The air inside the dungeon was thick, humid, and smelled of rot.
Kael stood at the entrance of a massive, cavernous room covered floor-to-ceiling in thick, white webbing. Hanging from the ceiling were dozens of human-sized cocoons. Some of them were still squirming.
Click. Clack. Hiss.
From the shadows above, a monstrous creature descended. It was a massive arachnid, the size of a minivan, with a sleek, obsidian carapace that gleamed in the dim light. Its eight crimson eyes locked onto Kael.
[Boss: Shadow Weaver Queen (Level 15)]
Kael gripped his wooden stake. It's faster than the Goblins. One bite means lethal poison. One hit from its legs means broken bones.
He took a deep breath. Good. A challenge.
The Queen screeched and launched a volley of thick, acidic webbing. Kael rolled forward, the webs sizzling as they hit the stone floor where he just stood. He sprinted in a zigzag pattern, using his newly acquired Agility to dodge the creature's frantic stabbing legs.
CLANG!
He struck its leg with his wooden weapon, but the wood simply bounced off the iron-hard carapace.
Physical attacks won't work, Kael calculated rapidly. I need its soft spots. The eyes, or the underbelly.
The Queen lunged, its massive mandibles snapping shut inches from Kael's face. The force of the wind blew his hair back. As the monster overextended, Kael saw his opening.
He dropped to his knees, sliding directly underneath the horrifying creature.
"Eat this," Kael snarled.
He drove the splintered desk leg upward with every ounce of his enhanced Strength, aiming for the soft, fleshy joint where the spider's abdomen met its thorax.
SHHHLLUK!
The wood pierced deep into the monster's flesh. Black, corrosive blood poured out, splashing onto Kael's shoulder.
[Warning! You have been afflicted with 'Lesser Necrosis'!]
[HP decreasing by 5 per second!]
Kael gritted his teeth against the searing pain. The Queen shrieked in agony, thrashing wildly. One of its massive legs clipped Kael in the chest, sending him flying across the cavern. He crashed hard against a stone pillar, coughing up blood.
[HP: 25/120]
The Queen, bleeding heavily but enraged, charged at him for the finishing blow.
Kael wiped his mouth, his eyes glowing red with Lesser Bloodlust. He didn't run. He stood his ground. He waited until the giant mandibles were a fraction of an inch from his body—
And he activated the second skill he had Devoured on his way down to the basement.
Skill: Goblin's Leap.
He launched himself vertically into the air, completely evading the charge. The Queen slammed headfirst into the stone pillar with a deafening CRACK, stunning itself.
Kael landed directly on the monster's back. He wrapped his arms around its neck, found the deepest crack in its carapace from the collision, and began punching with his bare hands.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
His knuckles tore open, bleeding profusely, but he didn't stop until his fist broke through the shell and crushed the monster's brain.
The giant spider collapsed, lifeless.
[Ding! Impossible Achievement Unlocked!]
[You have slain a Boss Monster 10 levels above you—Solo!]
[Constellation 'The Judge of Fire' looks at you with interest.]
[Constellation 'Architect of the Abyss' drops their wine glass in shock.]
Kael collapsed backward onto the spider's corpse, panting heavily, ignoring the notifications from the gods.
A massive, radiant golden orb floated up from the Queen's body.
"Devour," Kael gasped.
[Devour successful!]
[All Stats +5!]
[Skill Acquired: 'Shadow Step' (B-Rank) - Allows teleportation between shadows.]
[Item Dropped: The Monarch's Dagger (Growth-Type Weapon)]
Kael smiled, his bloody face looking terrifying in the dim light. With a B-Rank skill and a Growth-Type weapon, the tutorial was no longer a survival game.
It was his personal playground.
A/N: A Growth-type weapon and a B-rank skill in the tutorial?! Kael is officially overpowered. Hit that chapter comment button and vote with Power Stones to see what happens next!