The poisonous mist drifted silently through the dense forests of the D-4 Resource Zone.
Towering ancient trees stood like silent giants beneath the gloomy sky, their intertwined branches forming an almost impenetrable canopy that blocked nearly all sunlight. Countless poisonous vines coiled around weathered trunks, while strange fungi and venomous plants covered the damp forest floor. The entire forest seemed shrouded beneath a pale green mist, giving the poisonous land an eerie and oppressive atmosphere.
Hidden behind a dense thorn-covered bush, Ivan remained perfectly still, concealing his entire presence within the thick poisonous fog. The surrounding mist had already become so dense that ordinary vision was almost useless. Beyond ten meters, everything dissolved into a hazy sea of pale green, with only the faint outlines of nearby vegetation remaining visible.
However, Ivan's vision was completely different.
Behind the Adaptive Anti-Toxin Mask, its enhanced thermal vision quietly overlaid the world before his eyes. The layers of poisonous mist became almost meaningless, allowing faint heat signatures hidden deep within the forest to appear with remarkable clarity.
Ivan's gaze remained fixed upon a gigantic ancient tree nearly one hundred meters away.
The ancient tree towered above every other plant in the surrounding forest. Its trunk was several times thicker than the neighboring trees, while its bark resembled weathered gray flesh that had long since withered. Countless deep cracks spread across its surface like ancient scars, making the entire tree appear as though it had died centuries ago yet somehow continued standing through sheer stubbornness.
Large circular holes covered almost every side of the enormous trunk.
One after another, eight-legged magical creatures crawled in and out of those openings. Some disappeared into the hollow trunk carrying freshly captured prey, while others emerged only to patrol the surrounding forest with silent vigilance. Their movements were orderly and disciplined, making the entire area feel even more unsettling.
At a single glance, it was obvious that this was no ordinary ancient tree.
It had become the nest of the Poison Fang Spiders.
Remaining hidden behind the thorn-covered bush, Ivan patiently observed every movement around the nest. Thanks to the mask's enhanced thermal vision, each Poison Fang Spider remained clearly visible despite the dense poisonous fog that blanketed the forest.
After several minutes of careful observation, he silently reached a conclusion.
There were exactly twenty-four Poison Fang Spiders.
Judging from their numbers, this was only a small nest rather than one of the larger colonies recorded within the academy's database. Even so, Ivan didn't relax in the slightest. Every magical creature inhabiting the D-4 Resource Zone possessed deadly poisonous abilities, and a single moment of carelessness was more than enough to cost a wizard apprentice their life.
After silently assessing the situation, Ivan calmly instructed Nova within his mind.
"Nova, scan every Poison Fang Spider and analyze their combat capabilities."
"Yes, Master."
As Ivan's command was issued, an invisible scanning wave silently spread outward with him at its center.
Only a few moments later, a detailed report appeared inside Ivan's consciousness.
"Analysis complete."
"Total Poison Fang Spiders detected: Twenty-four."
"Juvenile Poison Fang Spiders: Six."
"Adult Poison Fang Spiders: Eighteen."
The combat analysis followed almost immediately.
"Among the adult Poison Fang Spiders, ten possess Low-Level Knight Apprentice combat capability. Six possess Intermediate Knight Apprentice combat capability. The remaining two possess High-Level Knight Apprentice combat capability."
Ivan quietly examined Nova's report, his expression remaining as calm as ever.
For his current strength, opponents of this level were not particularly difficult to defeat. With his Mid-Level Knight physique, his mutated heart, his combat techniques, and Nova's assistance, eliminating this entire spider nest was well within his capabilities.
However, the true problem was time.
Fighting twenty-four magical creatures in direct combat would inevitably create considerable noise. If the battle continued for too long, the commotion could easily attract nearby magical creatures—or even another Poison Fang Spider nest. That was a risk Ivan had no intention of taking.
The quickest victory was always the safest victory.
Ivan's gaze remained fixed upon the distant spider nest as countless battle plans rapidly formed and vanished within his mind. Every possibility was carefully weighed before being discarded, until, after a brief moment of contemplation, one particular weakness of the Poison Fang Spiders surfaced in his memory.
Fire.
According to the Myriad Magical Beast Compendium, Poison Fang Spiders possessed an instinctive fear of intense flames. Their webs ignited with alarming ease, while their bodies were considerably less resistant to fire than most poisonous magical creatures inhabiting the D-4 Resource Zone.
Unfortunately, Ivan's current fire-attributed Knight techniques were nowhere near powerful enough to incinerate an entire spider nest in a single attack.
Moreover, Poison Fang Spiders were far more than close-range predators alone.
Their venom spray possessed a considerable effective range, allowing them to attack from multiple directions long before Ivan could ever reach the center of the nest. Attempting to charge in head-on would only drag the battle out, giving nearby magical creatures ample opportunity to notice the disturbance.
Ivan silently dismissed the idea.
One plan after another surfaced within his mind, only to be rejected almost immediately. After a brief moment of contemplation, a faint glimmer flashed across his eyes as a new idea finally took shape.
Without taking his eyes off the distant Poison Fang Spider nest, Ivan calmly instructed Nova through his mind.
"Nova."
"Can the Void Furnace manufacture incendiary grenades with an effective lethal radius of approximately five meters?"
"Yes, Master."
As Nova's answer sounded, the space before Ivan distorted once again. A tiny black point appeared in midair before rapidly expanding into a palm-sized void. Soft mechanical hums echoed from its depths, as though countless precision components were operating somewhere beyond the opening.
Moments later, four compact metallic objects quietly dropped from the void before the distortion collapsed without leaving behind even the slightest trace.
Ivan caught the grenades with practiced ease.
Each grenade was roughly the size of an apple, forged from matte-black fusion steel. Numerous angular alloy plates locked together through microscopic seams, giving it the appearance of a compact mechanical sphere. Fine ventilation grooves were carved around the shell, while a small mechanical safety lever protruded from one side.
Although compact, each grenade carried an unmistakable sense of restrained destructive power. Even without being activated, Ivan could instinctively feel the terrifying force sleeping beneath its simple mechanical exterior.
After giving the grenades a brief inspection, Ivan stored all four inside his Spatial Ring before calmly surveying his surroundings one final time.
The poisonous mist continued drifting silently through the forest, while the distant Poison Fang Spider nest remained as quiet as ever. None of the spiders had noticed that danger had already entered their territory.
Ivan slowly lowered his center of gravity and began advancing once more.
Each step was measured and deliberate, his movements blending naturally with the surrounding forest. Even the damp leaves beneath his boots produced almost no sound as he silently approached the Poison Fang Spider nest, concealing his presence beneath the drifting poisonous mist.
When the distance between himself and the nest had narrowed to roughly fifty meters, Ivan came to a halt behind another massive tree whose thick trunk was more than enough to conceal his entire body. Only then did he cautiously peer toward the spider nest hidden within the poisonous fog.
According to The Myriad Magical Beast Compendium, Poison Fang Spiders possessed eyesight, but their visual ability was relatively poor compared to most magical creatures. Instead, they relied primarily upon two extraordinarily sensitive methods of perception to detect everything around them.
The countless sensory hairs covering their eight legs allowed them to perceive even the slightest vibrations traveling through the air or across nearby surfaces. At the same time, specialized sensory organs near their mouthparts constantly analyzed chemical traces carried by the wind, enabling them to distinguish prey, allies, intruders, mating pheromones, and subtle environmental changes with astonishing precision.
In many situations, those extraordinary senses proved even more reliable than ordinary vision. Because of this, Ivan had absolutely no intention of becoming careless.
According to the academy's records, an adult Poison Fang Spider could accurately detect abnormal air vibrations within a radius of roughly twenty to thirty meters. As long as he remained beyond that range and carefully controlled every movement, the possibility of exposing himself would remain extremely low.
For now, patience was his greatest weapon.
After confirming once again that none of the Poison Fang Spiders had detected him, Ivan slowly reached into his Spatial Ring. A metallic grenade silently appeared in his hand, followed by a small crystalline bottle filled with a transparent liquid.
Without making a single unnecessary movement, he carefully uncorked the bottle and allowed several drops of the transparent liquid to fall onto the grenade's smooth metallic surface. The liquid spread evenly across the shell before disappearing completely, leaving behind not even the faintest trace.
After returning the crystalline bottle to his Spatial Ring, Ivan wrapped his fingers around the safety lever and calmly pulled out the metal pin. His muscles immediately tensed before he swung his arm forward with the explosive strength of an Intermediate Knight Apprentice.
Whoosh!
The incendiary grenade traced a smooth arc through the poisonous mist before landing directly in front of the enormous ancient tree that served as the Poison Fang Spider nest.
Clink!
The crisp metallic sound instantly rippled throughout the silent forest.
Almost immediately, every Poison Fang Spider outside the nest reacted. Those patrolling nearby abruptly turned toward the unfamiliar object, while several Poison Fang Spiders hidden within the countless openings of the ancient tree rapidly crawled out one after another after sensing the sudden disturbance.
Within moments, nearly twelve Poison Fang Spiders had gathered around the grenade.
Yet not a single one dared to approach.
Instead, they stopped roughly two meters away, surrounding the strange metallic sphere from every direction. To them, the object appeared completely ordinary. There were no traces of mana, no magical fluctuations, and no aura that magical creatures normally associated with dangerous magical artifacts.
Yet...
None of the Poison Fang Spiders dared to move forward.
Their instincts continuously screamed that the seemingly harmless metallic object before them was something they should never touch. Although none of them could understand the source of that danger, their countless years of survival instinct forced them to remain cautious.
At the same time, however, another invisible influence quietly spread through the surrounding forest.
The transparent liquid Ivan had dripped onto the grenade was a specially prepared Beast Attraction Solution. As its unique pheromones gradually diffused through the poisonous mist, the expressions of the surrounding Poison Fang Spiders slowly began to change.
Their instincts warned them to retreat.
Their senses urged them to approach.
For a brief moment, neither impulse managed to overcome the other.
Then...
The invisible pheromones became increasingly concentrated.
The younger Poison Fang Spiders were the first to lose control.
Unable to suppress the overwhelming temptation any longer, four newly matured Poison Fang Spiders suddenly rushed toward the metallic sphere. Seeing that nothing had happened immediately, several adult Poison Fang Spiders behind them instinctively followed, curiosity gradually overpowering their earlier caution.
Only a handful of the oldest Poison Fang Spiders remained where they were.
Their crimson eyes stayed fixed upon the strange metallic object, while every instinct within their bodies continued warning them that something was terribly wrong.
The distance closed rapidly.
One meter.
Half a meter.
The leading Poison Fang Spider opened its venomous fangs, preparing to bite the strange metallic sphere.
At that exact instant—