SHRIEEEEEK!
The two giant spiders screeched, their many red eyes glimmering as they charged at Jun. Their sharp legs slammed against the stone floor, each step echoing like blades scraping steel.
WHSSSH!WHSSSH!
From their mandibles, white sticky nets shot forward at frightening speed, tearing through the air toward him.
Jun's eyes widened. "Tch!"
He twisted his body, narrowly dodging the first web. SLASH! It splattered against the wall behind him, hardening like stone.
But before he could catch his breath—
THUD! CRASH!
One of the spiders lunged straight at him, its jagged leg stabbing downward like a spear.
"Shit—!" Jun rolled aside, the tip of the leg CRACKING the ground where he had stood. Dust and stone shards scattered.
"Huff, huff! That was close…" Jun muttered, sweat dripping from his temple.
But the second spider didn't give him time.
WHSSSH! Another net came flying toward him.
Jun's body moved instinctively—dodging to the side again, his heart pounding. "They won't even give me a second… I need speed!"
He gritted his teeth. "System—Add 10 stat points to agility!"
[DING!]
[10 STAT POINTS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO AGILITY.]
In that instant—Jun's body blurred. His muscles loosened, his vision sharpened, and every movement felt lighter. Purple mana surged along his veins, tracing his limbs like flickering lightning.
"Good… This is more like it."
WHOOSH!
With a single step, he vanished—appearing right before one of the spiders.
The creature hissed, trying to stab with its legs—
—but Jun's black sword was faster.
SLASHHH!
The blade tore through its body in one clean motion. Purple mana trailed behind the strike, leaving a glowing arc in the air.
CRACK!
The spider convulsed before collapsing, its eight legs twitching violently.
[YOU'VE SUCCESSFULLY KILLED GIANT SPIDER.]
[EXP +2000.]
Jun exhaled, gripping his sword tightly. "…One down."
But as he looked around—he saw nothing. The second spider was gone.
"Tch… it escaped."
His jaw tightened. He could already feel it wasn't over yet. Something worse was coming.
Still, Jun lifted his sword and began moving forward into the dimly lit hallway. His footsteps echoed in the silence, his shadow stretching long under the flickering lights.
ROAAAARRR!
The market square, once bustling with voices of bargaining and laughter, had become a battlefield. Shattered stalls and overturned carts littered the ground, crushed beneath the feet of rampaging beasts pouring from the swirling gate at the center. The stench of blood and smoke filled the air.
"Damn it—!" Alex, a rugged hunter in his thirties, swung his blade desperately, barely holding off a wolf-like beast that lunged at him. His muscles strained, sweat and blood mixing on his face.
Behind him, two hunters lay on the cobblestones, groaning as blood seeped from their wounds.
"Miha!" Alex shouted hoarsely. "Faster—heal the injured guys!"
"I'm trying!" Miha, a young healer barely in her twenties, pressed glowing hands against one of the injured hunters' chest. Her face was pale, sweat beading on her forehead. The man's breathing steadied, but her mana was draining rapidly.
CRASH!
Another beast slammed into a nearby building, sending stones tumbling down as villagers screamed and fled. The hunters struggled to hold the line, their formation already breaking.
"It's too strong…!" one of them gasped, parrying a claw that nearly tore through his chest. "We can't keep this up!"
The six D-rank hunters were being overwhelmed. Each swing of their weapons felt like buying a few seconds of life.
Meanwhile, at the Hunters Guild – Handol Branch.
Inside the vice guild master's chamber, Aldric Veynor rushed in, his face grim. "Sir!" he called urgently.
Armand Velrow, the vice guild master, looked up from the documents scattered across his desk. His sharp eyes narrowed. "Report."
Aldric caught his breath and spoke quickly. "The dungeon break at the market… it seems to be at least C-rank. The six D-rank hunters sent to handle it can't keep up. Two are already injured. If the dungeon's boss comes out, they'll all be slaughtered."
Armand's expression darkened. He slammed his hand on the desk, the wood CRACKING under his strength. "The guild master just had to leave for the capital at a time like this…!" His jaw clenched, voice sharp.
"Call every available C-rank hunter," Armand ordered, rising to his feet. His presence filled the room with oppressive weight, reminding Aldric why the man was a B-rank. "We'll depart now. If we're late, the entire village will fall."
"Yes, sir!" Aldric saluted, immediately turning to gather reinforcements.
Jun walked cautiously through the long corridor of the training tower. The silence was unnerving, the only sound being his own footsteps echoing against the stone. His brows furrowed.
"Are you kidding me? There is no monster at all after walking this long…" he muttered, tightening his grip on the black sword.
DING!
A notification appeared.
[A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONSTERS ARE HEADING TOWARD HERE.]
Jun squinted into the darkness ahead.
"…A large amount?"
From the shadows, a hulking figure crawled forward—long legs, sharp mandibles clicking. A Giant Spider.
Jun let out a short laugh. "It's just one spider? How is that count as a large amount? I can just ki—"
SKRREEEEE!
He froze mid-sentence. From behind that spider, the walls and ceiling seemed to come alive. Dozens of massive spiders emerged, their glowing eyes burning like embers in the dark. The floor trembled as countless legs scraped against the stone.
Jun's lips curled into an awkward half-smile. "…I'm screwed."
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
The swarm charged.
Threads of web shot through the air like arrows. SWISH! SWISH! Jun blurred sideways, purple mana sparking around his body like crackling lightning. A spider's leg slammed down where he stood, shattering the ground.
"Huff—!" Jun ducked under one strike, his black sword flashing as he countered. SLASH! The blade cleaved cleanly through the monster's head.
[YOU'VE SUCCESSFULLY KILLED A GIANT SPIDER.]
Another lunged from behind. Jun twisted, leaving a streak of violet mana as he rolled past its fangs, his blade severing its limbs.
[YOU'VE SUCCESSFULLY KILLED A GIANT SPIDER.]
Web after web hissed through the air. Jun's movements blurred, his body weaving between death like a shadow itself. Each dodge left afterimages of purple lightning, each swing of his black sword reaping another monster.
[YOU'VE SUCCESSFULLY KILLED A GIANT SPIDER.][LEVEL UP.][LEVEL UP.][BLACK SWORD LEVELED UP.]
But the swarm didn't thin easily. They pressed relentlessly, forcing Jun to burn stamina with every strike and dodge. His chest heaved.
"Tch… if this keeps up—" Another spider lunged, forcing him to leap sideways. He gritted his teeth. "Fine! Add 20 stat points to Stamina!"
[DING!][20 STAT POINTS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO STAMINA.]
A sudden surge of endurance rushed through him, his muscles revitalized. His swings grew sharper, his body moving faster, steadier.
For half an hour, the endless massacre continued. Steel clashed with chitin, webs tore the air, and Jun's figure danced in the storm of death.
Finally, silence. The last spider collapsed, its head rolling across the stone floor. Jun stood hunched over, drenched in sweat and blood, but his eyes gleamed with exhilaration.
DING! DING! DING!
[YOU'VE KILLED SO MANY MONSTERS.][LEVEL UP.][LEVEL UP.][LEVEL UP.][BLACK SWORD LEVELED UP.][BLACK SWORD LEVELED UP.][BLACK SWORD LEVELED UP.][BLACK SWORD HAS ALREADY SURPASSED LEVEL 5.][YOU CAN NOW DECIDE THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF THE BLACK SWORD WHEN FIGHTING.]
A warm light enveloped him, closing his wounds. His fatigue melted away.
Jun blinked. "Huh? I can decide that? Then…" A grin spread across his face. "I want the shape of a dagger."
At his command, the black sword shrank, transforming into a vicious dagger with an ominous, dangerous design.
"Ow… it's perfect."
"Status Window!"
[DING!][STATUS WINDOW.][NAME: LUKAS JUN][LEVEL: 9][MAIN WEAPON: BLACK SWORD (LEVEL: 7)][HP: 1200.][MANA: 900.][STRENGTH: 40][AGILITY: 45][STAMINA: 48][STAT POINTS AVAILABLE: 30][COIN: 1000.][SKILLS]PASSIVE SKILLS
POISON RESISTANCE (?) UNLOCKED
PAIN RESISTANCE (?) LOCKED
ACTIVE SKILLS
SHADOW SWORD ART (FIRST FORM UNLOCKED)
Jun's eyes widened slightly. "Oh… one of the passive skills has unlocked. That's great."
Sliding the dagger into his grip, he moved forward, following the corridor to its end.
A massive stone door loomed before him. CREEEEAK… it opened slowly, the ground trembling.
From the darkness within, a monstrous figure emerged.
SKREEEEEEE!
A spider, larger than any before, its body towering like a fortress, its eight crimson eyes gleaming with murderous hunger.
The Giant Spider Queen.
Jun's lips curled into a thin smile. "...So you're the boss."