Chapter 41. Cave

First things first.

While the others got ready for combat behind me, I ran forward.

Then, I switched the use of 'Track,' which I'd been using to see ahead.

And then.

The world gradually darkened and simultaneously slowed down. Thanks to the search squad leader lighting up the area, I could still make out what was ahead, so I used 'Fleet.'

Immediately after.

*Crack!!*

I split the Rock Spider in the very front clean in half.

Because of the hardness of its carapace, it didn't slice cleanly but shattered apart. It's tougher than I thought; looks like I'll need a different approach instead of this.

Slicing through them is too tough.

Damn, I should’ve prepared some other weapons for times like this.

Still, it's a good thing Gareth's Longsword is as big and sturdy as it is heavy. The blade won't dull no matter how many of these things I bash.

Anyway.

My gaze shifted to the next Rock Spider.

Since there are other fighters besides me, there’s no need to rush, right?

I ran to the nearest Rock Spider and swung my sword down.

And then.

*Crack!*

The Rock Spider's back caved in and cracked.

*Thwack! Crack!*

After a few more strikes, its back shattered, and it died.

“Haa.”

Tough. It’d be good armor material… Ah.

Come to think of it, I think it was on the materials list.

I glanced at the broken fragments of the Rock Spider.

…It'll be a pain to collect that.

Small, expensive parts like fangs are one thing, but something like this is just… eh.

Anyway.

For now, I swung my sword at the other Rock Spiders approaching from all around.

Are these things usually this big and tough?

“Lorenz! Are these Transformed Monsters?”

“Yeah, they’re bigger than usual.”

I asked just in case, and that was the answer I got.

Damn, these are transformed spiders too?

A transformation that increases their size, huh?

Using that kind of power for Demon Worship instead of contributing to the livestock industry…

While entertaining the trivial thought that capturing the Devil Worshipper who made these things would solve the Kingdom's food shortage, I pulled back.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s tough taking them down with a sword. Got a hammer?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

Lorenz said so and pointed to one of his subordinates.

A man armed with a giant hammer.

A familiar face; he was there during the last sewer investigation.

“Let me borrow your weapon.”

“Huh? Oh, yes sir….”

“Here, hold this.”

I tossed Gareth's sword over and took the hammer.

A heavy weight settled in my hands as I held the hammer.

As expected, no matter how heavy a sword is, it can’t compare to a weapon like this.

*Whoosh- Woom-*

I swung it around for a moment, getting used to the weight.

Of course, I've used giant hammers like this from time to time.

They let you use all sorts of weapons in the Colosseum, you know.

To begin with, the standard weapons are so worn out that if they break during a fight, you have to steal one from someone else or pick up whatever the Colosseum staff randomly stuck in the ground.

Besides, Alden taught me a lot of different things.

Well, honestly, the basics are pretty similar for other weapons, too.

Short ones are for stabbing.

And long ones like this are for….

*KABOOM!!*

…Swinging.

With a single swing of the hammer, the hard head of the Rock Spider charging at me was smashed to pieces.

Yeah, that’s the feeling.

*Scritch-scratch- Scrape-*

Even as I took down the Rock Spiders, more of them kept coming from across the way.

The sight of them covering the floor, walls, and even the ceiling was truly chilling.

…There are a lot of them.

“I’ll back you up, you take them out.”

“Yes, sir.”

It’s not like it's an insurmountable number.

If things get dicey, Lorenz is here, too.

Well, he’s conserving his Mana right now, only using it to support team members in critical situations.

“Let’s go.”

Right, the Magician Woman needs to conserve her Mana, so I gotta run around like a dog.

And I'm not the only one running around like a dog.

*Bang! Crack!*

The man who introduced himself as the search squad leader of the 2nd squad.

He's not a squad leader for nothing; he's taking down a bunch of spiders on his own.

His name is… Right, Locke.

We exchanged names earlier when we entered this place.

*Kee-eek-*

*Crack!*

Every time he swung his arm down, a spider splattered, spraying fluids.

I took a closer look, and there were large spikes protruding from the back of his sleeves near his hands.

Are those his weapons? Pretty unique.

Well, as long as they’re good at killing spiders, it's all good.

I picked up the hammer again and plunged into where the spiders were gathered.

*Scritch-scratch-*

*Kaaack!!*

The Rock Spiders accurately caught sight of me jumping in and swarmed below.

They probably wanted to tear my body apart with their legs and those cute little mouths.

However.

*'Rush.'*

What landed on their heads was a hammerhead overflowing with Aura.

*KABOOM-!!*

With a massive impact that made the cave tremble slightly, the gathered spiders were smashed in an instant.

“Haa.”

That’s refreshing.

Speaking of which, that cave shaking freaked me out for a second.

It’s fine to hit the floor, but I guess I shouldn't hit the ceiling or walls.

*Scritch-scratch-*

The spiders once again filled the area of the floor I had just smashed, closing in on me.

Persistent little bastards.

Still, they're manageable for Transformed Monsters.

These bigger, tougher Rock Spiders are better than those six-armed Orc Champions.

The problem is that there are just so many of them….

*Bang!!*

*Crack!*

If I work hard alongside that search squad leader, Locke, we should be able to smash them all somehow.

He's pretty strong.

Around Daren or Kaiden's level?

Seriously, they're supposed to be recognized geniuses in the Void Family, but they don’t seem that special.

Hell, I’ve almost caught up to them, and I haven’t even been using Aura for that long.

Well, whatever.

Just like that, I kept smashing spiders, gradually clearing out the cave, and then…

*Thump-!*

A tremor similar to when I swung the hammer down earlier echoed through the cave.

“This is….”

“It’s up ahead.”

Hearing Lorenz’s words from behind, I pierced through the cave’s darkness with Track, watching the spiders continue to crawl towards us.

And then.

*Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-*!!

A gigantic spider, big enough to fill half the cave, came into view, approaching us.

“Is that the boss?”

Its appearance was different from the other Rock Spiders.

For starters, it had more legs than the others, and its carapace, which looked much thicker and harder, was covered in sharp protrusions.

…That’s one hundred percent a Transformed Monster.

“It’s the Queen.”

Just then, Locke, who had come up beside me at some point, said so. He'd also confirmed it with Track, like the Aura User he is.

“What should we do?”

He asked for advice on how to deal with it.

Judging by its size, I’d have to really nail it with Vision Rush.

But considering its speed and the horns protruding from its body, it didn't seem like it'd be easy.

“I’ll handle it.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“Yes, just buy me some time to concentrate.”

I wasn't sure how he planned to handle *that* thing alone…

But, well, this guy probably had his own methods.

Having seen him fight earlier, I’d developed a certain level of trust, so I ran forward with my hammer.

My intention was to clear out the other Rock Spiders so he could concentrate.

*Woosh-* *Bang!* *Bang!*

As I diligently smashed spiders with my hammer,

*Thump-thump-thump-*!

The Queen Spider drew closer.

I glanced back.

Lorenz… he’s calmly holding his ground.

A large magic circle was unfolding in his hand. Just the sight of it was reassuring. He seemed to be conserving Mana, but if we were in danger, I was sure he'd use magic.

Even so…

*Screech-*!!

That Queen Spider looked pretty fucking terrifying up close.

How can a spider be so menacing?

“Alright, I’m ready.”

“Good.”

Having bought him enough time, I quickly retreated.

And then.

*Bang-*!

The moment I heard the sound of someone kicking off the ground behind me, I used Track.

And there it was.

Locke, sprinting with Fleet.

He lowered his stance, then shot forward like an arrow.

Fast.

The speed of Fleet varies from Aura User to Aura User, and his seemed to be top-tier. At least faster than Daren and Kaiden.

Just like that,

Locke reached the Queen Spider in an instant. Facing its massive form, he thrust his right arm forward.

Then, the spike equipped on his right hand swelled dramatically.

And then.

*KABOOM-*!

With a tremendous explosion, the Queen Spider’s head was blown clean off, its remaining body crumpled into the shape of the spike.

“Oh…”

Was that Vision Rush?

The power was incredible.

It felt different from the Void Family's Vision Rush, which involved imbuing thrown projectiles with Aura for Terror attacks. This one was… more visceral.

I’d like to learn that, personally.

Anyway.

*Thump!!*

The headless Queen Spider collapsed to the ground.

*Scrabble-scrabble-scrabble-*

With their Queen dead, the Rock Spiders lost their aggression and scattered.

“Amazing.”

“*Huff*…*Huff*… It was nothing.”

Locke, who had just obliterated the Queen Spider in one shot, looked exhausted. It seemed that the power came at a significant cost.

It was a true finishing move, in every sense of the word.

“No, you saved us.”

It seemed to leave him vulnerable after use, but the sheer spectacle of it was enough.

“You were a great help too.”

“Yes, if we have the chance next time, maybe we could spar…”

This must be fate.

I chatted with Locke for a bit, building some rapport.

Since he was a government official working in the Capital, making connections with him now, with Daren and Kaiden gone, could provide opportunities for sparring.

“Save the chit-chat for later. We need to take care of this mess.”

After that, Lorenz and his subordinates started the cleanup.

They collected the Queen Spider's fluids and carapace and rescued the survivors who were tied up and unconscious in the webs.

“Silver Rank Mercenaries.”

“Looks like they’ve been here for several days.”

The rescued people were emaciated but didn't seem to be in immediate danger.

It felt like they’d been kept alive as food reserves.

“Let’s go then.”

Having achieved some success, we were about to leave the cave when,

*Rumble…!!!*

The entire cave began to shake.

And at the same time, alarm bells went off in my head, a tingling sensation running through my whole body.

“Lorenz!”

I shouted, the dizzying feeling a familiar, unwelcome visitor. Lorenz, however, was already looking towards the cave entrance.

“Looks like there’s a problem at the entrance.”

The cave was shaking as if it was about to collapse. It seemed someone was sabotaging us from the outside.

Those damned Devil Worshippers.

Unable to beat us in a fight, they were resorting to burying us alive, huh?

“The cave is going to collapse!”

“No…”

But Lorenz was calm. In fact, his composure drew the attention of everyone present, including myself, towards him.

“Not if I have anything to say about it.”

Lorenz, speaking with unexpected arrogance, raised his hand towards the cave entrance.

And then, I forgot all about escaping and gaped.

Because…

*Whoosh.*

A beautiful, large, and intricate magic circle appeared in Lorenz’s hand.

*Crackle-crackle-crack-*!!

The cave floor froze over, and ice pillars erupted from the ground, supporting the collapsing ceiling.

“This is…”

“Phew, let’s get out of here.”

I watched Lorenz, brushing the frost off his hand as he moved towards the entrance, filled with admiration.

…Magic really is the best.