The battlefield was chaos. Dust and debris filled the air as the Great Serpent's tail smashed into the ground, leaving a massive crater in its wake. The sheer impact sent shockwaves through the nest, knocking over smaller creatures and sending shattered rock flying in all directions.
For a moment, everything was silent.
No one knew what happened to the man who had been in the way of the Serpent's tail. The Taratects, the Serpents, even the lesser creatures skittering around the battlefield—all of them paused, as if waiting for the dust to settle.
Then—THUD!
A figure crashed down vertically from the air, embedding headfirst into the ground like a poorly thrown javelin. His legs twitched slightly, his entire body frozen in what could only be described as sheer existential confusion.
A long silence stretched across the battlefield.
Even the Great Serpent, the monstrous behemoth that had just delivered the earth-shattering strike, narrowed its reptilian eyes in irritation. The creature looked like it had just encountered an unsolvable math problem.
The silence continued.
Then—a single leg twitched again.
A muffled voice came from the ground.
"I'm alive?! Really?!"
A moment later, the man pushed himself out of the dirt with a loud POP! He staggered upright, wobbling slightly, patting himself down in disbelief.
His eyes darted around. "Wait… did I actually survive that?"
Then, his gaze fell on something beside him. A dark, spindly figure crouched on the ground, unmoving.
The Assassin Taratect.
Shwet blinked. Then he blinked again.
"Wait… did you save me?" His voice was filled with suspicion.
The spider, as expected, said nothing.
Shwet let out a dry chuckle. "Tch. I see. So you did." He brushed some dirt off his tattered clothes. "Not that you deserve thanks. After all, you're the reason I got into that situation in the first place."
The Assassin twitched slightly, but if it had any feelings about his words, it didn't show them.
Shwet let out a sigh, finally turning his attention back to the battlefield.
The Battle Rages On
The battlefield was still a bloodbath.
The lesser serpents were being torn apart by the remaining Taratects, but they weren't going down without a fight. The ground was littered with the corpses of both spiders and snakes. The Greater Serpents were another problem entirely.
Shwet clenched his dagger. "My attacks don't work on their scales." He muttered, glancing down at the blade in his hands. "I need to focus on something I can actually kill."
His eyes locked onto a lesser serpent nearby, one that was already injured.
"Perfect."
He dashed forward.
SLASH!
With a single clean strike, the serpent's head was cleaved from its body. Its corpse slumped to the ground, twitching slightly before going still.
One down.
Soon, the lesser serpents began to thin out. The Taratects gained momentum, ripping them apart one after another. Within minutes, all the lesser serpents were dead.
Now only the Great Serpents remained.
And they were the real trouble.
A Critical Mistake
The Great Serpents were far beyond the lesser ones in strength. They slaughtered the Taratects in droves, their massive bodies crushing smaller creatures effortlessly.
Even the Titan Taratects struggled against them, engaging only a few at a time. The rest of the Serpents moved freely, devastating their forces.
Shwet grit his teeth.
"I have to go for the weak points."
Activating [Stealth], he crept toward a Great Serpent that was preoccupied with crushing a Taratect beneath its coils.
He inched forward, dagger in hand, ready to strike.
Then—THUNK!
Something slammed into his stomach.
A large piece of debris, sent flying by the battle, pierced his lower abdomen.
His breath caught. His vision blurred.
Then—pain.
A sharp, searing pain erupted through his body.
Blood began pouring freely from the wound, staining his clothes. His knees buckled slightly.
"Oh. That's… not good."
He staggered, barely keeping himself upright.
Then, just as he was about to fall—something pulled him back.
The Assassin Taratect yanked him out of danger, dragging him away before the Serpent could finish him off.
Shwet collapsed to one knee, gripping his stomach. "Damn it… I have no way to heal this." His HP was dropping fast.
Then—a shadow swung down from above.
A Weaver Taratect landed beside him, clearly injured.
Without hesitation, it produced silk from its spinnerets and began sewing his wound shut.
Shwet winced. "What the hell—"
The spider ignored him, working quickly.
Within seconds, the wound was closed.
Shwet blinked, staring at the spider. "Did it just… stitch me up? But what about the inner wound!? Won't this just lead to cloating!!" He shouted in helplessness. "I need to level up to heal the internal wounds."
Raising his level had another effect, other than increasing his power. It could heal minor to moderate injuries.
The Weaver chirped.
"…I can't tell if I should be impressed or horrified."
He quickly chugged a Recovery Potion, refilling his lost HP. Strength returned to his limbs.
"Alright. Back in action."
Who knew an unexpected partnership would soon be seen on the battlefield.
Shwet moved to attack again.
This time—the Assassin Taratect moved with him.
Not behind him.
Not after him.
With him.
It attacked first, closing in on the Great Serpent and slashing at its weak points.
Shwet's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wait—are we actually working together now?"
The Weaver Taratect swung overhead, creating silk footholds that allowed Shwet to change directions mid-air, dodging attacks that should have hit him.
For the first time—he wasn't fighting alone.
Shwet let out a breathless laugh.
"A three-man cell…? No, a two-spider, one-man cell."
He grinned. "Fine. Let's do this properly, then, but before that..."
He swung his dagger killing great taratects on the way. The assassin was too focused on great serpent to notice his actions.
The action soon gave results. He levelled up. "This should work for now." The taratect had stopped the bleeding, and now raising a level would clear him of his internal injury.
Then, he followed after the black taratect, to hunt the great serpent.
The Assassin struck first, keeping the Serpent occupied.
Shwet followed up, slashing at the same weak point over and over.
The Weaver restricted its movements, trapping it in place.
The Serpent thrashed, screeching in rage—but it couldn't escape.
Strike after strike—its body weakened.
Then—the final blow.
Shwet drove his dagger deep into the exposed flesh.
The Great Serpent let out a final, agonized hiss—then collapsed.
Dead.
Shwet stumbled back, breathing hard.
A moment of silence.
Then—a surge of power.
LEVEL UP!
Shwet's EXP skyrocketed.
Level: 26.
+20 Stat Points. Another +5 from the previous level up.
He smirked. "All in Strength."
The power surged through him. His body felt stronger, sharper.
But the fight wasn't over.
They had killed one Great Serpent.
There were still...one....two....thre... fifteen more.
Shwet sighed.
"Alright. Who's next?"