"Who . . . ? Who killed my adorable pet?"
The voice drifted through the air like a curse. It was soft, trembling, and almost childish—but underneath was a growling echo that made their skin crawl.
"How dare you step your filthy feet into one of my mistress's sacred domains."
The sound twisted the air cold. Isolde and Leonel felt their fine hairs rise. The voice was that of a young girl—slow, melodic, almost like she was humming—but low, raspy, and wrong. It wasn't the voice of the living. It was the kind you'd expect to hear at midnight, behind you, when you're alone.
"W-what's that?" Leonel pointed at a large shadow forming on the ground. The black shape rippled, stretching wider and wider until something began to crawl out from it.
From the darkness, the monster emerged.
It was a nightmare given form—a woman from the waist up, but her lower half was that of a spider with eight crooked, jagged legs that scraped against the stone. Her skin was pale grey, almost ashen, and her long arms had twisted into spiraling, spear-like blades of flesh.
But the most horrifying thing was her face.
She had no skin. Only writhing dark muscles stretched tightly over her skull, connecting to what should've been her hair—now a storm of smoky tendrils whipping behind her like living shadows. Her nose was gone, replaced by two empty holes, and her wide mouth split open to reveal rows of sharp, serrated teeth. Eight glowing red eyes burned across her face in uneven lines, each one moving independently.
"Mother of—" Leonel's voice caught in his throat. His vision spun, his legs buckled, and he nearly collapsed if not for Ren grabbing his arm and pushing him upright.
"Steady," Ren said firmly, his voice the only anchor in the creeping terror.
Isolde's hands shook violently as she lifted her [Monocle]. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, and she had to remind herself to breathe. The moment she activated the lens, blue light scanned the creature.
[Consumed Monocle x1]
[Remaining Monocles: 0]
‖ M A I D E N O F A G O N Y ‖
Location: Gargantuan Cave
Description:
"Loyal servants to the Mother of Spiders."
Once a high priestess of the Dark Elves, she was captured and corrupted by the Mother of Spiders, transformed into this foul form of suffering and rage. Now, she serves as one of her Mistress's greater assassins, sent to destroy anyone who dares to challenge the Fiendweb's will.
‖ A T T R I B U T E ‖
HP: 5,000
MP: 500
STRG: 30 +5 [Domain Bonus]
DEF: 25 +10 [Domain Bonus]
MDF: 20
INT: 25 +4 [Domain Bonus]
AGL: 30 +5 [Domain Bonus]
LCK: 15
‖ D A M A G E R E S I S T A N C E S ‖
❶ Bludgeoning [Non-Magic]
❷ Piercing [Non-Magic]
❸ Slashing [Non-Magic]
‖ D A M A G E I M M U N I T I E S ‖
❶ Poison
‖ C O N D I T I O N I M M U N I T I E S ‖
❶ Sleep
‖ W E A K N E S S ‖
❶ Fire
‖ S K I L L S & S P E L L S ‖
Passive Skills:
❶ Cunning Action – Gains one bonus action per turn if its LCK is higher than the enemy's.
❷ Shadow in the Night – Becomes invincible in dim light or darkness. Guaranteed Critical Hit if it strikes from behind.
❸ Torturing Venom – Inflicts deadly venom with every successful hit.
Active Skills:
❶ Multiattack LV.4 – Performs two attacks with its hands and one Snuff Light attack.
70% hit rate if LCK is higher. Cost: –100 MP.
❷ Long Bow LV.4 – Detaches its arms and hurls them like spears.
Arms regenerate after 10 seconds. Cost: –50 MP.
❸ Snuff Light LV.2 – Extinguishes all light sources for 2 seconds. Cost: –20 MP.
The moment the stats flashed across their screens, Isolde and Leonel froze. Their mouths dropped open.
Its ATP was twice that of the Dread Widow's. The numbers were insane—its passive skills perfectly supporting its active ones. It was fast, venomous, nearly invincible in darkness, and more cunning than the spider they had just barely survived.
No wonder the ten strongest members of the Poison Viper Guild had been wiped out.
If those elites couldn't defeat it . . . what chance did they have?
Isolde's face drained of color. Leonel looked like a statue. Ragnar's jaw tightened as he gripped his axe.
Their eyes all turned to Ren—part confusion, part disbelief, and part terror.
"Ren," Leonel croaked, "please tell me this is another joke."
Ren didn't answer immediately. He stood calmly, hands in his pockets, studying the creature. His lips twitched slightly.
"Wait . . ." Leonel blinked. "You're smiling?!"
Was he pranking them again? The man with the cold poker face—who always acted serious—had that faint smirk that only meant trouble.
Ragnar sighed heavily. This is what I get for trusting strangers, he thought.
Leonel, meanwhile, looked at Ren as if betrayed. "You're joking, right?! There's another Boss?!"
"It's the real boss of this cave," Ren finally said, voice calm and steady.
"R-real boss . . . ?" Isolde stammered.
"A little warning next time would be nice," Ragnar muttered.
Ren's smirk deepened. "But you said you hated spoilers."
Ragnar gave him a flat stare. "Yes. But I hate surprises even more."
Ren chuckled under his breath. "Relax. We can defeat it."
Isolde blinked, a bit of color returning to her cheeks. She had half a mind to shoot Ren in the leg for that prank, but his confidence was contagious. "You really think so?"
"Of course," Ren replied. "We'll use the same strategy as before. Leonel holds aggro, you and Ragnar attack together, and I'll back you up from the rear with magic."
Ragnar frowned. "That won't work. We barely survived the last fight. Leonel almost died. This thing hits harder and faster—he won't last long."
"Eh?!" Leonel spun toward him. "Why are you talking like I'm already dead?!"
Ren nodded thoughtfully. "He's right. You will die."
"WHAT?!" Leonel's voice cracked like a teenager's.
Ren ignored him, turning instead to Ragnar. "When that happens, you'll take over."
Ragnar froze, eyes narrowing as realization dawned. He's planning to use us as bait.
Still, the plan wasn't without merit. As long as one member of the party survived, the rest wouldn't suffer death penalties. If Ren could finish the fight before everyone was wiped, they'd still win.
". . . I see." Ragnar adjusted his grip on his axe, mentally bracing himself. "I suppose that could work."
"What could work?!" Leonel demanded, glancing between them like a confused child in the middle of a serious conversation.
Ren grinned slightly when Ragnar caught on.
But Isolde frowned. "That won't be enough. The Maiden of Agony's stats are off the charts!"
"It won't," Ren admitted. "That's why I'll need you to distract it while I finish the job."
Isolde blinked in surprise when Ren's eyes met hers.
He's . . . depending on me?
Her heart skipped a beat, and her determination reignited. She straightened her back, clutching her revolver tightly. "Leave it to me!"
Ren's lips curled in a quiet, knowing smile. Perfect.
If everything went according to plan, she'd make an excellent distraction.
"Alright then," Ren said, eyes narrowing as he turned toward the Maiden of Agony. "Let's claim our rewards."
"Yes!" Isolde said, her confidence returning.
"YaAaRrgh!" Leonel shouted, banging his hammer against his shield. "Aggro on me!"
The Maiden's many eyes snapped open, glowing like embers.
A scream tore from its mouth—shrill and maddening. The walls trembled, the torches flickered, and the battle began.
It was time to end this once and for all.