At that moment, Leon descended soundlessly from the ceiling like a shadow and slammed fiercely into the Giant Spider’s back.
*Thud!*
With a heavy, blunt collision, the spider lost its balance and staggered for a moment. Leon did not miss that brief opening and used his sharp teeth to relentlessly bite into the spider’s relatively weak joints.
“Screeeech!”
the spider’s desperate, pain-filled scream sharply pierced the darkness. Sang-woong quickly sliced through the webs wrapped around his legs, making sure not to waste the fleeting opportunity Leon had created.
He concentrated all his Mana into his sword and launched a powerful, fatal attack toward the spider’s head.
*Whoosh!*
A streak of blue light cut through the gloom and struck the spider’s head with precision.
*Slash!*
Following the chilling sound of a clean cut, the spider’s movement ceased for a heartbeat. Then, its massive body struck the wall where Sang-woong had been precariously hanging before plummeting down the abyss.
However, this was the worst possible outcome.
Although Sang-woong had cut the webs around his legs, there was still a strand he hadn’t noticed, firmly wrapped around his waist. Caught by the sudden, massive weight, Sang-woong let out a scream as he was helplessly dragged down.
***
The moment Sang-woong began to fall, Leon threw himself into the darkness after him without a second of hesitation. Together, Sang-woong and Leon tumbled into the bottomless black.
“Aaaagh!”
A cry of agony burst from Sang-woong’s lips. It was a terrifying sensation, as if he were falling endlessly into a void that would never end.
He desperately tried to adjust his posture in midair to brace for the impact, but soon his body crashed brutally against the cold floor.
An excruciating pain, as if every bone in his body were being crushed, surged through him.
“Leon, are you okay?”
Ignoring the searing pain in his own flesh, Sang-woong checked on Leon first, who had willingly thrown himself into this dangerous place for him.
“I am fine, Master.”
Sang-woong breathed a sigh of relief at Leon’s words, but his heart continued to beat with anxiety. The crisis was not over yet. In fact, the real danger might have only just begun.
Their surroundings were pitch black. In this absolute space where not even a single ray of light was permitted, Sang-woong had no choice but to rely on his other senses.
Only Leon’s rough, irregular breathing and the sound of his own heart pounding like crazy echoed vividly in his ears.
Then, a sticky, unpleasant sound began to crawl out of the darkness.
*Slither… slither…*
Sensing the danger instinctively, Sang-woong tightened his grip on his sword. He could feel numerous glowing red eyes approaching them silently through the gloom.
Squirming in the pitch-black darkness was a swarm of Black Centipedes.
His Appraisal Skill informed him of the horrific truth: they were filled with potent venom.
“Why does everything have to be so difficult?”
Deep irritation and extreme fatigue flickered across Sang-woong’s face. The relentless waves of monsters and deadly traps were pushing his mind and body to their absolute limits.
He had barely escaped the falling trap and tried to catch his breath, only to be ambushed by a Giant Spider and dragged down a cliff.
Now, in a darkness where he couldn’t even see his own hands, he had to fight for his life again against a swarm of venomous centipedes.
He gritted his teeth. It wasn’t so much anger as it was a deep resignation toward this relentless, cruel reality.
But at the same time, his unyielding will grew even firmer. He couldn’t just sit here and give up. To survive, to escape this hellish place, he had to overcome whatever horrific difficulties came his way.
Despite the uncertainty and deep anxiety of fighting in unfamiliar darkness, Sang-woong prepared to push all his senses to the extreme. He focused every nerve on his ears, his skin, and the tip of his nose.
He mapped out the minute friction of countless legs crawling over the damp, cold floor, the foul and disgusting stench the creatures emitted, the sharp toxicity in the air, and even the slightest movements of the air they caused.
All the information formed a map in Sang-woong’s mind, appearing with startling clarity.
*Swish!*
The first Black Centipede brushed past Sang-woong’s arm, moving as fast as lightning. The unique vibration of its body was transmitted vividly through the tip of his sword.
“Eight o’clock!”
Sang-woong swung his sword instinctively.
*Clang!*
A sharp metallic sound was followed by a dull thud of something being struck. The chilling sensation of the centipede’s sharp claws scraping against the blade and the unique, unpleasant scream it let out confirmed that his prediction was correct.
*Slither, whoosh!*
This time, the sound of numerous centipedes swarming from all directions filled the air. It was a hair-raising sound, like dozens or hundreds of insects crawling simultaneously over dry silk. In the darkness, the many red eyes closed in on Sang-woong and Leon like a massive spiderweb.
“Hyah!”
Sang-woong let out a shout of spirit and swung his sword relentlessly in all directions. His movements were not those of a man blinded by darkness, but rather those of a hungry predator whose senses had become more acute in the gloom.
The sharp sound of the blade cutting the air was followed by the gruesome sounds of the centipedes’ bodies being struck or severed.
*Ting! Clang! Crunch!*
Leon also moved with agility, maintaining a certain distance from Sang-woong like a shadow. His sharp, hard claws tore into the floor as he ruthlessly crushed the centipedes, and his powerful, sharp teeth bit into their bodies without mercy.
*Growl!*
Leon’s low, fierce growl let Sang-woong know he was holding his own, while simultaneously warning the Black Centipedes that they were not easy prey.
Leon’s senses were far superior to Sang-woong’s. The pitch-black darkness was not a major threat to a being born for battle. Leon attacked the Black Centipedes fiercely and effectively, rapidly thinning their numbers.
The two boasted a perfect, seamless synergy, moving like a single organism.
Though a few Black Centipedes grazed Sang-woong’s legs and sides, leaving sharp and deep pain, he had no time to feel it as he swung his sword and twisted his body to avoid attacks. He had to annihilate them all before the venom could spread through his body.
Whenever he felt the unpleasant sensation of toxicity seeping into him, Sang-woong swung his sword even more violently to shake it off.
How much time had passed?
The sticky, unpleasant sounds and the eerie red eyes could no longer be felt. Gasping for breath, Sang-woong cautiously felt around his surroundings. He could see Leon’s strong silhouette nearby, faint but clear.
“Leon, are you okay?”
Leon gave a low growl and gently licked Sang-woong’s hand as if to say he was fine. Sang-woong generously gave Leon various types of potions and drank the rest himself.
Under the effects of the high-quality potions, the venom that had spread through his body vanished, and he felt his exhausted Mana and stamina rapidly returning.
Sang-woong tightened his grip on his sword once more. They had managed to survive the pitch-black darkness, but he had no idea how deep this gloom went or what other horrific trials awaited them.
But Sang-woong did not back down. Alongside Leon, he prepared to take another step forward.
As they entered the deepest parts of the ruins, the concentration of Magi became suffocatingly thick. Sang-woong felt it becoming difficult even to breathe.
At that moment, due to the continuous exposure, a miracle occurred.
[The level of your Magi Resistance Skill has increased!]
The unpleasant, stifling sensation that had been weighing down his body eased slightly, and he felt much more comfortable.
As time passed, his eyes began to adjust to the pitch-black darkness. He could now perceive the movements of objects, albeit faintly.
This would be a massive advantage in the battles to come. Since everyone except Leon was an enemy, he swung his sword without hesitation the moment he detected movement.
After slaying countless Black Centipedes, Sang-woong finally reached a Great Hall at the deepest part of the ruins. In the center of the hall sat a massive brazier burning with an ominous flame.
The black and red flames of Magi were constantly belching out sticky, dark smoke. The surrounding space was filled with Magi so thick it was painful even to breathe.
Just as Sang-woong cautiously approached to destroy the brazier, an eerie and ominous energy exploded from within it. A black figure lunged out in an instant.
It had the shape of a human, but it was a horrific monster composed entirely of black, sticky Magi. Its body constantly emitted dark energy like flames burning in hell. Cruel light flickered within its red, hollow eyes.
[Specter Guarding the Brazier]
Sang-woong knit his brows after identifying the creature with his Appraisal Skill.
“A specter? Now all sorts of things are showing up.”
*Growl…*
The black monster growled with a low, threatening sound and glared sharply at Sang-woong. The growl made the bleak, damp air of the ruins feel even heavier and more ominous.
Sang-woong gripped his sword tightly and charged at the creature without hesitation.
“Bring it on, you ghost!”
The moment the blade touched the black monster’s body, something shocking and absurd happened.
The creature’s body, which clearly possessed a solid form, suddenly dispersed like black smoke, allowing Sang-woong’s sword to pass right through it.
Then, instantly regaining its original form, the black monster’s sharp claws dug deep into Sang-woong’s side.
“Argh!”
Sang-woong let out a groan of pain and hurriedly backed away. He hadn’t been prepared for such a bizarre ability.
Not only Sang-woong but even Leon showed clear signs of fluster at the shocking fact that physical attacks were completely ineffective.
However, that confusion did not last long.
The fact that the black monster possessed the incredible ability of **[Physical Attack Immunity]** was certainly a massive threat.
If Sang-woong and Leon had lost their fighting spirit out of fear of such an irregular and disadvantageous ability, they would have been helpless.
But Sang-woong was a seasoned warrior who had crossed the line between life and death countless times since his past life, and Leon was a natural-born warrior and a powerful Divine Beast.
They were not the type to kneel easily to this level of trial.