They stepped carefully onto the floor of the cavern, which was carpeted in layers of sticky silk. Zofia grimaced as her boots stuck slightly with every step.
"Be careful where you step. Vibrations might..." Nathan started, but it was too late.
To clear a path, Zofia instinctively sent a wave of fire across the floor to burn the sticky mess. The flames roared, consuming the silk in seconds. Unexpectedly, her action did more than clear the path; the sudden heat and destruction of her web alerted the Queen instantly, ruining their plan for a surprise attack.
From the ceiling, a massive shape descended. The Spider Queen is huge, with a bulbous, armored abdomen and legs that spanned twenty feet. Her multiple eyes glowed with a malevolent green light.
The spider let out an ear-piercing shriek, a sound not of this world. It was a high-pitched, psychic scream that sounded like sharp metal scraping against a blackboard, magnified a thousand times.
Nathan dropped his sword, clutching his ears as he fell to his knees, his eyes rolling back. Jiice collapsed, trembling violently, blood trickling from her nose.
Zofia braced herself, expecting the pain, but it never came. She felt a strange sensation, like a cool barrier wrapping around her mind. Mental Oppression Resistance, she realized. Aside from some discomfort in her eardrums, her body was fine.
"Wake up!" Zofia shouted, but they couldn't hear her over the screaming.
She acted on instinct, firing a Water Blade straight into the Spider Queen's cluster of eyes. The pressurized water struck true, blinding two of the eyes. The Queen reeled back, the shrieking stopping abruptly as she chattered in pain.
Thanks to the silence, Jiice and Nathan gasped for air, returning to normal, though they looked pale and shaken.
"Jiice, cast a protection spell on Nathan! Nathan, distract it while I focus my magic!"
Both nodded, shaking off the terror. Jiice chanted quickly, a golden glow enveloping Nathan. He roared, charging the beast to draw its attention.
Zofia was happy that they coordinated so well on their first try. But she quickly changed her mind when the Queen swiped a massive leg. Nathan blocked, but the force was immense. He was knocked flying into a stone pillar, coughing up blood.
"My sword..." Nathan gasped, looking at his blade. The impact had chipped the steel against the Queen's diamond-hard shell. He didn't dare strike again, afraid his only weapon would break.
Before Zofia could cast her spell, the Spider Queen turned her remaining eyes toward her. The beast seemed to sense Zofia was the true threat, the Alpha predator in the room. Ignoring the others, she scuttled across the ceiling and dropped down, mandibles dripping with green venom, aiming straight for Zofia.
The Queen was fast - too fast. Zofia barely had time to react as a massive leg stabbed down like a spear. She rolled to the side, the stone floor shattering where she had stood a second ago.
"Earth Trap!" Zofia slammed her hand on the ground.
The ground beneath the Queen's feet softened instantly into a viscous mud pit, aiming to trap her legs. But the Queen was cunning, she sensed the mana shift and leaped high into the air, avoiding the trap completely. She landed on the wall with terrifying agility. She opened her maw, and a stream of acidic green venom sprayed toward Zofia.
"Fireball!"
Zofia didn't dodge, she countered. A massive sphere of fire met the venom mid-air. The collision created a cloud of sizzling, toxic steam that filled the chamber.
"I can't see her!" Nathan yelled, trying to peer through the mist.
"Above you!" Jiice screamed.
The Queen dropped from the ceiling through the steam, landing right behind Zofia. A hairy leg swept out, catching Zofia in the ribs. She was launched across the room, slamming into a rock wall.
The Queen charged again, sensing blood.
Zofia raised her hand to cast Lightning Strike, but she paused. They were deep underground in a confined cave. Summoning lightning here is impossible.
"Tch, can't use lightning here," she gritted her teeth.
"Nathan, cut her legs! Jiice, can you blind her?" Zofia commanded, scrambling to her feet.
Nathan, despite his fear and chipped sword, charged with a warrior's roar. He hacked at the joints of the spider's legs - the only weak point in her armor. Green blood sprayed as he managed to sever a smaller limb.
The Queen shrieked, turning to snap at him. Jiice took the opening, firing a Flash spell right into the Queen's face. The sudden burst of light disoriented the monster, making it thrash wildly.
"Water Blade!"
Usually, this spell manifested as small, sharp daggers of water. But fueled by her massive mana pool, Zofia poured every ounce of her mana efficiency into the spell.
The water didn't form daggers. It coalesced into a colossal, pressurized crescent - a liquid guillotine shimmering with deadly pressure.
"Die!"
Zofia swung her arm down. The massive Water Blade mirrored her movement, crashing down with the force of a tidal wave condensed into a single edge.
The blade cleaved through the Queen's hard carapace, through muscle and bone, splitting the monster's head in two. The impact shook the entire cavern, sending a shockwave of water and slime outward.
The Queen shuddered violently once, her legs curling inward in a death spasm, and then collapsed into a heap.
Zofia landed in a crouch, panting heavily, her mana drained.
"Spider Queen dead. Congratulations on reaching Level 6. Available Potential Points: 20. Item drop: Super Durable Silk Reel."
"Do I have an inventory?"
"Answer. You can store any items dropped by monsters and items you craft yourself."
"Put all 20 points into Intelligence."
"Command received."
[Super Durable Silk Reel: Can create Spider Queen's silk. Unlimited use. Must be recharged with spider souls when depleted.]
Nathan approached, limping slightly, to check the spider's corpse. He carefully extracted poison from its fangs into a glass vial.
"This poison... it's potent. It can't kill humans easily, but its paralyzing ability is terrifying. One drop could freeze a bull. I can sell this to the hunters in the Guild."
The three then moved deeper into the mine, destroying the remaining straggler spiders. Finally, they reached a blocked cavern at the back.
"Is anyone in there?" Zofia shouted.
"Help! We're here!" A weak voice replied.
They cleared the rubble. When they found out the three were adventurers sent to rescue them, the miners wept with relief. They had been trapped for three days in total darkness; hunger and thirst had left them pale, gaunt, and near death.
"We've cleared the spider nest. You can exit safely that way," Zofia said gently, handing them water skins.
"Really? Thank you so much. We thought we were going to die here."
Saying that, an older miner, tears streaming down his soot-stained face, took out some ores from his bag. They glowed with a faint, inner light, looking completely different from the dull rocks scattered on the ground.
"This is a small token of our gratitude, please accept it. This is Axingerite ore, extremely rare. It pulses with magical energy and can be refined into a gem to mount on a staff or wand. And this... this is Lonsdalite, an equally rare material, harder than diamond, perfect for forging swords."
Zofia looked at the ores, stunned by their beauty.
"If these are so rare, why don't you keep them to sell for money? With money, you could escape that heartless boss and live comfortably."
The miner shook his head, pressing the stones into her hands.
"We are alive to escape thanks to you three. That money is nothing compared to our lives. Please take it saviors."
Zofia reluctantly accepted.
The trio returned to report the entire incident to the Guild. They detailed the manager's negligence but kept the gift of the two rare ores a secret. The Guild investigated the mine owner and discovered his many dirty dealings, including insurance fraud on miners' lives. He was immediately arrested by soldiers, the miners were freed from their contracts, and Zofia's group was paid generously ten times the original reward.
"The quest is complete. I will bid you farewell here," Jiice said outside the Guild hall, adjusting her hat.
"What about this large reward?" Zofia asked, holding out the money bag. "You contributed a lot to the mission. Without your buffs, we might not have made it. And I believe if refined, there's enough ore for two gems."
"It's fine, you keep it. My goal is go on an adventure, gaining experience, not wealth. If you feel uncomfortable, you can give me a larger share of the cash."
Zofia felt the girl's proposal was reasonable, so she gave Jiice the majority of the coin. Jiice accepted, bowed deeply in thanks, and set off immediately down the road, disappearing into the crowd.
"Strange but impressive," Zofia marveled, watching her go. "A support mage, and such a small girl at that, daring to venture alone."
"Let's go back to the inn to wash up and eat, Zofia. I'm starving," Nathan groaned, rubbing his stomach.
As soon as he finished speaking, his stomach grumbled loudly, echoing in the street. Zofia laughed heartily, the tension of the battle finally fading. She happily draped her arm around Nathan's shoulder.
"Alright, let's go. My treat."