25 Chapter 25: Battle (1/2)
The spider rested atop a massive spiral of webs, its spear-like legs comfortably hanging off the edge. At the side, all sorts of unusual creatures were stuck inside rather compact cacoons, devoid of life. A few ants, grottenburgs, and even several unidentified beasts presented themselves, causing Wilhelm to squint his eyes cautiously.
The dome-like area was perfect for combat, but it was also riddled with traps and webs. The spider wasn't even yet aware of Wilhelm's small figure as he trodded carefully, avoiding the floor littered with bones and carcasses. He tightly clasped his daggers, sweat trailing down the palm of his hands as he stealthily approached the eight-legged beast.
His body was slouched down ever so slightly, bending his back as he crept, like an assassin. With both his inhuman strength and dagger expertise, he wasn't too worried about failure. Nonetheless, as a human who used to live on earth, such a situation was absolutely unnerving. Even with the absurd amount of time he had spent in the dungeon, he was still not used to such colossal-like creatures.
His quiet approach continued for a total of fifteen seconds until he arrived around three meters away from the huge figure. The closer he got, the more magnified its features became. A strange, green liquid trickled down from its skin and a small entrance within the cave was at its back. A few of the trapped ants which were still alive wiggled happily as they observed Wilhelm approach—every animal wanted to survive, it was in their instincts.
The abrupt movement resulted in the spider to open up one of its eyes, inspecting the prey it had acquired the other day. With that one movement, the surroundings became dead quiet. The eye scanned the room and soon landed on Wilhelm's solitary figure, who was only around a meter or so away from it.
Immediately, Wilhelm broke into a sprint, surging toward the unprepared spider. The ground caved in under the pressure, and it took Wilhelm only a mere second to appear in front of one of the spiders eight eyes. Both of his daggers were thrust downward; not a single shred of hesitation was reflected in his remaining eye as he resolved himself to battle.
Slish! Blood spurted into the air and painted Wilhelms body green with grime, also causing the spider to painfully awake from its slumber. The eight legs writhed painfully as a wail escaped from its lips, deafening the surroundings and rupturing Wilhelm's ear. It shook its body and flung Wilhelm off, regaining its position and confidence.
It gazed at Wilhelm with unparalleled hatred, grinding its furry legs together in a threatening manner. Unfortunately for the spider, Wilhelm was already under the influence of immense adrenaline. No meager threat could waver his current determination. His blades whirled in the palm of his hands as he slumped down again, preparing to charge.
His eyes darted across the room, looking for a route to ensure victory. In a quick second, a small, but dangerous plan formulated inside of his head. A wry smile appeared on his lips as he launched off the ground, once again charging toward the spider.
Six of the spiders eight legs suddenly propelled toward Wilhelm in a disorderly fashion, some faster than others. They streaked across the cavern and hurled a bit of wind, fluttering Wilhelm's loincloth. His eye dilated as he shifted his body to the left, barely dodging the first leg and kicking off it.
However, that wasn't the end; the spiders' coordination was much better than he expected. The other five legs came in tow, following him through the air. He was forced to flip within the air and block one of the legs by crossing his daggers in front of him, causing sparks to fly out. Alas, the next four legs never stopped, inching closer and closer.
With a click of Wilhelms' tongue, he dropped his guard and moved his head to the left, letting one of the spider legs scrape his right shoulder. He fell to the ground and didn't even bother blocking the other attacks, allowing them to scrape against his body.
Blood spouted from his body as he leaped onto one of the extended legs, running across it as fast as he could. The spiders other two legs immediately moved to retaliate. However, Wilhelm already anticipated such a development. He used his dexterous body to droop downward, raising both of his daggers and placing them in front of his face. His entire figure became very arrow-dynamic, similar to a torpedo.
Both he and the two legs gradually moved closer and closer until they were only about five inches away from each other. Time seemed to stop as Wilhelm lightly hopped off the spider leg he was standing on, using his daggers to parry the other two legs at the same time. Sparks flew into the surroundings, and just the sheer power behind the spider caused Wilhelm's left shoulder to become dislocated. His left arm drooped, but Wilhelm ground his teeth and persisted on; the spider would soon regain its superior position.