Deep within the ruined stone structure, the sound of desperate fighting echoed through the thick webs.
Four male students were pushing forward against a swarm of spiders. Leading them was a broad-shouldered young man with a buzz cut and a single diamond earring. In his hand rested a large, heavy war hammer. Daeven walked ahead without lifting a finger to help, his expression filled with open disdain as he watched his three teammates struggle behind him.
One of the sword users swung his blade frantically while the archer fired arrows with bleeding fingers. Daeven glanced back, his lips curling into a mocking smirk.
"Pathetic," he said loudly. "You begged me to let you join my brother's faction, and this is all you can do? If you can't even handle these small fries, what makes you think you're worthy of Crimson Fang?"
The archer clenched his jaw but stayed silent. If I can just endure this… if I can join the 10th-ranked faction, I won't have to live like a slave anymore.
Suddenly, one of the sword users made a mistake.
He stepped too far forward while finishing off a wounded spider. Before he could retreat, a much larger spider lunged from the side and drove one of its sharp legs straight through his chest.
"Guh—!"
Before the man could even scream, another spider nearby sprayed a thick stream of acid directly at his face. The acid sizzled violently as it melted through his skin and eyes. His agonized cries echoed inside the nest for a few short seconds before his body collapsed, twitching.
Daeven clicked his tongue in annoyance and glanced back at the corpse with cold eyes.
"Tch. What a waste of space," he muttered. "If you're going to die that easily, don't waste my time by coming along in the first place."
The remaining two students flinched but didn't dare speak. They knew Daeven's personality well — complaining would only make things worse.
They continued pushing forward under his lead until Daeven suddenly came to a stop. His relaxed posture stiffened. He slowly raised his left hand without turning around.
"Halt."
The two students behind him immediately stopped, their bodies tense and covered in wounds. They were breathing heavily, clearly exhausted.
Daeven didn't speak right away. His grip on the warhammer tightened as his eyes scanned the darkness ahead. The spiders in front of them had stopped attacking. Instead, they were slowly retreating, creating a wide path — as if they were afraid of something approaching from behind.
A deep frown appeared on Daeven's face.
"…Something's coming," he said quietly, his voice losing its previous arrogance. "And it's not a spider."
The middle chamber of the ruined nest was wide and open. Moss-covered stone walls stretched upward, and the ground was littered with dried carcasses wrapped in thick layers of webbing. Faint crimson light filtered through cracks in the ceiling.
Daeven's group stood in the center when movement from the left side caught their attention.
Riven's group stepped into the open space.
Riven was the first to notice them. She came to a sudden stop, her crimson eyes narrowing as she spotted the three figures across the chamber. Darius and Liora halted beside her.
For a few tense seconds, both groups simply stared at each other. The air grew heavy.
Daeven was the first to speak. A mocking smirk spread across his face as he looked them over with clear disdain.
"Well, well… looks like some rats have also crawled their way in here," he said loudly. "Didn't expect to run into other people this deep. Especially not trash like you three."
Riven's expression darkened immediately.
"Watch your mouth, buzzcut," she snapped, twirling one of her daggers. "We got here the same way you did."
Darius stepped forward, resting his greatsword on his shoulder as he sized up Daeven.
"You're Daeven, right? Younger brother of the Crimson Fang leader," he said with a grin. "Didn't think someone from a top faction would need to drag around dead weight just to clear some spiders."
The archer behind Daeven flinched at the insult but stayed silent. Daeven only chuckled coldly.
"Dead weight?" he repeated, glancing back at his two remaining teammates with open contempt. "These two? They're barely worth calling that. But at least they know their place… unlike some people who don't understand who they're talking to."
Liora's purple eyes narrowed.
"You speak as if you're any better," she said calmly. "Walking around with two half-dead followers while acting like you own the place. How pathetic."
Daeven's smirk faded slightly. He didn't like the way she looked at him.
Before he could respond, Riven's gaze shifted toward the right side of the chamber. There, partially buried under thick layers of webbing, was a glowing purple crystal embedded in the ruined stone wall. Right beside it sat the massive E-rank spider, its multiple red eyes glowing faintly as it watched both groups with clear hostility.
Riven's eyes lit up with greed.
"…There it is," she muttered.
Daeven followed her line of sight and spotted the crystal as well. His expression changed.
For a moment, both groups fell silent. The tension thickened rapidly.
Daeven was the first to break it. He raised his warhammer and pointed it toward Riven's group.
"I'll make this simple," he said arrogantly. "That crystal belongs to me. You three can turn around and crawl back the way you came. If you do that, I might let you leave with your lives."
Riven let out a sharp, mocking laugh.
"Fuck off, idiot," she said, raising both daggers. "We came all the way here. There's no way we're leaving empty-handed."
Darius cracked his neck and lifted his greatsword.
"Besides," he added with a grin, "three versus three. Doesn't seem like great odds for you, especially with your two deadweights."
Liora remained quiet, but faint crackles of lightning began dancing around the tip of her staff as she stared at Daeven coldly.
Daeven's face twisted with anger.
"You really think you can take it from me?" he growled.
Riven took a step forward, her crimson eyes flashing dangerously.
"Try and stop us."
The fight broke out instantly.
Riven lunged straight at Daeven with both daggers flashing. Daeven swung his heavy warhammer to meet her, the force of the blow sending a shockwave through the surrounding webs.
At the same time, Darius charged toward the remaining sword user. His greatsword cleaved through the man's guard and buried itself deep into his stomach. With a savage twist, Darius ripped the blade sideways, spilling the man's guts across the webbed floor.
The archer behind Daeven quickly drew his bow and fired an arrow toward Riven mid-air.
Just as the two groups clashed, a deep, rumbling hiss echoed from the right side of the chamber.
The E-rank spider had finally moved.
Its massive body rose from the webbing, and its multiple red eyes locked onto both groups. It let out a loud, piercing screech that shook the entire ruined structure.
Dozens of smaller spiders suddenly surged forward from all directions, swarming toward the fighting humans.
Daeven gritted his teeth as he parried another one of Riven's rapid dagger strikes. He dodged her next attack and activated a skill.
"[Iron Dominion]!"
A heavy pressure suddenly erupted from his body. Riven blocked the follow-up hammer strike, but the sheer force behind it sent her flying backward several meters.
Before Daeven could press the advantage, his eyes caught movement from the side.
Liora had raised her staff high. Lightning crackled violently around the crystal before she released it in a wide arc.
[Chain Lightning]
A devastating bolt of lightning tore through a group of ten spiders at once, frying them instantly. The smell of burnt chitin filled the air.
Daeven's breath caught in his throat.
Fuck… a Thunder Mage.
He quickly glanced at his archer, who was struggling to fend off several spiders on his own. Daeven clicked his tongue in frustration and took several steps back. His expression had turned ugly.
"Just you wait, you fuckers…" he muttered under his breath. "I'll come back with my faction members."
Without another word, he turned and retreated, leaving his archer behind without a second glance.
Riven scoffed as she watched him disappear into the webs.
"What a coward," she muttered, twirling one of her daggers. "All that arrogance, and he runs the moment things get slightly dangerous."
She turned her attention toward the remaining archer, who was barely standing. His body was covered in wounds, and a large portion of his left arm had been burned black by acid. He looked like he was on the verge of collapsing.
Riven took a step toward him, her crimson eyes cold.
"Might as well finish the job—"
"Riven, stop."
Liora's calm but firm voice cut through the air. She had lowered her staff slightly, though lightning still crackled faintly around the crystal.
"The big spider is moving," Liora said, her purple eyes fixed on the E-rank monster. "We don't have time to waste on him."
Riven paused. She glanced at the archer once more. The young man was trembling, tears mixing with the blood and dirt on his face. His burned hand hung limply at his side, and he looked like he had already accepted death.
For a moment, Riven seemed to consider finishing him anyway.
But then Darius spoke up. "Wait"
He walked over to the archer, who flinched and tried to raise his bow with shaking hands. Darius simply clicked his tongue and tossed a small red potion toward him.
"Catch."
The archer barely managed to grab it. He stared at the potion in confusion before looking up at Darius.
Darius sighed and rested his greatsword on his shoulder.
"Go," he said simply. "Get lost before I change my mind."
The archer's eyes widened. He clutched the potion tightly with his remaining good hand, his voice hoarse and filled with disbelief.
"…Thank you."
Without waiting another second, he turned and ran toward the opposite exit as fast as his injured body could carry him. He didn't look back.
Riven clicked her tongue in annoyance as she watched him disappear into the webs.
"You're getting soft, Darius."
Darius shrugged.
"He was already half-dead. No point wasting energy on trash that's running away."
Liora didn't comment. She simply raised her staff again, her eyes locked on the massive E-rank spider that had begun crawling toward them.
Far from the chamber, deeper inside one of the dark side tunnels, the archer finally stopped to catch his breath. His lungs burned, and his burned arm throbbed with pain. He leaned against the moss-covered wall, gasping for air.
"I… I actually survived…" he whispered, a shaky, relieved smile forming on his face. "With this potion… I can still make it out. If I just—"
A small shadow suddenly moved along the wall beside him.
Before the archer could even react, a sharp, needle-like pain stabbed into the back of his neck.
"—!"
His eyes widened in shock. He tried to turn around, but his body suddenly felt heavy. His vision blurred as a cold, numbing sensation spread rapidly through his veins.
From the shadows, a small figure with glowing silver eyes slowly emerged.
The Imp stared at the dying archer without any emotion.
It had followed its master's orders perfectly.
The archer collapsed to his knees, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly as the poison took effect. Within seconds, his body went limp and fell face-first onto the webbed ground.
The Imp tilted its head slightly, then dissolved back into dark smoke and vanished into the shadows once more.
**
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