The silence of the cavern shattered.
One by one, the glowing red dots above began to move. What Trafalgar had first mistaken for crystals shifted, multiplied, and crawled. The ceiling wasn't stone—it was alive. Thousands of eyes gleamed down at them, reflecting the faint violet glow of the mythril veins.
With a sound like dry branches snapping, the swarm descended. Silken threads unraveled, and shapes dropped into the open space. The first landed with a sickening thud—a spider the size of a hound, its chitinous body gleaming black under the lanternlight. Another followed. And another. Then dozens.
And at the center, something far worse.
The massive arachnid lowered itself slowly, eight legs unfurling like spears. Its bloated body was armored in jagged plates, each step making the stone vibrate. At full height, it loomed nearly eight meters tall. Its fangs dripped venom that hissed when it struck the ground.
