A cold shiver ran down my spine, and my blood turned to ice at the sight of that crimson predator. Although a three-level difference between us might have seemed small on paper, in reality, it was nearly double my strength. Furthermore, its unique name and color suggested a mutation or a more evolved species compared to the common black spiders, and in this world, that could only mean trouble.
I began shouting to the Alpha Team, commanding them to regroup with me immediately. Beside me, Morkish's posture shifted completely. His face still held that intense religious fervor, but a new look of grim conviction had taken hold of his eyes. He truly viewed our impending disaster as a divine trial sent by our god.
"Our God wants us to prove our worth!" Morkish said, his voice trembling with a mix of holy anxiety and genuine fear.
His worry was contagious, and I felt my own pulse quickening. "Move it! Everyone, rally around me!" I roared at the troops, gesturing for them to take up defensive positions.
I realized then that I hadn't actually taught them how to form a proper shield wall or a phalanx. To tell the truth, I wasn't even entirely sure how we should be positioned myself. I was just acting on a mix of modern memories and raw survival instinct.
One by one, the goblins scrambled to my side, leveling their crude spears at our new threat. To our luck, the red spider didn't move while we repositioned. it simply perched there, watching us with an impassive, multi-eyed stare that felt like a death sentence.
"What's the plan, my King?" Trashmob asked, his voice cracking with uncharacteristic fear.
I looked away from the spider and assessed my team for the first time since the fight began. Half of them were already wounded, their green skin pale and their limbs shaking with a visible, primal fear. Only Morkish stood steady, though his eyes remained fixed on the crimson threat above.
My brain scrambled to find a solution to this lopsided fight. On one hand, the idea of simply turning and running was incredibly appealing, but we would be risking everything on the slim chance that we could actually outrun a Level 8 predator in its own tunnels. On the other hand, killing this monster would provide us with a massive amount of experience and might finally allow us to clear the Origin Cave for good.
I lamented our lack of long-distance weapons. Aside from Morkish's magic, we were strictly a melee squad. Then, an idea popped into my mind. I felt stupid for not thinking of it earlier. In the early days of humanity, before bows and arrows existed, people didn't just give up, they threw rocks.
"Listen to me, all of you!" I raised my voice, forcing an authority I didn't entirely feel to cut through their terror. "This enemy is stronger than anything we have fought before, and it will not be an easy kill."
I saw one of the warriors nod softly, his grip tightening on his spear until his knuckles turned a lighter shade of green.
"I will tank its attacks with everything I have," I continued, adjusting my shield. "Trashmob, you support me on the front line. Morkish, hit it with as much magic as you can muster."
"I understand, my King," Morkish replied, his hands already beginning to crackle with faint green energy.
"For the rest of you, start gathering rocks. Anything heavy and sharp," I commanded, pointing to the debris on the cave floor. "I want you to pelt that thing with stones every chance you get. Then, at my signal, I want all of you to charge with your spears. Our only option is to catch it with its guard down. Do you all understand the plan?"
"Not really," a goblin muttered softly from the back of the group.
I sighed, realizing I was overcomplicating things for their primitive minds. "We throw rocks, then we use spears and magic until that thing is dead. Better?"
They all nodded in unison, the simpler instructions finally hitting home.
Just in time, a thunderous boom echoed through the cavern as the red spider leaped from the ceiling and landed heavily in front of us. The force of its impact sent a cloud of dust and grit into the air, and though it was difficult to be certain with so many eyes, I felt its predatory gaze lock straight onto me. Without waiting for my command, Morkish launched the first bolt of green energy, but the creature simply tanked the hit without even flinching.
"Scatter! Throw the rocks, come on!" I shouted, my voice cracking under the strain as I began to circle the massive arachnid.
Small stones immediately began whistling through the air, clattering against the spider's thick, crimson carapace. The one advantage of fighting in a cave was that we were surrounded by ammunition; there was no shortage of rocks to hurl.
The spider remained strangely calm, ignoring the stones and Morkish's persistent magic as if they were nothing more than bothersome gnats. It slowly pivoted its heavy body, following my movements with its numerous, glistening eyes, completely focused on me as the primary threat.
I clenched my teeth and gripped the leather handle of my new hammer until my hand cramped. I decided to close the distance, hoping to take advantage of the spider's apparent hesitation or perhaps its arrogance. If I could land one solid blow, maybe I could slow it down.
Because of its sheer size, I realized I couldn't reach its head; it was simply too far out of my range. Instead, I lunged toward one of its thick, hairy joints and activated [Slam]. The head of the [Mighty Hammer] began to glow with a golden light as I swung with every ounce of my strength.
The hammer connected with a sickeningly loud thud. I expected to hear the satisfying crunch of shattering chitin, but instead, the leg only suffered a few hairline cracks. The spider barely even shifted its weight.
It paused for a moment, looking down at its damaged leg with what seemed like mild curiosity before turning its cold, multi-eyed stare back toward me. It let out a low, vibrating growl that rattled my teeth, and then it charged.
I began sprinting toward one of the jagged cavern walls, my heart hammering against my ribs. In her blind pursuit, the spider trampled several of the large birth mushrooms, crushing the very life out of what I suspected were our future tribe members. I felt a sharp pang of regret, thinking of all the potential soldiers I was losing before they were even born, but I forced the feeling down and kept running.
More projectiles whistled through the air, clattering against the spider's crimson back as she chased me. Luckily for me, her sheer size meant she wasn't incredibly fast, but I knew that if she managed to corner me against the cold stone, I would be dead meat.
When I reached the wall, I quickly pivoted to face her, careful to ensure my back wasn't pinned directly against the rock. I raised my arm, activating [Shield Block] just as one of her massive, hairy legs slammed into me like a battering ram. The impact was enormous. I was sent flying backward, hitting the floor with a bone-jarring thud. The shock of the landing was so great that I felt my fingers go numb, and I lost my grip on both of my weapons.
I scrambled to my feet, quickly checking my limbs to see if anything was broken. I was still in fighting condition, but the same could not be said for my shield. I tsked in frustration as I looked down at the splintered fragments of chitin scattered across the floor. My only real line of defense had been reduced to literal bug scraps.
I couldn't afford to dwell on the loss. I turned just in time to see the red spider leaping through the air, her massive shadow engulfing me. Instead of backing away, I lunged forward, rolling my body toward the spider while frantically searching for my hammer.
My plan was simple but desperate. I needed to get directly under the beast where her long, spindly legs couldn't reach me easily. In this life-or-death struggle, her superior height was the only advantage I had left to exploit.
From my position beneath the spider, I could hear the constant, hollow thud of stones striking her thick carapace. A moment later, she shifted her weight and took a heavy step back, narrowly missing me as a large, jagged rock crashed into the dirt just inches from my head. I couldn't help but smile, realizing that my goblins had finally figured it out. To do any real damage to a monster of this level, they needed more than pebbles, they needed the heaviest stones they could lift.
I searched the air above me, but the spider didn't have a glowing health bar like the enemies in the video games I used to play. I could only hope that the coordinated effort from my squad was actually wearing her down.
The spider began to pivot on the spot, her massive legs stepping gingerly as she hissed, trying to locate her missing prey. I moved cautiously between her spindly limbs, keeping my head low and my breathing shallow. Then, I saw it. My hammer was lying in the dust right next to one of her rear legs.
The constant rain of stones finally became too much for the beast to ignore. Snapping her head toward the source of the annoyance, she abandoned her search for me and lunged toward one of the goblins in the back line. I seized the opening immediately, lunging for the leather grip of my hammer and charging after her.
The targeted goblin panicked, his eyes wide with terror as he tried to scramble away. It was a vain effort. The red spider was upon the poor warrior in a heartbeat, her movements blurring with predatory speed.
"Roll out of her way! Get down!" I shouted, my voice straining, but the goblin was too paralyzed by fear to hear me.
A high-pitched shriek of terror cut through the air as the spider's massive mandibles clamped down on him. I heard a sickening, loud crunch as the monster reared back, lifting the struggling soldier high into the air. He dangled from her mouth like a broken doll, and I knew I had only seconds to act before he was gone for good.
Not even five minutes into the fight and we already lost a member.