The thunderous roar of gunfire had erupted through the poisonous forest for nearly fifteen minutes.
At last, the gunfire ceased, leaving the battlefield in an eerie silence.
Ivan stood at the center of the battlefield, surrounded by the corpses of hundreds of Poison Fang Spiders. Ordinary spiders and elite spiders alike lay scattered among the shattered trees, their dark green carapaces torn apart by bullets. Some had been reduced to unrecognizable heaps of flesh, while others still resembled their original shapes, their bodies pierced by countless bullet holes.
The ground was no better.
Several small craters had been blasted into the forest floor by the high-explosive rockets, their edges scorched black. Ancient trees had been shattered or uprooted by the explosions, their enormous trunks lying across the battlefield. Broken branches, fragments of chitin, and pools of blood covered the damp soil, while poisonous mist drifted through the ruined forest, mingling with the lingering smoke.
The entire battlefield had become a wasteland.
Throughout the battle, the Poison Fang Spiders had continued charging toward Ivan under their leader's command, refusing to retreat even as their companions fell around them. At one point, several groups had advanced to within twenty meters of Ivan before he cut them down with a single concentrated barrage of gunfire.
Their determination had been impressive.
Unfortunately for them, determination alone could not overcome the overwhelming difference in firepower.
Ivan glanced at the tactical terminal before his eyes, carefully examining the remaining red markers.
Several dots were moving rapidly away from the battlefield, disappearing one after another beyond the edge of his scanning range. They were most likely surviving Poison Fang Spiders that had finally abandoned the fight and fled into the depths of the poisonous forest.
Other red markers remained scattered among the motionless bodies. Some were barely moving, while others displayed only occasional, faint movements.
Those were probably the spiders that had survived the initial barrage but suffered severe injuries. Their bodies had been riddled with bullets, yet they had somehow managed to cling to the last remnants of their lives.
For now, Ivan decided to leave them alone. After recovering some of his strength, he could deal with the injured creatures at his leisure.
He slowly swept his gaze across the tactical terminal, examining every direction for potential threats. Although the immediate surroundings appeared clear, he had learned long ago that surviving in a dangerous world required more than simply defeating the enemy in front of him.
A moment of carelessness could cost him his life.
"Combat Module, scan the surrounding area for any remaining Poison Fang Spiders. Pay particular attention to targets concealed among the corpses and vegetation."
[Command received. Initiating a comprehensive battlefield scan.]
The Auxiliary Combat Module immediately began processing the available data, combining its previous battlefield records with the latest information gathered by the tactical sensors.
Only after issuing the command did Ivan finally allow himself to relax a little.
He slowly lowered the RX-96 Thunderstorm and placed it beside him before sitting down on the damp forest floor.
"Haa..."
A long breath escaped his lips.
Although his physical strength had reached the Peak Intermediate Knight level, operating a three-barrel Gatling gun throughout the prolonged battle had taken its toll. The weapon itself weighed thirty kilograms, and its immense recoil had placed considerable strain on his arms and shoulders throughout the battle.
Even with the assistance of his Class 1 Striker Light Armor, his muscles were beginning to ache.
Fortunately, he had not needed to fire the weapon continuously at its maximum rate of fire. Even so, the prolonged combat had left him noticeably exhausted.
Ivan rolled his shoulders slightly, attempting to ease the stiffness.
"That was quite a workout."
He glanced at the battlefield before returning his attention to the tactical terminal.
[Confirmed hostile units eliminated: 487.]
The figure was considerably higher than the previous report.
Nearly five hundred Poison Fang Spiders had been killed during the engagement. The remaining creatures were either fleeing, severely injured, or still concealed somewhere within the surrounding forest.
Ivan studied the numbers for a brief moment before leaning back slightly.
Most of the Poison Fang Spiders that had encircled him had been wiped out.
As he had previously decided, he would deal with the injured spiders after recovering some of his strength. As for those that had escaped, chasing them through an unfamiliar poisonous forest would be a waste of time unless they posed a threat in the future.
For now, resting for a few moments was the most sensible choice.
After all, the battle had lasted nearly fifteen minutes, and he had no intention of exhausting himself completely merely to hunt down a few wounded creatures.
Unfortunately, things did not always go according to plan.
Just as Ivan's tense shoulders began to relax, a sudden warning appeared across his tactical interface.
[Warning! Four hostile biological units detected rapidly advancing toward the commander's location.]
[Distance: 20 meters.]
[Estimated time to contact: 4 seconds.]
Ivan's expression changed instantly.
He sprang to his feet.
At almost the same moment, four dark green figures burst out from among the corpses and surrounding vegetation, charging toward him from four different directions.
It was obvious that these four creatures had been hiding among the corpses and fallen vegetation, feigning injuries to catch him off guard.
Even the Auxiliary Combat Module's earlier scan had failed to distinguish these four concealed threats from the injured creatures scattered across the battlefield.
And their speed was also astonishing.
Ivan's gaze swept across the approaching creatures, and his pupils contracted slightly.
These were no ordinary Poison Fang Spiders.
Each creature stood approximately two meters tall, making it several times larger than an ordinary Poison Fang Spider and nearly twice the size of the elite specimens he had encountered earlier.
It was obvious that they were a mutated variant of the Poison Fang Spiders. Judging by their appearance and physical capabilities, whatever changes had occurred in their bodies had significantly enhanced their combat strength.
Their thick, mutated legs supported enormous bodies covered in dark green carapaces. Under the dim light filtering through the poisonous mist, their outer shells reflected a faint metallic sheen, giving them an appearance closer to armored war machines than ordinary magical creatures.
Their pincers were equally terrifying.
Long and razor-sharp, they gleamed coldly as the four spiders rushed toward their prey.
These mutated creatures were clearly far stronger than ordinary Poison Fang Spiders. Their enormous bodies, reinforced carapaces, and powerful limbs suggested that their physical capabilities had reached an entirely different level.
And judging by their speed, they had no intention of giving Ivan time to prepare.
Although the tactical terminal had warned him of their appearance, four seconds was simply too short.
He could not bring the RX-96 Thunderstorm into position and unleash an effective barrage before the spiders reached him.
So Ivan made a split-second decision.
He threw the Gatling gun aside and reached for the semi-finished Rune Sword hanging at his waist.
His fingers closed around the hilt.
The moment the first spider entered striking range, Ivan drew the blade and channeled his Chi into it. Crimson flames immediately spread along the semi-finished Rune Sword, illuminating his dark gray metallic armor with a flickering red glow.
At that moment, the spider's enormous pincers came crashing toward him.
Clang!
Ivan hastily raised his sword and parried the first pincer.
The impact sent a violent jolt through his arms. Before he could redirect the force, the spider's second pincer struck his left shoulder guard.
A sharp metallic screech rang out.
The pincer scraped across the armor, leaving a deep, ugly gash in the metal. The force behind the attack was so great that Ivan was driven several steps backward before he managed to regain his balance.
His expression immediately turned serious.
What incredible strength!
Even with his physical attributes and the protection provided by the Class 1 Striker Light Armor, the impact had nearly forced him to lose his footing.
Based on the force of that single attack, Ivan estimated that each creature possessed raw physical strength comparable to an Early Intermediate Knight.
They were not necessarily superior to him in every aspect, but their strength was certainly nothing to underestimate.
More importantly, Ivan was still slightly exhausted from the previous battle.
After receiving that powerful attack, his arms were trembling faintly. The prolonged fighting had already strained his muscles, and the additional impact had only made matters worse.
He could not afford to sustain close combat for too long. He needed to finish this fight as quickly as possible before exhaustion began to affect his reactions.
Unfortunately, Ivan barely had a moment to catch his breath.
While Ivan was dealing with the first spider, the other three had already closed in. Their enormous bodies moved rapidly around him, spreading out to occupy the surrounding positions.
Within seconds, the four creatures had surrounded him from four directions.
His escape routes were blocked.
Ivan's situation had become considerably more dangerous.
Although he possessed the strength of a Peak Intermediate Knight and the abilities of a Low-Level Wizard Apprentice, that did not mean he could effortlessly defeat four opponents with comparable physical strength.
Even if the spiders were slightly weaker than him individually, their combined attacks could easily overwhelm his defenses. Moreover, he was still recovering from the exhaustion of the previous battle.
Worse still, his current wizard apprentice rank offered little assistance in such a close-range confrontation.
At the Low-Level Wizard Apprentice stage, Ivan's ability to wield magic remained severely limited. His body had not yet adapted sufficiently to withstand the effects of most apprentice-level spells, leaving Wizard's Hand as the only spell he could currently use safely.
However, against four heavily armored creatures attacking from different directions, Wizard's Hand would hardly provide a decisive advantage.
This is troublesome.
Ivan tightened his grip on the burning sword.
The four Poison Fang Spiders did not immediately attack again.
Instead, they maintained their positions around him, their sharp pincers raised as they watched him cautiously.
Their behavior was strange.
With their numerical advantage and physical strength, they should have attacked together. Yet none seemed willing to rush forward carelessly.
Ivan quickly noticed the reason.
Their gazes repeatedly shifted toward the crimson flames dancing along his sword.
They were wary of it.
Seeing their movements, Ivan immediately understood what was happening.
Poison Fang Spiders were naturally afraid of fire, and fire-based attacks were particularly effective against them. The first exchange had already left a distinct scorched mark on one of their pincers, proving that the flames could damage their otherwise formidable bodies.
Even these mutated creatures were reluctant to expose themselves to such an obvious threat.
So that brief hesitation gave Ivan a precious opportunity to assess the situation.
Then the Auxiliary Combat Module played its role.
[Warning: Commander surrounded by four hostile biological units.]
[All immediately viable escape routes obstructed.]
[Activating Close Combat Platform.]
The moment the command was executed, the tactical interface changed.
The red markers representing the four spiders expanded, and a series of scanning indicators swept across their bodies. The system began examining every visible detail, from the structure of their limbs to the smallest irregularities in their carapaces.
Their movements, body proportions, and attacking postures were recorded and analyzed.
Even the minute cracks hidden beneath the dirt and blood covering their outer shells did not escape the scan.
Within seconds, the tactical terminal began displaying a continuous stream of information.
[Hostile Unit Analysis — Mutated Poison Fang Spider]
[Estimated physical strength: Comparable to an Early Intermediate Knight]
[Primary weapons: Paired pincers and reinforced limbs]
[Defensive characteristics: Thickened carapace with high resistance to ordinary physical attacks]
[Identified vulnerabilities: Multiple structural cracks and bullet-induced damage across the outer shell]
Ivan's eyes moved rapidly across the displayed information.
The Auxiliary Combat Module was not merely identifying the creatures. It was searching for weaknesses that he could exploit during the fight.
One section of the interface immediately caught his attention.
The fourth spider, positioned slightly to his left, had sustained damage to its left-side limbs. Several bullet wounds had penetrated its outer shell, and the resulting injuries appeared to have affected its movement.
Its left-side legs were noticeably slower than those on the right.
The system had also detected several smaller cracks across the carapaces of the remaining three spiders, particularly around the joints where their thick limbs connected to their bodies.
These were not necessarily fatal weaknesses.
However, in a battle where a single second could determine life or death, even a slight difference in movement speed or a small gap in an opponent's defense could become a decisive advantage.
Ivan quickly memorized the most important information.
He had been forced into a situation where he could not use his primary weapon effectively. Instead of attempting to overpower the four creatures through brute force, he needed to exploit their individual weaknesses and prevent them from attacking together.
The tactical analysis continued, updating their positions.
Then one of the spiders finally lost its patience.
With a furious shriek, it lunged toward Ivan, raising an enormous pincer before bringing it down in a violent strike.
Ivan's gaze sharpened.
[Incoming attack: Front-Right quadrant.]
[Trajectory analysis complete.]
[Recommended response: Evade to the left. Direct interception carries a high risk of exposure to secondary attacks.]
The warning appeared almost simultaneously with the spider's movement.
Ivan immediately shifted his weight and rolled to the left.
The pincer smashed into the ground where he had been standing a fraction of a second earlier, sending damp soil and broken vegetation flying into the air.
Before Ivan could recover from his sideways roll, another creature rushed toward him from the opposite side.
Its pincer swept toward his exposed flank.
[Incoming attack: Left quadrant.]
[Recommended response: Retreat one step and counterattack against the forward limb.]
Ivan followed the recommendation without hesitation.
While still adjusting from the roll, he planted one foot firmly against the ground, shifted his weight backward, and let the pincer pass just in front of him. At the same time, he swung his semi-finished Rune Sword in a tight arc.
Ordinarily, a knight would need a brief moment to regain balance after rolling before preparing for another attack or defensive maneuver. During that interval, even a highly experienced fighter could become vulnerable.
Ivan, however, did not need to stabilize himself completely before deciding what to do next. The tactical interface had already analyzed the incoming attack and provided him with a suitable response.
All he needed to do was follow its instructions.
As the pincer barely passed in front of him, Ivan seized the opportunity and swung his crimson blade toward the spider's damaged left foreleg with all his strength.
Clang!
A shower of sparks scattered across its dark green carapace.
The blow did not sever the limb, but the burning blade cut across the damaged left foreleg, leaving a deep gash near one of its joints.
The spider recoiled with a furious shriek.
It had expected Ivan to remain vulnerable after dodging its kin's attack. Instead, he had evaded the incoming strike and counterattacked before it could exploit the opening.
The unexpected response, combined with the sudden injury, enraged it.
The spider immediately twisted its body and lunged at Ivan again, its pincers snapping toward him in rapid succession.
Ivan did not attempt to meet its strength head-on.
The tactical interface continuously marked the incoming attack trajectories, updating its recommendations as the spider changed direction. Ivan used those brief warnings to shift his footing, evade the pincers, and retreat by small increments.
He could feel the pressure of the fight building.
The creature was fast, its attacks powerful, and its thick carapace difficult to penetrate. Even with the tactical assistance provided by the Auxiliary Combat Module, he had to concentrate completely on every movement.
One mistake could allow a pincer to pierce his armor and injure him directly.
And the other three spiders were still waiting for their opportunity.
They did not intend to let their kin fight alone for long.
The moment Ivan retreated to avoid another strike, the remaining three spiders moved simultaneously.
One charged from behind, another swept in from his right, and the third attempted to close off his remaining escape route.
Ivan's expression tightened.
The situation had suddenly become critical.
From the front, the wounded spider was attacking relentlessly. From behind, three more spiders were approaching together, their thick legs pounding against the ruined forest floor.
There was no safe direction in which he could retreat.
[Warning: Multiple hostile units converging on the commander.]
[Current defensive options insufficient to guarantee successful evasion.]
[Calculating alternative response...]
The tactical terminal flickered rapidly.
For a brief instant, several possible movements appeared across Ivan's field of vision. Most ended with him being struck by at least one of the attacking spiders. A direct retreat would expose his back, while attempting to leap away would leave him vulnerable in midair.
Then the module identified a viable alternative.
[Recommended response: Maintain frontal defense and deploy two incendiary grenades against the rear hostile group.]
Ivan's eyes immediately focused on the recommended target positions.
There was no time to hesitate.
As the wounded spider lunged toward him again, Ivan raised his semi-finished Rune Sword to intercept the incoming pincer. At the same time, his other hand reached into his spatial ring and retrieved two incendiary grenades.
The three spiders behind him were already closing in.
Their sharp pincers were only moments away from reaching him.
Ivan pulled the grenades free and hurled them toward the approaching group.
The two small devices spun through the air before landing at the positions indicated by the tactical interface, directly in front of the three spiders.
For a fraction of a second, none of them appeared to understand what had happened.
Then—
BOOOOM! BOOOOM!
Two blazing infernos erupted almost simultaneously, their expanding flames merging into a massive wall of fire across the forest floor.
The sudden explosion of heat and fire forced the three spiders to recoil violently. Their enormous bodies stumbled backward as they attempted to escape the expanding blaze.
One stumbled over a fallen tree trunk. Another scrambled sideways, its legs tearing through the undergrowth as it desperately tried to avoid the flames. Even the third spider, which had been closest to Ivan, was forced to abandon its attack.
However, not everything went according to plan.
Although the tactical terminal had calculated the grenade trajectories precisely and selected suitable detonation points, the explosions were still close enough for their heat to reach Ivan.
The moment the grenades detonated, he felt a scorching wave wash across his back.
Fortunately, his Class 1 Striker Light Armor shielded him from most of the heat. Had he still been wearing ordinary half-plate armor, the blast could have left severe burns across his back.
The sudden blaze also startled the wounded spider in front of him.
For a brief moment, its attention shifted toward the inferno behind Ivan.
That was the only opportunity he needed.
Ivan immediately stepped forward, focusing the Chi within his body into his legs.
His body shot forward.
Rather than attacking from the front, he lowered his posture and slid beneath the spider's enormous body, narrowly passing beneath its raised limbs.
The crimson flames along his semi-finished Rune Sword flickered brightly as he twisted his body and slashed directly at the creature's exposed underbelly.
The spider attempted to evade, but it was already too late.
The Rune Sword swept across the spider's soft underbelly, its crimson flames tearing through the vulnerable flesh beneath the armored carapace. A deep gash opened across its underside, exposing dark internal tissues and severely damaged organs.
The spider's enormous body convulsed violently.
A piercing shriek burst from its mouthparts as it writhed in agony, its massive legs thrashing helplessly against the ground. Ivan immediately straightened and retreated a few steps, carefully avoiding the creature's desperate movements.
His breathing was heavy, but his eyes remained sharp as he watched the wounded spider stagger away.
He had finally gained an advantage against one of the four mutated Poison Fang Spiders.
But he had not won yet.
The other three had been forced back by the incendiary explosions, but they remained alive. The flames would not keep them at bay for long, and once they recovered from the sudden attack, they could resume their assault at any moment.
Ivan tightened his grip on the semi-finished Rune Sword, preparing to deliver the finishing blow.
Then, from the surrounding forest, an earth-shattering scream suddenly tore through the air.
The sound was so powerful that even the surrounding trees seemed to tremble beneath it.
Ivan's expression immediately changed.
He recognized that voice.
It belonged to the spider leader.
And judging by the deafening cry, it was rapidly approaching his position.