Vol. 3: Chapter 36
Kael snatched up [Roderic's Head] and, without a second’s hesitation, turned and bolted.
A massive spider burst through the wall, spitting a huge glob of webbing at him.
System: You have been hit by the [Deathmask Spider]'s skill [Web Bind]. You are now invulnerable and rooted for 20 seconds.
System: [Spell Ward] has been triggered. [Web Bind] has been blocked.
Kael had lost count of how many times the [Diadem of Unyielding Will] had saved his ass. All he knew was that if he didn't get out of here, he was dead.
He ducked back into the tunnel he came from, sprinting for his life.
After using [Web Bind], the Deathmask Spider ignored Kael completely. It dropped to the cavern floor and, in one gruesome bite, devoured Roderic's corpse.
It let out a piercing shriek as its body began to contort. The ghost-like pattern on its carapace shifted, morphing into a human face—Roderic's face.
[Roderic-faced Spider]: Level 38
HP: 31,000,000
Physical Attack: 15,200
Magic Attack: 22,000
...
Kael knew the transformation would take a full twenty seconds. That was his window.
The real challenge wasn't navigating the winding tunnels, but the thick spiderwebs blocking every passage.
[Webbing]
HP: 200,000
Physical Defense: 0
[Toughness]: Immune to certain on-hit effects.
"On-hit effects" included things like poison, critical hits, bleeds, and so on. It was a common trait for non-living targets like castle walls and siege towers.
For Kael, it meant his 3x critical damage bonus was completely useless against the webs. He had to brute-force it, one arrow at a time.
-28,373 (Kael)
-20,023 (Clone)
-19,556 (Clone)
-19,555 (Clone)
Just his luck. Between him and his three clones, two full volleys only dealt about 170,000 damage. It would take a third volley to break through each web, costing him two and a half precious seconds.
And there were eight of them.
In the cavern nearest to the boss lair, a fierce battle was raging. It was the players from the [Frostfall Syndicate]. They were holding their own against the remaining elite spiders.
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They'd clearly geared up during the Burning Horde invasion, with each member sporting one or two new PVE legendary items. Under their leader [Frostfall]'s command, they had managed to stabilize the fight.
Though they had lost three members, they had already taken down two of the elite spiders. Given another twenty or thirty minutes, they might have actually cleared the rest. Their initial panic had given way to a surge of confidence.
"Yes! One of the elites dropped a sick single-stat epic! The stats are jacked, like 15% higher than normal," one of them shouted. "Gotta be my five points in Luck paying off. This thing is better for me than some legendaries."
"That's our guild leader for ya," another chimed in. "Not only stacked with Luck, but he makes the clutch calls. Telling us to stand and fight was genius."
"Seriously. I thought we were toast."
"I can't believe we're handling five level 35 elites. We're stronger than I thought."
"After we clear these trash mobs, let's head into the boss room and gank that Dawnbreaker asshole."
"Hell yeah. Payback for him screwing us over."
"Huh? Wait, someone's coming!"
Just then, Kael burst out of the connecting tunnel. He was surprised; he'd figured they would have bailed already, not dug in for a fight. And they were actually winning.
The twelve remaining members of [Frostfall Syndicate] immediately tensed up, their eyes locked on him.
Kael had no time for pleasantries. He shot past them in a blur, a single sentence floating back in his wake.
"All yours, boys!"
The guild members looked at each other, baffled.
"Got this? What's that supposed to mean?"
"You think he's planning to ambush us outside?"
A moment of silence. "Does he... need to ambush us?"
"Then what did he mean by that?"
"Whatever. Let's just focus on the elites."
...
Thirty seconds later.
"What the fuck! Where did that giant spider come from?!"
"I thought the boss in there was a humanoid!"
"It was a disguise! That's its true form!"
"Shit, its damage is insane!"
"Run!"
"Dammit, the web! The fucking web is blocking the exit!"
...
The webs Kael had destroyed automatically repaired themselves after thirty seconds, good as new.
Even with the [Frostfall Syndicate] acting as an unwitting rearguard, Kael didn't let his guard down. The [Deathmask Spider] had a speed buff in its own lair, while players were slowed. There was no way he could outrun it here, not with elite spiders still around capable of casting Roots.
Though he was sprinting, the distance between them was closing fast. He could already hear the monster's piercing shrieks echoing behind him.
Ten seconds later, the massive form of the Roderic-faced Spider appeared in his field of view.
Just as Kael shattered the eighth and final web, the spider lunged. It spat another glob of webbing, aiming to trap him for good. The two charges from his [Diadem of Unyielding Will] had already been triggered by the elites and were on cooldown. If this one landed, it was over.
Kael instantly activated the Blink skill on his [Warp Emblem].
SPLAT.
The webbing harmlessly hit the cave wall. Kael was already outside, breathing in the fresh air.
SKREEEEE!!!
The Roderic-faced Spider crawled to the mouth of the cave, roaring in fury, but it didn't take a single step further. Even as a boss, it was leashed to its territory.
Kael let out a long breath. That was way too close. I got careless. I should have been tracking the cooldown on my [Apollo's Descent].
Then again, if he'd waited for the cooldown, the guild would have already tagged the boss. Guess he could chalk it up to his high Luck stat that he'd arrived at the perfect moment.
What was that guild's name again? Kael wondered, realizing he hadn't paid any attention. Frost-something? Their leader had even introduced himself, but it had gone in one ear and out the other. "Whatever. Time to turn in the quest," he muttered.
Meanwhile, the poor souls of the [Frostfall Syndicate] were all respawning back in the safe zone, collectively wiping. The architect of their demise didn't even know who they were. They cursed his name for a few minutes before logging off.
They wouldn't dare do it on the World Channel, though. Everyone knew Dawnbreaker was tight with Elon, the head of [Arbazon], and his people were everywhere.
...
Kael appeared before Alaric and presented the quest item, [Roderic's Head].
"You have done well," Alaric said, his voice laced with relief. "Take this token. You've earned it."
Kael accepted the token, a grin spreading across his face.
System: You have received [Merchant's Passkey].
System: Lucky Bonus triggered! Your reward has been upgraded to [Pass Token]!