Minor Spider, also known as the noob killer to the community. Its strike could wreck you and if you ever managed to survive, the venom would surely finish the job. Its name, Minor Spider, did not mean that it was small but simply indicating that it was a low level mob.
The spider is larger than any arachnid on Earth, it was the size of a wolf.
Carter moved to the side of the Minor Spider, observing it intensely while also making sure he didn't step on any traps or objects. He licked his lips like a predator seeing delicious prey.
Amongst the normal mobs, Minor Spider had the highest damage output in a single strike in this level. But it also had the worst weaknesses of all. While Carter was moving, his armor made dangling sounds from all the metal plates clashing together. But the spider didn't even react.
One of its weaknesses was its perception. This allowed Carter to approach it without alerting it.
If this was the game, Carter would've run head on and slam it on the head. But this was a new world and he was no longer in a game. So he needed to be extra careful. Rushing would only ruin a run for a Darkness and Bloodlust speedrun.
Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. That's the correct way to approach Darkness and Bloodlust.
Carter reached the spider within a few meters. It still had no idea that there was another living being in the same room. It was currently running around frantically because of the smell of corpses and blood.
It calmed down eventually when no living prey was found. This allowed Carter to get even closer to it.
One step. Two steps. Three steps.
With each careful step, Carter got closer and closer to the Minor Spider. It didn't stay in one place but moved around the dark room. When it moved, Carter had to follow it. He made sure that he was always on the side of the Minor Spider, the position where its hearing was the weakest.
And then, he finally was within the range of the spear.
Carter did not hesitate. With one definite thrust, he pierced the spear into the squishy small head of the Minor Spider. The small head was in the center, hiding between the cracks of its exoskeleton.
Its high-pitched screech echoed throughout the dark dungeon, the scream of a miserable beast.
The Minor Spider retreated and brought the spear along with it. Its speed was unimaginable for a creature that size. The spider was as big as a wolf and moved just as quick.
The spear was stuck inside its flesh with little hope of getting it out. Carter let go of the spear to not get dragged along with it.
This had never happened in the game. Your weapon never got stuck inside the enemy. Typical unexpected mechanic that Carter knew so well. Darkness and Bloodlust always had these frustrated surprises. In every situation, it could invent a completely new rule to mess with the player.
However, Carter did not panic. He was prepared. He unstrapped the mace on his waist and grabbed it as his new weapon.
There were different kinds of physical damages inside Darkness and Bloodlust. The two main ones in the early game were cutting and bludgeoning. The tip of the spear was cutting damage. Now this mace was bludgeoning damage.
The only physical weakness of the Minor Spider that would allow the cutting damage to go through was the head. The small, tiny little head that was hidden in the middle of its exoskeleton armor.
Carter knew this so he used the element of surprise to successfully damage its fleshy head.
It was now weak and enough for Carter to grind its exoskeleton down with bludgeoning damage produced by the mace.
"Come here!"
Carter slapped the mace on the shield to make some noise. The Minor Spider got a hold of it immediately and dashed to his position. Its two front legs lifted up to act like two sharp swords thrusting forward.
"Thud!" The sharp leg got blocked by the enormous shield. Carter was almost knocked over but managed to maintain his balance.
The shield was pushed back by a few steps, the vibration sent all the way to Carter's shoulders, shaking them to their bones.
This strike was quick. The legs move in a blur that Carter couldn't even see clearly. He wouldn't be able to dodge it and died instantly if it wasn't for the large shield.
This strike was what created the nickname noob killer for the spider. Quick, precise and impossible to dodge.
The Minor Spider didn't end there and kept smacking its sharp front legs onto the shield. Carter held on for dear life and pushed forward, counteracting its force and preventing the shield from falling on him.
The creature was relentless and it connected the thrust flawlessly like an experienced boxer linking their jabs. One, two. One, two.
But the spider had its limit. After exactly three combinations of thrust, the attack stopped. A gap was opened for Carter to exploit.
Carter wasted no time to reach out from behind the shield. He lifted the mace up as high as he could.
The Minor Spider was a formidable foe for sure. It had every right to hold the title noob killer. Its speed was great and its strength was deathly. But like everything in this world, it had weaknesses.
Its horrible perception was one. But the true weakness that a player needed to know to overcome it in combat was its stamina. The spider always attacked with all its strength, leaving little power left to maintain a continuous bombardment. It would always have a gap between three combinations of attacks.
A short moment of vulnerability that Carter could use to damage it.
He slammed the hammer down with all his strength, trying to break its exoskeleton into pieces. The natural armor caved in the spider's flesh. Its painful scream echoed throughout the dark space.
It finally recovered from the fatigue. But it didn't decide to use its previous three strikes again. The Minor Spider stepped back a short distance. It used its two back legs to lift its body up while its two front legs aimed down to Carter.
One simple slam and he would be crushed to a mush.
Carter left the shield and hopped to the side of the spider. The shield was able to stand on its own, no need for someone to hold it. He smashed the mace repeatedly on its surrounding legs, causing it to wobble in place.
Heh. You thought you can use the instant kill on me? Dream on, bitch!
Instant kill. Every monster in Darkness and Bloodlust had this move. This attack would guarantee an instant death to a character and a failed run for Carter. There was no way to block it and no way to run from it.
But you could interrupt it.
Carter caused it to lose balance and cancel the move before it could execute.
Chopstick, nicknamed by the community, was when the Minor Spider tried to use its body weight to crush the enemy with its front legs. The front legs could easily pierce through the shield and hurt Carter in the process. Even if he ran, the Minor Spider would simply push forward with its speed and thrust its legs at him. A move that was simply unable to avoid in the early game.
The spider fell on its butt, making the spear lower down. Carter hopped to the front where the end of the spear was and smacked its bottom, pushing the spear further down the head of the spider. Blue blood gushed out from the head, splashing everywhere.
Carter was way ahead and already ducked his entire body behind the shield. The blue blood stuck onto the shield and fizzed immediately, foaming a stinky white bubble that was definitely venomous.
If you managed to survive a strike, the venom could easily finish the job.
The Spider was now more agitated. It regained its composure and stood up, smashing into the shield with its front legs again. Carter used the large shield to block its straightforward attack that also contained venom. And in between attacks, he smacked the mace onto the Spider soon to be broken exoskeleton.
The mace was too short to reach the Spider's head, which still had the spear stuck onto it.
But Carter didn't worry about that. He took his time, slowly and carefully ground the beast to its last breath.
And then, the sweet sound of crumbling. Its exoskeleton armor was broken through. The part where Carter aimed at had finally been shattered into pieces.