Chương 6: Spider King's Sudden Death

Deep inside the dark, damp spider cave, cold water droplets clung to the rock walls. Thick layers of sticky webs hung everywhere, and a chilling draft swept through the branching tunnels, giving the entire underground space a deathly stillness. Yang Fan was tightly bound to the stone wall by heavy silk, unable to move a muscle. He struggled uselessly, filled with regret. Curiosity really did kill the dog. Why could he not just stick to grinding common spiders and level up peacefully?

Why did he have to come watch the Spider King's bizarre behavior? He had brought this on himself. He gripped his sword tightly and hacked at the webs around him, the blade flashing in the dim light. But the silk was incredibly tough. It only left shallow cuts and refused to break. Before he could find a way out, the reddish-brown Spider King had already locked onto its target.

Its hard shell tensed, its eight legs scraping against the ground with a grating screech, and it lowered its body before charging at him with explosive force. A thunderous boom echoed through the cave! The Spider King's heavy body slammed into Yang Fan, the impact shredding the webs and sending him flying. He crashed onto the hard, cold rock floor, agony shooting through every part of his body. His health bar plummeted, eventually stopping at a mere 3 HP.

He silently thanked his luck that he had just reached level 5 and gained those extra 10 HP. Otherwise, that single hit would have killed him outright. Yang Fan lay sprawled on the ground, unable to move. He gave up struggling entirely, resigning himself to his fate. He just wanted the Spider King to finish him off quickly so he could respawn and get it over with. But the killing blow never came. The Spider King stopped in its tracks, twisting its body and rubbing its abdomen violently against the rough cave wall.

Then, the Spider King raised its head and let out a low, mournful cry before its massive body collapsed to the ground. A pool of dark green, foul-smelling fluid seeped from its abdomen, staining the rocks. After a few final twitches, the fierce Elite Spider King was dead. Yang Fan lay on the ground, completely stunned. He could not believe what had just happened. The attacker had died, while the one being attacked was still alive. It was absurd.

He pushed himself up on his remaining health, tore off the leftover webs, and walked over to poke the Spider King's stiff body with his sword. Confirming it was truly dead, he could not help but mutter to himself. How did the great Elite Spider King end up dead just like that? What's going on? Did he find life in his hole too boring and just off himself? His words carried mock sympathy, but inside he was already overjoyed. He crouched down and searched the corpse.

A flash of bright blue light burst from the body, cutting through the cave's darkness, and a finely crafted armguard materialized before him. Attribute Value Name Abyssal Spring Armguard Level 1 Quality Bronze Spirit 3 Special Effect 100% chance to deal double attack damage. Note A lost armguard. Perhaps its owner is still alive. Yang Fan's heart pounded. The game's equipment tiers, from lowest to highest, were Gray, Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, Legendary, and Divine.

At this stage, most players were still wearing Gray gear, and even Black Iron was rare. Yet he had just looted a Bronze item, and not just any Bronze item; it was a critical-hit armguard with 100% double damage. The sheer luck was overwhelming. He stared at the armguard, growing more excited by the second. He had done no real damage to the Spider King and still walked away with a top-tier piece of equipment. From now on, every hit would be a critical strike. He was practically invincible in the early game.

Just as he was lost in his excitement, a low, cold voice suddenly came from the tunnel behind him: "Hand over that equipment, buddy. Do not make me kill you and take it by force." The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Yang Fan's expression hardened, and he spun around. In the shadows of the passage stood a burly man with a thick beard, holding a gleaming Black Iron longsword. He radiated a fierce aura, clearly an experienced player.

The game had countless starting villages in the China server, so the chance of two players spawning in the same one was extremely low. This was the first player Yang Fan had encountered since starting the game, and of course, it happened right after he looted a top-tier item. His luck was terrible. Yang Fan was not about to hand over his treasure. He reacted quickly, shoving the Abyssal Spring Armguard into his backpack and forcing a disappointed look onto his face.

He sighed and said, "To be honest with you, my luck today has been awful. I barely managed to kill the Spider King, and all it dropped was some junk Gray materials. Nothing worth showing you." The bearded man's sharp eyes narrowed. He clearly did not believe a word of it.

"Cut the act," he said coldly.

"I saw that blue light clearly. That was no Gray junk." He did not attack immediately, though. Instead, he added with a hint of pride, "I am not going to take advantage of you when you are weak. Heal up, and we will fight fair and square." Yang Fan thought to himself, this guy is all muscle and no brains. Since when do you wait for your target to heal before robbing them? But since the man was so straightforward, Yang Fan came up with a plan. He would use his guild's reputation to scare him off.

The guild under his company, Huateng Corporation, is the War Goose Guild, although he is only an external contractor. He puffed out his chest and announced, "You had better think twice. I am from the War Goose Guild. If you touch me, you are declaring war on War Goose. We have a hundred ways to make sure you cannot survive in this game."

"War Goose Guild?!" The man's face twisted with rage the moment he heard the name. Killing intent surged from him. He did not even let Yang Fan finish his sentence. His Black Iron longsword flashed, and he swung in one clean motion. The screen went black, and Yang Fan was instantly killed, respawning back at Peach Blossom Village. The white light faded, and Yang Fan immediately opened his backpack. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw the blue-glowing armguard still sitting there.

The game's drop rate for Bronze equipment on death was only 50%, and he had gotten lucky this time. His prized item was safe. He rubbed his temples, feeling a mix of frustration and relief, and checked the system notification. The killer's ID was clearly displayed: Hu Tie Shu. Yang Fan's pupils contracted as he recognized the name. He could not help but exclaim, "No way! That is a top player from the Iron Blood Gate!" It all clicked.

The Iron Blood Gate and the War Goose Guild were both among the top five major guilds in the China server, and they had a long history of bitter rivalry. Players from the two sides were sworn enemies on sight. Using the War Goose name to threaten him had been the worst possible move. No wonder the man had attacked without hesitation. Yang Fan quickly weighed his options. For now, leveling up and developing his character was the top priority. There was no point wasting time on revenge over a moment of frustration.

A gentleman could wait ten years for his revenge. He would stabilize his growth first, then deal with it later. With his mindset adjusted, he headed straight to the village chief to turn in the spider quest. To his surprise, the usually stingy chief was exceptionally generous this time, rewarding him with a piece of equipment. Attribute Value Name Fine Leather Boots Quality Gray Agility 5 Level Requirement 5 Special Effect None Note Leather boots stitched by Peach Blossom Village's tailor.

Comfortable and popular among the villagers. Yang Fan looked at the boots and sighed helplessly. He had lost a level from being killed and was currently only level 4, so he could not equip them yet. To get back to level 5 quickly and avoid the cave where Hu Tie Shu might still be lurking, he decided to head to the pine forest and grind on level 4 boars instead. Before setting out, he sold the spider legs and venom glands he had accumulated to the general store, earning a total of 20 copper coins.

With the Bronze critical hit armguard in hand, the common spider armguards were useless to him now. There was no point wasting materials on crafting them.