Cave Combat

The two escapists found their own way of getting out of the swarm. Around an hour later, they were starting to lose momentum, they have been drained of their hunger and needed to find a way to replenish it.

However, their pursuers showed no signs of stopping or slowing down. Players did not feel fatigued, instead, it is replaced with pain when a player decides to use any movement while on an empty stomach.

This didn't affect Ryan as much as it did Carl. Not only was he sweating uncontrollably, but he was also constantly gasping for air which meant he slowed down much more than Ryan. There was one thought that Carl held onto: 'If it doesn't kill you, then you're probably fine...'

The intervals between each of Carl's breath widened. The spiders were starting to gain on him. Ryan noticed this and yelled for Carl to drop Dan off as a required sacrifice. Again being stubborn, Carl refused to drop Dan for his guts were telling to make it out with Dan or he might live to regret it.

The furious Ryan jumped backward until he was behind Carl and tried to slow the swarm of spiders. He had to leave Ricardo to Carl since his combat abilities would be hindered.

"Just go straight ahead! We are almost there!" Ryan shouted.

"WHAT IF THERE ARE SPIDERS AT THE RAVINE TOO??!!!!" Carl asked.

The grandmaster didn't answer him so he just grabbed Ricardo and continued skating forward. Ryan was buying them time. Carl didn't hesitate to abandon Ryan. If he got caught, Ryan's efforts would be for naught.

The added weight was burdening him mentally but his body was holding up to the pressure from a creeper and an extra player.

The wooden skateboard he had crafted, consisted of a base made of different sized sticks and used wooden planks to serve as the board. Despite the wheels being cubic, it didn't seem to make the ride bumpy. The game must've coded it as a circle.

'See you on the other side'

*Back to Ryan

Ryan is tasked with delaying the swarm so his party members could make it out of the shaft alive. He is taking a risky gamble because even if he successfully repels the spiders chasing them, the creeper might still explode when it wakes up. Before he was given time to contemplate what he had gotten himself into, one of the arachnids pounced onto him and tried to bite Ryan.

In a swift motion, the grandmaster avoided the attack by leaping backward. Even though the spider had missed, it still left a huge impression on Ryan. The raw speed of the creature almost caught Ryan off guard, not to mention their size. He thought the tunnels would be advantageous for him but it seems the spiders have adapted new habits to deal with enclosed areas.

Not just the speed, the attack also unveiled another unsettling fact. Cave spiders have fangs that are able to inject poison into their victims. Although little in volume, the dark volatile green displayed the poison's boundaries. If a mob were to have this kind of substance coursing through its veins, it would no doubt be in massive trouble.

"kom hernh ti bei" (Third Person Perspective)

Ryan enhanced his mind with an enchantment that allows the affected player to see their surroundings as if they were a sentry observing themselves from behind. This enchantment was tricky and it required a hefty amount of skill to pilot.

Many players in the past have tried to learn this technique with only a select few succeeding. The costs greatly outweigh the gains. Beginners using the third person enchantment would often feel nauseous and lose track of which limb they were controlling. Getting surrounded was also a death sentence since the user couldn't see their own body.

*HISS!!!

More spiders leaped at Ryan. For each attempt, he simply darted backward without running into a wall or falling through an open floor. Ryan had already mastered the third person enchantment. No matter how much the spiders tried to land a single bite, Ryan easily evaded them.

His mind, however, won't hold up to the mental strain of keeping the enchantment active. He also was fighting on an empty stomach causing every nudge of movement to sting badly. His body was greatly aching but he knew he could still move forward.

'The pain never bothered me anyway. Just don't misstep and you'll be Gucci'

Seeing as the spiders were pilling up in numbers, Ryan had to slowly cut down to avoid getting sandwiched in a pincer.

Not a moment later, he accidentally ran into a spider that had been waiting for him this whole time. Ryan was forced to take offensive action, dodging was no longer viable.

Barely avoiding the ambush, he backflipped over the creature while thrusting his blade into its abdomen. The strike didn't kill it, it only immobilized the creature.

'Okay. Deathbringer stance'

Similar to before, he would dart back whenever a spider pounced onto him with the addition of a slice from his sword. He sweated even more since he also had to focus on not hitting the walls of the tunnel. The rebound from missing would slow him down to a halt.

His condition worsened by the minute. He started to gasp for air just like Carl. How long can he endure the hunger eating away at him?

Ryan eventually grew tired enough for the spiders to bite him. From his point of view, he could see an icon resembling a green skull at the top left. He was inflicted with poison II. The sensation amplified greatly due to his reckless fighting.

Ryan moved more sluggishly until another bite managed to find its way onto his legs. He fell down and the spider squirmed over its new meal. It spread its fangs and opened its maw, ready to dig in.

Just when all hope was lost, a wooden spoon hurled with great force struck the spider's eyes, causing it to shiver and scatter around Ryan.

The swarm that were approaching the downed player was greeted with the same thing. More wooden spoons aimed for their eyes streamed through the tunnels and damaged the spiders.

"HEROES NEVER DIE!!!! LEONARDO RI CARDIO!! At your service." a familiar voice echoed from the direction of the ravine.

"Ryan!" Carl and Dan spoke. They both ran towards him to lift him up and carry him to their destination.

The spiders grew more aggressive seeing more food enter sight. They thought a feast was waiting for them. An eight-legged feeding frenzy was brewing up.

Both sides prepared for a large brawl. Who will make the first move we shall see.