Chương 40: Chapter 38 – Escaping Up.

Numerous eyes shone eerily in the dimly lit cavern, reflecting a faint magical light. All these multifaceted orbs were fixed on the solitary ant casting a spell within. The helmet strapped to its back faced the unsettling sight of shadowy spiders. Though smaller than the one Rusty had encountered before, they still dwarfed his companion in size.

"Gleam…, I think you should start running now…"

"(°ㅁ°)" Gleam's antennae quivered with apprehension as she processed Rusty's words. Despite her She understood the gravity of the situation and the impossibility of surviving a battle with all of these arachnids. Without wasting another moment, she turned on her six legs and scurried back towards the entrance of the cavern, her small form casting long shadows against the rocky walls.

The spiders, with their multiple eyes fixated on Gleam, began to skitter in pursuit, their long legs carrying them swiftly across the cavern floor. Their movements were eerily synchronized, as if they were acting on a shared consciousness.

"Gleam, keep going! Don't stop!"

"(ó﹏ò)" Rusty felt terrible as he could do nothing more than watch the scene play itself out. He was just a helmet now and unable to do much to help Gleam. The horde of spiders gave chase and even continued to follow after her when she sprinted up the wall. The shadowy monsters had picked up her scent now and even with no light source there, they continued to chase. The ant's chirps were filled with fear as she pushed her tiny body to its limits, her legs propelling her forward as fast as they could.

Rusty could see her exhaustion through their connection, her stamina bar was depleting rapidly with each step she took and it was probably just a matter of time before one of those spiders got to them.

"... I guess we'll have to use it now, Gleam… Slow down!"

"(ó﹏ò)""Don't worry, it will work, trust me!" Having encountered one of these arachnid monsters before, Rusty knew that despite their frightening appearance, they had a weakness that could be exploited. Though he was just a helmet, he could still utilize some of his skills. As he instructed, Gleam began to slow down. Seeing an opportunity, the shadowy monster spiders quickly lunged at the silvery ant, their large fangs gnashing and ready to administer their venom.

However, just before they could make contact with Gleam's body, the entire area suddenly lit up, the light emanating from Rusty's helmet. The skill Rusty employed was the Basic Elemental Charge, which empowered his blade with either light or darkness. Through repeated use, the skill had leveled up to level five. Over time, Rusty discovered that he could extend this ability beyond just his weapons to charge his own body parts as well.

His helmet was one such part, and as it radiated with bright light, the spiders recoiled in agony. The sudden burst of light caught the shadowy spiders off guard, causing them to scuttle back into the darkness with shrill hisses of pain. Gleam took advantage of the situation to recover some stamina. While she was aware of Rusty's ability, witnessing the spiders so closely was still nerve-wracking. With the sudden illumination, the entire chasm became brightly lit and revealed quite the predicament.

The area was teeming with these shadowy spiders, and now all of them were alerted to their presence. Rusty had not expected there to be so many of them. Only now after the light was shining, did they notice the swarm they were against. Their webs were everywhere and every cavern just reflected the faint glint of shadowy threads. It was clear that attempting to fight was futile and climbing up was their only escape.

"That's why I didn't want to use it this soon… we need to move Gleam, this skill won't last forever and now they all saw us…"

"(•̀ - •́)و""That's the spirit!" Shaking off her nervousness, Gleam pushed forward, resuming her ascent at full speed. Rusty understood that he could frighten off the spiders with his skill, but activating it would likely draw the attention of all the shadowy arachnids in the vicinity. He had hoped to avoid such a scenario by stealthily navigating and minimizing light using Gleam's spells, but their plan had failed. It was clear that using even faint light was a mistake.

The two monsters were still young and this was a learning experience they would not forget but first, they needed to get out of here in one piece. As they continued their ascent, Rusty kept a close eye on the surroundings, ready to activate his skill again at a moment's notice if the spiders attempted another ambush. Gleam, meanwhile, focused on maintaining her pace, conserving her stamina as much as possible for the climb ahead.

Once the light died down, Rusty could hear the skittering of legs and the occasional hiss echoing through the chasm. The monsters were now in pursuit and to make things worse, the sounds were seemingly coming from all directions.

"Gleam, watch out… there are some coming in from up ahead!" Rusty informed his friend about the danger just in time as a spider attempted to ambush them from above. Gleam reacted swiftly, dodging the attack and continuing her climb without hesitation. The monster that lunged itself at her, collided with some of the other spiders that were pursuing them and the hissing increased.

As they ascended higher, the terrain became increasingly treacherous, with narrow ledges and jagged rocks posing additional challenges but also giving them an opportunity.

"Gleam, do you see that sharp ledge? Use your mana bolt spell on it, I know you can do it!" While she was tired from running, mana didn't cost any stamina. Her antennae, used for casting, could act independently from her legs. Before long, a pale ball of mana formed above Gleam's head and was flung at one of the jagged edges in the distance. Upon impact, the rocks shattered and started falling down. Gleam quickly dodged to the side and let the spiders be showered by the rubble.

This maneuver momentarily slowed down their enemies, but there were just far too many of them around. Not long after, more of them were upon them which forced Rusty to activate his skill once again. The sudden burst of brightness caused the spiders to falter, their sensitive eyes were unable to withstand the intensity of the light. All of them scattered out of the way and the duo of living armor and ant had a moment to rest.

"We can do it Gleam… we'll just continue at this pace."

"(•̀ ᴗ •́)و" If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Gleam agreed, and their escape pressed onward. Yet, the duo underestimated the depth of the chasm they were traversing. Despite several more minutes passing, they remained far from the summit, with no end in sight. Rusty relied on his skill, but his mana was dwindling rapidly.

He neared his final burst of energy before facing the prospect of slipping into a dormant state, just like in the past which would render him immobile for hours. As the spiders continued their relentless pursuit, the situation grew increasingly dire. The escalating winds proved to be a larger obstacle than anticipated as they relentlessly pushed against Rusty's helmet and caused Gleam to slow down with each gust.

Unlike their pursuers, who effortlessly navigated the terrain, Rusty and Gleam found themselves at a disadvantage. With the relentless pace of the arachnids closing in, it appeared only a matter of time before they were caught. They needed to come up with a solution and do it now. Rusty racked his brain for a solution, but with his mana reserves nearly depleted, options were limited. To his surprise, before he could come up with a plan, Gleam spoke up first.

"You want me to use my skill after they get closer, even if I enter a dormant state?"

"\(ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ)/" This was a strange proposition, without his body he could not crush any mana stones and if he tried to reform himself to fight, he would just fall down the chasm along with Gleam. The two would probably end up on one of the spider webs they were avoiding, and would die so he needed to remain in his helmeted form.

"Are you sure? I won't be able to do it anymore, and I won't be conscious for a while."

"(•̀ - •́)""No, I do trust you but… are you sure?" Rusty placed his trust in his partner, already knowing she had proven herself capable in the past, such as when she rescued him from the beetle monsters. He believed in her judgment and hoped she had a plan in mind. Perhaps there was a solution above them that he couldn't see, and his final burst of light might be the key to ensuring their survival.

"Fine, I'll do it after they close in… it won't last for long so use it well!"

"(•̀ ᴗ •́)و" With no option but to move up, Rusty and Gleam continued their ascent, knowing that jumping across the chasm was impossible due to the presence of numerous spider webs. As the spiders closed in on them, Rusty unleashed another blast of radiance from his helmet, pushing the creatures back temporarily. Seizing the opportunity, Gleam recovered some of her stamina. Mana reserves are critically low. Despite receiving the system message warning him of imminent mana depletion, Rusty paid it no heed.

Continuing his skill was important, as he placed his trust in Gleam's judgment. He could feel her move of course a bit, skittering sideways on the wall somewhere and his vision was becoming blurry.

"Gleam, what are you doing?"

"(• ᴗ -)""What do you mean take care? What are you doing?" Something felt off as the ant began to behave strangely. Rusty sensed that his skill was being wasted as they entered a small cavern occupied by only one arachnid. Suddenly, he felt as if the harness holding him together was severed, and he heard rustling and skittering before everything went black, and he lost consciousness. As he drifted into unconsciousness, Rusty experienced a strange sensation of weightlessness, as if he were floating through space.

Images flashed through his mind, focusing on the little white egg he had discovered in the ant lair. Then, gradually, he began to regain his senses. He felt solid ground beneath his helmeted form as well as something covering up from the top.

"Gleam…?" He called out but no one answered, his companion was not there and for some reason had left him buried under some rocks. Rusty didn't wait but brought up his system screen, there he accessed his stash tab where his whole body had been tucked away to be equipped later. Without his hands it was a slow process but after he equipped his torso, his helmet rose up from the shallow rock pile he was covered under. In the darkness, danger lurked nearby; Rusty was not alone.

Fortunately, his adversary seemed momentarily stunned by the sudden appearance of a metallic torso and delayed engaging him in battle. Taking advantage of this brief break, Rusty managed to reattach one of his arms which then allowed him to assemble the rest of his body a lot faster. His adversary resembled the spider that inhabited the cave where he lost consciousness. However, it was notably smaller than the one that had almost eaten him alive when he fell into the chasm.

With some time to assess the situation, Rusty determined that this foe was within his capabilities to handle alone. Classification: Lesser Giant Shade Spider E- Type: Arachnoid With his body fully assembled, Rusty wielded his longsword and shield, intercepting the monster's charge just in time. The spider recoiled upon impact as its fangs collided with the hardened bronze of Rusty's shield. Despite being smaller than some of its counterparts, it proved to be a formidable opponent, matching Rusty in rank.

Despite knowing he couldn't afford to underestimate the creature before him, Rusty's thoughts were consumed by concern for Gleam. He realized the sacrifice she had made, likely using herself as a decoy to divert most of the monster spiders away. Hours could have passed, and the thought of her potential demise filled him with restlessness and anger, emotions he hadn't been aware he could feel. This newly acquired rage fueled his movements, making them erratic and filled with animosity.

As the battle intensified, Rusty endured numerous scratches and gashes to his armor, yet his opponent fared far worse. Two of its eight legs were already missing, and the venom from its fangs proved meaningless against a living armor. Eventually, Rusty's longsword found its mark, thrusting into the creature's mouth and ending its life. Normally, he would be ecstatic to hear that he had earned a large amount of experience, but his mind was elsewhere, consumed by worry for Gleam.

"Where could she be? Is she still alive?" He was met with silence as no one answered his inquiry. With the lesser shade spider vanquished, he found himself alone in the cavern, the only sound being the faint echo of his metallic footsteps. After a moment of pause, he started looking around, but discovered nothing that could lead him to his companion and the cavern he was in was also a dead end. With nothing more than bones and remains of some eaten prey.

Rusty took some time to examine this area and discovered that one of the bodies hadn't fully decomposed yet. Wrapped in a cocoon of darkened webs, it resembled a mummy. After recognizing the attire as that of an adventurer, Rusty's attention was drawn to a strange card protruding from the wrappings. After a brief inspection, he decided to take it along with a pouch containing round metal objects and placed it into his inventory.

He searched through the remains, dreading the thought that Gleam could be within the remains but he could not discover any ant parts, only humanoid bones.

"Good, she isn't here. I need to find Gleam… Her status screen is grayed out, but what does this mean?" Rusty considered reaching out to one of his guides, but he couldn't afford to waste precious mana at this critical time. After glancing at Gleam's status screen, he noticed it was grayed out and seemingly frozen in limbo. Normally, it would provide immediate updates on her status, but it remained stuck at a moment when her health was halfway depleted.

Before he lost consciousness she was at full health which meant that she must have sustained some damage while he was incapacitated. With no other leads to follow, Rusty decided to head back towards the ledge they had come from. As he peered into the darkness, he noticed something unusual: lights in the distance. Surprised, he realized that this area was much closer to the top than he had initially thought. Far away, he spotted a familiar bridge that he had previously fallen from.

It seemed that not all was lost and that perhaps his friend had made it out alive.

"Did she see it?" He wondered if Gleam had realized that if his head remained on her back, then none of them would have made it out alive. While he could see some lights in the distance, it was still quite far away. Without him weighing her down, there was a possibility that she made it out alive.

"Don't worry, I'll find you!" Rusty felt a surge of determination enter his body, the rage he felt was slowly subsiding as he was given another goal. While he was uncertain of how much time had passed during his slumber, he vowed not to rest until he located Gleam and brought her back to his side, no matter the cost.