Chapter 5 – The Training Arc Begins

「Time to settle in.」

I sighed, staring up at the crumbling stone ceiling as I lounged in the bath. The cold water lapped gently against my skin, my feet kicking up lazy ripples across the surface. There was something oddly soothing about being here, gazing down the dilapidated hallway ahead. A faded, worn-out book rested on my chest.

"This is gonna be home for a while, huh?" I muttered, lazily flipping through the pages. "Might as well start designating things for the sake of my sanity."

I'd been in this place long enough to map out the layout in my head. The spiders, for instance—those freaky little creatures came in all shapes and sizes. Absentmindedly, I raised a finger, tracing symbols in the air as if cataloging them mentally.

"Hand-spider, shelf-spider, and… Queen spider," I whispered, dipping my finger into the bathwater. Reaching over to a nearby spider corpse I'd dragged in earlier, I dipped my hand into its blood, using it like ink to sketch crude illustrations on the stone. "The hand-spiders are the size of my palm, usually harmless unless provoked. They lurk in corners, just waiting to scare the crap out of you. The shelf-spiders? Well, they're as big as bookshelves. Those bastards spit acid and have sharp legs that could slice you to ribbons."

I paused, frowning as I recalled the one spider I hadn't faced yet—the Queen spider.

"The Queen spider... the one I saw in the courtyard," I muttered, wiping the blood off my hands. "I haven't seen her since that day, but it's only a matter of time."

A flicker of determination sparked in my chest, and I shot up in the bath, water sloshing around me as I stood, arms crossed.

"Right. Goal number one: defeat that iguana monster."

I nodded to myself, feeling the resolve settle deep in my bones. But I knew better than to rush in without a plan. "First, I need to get stronger. A little water magic and basic structure repair aren't going to cut it in a real fight."

A grin spread across my face. "It's time for a training arc!"

The next few days passed in a blur of practice and experimentation. I didn't limit myself to water magic anymore. I experimented with everything—elemental control, precision, power. I learned to shape the elements, combine them, and more importantly, how to use them in combat. It wasn't easy, but I could feel myself growing stronger with each passing day.

Now, I found myself descending the winding stone staircase that led to the lower floors of the temple. With every step, the air grew heavier, thick with the scent of decay and ancient stone. My makeshift spear was slung across my back, the black rock knife tied securely to its wooden pole, and my fingers twitched with anticipation.

"The top floor was where I woke up," I mused aloud, my voice echoing faintly as I made my way down. "The altar room with the bloodline symbols, the library, the mid-way point… and a bunch of other rooms I can't even remember. But the spiders—they seem to crawl up from below."

I glanced down at the small white rat trailing behind me like a loyal companion, its beady eyes gleaming with curiosity as it scurried along.

"Maybe… just maybe… we can stop them together," I whispered, half to myself, half to the rat.

The rat squeaked in response, and I chuckled. "You've been my best friend for almost two months now," I said with a dramatic sniffle, pretending to wipe away a tear. The rat tilted its head, unimpressed.

My attention shifted to the room on my left. It was massive, clearly some kind of all-purpose chamber, but it was covered in thick spider webs. The silvery threads wove from ceiling to floor, clinging to bookshelves and filling every corner.

The rat darted ahead, its tiny feet clicking on the stone floor. A moment later, it froze, scurrying back out and hiding behind my foot, trembling as it stared at something in the far corner.

"Monsters, huh?" I muttered, a thrill of excitement coursing through me. "Looks like they've volunteered as test subjects for my... doom fist!"

I raised my left hand, focusing on the earth around me. I could feel the particles in the air respond, gravitating toward my hand as I willed the dirt, stone, and minerals to form a makeshift gauntlet around my fist. It solidified quickly, its weight grounding me, giving me power.

Without hesitation, I dashed into the room and spun sharply to the right.

Three shelf-spiders loomed in the corner, spinning their webs with mechanical precision. The closest one barely had time to react before my earth gauntlet came crashing down on its skull.

CRACK.

Its head shattered beneath the blow, its legs twitching as acidic foam bubbled from its mouth. Without wasting a second, I switched targets, focusing the metallic elements of the gauntlet into my fingertips, shaping them into jagged claws.

The second spider raised a leg to defend itself, but it was too slow. I slashed through it, slicing deep into its throat, severing its head with a swift, precise motion. The body crumpled to the floor, its severed leg twitching as if in disbelief.

The third spider hissed, its glowing eyes locking onto mine. It spat acid, but I dodged it easily, narrowing my gaze as I prepared my next move.

"You really are an eyesore, aren't you?" I muttered, rolling my shoulders. "Ever tried a clay mask?"

I lunged forward, driving my gauntlet into its jaw. As soon as I made contact, I shifted the moisture in the air, transforming the gauntlet's interior into soft, sticky clay. The spider recoiled, but it was too late—the clay stuck to its face, molding around its mouth as it thrashed wildly, trying to tear the gauntlet away.

Pain shot through me as its legs raked across my arm and leg, slicing deep into my flesh. Blood dripped from the wounds, but I gritted my teeth, refusing to let go.

"This is not going how I planned!" I shouted, eyes wide as the spider dragged me across the room. My feet scrambled for traction, but the creature was too strong, pulling me like a rag doll.

The spider attempted to spit acid, but the mix of moisture and venom triggered a volatile reaction.

The acid exploded inside the spider's mouth, spraying gore everywhere. Its head popped off with a sickening splat, and I stumbled back, collapsing to the ground as the remains of my gauntlet dissolved at my feet.

"Gross…" I groaned, wiping the blood and grime from my face. "So disgusting…"

Raising my hand, I gathered water from the air, letting it cascade over me in a cool stream. It washed away the dirt and blood as I stood, dripping wet. In the corner, my rat friend was happily munching on one of the corpses, gnawing away at the remains.

I shot it a look. "How can you eat that?" I muttered, wrinkling my nose. "Then again… who am I to judge?"

I shook off the water like a dog and headed toward the staircase leading to the bottom floor.

When I reached the base of the stairs, my breath caught in my throat. The entrance ahead was cracked and dusty, but that wasn't what froze me.

Skeletons.

Dozens of them, wrapped in thick webs, their twisted bodies frozen in agony. The sight was grotesque—bones bleached white, bound in layers of spider silk.

And at the center of it all, perched on a massive web, was the King Spider. It wasn't as large as the Queen I had seen, but it was no less terrifying—long, spiked legs, a bloated abdomen, and glowing, malevolent eyes.

I swallowed hard, glancing at the rat perched on my shoulder. "What did we get ourselves into?" I whispered.

The rat squeaked, trembling as it stared at the enormous creature before us.