He smiled, cracking his knuckles inside the gloves. "Alright… time to set it on blaze."
He snapped his fingers.
'Combustion Field'
Immediately, flames erupted from his position, radiating outward in a massive wave. The fire spread quickly, burning across the forest floor and climbing up tree trunks.
Small fires ignited wherever the wave passed, and the smaller spiders scattered, screeching and skittering for cover.
Luke watched as the fire moved in a circle around him, the heat rising but not harming him.
After about two minutes, notifications began popping up .
[Monster Eliminated]
[Monster Eliminated]
[Monster Eliminated]
He quickly muted them. The little spiders would come in three waves before the Spider Queen herself appeared.
The smaller spiders were strong, but nothing Luke couldn't handle. He didn't need to move—he could just stand in place and keep the Combustion Field active. Any spider that even came close would be incinerated instantly.
The fire surged outward continuously, sweeping through the forest. Trees and undergrowth ignited, sending smoke curling into the air.
The smaller spiders scattered in panic, their screeches echoing through the trees, but none of them survived long enough to reach him.
Luke watched casually as the flames raged, keeping his focus on the center of the Combustion Field.
Two hours passed.
Luke yawned, stretching slightly as he settled on a stone boulder in the middle of the burning forest. Which he summoned.
He had been running the Combustion Field non-stop, grinding EXP and systematically eliminating all three waves of spider minions.
From his perspective, the fire was the simplest and most effective tool. It destroyed everything in its path with zero wasted effort and kept him safe without exhaustion.
As for his MP, Luke was well prepared. He had over 3,000 MP and a 200% recovery rate, which meant the intermediate-level Combustion Field skill, costing only 50 MP per cast, barely made a dent.
His MP recovered swiftly, keeping his energy reserves topped up consistently despite continuous casting for over two hours.
As he relaxed for a moment, a deep, resonant sound came from the depths of the forest. A low, rumbling growl that shook the nearby trees
"Krrrrrrrrrrrrh…"
Luke's eyes narrowed, a grin spreading across his face. "Finally… the final phase of the test."
He shifted slightly, readying himself. The Spider Queen was about to make her entrance, and this was the real challenge—the only part of the test that would truly require skill.
Luke's eyes snapped upward as a massive figure fell from the sky, dark against the smoke and flames.
'Blazing Dash'
Flames ignited on his boots, and he launched himself sideways and upward. The huge figure crashed into the spot he had just vacated.
The Spider Queen—true to her name—was enormous. Easily the size of a two-story building, with thick, chitinous legs and a terrifyingly strong body. Her fangs dripped venom, and webs shot out from her joints, ready to ensnare anything nearby.
A fearsome opponent, certainly. But Luke grinned to himself. She had one fatal weakness: fire. In this forest already ablaze, her webs and her minions were nothing compared to the inferno surrounding her.
"Krrrrrrrrrrrrh!" The Spider Queen let out a guttural, angry roar. She had every reason to be furious—anyone would be if a stranger came into your home, set it on fire, and killed your children.
Luke shrugged mentally. Monsters are brainless. They just rush straight into death. He looked at her calmly, even a little amused.
Honestly, she couldn't have had it worse, he thought. The conditions of this fight were stacked against her from the start. Every element favored him.
The entire forest was burning. Her webs couldn't hold in the flames, and her carapace was thick but brittle under the heat. It was her natural enemy's field, and she had no chance of winning.
He focused, summoning his next attack.
'Meteor Flame Strike'
The sky above glowed red, and a moment later fireballs—each the size of a boulder—came crashing down.
They smashed into the Spider Queen's massive frame, one after another, shaking the ground on impact. Her shell cracked with loud snaps, glowing patches spreading across her armored body where fire clung and sizzled.
'Flame Pillar'
From the ground, a towering column of fire erupted around her, twisting upward like a tornado of flame. It roared so loud it drowned out her screeches, boxing her in with heat that scorched the air.
Not stopping there, Luke summoned Stone Spikes from beneath the forest floor. Sharp, jagged pillars shot up, piercing the Spider Queen from below and keeping her off balance.
Her legs slammed against them, breaking some, but every crack only opened her body up for more fire to pour inside.
She screeched, flailed, and thrashed wildly. Each strike of her legs sent tremors through the burning ground, but Luke stayed calm standing on a tall stone spike, watching her like someone observing an animal caught in a trap.
Every desperate movement only confirmed what he already knew: she couldn't survive this combination of elemental attacks. Her size worked against her.
Finally, the Spider Queen collapsed, her massive body crumpling into the burning forest.