spider Queen had green blood flowing down her legs.
The Spider Queen was in a far worse state than Kai. Her attacks had slowed down and became messy.
Kai put more strength into his fist and punched one of the Spider Queen's legs, pushing her back. Taking this opportunity, he ran back to his mallet.
Picking it up, Kai dashed off to the Spider Queen.
The Spider Queen was too weak to run away; her only option was to face Kai head-on.
~AHHH~
~SCREEE~
Letting out a battle cry, they charged straight at each other.
Jumping as high as he could, Kai raised his mallet, bringing it down full force on the Spider Queen.
Watching Kai's attack, the Spider Queen couldn't dodge in time. Putting up three legs from each side, six in total, she prepared to take it head-on.
~SCREEEE~
~Boom~
Kai's mallet tore thru the six legs, smashing into the spider's body.
The Spider Queen let out one last cry before falling to the ground dead.
"Haaa, hahaha." Catching his breath, Kai was about to check his rewards when he saw the hundreds of spiders start to move in.
With their queen dead, the spiders were furious and wanted to kill Kai.
"Of course!" Shaking his head, Kai put his mallet in his inventory and sprinted with all he could toward the portal.
Even if Kai wasn't tired from his fight, he still wouldn't want to fight so many spiders. Plus, he didn't know all their levels. If they were all level 1, then it wouldn't be a problem, but what if they were level 15+? Kai wouldn't take such a risk.
Nearing the portal, Kai couldn't contain himself, "Hahaha, suck it, spiders!"
Kai jumped through the white portal, taking him to the next floor, which was also the last floor.
The last floor was also the most dangerous. As the last Guardian of the dungeon, it would undoubtedly be the strongest. Only through it could one leave the dungeon.