NOVEL NEXT Chapter 33.1
33.1. Endless Summer 2
“Damn it!”
It happened in a fleeting moment when the battle was nearing its end and tension had slightly eased.
A Knight Spider—Night Spider—launched a surprise attack with a leap from behind, catching Nord off guard in a back attack.
Fortunately, he hadn’t completely dropped his guard.
The faint sound of a branch snapping alerted him to the anomaly, allowing him to instinctively leap away.
In the next instant, the Knight Spider’s massive body zipped past the spot where Nord had just stood.
“Kyu-u?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. You saved me.”
Nord spoke to Newt, who squeaked as if worried about him.
Nord, who narrowly avoided the attack in the nick of time, emerged unscathed.
Had his movement been even slightly delayed, he would have been caught by the sweeping forelimbs of the Knight Spider.
But the deadly scythe-like claws only managed to graze the tips of his toes.
“Alright, I can still move.”
After the emergency evasion, Nord softened his landing by rolling to absorb the impact and sprang back to his feet.
He swiftly refocused his mind on combat.
Spotting the Knight Spider that had failed in its ambush, he fixed his gaze on it, maintaining a cautious stance.
At the same time, he tested his weight on his grazed foot, confirming there were no issues for battle.
Determining he was fit to fight, Nord gripped his weapon without letting his guard down, observing the intruding Knight Spider.
It’s big. That was his first impression upon seeing the new adversary.
Compared to the Knight Spider he had nearly defeated earlier, this one was clearly larger and appeared to be enraged over its fallen kin, raising its forelimbs menacingly.
(One, two, three… What the—?)
Nord began counting the spider’s eyes.
Holding his shield and sword, he maintained his balance, ready to move at any moment.
Knight Spiders have a unique trait—the number of eyes on their faces increases as they grow.
At birth, they have only two. The earlier Knight Spider had eight.
But Nord quickly counted twelve eyes on this one. He double-checked to be sure. No mistake.
“Tch… ‘Prime Specimen,’ huh?”
Of course, monsters grow as they live.
Just like Newt, whose emerald-green scales had grown larger and stronger since hatching, monsters also have a childhood phase, eventually maturing into adults.
And those that live long and accumulate experience surpass their younger kin in power.
For Nord, an example of such growth was the armored wolf, Armor Wolf.
The strength of a fully grown monster sets it apart from others of its kind and warrants its classification as a separate entity.
Monsters that achieve this level of growth are often called “Prime Specimens” and given names of reverence.
What was the name of the Prime Specimen Knight Spider again?
Searching his memory, Nord quickly recalled it and muttered aloud:
“General Spider…!”
The anticipation of a fierce battle rustled through the treetops, spreading across the forest.
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Bang!
A heavy sound echoed through the forest, a strong impact coursing through Nord’s arm.
The first downward strike of the General Spider’s forelimb was blocked by Nord’s shield.
But the General Spider’s attack didn’t end there.
The other forelimb now swung toward Nord’s head.
Instead of attempting to block it, Nord stepped back to dodge.
The black, bristly limb grazed past, its spear-like tip stabbing into the ground.
The General Spider’s antennae twitched—it was preparing to unleash silk.
Recognizing the telltale signs, Nord lightly leapt, stepping away as white threads shot toward his previous position.
“──Giii!”
The General Spider shrieked.
Nord’s sword had slashed its forelimb mid-leap, cutting into its surface.
It was shallow.
Thinking this, Nord pressed forward.
Closing the gap, he slipped between the General Spider’s eight legs, aiming for its torso.
But the spider leaped away, sensing his intent.
Nord’s sword left only another shallow cut as the General Spider retreated, launching more silk in his direction.
Nord dodged again, creating a gap between them.
The two adversaries sized each other up, waiting for an opening.
For a moment, an eerie stillness overtook the forest.
But that silence was short-lived.
The General Spider’s body sank.
Its eight legs bent at the joints like a tightly drawn bowstring, then released with explosive power.
The immense muscles beneath its bristly exterior launched the spider with incredible speed, closing the distance between them in an instant.
The massive, high-speed collision generated overwhelming destructive force.
An average adventurer would have been incapacitated instantly.
Yet Nord managed to block the charge.
Boom!
The collision sound was deafening, more like a demolition blast than anything natural.
Nord deflected the General Spider’s destructive force with his shield but was sent flying backward.
Barely managing to keep one foot on the ground, his shield arm was forced behind him, leaving his body exposed.
But the General Spider didn’t press its advantage.
The collision had stunned it as well.
For a brief moment, neither moved.
Time seemed to slow for Nord as he noticed his shield had cracked from the impact.
On the spider’s forelimb, its spear-like hardened chitin was also damaged, fragments scattering into the air.
Beyond the debris, Nord caught a glimpse of the General Spider’s black, featureless eyes reflecting his own image.
Steadying himself, Nord felt the ground beneath his feet again.
The sensation of time returned to normal as both combatants prepared for their next clash.
At close range, they collided once more.
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