The first giant spider lunged forward at lightning speed, dragging its massive body along. Its sharp front legs sliced through the fierce wind, aiming precisely for Sang-woong’s heart.
Sang-woong reflexively twisted his body to narrowly avoid the attack while simultaneously swinging his sword like a bolt of lightning at the creature’s leg joint.
*Crack!*
With a dull bursting sound, one of the spider’s legs was severed. However, the creature seemed unable to even feel pain as it spewed a dark red liquid from its wound and rushed at him again even more fiercely.
At the same time, the other spiders following behind collectively fired sticky, tough webs from their mouths.
*Whoosh!*
*Whoosh!*
*Screech!*
Dozens of spiderweb strands flew from all directions like a giant net.
“Damn it!”
An onslaught of spiderwebs in such a limited space was truly the worst. It did not look like they would be easy to cut with a sword either.
Sang-woong barely managed to avoid the webs by rolling low, but as the spiders clinging to the hallway ceiling like leeches relentlessly spat webs from all sides, the space to dodge gradually shrank.
The sticky, tough webbing began to cover the floor and walls, hindering his movements.
At that moment, a strand of spiderweb grazed Sang-woong’s arm and stuck. A cold shiver ran down his spine at the sticky, unpleasant sensation.
‘Damn it, these cursed webs!’
Sang-woong counterattacked by swinging his sword to cut the webbing stuck to his arm. However, the sticky webs clung to the blade, making the sword heavier and the edge duller, but there was nothing he could do about it.
*Clang!*
The sword struck the giant spider’s torso accurately, but their hard carapaces did not even take a scratch from an ordinary attack.
Sang-woong concentrated even more Mana into his sword and unleashed a powerful strike.
*Sizzle!*
The sword, burning with flickering blue Mana, slammed directly into the spider’s carapace.
*Clang!*
Along with a dull thud, cracks finally appeared in the carapace. It was working.
Sang-woong poured a concentrated barrage of attacks onto a single spider. When he thrust his sharp sword deep between the broken carapace, the spider let out a horrific scream — *Screeeech!* — and fell powerlessly to the floor.
However, the dead spider was immediately trampled beyond recognition by the others following it, and new spiders instantly filled the empty spot. Sang-woong seemed to be gradually pushed back by the endless swarm of giant spiders.
But Sang-woong was not easy to defeat either. Through the intense battle over a short period, he had accurately identified the giant spider’s weakness and began to relentlessly exploit it.
Not every part of the carapace surrounding the giant spider was hard. Sang-woong quickly slashed at various parts of the giant spider’s body and found the most vulnerable area of the carapace.
The giant spider’s weakness was its mouth, which was its most threatening means of attack and its most frequently moving part. Because it was a part with a lot of movement, the carapace was relatively weaker than the other sections.
*Kiiiaaaaack!*
The giant spiders, their mouths deeply gashed, let out agonizing screams and fell in heaps from the ceiling and walls. They crashed into the other giant spiders rushing along the floor, effectively hindering their movements.
As they became entangled in a chaotic mess, the intensity of the attack noticeably dropped. Sang-woong did not miss that golden opportunity. He hacked his way through the spiders, advancing through the hallway little by little.
Then, his foot felt a subtle sensation.
In an instant — *Creak!* — with an ominous sound, the floor he was standing on tilted sharply downward and collapsed. It was a completely unexpected trap!
As his body plummeted, his center of gravity was severely shaken. Behind the staggering Sang-woong, who had lost his balance — *Whoosh!* — along with a sharp piercing sound, dozens of sharp arrows rained down from numerous small holes hidden in the walls.
It was the worst possible situation. For a moment, the blood drained from Sang-woong’s face.
Sang-woong tried to twist his body to avoid the arrows, but his body, having already lost its balance, did not move as he wished. Several arrows grazed his arms and legs, gouging deep into his flesh.
At that moment, as if it had been waiting for Sang-woong to be in danger, a giant spider rushed at him. Its long, pointed legs lunged fiercely toward Sang-woong’s heart.
Sang-woong clearly noticed the attack, but in the current situation, there seemed to be no way to avoid it. It was a moment of life or death where his vision turned white.
*Grrr…*
Just then, Leon’s low, fierce growl was heard from above. Leon lunged at lightning speed and rammed into the giant spider’s side with all his might.
*Boom!*
A roar of a heavy body crashing miserably against the wall shook the entire hallway. Leon dug his sharp claws deep into the spider’s hard carapace and bit down mercilessly.
The spider struggled desperately in pain, but it was helpless against Leon’s persistent and fierce attack.
Thanks to the precious time Leon bought him, Sang-woong managed to regain his posture and adjust his grip on his sword. Clutching his bleeding arm, he glared sharply at the spider swarm once more.
While Leon distracted the other spiders, Sang-woong concentrated all his Mana into his sword and delivered a sharp, powerful strike.
The sword, surging violently as if the Mana would explode, pierced the spider’s mouth — its weakness — accurately. The creature shuddered violently once and then collapsed onto the floor, motionless.
The hallway became a scene of absolute carnage. The flash of Sang-woong’s sword, Leon’s sharp claws, the spiders’ sticky webs, and their horrific cries mixed together to fill the passage.
The floor, side walls, and ceiling of the hallway were a complete mess, covered in numerous holes made by the spiders’ legs and the remains of the spiders that had been brutally torn apart.
Sang-woong held out and fought persistently, and thanks to Leon’s fantastic cooperation, he gradually gained the upper hand.
Finally, the swarm of spiders that had filled the hallway began to thin out, and once the last one fell, the interior of the Ruins was once again enveloped in an eerie silence.
Sang-woong exhaled a ragged breath and lowered his sword, which was covered in blood and black liquid. Sticky remnants of spiderwebs were unpleasantly attached to various parts of his body, and the wounds grazed by arrows stung as if they had been burned.
Leon’s fur was also stained with red blood in several places, but his eyes were still shining as sharply as a hungry predator.
“Whew… Good job, Leon. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been in real trouble.”
Sang-woong gently stroked Leon’s head. As if he had been waiting for a reward, Leon rubbed his head against Sang-woong’s hand.
Sang-woong took a Healing Potion out of his Inventory, carefully applied it to Leon’s wounds, and fed him the remaining potion. Then, he generously fed him a Detoxification Potion, a Mana Potion, and a Stamina Potion.
“Master, thank you. *Woof!*” Leon said, wagging his tail.
“I’m the one who’s grateful. When we go back, I’ll give you plenty of the delicious meat you like most.”
Now the hallway was clear. It was time to move forward and find the Heart of the Ruins in this eerie darkness.
The fierce battle with the giant spider swarm had left deep fatigue in his mind, but at the same time, it sharply awakened his alertness for the greater dangers he would face ahead.
Carefully cutting away the sticky remnants of spiderwebs that filled the hallway with his sword, he cautiously stepped into the next space with Leon.
The hallway was shrouded in thick darkness. The damp stone floor was slippery every time he took a step, and bizarre shadows on the walls danced as if they were alive.
The moment Sang-woong’s foot stepped on a worn-out stepping stone, a subtle but ominous friction sound sharply cut through the silence.
*Click…*
As the sound echoed through the silent hallway where not even an inch ahead could be seen, an instinctive sense of crisis washed coldly over his entire body. Before he could even dodge, the stone slab beneath his feet plummeted downward!
*Thud!*
In the dizzying moment of losing his balance and falling, Sang-woong instinctively drove his sword into the wall and barely managed to hang on. Below his feet, only pitch-black darkness stretched out endlessly.
Just then — *Whoosh!* *Whoosh!* — eerie sounds of wind echoed one after another behind Sang-woong’s back.
Dozens of ominous purple arrows, seemingly laced with deadly poison, began to pour out incessantly from the numerous small holes cleverly hidden in the wall.
There was nowhere to dodge while hanging precariously in the narrow space.
“Damn it!”
Sang-woong bit his lip and quickly took another sword out of his Inventory, swinging it rapidly to deflect the incoming arrows.
*Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!*
Sharp metallic sounds rang out violently in the narrow, dark space. However, the number of arrows pouring out was far too many.
Several arrows grazed his arms and legs, leaving deep, stinging wounds, and he felt a fierce pain as if he had been burned on his back, as if they were aiming for the tiny gaps in his armor.
Not only the simple pain from the wounds, but also a horrific burning sensation from the poison quickly surged through his entire body.
*Grit!*
Sang-woong clenched his teeth and desperately endured the pain. However, the strength was gradually draining from the hand holding the sword. At this rate, he would have no choice but to fall into the bottomless darkness.
In that moment of life or death, Leon, moving as nimbly as a shadow, jumped down the abyss without a moment’s hesitation. He scratched the wall with his sharp claws and slid down to just below Sang-woong in an instant.
Then, using his sturdy back and tail as a foothold, he supported Sang-woong so he could step on them for a brief moment!
“Leon!”
Sang-woong did not miss the split-second window Leon had created. He drove his sword even deeper into the wall to secure his body. Simultaneously, he hurried to take a Healing Potion out of his Inventory with his other hand and poured it over his wounds.
Along with a stinging pain, he felt the dark red poison faintly disappearing from the wound sites.
Fortunately, the arrow trap stopped after a while. Arrows no longer burst out from the many holes in the wall.
Sang-woong gave a short signal to Leon. Accurately understanding his signal, Leon dug his sharp claws into the wall again and leaped upward like a bolt of lightning.
Following the path Leon had taken, Sang-woong began to carefully climb the wall, using his sword as a reliable support.
Just then, as if waiting for him, a massive black shadow pounced on Sang-woong from the ceiling.
It was another giant spider!
The creature relentlessly spat out sticky, tough webs to bind Sang-woong’s movements, and its several pointed legs swung fiercely and threateningly as if to pierce his body.
‘Damn it, not again!’
Sang-woong violently twisted his body in midair to barely avoid the spider’s attack, but several strands of sticky spiderweb unpleasantly wrapped around his legs. In that moment when his movements slowed, the spider’s sharp claws lunged deep, aiming for his side.