"Grrrarr!"

Cannonyx emerged from the summoning circle with a roar. Its size had shrunk from five metres to about two metres, roughly the height of a tall adult. It hovered a few metres above the ground.

"Where... am... I?" Cannonyx asked as it looked around.

"Hello, Nyx. We’re inside the Arachnid Nest dungeon. You know who I am, right?" Oliver asked.

"You... are... master. Who... is... Nyx?"

"Your name is Nyx now. I’ll call you that from now on. Do you like it?"

"Nyx... Nyx... I... like... it," Nyx replied.

’It seems his way of communicating is like that of a toddler. This might be a bit difficult,’ Oliver thought.

"Master... promise... me... to... become... stronger."

"You want to become stronger? Of course. I’ll make everyone under me stronger. Don’t worry about it."

After that, Oliver began checking the ruined town. Almost everything inside the houses was destroyed. After searching through them, he made his way toward a large open area at the center of the town, where the webs were the densest.

Suddenly, he noticed many objects suspended in the webs above. Then, one of them fell. From it, a skull rolled across the ground and stopped right at his feet.

"Kiyaak!" Oliver yelped before quickly covering his mouth.

"Quiet!" Husk hissed.

"A-a skull... It’s a human skull." Oliver kicked it away.

"It must be an unfortunate hunter who got trapped here," Husk said.

Creak! Creak!

Suddenly, they heard a creaking sound, like something slowly moving. Oliver noticed the webs trembling, even though nothing seemed to touch them.

"They’re here!" Oliver said as he stepped back with Husk. However, Nyx remained hovering in his position.

"Hey, Nyx! Come over here!" Oliver called out, trying to keep his voice low. But there was no response.

Then Oliver saw them. From the thick webs, tens, no, hundreds, of spiders began emerging. Each one was the size of a cow. He immediately activated Overlord Eye to scan them.

---

Arachix (Mutated)

Rank: D

---

<Arachix>

"They’re all mutated!" Oliver shouted as he scanned more of them. Every single one was in a mutated state, far beyond what he had expected.

"I thought only bosses could mutate. Even mobs can become mutated?"

"The mana concentration here is extremely dense. That’s enough for even lesser monsters to undergo mutation," Husk explained.

"We can’t face all of them at once. We need to run first before they start attacking. Hey, Nyx, what are you waiting for? Come over here!" Oliver shouted.

Suddenly, Nyx raised its cannon arm and fired at a nearby Arachix.

BANG!!

The spider was instantly obliterated, its blood splattering everywhere. That single shot triggered the entire swarm. The Arachix began attacking with some crawling rapidly across the webs while others leaping onto the ground.

"What are you doing, Nyx?!" Oliver shouted.

But Nyx simply rose higher into the air and activated Rapid Barrage, releasing dozens of bullets.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each shot struck its target as heads and bodies of the spiders shattered, leaving spiders either immobilized or dead.

A group of spiders leapt from a nearby house toward Nyx. In response, Nyx instantly activated Scatterburst Cannon and fired.

BOOM!

The entire group was wiped out in a single blast.

While Nyx was committing a massacre on one side, Oliver was struggling against the Arachix attacking him from another.

Swoosh!

Oliver slashed one of the Arachix across its body and killing it instantly. Another leapt at him from behind but Husk intercepted it before slicing it clean in two.

But the situation quickly worsened. They were being surrounded, and the spiders seemed endless.

"There are too many of them!" Oliver shouted as he continued swinging his dagger. He glanced toward Nyx, who was firing in all directions as more Arachix began targeting him.

’Tch! It seems he doesn’t want to listen to me. Do I need to recall him? But if I do, my mana will drop and all the spiders will focus on us instead...’

Oliver was in a dilemma. Suddenly, he remembered the bombs inside his bag. He quickly pulled them out, lit the fuses, and hurled them toward the plaza.

BOOM!

The explosions tore through the area, swallowing dozens of Arachix. The webs caught fire and began spreading rapidly. The spiders surrounding Oliver and Husk panicked.

Seizing the opportunity, Oliver charged forward with Husk.

As he ran, Nyx lowered its hovering height. Oliver did not want to miss this chance.

Bam!

Oliver leapt up and punched Nyx on the head. Of course, it hurt him more than Nyx, whose carapace was incredibly tough.

"Follow me! Or I’ll leave you, and let you die," Oliver said firmly.

At the word die, Nyx panicked and immediately followed Oliver and Husk as they rushed into the large building at the center of the plaza.

The Arachix continued chasing them. Oliver and his monsters rushed into the large building, and before shutting the door, Oliver threw another bomb behind them.

BOOM!

He slammed the door shut and locked it. The Arachix immediately began ramming against it, but Oliver reinforced the entrance by dragging long benches and stacking them against the door.

Only then did he turn around, and saw a large statue standing in the middle of the hall.

"It’s a church," Husk said as he sniffed around and checking for any hidden monsters. Nyx hovered nearby, staring at the blocked door.

"Can... I... blast... this... door?" Nyx asked.

"No!" Oliver quickly rushed over and pushed Nyx toward the front of the church.

Suddenly, as Oliver was pushing Nyx, a spider dropped from the ceiling above.

Swoosh!

Its front leg slashed at Oliver, leaving a deep scratch. This one was larger than the others, and it had green streaks across its body. Oliver quickly glanced at its information.

---

Arachoid (Mutated)

Rank: C

---

<Arachoid>

It swung again, but Oliver managed to evade it.

"Dominating Blow!"

Oliver activated the skill, stunning the Arachoid for a brief moment. Taking the chance, he followed up with Crimson Fang and finished it off.

"Are you alright, kid?" Husk rushed over to check on him.

Oliver looked at his arm. A deep wound had formed, and green liquid seeped within it.

He had been poisoned.