Chapter 33

Ugogo... Being number one in the daily rankings is amazing (though it feels like someone else's business).

I somehow managed to finish writing for everyone's holiday.

The evening update is undecided. Anyway, I'm going to sleep (4:30 AM).

“Damn!”

The battle was about to end, and for a moment, his guard had slightly relaxed.

A Knight Spider leaped from behind, striking unexpectedly, and attacked Node.

Fortunately, he hadn't completely let his guard down, and the slight sound of a branch breaking alerted him to the danger, allowing him to reflexively jump back.

The moment Node leaped sideways, the Knight Spider's massive body passed through the spot where Node had been at high speed.

“Kyu?”

“It’s okay, I’m fine. I made it.”

Node spoke to Neut, who chirped in concern.

Node, who had narrowly avoided the attack, was unharmed.

If he had been even a moment slower, he would have been captured by the Knight Spider's front legs, but the scythe-like attack only grazed his feet.

“...Alright, I can move.”

After the emergency evasion, Node rolled to absorb the impact of falling to the ground. Using the momentum of the roll, he quickly stood up and switched his mind back to battle mode.

He spotted the Knight Spider that had failed its ambush and kept it in his sights.

He then put weight on his grazed foot to confirm that it wouldn’t hinder the battle.

Judging that he could fight, Node held his weapon ready and observed the other Knight Spider that had intruded.

It’s big. When Node saw the new Knight Spider, that was his first thought.

Was it angry because its kind had been injured? The Knight Spider, raising its front legs as if to threaten, was clearly larger than the one Node had nearly killed earlier.

(One, two, three... What!?)

The Knight Spider's eyes.

While maintaining a center of gravity that allowed him to move at any moment, Node, holding his shield and sword, counted the number of eyes on the Knight Spider.

Knight Spiders are known to increase the number of simple eyes on their faces as they grow.

When they are born, they only have two eyes open, and the one Node had just fought had eight.

But the number of eyes Node quickly counted was twelve. He double-checked, but the number remained the same.

“...Damn! A 'Max Individual'.”

Of course, as long as a monster is alive, it continues to grow.

Just as Neut, the deep green-scaled creature flying near Node, had grown stronger and larger since hatching from an egg, monsters have a childhood and eventually grow into adults.

And even after becoming adults, if they live long and gain experience, they become far more powerful than younger individuals. For example, the Armored Wolf Node had once fought would fall into this category.

The power of a monster that has grown to this level is so different from the average of its kind that it is treated as a different species.

Monsters that have grown to their maximum size are classified as 'Max Individuals' and are usually given a different name out of respect.

What was the name of the Max Individual Knight Spider? Node searched his memory and immediately recalled it, muttering the name.

“General Spider...!”

The premonition of a fierce battle spread through the forest like the rustling of tree branches.

§

A loud “Gan!” echoed through the forest, and a strong shock ran through Node’s arm.

The first strike from the General Spider’s front leg was blocked by Node’s shield.

However, the General Spider’s attack didn’t end there.

This time, the other front leg aimed for Node’s head, swinging down.

Node didn’t block it but took a step back to avoid it. The black, fine-haired leg passed in front of him, and the sharp, spear-like tip of the leg stabbed into the ground.

The General Spider’s antennae twitched, and Node, sensing the preparatory movement for the next attack, lightly jumped to avoid the white spider silk that was blown towards his original position.

“Gii!”

The General Spider let out a cry. Node’s sword, swung at the same time as his jump, had cut into the surface of the General Spider’s leg.

It was a shallow cut, Node thought, and this time he moved forward.

Node, who had moved to the side of the General Spider’s body, stepped firmly on the ground and closed the distance again.

Slipping between the eight legs that supported the General Spider’s body, he approached the torso.

However, the General Spider, sensing Node’s intention, leaped back, and Node’s sword only grazed its surface again.

As the General Spider leaped back, it shot out spider silk at Node, which he avoided, creating distance between them.

They stared at each other, looking for an opening. For a moment, an odd silence dominated the forest.

The silence was soon broken.

The General Spider’s body sank.

Its eight legs bent at the joints like a taut bow, then suddenly expanded. The strong muscles under the hair-covered surface released their power, accelerating the General Spider’s massive body.

Launched like a siege bow, the General Spider closed the distance with Node in an instant.

The collision of a massive object at supersonic speed produced a brutal destructive force.

An ordinary adventurer would have been rendered combat-incapable by a single strike, but Node managed to block it.

–Dokoo!!

The sound of the collision with the shield was not like any biological sound but resembled the destruction noise heard in large-scale construction projects.

Node, who had blocked the General Spider’s charge, which produced a sound like an explosion, managed to deflect the impact but was pushed back, floating in the air.

Though he managed to keep one foot on the ground, his shield-armed arm was behind him, leaving his body exposed to the General Spider.

However, the General Spider did not attack the vulnerable Node.

The General Spider, too, had been stopped by the impact.

By deflecting the destructive force with his shield, Node had momentarily immobilized the General Spider in front of him.

For a moment, as both of them stepped on the ground and accelerated their bodies again, time seemed to slow down for Node.

The impact had chipped part of Node’s shield. Looking at the front leg of the General Spider that he had blocked, he saw cracks in the hardened insect armor, and fragments were floating in the air.

Beyond those fragments, Node saw the General Spider’s round, black eyes.

In the dark, emotionless eyes characteristic of insects, he saw his own reflection.

Node’s body, which had been staggering, returned to the ground. The sensation of the earth returned to his feet, and he stepped forward. The General Spider also sank its body again.

The sense of time that had slowed down returned to normal, and Node and the General Spider, who were in close proximity, clashed for the third time.

§

“–Uoooooo!!”

A battle cry erupted from Node’s mouth.

The battle between Node and the General Spider, who had clashed at close range, had become even more intense.

The General Spider slashed with its front legs, and Node blocked with his shield.

The General Spider tried to bite, and Node swung his sword to prevent it.

Defending, dodging, protecting, attacking. Slashing, deflecting, rolling, and jumping back.

Node defended against the General Spider’s fierce attacks with his shield, parried its attacks, and inflicted wounds when he found an opening.

Node was not unscathed; he had received some injuries from the General Spider’s attacks and was gradually wearing down. However, he was inflicting more damage on the General Spider.

The scales on Node’s scale armor were shattered, peeled off, and torn by the General Spider’s claws, causing bleeding.

The General Spider, too, had cuts all over its body, its insect armor was dented and cracked, and its bristles were soaked in blue blood.

It was impossible to count how many times they had clashed. The prolonged battle had created a balance between them, and their clashes were leaving marks deep in the heart of the Alba Forest.

And the balance of the battle was gradually tilting in Node’s favor.

Slash!

One of the General Spider’s black eyes was cut by Node’s sword.

The General Spider let out a painful cry and flinched in pain.

Node, seeing the opening, pushed his exhausted body to the limit and increased the speed of his attacks.

Slashing, striking, cutting, and crushing.

Node’s fierce attacks, skillfully using his sword and shield, were gradually depleting the General Spider’s combat ability.

The General Spider’s front legs were severed halfway, three of its twelve eyes were crushed, and its antennae were broken. Blood was flowing from its body, and the blue fluid dripping from its torso was staining the forest floor.

And then...

“–Haaa!!”

With a powerful cry, Node’s full-strength strike deeply embedded the sword in the General Spider’s head and split it in two.

“Gii... Kii... Guu...”

–Doshaa

The General Spider, whose head was destroyed by the fatal blow, convulsed and let out a final cry before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

“...Haa, ...Haa,”

“Kyuuu~!?”

Node, breathing heavily as if on the verge of collapse, was taking deep breaths. His lungs, visible under his tattered armor, were expanding to take in oxygen.

While remaining vigilant for any surprise attacks, Node surveyed his surroundings. Once he was sure there was no danger, he collapsed to the ground.

Using his sword as a cane, he managed to support his body, but his legs were weak.

Seeing this, Neut, who had been unable to help during the intense battle and had been watching from a distance, hurriedly flew over.

Neut landed beside Node and approached him with concern, then gently licked Node’s cheek.

“...Haha, hah!’

Node, still breathing heavily, couldn’t help but laugh at the tickling sensation of the tongue.

Seeing the smile on Node’s face, Neut seemed to relax a bit, his worried expression easing.

After taking a few deep breaths to steady his breathing, Node sat down on the moss-covered ground.

Although he was still breathing heavily, thanks to taking in the air his lungs needed, his body felt a bit better.

He would need a little more rest to stand up, but sitting down to rest would gradually restore his strength.

While petting Neut, who was standing beside him, Node reflected on the fierce battle that had just taken place.

The General Spider was nearly twice the size of the first Knight Spider he had encountered.

Its combat power was beyond comparison.

Node looked at his shield-holding hand.

Node was covered in wounds, but they were all minor. The damage to his scale armor was significant, but that was to be expected, as the armor’s purpose was to take the hits instead of his body.

As for the injuries to his body, most were minor cuts and bruises, with one spot where the General Spider’s front leg had shattered the scale armor and torn the flesh beneath.

However, even including that, the injuries were not severe enough to hinder his movement. Although his stamina was significantly depleted, there were no lingering effects to worry about.

It was a clear victory.

Node clenched his hand tightly.

–I’m getting stronger.

Node could feel his own growth.

Could he have fought like that six months ago, when he had just become a Crystal-class adventurer and infiltrated a dragon’s nest?

No, the answer to his self-question was immediate.

There were several close calls in the battle with the General Spider.

For example, could he have avoided the initial ambush, or deflected the charge? Could he have survived the subsequent intense battle? The answer to all of these was no.

The days of training with the Iron Dragon Knights had rapidly improved Node’s abilities.

Not only his strength and stamina, but his swordsmanship and shield defense had improved, and through practical combat drills, his combat instincts had been honed.

The training from the elite dragon knights, who were unmatched in combat, had been deeply ingrained in Node’s body.

The General Spider is the Max Individual of the Crystal-class Knight Spider. Its strength is so far beyond that of a Knight Spider that only a Bronze-class adventurer or higher could defeat it.

Moreover, the General Spider Node fought had twelve eyes.

A General Spider refers to a Knight Spider with ten or more eyes.

This means that the General Spider Node had just fought was one of the stronger Max Individuals, and his victory was proof that his abilities were approaching the upper echelons of Bronze-class adventurers.

Once Node judged that his stamina had recovered enough, he stood up and walked to the large spider’s body.

The materials from monsters must be collected soon after they are defeated, or they will spoil. The Knight Spider, in particular, should have been dead for some time.

(…Well, this will be a challenge to carry back.)

Rejoicing in the unexpected victory, Node pondered how to carry back the materials from two spiders and began enthusiastically collecting the valuable monster materials.

The Alba Forest, though marked by the intense battle, had once again returned to its tranquil silence.

It was a battle scene. Phew, it was tough.

I hope it turned out well.

Node has definitely leveled up. A lot.

He’s a Dragon Boot Camp trainee, after all.

Don’t worry! It’s a wonderful training environment with full recovery magic! The basic principle is that you don’t learn unless it hurts, though.