บท 24: Chapter 24: What is your Desire?
The spider emitted a hissing sound while forcefully bringing down its leg, capable of penetrating even steel. Blaze swiftly evaded to the side, slashing at the leg. A spark arose, reminiscent of striking a metallic object rather than a body part.
Once more, Blaze deftly evaded while maneuvering beneath the wriggling abdomen of the spider queen.
"It's utterly repulsive," he remarked.
With precision, he unleashed the devastating [Inferno Whirlwind], unleashing a swirling vortex of black flames upon the spider queen's belly.
It roared in pain as its stomach bore the brunt of the strike. It jumped up and beheld a small fire tornado, which was sending flaming slashes towards it.
The queen screamed as waves of spiders emerged and attacked the group. Myra and Mira managed their discomfort and took care of the small critters.
Blaze rushed toward their boss and unleashed flaming slashes ahead, burning every critter that crossed his path.
The Spider queen launched its webs at him, but he skillfully evaded them, fully aware that becoming trapped amidst numerous enemies would have dire consequences. He enveloped his body with flames, ensuring they surrounded him without making direct contact. It was peculiar that he remained unharmed by his own flames, but he had to be cautious to prevent his clothes from catching fire. He maintained a distance of about one centimeter between himself and the flames.
"It's a good thing that this suit can repair itself; otherwise, the flames would have make a quick work of it," he remarked.
As Blaze approached the boss, he delivered slashing attacks. However, apart from leaving burn marks, his strikes seemed to have little effect other than further infuriating the boss. Pondering for a moment, he activated [Inspect] once again in an attempt to identify the monster's weak spot.
"That's… to be expected."
He noticed the boss's face glowing, indicating that it was the only vulnerable part apart from its belly, but cracking the shell-like skin was necessary to target it.
Blaze released his blades, causing them to vanish, and a spear materialized in his grasp. Swiftly evading the spider's leg attack, he seized the opportunity to grab the spear. With a powerful throw, he aimed for the boss's head. Perhaps due to the monster's last-minute movement, the spear struck the fangs, producing a clang. However, before it could celebrate, another spear swiftly arrived, this time hitting its mark—the monster's eye.
Puchi*
The spear pierced one of its eyes, causing the arachnid creature to emit a hiss of pain as its legs thrashed about the affected area. Blaze deftly evaded the ensuing attacks, forming another spear in preparation for the next move.
"Let's pump up the strength."
His grin widened as he unleashed [Rune Fury], infusing the spear with immense power before hurling it with full force, this time targeting the monster's belly.
Puchi*
The spear embedded itself halfway into the creature's belly. The monster emitted a hiss of pain and retaliated by spewing webs that blanketed the entire floor.
Myra and Mira found themselves ensnared, their movements severely restricted. However, before they could react, a blazing pillar erupted from the individual handling the monster, engulfing everything and reducing it to ashes.
"I have to take a bath after this."
The flames surged higher, transforming the weak and injured small critters into charred spiders.
The duo remained occupied, tirelessly dealing with the incessantly spawning spiders, all the while being in awe of Blaze's immense strength and exceptional control.
Observing the futility of its webs, the spider emitted a hiss, and a viscous substance oozed from its fangs. It lunged forward, aiming to bite Blaze and inject him with its poisonous venom.
"Do you take me for an idiot?"
Blaze looked at the spider with disdain, and a pike materialized next to him. He forcefully drove its rear end into the ground, patiently awaiting the monster's approach.
As the spider boss lunged toward him, Blaze released his hold on the pike and swiftly leaped backward. The pike descended, but before it could make any movement, the monster's face collided with it. The pike fulfilled its purpose, finding its place alongside the spear, leaving the monster with only six remaining eyes to glare through.
Hiss*
The excruciating pain elicited a piercing screech from the monster, fueling its frenzied attacks against Blaze. However, he displayed remarkable agility, evading its strikes effortlessly while continuously hurling spears at the creature. The precision of his throws was such that regardless of the monster's head movements, the spears consistently found their mark.
A frown creased Blaze's face, realizing that his current strength was insufficient to fully penetrate the monster's thick cephalothorax. Suddenly, he recalled an even more effective tool, and a peculiar device materialized before him.
"An atlatl?"
Blaze positioned a spear on the atlatl and boldly advanced, propelling it with tremendous force from beneath the monster's belly.
Puchi* Crack*
A resounding sound of cracking and piercing reverberated as the spear vanished completely into the monster's belly, with a spear tip emerging from the upper side.
-10,000
"Now, this is what I'm talking about. Let's add some speed to the mix."
A smirk formed on Blaze's face as he activated [Dash of the Wind] and swiftly moved backward. The monster grew increasingly frantic, unable to land a single blow on this elusive adversary, and its health had already been significantly depleted.
Observing Blaze sprinting toward it at an incredible speed, the monster unleashed a web projectile that shot towards him like a bullet. Blaze swiftly dashed to the left, then lunged his hand forward, propelling the spear in the atlatl towards the monster with such velocity that it blurred. In the next moment, the spear struck the wall above the monster.
Mira gazed at the spear in astonishment as it seemingly vanished from her sight, only to reappear embedded in the wall.
"He missed?"
Myra shook her head, pointing towards the monster. Mira followed her gaze and noticed a gaping hole in its resilient skull, accompanied by a visible decrease in its health.
-30,000
Before the monster had a chance to scream, Blaze launched a second spear, this time enveloped in flames that sizzled its brain.
-6,000
As the monster began to collapse, Blaze swiftly jumped backward, avoiding the enormous body that would cause severe injury upon impact.
Stepping away, Blaze utilized the flames to incinerate every last one of the remaining little critters. With their queen mother vanquished, they ceased to spawn.
Boom*
The colossal body of the monster crashed to the ground, creating a billowing cloud of dust and debris, consisting mostly of the small spiders. Blaze gazed at the defeated monster and smirked, his lips curling upward.
"That was exhilarating. If only it possessed a bit more intelligence. The enjoyment would have doubled."
Blaze turned his gaze towards the two girls, noticing their contrasting expressions. Mira appeared initially shocked but gradually transformed her expression into one of reverence, even bordering on worship. On the other hand, Myra wore an incredulous expression, seemingly questioning Blaze's sanity. However, it quickly reverted back to her usual cold and indifferent demeanor.
Shrugging off their reactions, Blaze observed as the spears vanished and the monster's soul was absorbed by him. Interestingly, Myra and Mira seemed oblivious to the process, unable to perceive the absorption of the soul.
"Fascinating."
Moving forward, Blaze retrieved the essence sphere from the monster. Surprisingly, it was located within its skull, bearing the marks left by the spear scratches, which vanished upon his touch.
Myra's emotions grew complex as she realized that, aside from the mana cores, Blaze seemed to have obtained nothing from their journey. She pondered why he had helped them and why he hadn't gained any experience points, but she sensed that it must be some kind of secret. She clenched her teeth and made up her mind to return the class scroll.
After stowing away the essence sphere, Blaze approached the girls and inquired, "Did you acquire what you needed?"
Myra arched an eyebrow, sensing a slight change in his demeanor. It was as if the Neo before, grinning from ear to ear while fighting the boss, had transformed into a different person.
She felt like he was the boss and the other party was a poor adventurer who wandered in by mistake and received punishment for doing so.
Shaking off those thoughts, Myra looked at the notifications to confirm whether they had obtained their sought-after item. Notifications appeared before both Neo and Myra, which she shared with him.
『 Successfully cleared the Arachnid Caverns.』
『Received: the fangs of Spider Queen.』
『 Received: The Spider Queen's Eyes.』
『 Received: Vereil Ore.』
『 Received: Scroll of Spider Summoning.』
『 Received: Spider Sense』
Neo raised his eyebrows upon realizing that the spider's fangs and intact eyes were missing.
{Does the Tower acquire valuable parts for you?}
Neo remained silent, as he had no idea about it either. Mira watched him nervously as he reviewed the notifications. Anticipating that he might ask for the skillbook, she prepared to use the "One thing from Dungeon" phrase. However, her apprehension turned to confusion when Neo walked toward the spider queen.
"Can I have the Vereil Ore?" he asked.
This puzzled Mira, as she believed that all the valuable items had already been taken from the monster. She observed him examining them, scrutinizing their quality. Then, he formed a blade and proceeded to hack at one of the spider queen's legs. After striking it numerous times, the leg separated from the body. He repeated the process with the remaining legs before tossing them towards Myra.
"These legs are sharper and more powerful than a normal sword. You can have a blacksmith make a weapon with them for you."
"Why?"
"Hmm?"
Myra cleared her throat as she asked, "Why are you doing all of this?"
Blaze regarded her with a peculiar expression before responding, "Didn't you ask for my help?"
He looked at Mira, who was looking at him with reverence, and said, "You got a class?"
Mira was stunned as she nodded her head like a bobblehead.
"Which is?"
Mira got out of her daze and said with a small voice, "Assassin."
Blaze nodded and then shifted his gaze to Myra.
"I will ask you something. Be careful with what you answer, as your future might depend on it."
Myra's tension heightened as she tightened her grip on her sword. Contemplating his words, she asked, "What do you want?"
"What is your desire?"
A glimmer flickered in Blaze's eyes as he activated the [Wish Granting] skill. He wanted to test its capabilities, and Myra seemed like a suitable candidate. She appeared calm and composed, but Blaze sensed that she was harboring something inside, something that was eating her from within.
Just then, a notification appeared before Myra.
『Kindly notify the Collector regarding your desire.』
『The Collector has initiated the trade.』
『Be warned that you'll have to pay a cost for the wish.』
Myra was struck with astonishment as she beheld the notifications before her, her gaze shifting between them and Blaze, who wore a smile. However, this time, she perceived a devilish quality in that smile.
A moment of silence enveloped her as she repeatedly examined the notifications. Apart from their red color, she discovered no hidden meanings within them. She returned her gaze to Neo, who patiently awaited her decision, but he refrained from saying anything.
She deliberated for a while, her hand hovering over the option to reject the offer. Yet, she hesitated and voiced her question, "What would be the consequences if I were to reject it?"
To which he just smiled and said, "'It was nice knowing you' and then we'll go our separate ways. Nothing else."
"Are you truly confident that other opportunities to alter your fate will present themselves? Do you believe that opportunities are as common as roadside cabbages, readily plucked at any moment?" Blaze responded, his words accompanied by the emergence of a foreboding black aura that caused the girls to instinctively draw their blades, their fear palpable.
"Don't lament your fate later if you squander the chance granted to you. I despise when people complain but refuse the opportunity to transform their lives due to their indecisiveness in the moment."
The aura receded as Blaze went back because he saw Myra's expression and that she was about to reject him. He sighed and said, "Let's just get over this."
He moved back to the boss' corpse, as he still had some unfinished business with it.
"I accept."
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