Chapter Thirty-One: Slaying the Human-Faced Demon Spider

After swallowing several pills and restoring my vitality, I rose to my feet once more, facing this terrifying monster with mounting pressure. Just then, the Demon-faced Spider spewed a web from its hideous maw—a web whose size dwarfed its own body several times over. I retreated rapidly, but there was no way to avoid it completely; it enveloped me directly.

The web was laced with deadly poison, and my vitality drained at a rate of ten points per second. Its adhesive properties were formidable, making escape nearly impossible. The Demon-faced Spider, seeing me trapped, swaggered forward, clearly preparing to make a meal of the helpless human before it.

Its massive foreleg crashed down towards me, and without hesitation, I ignited my skills, burning the web to ash and leaping clear. At the same time, I saw a pit gouged out of the earth by the spider's strike, from which purple gas billowed—a clear sign of its toxic potency.

Frustrated at its failure, the Demon-faced Spider accelerated towards me. I retreated, heart pounding, thinking grimly that only a miracle could save me today. I would rather be smashed to death by the giant gorilla than become dinner for this grotesque arachnid.

I dashed deeper into the forest, hoping the dense trees would help me shake off this loathsome pursuer. No sooner had I entered the woods than I heard a strange cry behind me. Glancing back, I saw its massive body caught between several thick trunks. Relief flickered across my face, but quickly faded as I realized that the tangled forest only enraged it further. A layer of eerie violet light spread from its body, corroding the branches and trunks it touched, melting them in moments.

As the trees weakened and collapsed from the corrosion, the Demon-faced Spider broke free and lunged at me once more. This time, its four forelegs were raised high, clearly aiming to deliver a fatal blow.

I reacted instantly, grabbing one of its forelegs and hurling it aside. As it landed, legs flailing, I unleashed a shattering strike and an energy explosion against its vulnerable rear, watching two damage values appear—345 and 444. I retreated swiftly as it regained its footing and spat another stream of green venom, but I was ready this time, dodging left to avoid the toxic spray.

After evading the venom, I stopped abruptly, while the Demon-faced Spider raised its forelegs again—now faster than ever, their length crackling with corrosive purple light and laced with a paralytic toxin. Even the slightest touch could be fatal.

Now thoroughly enraged, the Demon-faced Spider, wounded at its most sensitive point, unleashed the same violet glow as before. Even before it reached me, the stench of its poison was overwhelming.

But this time, I did not retreat. As its eight legs snapped forward with astonishing speed, I met its charge head-on.

As the deadliest boss at the forest’s edge, the Demon-faced Spider had devoured countless monsters and adventurers who entered the Death Forest. Its eight small eyes gleamed coldly on its grotesque face.

As its four spear-like, three-meter-long legs crashed down, I smashed my fists together. A giant spinning wheel appeared before me, whirling rapidly, and I shouted fiercely.

The devastating skill of the Skyforge Armor activated. The Shattering Wheel roared, flying straight at the spider’s chest.

The spider’s abdominal armor was its weakest spot. Faced with my sudden assault, it should have instinctively defended, but it didn't—was it overconfident?

This monster’s strength was far beyond mine; as a boss, it possessed terrifying power and could clearly judge that my abilities were no match for its own. It believed my attack would be unable to damage its armored shell.

Thus, the Demon-faced Spider ignored the spinning wheel headed for its abdomen, its eight legs plunging down to finish me off and make me its meal.

But this time, it miscalculated. It was not yet a creature of true intelligence, and could never match a human in wit.

With a swish and a crunch, its body was sent upwards by the force of my attack, lifted high off the ground.

The spider’s judgment was correct: even though the Shattering Wheel embodied all my strength, its formidable defense meant my strongest blow could only crack its weakest point slightly. This was a sobering realization—the best I could do against its most vulnerable spot barely made an impact.

Yet, the blow had tilted its torso upward, exposing its lower abdomen. Its vicious human face contorted, emitting shrill cries. It flipped itself over, looming above me, its eight violet eyes glowing with icy terror.

What now? The Shattering Wheel was my final trump card, and if even this could not harm it significantly, was there any hope left?

The Demon-faced Spider spat another web, which I failed to dodge, trapping me once more. Then it sprayed a torrent of green venom over me, soaking me from head to toe. Agony wracked my body, leaving me sprawled on the ground, unable to move. The spider extended its tongue, greedily licking me twice, but seemed dissatisfied with the flavor, so it spewed another deluge of poison, thoroughly dousing me. Finally, it reached out with a giant claw, smearing even more venom across my body.

The pain was unbearable. I wanted to resist, but the sticky web held me fast. The Demon-faced Spider used its tongue to strip the web from me, then wrapped its tongue around my body, lifting me towards its maw. Just as it prepared to consume me, its expression shifted from satisfaction to shock.

Summoning my last ounce of strength, I thrust my hands into its jaws before they could close, unleashing an energy explosion. Then, after swallowing some blue and red potions, I ignited my skill, burning flames surging deep into the spider’s mouth. Though the venom was sticky, it could not restrain my movements, and, unexpectedly, it proved highly flammable. In an instant, the spider’s entire mouth was ablaze, and it howled in agony, spitting me out and hurling me to the ground.

Its shell was nigh unbreakable, but its innards were frail. My desperate gambit had paid off, but the surrounding plants suffered for it. As the saying goes, a centipede dies but never falls. Although this spider had fewer legs, its vitality was astonishing.

Even with injuries of this severity, it did not perish immediately. Its powerful body writhed and thrashed across the ground, spewing green venom that instantly dissolved the surrounding trees, turning the area into a wasteland of green liquid, with no intact plant remaining.

The Demon-faced Spider rolled and convulsed, flames flickering from its mouth as its venom ignited, engulfing its own body in fire. It thrashed wildly in the blaze.

After a time, its movements slowed, its carapace blackened with smoke. Its hideous human face was burnt and mangled, black fluid oozing continuously, until it collapsed, barely alive.

I approached, using my last reserves to unleash one final energy explosion, ending its life. My legs buckled, and I slumped to the ground, gasping for breath. My vitality and stamina were depleted, and I lost consciousness.

After a long while, I awoke fully recovered, springing to my feet. The experience gained from slaying the Demon-faced Spider had elevated me to level 25. Blackfur, too, had evolved from its dormant state, benefitting greatly from the spider's abundant experience points—a feat that would have required hundreds of monsters at my level otherwise. I was eager to see what it would become after evolving.

Next came the cleanup. From the Demon-faced Spider, I obtained a palm-sized crystal core, four pieces of equipment, and several materials to sell. Thinking back, courage was likely the key to defeating such a formidable foe; if not for the venom's flammability, victory would have been out of reach. After catching my breath and collecting my spoils, I swiftly left the area, journeying for nearly two hours out of the gloomy Death Forest, and returned to Sky Dragon City to log off and rest.