Chapter 53: Enchanted Weapon (part 1)

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Enchanted Weapon (part 1)

He kicked the creature away.

"These things are fast!"

The archer released an arrow.

Whoosh!

The arrow flew straight through the chamber and struck a spider in one of its eyes.

The monster screeched and collapsed against the wall.

"One down!"

"Don’t celebrate yet!"

Three spiders suddenly rushed toward the rear. The healer stepped backward in panic.

"They’re coming from behind!"

The mage raised her staff.

"Flame Burst!"

A wave of fire erupted across the floor.

The spiders recoiled as flames spread beneath them, forcing them to retreat.

"Keep them away from the healer!" the leader shouted.

The second mage immediately joined the attack.

"Wind Cutter!"

Several blades of compressed wind sliced through the webbing hanging from the ceiling. Thick strands fell to the floor, forcing several spiders to change direction.

The adventurers quickly realized that the spiders were using the chamber itself to their advantage.

They weren’t simply attacking randomly.

They were coordinating.

Some spiders kept the front occupied while others attempted to move around the group. Whenever an adventurer became separated, another spider immediately tried to isolate them.

"These spiders are tough!" the leader shouted.

His voice echoed through the chamber as another spider crashed into the shield bearer, forcing the man backward several steps. The adventurers had already killed a few of the monsters, but the battle was far from over.

"Don’t let them surround us!"

The leader swung his sword with all his strength, cutting deeply into the body of a spider that had attempted to attack one of the mages. The monster shrieked and fell to the ground, but before anyone could celebrate, another spider descended directly behind him.

"Leader!"

He turned around just in time to see the monster lunging toward him.

Clang!

The leader barely managed to block its fangs with his sword, but the impact sent him stumbling backward. He gritted his teeth and pushed against the monster, trying to keep its jaws away from his face.

"Get it off me!"

Two swordsmen immediately rushed over.

"Move!"

Their blades struck the spider from opposite sides, forcing it to retreat. The leader quickly rolled away and got back onto his feet.

"Thanks."

"Don’t thank us yet!"

A scream suddenly came from the rear.

Everyone turned, one of the adventurers had been caught by a web.

The thick silk wrapped around his legs and pulled him off balance. Before his companions could reach him, a spider rushed forward and sank its fangs into his body.

"NO!"

The healer immediately ran toward him.

But another spider blocked her path.

"Get out of the way!"

She raised her staff and released a burst of holy energy, blasting the monster backward. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done.

The trapped adventurer stopped moving.

"He’s dead!"

The words struck the group like a hammer.

There was no time to mourn.

Another spider attacked.

The shield bearer raised his shield, but the force of the impact caused him to collapse onto one knee.

"Hold the line!"

The battle descended into chaos.

The adventurers fought desperately, no longer concerned with preserving their strength. They used every potion, every spell, and every technique they possessed.

The mages unleashed their strongest attacks despite the danger of exhausting their mana, while the swordsmen abandoned caution and fought with everything they had.

But the spiders were relentless.

One adventurer was dragged into the darkness beneath a mass of webbing.

Another was struck from behind while fighting a spider in front of him.

The healer desperately tried to keep everyone alive, but even she eventually became overwhelmed.

"There’s too many!"

A spider lunged toward her.

The leader stepped in front of her and blocked the attack.

"Run!"

The healer shook her head.

"I’m not leaving!"

"That’s an order!"

Before she could respond, another spider attacked from the side.

The leader turned and intercepted it, but the first spider suddenly struck him across the chest.

Blood splattered across the floor.

"Leader!"

He staggered backward, his armor badly damaged.

"I’m fine!"

He wasn’t.

But he refused to fall, the remaining adventurers fought harder. One by one, the spiders began to fall.

Five.

Six.

Eight.

Ten.

The chamber became a battlefield of corpses, broken weapons, blood, and burning webs.

But the cost was enormous.

By the time the final spiders were killed, only five adventurers remained standing.

Five others had died.

The leader stood in the center of the chamber, breathing heavily. His armor was damaged, his sword was covered in blood, and several wounds crossed his body.

He looked around.

The five survivors stared at the corpses of their companions.

Nobody spoke, the victory felt empty.

They had entered the dungeon as ten adventurers.

Now only five remained.

The leader closed his eyes for a moment before slowly opening them again.

"We won."

His voice was hoarse.

"We killed them all."

One of the surviving warriors sat heavily against the wall.

"At this cost..."

Nobody answered.

The leader looked toward the chest.

Despite everything that had happened, it remained untouched in the center of the chamber.

He slowly walked toward it.

"Wait," the mage said. "What if it’s trapped?"

The leader stopped. For several seconds, he stared at the chest.

Then he shook his head.

"We’ve already lost half our team."

He tightened his grip on his sword.

"We’re not leaving without finding out what they died for."

He approached the chest and carefully examined it.

No magical trap was visible. He checked the lock, there’s nothing.

After one final glance at the others, he grabbed the lid.

Click.

The chest opened, and everyone gathered around.

For a moment, they saw nothing but darkness inside.

Then the magical light illuminated something resting at the bottom.

A sword.

The weapon was wrapped in dark cloth, but even through the material, a faint magical glow could be seen. The leader carefully lifted it from the chest and removed the cloth.

The moment the blade was revealed, everyone froze.

Beautiful runes covered the weapon from its handle to the edge of the blade. A powerful magical aura radiated from it, so different from an ordinary weapon that even someone with little knowledge of magic could tell that it was extraordinary.