Chapter 23 ： Mission Complete

Perry stared at the wound on his shoulder. After being splashed by the liquid from the pink-striped spider, his movements had noticeably slowed. A strange pink sheen covered the surface of the wound, and a creeping numbness was spreading through his body. His heart raced with urgency—time was running out. He had to complete the task before his body completely stiffened, or he would be trapped in a hopeless situation.

"System, can you tell me how long the side effects of this pink liquid will last?" Perry asked in a low voice, frowning. His gaze remained alert, scanning his surroundings in case more spiders tried to ambush him.

The system's cold voice quickly responded: [According to the data, a normal human requires six hours to fully regain mobility.]

"Six hours?!" Perry's face darkened. Six hours was an impossible amount of time to wait. If he dragged this out any longer, his body would become fully paralyzed. At that point, not only would he fail the mission, but he wouldn't even be able to protect himself. "I can't wait that long. I have to finish this before I'm completely immobilized."

He glanced at his surroundings. The cave stretched out like a maze, with countless twisting passages. The air was thick with the smell of sweet. Dim light flickered across the walls, where viscous liquid oozed from cracks. Scattered on the ground were Mushcats—mushroom-like plants that resembled cats—glowing faintly blue. He had just killed one pink-striped spider, but what now? He had no idea where the next one might emerge from or how long it would take for it to appear.

"How am I supposed to find more of these pink-striped spiders?" Perry muttered to himself. Waiting around wasn't an option—who knew when the next spider would show up? He simply didn't have the time to waste.

[Host, perhaps you could use the Mushcats' calls to lure the spiders,] the system suggested. [According to the data, the pink-striped spiders feed on these mushroom plants. They are highly sensitive to the Mushcats' calls and may be drawn toward them.]

Perry's eyes lit up as he slapped his forehead. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" He immediately sprang into action, heading toward a few nearby Mushcats. They stood silently in the cave, their bodies soft like mushrooms but with heads resembling cats, complete with a pair of nimble ears.

He gently tapped the top of a Mushcat's head, and it let out a low sound, similar to a cat's meow. The noise echoed through the cave, gradually spreading. Soon, other Mushcats responded to the call, and the entire cave filled with their eerie chorus, as if some strange symphony was playing.

"That's... quite grating," Perry muttered, frowning. But he knew this was his only viable option. He quickly hid behind a large rock, holding his breath and waiting for the spiders to arrive.

Seconds turned into minutes, and the meows continued to reverberate through the cave. Slowly, a disturbance emerged from the darkness deep within the cavern. Perry's heart tightened as he gripped the knife in his hand. From the shadows, he saw several pink-striped spiders crawling out, their movements light and nearly soundless. Before long, the corners of the cave were teeming with spiders, all drawn in by the Mushcats' call.

"Damn it, that's a lot!" Perry's heart pounded, and he swallowed nervously. He hadn't expected the sound to attract just one or two spiders—there was now an entire swarm. Dozens of pink-striped spiders crawled along the cave walls, with some already approaching the Mushcats.

"Well, what should I do now? Right, calm down. " Perry took a deep breath, quickly assessing the situation. He knew he couldn't just charge out there—there were far too many spiders to handle all at once. He had to wait for the right moment and pick off the ones that strayed from the group. Engaging the entire swarm would be a death sentence.

Carefully observing the spiders, Perry noticed that they were all focused on the Mushcats, inching closer to them. This gave Perry a chance to target those wandering off on their own.

"Now's my chance!" Perry locked onto a spider that had separated from the others. It crawled alone on the cave wall, a good distance from the rest. Silently, he crept around from the side, getting close enough to strike.

His blade cut through the air, slicing into the spider's weak spot. Pink liquid sprayed out, and Perry quickly jumped back to avoid being splashed. Although this liquid could stop bleeding, its side effects had already made his movements sluggish, and he couldn't afford to be touched by more of it.

Using his sharp instincts and precise strikes, Perry took down several more pink-striped spiders. However, as the fight dragged on, his stamina and focus began to wane. His movements grew slower, and though the wound on his shoulder had stopped bleeding, the numbness was spreading further.

By the time he killed the ninth spider, his body finally began to stiffen. His limbs felt heavy, and his movements were no longer smooth.

"Damn it, just one more... but I can barely move," Perry cursed under his breath. The knife in his hand felt unusually heavy.

[Host, you still have an unused skill: plant control,] the system reminded him.

Perry's eyes widened in realization. He had completely forgotten about that ability during the heat of battle! Glancing at the untouched Mushcats, he formed a plan. He reached out to the nearby Mushcats and activated his plant control skill.

The Mushcats suddenly sprang to life, gathering in front of Perry as if awaiting his command.

This was his last chance. Perry directed the Mushcats to lure out the remaining spiders. He focused on a lone, smaller spider slowly descending from the cave ceiling. To ensure his safety, Perry retreated to the cave's entrance, watching closely.

As the spider locked onto the moving Mushcats, Perry held his breath, hidden in the shadows. The spider followed the Mushcats' movements, drawing closer and closer to Perry's position. When the spider was fully engrossed, Perry sprang from his hiding place, raising his knife and striking down hard at its head.

Pink liquid sprayed out again, this time splashing directly onto Perry's face. He felt its sticky, burning sensation but had no time to worry about it. The sound of the completed mission echoed in his mind.

"Finally!" Perry was overjoyed, but he knew this was the most dangerous moment. Forcing himself to stay alert, he staggered toward the cave's exit, leaving the spider's nest behind.

After deactivating the plant control skill, Perry felt his energy completely drained. His body felt like it had been utterly exhausted. When he finally reached the cave's exit, he exhaled a long breath of relief, knowing he was safe, at least for now. But as overwhelming fatigue hit him, his vision blurred, and the world around him turned dark. Eventually, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.