With Mu Lan dead, the Rainbow Spider's full aggro locked onto Beng Zeng.
Beng held out for about 30 seconds—dodging, blocking, striking—but in the end, he too fell.
[You Have Died]
–245 Experience
You cannot respawn for 5 minutes.
Now, two lifeless bodies lay at the spider's feet.
"Mu," Beng sighed in the void of death, "we're losing XP way too fast. Dying itself isn't the problem—it's this five-minute respawn timer. That's what's killing us."
"True," Mu Lan replied calmly. "But look at it another way: this is free planning time. While we're dead, we can strategize. In a way… it's like a five-minute break."
Beng laughed. "Hah! I never thought of it like that. You're right—death is basically a short coffee break."
The two chatted as if lounging in a park, not lying in a digital graveyard. They hadn't expected the respawn timer to feel so brief—but sure enough, five minutes flew by.
When they tapped the respawn button, they didn't reappear near the boss. Instead, they spawned at the entrance of Solitary Valley.
Good thing we know exactly where it is, Mu Lan thought.
They sprinted back to the battlefield.
The Rainbow Spider stood proudly where it had slain them—its many eyes gleaming with smug satisfaction.
Then it saw them again.
Impossible.
These insects died. How are they back?!
Furious, it charged—immediately locking onto Mu Lan once more.
This made no sense.
In most games, monsters targeted the player dealing the most damage. But this spider? It acted like it had a mind of its own—choosing the greater threat, not just the highest DPS. It knew Mu Lan's arrows were deadlier than Beng's mace swings… so it hunted him first.
Luckily, Mu Lan's Agility (21) gave him just enough speed to stay ahead of the beast.
"Beng!" he shouted as he ran. "While I distract it, circle behind and hammer it with your mace! Even light hits will add up. And the second I see an opening, I'll fire. If I don't… I'm dead for sure."
"Got it!" Beng called back, grinning. "This little bug clearly wants a taste of my mace. Guess your arrows really upset its stomach!"
Mu Lan couldn't help but smile. That's the old Beng—joking in the face of danger.
But there was no time for nostalgia. They had a cursed spider to kill.
What followed was pure chaos:
Mu Lan, sprinting for his life, arrows flying over his shoulder.The Rainbow Spider, hot on his heels, venom dripping from its fangs.Beng Zeng, chasing the spider, swinging his mace wildly from behind.
To any outside observer, it would've looked absurd—like a tragicomic chase scene.
But it worked.
Because Beng was running while attacking, his damage was minimal:
–1
–1
–1
–1
Still, it was enough to keep the spider's HP ticking down.
For ten grueling minutes, they played this deadly game of cat-and-mouse—and finally, they whittled the boss's health to 70%.
Mu Lan, spotting brief openings between dodges, managed to land shots for 2–5 damage each—far from ideal, but better than nothing.
By the time 40–45 minutes had passed since their first respawn, they'd finally brought the spider down to 50% HP.
Then—it happened again.
Without warning, the spider unleashed its venom.
Mu Lan, already low on HP, collapsed almost instantly.
[You Have Died]
–5 Experience
Respawn locked for 5 minutes.
The spider whirled and finished off Beng just as quickly.
[You Have Died]
–0 Experience
Respawn locked for 5 minutes.
Their XP pools were now completely empty—as if they'd just created their characters.
"Mu," Beng said grimly in the void, "this thing poisoned us twice. I bet it can do it a third time."
"You're right," Mu Lan said, already analyzing. "First use at 80% HP. Second at 50%. If I had to guess… it'll strike again at 20–30%, and maybe once more right before it dies."
He paused. "And since it always targets me, I'll need to exploit the split-second gaps when it spits venom. That's my only chance to survive—and finish it."
Beng let out a long sigh. "God, Mu… when do you even have time to think all this through? Honestly, after everything you've changed—and how you've changed me—nothing surprises me anymore."
"Then when we respawn," Mu Lan said firmly, "we end this. No more deaths to this spider. If we die again, it'll be to the next boss—not this one."
Beng chuckled darkly. "You're damn right. We've died twice to this cursed bug. I'm not giving it a third chance."
[Respawn in: 00:00…]
The countdown hit zero.
Two figures blinked into existence at the valley's edge.
And without a word, they ran—not away, but straight back into the fight.
This time… the spider would fall.