Chapter 172: The Protagonist’s Wholesome Moment
Extremely close.
MoonPetal walked slightly ahead.
Jiang Feng and LittleMaple occupied the center.
The deeper they traveled...
The larger the spiders became.
Level 7.
Level 8.
Level 9.
Eventually...
Level 10 elites.
The party adapted.
And for the first time...
Shen Tian noticed something.
Jiang Feng had improved.
Significantly.
His Sword Wanderer class wasn’t simply stronger.
Jiang Feng understood it.
Flowing Step no longer looked like a skill he activated.
It became part of his normal movement.
He used it in half-steps.
Short bursts.
Tiny repositioning changes.
Instead of waiting for cooldowns...
He structured his entire fighting rhythm around them.
Shen Tian watched him avoid a spider’s leg.
Counter.
Turn.
Parry another.
Then use the first spider’s body to block the second.
He’s good.
Xu Ning smiled in a robotic way.
[Very.]
Shen Tian fired.
An arrow passed less than an inch from Jiang Feng’s face.
It struck a spider behind him.
Jiang Feng didn’t flinch.
He finished his current target.
Then called,
"Little close."
Shen Tian smiled.
"You trusted me."
"I trusted your aim."
MoonPetal laughed.
"Same thing."
"No."
Jiang Feng immediately corrected her.
"Very different."
Shen Tian fired again.
Another spider died.
LittleMaple remained behind Jiang Feng.
She wasn’t useless...
But she was clearly the weakest.
Jiang Feng didn’t criticize her.
Instead...
He taught.
"Don’t attack the center."
LittleMaple stabbed.
"Why?"
"Armor."
He blocked a leg.
"Hit the joint."
She adjusted.
Her dagger struck between two armored sections.
Critical Hit!
Her eyes widened.
"Oh!"
Jiang Feng smiled.
"Again."
Another attack.
Better.
MoonPetal noticed.
She smiled slightly.
Shen Tian did too.
Jiang Feng wasn’t simply talented.
He was a good captain.
Probably because he’d spent years leading a professional team.
They reached an underground chamber.
Thousands of webs stretched between enormous stone pillars.
At the center...
A cocoon hung from the ceiling.
LittleMaple looked toward her quest indicator.
"It’s inside."
Jiang Feng frowned.
"The pendant?"
"Yeah."
MoonPetal looked upward.
"That’s definitely a boss trigger."
Shen Tian nodded.
"Obviously."
Shen Yan drew her daggers.
"Kill it quickly."
MoonPetal glanced toward her.
"We don’t even know what it is."
"If it’s near Tian, kill it."
MoonPetal stared.
Shen Tian sighed.
"She’s adjusting."
"I’m perfectly adjusted."
"Big Sis."
"Fine."
LittleMaple carefully approached the cocoon.
Jiang Feng immediately moved beside her.
"Wait."
She stopped.
He used his sword to cut one strand.
Nothing.
Second.
Nothing.
Third...
The entire cavern shook.
MoonPetal sighed.
"There it is."
The cocoon split.
Something enormous fell.
BOOM!
Dust exploded.
Eight enormous legs unfolded.
A white spider covered in crimson markings rose.
Web Mother Arantha
Hidden Boss
Level 13
HP: 24,500
LittleMaple stared.
"..."
Then quietly moved behind Jiang Feng.
"Captain."
"Yeah?"
"I’m sorry."
Jiang Feng smiled.
"I know."
The boss screamed.
Battle began.
This fight...
Was different.
Web Mother Arantha didn’t remain on the ground.
She climbed the walls.
Ceiling.
Pillars.
Web projectiles filled the arena.
Smaller spiders spawned constantly.
MoonPetal cast area spells.
Shen Yan vanished into stealth.
Jiang Feng controlled the center.
Shen Tian targeted the boss whenever it became exposed.
And LittleMaple...
Tried desperately not to die.
"LEFT!"
Jiang Feng shouted.
She jumped.
A web slammed where she’d been standing.
"Captain!"
"I see it!"
Jiang Feng intercepted a spider.
MoonPetal cast.
"Flame Circle!"
Fire spread.
Several smaller spiders burned.
Shen Tian moved.
Quick Step.
Draw.
Release.
The arrow struck Arantha’s eye.
CRITICAL HIT!
The boss screamed.
It jumped toward him.
Shen Yan instantly appeared beneath it.
Her daggers flashed.
Backstab!
Critical Hit!
The boss turned.
Wrong choice.
Shen Tian fired another arrow.
Jiang Feng rushed from the side.
MoonPetal finished casting.
Three attacks landed.
The health bar dropped rapidly.
63%.
51%.
42%.
Then...
Arantha screamed.
The cavern darkened.
Hundreds of eggs began opening.
MoonPetal’s eyes widened.
"Oh no."
LittleMaple whispered,
"That’s..."
Jiang Feng finished.
"Bad."
Tiny spiders poured outward.
Not dozens.
Hundreds.
Shen Tian stared.
Then smiled.
MoonPetal saw the smile.
"No."
"What?"
"Every time you smile like that, something stupid happens."
"I have an idea."
"That’s exactly what I’m afraid of."
Shen Tian looked toward the stone pillars.
Webs connected all of them.
Then toward MoonPetal.
"Fire spell."
"Which?"
"Biggest one."
"Firestorm."
"Range?"
"About fifteen meters."
Shen Tian pointed toward the web structure.
"Hit there."
MoonPetal understood.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh."
Jiang Feng looked.
Then smiled.
"That’s actually clever."
LittleMaple looked between them.
"What?"
Nobody answered.
MoonPetal began casting.
The spiders approached.
Shen Yan moved beside Shen Tian.
"Tian."
"Trust me."
Instantly...
She stopped questioning.
MoonPetal’s spell completed.
"FIRESTORM!"
Flames struck the upper webs.
For half a second...
Nothing.
Then fire spread.
Fast.
Webs ignited across the cavern.
Up the pillars.
Across the ceiling.
Toward the eggs.
Within seconds...
The entire upper structure burned.
Arantha screamed.
The fire reached her.
Environmental Damage!
-1,242
-1,387
-1,410
Hundreds of baby spiders burned before reaching the party.
LittleMaple stared.
"...Oh."
Shen Tian drew his bow.
"Now."
Everyone attacked.
Arantha’s health collapsed.
20%.
13%.
7%.
She attempted to retreat up a burning pillar.
Shen Tian activated Hunter’s Mark.
His bowstring pulled back.
MoonPetal looked toward him.
Jiang Feng smiled.
They already knew.
Power Shot!
Release.
The arrow flew upward.
Through smoke.
Through falling ash.
Directly into the boss’s remaining eye.
CRITICAL HIT!
-1,106
Arantha froze.
Then collapsed.
Hidden Boss Defeated!
Golden light filled the cavern.
LittleMaple screamed.
"We did it!"
She jumped.
Then...
Without thinking...
Threw both arms around Jiang Feng.
Jiang Feng froze.
"..."
LittleMaple froze too.
Their eyes met.
She immediately released him.
"S-Sorry!"
Jiang Feng looked away.
"Fine."
His ears were red.
MoonPetal noticed.
Shen Tian noticed.
Shen Yan did not care.
Xu Ning smiled.
[Host.]
Don’t.
[I wasn’t going to say anything.]
Your face did.
LittleMaple recovered the pendant.
But...
The boss dropped something else.
A small black stone.
Jiang Feng picked it up.
A system notification appeared.
Guild Foundation Stone Fragment
Everyone became silent.
Jiang Feng stared.
MoonPetal moved closer.
"Guild..."
Shen Tian’s eyes narrowed.
Xu Ning immediately appeared.
[There.]
Golden Fate exploded around the fragment.
The system panel appeared.
-----------------------------
Destiny Event Activated
Windfall Guild Foundation Chain
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(Author’s Note: IMPORTANT!)
SEND POWESTONES!!!
ALL SUPER GIFTS (Magic Castle, Space Ship, Golden Gachapon) = MORE ChapterS!