Atlas pulled the phantom cloak tighter around her shoulders, glancing over her shoulder as her skeletons formed a protective ring around her and the captives. The sun was setting, casting an eerie glow through the dense forest. The closer they got to the dungeon entrance, the thicker the webs draped across the trees and underbrush, stretching from branch to branch like an infestation.
"These cobwebs," Atlas muttered in a low voice, "they've gotten thicker the closer we've gotten. This looks bad." She turned to the trembling caster beside her. "Has it always been like this?"
The caster shook her head quickly, her eyes darting nervously from the webs to the distant dungeon entrance. "No, Milady… it wasn't like this before. When we first found the entrance, it was clean. The cobwebs—they appeared after we entered."
Atlas blinked in surprise. "So the webs appeared after you went in? And you still went deeper?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
The caster lowered her head in shame. "The lord insisted, Milady. We thought we could handle it. We… we were wrong."
["The lord insisted, Milady. We thought we could handle it. We… we were wrong." Ha! So cliché.]
"And you're the most clichéd part in all this," Atlas whispered under her breath. "But it's good to know I'm the main character here."
[Everyone is the main character in their own story. You're just an extra in mine, though.]
"Sheesh," she shushed softly at Kelsey.
As they moved closer to the entrance, the webs became even denser, almost suffocating the landscape. Large, knotted clumps of webbing hung from the trees like grotesque decorations. The dungeon's entrance itself was nearly covered by a veil of thick silk-like strands, some glistening faintly in the dim light.
Atlas reached into her inventory and summoned the Fragmented Map of the Realm. The enchanted map hummed faintly in her hands as a section of it lit up, revealing the dungeon's details.
---
Tomb of Al'zarr
Type: Grade-C Dungeon
Monster Type: Spiders
Party Size: 5-7 | 1 Tank, 1-2 Healers, 3-4 Damage Dealers | +20 Level
Estimated Clear Time: 45 Minutes
Clear Rewards: ??
---
"Wow…" Atlas marveled at the in-depth information the map provided.
[He never stood a chance.]
"Grade-C," she muttered under her breath. "Damn, this place is too much for me right now."
[Not to mention you have no healers. And the undead race can't use spells like that.]
"Thanks a ton for reminding me, Kelsey. What could I possibly do without you," Atlas said in a sarcastic tone.
[You're welcome.]
She rolled her eyes and glanced back at the captives. "Alright. No point in sticking around here. Take me to your domain," she commanded.
The captives nodded, their expressions a mix of relief and anxiety. They turned to leave, but as they took a few steps, a rustling echoed through the forest. Atlas froze, her senses heightened. "Wait… do you hear that?"
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. The once quiet surroundings were now filled with an unsettling silence, broken only by the sounds of something skittering among the underbrush.
Before anyone could respond, a dark shadow moved at the edge of the trees. Spiders, emerging from the shadows, their beady eyes glinting with hunger.
"Run!" Atlas shouted, instinctively pulling her staff into a battle-ready position. The warriors and caster panicked, stumbling backward as the spiders advanced, their long legs moving in a swift, coordinated fashion.
"Mi—Milady, we can't fight them!" one of the warriors screamed, terror evident in his voice.
Atlas glanced around, assessing their surroundings.
[You've been cornered. The moment you try to make a run for it, your back will be exposed.]
"We have no choice! We fight, or we die!" Turning to her skeletons, she ordered, "Protect the captives! Cover our escape!"
The skeletons leaped into action, their bony arms swinging their blades at the nearest spiders. Atlas unleashed an Elemental Bolt, sending a ball of flame toward a giant spider, which screeched as it was engulfed in flames.
But more followed, pouring out from the shadows of the trees. The air filled with the sound of chittering, and Atlas could feel her heart race as the spiders closed in. She could see the fear in the eyes of the warriors as they fought off the relentless creatures.
[This is not how I imagined our grand escape going. We might actually be on the menu!]
"F—k this," Atlas dodged to the side as a spider lunged at her, narrowly missing her. She quickly summoned the Frostglass Daggers and with her off-hand, stabbed it beneath the belly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Kelsey!"
With the dagger wielded in her off-hand and her staff in her main hand, she began to weave through the oncoming horde, spamming Elemental Bolt every 5 seconds. Within that timeframe, she stabbed and slashed at anything in her way. The spiders were no match for her, coupled with the one-tap dagger.
She felt adrenaline coursing through her veins and at one point wanted to drop the staff, feeling it was too slow, to dual-wield the daggers, but luckily, it was just a fleeting thought.
As they slowly but steadily retreated from the dungeon perimeter, a piercing scream cut through the chaos. One of the warrior captives, a stout man with a fierce look in his eyes, was struggling against the jaws of a massive spider, its fangs sinking into his armor.
[What's it gonna be, Milady? Will you save this helpless man, or—]
Elemental Bolt. Lightning!
Atlas unleashed an Elemental Bolt, which struck both the man and the spider, ending them on the spot. Without looking back, she continued hacking and slashing with her dagger, spamming Elemental Bolt and Rune of Binding with her staff. The battlefield littered with the spider corpses.
Screech!
A loud, distorted, piercing screech suddenly reverberated from a distance, and the spiders, quickly switching from offensive to defensive, hurriedly began retreating.
---
[Ding! You have leveled up! | Lv-23]
[Ding! You have leveled up! | Lv-24]
[Ding! You have leveled up! | Lv-25]
[Congrats! Class Advancement Available!]
—
From the shadows of the forest in the distance, Atlas could see a pair of red eyes glaring straight at her as the spiders retreated in that direction.
"Tsk. So cliché," she mumbled, in perfect sync with Kelsey.
[So cliché.]