We began a new day, and judging by the recent changes, the area was slowly shifting. The number of trees diminished the further east we traveled, and the terrain lost its color, becoming increasingly brittle, flat, and dry.
"Will we finally escape this cursed, endless forest?"
We marched in our usual formation, unchanged: Kris in front due to her high defense, Jess in the center ready to provide support in any direction if needed, and me at the rear, periodically using Pulse with my palm facing backward in the most natural way possible to prevent any surprise attacks from behind.
This formation was the result of several experiments. Initially, we tried Jess at the rear and both Kris and I at the front to protect the archer, but when a monster attacked from behind, Jess, in her panic and surprise, missed her shot. She didn't arrive in time and received a serious wound that, were it not for her healing abilities, could have been fatal.
Now that I possess a large source of magic, and my combat method doesn't rely heavily on it, I can spend almost all of it analyzing the environment with my ability, which has saved us from some dangerous situations.
Almost as if fate were watching us, the last pulse I fired detected three monsters behind the group. From their silhouettes, they appeared to be the same spiders we'd been encountering in recent days.
Kris was in front, telling a story about how he'd qualified for a national track and field competition, before I had to interrupt him.
—Hey, sorry to interrupt, but there are three spider-like monsters about 40 meters behind us, and... they're getting closer fast.
Kris blinked a few times, his eyes wide open.
—Why are you telling me now? Yell at me to shut up when that happens, damn it.
We instantly assumed attack formation, with Kris and me in front, while Jess covered us from the rear.
A few seconds passed, and then they arrived: three spider-like beasts, at least a meter tall, with ten legs as black as night and dark crimson bodies covered in ash-white fur instead of the yellow of last time.
The six eyes of these creatures, straight out of a nightmare, stared at us.
"Quick Analysis System"
{Name: Ash Spider}
{Level: 9}
{Attribute: Earth and Dark}
{Health: 80/80}
{Magic: 20/20}
{Stamina: 70/70}
{Strength: 70}
{Speed: 60}
{Defense: 100}
{Perception: 20}
{Abilities: [Poison] [Evasive Leap] [Fear] [Web] [Earth Shot] [Earth Magic]}
"What the hell? Its stats are insane! 60 Speed with 70 Strength, plus 100 Defense? That's more than my attack using my sword."
Before he could even formulate a plan based on the spiders' stats, one launched itself at Kris with great speed, striking his shield and knocking him back.
—Kris!
Instantly, a small rock spear flew toward me, narrowly grazing my face, from which blood immediately began to flow. The spiders had formed up just like ours, with the third spider at the rear, perched on a tree branch, firing from above.
Jess took the initiative, firing one of her magic arrows at the rear spider. The arrow struck the spider's skin, shattering it instantly without causing any harm to the monstrosity.
"This is wrong, something's wrong."
The remaining spider lunged at me as I was lost in thought. Before it could hit me, I managed to swing my sword in response, striking one of its legs. The sound of the impact was like two heavy pieces of raw steel clashing together, echoing through the forest.
The legs of these spiders were covered in what appeared to be molten black steel, bonded to them, giving them a natural armor.
"Shit."
The spider fell on top of me, trapping me between the ground and itself. Its face hovered over me for a split second, allowing me to observe its six terrifying milky eyes and a mouth with fangs at least 15 centimeters long, coated in a viscous white slime. With only a few centimeters to move beneath it, I wasted no time twisting my left arm and placing my left hand on the beast's belly, feeling its rough fur and skin as hard as stone.
I clenched my teeth and tensed my body before screaming to withstand the recoil of the ability.
—Pulse!
Injecting magic with madness into the ability, fueled by the frenzy and terror of being crushed, the spider shot upwards with force, reaching at least 5 meters in the air and crashing down with a deafening roar worthy of a colossal monster.
Thick, green blood oozed from its eyes and the joints where its body met its legs. It seemed the pulse wave had damaged its body from within, bypassing the defense of its rocky hide.
A familiar message appeared before me.
A current of warm energy entered my body. This gentle heat banished the fear of almost being crushed, replacing it with an aggressive calm.
It was the feeling of growing stronger.
Quickly getting to my feet, I looked around. Kris was struggling with another spider, using his shield for support, in a fight that seemed to have no winner. Despite being weaker, Kris was keeping the enemy at bay, using magic to make the ground vibrate beneath the spider with [Earthquake], robbing it of its stability and diminishing the force it could generate.
Once on my feet, I lunged behind the spider with [Short Dash] and [Quick Slash]. Using all my strength, my new augment, and the momentum of my two abilities, I aimed for the junction between the steel legs and the stone body. My sword managed to sever two of the creature's left hind legs with a single slash, and with another tremor in the ground, the spider lost its balance and fell backward, missing its hind legs.
Kris wasted no time and launched himself at the spider, his sword striking the horrifying creature's head. The blade, already chipped from three arduous months, shattered in two upon impact.
Flaming sparks flew.
—Watch out, Kris!
Kris ignored my words and pressed on, maintaining his momentum, slamming his round shield into the spider with a powerful tackle. The force of his body and the weight of his metal armor pressed the spider's face slightly into the ground. He then repeatedly struck the side of the shield against the spider's flattened face until it was dead.
The mischievous Kris stood with a pale face stained with drops of green blood, panting heavily in front of the large, slain monster, crushed like an insect, only bigger.
"Damn, since when is Kris so scary?"
Kris turned to me and put on a tired smile.
—Thanks for the support, man.
—Oh... yeah, sure, you're welcome, just don't crush me too.
Kris gave me a confused look, as if he hadn't understood what I meant.
Instantly, a faint green light enveloped Kris's body; she, too, had leveled up.
Neither Jess nor the third spider looked around. Raising my left hand to the sky, I pulsed in all directions. To the east, a few meters away, was the silhouette of a slender girl on her knees, her round body with ten legs protruding from it.
When I arrived at the scene, Jess was perfectly fine. The green light enveloped her body, healing a cut inflicted by one of the rock spears. Beside her lay the creature's lifeless body, three of its eyes shattered, from which a soft blue energy emanated. Jess had killed it using her magic arrows, striking the beast's weakest point.
As I smiled nervously, I couldn't help but notice that their auras had changed slightly since the day I met them.
"These two are starting to scare me."
***
Jess materialized a new pair of leather boots that further increased her speed, while Kris obtained a one-handed mace—a silver stick with a spiked ball on the end.
I went into the shop and, after a quick look, decided to buy a green crystal bracelet for 50 points.
{Crystal Bracelet}
{Type: Tool}
{An ancient bracelet with a simple purpose. Its durability is compressed for easy wear, and like all crystal, it can withstand a blow before being destroyed.}
{Effects: This tool is destroyed once the enchantment is used up.}
{Enchantment: By imbuing it with a little magic, a barrier is activated around the body that resists a single blow, no matter the force of the impact.}
{Cost: 50 points}
"A little life insurance policy. I shouldn't get overconfident. If the blow comes and I'm not ready, it won't do me any good. I'll die, and that's it."
Jess heard a branch crack a few meters away from us as we looked at our new possessions.
She grabbed my shoulder as she pointed the path we had come by.
—Hey Levy, I think I heard something over there.
Without asking questions, I cast Pulse.
Two more spiders were coming at high speed. I decided to cast another Pulse. I detected five spiders this time, then fired a third, even wider pulse, only to be horrified. Twelve spiders were coming at high speed, running and leaping through the trees.
I grabbed Jess's hand, which was on my shoulder, and ran toward Kris, slapping him on the back as he happily eyed his mace. I screamed, panic choked in my voice.
—Run!
I let go of Jess and we ran east, where the trees were becoming increasingly sparse, hoping to escape the territory of the spiders coming from the woods.
The ground was becoming drier and more brittle.
A minute later, we glimpsed a ray of light through the trees ahead. It was the edge of the forest. Crossing the final stretch, a blinding light illuminated us for an instant. We were out of the woods, glimpsing a desert that stretched as far as the eye could see.
The ground cracked beneath my feet as if trying to swallow my steps. The cracks were as deep as wounds. Poorly closed, they traversed the surface of that dead desert.
We had left the endless forest only to arrive in a desert, a place devoid of life.