Chapter 66

In the nameless mine, the darkness remained as before. The thin dog-headed men, the dripping dark alleys, and the damp, gloomy smell characteristic of the underground world made Fang Yi feel quite nostalgic. However, things were different now. Following the terrain from memory, Fang Yi stealthily moved downward without being discovered by a single player or monster—after all, this equipment was as attractive to players as it was to monsters when wandering around the newbie village.

The place where he had opened the first treasure chest was no longer inhabited by ogres; it had become a hall where newbies slaughtered dog-headed men to gain experience. After passing through the hall and entering the rear passage, Fang Yi left his stealth mode and sprinted forward. Soon, the familiar ruins appeared before his eyes.

The strong ogres lingering there were no longer a significant problem. Fang Yi dealt with the two large obstacles in the middle of the path and slowly infiltrated the central area of the ruins.

The route Fang Yi had taken to escape before was only around the periphery of the ruins. Now, as he entered the interior, he discovered that the center of the ruins was a series of hollowed-out rooms embedded in the rock or hard soil, connected by narrow alleys, much like an ant colony magnified countless times. However, the overwhelming stench indicated that this place had become the dwelling of ogres.

The sparse torches on the walls, which seemed to be about to go out at any moment, were the only source of light in the underground world. As Fang Yi delved deeper into the cave, the figures of ogres gradually disappeared. He slowly felt his way forward in the dim alley, once again experiencing the sense of emptiness and isolation that enveloped him during his solo explorations in the past.

He didn't know how far he had traveled along the web-like paths, but the map he had explored had already formed a large area, yet there was still no sign of reaching the boundary. Fang Yi, with the flickering torch on his back, crouched in the corner of the passage to determine his direction. Suddenly, his foot moved, and his steady steps paused. He quickly quieted down and listened carefully—where did the vibration come from?

The originally faint vibration suddenly became intense, followed by a deafening sound of rock splitting from behind Fang Yi. While in stealth mode, Fang Yi half-turned his body and saw the most shocking scene he had ever encountered in the game.

The small stone house on his left was unrecognizable. A giant spider that had just emerged from inside had just stabilized its body, lying on the passage behind Fang Yi. Its arthropod legs, almost two feet in diameter, were different from those of its smaller counterparts—green rock armor replaced the furry spines, covering its disgusting, round belly. Even when lying down, its towering body was at least twelve feet tall.

The mandibles on the giant head close to the ground made a "crunching" sound like steel blades, and the eight large compound eyes showed no focus, but Fang Yi could feel that the creature had already detected him in stealth mode! The information from the detection skill revealed: Level 18 Elite, Mutated Rock Spider!

Without any hesitation, Fang Yi pushed off with his feet and suddenly leaped backward. The bloodthirsty short sword in his right hand was already sheathed, leaving only the dagger in his left hand as he sprinted forward.

Come on, this Mutated Rock Spider is a quasi-boss, with a challenge level of at least 20. It's not comparable to the Level 18 Chaotic Demon in the Silver White Temple. Fang Yi couldn't help but curse Harold, the unscrupulous dwarf, for why there would be such a thing in the newbie village mine!

The appearance of Fang Yi clearly angered this native resident. The Rock Spider let out a strange roar, and its eight legs moved swiftly. A flash of magic light appeared in its mouth, and a black light beam as thick as a bucket shot straight at the human thief in front of it.

Fang Yi had been prepared for this. Seeing the magic approaching, he jumped forward. The silent, black cylindrical magic hit the ground and exploded, sending up a large clump of oily black silk, some of which stuck to Fang Yi's calves. Fang Yi felt his body slow down, but he didn't dare turn around. He swung his left hand backward, and the dagger felt like it was cutting through soft steel wire.

Fortunately, the elf dagger was sharp enough, and the spider silk was cut cleanly. Fang Yi's body surged forward again, increasing the distance between him and the Rock Spider.

Thus, a chase began in the winding underground passage, with one person and one spider in a life-and-death sprint. As he ran, Fang Yi could only laugh bitterly. The last time he came here, he was chased by ogres and jumped into the river. This time, he thought he could sweep through the newbie village, but who would have thought there was such a formidable opponent here? Was he just at odds with this place?

No matter how much he thought about it, he still had to escape. Fang Yi was slightly slower than the eight-legged monster, but he used the "Sprint" skill whenever it was off cooldown. Although it was a close call, he always managed to escape at the last moment. The Rock Spider's hair-raising roars became more urgent, clearly fueled by anger. Its eight large legs pounded the ground fiercely, and Fang Yi was occasionally hit by flying rock debris, causing his back to ache!

Fang Yi, somewhat disheveled, leaped over a low, flat house, his eyes scanning the terrain ahead. Suddenly, his eyes lit up: a large rock wall ahead was a dead end, but there was a half-open dark golden door in the corner, black and deep, though it was unclear how deep it went. However, given the size of the passage, it would be difficult for the Rock Spider to fit through.

A good opportunity! Fang Yi turned left and ran straight for the door. The rapid sprint left him slightly out of breath, but the rumbling sound of the eight-legged monster overturning houses was right behind him, as if it could catch up to his heels at any moment. In a moment, Fang Yi was almost at the door, and he had already taken out the Deep Earth Walker amulet from his bag, ready to use the Stone Walk skill as soon as he entered the cave and escaped the Rock Spider's sight.

The monster behind him must have some kind of vibration perception ability similar to the burrowing creatures. Running like this wouldn't work. I don't believe your magic perception is that sharp! Fang Yi sheathed the dagger in his left hand and reached for the nearby dark golden door. The patterns of battle axes and war hammers on the door were clearly visible, and the polished shield-shaped engravings on the side still gleamed in the torchlight, looking clean and new.

No! Just as his hand was about to touch the copper door, a spark of realization flashed in Fang Yi's mind, and a cold feeling spread from his tailbone to the back of his head. Why is this copper door so new!?

Fang Yi's left hand, which was about to reach inside the copper door, retracted as if it had been electrocuted. His body, which was leaning forward due to the full-speed charge, awkwardly crouched down. The Deep Earth Walker amulet in his right hand touched the hard ground, and the Stone Walk skill activated!

At the critical moment, Fang Yi's body vanished into thin air. Unfortunately, although the thief stopped his forward momentum upon entering the ground, the huge inertia did not disappear. As a result, the thief entered a four-second stiff state upon suddenly entering the ground.

At this moment, Fang Yi's mind raced, but he couldn't think of any effective method. The Rock Spider's two large front legs pounded the ground furiously. Just as Fang Yi's stiff time ended, the spot where he was standing was dug up, and the Stone Walk magic effect was nullified. Fang Yi returned to human form, and the first thing he saw was a sweeping arthropod leg.

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