Deep Darkness Barrier!

He raised his staff and cast the spell instantly, a dark barrier forming around his body as he dashed forward without hesitation, closing the distance between them in a single burst of speed.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The spider responded immediately, its legs striking toward him with full force, each hit landing against the barrier with explosive power as cracks began to spread across its surface almost instantly.

The first strike weakened it. The second nearly shattered it.

And by the third, the barrier broke completely.

Leon was left exposed. But he didn’t stop. He didn’t even try to defend.

Instead, a crimson aura erupted around him, gathering at the tip of his sword as he pushed forward with everything he had, his focus narrowing down to a single point.

"Krkrkrk!"

The spider reacted with equal intensity, swinging one of its legs with terrifying speed as it aimed directly for him.

This time, it hit.

The sharp limb pierced straight through Leon’s shoulder, tearing through flesh and muscle as it lifted him slightly off the ground, blood spilling from the wound as the pain shot through his body.

His vision blurred for a split second.

But even then, his gaze didn’t waver.

Vines of Torment!

At the exact same moment, dozens upon dozens of vines erupted from the ground, wrapping tightly around the spider’s legs and body as they constricted with force, attempting to hold it in place.

For a brief instant, the creature was restrained.

Its movements slowed. Its limbs were bound. But only for a moment.

SWOOSH!

With a violent surge of power, the spider tore through the vines completely, shredding them apart as it refocused on Leon, who was still impaled and vulnerable in front of it.

Sensing victory, it raised multiple legs at once, preparing to strike him down completely.

But it was too late. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Crimson Dance!

Leon’s sword flashed.

And in the next instant, dozens upon dozens of crimson slashes exploded outward, tearing through the air and striking the spider’s body from every angle.

At first, it seemed like nothing had changed. The difference in [Combat Power] was still there.

The creature’s defenses were still holding.

But then—

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Three of its legs were severed almost instantly, falling to the ground as a strange blue liquid burst out from the wounds, the creature letting out a panicked, distorted screech as its balance faltered.

"KRKRKRKR~!"

It tried to retreat. But it couldn’t.

Because Leon had already figured it out.

Throughout the entire fight, the spider had been protecting one specific area more than anything else: its head. Its weakest point.

And now that its legs were gone, there was nothing left to defend it.

SLASH!

One final crimson slash cut cleanly through its head, the attack slicing through with precision as the creature’s body froze for a brief moment before collapsing entirely, its massive form crashing onto the ground.

Ding!

[You have killed "Spider of Darkness"]

[100% Drop Rate has triggered...]

Leon let out a small breath as he saw the notification, a faint grin appearing on his face as the tension finally left his body.

But that relief didn’t last long.

His legs suddenly weakened, his vision blurred again. And then, he stumbled.

Cough!

Blood spilled from his mouth as he struggled to stay upright, his hand instinctively moving to his shoulder where the wound still throbbed with pain.

"Damn..." he muttered, his voice low as he steadied himself, "I didn’t think it would actually land a hit... and that hard too."

It was honestly a miracle he was still standing.

If not for his [Divine Armor], that attack might have done far more damage than he could handle.

Still, the injury wasn’t fatal.

Without wasting time, Leon reached into his [Storage Space] and pulled out a [Healing Potion], bringing it to his lips immediately.

It was an inferior version of the two [Supreme Healing Potion] he acquired, but he didn’t plan to use them on such an injury.

Gulp!

The liquid went down quickly, and within seconds, he felt its effects spreading through his body.

The pain dulled as the wound on his shoulder began to close, the torn flesh knitting itself back together as the bleeding stopped completely.

After a few moments, he rolled his shoulder slightly.

It worked. No lingering issues.

Nom!

Without hesitation, he consumed the essence dropped by the spider, feeling his strength increase once again as he looked ahead toward the distant city.

His expression turned serious.

’That fight... was not worth it,’ he thought, his mind already adjusting his approach moving forward, ’I need to find groups instead... places where [Celestial’s Might] can actually activate.’

More than anything though, Leon needed to grow stronger.

After all, even if he activated [Celestial’s Might] on the [Forsaken Minotaur], not only would it still remain a boss monster, but it would have more [Combat Power] than this spider.

There was no scenario where Leon could see himself win, and he hadn’t even seen the monster yet!

If Violet and her group could do nothing but run from it though, then it was bound to be terrifying.

He made sure everything was in his [Storage Space], then with a nod, he stepped forward.

It only took a few minutes to encounter a group of [Forsaken Knights].

Clang! Clang! Clang!

But unlike all the others Leon had seen before, these ones seemed to be... in a battle against something.

Leon climbed on a nearby rooftop once more and...

"Hah," Leon grinned, "I guess I was right."

A small army of [Forsaken Knights], around thirty of them, were currently in a battle against three [Spiders of Darkness].

Leon had believed before that even a dozen of these knights wouldn’t be able to take down a spider.

But he had only thought that to compare the two.

He never truly believed that the monsters of the [Forsaken City] would fight one another, as they would mostly be focused on the players.

Usually, monsters never attacked each other after all, except if they had very precise intentions.

And yet, before Leon’s eyes, the knights and spiders were fighting, as if they were enemies.

’Does it have to do with the [Forsaken Legion] the knights are part of?’