I was nearly finished with the islands Ever had designated for me when suddenly something came hurtling towards me at incredible speed. I didn't even realize when I started flying—or rather, falling. Boldly, I was flung from the island I had teleported to just seconds ago, not even feeling the touch, though it lasted only a few seconds, and as soon as my flight ended, pain enveloped me. The sensations were such that it felt like my bones were shattered, and I was currently akin to a meatball in broth, though instead of that, I was slowly sinking into the swamp.
Gathering my resolve, or something resembling it, I teleported to the neighboring island and began using my "Healing Aura" to mend myself at an accelerated pace, for the creature that attacked me was horrifying, if not worse. If someone with arachnophobia were in my place, they would have likely lost consciousness from fear, for before me stood a monstrosity. Previously, when I first encountered the spider guardians, I described them as something beyond comprehension, but now I can confidently say that they were darlings compared to their queen. Although it's uncertain whether it's a queen, perhaps it's a king or the chief guardian?
Describing it, I'd like to focus on its terrifying coloration. Its body was imbued with a coal-black shade, making it seem like an embodiment of the night or emptiness; the only signs of its existence were the pulsating scarlet patterns that flickered in the darkness. But the more I stared at these patterns, the more they resembled veins through which its blood flowed.
Next, I'd like to talk about its legs; there were also 12, just like the ones I had slain before. The difference, however, was the bloody veins that, with their glow, revealed sharp and massive spikes adorning its bulky legs. The size of the spikes frightened me, for considering their dimensions, equal to my height, one could easily understand a simple truth: if even one of those spikes pierced me, I would have been torn apart, although perhaps my "Protective Barrier" would have intervened.
Another horrifying feature of the spider was its eyes; for someone observing it solely from below, they appeared as eyes of a demon from the depths of hell, glaring at humans with a blood-red glow, seeming to naturally harbor an endless source of hatred and malice. Lowering my gaze, I immediately noticed its claws, huge claws whose volume and appearance were visible only due to the thick, bright-green fluid covering them; it was already evident that it was there not without reason, perhaps mere contact with it would induce agony, for the movement of the claws emitted a hissing sound.
A colossal and terrifying spider. Perhaps it's the last guardian protecting the peace of the Spider Queen. Simply standing before me, it already made me want to abandon everything and run, but it's worth remembering that in its mind, there might not only be a foolish instinct to protect its Queen; perhaps there resides consciousness capable of fully utilizing its power.
It was no longer important whether this creature could think or not; the main thing was that I couldn't treat it like the other spiders. It was several times larger than them, not to mention its legs.
"What can I do to it?" I asked Ever.
"You currently have enough points to acquire a new ability," she replied.
"What can I use in such a situation?" I asked, crestfallen.
"There are several abilities that can help you. 'False Strike' will help distract the opponent by creating an attacking illusion. 'Magic Mine' is a fairly simple ability that allows you to leave a mine at the point of contact, gathering the opponent's mana before exploding. I also suggest you purchase the item 'Demonic Chain'; using it, you can immobilize any target for 2 seconds," she said, sounding like a teleshopping host.
"How much will all of this cost me?" I asked her.
"'False Strike' and 'Magic Mine' will cost you 4,000 points, but to make them effective against the monster, you will need over 8,000 additional points to level up the abilities. 'Demonic Chain' will cost you 20,000 points. So, it will be 32,000 points in total," she replied. Her image in my mind extended a hand to me with a pleading look, like that of a salesman.
"If they help, then... fine, I'll buy them," I said, gritting my teeth.
"Excellent, deducting the points now. You have 1,960 points left. Thank you for your purchase!" she said at the end.
Upon receiving the abilities, I immediately understood how they worked, but it was the first time I received an item, or rather, bought one. As soon as I thought about it, I felt a sense of replenishment in my inventory, as if my sixth sense had alerted me to it. Pulling the item out of the inventory, I felt as if something had wrapped around my hand. Lowering my gaze to my hand, I noticed how the 'Demonic Chain' wound around my hand, and then, as if creating a connection, I gave it a command, and it leaped towards the spider, unfolding like a net.
As Ever had previously mentioned, the net held the spider for exactly 2 seconds, after which it magically returned to my hand. Unfortunately, the spider did not appreciate my gesture. It attacked me swiftly, the strike so fast that I only managed to react at the last moment, thankfully the "Shadow Leap" allowed for a temporary measure of hiding in the shadows. Finding myself on another islet, I felt its bloodthirsty gaze upon me.
"Convert all my points to intellect!" I shouted to Ever.
"Of course," she quickly responded, and then I felt mana begin to fill my body.
I must admit, I had become addicted to this sensation. In such moments, it felt like I was being filled with incredible power rather than mana. If only there was a way to prolong such moments, but alas, the spider didn't allow me to fully enjoy the moment. Its attacks came with high frequency, with intervals of about 3-4 seconds between them, clearly not enough for an adequate counterattack.
"Perhaps you should start setting up mines?" she suggested.
"Oh... mines... I forgot," I panted. Indeed, I could have at least left behind some mines; perhaps they could disrupt its attack rhythm.
Just before its next attack, I quickly created a mine that remained after my teleportation. Moving, I immediately looked for the spider, which by then was already preparing for another leap.
"Where's the explosion?" I yelled to Ever.
"I've already told you, the mine absorbs the opponent's mana before exploding," she said, after which I noticed a fairly large mark on one of the spider's legs, resembling the appearance of the mine.
Seeing this mark, I was slightly stunned; considering the spider's size, the mark was now about 3-4 meters in size, which, of course, didn't cover the entire leg but still looked epic. While I excitedly watched the mark, the spider prepared for a new attack, but at the moment of its leap, an explosion occurred. A small chunk of flesh detached from its leg and fell into the swamp. For the spider, the size of the severed flesh was insignificant, but for me, it was flesh slightly larger than myself, meaning I now had a good plan to defeat this spider.
Now, before each teleportation, I left behind a mine as a gift for it. After more than a dozen explosions, one of its legs finally buckled. Of course, I couldn't completely sever it, but considering the spider's current condition, it was safe to say it wouldn't be able to use it. It took about 20% of my total mana reserve for 10 minutes, and since it had 12 legs, it meant that almost three times more mana would be needed just for its legs, which was very bad. Unfortunately, I had no other way out, so first I would reduce the number of legs to at least 8, and then perhaps use "False Strike" and leave several mines on its abdomen; I hoped that this number of mines would be enough to destroy its abdomen.
After a few minutes, the situation changed radically. The spider that attacked me, instead of continuously attacking, was now carefully scrutinizing me. I think it now regarded me as a battle opponent who needed to be outwitted. Currently, it was using 9 legs out of 12, with the remaining 3 legs bent as if about to fall off. I think it's time for me to make my next move and destroy its abdomen, and thanks to the webbing that poured out from there, I'll be able to quickly deal with it.
Theoretically, the plan was good, but in reality, things went a bit differently. The spider studying me for about a minute now made its move. Using its claws, it ripped off one of its legs and, using the webbing, flung it onto one of the nearby islets, repeating this action with 3 islets. Only now did I realize that it had blocked my path towards Arman and his group, as the webbing released a liquid resembling that which coated its legs, while venomously black spider blood began to flow from its legs.
Now I'll have to move through the swamp using teleportation, as the nearest islets are poisonous. But that's not the main concern right now. Right now, my goal is to destroy the Spider Queen's last guardian.