Ren activated the [Tracing] skill. A faint ring of light appeared in his eyes, spreading out like a thin wave into the surrounding space.
No movement.
No skittering of spider legs. No red markers flashing on the mini-map in the corner of his vision. The air was unusually still, as if the entire forest was holding its breath, watching him.
He waited a few more seconds, just to be sure. But the result was the same.
'Looks like I've wiped out the entire spider pack...'
Ren thought silently, eyes still alert, fixed on the mouth of the cave shrouded in dense white silk like clouds condensed.
The dim glow from the crystals embedded in the cave walls reflected off the webs, making the entire cavern resemble an abandoned cocoon.
If there was time, this was the perfect moment to explore. In Ren's experience, monster nests like these sometimes hid reward chests deep inside, a small prize for those reckless enough to survive the battle.
Sometimes it was just materials: hardened cocoon shells, concentrated venom, or silk threads used for crafting light cloaks.
Other times, it was an unmarked gold pouch, a few old Cor coins scattered like remnants of those who died before.
And rarely… came a decent piece of equipment. Most couldn't compare to what Ren was currently using.
He knew that well. Yet even so, the thought of "what if there's something special" still hung in his mind like a hook tugging at his curiosity.
He stepped closer to the cave's entrance, sword pointed downward and ready. Threads of web clung to his sleeves, as if trying to pull him back, but Ren simply drew his dagger and sliced them away.
Each step echoed in the hollow space, making his silhouette look even smaller among the dense strands hanging like a stage curtain waiting to fall.
A part of him knew, the deeper he went, the slimmer the chance of getting out unharmed. But Ren had lived too long in dark places like this to still feel fear.
Now… there was only caution, instinct… and the blade in his hand.
Ren stepped into the cave.
Darkness didn't fall, it consumed him, as if every step was a price paid for what little light remained behind him.
The pitch-black armor he wore didn't reflect any light, silently dissolving into the thick darkness, making him look like a ghost silently slipping into the earth.
No wind. No spider footsteps. Only the soft echo of his own steps on the damp stone floor, each one making him pause to listen.
His eyes gradually adjusted, but visibility remained low. He drew his backup dagger to cut through the webbing ahead, keeping his dominant hand free to wield his main sword. Every step was measured, as if any one could trigger a trap.
The space around him opened up, then narrowed, then opened again. The stone walls curved unnaturally, distorted by layers of webbing, forming twisted shapes like scars on an ancient shell.
At some points, the webbing was so thick it completely blocked the path, forcing Ren to slash a way through with his sword.
A musty stench mixed with the pungent odor of rotting flesh and the hollow shells of long-dead creatures clung to his throat.
Every breath felt like inhaling a thin veil of poison, making his heart pound harder.
Then… from the space ahead, a faint light flickered.
Ren stopped, squinting. Not natural light...but the glow of a familiar object: a chest.
It lay deep in a corner of the nest, nearly engulfed in webbing. The old wooden surface was covered in dust and white mold, with a few trembling silk threads fluttering in the breeze, as if the chest itself were breathing.
Ren slowly approached, his alertness heightening. He knelt down, dagger gently brushing away the sticky webbing, the other hand reaching up to open the lid…
Creaaak.
The rusted hinge groaned like a sigh from an old dream. And inside...
There wasn't much in the chest. Just a small coin pouch lying amidst a pile of dust and dried, shriveled silk.
Ren leaned in. The black metal armor on his fingers brushed the pouch as gently as if afraid to disturb something long dead. A soft ting echoed in the system.
[You received 4,000 Cor]
The number floated faintly in the air, then vanished. Ren stared silently at the empty space where the chest might have once held something… more worthwhile.
Four thousand Cor. For most players on the third floor, that was enough to live comfortably for a week. But for Ren, who had spent nearly his entire fortune on the armor for this quest, it was barely enough to patch the hole in his empty purse.
Still, it was better than an empty trap…
Ren exhaled softly, the sound echoing through the cave like a stray breeze.
He closed the lid. The creak echoed again, like a door closing on a hope that once wished for something greater.
"Not yet," Ren murmured. After all, the mission wasn't over. Aisen still hadn't sent a signal. Which meant, somewhere in this darkness, something was still waiting.
Ren turned around and continued walking. The darkness swallowed him once more.
But then...
Ren's footsteps suddenly halted, right in the middle of a wide clearing deep within the cave.
No footsteps. No insects. Just an eerie silence… far too quiet.
A cold chill brushed against the back of his neck. Ren tilted his head slightly, shoulders tightening instinctively. His entire body tensed, every cell screaming in alarm.
Something was… wrong.
Immediately, he lunged to the right, just in time.
BOOM!
A massive spider leg crashed down from the rocky ceiling, stabbing into the cave floor exactly where Ren had just stood. Stone shattered, dust erupted. The force of the impact knocked Ren back several paces across the ground.
From within the darkness, a colossal shape began to emerge.
Long legs covered in hard, spiky bristles. A blackish-blue carapace, thick like armor. Rows of glowing red eyes, each like a burning ruby, slowly surfacing from the freezing shadows of the cave.
A giant spider, its body stretching over two meters in length. Four curved fangs flanked its mouth, dripping venom that sizzled as it hit the ground.
A name glowed above its head:
[Nephila Regina]
With three health bars faintly visible under the name. A mini-boss.
Ren narrowed his eyes. He'd never seen a monster this massive, aside from the Floor One boss.
And now, there was no way back.
The giant spider lunged from the shadows, its enormous body over three meters tall. Its front legs screeched like metal scraping against stone, kicking up dust and debris as it charged.
Ren immediately pulled back, but the red eyes had already locked onto him.
Swish!
A sharp leg lunged forward like a spear, the pressure alone enough to tear through space.
Ren gritted his teeth, slid to the left, barely dodging. The spider leg sliced past his face by inches, leaving a thin, bleeding cut on his armor's collar.
He had no time to react before the next attack came. The creature screeched, raising both front legs and slamming them into the ground.
BOOM!!
The floor exploded. A shard of rock pierced into Ren's upper arm, making him stagger.
Immediately, the spider's massive belly lifted, and it spat out a stream of shimmering gray venomous silk, weaving a net that blocked Ren's retreat.
The space was severed.
A death trap had snapped shut… and Ren stood at its heart.
Suddenly, the massive creature paused, then changed direction.
Without so much as a glance at Ren, it spun around. Its six legs gripped the cave walls like a crab, and it bolted toward the cave's exit. Abandoning its prey, fleeing.
Ren froze.
Only now did he notice its health bar. The first two bars were completely gone, and the last one, the third bar, was barely a fifth full.
Chunks of its body were slashed clean off. Its carapace cracked and oozing thick black liquid… slowly dissolving into the air.
"It… was already attacked?"
A shiver ran down Ren's spine. It felt like his entire nervous system was sounding alarms. Something even more dangerous than that spider was very, very close.
A cold gust brushed past the back of his neck.
Not wind. A shadow.
Ren only had a second to turn his head before the figure launched off the ground, hurtling toward the fleeing Nephila Regina.
The speed was terrifying, tearing through the air.
One step. Two. The shadow seemed to defy gravity, landing on the spider's back mid-stride, then delivered a devastating blow.
The sound was like thunder echoing through the cave. The spider's back collapsed as if struck by a divine hammer. A piercing shriek erupted, shaking the stone walls.
Instinctively, Ren raised an arm to shield himself from the flying debris… but his eyes never left the shadow. Still trying to grasp..
What kind of thing could strike like that? And why was it here?
"Hey… You cleared that mob outside faster than I expected."
A deep, familiar voice called out through the haze of dust left behind.
Ren stood frozen.
From atop the still-twitching spider, a figure emerged silently. Aisen, the Dark Elf, his short hair slicked back, long black cloak fluttering faintly in the cave's ghostly wind.
He dropped down from the spider's corpse, lightly, as though stepping off a stone ledge. His amber-gold eyes glowed under the faint light of the luminescent crystals, reflected through the blood and dust across the cave floor.
And at that moment, Nephila Regina's massive body began to crumble.
Crack… crack… crack…!
Chunks of its form broke apart like shattered glass, dissolving into hundreds of multicolored crystal shards. They glowed softly, hovering in the air like ashes after an explosion.
Ren said nothing, just watched Aisen approach, his shoulders relaxed, moving with lazy ease. A stark contrast to the ghost-speed blitz he'd just unleashed.