“Wait, don't tell me it's because of...!”
A spark of realization flashed through Greg's mind, and his gaze snapped to the Spine-back Lizard's rapidly cooling corpse nearby.
“Damn it! I knew it! A Luck stat above zero doesn't actually mean you're lucky!”
He put the pieces together in an instant.
It had to be the out-of-control Screech magic conduit prototype inside that lizard's stomach, endlessly emitting noise at that specific frequency.
That noise didn't just drive away low-level monsters—to a hyper-sensitive Area Lord with an intense sense of territoriality, it was an intolerable, non-stop provocation and noise pollution!
It was that damned thing that had forcibly lured Lady Eight-Legs out of her lair, where she was supposed to stay put!
Without a second thought, Greg raised his hand and cast several Fireballs, igniting the lizard's corpse along with any remnants of the magic conduit inside its abdomen, incinerating them to ash.
However, the heavy footsteps and the thunderous crunch of collapsing rock echoed from deep within the cavern, growing closer and louder without slowing down in the slightest.
The expression on Greg's face darkened completely.
His original plan was indeed to kill Lady Eight-Legs.
But that was under the premise that the Floor Boss remained inside her Boss room—a specialized lair filled with dense, durable cobwebs.
The walkthrough strategies in his memory—such as using fire attacks on the flammable webbing in the lair, exploiting specific terrain to dodge fatal attacks, and even manipulating mechanisms in the Boss room...
They all relied on that specific battleground environment.
Now that Lady Eight-Legs had left her nest and entered this relatively open, complex deep area, those tricky strategies that depended on the Boss room were practically worthless.
Although he still held his dark magic card up his sleeve, both Bracers of Darkness and Dark Pulse were only at LV1 proficiency.
Furthermore, large monsters, especially elite individuals acting as Area Lords, generally possessed high base resistance to various negative status effects in the original game's lore, not to mention the dungeon's own Divine Protection...
Thinking he could stack lethal debuffs to curse her to death with a single LV1 Dark Pulse like he had done with the Goblin Shaman was pure fantasy. The chances were miniscule; he would more than likely drain all his mana while she remained alive and kicking.
“Looks like... I'll just have to find another way to deal with her.”
Greg made a swift decision in his mind.
He had no way to retreat.
If he didn't defeat Lady Eight-Legs here, he wouldn't be able to complete his quest to clear the first layer, and once the Chapter One story ended, he would still die.
Rather than waiting for death, he might as well gamble everything.
Having made up his mind, he yanked off the mask on his face. It had already lost its disguise purpose anyway and would only obscure his vision and breathing. He tossed it aside carelessly.
When that impeccably handsome face was completely exposed to the air, Alvin, Leonard, and Leah—who were staring in terror toward the source of the tremors nearby—felt their pupils contract violently once more. The last trace of doubt in their minds evaporated into thin air.
Although his demeanor and power were worlds apart from the rumors, that face was unmistakably the former Duke's son who had been missing for days after being expelled from his family!
Greg had no time to spare for their shock.
He quickly gave Silvia her orders:
“Silvia, stack every buff you have on me, then immediately take the three of them and retreat toward the middle layers' entrance at top speed! Retrace our steps and take the paths with our marks! Hurry!”
“B-But Senior Greg! You alone...”
Silvia's face turned pale, her pink eyes brimming with anxiety. She clearly didn't want to abandon him alone to face an enemy that sounded terrifying beyond words.
“Trust me.”
Greg interrupted her. Turning around, his amber eyes looked straight into Silvia's. His voice was steady and resolute, carrying an unquestionable force:
“Getting them to safety right now is the greatest help you can give me. I have a reason I must stay, and... I have a way to handle this.”
Silvia met his gaze. There was no panic or despair in those eyes—only a settled composure and iron determination.
She bit her lower lip and nodded heavily. “I understand! Senior Greg, please be careful! We... we'll wait for you near the entrance!”
Without further hesitation, she waved her wand, lavishing Greg with every buff and protection spell she could think of—Strength Augmentation, Agility Boost, Light Barrier, and more. Then she turned around and urged the still-dazed trio of Alvin, Leonard, and Leah to follow her out immediately.
Perhaps it was the strength Greg had just demonstrated and his decisive posture that proved persuasive, or perhaps survival instinct had overcome everything else. Alvin and his two companions finally snapped out of it, scrambling on all fours to keep up with Silvia as they fled frantically back the way they came.
Before long, only Greg remained in this cavern area that had just seen battle... Well, perhaps not entirely alone.
His shadow stretched long under the dim light of the cavern's bioluminescent fungi, twisting slightly.
Nightmare's voice echoed in his mind, carrying a strange calm:
“There is no need to be overly tense, my other half. This is merely the first decent challenge you must face as you officially step onto your path. Besides, no matter what happens, I shall remain here by your side. After all, our fates have long been bound together—living and dying as one.”
Greg knew Nightmare was comforting and encouraging him in her own way.
The corner of his mouth twitched, and he actually managed to squeeze out a wry smile, replying in his mind:
“You're just a Hajimi who doesn't walk on two legs. How would you know how much the knees hurt for someone standing up taking hits?”
Seeing that he still had the humor to joke at a time like this, Nightmare seemed to relax slightly and fell silent.
Greg could feel the faint yet distinct divine connection in his shadow growing even more stable, as if silently offering him support.
Immediately afterward, the cavern's vibrations reached a crescendo.
Around the bend of the largest tunnel ahead, the rock wall shattered with a roar, showering flying debris!
A shadow so immense it took one's breath away slowly materialized out of the collapsing dust and smoke.
Lady Eight-Legs had made her entrance.
It was a giant spider-like monster beyond imagination.
Its main body alone rivaled a small house, covered in coarse, stiff black-and-white bristles that stood on end like steel needles.
Eight jointed, spear-sharp long legs—each thicker and longer than a broadsword—supported its mountain-like frame, digging deep craters into the ground with every step.
Its head was relatively small compared to its massive body, but set upon it were eight compound eyes glowing with cold, ruthless red light. Below them were two pairs of spine-chilling, constantly snapping chelicerae, dripping with viscous, dark-purple venom.
Her sheer presence alone radiated the terrifying pressure of a LV35 Area Lord, mixed with the faint ambient rule authority granted by the dungeon itself, making it hard to breathe and turning one's legs to jelly.
“So this... is the pressure of facing it in reality...”
Greg took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
The battle began.
Relying on his familiarity with Lady Eight-Legs' attack patterns, he barely managed to keep her at bay during the first few minutes.
His LV3 Water Gun struck her thick carapace and bristles without leaving so much as a white mark, sliding right off.
His LV2 Fireball, taking advantage of her weakness to fire due to her heavy fur, managed to scorch a small patch of bristles upon hit, provoking a sharp hiss and a faint stench of burning. But against Lady Eight-Legs' massive health bar, the actual damage dealt—even with Silvia's buffs and the 20% damage bonus from Dungeon Explorer—was nothing more than an itch.
Rate on N.U.
