As Alex readies himself to shoot, numerous spiders suddenly leap out from behind the trees or drop down from nearby branches. A few are even descending slowly on threads from the highest trees in the area.


    Alex immediately fires his [Mr. 5’s .44 Caliber 6-Shot Revolver], deciding to focus on the ranged spiders first. He targets two Thornback Shooters at the very back, his Aura adding an extra punch to his shots thanks to Shu, despite his low affinity with emission. With his more-than-decent AGI and SNS, along with Pistol Proficiency lvl 4, all six shots hit their marks in a matter of seconds.


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    Alex quickly holsters his revolver and draws his [Sword of Pluto] along with his trusty [Shield of Pluto].


    He raises his shield just in time to block a web attack from a nearby Thornback Ambusher, who rushes at him while continuously spitting web. Alex activates Fire Sword lvl 4, hiding behind his shield until the beast is directly in front of him. With his evasion and movement boosted, Alex lunges forward and finishes it in a single, vicious strike.


    Alex heaves a sigh of relief, already taking down three spiders. The burning corpse of the corrupted spider in front of him releases a nauseating smell that drives a feeling of madness into his mind. For a moment, panic grips him as the sheer number of Thornback spiders still approaching becomes apparent. Clenching his teeth, Alex charges into the fray.


    Slicing to his sides, his Aura flares and slashes at anything within range. He spins his Aura slightly, extending the reach of his sword. Simultaneously, he activates Ken, draining his Aura rapidly but protecting him from incoming attacks.


    Surrounded by countless Thornback spiders, Alex fights bravely despite being entangled in their webs. He manages to resist their poison but suffers numerous injuries, including bite wounds, slashes, and stabs from their sharp, claw-like legs.


    Despite the stress and danger, Alex’s increasing INT allows him to make a critical observation—one that could turn the tide of the battle.


    “RISHI!! These hatchlings only have 30 HP! Even if you can’t group them up, a single Fire is enough to kill them easily as long as they’re nearby!!” Alex screams desperately, still surrounded by Thornback spiders.


    Alex wildly blocks and slashes at the surrounding spiders, using his AGI to dodge most of their attacks by rolling on the ground. Despite his efforts, he still gets hit occasionally by spiders biting or slashing at him with their sharp legs.


    Alex feels a sharp hit of acidic poison splattering onto him, nearly making him vomit. He jumps away quickly and activates En for a split second, immediately realizing there are four Thornback Shooters at the back, some of them targeting him.


    Not willing to take any risks, Alex throws three Annihilation Grenades lvl 4 at the shooters, ignoring the exact damage numbers but ensuring they are taken out of the fight. The explosions send shrapnel into the remaining spiders in the backline, dealing minor damage.


    Behind him, Alex hears the sounds of his teammates fighting, their spells and attacks lighting up the battlefield. Ignoring them for now, he focuses on holding back the dangerous Ambushers and Warriors heading his way.


    Alex activates another Fire Sword lvl 4, a spell that costs a mere 10 MP but is strong enough to kill even the Warriors in a single hit—if he can strike the main part of their bodies instead of just their legs.


    Alex lunges straight toward another Warrior and unleashes his fiery attack.


    With several enemies now wounded, dead, or scattered, Alex takes a moment to check his status.


    Alex casts Fire lvl 4 repeatedly, targeting the Ambushers and Warriors. Casting the spell four times, he kills two Ambushers and two Warriors. The Warriors, with their higher HP, endure his initial attack but die after he unleashes another Fire lvl 4 as an AoE spell, which also kills a few nearby Hatchlings.


    With all enemies at the front finally dead, Alex scans the group to check on his teammates. Roja and Perlah are standing close together, with Perlah using a sound attack from her harp to confuse the spiders. While the attack doesn’t fully incapacitate them, it disorients them enough for Roja to unleash precision strikes with her rapier, targeting the weakened enemies.


    Tereza is flying low to the ground, staying close enough to avoid getting caught by hidden webs in the trees. She circles around a large group of at least eight spiders, screaming loudly at them to confuse and distract them, casting Flipendo from time to time to group them up together.


    Rishi seizes the opportunity and casts Fire lvl 4 on the ground, immediately repeating the spell. Alex joins in with his own Fire lvl 4, and their combined efforts decimate the entire group. Notifications flood Alex’s view, confirming every spider encircled by Tereza is dead. The Ambushers and Hatchlings fall to Rishi’s first two spells, while the surviving Warriors are finally finished off by Alex’s last attack.


    Alex rushes toward the remaining wounded Hatchlings, his sword easily penetrating their small bodies.


    Alex sighs. The battle, despite the seemingly weak enemies, had drained both his stamina and mental strength.


    He looks toward the ravine and notices a few remaining spiders cautiously approaching. However, upon seeing the dozens of dead spider corpses littering the ground, they hesitate and retreat back into their nest.


    “That was stressful,” Alex jokes, slashing his sword through the air to rid it of the dripping, mud-colored, slightly green spider blood.


    Rishi and Tereza nod at Alex with impressed expressions, while Roja and Perlah look like they’ve just survived certain death. Both of them stand at a distance, looking scared and already half-fleeing from the ravine.


    Alex quickly stuffs two of the White-quality [Successful Dishes] into his mouth, namely [Successful Dish (Braised Blobfish)], and [Successful Dish (Fried Cucco)]


    [Successful Dish (Braised Blobfish)]


    : :(


    [Successful Dish (Fried Cucco)]


    “Let’s loot them! We can split the chests later—I see quite a few!” Tereza says, her face lighting up with glee.


    The group begins gathering loot, picking up spider corpses and discovering a total of three chests. Alex claims one for himself, while Roja and Perlah hesitantly grab just a few spider corpses, not daring to demand anything more.


    “I’m still good to go. Shall we head inside before they can prepare an ambush?” Alex asks, noticing his HP quickly recovering, turning to the group.