I braced myself, ready to flash the moment it lunged.
Since its MP was significantly depleted, I figured it would use more close-range skills—it couldn't afford a big move now, or it'd waste even more.
I still had two shield uses left, so I wasn't too worried.
Oh, it's playing the clone trick again.
But this time it spawned seven small snakes, and together with the sixth, they all charged at me.
Seven clones? Damn outrageous!
But something's off—I count one fewer than seven.
I guessed like last time, one clone was staying hidden to share intel. That means I'd need at least two [Flash]s.
I backed off, then used [Paralyzing Evil Eye] on two from the right, shot spider silk to slow two from the left, then flashed away from the big snake and used [Adamantine Body] to tank the surprise attack from the last one.
I wanted to test their strength.
The two hit by my glare broke free in five seconds; the two tied in silk took a bit longer to get loose.
The final one that hit me directly wasn't excessively strong—[Adamantine Body] just got a few cracks.
In summary, their strength hasn't changed since the big snake evolved.
Huh, I thought they'd be stronger? Good—for me that makes them mere distractions.
What really matters is watching the big snake.
While dodging, I kept using [Sensing] to monitor the clones. Underestimating them is a fast track to death.
But sometimes I failed to control them; one silk shot missed and I had to flash three times in a row to dodge.
Seeing it couldn't land any hits, the snake changed tactics.
It sprayed a white mist from its mouth, filling the entire cave.
Oh no—I can't use sensing now.
It wants to disable my Sensing.
Now I can only predict where it will come from.
I sharpened my focus.
Then I sensed a wave from the right, dodged preemptively, and sure enough a small snake emerged from the mist.
Good.
I can still handle it.
I kept using flash to reposition, aiming to avoid the big snake.
<
Another small snake charged, but by the time it touched me, I dodged and used [Paralyzing Evil Eye] to paralyze it. I didn't flash away immediately—I advanced and attacked it with [Drill leg].
Owwww, it's too tough.
It took me two seconds to pierce its hide. Before I could do more, I sensed the big snake approaching—I had to flash away immediately.
Originally I planned to just dodge, but if I could kill the small snakes it'd be less hassle.
Another clone approached; I used spider silk to entangle it and flung it at another snake rushing in.
Suddenly four more snakes charged and I had to tank their strikes with [Adamantine Body].
<
Still fine, still fine.
Compared to before, I'm now more adept at chaining skills—but fighting blind like this is dangerous.
I need a plan.
Speaking of mist, I remembered I had a skill.
I activated [Poison Mist].
A delicate purple mist spread, blending into the white haze filling the cave.
Not enough.
I kept dodging as the mist spread.
When my purple mist covered half the area, I felt confident and turned on [Sensing].
Got it!
My mist-covered area lit up on my sense.
Genius.
I continued managing that, occasionally attacking small snakes—the damage was low but satisfying.
<
Speaking of which… where's the big snake?
I paused and watched carefully.
Where did it go?
It didn't go to find the dragon, did it?
If it kills the dragon, all my effort's wasted.
I need to locate it immediately.
No.
I should check on the dragon first.
I extended my [Sensing] to full range and detected a weak but regular fluctuation—most likely from the dragon.
Whew.
At least I know it's still alive.
But if the big snake isn't attacking the dragon, what is it doing?
Just then, danger struck again.
It was exactly like before when the snake was about to shoot a fireball at me.
I instinctively used [Invincible Shield].
A blast erupted, clearing the mist to reveal the big snake staring at me with murderous intent.
It must've thought I couldn't block it.
Damn it.
So it was waiting to ambush me.
Heh heh.
It didn't expect I could tank it.
Judging by its furious glare, I know it's pissed.
Meanwhile, its small clones charged with fireballs—and all burned to ashes.
It didn't even spare its own clones.
Gotta applaud the ruthlessness.
Wait.
I'm rambling again.
Guess being a spider messes with my chat frequency.
Focus. I need to conserve energy.
Now I can stay reactive with the snake instead of initiating.
I sensed the big snake watching me, still angry—its MP must have drained heavily on that last fireball, but it tried twice and couldn't kill me.
A quick check confirmed its MP was down to about one-tenth.
So it probably can't fire another big spell. I can relax a bit—its remaining skills are still manageable.
The big snake suddenly retreated, and dozens of small toxic orbs hovered around it in midair.
What's it planning?
Without warning, dozens of small poison spheres shot from those orbs.
Nai wa.
I dodged left and right, but still got hit once.
Poison?
Not exactly…
Oh no, it's corroding my body.
I used [Adamantine Body] to block it, but it still poises me slowly.
I assumed that last wave was the end, but the snake kept firing—wave after wave. The orbs didn't stop.
It's spamming. That's cheating.
I wondered where it got so much MP—but after several failed checks, I realized it didn't use MP—it used SP, and it barely decreased each cast.
Unfair!
I dodged one, then three came right at me.
Now all I can do is dodge—they won't kill me instantly, but the damage is accumulating fast even with [Adamantine Body].
No!
My only hope now is to absorb more poison until I get the skill. That's my only chance to survive.
I decided to risk it. Instead of avoiding it, I dove into the densest poison cloud—drenched myself so the effect would accelerate.
Pain!
I kept taking shallow breaths, feeling my organs boiling inside.
Not a metaphor—it was literal.
They felt like they were melting.
If the skill didn't trigger soon, I'd die—but at least I'd go down by choice, not by enemy's blow.
Humiliating.
<
Nai wa~~
Here we go!
As expected, the system never lets me down.
Thanks to the new resistance skill, I could halt the poison spread throughout my body. It's not instant detox—but if I avoid further exposure, the poison will dissipate over time. So now I just need to focus on dodging.
<
Good, good.
Even if it speeds up, I can still manage.
I thought everything was settled, but the snake surprised me again.
I don't know how, but it appeared behind me—even though [Sensing] was active.
Oh no!
Don't strike my back.
It slammed me with its tail full-force—[Adamantine Body] shattered and half of my body was torn again.
Blood started flowing.
Nai wa.
Just a minute ago I was fine—now I'm a wreck. How did it bypass my sense?
Doesn't matter now. I'm still alive.
But the snake didn't give me time to process—it lunged to finish me off.
I used [Invincible Shield] to hold it off.
The shield blocked it, but I couldn't celebrate—my SP drained fast, and the snake kept attacking, further saping my SP.
<
<
Oh wow, the skill burst gave me more time.
Thanks to [Vitality], my bleeding stopped and I started healing slowly. And [Endurance] gave me SP back too—though the regen is only a tenth of the usage.
How many times did I nearly die today?
Twice… no, three times.
This accidental fight nearly killed me three times!
Ah, that's not right because there's a possibility that I'll die right now, I feel like I'm already incredibly extraordinary to be able to survive in a fight with a creature many times stronger than me.
Well, calling it a fight isn't accurate—I've just been running and taking hits.
Pathetic.
Damn snake.
If you and I survive today, next time we'll fight head-on.
The shield is fading as SP runs low.
Dragon friend—wake up or I'm screwed.
This cost me too much—I might as well be villain.
<
Just when I thought it was over—then the dragon answered my call.