BOOM!
Jun's body smashed against the stone floor, rolling back after the Spider Queen's colossal strike. He groaned, pushing himself up with trembling arms. Blood trailed down the side of his mouth.
"Damn it…" His breath came heavy. His grip tightened around the black sword, its blade trembling slightly from the impact. His eyes narrowed at the towering monster before him. "Its skin is so hard… even with the black sword at level 7, I can't leave a single scratch."
SKREEEEEE!
The Spider Queen screeched, its grotesque body trembling with fury as it raised another limb. The sharp appendage descended with terrifying speed.
Jun rolled desperately to the side, barely dodging the blow as it cratered the floor where he stood. Dust and stone burst upward.
He gritted his teeth, then blurred forward in a flash of violet mana, his body leaving streaks of purple lightning as he closed the distance. With all his strength, he slashed down.
CLANG!
His sword bounced off. Not even a mark.
"Damn it!" he hissed, stumbling back.
The queen's massive limbs swung wildly, forcing him into a desperate dance of dodges and retreats. His chest burned with exhaustion as his thoughts spiraled.
What can I do in this situation? Can I even… do somet—
BOOM!
One of its claws shot forward faster than he expected. Jun's eyes widened as the shadow fell over him. He twisted desperately—barely avoiding death. But the sharpened nail sliced across his side, ripping his flesh.
Jun winced as a burning sensation spread rapidly through his veins.
DING!
[POISON DETECTED.]
[POISON HAS BEEN NULLIFIED DUE TO THE SKILL POISON RESISTANCE.]
He let out a shaky sigh. "Good thing… I unlocked that passive skill. Otherwise…" He staggered. "It would've been bad."
But the Queen pressed forward relentlessly. Her shadow loomed as she raised another leg, her screech vibrating the air.
"I can't just dodge forever…" Jun muttered, panting. "At this rate… I'll run out of stamina."
He blurred forward again, aiming for its chest. But this time, the Spider Queen's massive arm intercepted him mid-strike.
BOOOOM!
Jun felt the crushing force slam into his body. His eyes widened. "Damn—I'm finished—"
The blow launched him across the chamber. His body smashed against the stone wall with a sickening CRACK. Blood spattered against the surface as he collapsed, barely standing with shaking legs.
His vision blurred. "At this rate… I'll die."
He tried to rush again, but another claw batted him aside like a toy. Then—FWOOOSH! Thick web shot from the Queen's mandibles, wrapping around his body mid-air and pinning him to the wall.
THUMP! THUMP!
The monster's colossal steps shook the ground as it approached, each movement dripping with menace. Jun coughed blood, his chest rising weakly.
I don't… have any strength left. Is this how I die now?
His vision flickered. Memories surged.
—His young sister's smile.
—The countless days of hunger and labor.
—Leaving Lukas Village behind.
—Sacrifices he had made so she could survive.
Despite everything… he hadn't even been able to send her to the Royal Academy.
His chest heaved violently. I don't want to die. I don't want to die at all. I have so many things left to do.
His face darkened. His eyes sharpened with madness.
"No…" His voice was low, cold. His body trembled as rage and desperation ignited his will. "I—I—I can't die here."
"Add 10 stat points to Strength… 10 to Stamina… and 10 to Agility!"
[DING!]
[10 STAT POINTS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO STRENGTH.]
[10 STAT POINTS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO STAMINA.]
[10 STAT POINTS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO AGILITY.]
[ALL STAT POINTS HAVE BEEN USED.]
A violent surge of power exploded through his body. The web restraining him tore apart as his muscles bulged with newfound strength. His purple mana burst outward like storming lightning, cracks spreading on the wall behind him.
The Spider Queen screeched, but Jun was already gone from her sight.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
His movements blurred into streaks of violet, his blade cutting from all directions. Each strike struck the exact same spot on her armored skin. Again. Again. Again.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
"I refuse to give up here!" His eyes glowed with a manic light. "I won't accept it!"
His speed overwhelmed her. The Queen's colossal arms swung desperately, but they only cut through empty air.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
"I will survive—NO MATTER WHAT!" Jun roared, his blade leaving thunderous afterimages across the battlefield.
Finally—CRACK! A fracture appeared on her chitin. His relentless strikes had broken through.
Jun's eyes widened with madness and determination as he raised his blade for the final blow. His voice echoed like thunder.
"I will kill… I will kill EVERYONE who stands against me!"
He raised the black sword. Mana surged.
"Shadow Sword Art—FIRST FORM!"
SWOOOSH!
The blade released a dark, crescent slash that ripped through the chamber, cutting the Spider Queen's head clean from its body.
THUUUUMP!
Her massive corpse collapsed, blood gushing across the stone floor.
DING! DING! DING!
[YOU'VE KILLED THE SPIDER QUEEN.]
[EXP +10,000.]
[EXP +10,000.]
[LEVEL UP.]
[LEVEL UP.]
[BLACK SWORD LEVELED UP.]
[BLACK SWORD LEVELED UP.]
[BLACK SWORD LEVELED UP.]
[YOU'VE CLEARED THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE TRAINING TOWER.]
[SHADOW SWORD ART: SECOND FORM UNLOCKED.]
[YOU CAN NOW USE THE SYSTEM SHOP.]
Jun collapsed backward, bloodied and battered. He lay on the cold floor, chest rising and falling rapidly, staring blankly at the ceiling.
His lips curled into the faintest smile.
"…I survived."