Elias staggered but forced himself to his feet. His body was still sluggish, his vision swam, and the venom was burning through his system like wildfire. But he couldn’t stop.
TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP
The clicking of legs against stone sent a shiver down his spine. They were hunting him. Some were probably already eyeing him—waiting for him to collapse or let his guard down.
He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.
With a ragged breath, he forced mana into his limbs, dulling the worst of the pain. His regeneration was working overtime, but it wouldn’t be able to keep up if he didn’t give his adaptation time to work on the poison.
His eyes darted to the dead spider’s corpse.
The legs.
A crazy idea formed in his mind. A stupid, reckless idea.
With a flex of his will, he activated [Material Shaping] and spread the metal over his hands further up his arms—effectively covering all the way up to his shoulders.
He left his elbows bare for better mobility.
TAP TAP TAP TAP
The skittering grew louder.
He barely had time to react before a small spider lunged at him from the side.
Instinct took over.
He dove toward the corpse and reached for one of its long legs. With a firm pull, he snapped it off, turning it into an improvised spear.
But he barely had time to react when the spider slammed into him—its two front legs piercing into his stomach.
The impact sent him skidding across the stone floor, but he twisted mid-slide, jamming the jagged end of the severed leg straight into the creature’s side.
A sickening crunch followed.
The spider shrieked, its legs spasming wildly as black ichor gushed from the wound. It thrashed, trying to pull away, but Elias drove the spear deeper, twisting it with every ounce of strength he had left.
|Ding! You have killed [Windswept Jumper Arachnid (I) – Level 98]!|
He wrenched the leg free just as another shape lunged at him. He ducked, barely avoiding a snapping pair of mandibles.
Too many. Too fast.
His heart pounded as he darted back, positioning himself near Primus, who stood motionless—waiting for a command.
“Fight.” He growled through clenched teeth.
The golem moved instantly. Its massive stone fist caught an incoming spider mid-leap, slamming it straight into the ground. A wet crack echoed through the chamber as its exoskeleton shattered beneath the impact.
TATATATATATA
More shadows crawled down the walls and from up ahead.
Elias gripped his makeshift spear tighter. His breath was uneven, his muscles screamed in protest, but he forced himself to stand his ground.
They weren’t giving him time to recover. The poison was still in his system. His limbs felt heavier by the second.
‘Come on! Adapt!’
But there was no response to his pleas.
‘Damn it.’
A large spider dropped from the ceiling, mandibles clicking.
He lunged first, throwing all his weight forward. The sharp point pierced one of its eyes, almost going through to its brain, but it jerked backward in a panic—bringing the spear along with it.
The spider screeched as it eyed him. But he wasn’t done.
He grabbed hold of his mana and guided it toward his legs, giving them a small boost.
Elias exploded forward, his enhanced legs propelling him toward the wounded spider before it could recover.
It shrieked, legs flailing wildly, but he was already moving.
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He grabbed the makeshift spear with one hand and pulled it free, black ichor oozing out of its eye.
The moment the spear left its skull, the spider lurched forward, its remaining eyes burning with rage.
He didn’t hesitate. Thrusting the spear forward with all his strength to meet the spider’s mouth.
CRUNCH
The spider convulsed, its mandibles snapping violently as it impaled itself deeper onto the spear. Elias braced, forcing it in until the tip punched through the back of its head.
|Ding! You have killed [Windswept Hunter Arachnid (I) – Level 124]!|
The mana in his legs quickly dissipated after being used—making his legs shake in weakness—but he ignored it.
TATATATATATA
Elias yanked his weapon free, breath ragged, muscles burning. His vision blurred for a second—then refocused as a notification flashed.
|Ding! You have adapted!|
|Ding! Temporary buff [Partial Resistance (10%)] gained!|
‘10%? That’s it?!’
He clenched his jaw. He could still feel the venom gnawing at him, still feel the weight dragging him down. It wasn’t enough. Not yet.
TATATATATATA
The skittering was too close now. he barely had time to process his frustration before three more spiders surged forward—one from the ceiling, two from his flanks.
No time.
He shifted his stance, weight on his back foot, and gripped his makeshift spear tighter.
The first spider dove from above.
He sidestepped, whipping the spear upward—impaling it in its underbelly. The black ichor running down the spear, onto his hands and showering him in it.
|Ding! You have killed [Windswept Hunter Arachnid (I) – Level 113]!|
Before he could celebrate the kill, the two spiders from his flanks attacked in unison.
Elias twisted, bringing his arm up just in time to block a lashing leg. The impact rattled through his bones, but he held firm. The second spider lunged—its fangs aimed for his throat.
A massive stone fist slammed into its side.
BOOM.
Primus.
The golem crushed the spider mid-air, sending its broken body hurtling into the darkness.
A glance at it—covered in black sludge and multiple dents in its stone body—told him everything he needed to know about his situation.
‘I’m fucked.’
Elias exhaled sharply, refocusing on the last spider that attacked him.
He lifted his spear—
But then the ground shook.
A deep, resonant chittering echoed from the tunnels beyond. Much louder and heavier than any he’d encountered.
Then—
A massive silhouette emerged from the darkness.
He swallowed hard, his grip tightening around his ichor-slick spear. His vision was still hazy from the venom, his muscles screaming at him to stop. But he knew—if he stopped now, he was dead.
Eight legs, each the size of tree trunks, chitin gleaming like obsidian. Its body was laced with pulsing red veins, dripping with the blood of its own kin—and its eyes…
There were too many.
Not just eight. Dozens. Small, beady orbs clustered together, shifting, blinking in a sickening rhythm.
“Fuck.”
With a quick pulse of [Identify] he was even more repulsed at the monstrosity staring at him.
|Windswept Broodmother (II) – Level ???|
He froze.
The pressure in the air was suffocating. The Broodmother towered over him, its grotesque body twitching as if barely containing its own monstrous hunger.
His [Identify] skill had failed to reveal its level—which only happened when something was at least over a hundred levels more powerful than him.
Elias tightened his grip on his spear, every instinct screaming at him to run—but where? There was no escape.
The Broodmother’s mandibles clicked together, a deliberate, mocking sound.
Then it screamed.
A piercing, mind-rending shriek rippled through the chamber, vibrating through stone, flesh, and bone alike. His knees nearly buckled, and his eardrums felt like they would burst.
|Ding! You are affected by [Queen’s Screech]!|
|Ding! Status Effect: [Fear] (50%)—Reflexes slowed, reaction time delayed.|
His vision wavered, his limbs turned sluggish.
‘no. No. NO.’
The skittering grew violent.
The remaining spiders went berserk, throwing themselves toward him with rabid, mindless aggression. Their movements no longer coordinated.
Primus shifted, preparing to intercept—
But Elias was already moving.
He forced the last of his mana through his veins, ignoring the fire in his muscles, ignoring the fear constricting his lungs. He needed to move—or he was dead.
Worse, he’d be their buffet forever.
The Broodmother shifted.
Its colossal front legs slammed into the stone where he had stood seconds before, cracking the cavern floor like brittle glass.
He barely avoided the Broodmother’s crushing blow, but he didn’t escape unscathed. The smaller ones were already on him, needle-like fangs piercing into his skin, anchoring themselves as they pumped in venom and tore at his flesh.
He gritted his teeth as pain ripped through him. The venom burned like molten iron in his veins, his muscles locking, limbs growing heavier.
More spiders latched onto him, their needle-like fangs burrowing deeper. His vision blurred, sweat mixing with the sticky ichor coating his skin. He could feel his body slowing down, each movement a struggle.
He was drowning in them.
Primus moved to help, its massive stone fists crushing smaller spiders in bursts of broken chitin and black sludge. But even the golem was slowing. The damage was rapidly piling up.
Elias’s thoughts spiraled. His body screamed for rest. His mind told him he was finished.
Then—
|Ding! You have adapted!|
|Ding! Temporary Trait [Poison Body] gained!|
|All mana available for the next 10 minutes will be directed to upkeep!|
His body ignited with unnatural heat.
The venom coursing through his veins stopped burning—instead, it merged with him. Fueling him and the temporary trait.
The spiders latching onto him twitched violently, their bodies spasming as they came into contact with his blood.
One of the smaller ones let go abruptly, legs curling inward as it convulsed, black ichor bubbling from its mouth. Another dug its fangs deeper—only for its chitin to crack, its insides liquefying as if its own poison had backfired.
Then the next.
And the next.
And the next.
Elias’s hazy vision sharpened. His limbs were still heavy, but no longer sluggish. He could feel himself regaining his lost strength—even with the fear still in effect.
“Perfect.”
He said. Then glanced over at the Broodmother. The creature twitched, her many eyes adjusting.
“You’re next motherfucker.”
patreon up to 2 or maybe 3 chapters ahead!
- we reached 500 followers!!! this happened much faster than I thought it would hahahaha (the 2 bonus chapters will be released during the weekend)
- 41/50 ratings!!! we're getting close to this one hehe
- 1/50 for the goal!! For this milestone I decided to change it a bit since just upping the sched to 7 a week during my time on RS is a bit underwhelming even to me. So it'll now be permanently upping to 5 a week forever! (when reached) hahaha
