Booom!!
Tensions high.
The huge spider sprang at Ross. Once again it erupted from the soil as he ran, dust trailing behind him like a smoke screen. If he got engulfed in its grasp, he'd be blinded—surely no way to progress further. Somehow, it moved faster in the soil than on land, an impressive feature he silently cursed.
In just a few moments, sweat drenched his shirt, soaking him as if he'd taken a shower fully clothed. The experience was entirely new; most people didn't have "being chased by a mutant spider" on their bucket list. Yet here he was, trapped in one of the most dangerous scenarios imaginable.
With every hurried step in the sand, the spider mirrored him—tripled in intensity—its thin legs making little effort to pull free. It was a battle of two legs against eight, hardly a fair fight. If he hadn't gotten a heads-up on this chase, he would've already been dinner for the monstrous arachnid.
"How is this exactly training? How am I supposed to fight that thing without a weapon?" he gasped, heart racing, lungs screaming for air.
Beep.
A dialogue box appeared before him. He could've glanced at its contents, but survival had his full attention.
[I thought you were a martial artist. Do your thing.]
"They don't exactly teach us how to kill a venomous spider in class!" he whined, the sound of its approach growing louder.
[The thing might look different, but it's exactly like a spider. Use what you know and take it down.]
"You're not exactly helping here. Just tell me how to activate A.O.I!"
[Your stats are too low; the recoil would be massive. Just think for a second,] Medussa advised.
This was the first time Ross had fully taken the steering wheel of his mind in battle. Perhaps that was why Medussa had held back—she didn't want to rob him of the lesson.
His eyes darted forward along the empty, straight road. The spider was right on his tail.
"If this keeps up, it'll catch me soon. I have to do something fast!"
A flood of thoughts filled his mind, but unlike earlier problems, this one clearly defined the line between life and death. Medussa showed no intention of helping; he was utterly alone.
Suddenly, a stray memory flickered—gentle but powerful.
"You have a big brain, perfect for solving problems. I believe you could run this company better than I ever would."
His father's words washed over him, erasing the doubt lodged in his heart and handing him the missing piece of the puzzle: confidence in himself.
"Got it!"
A light bulb seemed to glow in his mind. Ideas flowed like water.
"I hope this works," he muttered, fingers trembling like ice running through them.
Consciously, the black lines in Medussa's system—the ones that glitched whenever Ross became intensely determined—reactivated, her glowing system screen flickering violently.
Glitch!!!
This time it was louder, more pronounced, temporarily disrupting her interface before it returned to normal.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Ross ran faster, the distance between him and the spider widening. His feet no longer sank into the soil; from afar, it looked as if he was gliding above the sand, almost like a magician. He had adapted. One obstacle down—but another still loomed, cloaked in the chaos of the fight.
He leapt, timing his jump with precision so the spider would land exactly where he wanted. Just as it lunged, Ross vaulted backward, eyes fixed on the stunned creature, whose widened eyes betrayed utter confusion.
Midair, he twisted, propelling his legs with raw, unrestrained force. Veins bulged, muscles contracted—every ounce of his being focused into one super attack. His dreams, his vision, compressed into a single strike: a nail attack to the spider's face.
"Aaaaaaaah!" he shouted, veins pulsing in his neck, teeth clenched tight.
Pwah!!
His feet slammed into its face, diving into its eye sockets, eyes erupting like balloons. Fluid sprayed, coating his feet as if they were dipped in a grotesque, living paint.
"Rooar!!"
The spider screamed, but not like a lion; more like raw, tortured anguish.
Ross drove his legs out of its eyes, then slid under it, striking at its legs.
Clack!
One metal-like leg snapped under his kick.
"Roar!"
The spider wobbled, collapsing sideways.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
He dismantled the others mercilessly, then rolled out of reach, once again to its face.
His fists clenched—and suddenly, a torrent of blows rained down.
Pow. Pow. Pow.
Each punch drilled into the spider's face. Its blood sprayed, coating his fists like war paint. Chunks of its skin clung to him. The creature refused to die easily, but Ross showed no mercy, punishing it for every ounce of resistance.
After a few minutes, the relentless assault ended. Silence flooded the battlefield as he froze, staring at the corpse before him.
Then…
Hahahah!
He laughed—a mad, mocking, villainous laugh.
"Hahahahahahahahaha!"
Medussa's eyes widened in astonishment. She knew exactly what that laughter meant. Ross had enjoyed every second. That was what happened when a caged lion finally broke free: unstoppable.
He stopped laughing abruptly.
"I really forgot what a fight feels like… that extravagant thrill of facing a powerful enemy," he muttered.
[Congratulations, you've won.]
+2 Speed
+1 Strength
[Take any small piece of the spider you wish.]
Ross extended his hand, snapping off a shard of the spider's skin.
"What am I supposed to do with this?"
[Eat it.]
"What? For real?"
[You want a weapon or not?]
Ross stood vigilant for some seconds, forced to eat something disgusting if he ever hoped for getting a weapon in the badlands
"You better be right!"
He ate it.
Guuu!!
The ground began to vibrate again—but differently this time. Objects stirred under the sand, shifting ominously.
Ring!
A notification appeared in his dialogue box:
OFFERING INSTALLED
FORGING A KATANA
A red energy-lighted katana materialized in his hand, unsheathed, humming with power.
[More than fifteen hostiles approaching your location,] Medussa warned.
"Don't worry," he said, unsheathing the blade fully. His eyes burned with lethal focus.
"Let them come!"
Suddenly
The spiders launched—29 of them—erupting from every angle, jaws open, aiming to swallow him whole. The sight was terrifying, yet Ross's expression hardened.