Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls-Chapter 38: A cave.

Kael was leaning against the wall of the cave, panting and tired, when, without intending to, he accidentally touched one of the rocks. The stone gave way under his touch with a dry crack, and before he could react, the entire wall collapsed, releasing a cloud of dust that stole his breath away. Kael jumped back, his heart pounding in his chest, nearly falling backward onto the ground, but he managed to catch himself just in time.

"What the hell..." he whispered, gasping.

The fallen wall revealed a dark passage, a narrow tunnel that opened into a vast, shadowy cavern. The stormlight, which had once felt comforting, now seemed distant and insignificant. What lay before him, however, made his stomach turn. Thick, sticky, malformed spider webs covered the walls and floor of the cave, as if the very structure itself were alive.

The air was heavy and damp, and Kael felt a shiver run down his spine. Something was wrong. Something was watching him. The cave seemed to pulse, breathing slowly, as if it were an entity awaiting his arrival. The webs were everywhere, a true jungle of silver threads, and Kael felt his heart race.

"This... This isn’t good," he murmured, his senses on high alert. But curiosity was stronger. What could be here, in this filthy cave, that was worth exploring?

He hesitated, looking around. The webs were dense, hard to get through without being caught. With a frustrated sigh, Kael used the stones at the entrance to push the webs away, his hands sweaty and trembling with each movement, but he knew he couldn’t waste more time. His body was exhausted, his arm still throbbing with pain, but his mind was sharp. He needed to find a way out of this forest.

As he went deeper, the sound of the wind and rain outside disappeared, replaced by a profound and oppressive silence. The smell of mold and wet earth filled his nostrils as he passed between webs that now seemed thicker, more resistant. The further he went, the more he felt that something was wrong. The webs seemed to close in on him, almost as if they wanted to trap him, and the temperature inside the cave dropped sharply.

"Damn it..." Kael muttered, gritting his teeth. He could already feel the difficulty of breathing, the air becoming denser, as if it were being squeezed out of him. He knew something was there, something was watching him. The sensation was uncomfortable, like the cave itself was a living organism, aware of his presence.

With every step, the shadows seemed to move with him, as if they were following his movements, and Kael felt their weight growing. His instincts were screaming, warning him of imminent danger. He forced his senses to sharpen, trying to find any clue of what might be lurking in the depths of the cave.

That’s when he heard it. A low sound, almost imperceptible, coming from behind one of the large stone columns covered in webs. A faint rustling, followed by something heavier moving, almost like a sigh. Kael froze. He knew he wasn’t alone.

With a swift movement, he approached the column, pushing the webs aside. The sound got closer. Something was there. Something big, something heavy.

He reached out his hand, ready to conjure a wind spell, but before he could do anything, the cave seemed to explode with a roar. The webs stirred violently, as if something were rapidly crawling across the ground, and a dark shadow leapt forward, quickly becoming visible.

It was huge. Immense. A monstrous creature, covered by a mass of twisted webs, with eyes glowing like flames in the depths of the darkness. It emitted a muffled scream, almost like a howl, and Kael had only a second to react.

His body moved instinctively. He used the wind magic to push the air around him, creating a temporary barrier, but the creature didn’t stop. It attacked with fierce speed, its enormous feet crushing the ground as it charged. Kael jumped to the side, dodging the attack, but the creature didn’t relent. It kept advancing, faster than he could imagine, and Kael knew he wouldn’t have the same luck twice.

"Shit..." Kael shouted, his eyes locked on the monstrous creature in front of him. His heart was racing in his chest, and his thoughts were in turmoil. The huge Queen Spider, covered by a thick layer of dark, damp webs, moved with surprising agility, its long, sharp legs scraping the rocky floor of the cave as it advanced, its eyes glowing with a cold, predatory light.

The system message was no help at all.

[You have encountered a Queen Spider of Rank C]

[Imminent danger! You are at a disadvantage! Make your choice quickly!]

Kael felt sweat trickle down his forehead as he quickly analyzed the situation. He didn’t know much about Queen Spiders, but from the size and the increasing pressure of the environment, he knew she was no ordinary opponent. The cave seemed tailor-made for this monster, as if the terrain was designed for its needs.

Fear crept into his mind, but Kael forced himself to stay calm. "Breathe. This isn’t the time to panic."

Mana... He focused, feeling his energy draining within him. Using magic with his level of exhaustion was no simple task, but he had no choice. He needed to act, and fast. The Queen Spider charged with a muffled roar, her legs pounding the rock with a force that made the cave tremble.

Kael leaped to the side, dodging the first attack, but feeling the air cut through by the creature’s sharp legs. "Damn it! You’ll have to catch me first!" He murmured, already preparing his magic.

He used wind. Cutting wind.

With a fluid motion, Kael concentrated his energy in the palm of his hand and extended his arm, channeling the magic into a sharp wind blade that shot toward the creature. The blade cut through the webs covering the cave entrance, but the Queen Spider merely dodged with an agile leap, as if the blade had been nothing more than a light breeze. Her movement was impressive, almost supernatural.

Kael didn’t have time to regret it. With a furious roar, the creature launched a throw attack, firing a hardened web sphere in his direction. "Damn!" Kael ducked, rolling to the side, but the web still hit him, ensnaring his leg and causing him to fall hard onto the rocky ground.

He tried to break free, but the webs were surprisingly strong, binding him with a force he hadn’t expected. The Queen Spider approached, her mandibles extending, ready to devour him alive.

[Shadow Manipulation skill detected. System adjusting.]

The system message flashed in his vision, and Kael, desperate, did what he knew best. He focused on his shadow magic, feeling the dark energy flood his body like a wave. The shadows around him began to stir, becoming denser and more powerful than ever. With a concentrated effort, Kael summoned a wave of darkness around him, attempting to cut through the webs that held him.

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The shadows exploded around his body, and the webs began to disintegrate like burning paper. He quickly got to his feet, his feet touching the rocky ground, and the creature before him was ready to attack again. Kael had no time to rest.

He looked at the Queen Spider, feeling the pressure intensify. "If I don’t finish her off soon, I’m going to be lunch... or worse."

With a shout of determination, Kael used his last reserve of mana and summoned a powerful storm of wind. "Cutting wind!" he growled, the wind blade growing around him until it took the form of a large cyclone.

The storm roared toward the creature, cutting through the air and making the rocks shake. The Queen Spider tried to dodge, but the wind seemed to follow her, creating deep cuts on her legs and damaging her web defenses. The creature trembled in pain, her monstrous form struggling against the force of the wind.

But Kael knew he didn’t have much time. He could feel his mana draining quickly, and he needed to land the final blow.

With one last effort, Kael gathered his energies into a single sharp wind blade and launched it directly at the center of the Queen Spider’s body. The blade cut through the thick flesh of the creature, tearing through her with the sound of flesh being shredded. The Queen Spider let out a guttural scream, her mandibles snapping violently, but her resistance finally gave way.

The creature fell backwards with a thud, its legs stretching forward in a last, futile attempt to grab him. Kael, panting and exhausted, watched as the Spider Queen fell to the ground with a final thud, its flesh twisting and its life drained.

The air in the cave became quieter, and Kael, lacking the strength to stand, fell to his knees. "I... I did it..." he muttered, looking down at the creature’s defeated body. His body ached, fatigue overtook him, but he knew he had to move on.

[Hidden Mission: Cave Guardian] completed!

[Rank C Spider Queen Soul acquired].

"Die bitch..." Kael fell heavily to the floor of the cave, his body finally giving in to the limit of tiredness he had been trying to ignore.