The venom shot toward Atlas at an alarming speed, too fast for him to evade. There was no escape. The only option was to take the hit and recover later—but how fatal would the venom be if it struck him directly?
He clenched his teeth, his mind racing. He couldn't afford even a single hit in this battle. Every ounce of strength needed to be preserved; any injury, no matter how small, could jeopardize his performance in the long run.
And then, without warning, his body flared with fire—sudden and intense.
The venom fluid ignited the moment it touched the fiery aura enveloping him, burning away harmlessly before it could reach his skin.
Opportunity struck.
"Lightning Step!"
With a burst of crackling speed, Atlas dashed away from danger, moving so fast that he briefly left a glowing trail behind him. In the split second of motion, he glanced sideways and noticed Garen standing at a distance, grinning as he held his weapon aloft. The fire skill—it was his doing.
Atlas gave a small nod of acknowledgment before focusing back on the fight. He regained his positioning, ready to strike again. He couldn't waste the advantage he'd gained.
Atlas gripped his spear tighter and charged forward. He aimed for the same spot he had already managed to wound on the spider's tough, armored body, determined to inflict as much damage as possible on its vulnerable point!
Atlas continued his relentless assault on the spider, his movements sharp and precise. Zefyros darted around the monster, drawing little attention from the creature as it focused on Atlas.
The spider let out a deafening screech, its high-pitched wail echoing through the cavern.
Atlas pressed on, attacking, dodging, and shifting his position constantly. He used the spider's massive size to his advantage, maneuvering nimbly around it, always targeting its flanks to stay out of the path of its venomous sprays.
Webs shot toward him repeatedly, and although a few managed to catch his spear, the crackling energy of lightning surrounding it destroyed the threads.
Lightning—an elemental fusion of fire and air—proved to be a perfect weapon. While its focus was speed and lethal damage, it also weakened the grip of the webs, neutralizing much of the spider's crowd control attempts.
Atlas's persistence paid off. His repeated strikes began to wear down the spider. A strange fluid oozed from a growing wound on its side, the result of his relentless targeting of the same spot.
With every strike, the creature's movements grew slower and more unsteady. He even managed to injure several of its legs, throwing off its balance and making its movements far less agile than before.
Whenever the spider attempted to retreat upward into the safety of its webs, Atlas disrupted its efforts, forcing it to crash back to the ground.
Victory was within reach. His confidence surged as he pressed the advantage, determined to finish the fight. He could defeat this spider!
With a piercing cry of determination, Atlas let out a sharp yell, channeling all his energy into delivering his final attack skills. He readied his spear, which crackled with golden lightning as the skill activated.
[Elite - Thunderpierce Thrust (Active Skill) Lv. 7]
The spear shot forward like a bolt of lightning, perfectly timed to strike just as the spider opened its massive maw. The weapon pierced through the roof of its mouth with a sickening crunch, bursting through the top of its head. Strange fluids sprayed out from the devastating wound, splattering across the ground.
Wasting no time, Atlas swiftly pulled his spear free and followed up with another skill.
[Elite - Flurry of Spears (Active) Lv. 4]
The spear became a blur as it thrust repeatedly, each strike landing on the spider's head with lightning-fast precision. Blow after blow hammered the already weakened monster, until it finally let out one last guttural screech and collapsed.
The familiar notification appeared, confirming the spider's death and his hard-fought victory.
He'd won!
But… The battle was far from over. The cavern still swarmed with Arachnyte Specters.
Atlas quickly scanned the battlefield, assessing the situation. Noticing one of the subgroups struggling against their opponent, he sprinted toward them without hesitation.
"Focus on healing your allies!" he shouted.
At the same time, he relayed the command through the team's chat feature, ensuring everyone got the message.
Closing the distance, Atlas launched a powerful attack at the spider the team of five was fighting, drawing its attention.
"Fall back, anyone who's injured! Pull back and recover!" he ordered.
Several of the troops bore visible wounds, their armor cracked and their movements sluggish. Their comrades quickly helped them retreat to a safer area to regroup and heal.
No one could be lost in this battle. They had to hold their ground and survive, no matter the cost.
More spiders descended from the cavern's roof, their numbers increasing rapidly. The subgroups, which had initially been handling one spider at a time, now found themselves outnumbered, fighting two monsters simultaneously.
The elite subordinates were locked in their own intense battles with no opportunity to assist the troops. If they moved closer to the struggling teams, it would only draw the monsters toward them, worsening the situation.
Atlas gritted his teeth and maintained his focus, aiming to dispatch the weakened spider as quickly as possible.
With a decisive blow, he finally brought the creature down.
"Another one down," he muttered, but there was no time to celebrate.
The team regrouped momentarily, assessing their condition. Those with severe injuries were carried to the rear by their companions, retreating from the immediate danger zone. The chilling cold, oppressive darkness, and thin oxygen in the cavern made it clear that carelessness was not an option.
The support healers worked tirelessly, but their magic couldn't fully restore the wounded in such a short time. Strategic retreats were the only way to ensure survival in this grueling environment.
The team that had successfully taken down their target quickly regrouped to assist others, but the spiders were now more concentrated. Each group faced two or even three spiders at once, making the battle exponentially harder.
Atlas scanned the battlefield again, his sharp gaze falling on Baldric, who was locked in a struggle with three spiders at the same time. While Baldric's tanking abilities allowed him to withstand significant damage, his lack of speed made it difficult for him to handle so many opponents simultaneously.
It didn't help that combat wasn't Baldric's primary focus—he was a blacksmith. His fighting skills were secondary, though even that made him an invaluable asset to the team.
The elite subordinates like Baldric were highly skilled, with plenty of experience and untapped potential. However, these spiders were nearly double their level, and raw power mattered in such a fight. Among them, only Morganna seemed capable of fully overcoming the level gap, thanks to her incredible regeneration and deadly offensive capabilities.
Seeing Baldric's struggle, Atlas didn't hesitate. He sprinted to assist, using the spiders' focus on Baldric to his advantage. With their attention diverted, Atlas launched precise strikes at their exposed sides, delivering clean and effective hits.
Atlas prioritized the spider that was already weakened. With its movements slowing, he unleashed a powerful attack that staggered it. The creature faltered, its momentum broken.
"Finish it!" Atlas called out.
Baldric seized the opportunity, raising his massive hammer high. With a decisive swing, he brought it crashing down on the spider's head, shattering it with a sickening crunch. The creature collapsed, lifeless.
"That's one less to worry about!" Baldric said.
Atlas nodded, his focus already shifting to the remaining spiders. The battle was far from over.
Until.
Finally…
After an arduous, hard-fought battle, the last spider monster fell, its massive body collapsing under the decisive strike of Garen, the leader of Team Cinder.
The exhausted troops dropped to the ground, breathing heavily, their bodies bloodied and battered. Many of their injuries bled freely, though the freezing cold of the cavern caused the blood to crust and freeze almost immediately.
Atlas sprinted toward the fallen troops, joined by others from the team, checking their conditions one by one. They carefully ensured the breathing devices were still secured to their faces, allowing them to continue breathing in the thin, frigid air.
Those too injured to stand were carefully carried out of the spider chamber and placed against the walls of the tunnel leading out.
The healers, though only three in number, immediately got to work. However, one of them was a hybrid caster who also specialized in offensive magic, limiting their ability to heal everyone quickly. The severity of the injuries made it clear that recovery would take time.
"We'll return to the cavern entrance immediately," Atlas commanded.
He turned to Baldric, who stood nearby, his body still bearing traces of blood that evaporated into smoke as his fiery aura burned it away.
"I'll stay here and begin harvesting the threads."
Atlas hesitated, weighing the risks. Leaving Baldric behind alone wasn't exactly ideal. After a brief pause, he turned his attention to Edrik.
"I'll lead the injured troops to safety," Edrik said before Atlas could even ask. "As long as we follow the path we came in on, we shouldn't encounter too many issues."
Atlas gave him a nod of approval, his gaze briefly shifting to Morganna as she appeared beside them.
Atlas thought for a moment before giving his final orders. "Morganna, Baldric, and I will remain here to ensure the threads are fully harvested. The rest of you, focus on regrouping and recovering."
The victory was theirs, hard-earned and without any casualties. Despite the many injuries, the outcome was worth the effort.
But this was only the beginning. The cavern stretched deeper into the mountain, filled with more chambers—and more monsters waiting to be slain. They needed to press on, no matter what challenges awaited.