The Homeseeker: Elemental Adventurer LitRPG [Isekai] (Series Complete!)

"We are going to die here," Finnegan whispered, looking upon the growing number of Arachulas before them.

"Definitely not," Zalan said firmly. "I have to get home."

Without much time to think, he grabbed Rep and Finnegan and pulled them into a run. The spiders chased after them with wads of webbing landing all around. Zalan kept a beam of light pointed their way to burn apart webs that had the trajectory to hit them. The Arachulas clambered over one another in pursuit. The entire Depths of Despair shivered with movement. Zalan shoved Rep and Finnegan behind an overturned minecart, then knelt down next to them.

The cart was tall enough to cover their backs when they knelt down behind it, but they couldn't stand up if they wanted to remain under its protection from the webs. The metal of the old cart shuddered constantly, battered by the assailants on the other end. It felt like a pathetic piece of protection, but Zalan couldn't think of anything better in the seconds he had to flee.

The spray of webs showered over them. Any spiders that came around to try and flank them were quickly burned down by bright, focused Elemental Light pointed their way. Rep assisted, cutting down any of the oversized spiders approaching them with his blade. They seemed an infinite number, more always climbing over their dead brethren.

"What do we do? What do we do?" Finnegan asked, nesting himself deep into the back of the overturned cart.

"Keep an eye out! I think we can take them down if we find an opening," Zalan said. "We're stronger than the big one for sure, otherwise it wouldn't have called these reinforcements."

"Or perhaps it wished to share a meal with its children!" Finnegan said.

Zalan hadn't even considered that the Giant Arachula might be the mother to the smaller ones. He hoped Finnegan was mistaken.

"Trust in Zalan," Rep said, stabbing down yet another Arachula.

Zalan could see that both he and Rep were growing sluggish. Strings of webs were constantly falling from above them, preventing full motion of their arms and legs. The spiders that came to strike were always at full energy, having just started their pursuit, where Rep and Zalan were steadily waning. They had been in the Depths of Despair for what felt like innumerable hours, and they could very easily have been overwhelmed.

Zalan was still resolved to fight to his end. He wouldn't have a hint of regret so long as he tried, even when things seemed dire. And if he came out alive, he could cling to the legend of his own story. How often has it been that the few have been able to conquer so many? Especially with these one-sided odds?

Zalan fought Arachulas with such automatic attacks that he almost felt blind with battle sense. As soon as he slashed one Arachula in half, he spun around and skewered another with a focused beam of Elemental Light. He never had a chance to catch his breath, they seemed to be spawning from every direction, occasionally falling from the ceiling right in front of him and his friends.

"Rep! Get out from behind the minecart! You are glowing!" Finnegan said.

"That's my Elemental Power!" Zalan said immediately, not even looking back at him.

"Not you! I said Rep!" Finnegan said quickly.

"What do you mean?" Rep asked.

Rep and Zalan's eyes grew wide and they looked at one another in shock. Their bodies were glowing a faint white light, but Rep's was different from the light emitted from Zalan's Elemental Power. They tried to scramble in between attacks from the oncoming Arachulas. Rep tripped and got stuck in webs splattered across the ground. Zalan tried to help him up but was blocked in by three new Arachulas, threatening to rush around him and reach Finnegan.

The light emitting from Rep's body grew in strength until it reached a blinding zenith, exploding him in immense white light. Rep had killed so many incoming Arachulas that he gained a Level. But he wasn't in a close enough distance to even harm the Giant Arachula with the explosion that emitted with the gaining of the Level.

All the Arachulas in the immediate area, however, died immediately. Some even fell from the walls and ceiling, curling up as they crashed to the floor, lifeless. Rep was healed of a few injuries by gaining the Level, and Zalan could see the burn scars had faded from his body. They even had a few seconds to breathe, as their immediate threats were all dead.

Still, the mines rained with webs from the few Arachulas and the Giant Arachula watching the overturned mine cart from a distance. They kept their artillery web strikes ongoing, even as they couldn't see what was happening on the other end of the cart.

"It would have been quite nice to be done with this," Rep said, breathing deeply as he ducked back behind the mine cart.

"Would it have really been so hard to say 'You're gaining a Level! Get closer to the big monster!' We could have killed every single one of them," Zalan said, kneeling in front of Finnegan.

"I apologize," he said in a small voice. "I was panicking. I thought I had expressed exactly that."

Zalan's features softened. He remembered that Finnegan was probably the age of someone just starting university. He could expect a lot from him, but being able to keep calm in the face of death was a whole different ability. Zalan himself only gained steadfastness through several fights. He had to face death enough to know that the only way to avoid it was to remain level-headed.

"Don't worry about it. Good job trying to point it out. Keep coming up with ideas like that and we'll still find a way out of this," Zalan assured him. Finnegan offered a thin, grateful smile, looking somewhat less tense.

More webs splattered on the walls nearest to them. Zalan was growing claustrophobic. They were surrounded by webs on all sides, and the light skittering of the surviving Arachulas began to grow closer. Finnegan's smile faltered, his eyes unsteady. Zalan could see how scared he was, his whole body in a light tremble. Zalan would have been terrified, if he wasn't pumped with a cocktail of adrenaline and pure focus. He felt like he had no time to experience fear when the other emotions took so much energy.

"Any new ideas?" Rep asked.

Rep and Zalan were both breathing heavily, barely catching their breath after the first wave of Arachulas. Zalan knew that they wouldn't be able to simply withstand another wave of spiders. His muscles were screaming in burning pain, begging to be given a rest. He checked his Experience to see how close he was to gaining a Level. Only 89, and he'd definitely killed more than a few dozen Arachulas by now. Between that and the defeated Earthenbeasts, he expected to have gained another Level. But the Arachulas were giving him less than one Experience, per kill. He couldn't rely on getting a Level to get them out of this.

It only took one wrong move to be taken out of commission. And with the constant streams of webs falling from above, there was a good chance he could get caught on something that his Elemental Light didn't burn away first. He stared at the webs for a few seconds, watching the strands as they disintegrated in the light before they got too close.

"I think I have an idea, but I don't know how good it is," Zalan admitted.

"When have we ever had a good idea in battle? I am ready for anything," Rep said confidently in return.

"I would prefer that it be a good idea," Finnegan mumbled.

"Remember how I told you not to use your Elemental Fire Power?" Zalan said.

"Of course, because you rightly suggested that the explosion could bring the mines down upon us." Rep nodded.

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"Right. Well, I'm gonna need you to burn a web when I tell you," Zalan said.

Finnegan frowned, inching himself even further against the overturned cart. Rep made a face, but when another spider tried to flank them, he decided he didn't have time for questions. He sliced it in half and nodded to Zalan, allowing him to proceed.

"And when you shoot the fire, get under the cart! You need to get out of the way of the direct blast," Zalan said.

Finnegan immediately turned toward the cart. He was running his eyes up and down the overturned metal. Finnegan's eyes narrowed with a hint of skepticism, shaking his head in disbelief. Tucking his fingers under the edge, he pulled with all his might, barely able to raise it an inch off the ground.

"What if I can not raise it enough to get under the…" Finnegan turned back to Zalan only to see he had already run out from behind the mine cart.

Zalan stood in the open area near the cart, his arms open wide in defiance as he prepared himself. The smaller Arachulas stopped rushing toward the cart as the Giant Arachula and Zalan sized one another up. The Giant Arachula took a bold few steps forward, leaning very gingerly on the leg that Zalan cut through. Its abdomen began wiggling. Zalan knew it was preparing to spit a wad of webs.

"Come on!" Zalan challenged keeping his wingspan open. "I can take whatever you got!"

The Giant Arachula hissed lightly. The smaller monsters at its feet shot a series of smaller webs at Zalan. He stood obstinately, not making a move as he was hit with several packs of web across his body. The Giant Arachula seemed to enjoy the sight, and added its own much larger web to the mix. Zalan bore it all, standing up straight, but stuck in place like a statue covered in cobwebs. He was weighed down by several pounds of the substance, covering everything from his knees to his neck.

"Zalan!" Rep called.

"Stay where you are!" Zalan said confidently. "I'm fine! Just get ready to shoot the Elemental Fire when I tell you."

"I am not going to blow you up!" Rep said rebelliously.

"That's right, you're not! I'll be fine if you time it right! Just wait for my signal!" Zalan screamed impatiently.

Rep looked hesitant, but nodded with patience. He kept himself close to the cart, not wanting to attract any attention when the Arachulas had mostly decided to focus on Zalan.

"He has a death wish!" Finnegan said, his voice strained as he struggled to lift the cart.

"He said he will be fine," Rep said, sounding as though he was trying to assure himself.

"Help me with the cart so we can get under!" Finnegan said through grit teeth.

"Not until I emit my Elemental Flame. I do not want to throw off Zalan's plan by not being prepared."

Arachulas collectively stopped rushing to get behind the mine cart, instead making their way toward Zalan. He was still the one source of light in the room. The Arachulas that got too close were burned through, Zalan emitting powerful beams of light from his feet even as he stood immobile. He allowed them to fire more webs at him, gathering a massive spool at his chest.

Within the confines of his cocoon, he began slowly burning through the webs holding him down by imbuing his legs with a shallow layer of light. The outside remained whole, making it unclear that his legs were able to move once more. He didn't want the monsters knowing he was freeing himself. The stream of brave Arachulas charging forward to attack him began to slow down, their hesitance apparent when he was able to take them out so easily with his feet alone. Finally, the Giant Arachula decided it had enough of the waiting and began to step forward. Exactly what Zalan was hoping for.

As the Giant Arachula made its way over, Zalan gave the webs remaining around him a big bear hug, collecting as much as he could into one ball that stuck to his chest. Burning what remained connected to the ground with Elemental Light, he was able to carry the thick wad of webs around freely. The Giant Arachula increased its pace to a rush, and had passed all the smaller ones, baring its remaining fang dripping with venom. It seemed unconcerned with Zalan's movement so long as his arms were still locked into the webs.

Zalan rapidly spun in place, completing two complete circles in a second and building momentum. He kept his eyes on the massive creature as he continued to spin like a top, remaining focused as his balance was tested.

"He has gone mad!" Finnegan called out at a loss.

"Rep?" Zalan called.

"Ready!" Rep said.

"Now!"

Rep bit the inside of his lip hard and threw a ball of flame at the webs still connected to the spinning Zalan. The Giant Arachula came close, rearing its legs to pummel Zalan and finally have its meal. Zalan imbued his chest and arms with blinding, bright Elemental Light as he spun, the wad tearing apart into a single string that connected to a large attachment. Like a potato sack connected to by a rope. Rep's eyes widened and he twisted his arms in panic to redirect his moving flame.

Zalan had spun around in place to build enough momentum. Then, he shifted to spinning around the sack-like wad of webs. The massive pile of web pulled at him. With powerful Elemental Light, he burned off all tendrils of the web connected to him, essentially throwing the massive collection of webs at the Giant Arachula rearing to strike. Rep's Elemental Flame curved in the air, going to connect with the giant pack of webs as soon as it reached the Giant Arachula.

Spinning quickly in place had done Zalan's aim no favors, and it looked as though it was sailing to the right of the massive monster. It was far too high, taking its time to get to a distance close enough for Rep's flame to touch it. Zalan hoped the explosion would be enough to destroy it, regardless of the distance.

He ran, stumbling toward the mine cart. Halfway there, his shoulder was struck by the Giant Arachula's leg, slamming him to the hard rock floor. The air whooshed out of his body and his arm burned with pain. A moment later, Zalan was thrown to the wall by the monumental explosion.

Rep had redirected his flame in a very particular direction, ensuring that the explosion wouldn't go off until it was just behind the Giant Arachula. The strategic placement allowed the incoming blast to be mostly taken by the monster's body, allowing a much less substantial blast to pass over to Zalan and the mine cart. At the last second, Finnegan barely managed to lift the cart and pull himself and Rep below. The cart shivered, but held firm under the explosive shock wave, keeping its two occupants safe.

Zalan, however, had lost track of all of his senses. All he knew was the hurt on his body, whether the burning sensation on his face or the feeling like he'd broken his back against the rock wall. He groaned, but couldn't hear his own voice over the deafening ringing in his ears. His head was aching with pressure, and he realized he had been flipped upside down, his back against the rock wall. In addition, he was dumped in pitch black darkness after the explosion had passed. He didn't have the focus or energy to keep emitting Elemental Light during the explosion.

Suddenly, his pain seemed to subside considerably and his body regained its faint glow. As Zalan's sight slowly returned to his conscious mind, he realized that he must have been gaining a Level. He'd succeeded in killing the Giant Arachula. He smiled faintly as some of his wounds were healed. The partial repairs would allow him to at least be able to stumble his way out of the Depths of Despair. As soon as his body exploded in the burst of gaining a Level, he flopped over, falling off the wall. With a harsh scrape, Zalan heard the mine cart being tossed upright, footsteps approaching him.

As he lifted his head off the ground, Zalan saw Rep emit a small flame. It was barely enough to illuminate his and Finnegan's faces. He had forgotten just how dark the Depths of Despair were without his Elemental Light. Eerie shadows were eating away at light that should have been appearing from the fire, and he was grateful that his Elemental Light wasn't similarly affected.

"Are you all right?" Rep asked him, reaching out a hand to help him to his feet.

"Barely," Zalan grunted. "I think I might have died from my wounds if I didn't just gain a Level."

"We really killed it," Finnegan said.

"We?" Zalan repeated, amused.

"We!" Finnegan nodded enthusiastically. "See for yourself! I gained 90 Experience from the Giant Arachula's death."

Finnegan raised his wrist to Zalan's eyes for him to see his stats. Zalan didn't need to look, already believing the claim.

"How is that possible?" Zalan asked.

"He threw a rock at it," Rep reminded him.

"That's all it takes to get a share of Experience?" Zalan scoffed to himself, shaking his head. He looked back to Finnegan. "Did you gain a Level like me?"

"No, but this will be a good head start for when I become an adventurer. I am at 95 Experience now, and Level 3 will be much better than Level 2 for fighting all manner of monsters," Finnegan said proudly.

Rep raised his eyebrows, stunned. He put a light hand on Finnegan's shoulder.

"You still want to become an adventurer after all of that?" Rep asked, surprised.

"Of course! Even more so! I thought we would be dead for certain! Somehow you killed hundreds of monsters without much struggle! I wish to do that. Imagine having such control over your own life," Finnegan nodded.

"There was a lot of struggle," Zalan grumbled, stretching his body.

"Even better. If there is struggle, then I can help those who are struggling," Finnegan added without missing a beat. "And then no one will remember me as a thief. Only a living legend."

"Let us get out of here first," Rep said. "I can already hear the few remaining smaller Arachulas scrambling around the room. It is only a matter of time before they come back to attack us out of panic."

"Yeah," Zalan nodded. "Here, let me light up the room to at least scare a few of them off."

Zalan emitted his Elemental Light from his hand and got a look around the room. Before he could get a full view of the room, he stopped short, staring at the center of the round room in abject horror.

The Giant Arachula lay dead, half its body disintegrated in the explosion. Several Arachulas remained scuttling across the walls.

And in the center of the room, staring over the giant dead monster, was the Mind of Madness.