As the spider dropped its eggs, some participants lost faith and fell to the ground hopelessly.
"Is this thing really a bronze-rank monster? It can't be! There has to be a misunderstanding!" the participants complained.
"This thing really took it up a notch," Harden said.
"I've grown bored of this battle. Let's end this," Raizo said.
"Yeah," Harden replied.
"Clear a path for me," Kyle said as he walked toward them.
Harden and Raizo began making their way toward the boss, defeating the other spiders in their path. This gave Kyle the opportunity to battle the boss. He jumped up, attempting to stab the spider, but to his surprise, he couldn't move.
What? When? How?" Kyle thought as he realized he was caught in the spider's web. However, this web wasn't thick like the others. It was almost completely invisible-thin yet incredibly strong.
The spider then rushed at Kyle, about to bite him, but Raizo appeared behind him, slicing off the web in the nick of time.
The spider missed its target, and this seemed to infuriate it even more. It charged forward at the participants who were still engaged in battle. Suddenly, the spider jumped, stomping on five participants and killing them instantly.
"Noooo!" a girl screamed. "It wasn't supposed to be like this! We were supposed to just defeat some stupid bronze-rank boss!"
She sobbed. "She promised we'd become the strongest together... Jake had a wife and five children waiting for him too!"
"Damn it! Damn it all!" others shouted.
While the participants lamented, the spider continued its assault, rapidly shooting acid at random. Most participants dodged by a hair's breadth, but three were unlucky-two died instantly, while the third was severely injured.
The spider's rampage continued as it indiscriminately attacked the participants.
"If this keeps up, the participants will completely fall into despair," Ling said.
"We need to turn the tides somehow," Harden replied.
"It's been absorbing poison from my blades this whole time, but it doesn't seem to have any effect at all," Raizo said.
"Berserk mode is meant to increase the monster's attack power, but it has its downside too," Harden added. "It reduces the monster's durability based on the duration of berserk mode."
"In other words, we just need to let the spider burn itself out, and then it'll be time for payback, right?"
As the group continued to discuss, a shadow was cast over them.
"Guys, watch out!" Any screamed at the top of her lungs.
The spider landed, looking annoyed as it realized its target had escaped. The spider screamed in rage, shooting a mixture of webs and acid at the group.
Before the attacks could reach them, the participant with the knight's pauldron suddenly appeared in front of the group. He activated his skill, Riposte, and swung his blade in a circular motion with the intention of deflecting the spider's attacks.
However, to his surprise, his sturdy longsword was instantly destroyed, and the acid hit him directly in the chest.
"Ahhh!" he shouted as he fell to the ground, dead.
"This guy... he was willing to sacrifice himself for us," Harden thought, filled with rage at the thought of his own weakness.
"Yes, I'm not the most powerful right now," Harden acknowledged to himself. "If I'm going to be the greatest and strongest, and exterminate the mythical beasts, then an overgrown spider like you shouldn't pose a threat."
"You are hereby sentenced to death for your atrocities, damn spider!" Harden screamed in his head.
He ran toward the spider, took his stance, and jumped. Holding his right fist with his left, an ominous yellow aura pulsed from him. He slammed his fist into the spider's head.
"Dead End Fist!" he shouted.
The spider was pushed back slightly, and a loud crack could be heard. But to Harden's horror, there wasn't even a dent on the spider's head, and his arm was broken.
"That was supposed to be my strongest attack," Harden screamed internally.
The spider then rushed at Harden, attempting to devour him, but Raizo and Jake blocked the attack. Not long after, snap! their weapons broke.
Raizo was in utter disbelief, while Jake was so shocked he couldn't move. However, before the spider could do anything, Ling grabbed them both and took them to safety.
The spider then locked eyes on Harden, whose hands were bleeding. As the spider moved toward him, a ball of light hit its face, but it didn't hinder its movement one bit.
"Harden, noooo!" Amy screamed, helpless as she watched the scene unfold.
The spider suddenly picked up speed and used its leg to kick Harden in the stomach. Harden could feel all his ribs break, and blood spilled from his mouth.
"I'm not done yet," Harden said as he struggled to stand, but his legs gave out.
"Come on, body, move!" Harden screamed internally. He strained every muscle, but his limbs refused to respond. His vision began to blur; colors bled together like watercolors in the rain. The world around him grew distant, a fading echo, until finally, his consciousness slipped away, and he collapsed into darkness.
Just as the spider was upon Harden, a participant who had been sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, as if meditating, suddenly stood up.
"That Harden kid is an interesting one. I can't let him die just yet," the participant muttered.
"I guess it's time to end this charade."