Chapter 7 - Boss
The deeper we ventured into the Rift, the quieter it became.
The only sounds were our footsteps and the occasional drip of water echoing through the cavern.
Pale blue crystals embedded in the walls cast enough light to keep us from stumbling, though they also made every shadow look suspicious.
"It’s too quiet," I muttered.
"Good observation," Mira replied without slowing her pace.
Though I just said my mind, it seems she gave me credit for the observation.
Lucky me.
"A Rift is rarely this silent unless something stronger has dominion over most of the area."
Fatty tightened his grip on his spear.
"I suddenly miss the spiders."
"I don’t," I answered.
We had encountered many spiders on our way.
And at least spiders attacked one at a time.
Boss monsters had a habit of ignoring such common courtesy.
We continued for several more minutes before the tunnel widened into a massive underground chamber.
The ceiling rose nearly twenty meters overhead, supported by thick stone pillars.
Scattered across the ground were broken spider corpses, their white shells cracked open as though crushed by something much larger.
"It seems we’ve found the nest."
A low growl echoed through the chamber.
Not from ahead but from above us.
I instinctively looked up.
"You’ve got to be kidding me."
Clinging to the ceiling was a spider nearly three times larger than the others we’d fought.
Its bone-white shell was streaked with crimson veins, while two massive fangs dripped a thick green liquid that hissed the moment it touched the stone floor.
Sssss...
The rock itself began melting.
"Acid," I murmured.
"This boss variant possesses corrosive blood. Don’t let it splash onto you." Mira said calmly.
"Can’t you just do it?" I questioned.
"No." Mira gave a short reply.
It seems she was hell-bent on making us graduate from our life.
The giant spider shrieked before dropping from the ceiling.
Boom!
The entire cave shook as it landed.
Without hesitation, Mira stepped forward.
A blade of golden light formed in her hand.
The spider lunged and she met it head-on.
Clang!
The impact sent sparks flying as her light blade collided with one of its massive legs.
"It’s way stronger than me and Fu Jun," I observed.
Mira twisted her wrist, redirecting the spider’s weight before kicking it several meters away.
"It wouldn’t be a boss otherwise."
The creature recovered almost instantly and charged again.
This time, Mira disappeared.
No, she hadn’t vanished.
She’d simply moved faster than my eyes could comfortably follow, or maybe she teleported, I don’t know what happened.
Golden flashes danced across the cave.
Soon, multiple deep cuts appeared across the monster’s shell before it could even react.
"Bro, don’t tell me she is a platinum rank hero?" Fu Jun questioned.
"...I am not sure myself."
Even with her strength suppressed by the Rift, she was overwhelming the boss.
Then, just as she raised her blade for another strike, she deliberately stepped back.
The spider screeched and turned toward us instead.
Mira’s voice remained perfectly calm.
"Now it’s your turn."
"Excuse me?"
"You’ve already defeated ordinary monsters."
She pointed toward the boss without taking her eyes off it.
"Now learn how to fight something stronger than yourself, this will definitely help in life."
The giant spider rushed toward us.
I swallowed.
"Fatty, I suddenly miss ordinary spiders."
The way she was looking at us now, I got the feeling she had no intention of letting us back out.
The giant spider closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
Its front legs crashed toward us like spears.
"Split!" Mira gave us advice like a coach from behind.
Fatty and I dove in opposite directions just as the attack shattered the rocky ground between us.
Fragments of stone flew everywhere.
The monster screeched and turned toward me.
Apparently, I looked easier to eat than that Fatty.
I raised my sword and forced myself to breathe.
’Don’t panic.’
The moment it lunged, I sidestepped exactly as Mira had drilled into me hundreds of times.
One of its legs slammed into the ground where I’d been standing, and I immediately struck at the exposed joint.
Clang!
My sword bit into the gap between the shell plates, drawing a shrill cry from the spider.
It wasn’t a deep wound, but it was enough to make it notice me.
I immediately regretted that.
The spider whipped around, all eight crimson eyes locking onto mine with thick killing intent.
Before it could attack again, a spear shot past my shoulder.
Fatty’s thrust landed squarely against another joint, forcing the monster to stagger sideways.
"Don’t try to kill me, aim properly!" I shouted.
I felt that if the spear’s angle changed some degrees, my head would be flying somewhere.
But is this what they call trust.
I trusted Fatty Fu.
"I was aiming for its head!"
"...Still don’t aim from behind me!"
The spider regained its balance with surprising speed and swept one massive leg toward Fatty.
He blocked with the shaft of his spear, but the impact still threw him several meters backward.
"You okay?!" I called.
"I’ll answer after I stop rolling!" Fatty yelled.
The boss raised its abdomen and green liquid gathered around its fangs.
Mira’s expression changed immediately.
"Get back!"
The next instant, a stream of acid shot across the cave.
I barely threw myself aside in time.
The acid splashed across the stone wall behind me.
Sssss...
Solid rock melted like butter left under the summer sun.
"..."
I had no words to say because saying and experiencing were way too different things.
"Don’t get hit by its acid, prioritize your safety first," Mira warned.
The spider suddenly rushed forward, ignoring her completely.
"Keep it distracted," Mira ordered.
"We’ll try!"
Fatty charged first this time, thrusting repeatedly to force the monster backward.
His technique wasn’t flashy, but every strike targeted the same vulnerable joints, steadily limiting the spider’s movement.
I finally understood what Mira had noticed earlier.
Fatty wasn’t talented.
He was disciplined.
His fundamentals were ridiculously solid.
The opening appeared only for a heartbeat.
"Evren!"
"I see it!"
I rushed in from the side and drove my sword into one of the cracked joints Fatty had been attacking.
The blade sank in nearly to the hilt.
The spider let out an ear-piercing screech and violently shook its body.
The spider’s skin turned slightly green and just as it was about to release its most dangerous attack, Mira’s voice sounded.
"Move!" she shouted.
Her golden blade flashed through the air, severing the monster cleanly in two.
The enormous body crashed onto the cave floor with a thunderous boom.
"We won right?" Fatty asked, breathing heavily.
"I think so," I replied.
Though we contributed less, it was still a contribution nonetheless.
I felt like laughing with my exhausted body.
But before I could celebrate, green blood erupted from the corpse.
"Get down you two!" Mira yelled.
Most of the acidic blood evaporated beneath a barrier of golden light she raised at the last second.
Emphasis on most.
A few droplets slipped past.
"Huh?"
One landed on my sleeve.
Another splashed onto Fatty’s jacket.
Sssss...
"..."
The fabric around the acid rapidly dissolved, leaving several embarrassingly large holes in our clothes.
I know why this happened.
I slowly turned toward Fatty.
"This is your fault."
"What?!" Fatty stared at me blankly.
’If it were just me and Mira, the lucky pervert situation would have definitely occurred,’ I thought.
But there was also my so called best friend, Fatty Fu with us.
"I think the acid got to your brain." Fu Jun replied
Mira covered her mouth, but not before I caught the corner of her lips twitch upward.
She was trying very hard not to laugh.
Unfortunately for her, she wasn’t succeeding.