NOVEL WEB Chapter 49: Facing the Queen Lesser Hiveborne Arachnid
The player nearest to it tried to mount an attack by thrusting his spear at the monstrous creature. However, despite the queen spider’s apparent stillness, the weapon couldn’t pierce her scales. Instead, as her human-like hands reached for the player, his body disintegrated into countless fragments, much like a balloon burst by a sharp needle. There was no sound; he simply ceased to exist.
“Holy shit!”
“Is the event going to fail?”
“Will our progress so far be for naught?”
“…”
The scene was truly hopeless as desperation hung heavy in the air. It felt like they were confronting an enemy they shouldn’t have encountered so early in the game.
“Don’t give up! Fire your remaining bolts and arrows!” Zero shouted through gritted teeth, shattering the stunned silence that had gripped the players.
But only those farther away from the queen spider and those still on the wall found the strength to muster up their willpower and lift their weapons, aiming them at the monstrous creature. Alas, most of their projectiles proved weaker than usual because of the pressure and were blocked by an invisible force enveloping the queen spider. The few that managed to reach their target inflicted no damage whatsoever.
“What in the world is this creature…? Are we facing something comparable to an Elemental Adept Magus? And if so, just how formidable is the pinnacle of strength in this game?” William mumbled, his body quivering uncontrollably.
He had thought that after gaining the ability to cast magic spells, he would be invincible in the game. There should be no more instances where he would remain powerless in the face of enemies as he had during his first encounter with these creatures. But here he was, being shattered with reality and unable to do anything against this magical beast.
Yet, as William sunk into deep thought, the queen spider remained far from idle and began a spree of carnage. Almost every player who had chased after the fleeing arachnids fell prey to her. With her lower, razor-sharp legs, she swiftly cleaved through opposing players like a reaper in a field of wheat at a speed so fast that it was almost terrifying. Occasionally, she unleashed the same destructive magic that reduced others to mere fragments. At other times, she spat blobs of venomous acid that would put any weapons and covers they used to shame.
The most terrifying moment came when it opened its lower spider mouth and devoured a player whole, as though they were a piece of tofu. In that split second, everyone could witness the rows of razor-sharp teeth concealed within its maw, relentlessly grinding and crushing bones like a machine running at full throttle. If not for the pain suppression built into the game, the unfortunate player would have surely been screaming uncontrollably.
Damn! This game is hardcore! William now fully understood why not all people could get entry into the game.
The other players also found themselves paralyzed, unable to move an inch. Their legs seemingly anchored to the ground by the sheer horror of the scene unfolding before them. It was a massacre… So gruesome and horrifyingly real…
Desperation filled William as he desperately looked around for help; his friends: Zero, Storm, Mike, SuperNova, Thunder, and the others — all seemingly trapped in the same paralyzed state. All the first-stage Initiate Attunement players were also out of juice and unable to do anything. Together, they were like helpless chickens on a chopping board.
Just when all hopes seemed lost, a small wind tempest materialized and collided with the queen spider. It growled in rage, its enormous frame slightly injured. Atop the earthen wall stood a young man with striking blue hair and a sharply defined face, clad in an ornate robe. It was their salvation to this predicament — the headmaster NPC!
***
Victor gazed at the lifeless bodies of players intermingled with the broken, bloodied forms of dead arachnids on the ground with a frown. A floating purplish-black spherical crystal orb encased in ice and glass hovered just beside his shoulder. Despite rushing to the wall with the fastest speed he could muster, twenty players were already dead by the queen spider alone.
In this world, magical beasts possessed an inherent strength far surpassing that of mortals. To level the playing field, Victor had orchestrated the grand trap, which was the fire trap that was still raging even as of this moment, thus weakening them enough to allow the players to engage them more evenly. Even then, no matter how weak these magical beasts had become, there was still a gap.
Still, while he knew that casualties were bound to happen, and in a large number at that, seeing the result up close was rather disheartening. Luckily, these players were immortal, and they would be resurrected the next day and the subsequent days after that like nothing had happened. But the toll taken on this day was undeniable…
Maybe I should have come sooner… No, taking down their queen is the top priority here. Saving his mana for this pivotal moment had been a deliberate choice. After all, Lesser Hiveborne Arachnids were vengeful creatures, and their queen posed the gravest threat. If it were to escape, it would come back with a greater devastating retaliation against his academy; this was the exact reason for luring it out first.
“You!” Victor’s gaze hardened as he fixed it upon the queen spider, determination etched across his features. “Your opponent is me,” he declared, knowing that despite not understanding his words, it understood the meaning.
Now that it had appeared, he wouldn’t let it escape!
The players who had witnessed this unfolding spectacle stood by in hushed anticipation with excitement clearly portrayed on their faces, as though they were watching an epic cutscene in a game. Seeing that Victor and the queen spider met, they must have thought that the key plot was triggered, so they backed away to a safe location.
The players understood Victor’s intention well — he intended to handle the situation without drawing them into it. It was clear that getting caught in the crossfire could be costly, possibly resulting in significant losses. After all, many among them had firsthand experience of the queen spider’s horrifying might and had witnessed the formidable magic Victor had just unleashed.
Fortunately, the queen arachnid paid no heed to the weak players and let them retreat without doing anything. All its focus was set on Victor. Her expression held a sense of calculation and shrewdness as she monitored Victor’s every move with unwavering vigilance through her many eyes.
[A bloodthirsty extraordinary life form has been detected!]
[The life form is expected to have pseudo-Elemental Adept combat capability.]
[This life form’s power exceeds yours; it is advisable to run.]
He had gotten this notification a while ago. Nonetheless, what made Victor come despite the difference in power was the information that came with it. A pseudo-Elemental Adept must mean that even though its power was above him, it wasn’t at the point where the creature couldn’t be killed with the strategy he had prepared. Furthermore, the main strength of this magical beast came from its innate ability to control its many children with a hivemind and not its combat power. Otherwise, he would have been the first to run away and hide inside the basement floor of the main building.
After all, he wasn’t like the players who could just wait for the respawn cooldown to finish and come back alive; he only had one life!
“Man, this is like battling that spider boss in Dark Souls... What was her name again?”
“You mean Chaos Witch Quelaag? Now that you mentioned it, they do share some similarities, but this one’s got a more monstrous human part.”
“Yeah, seriously! Why is this one not as sexy? Later I’ll complain to the devs about this.”
“Dude, it’s a game, not a porn site. Chill. If you’re so horny, just turn on your VPN.”
“Get lost!”
Tch, this group of idiots… The intense atmosphere that had been building until now all went to waste because of the players’ comments. However, this was not important.
Victor, who planned to end the battle swiftly, did not want to talk nonsense. He directed his entire focus toward the Voidborn Orb at his side as he prepared to cast another spell. A multitude of intricate simulations played out in his mind, calculating every potential outcome.
“SKREEE!!”
Seemingly noticing Victor’s intent to attack, the queen spider abruptly opened its massive spider mouth and expelled a voluminous glob of green, venomous acid directly at him.
“{Ember Shield}!” With swift precision, a protective barrier of smoldering embers materialized around Victor, intercepting the incoming acid. The impact generated a scorching mist that billowed into the immediate surroundings.
“Ugh.” Some tiny droplets of the acid had managed to seep through, causing Victor to grimace as he felt its corrosive touch.
Victor didn’t stay in one location, despite that, as he swiftly traversed the earthen wall to seek a better vantage point of the queen spider hidden behind the mist. Engaging the creature in close combat would be a grave disadvantage for him. However, when he could see the spot where the queen spider had been standing, there was nothing there.
Shit! Where has it gone?!
Like a bolt from the blue, a chilling sensation ran down Victor’s spine, and an ominous foreboding from above gripped him. There it was, high in the air, the queen spider was hurtling toward Victor’s location. Its eight scythe-like legs poised to strike — a single touch from those deadly appendages could spell his demise.
In that split second, Victor’s inverted mana flowed through a complex array of symbols suspended in the air. His body became ethereal just as the queen spider crashed down. The monstrous creature landed on empty space, its deadly strikes finding nothing but air. Victor reappeared ten meters behind the queen spider, having been saved from a certain doom by his spell.
“Shoot! If I chose to cast an offensive spell instead…” Victor mumbled, adrenaline coursing through his brain. However, he had little time for self-critique. With swift resolve, he cast {Flame Dart}, conjuring a flaming projectile that streaked through the air. The spell’s potency was bolstered by the Voidborn Orb, doubling its original destructive force.
Bang!
The fiery projectile detonated upon impact with the queen spider’s abdomen, scorching its posterior and leaving a visible burn mark.
“SKREEE!!”
Despite the impressive display, the injury appeared relatively minor. Victor was about to cast another follow-up spell — {Slicing Wind} — but the queen spider granted him no respite. It charged at him like a raging bull, crashing headlong into the compressed winds before hitting him. Victor was sent hurtling through the air, his body out of control.
“Aack! Uhk!” Blood trickled from the corner of Victor’s lips as he manipulated Anemo elemental particles to soften his landing. If not for the acolyte robe absorbing much of the impact, he would have a broken rib by now. In spite of all these actions, the Voidborn Orb never ventured further than a meter away from Victor as if glued to him.
He stared at the queen spider with apprehension. Its crimson gaze held nothing but sheer madness. Even though it had sustained injuries from his two offensive spells, there was no sign of visible exhaustion in the creature; his spells seemed not to affect its movements at all.
At that moment, Victor was sure of one thing: This was not going to be an easy fight.
