A spiderling flew through the air, crashing to the ground dozens of feet away. Its body shattered on impact, shards and splinters scattering like debris.

  “I can’t believe this is happening!” Pell shouted, his voice a mix of disbelief and irritation. He swung another punch at a leaping spiderling, but this time, his fist hit nothing but air. The creature’s attack was a feint, and it sailed past him effortlessly.

  Before Pell could react, another spiderling slammed into his leg. He stumbled slightly, trying to shake it off, but the creature clung tightly to him. “Get off me!” he growled, attempting to kick it away. As he raised a fist to smash it, the spiderling suddenly released its grip and leapt back, leaving him punching at empty space.

  “Damn buggers,” Pell muttered under his breath, annoyance creeping into his tone.

  While some of his attacks were landing with devastating results—leaving spiderlings crushed and lifeless—he noticed their tactics shifting. The initial frenzy of straightforward attacks gave way to something far more unpredictable. The spiderlings began faking strikes, skittering in erratic patterns, and coordinating their movements in strange, unsettling formations.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Pell caught sight of the royal guard he had punched earlier. It was back on its feet, standing protectively near the Spiderling Queen. The cracks on its face glinted faintly, a testament to the force of his blow, but it was clear that one punch wasn’t enough to bring it down. The beast was dazed before, but now it seemed even more determined to fight.

  Meanwhile, Enya stood a few feet away, her hands glowing as she completed a spell. Her focus was razor-sharp, the air around her thick with the energy of her summoning. “Alright, Fred, get ready for the fight!” she commanded, her voice steady despite the chaos.

  The spell circuit flashed, and a skeleton emerged before her, its magically crafted bones glowing faintly with a ghostly sheen. It ran forward to assist Pell and Muffins.

  Soul-Energy: 103/200

  System Notification: Name ‘Fred’ has been registered to Level 10 Skeleton

  Name: Fred

  Level: 10

  Type: Soul-Forged Humanoid Skeleton

  Class: Unassigned

  Power Rating: 581

  This skeleton was unlike the usual ones she summoned. Its bones gleamed with a ghastly, steel-like sheen, much like Pell’s fortified frame. It stood upright with an imposing presence, its movements crisp and precise compared to the sluggish demeanor of her earlier creations. If it had been clad in extra bone armor, it might have resembled a miniature noble knight like Mr. Bones.

  Grace and Tim had fallen, and their equipment had met a similar fate. Their swords were chipped, cracked, and reduced to useless fragments. Swinging iron against hard crystal was hardly an ideal strategy, and it had cost them dearly.

  Enya’s mind raced. The spiderling horde was closing in on Pell, and if she didn’t act, he might end up like Grace and Tim. Half of Pell’s and Muffin’s attacks were missing, due to some new movement pattern from the spiderlings. The two royal guards and the Spiderling Queen still loomed, mostly untouched and still dangerous. Josier, meanwhile, had taken to facing most of the horde directly, but his movements were cautious. He dodged, never striking, likely holding back to let her take the lead.

  Her pulse quickened. If she didn’t act soon, Pell might share the same fate as Grace and Tim. She needed a solution.

  A spell circuit flickered to life in front of her palm, glowing faintly as she concentrated.

  The numbers flashed in her mind. At its current rank, her Summon Skeleton spell consumed just 18 mana. With the help of her Hordespawn necklace, the cost dropped further, down to 15. However, the spell’s rank placed limits on what she could achieve. Back in the dungeon, Bonehead’s massive form had forced a density reduction because the spell couldn’t support both its size and durability. She couldn’t simply pour more mana into the spell to bypass these restrictions; she’d need either a higher rank or an entirely new spell to push past these boundaries.

  The circuit shimmered, and her imagination took over.

  She closed her eyes, envisioning the strange, large elongated figure of Stupidface. Her mind conjured up pieces of imaginary bones, connecting them into a unique configuration. She worked feverishly, piecing together a structure that was both functional and monstrous.

  The skeletal blueprint began to take form in her mind’s eye, wild and unorthodox, forming piece by piece in an invisible latticed array before finally taking shape in front of her.

  Next, a notification appeared.

  Spell: Summon Skeleton has been activated.

  Soul-Energy: 73/200

  You have successfully summoned a Level 10 Skeleton.

  Would you like to give a name to Level 10 Skeleton?

  [Accept/Decline]

  Name: Unassigned

  Level: 10

  Type: Repulsive Soul-Forged Quadruped Skeleton

  Class: Unassigned

  Power Rating: 329

  “What?” Enya sputtered, staring at the prompt in disbelief. “Repulsive?”

  Her cheeks flushed with indignation. “Stupid system! Why don’t you just work, right?” she snapped, thoroughly offended by the insult to her creation. She’d done her best! Sure, she knew most of the human skeleton by heart thanks to Sable’s books, but anything beyond that—like rats—was a different story. No one wrote anatomy books for rat bones!

  She turned to inspect her summoning work as it fully took shape before her. It bore a passing resemblance to Stupidface if you squinted and ignored the details. But up close...

  The creature looked like a nightmarish chimera. A rat-like skeleton warped with unsettling human traits: its ribcage was unmistakably human, its skull a grotesque hybrid of a human cranium and a rat’s elongated snout. The tail, poorly assembled, dangled limply, while its hands featured far too many disturbingly human fingers.

  “Okay, maybe it is kind of disgusting,” she admitted silently, grimacing.

  Even the power rating confirmed her suspicions. Fred’s strength as a Soul-Forged skeleton far exceeded this abomination, which was weaker than Stupidface had been at his weakest. It became clear that bone structure, consistency, and anatomical accuracy played significant roles in a summon’s overall power.

  “Hey! Quit gawking and send it into the fight!” Pell hollered, his voice laced with urgency. He, Muffins, and Fred were locked in a tense battle with the two royal guards. The guards moved cautiously, feinting and testing their attacks, which kept the group off balance. Meanwhile, the smaller spiderlings switched tactics, firing sticky, crystal-infused cobwebs to slow Pell and the others. Without blades, the sticky crystalline webs were proving to be the biggest issue.

  Pell swung at a smaller spiderling, sending it flying. But instead of shattering into shards as they had earlier, it landed with only a visible crack along its crystalline body. Webs were strewn about Pell’s body, and his reflexes slowed in consequence.

  “I swear I’m not getting weaker, but these things are tougher now!” Pell shouted, frustration mounting. “They’re not breaking apart anymore!”

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  A rapid series of clicks echoed through the cavern. The Spiderling Queen snapped its mandibles rhythmically, the light blue gem atop its head pulsating with an ominous, hypnotic glow.

  “Alright, alright, sorry!” Enya called back, shaking herself out of her thoughts.

  She set the skeleton’s name and pointed sharply toward the fray. The newly summoned creature’s quadrupedal form gave it an advantage in close combat—it didn’t need weapons to fight, relying instead on its jagged teeth and iron-hard tail.

  System Notification: Name ‘Uglyface’ has been registered to Level 10 Skeleton

  “Go help Pell!” she commanded, thrusting her hand forward.

  Uglyface skittered forward with an ungainly gait—which did not look pretty—and leaped into the fray alongside Pell, Muffins, and Fred. The sight of the warped, human-rat skeleton briefly distracted the royal guards, along with Pell himself. But that hesitation didn’t last long.

  The first guard lunged at Pell with razor-sharp legs, forcing him to dodge backward, while the second one darted toward Muffins, who countered with a quick swing of their arm. Uglyface, meanwhile, ran and sank its jagged teeth into a smaller spiderling, shaking its elongated neck like a feral beast until the creature crumbled into shards.

  “Nice job, Uglyface!” Enya shouted, despite herself.

  Pell blocked another strike from the royal guard, his iron-like forearm clashing against its crystalline leg. “These damn things just don’t quit!” he growled, launching a counterpunch that sent the guard stumbling away but still standing on all its legs.

  Suddenly, a sharp skittering noise drew Enya’s attention. Her stomach dropped as she spotted a rogue spiderling breaking from the horde. It darted past the others, its eight legs blurring as it made a direct beeline for her.

  “Kid! Dodge!” Pell yelled, his voice cutting through the chaos.

  Enya’s heart pounded as she saw the creature rear back, its abdomen glowing faintly. Instinct screamed at her to move. She kicked off the ground just as the spiderling fired a sticky, glimmering cobweb. The web shot through the air, narrowly missing her and splattering onto the cavern floor where she’d just stood, sharp shards splintering off the congealed mass.

  Her new boots flared faintly with enchanted energy, enhancing her agility. Her leap felt almost weightless, carrying her higher than she expected, her body responding with reflexes she hadn’t thought possible.

  “Whoa!” Enya gasped, twisting mid-air. She landed lightly and broke into a sprint, her boots propelling her forward toward the collapsed slope. Another spiderling shot a web in her direction, but this time she bounded over it with ease, the rubble from earlier serving as her stepping stones.

  She leapt onto a jagged piece of fallen rock, her boots giving her just enough momentum to propel herself higher. Another jump took her to an even larger slab, her legs steady despite the uneven surface. The ruined slope stretched upward like a jagged staircase, and she climbed it with rapid, effortless strides. It felt like she was almost flying, completely weightless, and that she could just keep going up forever.

  One final leap carried her back to the top, the passage where they all had come from in front of her. She came to a halt and turned around.

  From her elevated position, Enya had a perfect vantage point over the battlefield. The cavern below was a chaotic swirl of motion: Pell and Muffins were holding their ground against the royal guards, their movements coordinated but strained.

  Fred had turned around and managed to kick away the spiderling that attacked her—but like Pell had mentioned, the spiderlings didn’t die in one hit anymore. It was still alive and kicking, only briefly dazed. Uglyface now circled the guard near Muffins, snapping at its legs in an attempt to unbalance it.

  The Spiderling Queen remained ominously still, its mandibles clicking in rhythmic, unsettling patterns. The gem atop its head pulsed brighter now, as though drawing energy from the battle around it.

  If the Queen was the one controlling them, then that was the main enemy she needed to take out. If the Queen died, surely the others would either die too or quit fighting altogether.

  Enya’s gaze sharpened on the blue crystal. Her Absolute Focus skill was fully engaged, amplifying her awareness. Something was off. The gem—it was pulsing, and the Queen’s movements were synchronized with it, almost as if she were tethered to its rhythm.

  As Enya expanded her sensory range, stretching her awareness to include the Queen, she felt a strange pull. It wasn’t coming from her immediate surroundings, but from the crystal itself. A force—invisible and subtle—radiated from it.

  That’s when she felt it.

  A wave of energy originating from the crystal flowed throughout the cavern. It wasn’t mana—it was something else, a strange, ethereal force. The white, green, yellow, and rare blue crystals scattered throughout the chamber seemed to react to the pulse, their energy swirling and intertwining in the air. It was as if every crystal was part of a vast, interconnected web.

  Enya could feel the web now, its energy vibrating through the very walls, floor, and ceiling. And then it clicked—the Queen wasn’t just a leader. She was a conductor, using the energy from the crystals to empower her hive. This must have been why Pell had said the spiderlings were growing stronger. The Queen was channeling energy from the surrounding crystals, feeding it into her forces.

  A sudden notification flashed in her mind.

  New Skill Notification: Perception [C] has ranked up to Perception [C+]

  System Notification: 100 of 100 EXP has been allocated to Visionary.

  Your level has increased from level 1 to level 4.

  Experience Remaining Until Next Level: 30/49

  Skill: Insight has been obtained.

  Description: Gain access to hidden information relating to the target.

  [Mana cost: 0MP]

  [Cooldown: 1 minute]

  This was unexpected. For the first time since unlocking her innate class, Enya had actually gained experience for it. And not just any experience—she had received a new skill: Insight.

  Now, with the Queen still chittering and sending out orders, Enya knew it was a good opportunity to test it out. She turned her full attention to the Spiderling Queen, and activated her new skill, which was now deeply ingrained in her brain.

  Skill: Insight has been activated.

  Target: Crystal Spiderling Queen

  Revealed Information: The Crystal Spiderling Queen can command its hive by channeling a hivemind-linked power using the crystal embedded onto its back. The higher rarity the crystal, the more powerful the overall hive.

  “I see…” Enya muttered under her breath. This skill felt like a more specific version of what Pell had described about the Identify skill, or perhaps his own Appraisal skill. It revealed useful information without her needing to search for it.

  Now that she understood the Queen’s control over the hive, the crystals must have been the key. If they were transferring energy between each other, it was no wonder the spiderlings were growing stronger by the minute. But attacking the Queen directly while she and her hive were powered up seemed reckless.

  But Pell had said something earlier about the crystals—how they reacted to sunlight. They worked in the dark, but fizzled out in the light. Maybe there was a way to shut them down.

  "Hey! Pell Josier!" Enya shouted. "Do the green, yellow, and blue crystals turn off in sunlight too?"

  Pell, swarmed by spiderlings and royal guards, was too busy to respond directly. He was still holding his own, but fighting while talking wasn’t easy.

  “I believe so!” Josier called back, dodging a spiderling’s leap. “The white crystals glow in the darkness, but the others—they do the same, plus some other things—that’s why they’re more rare and valuable!”

  Enya’s mind clicked into place. If that was true… she could use it.

  "Thanks, Josier!" she yelled, the wheels in her head already turning. "Also, close your eyes!"

  Without waiting for an answer or even checking if he was prepared, Enya dug into her pocket and pulled out the shiny badge she had bought from the trinket shop. If this badge was as bright as the dwarf had said, then surely it would be enough to affect the crystals, maybe even blind the Queen’s control over them.

  She’d stared at the sun before—accidentally, of course. She knew just how intense the light could get, so she only hoped that this badge would match that level of brilliance.

  Her eyes were empowered, and her minions had soul-flames for eyes—so there was no problem with her using it now.

  “Shine!” she yelled, gripping the badge tightly in her fingers, and the moment the command left her lips, a blinding flash erupted from the badge.

  The light shot through the cavern like a second sun. Enya squinted against the sudden brilliance, but thanks to her Absolute Focus skill, her glowing yellow eyes remained sharp. She could still perceive everything as the world around her turned white, a brilliant radiance that swallowed everything.

  The effect was immediate. The energy in the crystals flickered, shuddered, and then... shattered.

  There was a deep rumble, followed by a shower of broken pieces raining down. The cavern seemed to shudder as the once-glowing crystals flickered out. The oppressive hum of the Queen's power, the steady pulse from her gem, died down into silence.

  All of the energy, that field of power that webbed across the cavern, connecting all of the spiderlings together—had disappeared. Everything felt different. The air, the ground, the very walls seemed to lose their vibrancy, as if the energy that had fueled everything had just been snuffed out.

  The entire cave was dark, now barely any visible light to be seen. However, Enya’s sensory field still let her feel and detect everything. This proved to be extra useful, because the bond she shared with her minions also acted in part like a hive mind effect, allowing her to direct all of her minions in the dark subconsciously.

  In the darkness, Enya now ruled supreme. It was her turn to command the army.

  She sent a mental command throughout her bond and had them all focus on the Queen’s position. Everyone: Muffins, Fred, Uglyface, and even… Pell? They all snapped towards the Queen, their faint, ghastly soul-flames dancing like foreboding nightmares.

  “Skeletal Spiderling Queen, here I come,” Enya whispered, a devious grin on her face.