Of course!
Beyond their webbing, Hanging Spiders possessed some venom, but it required capturing prey and injecting it through their fangs, a slow process.
With Adam's speed, they couldn't get close.
His iron sword slashed through the air, the mucus on its blade evaporating under the lingering heat, intensifying the air's foul stench.
Time ticked by.
The whistle of his sword and the spiders' screeches intertwined.
Moments later…
Adam panted heavily, one hand on his knee, surrounded by severed spider limbs.
He'd slain about two-thirds of the nearly hundred Hanging Spiders; the rest had fled, untrackable in the jungle.
A pity!
Adam exhaled deeply.
Not wiping them all out was unavoidable. He lacked area-of-effect attacks.
He estimated the spiders' levels at 2–3.
Seemingly low, but in the Re-Estize Kingdom, that matched an average soldier.
One Hanging Spider equaled one soldier.
Yet, in the forest, a hundred soldiers facing as many spiders would likely be slaughtered.
Even Adam couldn't outrun them here.
He suspected this swarm was the strongest magical beast group in the outskirts, likely occupying the zone between the Wise King of the Forest's and the ogre's territories.
He now understood why the Great Forest of Tob instilled such fear and dread in this world.
This was merely the outskirts. Deeper within, the three Forest Rulers wielded Hero-level strength. Beyond Hamusuke, the other two commanded numerous minions.
The entire Re-Estize Kingdom had only two Adamantite-rank adventuring teams.
Adam avoided deep breaths; the air's putrid odor was overwhelming, nauseating.
The heated sword was effective, but the smell of scorched blood and limbs was stifling.
[Experience: 2985/1000]
Ignoring the stench, Adam checked his attribute panel.
"Should be enough for two levels." He thought, elated. "Upgrade!"
[Ability Panel]
[Talent: Player]
[Total Level: 9Lv]
[Experience: 685/1500]
[Job Class:
[- Basic Job: Genius 1Lv (Warrior, Priestess/Priest, Pharmacist, Alchemist, Mage, Thief)]
[- Mid-Tier Job: Sword Saint 8Lv]
[Skill Points: 13]
[Passive Skills: Item Box, Slash Enhancement (8%)]
[Active Skills:
[- Warrior: Instant Reflex, Fourfold Slash of Light, Rapid Strike, Stealth]
[- Magic: Papermaking (1st Tier), Warm (1st Tier), Minor Healing (1st Tier), Magic Arrow (1st Tier), Odorless (1st Tier)]
[Class Skills: Pharmacist, Alchemist]
…
"Finally above level 8." Adam studied the panel.
Total Level 9Lv!
A joyful expression crossed his face. He retrieved the second-tier Appraisal Magic scroll from the Mage Guild.
As he prepared to use it and learn the skill, he noticed something.
The two upgraded zero-tier spells lacked the "↑" Marker.
Adam blinked, then smacked his forehead.
"Got caught up in leveling and nearly forgot, my caster level's too low."
His joy faded, replaced by mild frustration as he stowed the scroll.
His level-ups had focused on Sword Saint, a warrior class, leaving his caster level tied to Genius at a mere 1Lv.
"Max out warrior levels first."
Exhaling, he eyed the mangled spider corpses.
He recalled their abdomens held venom sacs.
Squatting, he sliced open some, extracting intact sacs.
Most spiders were too damaged, but after some effort, he collected twenty intact sacs.
Finished, he left the foul-smelling area, stopping about seventeen or eighteen meters away, leaning against a tree.
After battling the spiders, he needed to recover stamina. This was their territory, and the remaining spiders had fled, so other magical beasts wouldn't attack.
Moreover, he estimated the ogre's territory was near.
Grabbing a handful of leaves, he used them as a rag to wipe spider blood from his sword.
The Warm spell's effect had faded. Reflecting on how heating the sword boosted its destructive power, he found the method promising.
It felt like pseudo-enchanting.
But the heated sword affected him too.
Gazing at the blade, he lifted it single-handedly, swinging it lightly.
The blade whistled through the air.
Each Sword Saint level boosted his overall strength. Beyond stat increases, Adam noticed his swordsmanship grew more instinctive with each level, unlocking techniques he hadn't consciously learned.
It felt natural, as if honed over years.
This fascinated him.
In YGGDRASIL, class panels were just stats. In the New World, leveling a class felt like gradually mastering its inherent abilities.
For instance, when venomous insects attacked in the forest, Adam instinctively slashed them down without looking.
Against the black-green serpent, parrying techniques came naturally.
Before crossing over, he was an ordinary person, incapable of such skill. This was clearly the Sword Saint class's influence.
After resting thirty minutes, feeling recovered, Adam gripped his sword and continued east.
Along the way, he encountered no beasts, let alone magical ones. Instead, birds grew more common.
Strange, darkly feathered birds he'd never seen flitted overhead or sang from dense branches.
Adam frowned, pressing on, his steps lighter and more cautious.
***
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