by Park Saenal
“Dammit!”
I frantically avoided the spiderwebs. As I was diligently avoiding it, I felt my limits.
‘This damn spider… no matter how much I avoid it, the spider keeps shooting out the webs. If this continues, I will become tired and unable to do anything.’
There was a need to stop it from easily launching the webs.
“Wind Blast!”
I made a decision and cast Wind Blast towards the torso of the canyon spider. The spider was hit by Wind Blast and shook a few times while hanging on the web. But it wasn’t a substantial blow.
[You have dealt 300 damage to the target.]
“Crazy! What is this defense?”
The canyon spider only suffered a slight amount of damage from the Wind Blast of the +8 Ideal Dagger! This meant the canyon spider’s defense was overwhelming to the point that it was superior to the frostlight orc chief, as well as the canyon lizards.
While the canyon spider was 40 levels higher than the frostlight orc chief, it was but a normal monster in comparison to the chief, which was a boss monster. A normal monster having more defense than a boss monster…
‘Of course, its health will be much lower than the frostlight orc chief’s health, but what good is that? The defense is so high that I can’t deal any damage to its health to begin with.’
I was frustrated while the canyon spider started firing the spider webs even more quickly.
“Kuk! Quick Movements!”
My evasion and agility temporarily increased. I barely avoided the spider webs while the duration of Quick Movements continued running out. In the meantime, the cooldown of Wind Blast finished.
“Blacksmith’s Rage! Wind Blast!”
Peeng!
The canyon spider was so huge that it was easy to aim at it. Wind Blast was reinforced by Blacksmith’s Rage and hit the canyon spider, but once again, the spider didn’t receive a high amount of damage.
[You have dealt 344 damage to the target.]
“No, what type of defense it this? Such a scam!”
“Kiyaaak.”
I avoided the webs that started to fly again while trying to think of a plan.
‘I can’t fight against it using Wind Blast alone. Unbreakable Justice will work to a certain extent…’
Originally, Wind Blast was a skill that dealt 60% of the caster’s attack power. But since I didn’t meet the conditions to use the Ideal Dagger, I was penalized by having only half the option effect applied. In other words, Wind Blast only dealt 30% of my attack power.
On the other hand, Unbreakable Justice fully dealt 300% of my attack power. Even the canyon spider would be damaged by Unbreakable Justice.
However, Wind Blast was a ranged attack skill while Unbreakable Justice needed to hit the target directly. I couldn’t use it since I couldn’t reach the canyon spider. And right now, it was impossible to approach the canyon spider.
‘This can’t continue. Is there any way I can reach that spider?’
I was troubled as I looked at the spider webs covering the sky.
‘It is impossible to approach due to the spider web. Then I…?’
What was this? Did I need to once again experience being chewed alive?
“Dammit… Eh?”
I suddenly got a good idea.
“I don’t know if a combo will work… but it is worth trying!”
The degree of freedom in Satisfy was infinite. That also applied to skills. It was possible for users to create completely different effects depending on how they used or combined their skills. I walked forward. Then I checked and found that the cooldown of Wind Blast had ended.
Now I had somewhat figured out the pattern of the spider webs, so I easily avoided them and accurately aimed Wind Blast at the canyon spider.
Then!
“Unbreakable Justice!”
I used Unbreakable Justice. There was also the freshly generated Wind Blast.
Kiiiiing-!
The energy of Unbreakable Justice combined with Wind Blast. Wind Blast and Unbreakable Justice couldn’t be broken so they were combined into one, then a message window popped up.
[The new skill fusion has succeeded.]
[Fusion skill ‘Wind of Justice’ has been created.]
[Your intelligence has increased by 10 due to the successful fusion of a new skill.]
[Wind of Justice]
The force of Unbreakable Justice has been combined with Wind Blast.
Deals 320% of your attack power to a target that can be up to 6m away.
Skill Damage Range: 2m radius around the target.
Skill Mana Cost: 400
Skill Cooldown Time: 100 seconds
Skill Usage Conditions: Ideal Dagger
Kwa kwa kwa kwang!
The dark blue aura, reminiscent of a sword master, flew towards the canyon spider.
“Kieek?”
As the wind sword flew forward, the canyon spider scrambled up the spider web in an attempt to escape. But the spider couldn’t be faster than the wind.
Peeeeeong!
“Kiyaaaaah~!”
Wind of Justice hit the canyon spider, causing it to fall down the web while a yellow liquid emerged from its mouth.
Kuwaaaang!
The canyon spider crashed into the ground, causing a huge crack. It fell on its back and was so big that it couldn’t raise its body. I was confident that now was my chance to get rid of it. I drank a mana recovery potion.
“Blacksmith’s Rage! Quick Movements!”
Once my attack power, attack speed, evasion and agility increased, I rushed towards the canyon spider. It couldn’t raise its body yet, but the spider kept trying to resist. The eight legs waved and threatened me several times, but I only had light injuries on my shoulders and thighs due to Quick Movements.
“Now…!”
I laughed as the eight legs twisted in the air, then stabbed the Ideal Dagger deep into the canyon spider’s chest.
Puok!
The back, legs, and head of the canyon spider were all covered with a thick shell. But the chest was covered with hair. In other words, the chest of the canyon spider didn’t boast an overwhelming defense, unlike the other areas.
[You have dealt 2,880 damage to the target.]
[The Best Gauntlets option effect is activated, causing you to attack the target twice.]
[You have dealt 6,040 damage to the target.]
“Kieeeeeeek!”
The terrible screams of the canyon spider echoed in Kesan Canyon. Yes, now was the chance…
“Revenge… it is the true revenge time! Kuhahahahat!”
In the past, how much had I suffered from the monsters in Kesan Canyon? I was stabbed to death by a tail, killed by a tail, stunned, trampled and even eaten. I lost items and experience in this place, and my mental state was shattered. It was so bad I developed an allergy to spiders.
However, the monsters in the canyon were so strong that I never dared dream of revenge. Then what about now? I was different now. I was significantly different.
“Now is the time for you to fear me!”
Puoook!
“Kiyaaaaah~!”
[You have defeated a canyon spider.]
[18 gold has been acquired.]
[The canyon spider’s leg has been acquired.]
[The canyon spider’s eyeball has been acquired.]
[The canyon spider’s spiderweb has been acquired.]
[387,500 experience has been acquired.]
[Your level has risen.]
At this moment, my allergy to spiders disappeared forever. Meanwhile, a long-haired man was watching Grid from a high cliff.
“This is the first time in ages that I’ve seen someone take care of a canyon spider alone. His skills are still very poor, but he has a rapid growth rate…”
The canyon spider lost its web and crashed into the ground. It fell to its back and was helpless because there was no nearby terrain to fire and attach new webs to.
If the c
anyon spider had fallen on its stomach and there was terrain close enough to aim a spider web at, the spider would’ve instantly recovered and attacked Grid again. In other words, luck played a huge role in Grid’s successful hunt of the canyon spider.
However, the man couldn’t help admiring Grid.
“His ability grows every time he hunts a monster. His potential is beyond imagination… He seems a good choice to be my agent of revenge.”
The name of this long-haired man was Piaro. He was once the strongest knight of the Saharan Empire. He was originally a knight captain, but he was framed as a traitor and hid in Kesan Canyon…
“Asmophel… I will make you die a cruel death!”
They were trackers looking for Piaro all throughout the continent. Piaro couldn’t escape from this place so he needed someone to get rid of Asmophel, who ruined the lives of Piaro and his colleagues.
Piaro was convinced that Grid was the person he wanted.
Chapter 76
Chapter 76
The canyon spider wasn’t just big in size. Its overwhelming strength was comparable to boss monsters.
“Hiiik…”
Lee Junho, Choi Chansung and Sim Kiwan.
The three people who attended high school with Shin Youngwoo were trapped in the canyon spider’s nest, wrapped in the spider web. They felt extreme fright at the canyon spider’s sharp teeth and legs, wondering which one of them would be eaten first.
“Damn… I just wanted to go to Winston…” Lee Junho lamented.
Winston was the name of a popular city in the middle of nowhere. The three people heard that there were hunting grounds of various levels where they could hunt and earn money, so they headed to Winston. But thanks to the antics of the mischievous goblins, they almost froze to death and found the canyon. Now they would become the meal of a canyon spider.
“Dammit, why did you decide to go to Winston?” Sim Kiwan grumbled. Then Lee Junho’s face distorted.
It was Lee Junho who first talked about going to Winston. Lee Junho glared angrily at Sim Kiwan’s complaint. “Didn’t you agree? Now you’re trying to blame me? Did I know it would be like this? Eh?”
Lee Junho had a bad temper and was the best fighter in his high school. There was no kid in high school who hadn’t been bullied by Lee Junho. In the period where Lee Junho was his most rebellious, Choi Chansung and Sim Kiwan suffered despite being his closest friends. They knew that Lee Junho still had a temper, so Sim Kiwan didn’t grumble anymore.
However, Lee Junho didn’t relax.
“Ah, this damn… the more I think about it, the more shitty it is. Hey, Sim Kiwan. You jerk, try talking again. I told us to move to Winston so we were caught by that damn spider? Didn’t we all agree? You said it was a good idea, right? But now you’re blaming me once things became worse? You jerk, what type of friend are you?”
“…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to blame you. I was just so agitated that I mispoke.”
“Ah, shit. Why don’t you do something if you’re sorry? This jerk should really go to hell.”
The silent Choi Chansung quickly mediated between them. “Why are we fighting now? Let’s try to figure how to escape instead of fighting.”
To be honest, Choi Chansung and Sim Kiwan didn’t like Lee Junho. Lee Junho was a friend, but he tended to look down on Choi Chansung and Sim Kiwan. They were now 26 years old and didn’t want to keep acting like their high school years.
On the other hand, Lee Junho was unable to adapt to society due to his dirty nature and because he had few friends. Therefore, he frequently wanted to hang out with Choi Chansung and Sim Kiwan. Choi Chansung and Sim Kiwan wanted to ignore Lee Junho, but they couldn’t easily dismiss Lee Junho after knowing each other for 10 years.
But now they were reaching their limits.
‘Is he crazy? He’s calling a friend a jerk?’
‘That bastard Lee Junho, he can’t fix his dirty habit. Kiwan also has a lot of pride.’
As the atmosphere became tense… The wind from outside brought the sound of disturbance.
“! $ #! ~%”
The sound was coming from a distant place, so the three people couldn’t precisely grasp the contents of the disturbance. But the canyon spider was different. The canyon spider locked the three people up and glanced towards the outside of the nest.
“Kikikik…”
The canyon spider sprang up excitedly. It seemed to rejoice that a new prey had appeared. The three people were relieved to see the canyon spider leaving the nest.
“Phew… I thought I was going to die.”
“I agree…”
“Come on, let’s escape this place!”
Lee Junho was a level 88 warrior. Due to his aggressive tendencies, he invested most of his stats into strength. Therefore, he tried to break the web with his body. But no matter how he moved his body, the web didn’t budge.
“What is this damn thing? I can’t break it even with my strength?”
Lee Junho became exhausted and eventually gave up on breaking the web. Then Sim Kiwan, who was a level 87 fire magician, chanted a spell and summoned fire.
Hwaruruk!
The spiderweb around Sim Kiwan’s body started to burn.
“Ohhh!”
The three people cheered at the thought of the spiderweb turning to ashes. But after a while, the flames died down and revealed the spiderweb only had a blackened surface and was still tightly trapping Sim Kiwan’s body.
Sim Kiwan’s face turned white.
“What is this? It can’t be burned with fire?”
“Leave it to me.” The level 89 thief, Choi Chansung came forward. He held a dagger in one hand and tried to cut the web with a dagger. However, even the sharp dagger couldn’t cut the web.
“Unbelievable… not even a scratch?”
This was why the canyon spider left this place so easily. Only three people were so low-levelled that they couldn’t get rid of the spider web or avoid death. They were desperate.
“In the end, we’re going to be eaten by that spider bastard…”
“Hey, if we are going to die anyway, let’s just log out. Isn’t it better to give up experience than being eaten?”
Lee Junho and Sim Kiwan had already tried to log out. But ‘In this situation, you can’t avoid death. If you log out, it will be treated as a death.’ floated in front of them and they had hesitated. However, these circumstances meant it was better to log out.
“Okay, let’s just log out. I will completely lose my dignity as a human if I experience being eaten by a spider.”
“Okay, log…”
Choi Chansung tried to stop the two people who wanted to log out.
“Wait. Isn’t it too shameful to take our lives, even if this is a game? We don’t know what is happening, so let’s hold on a little longer.”
“What are you saying? The spider will come back soon! Do you want to be eaten by a spider? I might get arachnophobia for the rest of my life!”
“If you have the courage to take your own life, use that courage to find a means to fight the spider.”
“What nonsense are you saying? Stop speaking. Aye, I don’t know. We are going to log out, so you stay here alone! “Logout…eh?”
The three people fell silent at the same time. Their gazes headed towards the entrance of the cave.
Thump, thump.
They weren’t mistaken. There was the sound of human footsteps from the entrance of the cave.
“What?”
“Shh!”
The three men held their breaths as they watched the situation. After a while, a person entered the cave.
“That spider bastard has been alive for decades, so did it gather any treasures in its nest? This bastard, it was hard hunting you.”
This person hunted that fearful spider? Lee Junho, Choi Chansung and Sim Kiwan looked at the man with disbelieving expressions. Half the man’s face was covered by a big helmet, which seemed to be made from the skull of a giant monster. The
helmet’s appearance was hideous.
The three people whispered to each other, because they were worried the man would hear.
“That guy doesn’t seem ordinary…?”
“That’s right. He is like a psychopath with that odd aesthetic sense.”
“But let’s ask for help.”
“H-Hrmm… he looks dangerous…”
“Won’t he just kill us?”
“… That’s possible.
“Yes…”
The three of them were conflicted. The appearance of the man’s helmet was just as terrible as the canyon spider. On the other hand, inside the helmet, Grid found the three people tied up by the web. He was startled.
‘Isn’t that Lee Junho? Why are those guys here?’
Lee Junho and his followers! They were famous as gangsters since their school days. In particular, Lee Junho was an uncontrollable gangster. He often committed violence against his classmates. He even dared go against the teachers.
Grid. No, Shin Youngwoo was his target not just once or twice. It was seven or eight years ago, but Shin Youngwoo remembered all the evils Lee Junho had committed against him.
‘During high school… the amount of money that bastard took from me from second grade to graduation is exactly 67,300 won… His follower was 23,000 and the other one 14,000… Those damn three people.’
It wasn’t a good memory for Shin Youngwoo. His head was bad. He couldn’t remember small things. But he remembered the things that happened to him.
‘His harassment didn’t end just in school.’
Lee Junho was the first person who laughed and ignored Shin Youngwoo at the alumni meeting two years ago. The alumni heard that Shin Youngwoo had become obsessed with games and debt-ridden and couldn’t laugh.
Only Lee Junho continued teasing Shin Youngwoo and calling him pathetic. As the alumni meeting continued and everyone started to drink, the other alumni followed Lee Junho’s example and started laughing at Shin Youngwoo. Shin Youngwoo became a laughing stock with all the alumni.
‘This unforgivable bastard… Dammit, how did I come across this bastard in a game? I really have no luck.’
Shin Youngwoo glared at Lee Junho and his followers. Lee Junho felt his gaze and asked gently. “E..Excuse me? Can you help us? As you can see, we are trapped. Haha.”