Sword Art Online: Moonlight Swordman.

[You have defeated Land Spider Lv.8]

[You have defeated Land Spider Lv.8]

[You have defeated Land Spider Lv.7]

[Quest: 6/20]

Ren slowly lowered his sword, the tip still glinting with the light from his final strike.

He let out a long breath.

The three spider corpses dissolved into red pixel dust, silently drifting away in the cool breeze of the third floor. Ren stood there, watching them crumble like ashes, his thoughts unreadable.

He had begun to grasp the movement patterns of the Land Spiders, when they stretched out their legs to attack, when they prepared to spit webs, and the brief moment of vulnerability beneath their soft underbellies.

That had become increasingly easy as Ren's speed now far surpassed theirs at his current level.

[HP: 544/775]

The minor injuries from the recent fight were unavoidable, but overall, he remained in good condition. Especially since he hadn't been hit by the paralyzing web, Ren could maintain the upper hand in every clash.

He opened his status screen, his eyes glancing over a familiar number:

[EXP: 1167/22000]

"Around 50 exp per spider..." Ren murmured, nodding slightly. "If I keep up this pace... I should be done before sunset."

Half of the experience bar was filled. With his current battle tempo, he would likely level up today, something he hadn't felt since his time on the first floor.

And the reason wasn't lack of skill or resources, but hesitation, a weight that had gripped his feet, making every step feel like trudging through deep mud.

But now... that weight seemed to have vanished.

Ren tightened his grip on the sword hilt, his gaze no longer wavered.

He would catch up with the frontliners soon. Not to prove anything. Not to earn recognition. But simply because… that was the only place he belonged. He needed to climb higher and find his own answers to the burdens he carried.

There was still so much Ren needed to learn...

He opened the system interface and reorganized his inventory. He discarded a few unnecessary items, grouping the small healing potions into a quick-access slot. His fingers moved over the bag with a reflex honed by hundreds of battles.

But at that moment...

A faint sound slipped through the grey-white fog ahead, making him pause.

Ren leaned down slightly, tilting his head to listen closely.

From deep within the mist:

"Damn it... where did that thing come from..."

"Anyone got antidotes!?"

"We can't hold out much longer…"

Voices. Several of them. Urgent, panicked, and desperate.

Not far from here.

Ren looked up. His eyes narrowed. His hand clenched slightly around the sword hilt strapped to his hip.

A part of him wanted to keep walking. His quest wasn't done. His experience bar was only half full. This wasn't his concern.

...But another part, deeper still, couldn't ignore cries for help.

Ren hesitated for just a moment…

Then made his decision swiftly.

Not out of chivalry. Not to impress anyone. But because of that weak, trembling voice, so near, yet so far, still clinging to life.

He took a deep breath, then dashed forward.

Ren's figure tore through the mist like an arrow loosed from a bow. He couldn't afford to wait a second longer.

Or maybe... those cries themselves refused to let him stand still.

Poison…

Even just hearing it was enough to understand, someone had been poisoned. Even a basic Poison status was dangerous enough to rapidly drain HP, accompanied by a burning numbness throughout the body and loss of muscle control.

For someone unaccustomed or without decent resistance, they'd last only a few minutes before becoming completely incapacitated.

Ren recognized the area ahead, it was the same path he had fled through from the spider swarm earlier.

That meant… a group of players had stumbled into a spider nest.

The spiders had scattered because they'd been disturbed. Everything fit too perfectly.

Ren drew his sword, staying close to the shadows of the trees, moving in near-total silence. His eyes quickly scanned the area ahead.

And then he saw them.

A group of four players, equipped slightly above beginner level, suitable for newcomers to the third floor, but not enough for a zone with a nest... this big.

Three of them in the back were damage dealers: two wielding single swords, one with a short spear. All three had collapsed, clutching their chests, faces pale. The [Poison] icon flickered above their heads.

At the front, a tanker was trying to hold the line, shielding their body entirely with a tower shield. Their HP was dropping rapidly, and their potion supply… was nearly depleted.

Ren squinted.

He clearly saw what the Tanker was desperately holding off, a creature resembling a spider, but with a far more grotesque form.

Its entire body was covered in a moldy gray-brown color, like decaying bark, with a rough, peeling shell that emitted a damp, toxic stench faintly lingering in the air.

Its long torso arched upward, swaying rhythmically as if scanning its target.

On its back, jet-black spines protruded in clusters, firing relentlessly at the Tanker's shield, creating sharp metallic clangs as they struck.

Ren frowned slightly. "...Dusk-Lurker."

What was that thing doing here?

As far as Ren knew, these creatures only appeared sporadically in the northern part of the forest, and only at dusk or under the cover of night.

Not a monster with outstanding stats, but Dusk-Lurkers were nightmares for any group caught unprepared. Every one of its attacks, be it bites or poisonous spines, carried the Poison effect.

The wounds were small, but the toxins gradually wore down the body, drained blood continuously, and blurred consciousness with every heartbeat.

Without antidotes or resistance skills, one could only lie there and wait for death.

...and clearly, the four-player party had stumbled into an unprepared encounter.

Ren could see the Tanker's knees beginning to buckle. No matter how sturdy, the large shield couldn't hold off the enemy's relentless barrage forever.

The two players behind him were nearly unconscious, gasping for breath, eyes glazed, the poison effect eroding their strength with every second.

The last member of the group, apparently a swordswoman, was trying to rise. She swung her blade at the Dusk-Lurker, but the strike was weak and easily dodged. A black spine shot forward, piercing her upper arm. She cried out in pain and collapsed next to her teammates.

Ren clenched his teeth. There was no more time to think.

Without hesitation, he charged into battle.

Just as the monster registered a new threat, Ren's blade sliced a clean line across its back, thin, but precise. Blood spurted in narrow jets, a sign of a well-placed cut.

The damage wasn't massive, but the Dusk-Lurker had already lost nearly half its HP from fighting the previous group.

On instinct, the creature spun around and launched a volley of sharp spines at Ren.

"Look out!" the Tanker shouted, rushing forward to intercept, but it was too late.

Ren barely registered the warning before he saw the spines coming. In an instant, he twisted his body, hitting the ground and rolling through layers of dead leaves.

A dry thunk echoed behind him, the spines had embedded deep into a nearby tree.

"Fast reflexes…" the Tanker muttered, visibly astonished.

Ren sprang back up without a moment's hesitation.

The Dusk-Lurker began to recoil, trying to retreat, but it was too late. Ren's blade sliced through the air and severed one of its hind legs.

The creature stumbled, crashing to the ground. Before it could rise or retaliate, Ren was already upon it.

A clean, decisive slash.

His sword tore through the soft body, cleaving the monster in two.

Its health dropped to zero. The Dusk-Lurker twitched, then shattered into fragments of gray-red pixels, vanishing into the forest wind.

[You have defeated Dusk-Lurker Lv.9][You gained 24 EXP][You obtained 20 Cor][You received Poison Sack (Common) x1][You received Lurker Dagger]

The notifications flashed across his vision, but Ren paid them no mind.

He turned at once and rushed to the players collapsed on the ground, pale-skinned, trembling slightly from the toxins coursing through their bodies.

Without hesitation, Ren reached into his inventory, pulled out the antidotes he had prepared in advance, and one by one, poured the contents carefully but quickly down their throats.

His breath was rapid, not just from the battle, but from urgency. Even a second too late… could've been fatal.

Ren silently thanked his luck. Thanked Agil, who had given him the warning that morning while Ren was selling the loot from his earlier hunts: "Take a few antidotes with you. Trust me, you'll need them. Most monsters around here inflict poison... not always, but better safe than nothing."

At the time, Ren had just nodded absentmindedly. But now… he was genuinely grateful.

The three unconscious players began to stir. Their breathing was still weak, and their eyes clouded with residual toxins, but life had returned to their faces.

"Thank you... If it weren't for you, we might've…" the Tanker spoke first, his voice hoarse but filled with emotion. He grabbed Ren's hand with both of his, as if words weren't enough to convey his gratitude.

The other three nodded repeatedly, murmuring their thanks over and over.

"Hey, you're really fast," one of them asked curiously, "Are you with one of the two leading guilds?"

"If I hadn't seen Lightning Flash Asuna with my own eyes on the second-floor settlement, I'd think you were her!" another laughed, slapping his knee.

Ren raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly: "Do I look that much like a girl?"

That response sent the group into laughter, their voices melting into the thinning mist of the forest.