134 STONE TO WATER

134 STONE TO WATER

"She can talk?" Petunia blurted out, her eyes wide with shock.

"Quiet!" Yun-Yun hissed. "She can't see us yet."

Although they were invisible, the Spider Queen descended from the ceiling, her many legs clicking ominously as she prowled toward their position, following an unseen trail.

"I'm not dying here," Petunia said sharply. She summoned a magic spear and hurled it, the glowing projectile striking the Spider Queen's abdomen.

The monstrous spider let out a furious screech. "RAWWWRRR!"

"Damn it, Petunia!" Leo growled. "We were supposed to stay hidden!"

"Sorry… I..", she gasped in shock.

With their cover blown, Leo fired magic pellets at the queen, each blast striking her armored body. The Spider Queen retaliated, spitting a massive web at them.

"The webs!" Petunia screamed. "We're going to get trapped!"

But before the sticky strands reached them, Yun-Yun's summoned ravens appeared, intercepting the webs mid-air and dragging them to the ground sparing them the entrapment.

"Nice timing, Yun-Yun," Petunia said, giving her a thumbs up.

"We can't win this fight," Yun-Yun warned. "She's a Tier 5 or 6 Svad monster—far beyond us."

"That's over a hundred times stronger than Leo!" Petunia exclaimed.

Leo didn't respond.

Instead, he focused on the Spider Queen, summoning his Dragon Rakshasa transformation. His aura flared, and his form shifted, becoming wreathed in draconic energy.

"Her only known weakness is magic," Yun-Yun said.

Without hesitation, Leo unleashed a barrage of magic missiles, using the System to sacrifice a Lust Counter and bypass the cooldowns after every cast. That way he could chain cast his spells.

"How can you cast so quickly?" the Spider Queen shrieked, furious and momentarily disoriented. "No matter! My webs will find you!"

She spat another web, aiming for Leo.

"Not again!" Petunia groaned.

But once more, Yun-Yun's ravens swooped in, intercepting the attack and shielding Leo.

"We're running out of time," Yun-Yun said urgently. "We don't have the power to kill her!"

"Then we need help," Leo muttered. "Vanessa! I need a little assistance here?"

A figure materialized beside him, her dominatrix form shimmering like a mirage.

"You called me?" Vanessa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you have any features in the system that can help me fight this damn spider?" Leo demanded.

Vanessa crossed her arms. "You're fighting a monster two tiers above you. Even with my help, you'll die eventually."

"Then tell me how to boost my spell strength," Leo said, determination hardening his voice.

Vanessa crossed her arms, watching Leo with a faint smirk. "Why should I help you?"

"I'll owe you a favor," Leo pleaded.

"You already owe me enough favors," she said, her tone dripping with amusement.

"I'll owe you a big favor then. Happy now?" he shot back, frustration edging his voice.

Vanessa tapped her chin, considering. "Perhaps there's something you can do for me in the future. Fine. I don't want you dying here needlessly."

"Quickly, please!"

A moment later, a new tab appeared above his spell interface. Leo frowned. "What's this?"

"That's a combo spell," Vanessa explained. "If you cast the same spell repeatedly, you'll unlock a much stronger version of the same spell. But it'll burn through your Lust Counters quickly if you cast it."

Leo gritted his teeth. "I'm dying here! Saving Lust Counters isn't exactly a fucking priority."

He activated the combo immediately and a massive meteor materialized above them, blazing with intense heat. It slammed into the Spider Queen, pinning her to the ground and immobilizing her.

"That's incredible!" Petunia cried, her voice filled with awe.

Yun-Yun's expression remained tense. "It's powerful, but it won't last. The meteor's magic is temporary—we need to act now!"

"Run!" Leo barked.

But as they moved, the Spider Queen used the last of her strength to unleash a barrage of webs, sealing off the cavern's exit.

"Our way out is blocked!" Yun-Yun shouted.

Leo's gaze darted to the web-covered entrance, then back to the immobilized Spider Queen. "What do we do now?"

Vanessa smirked faintly, her image flickering. "Don't ask me. That was already more help than I should've given you." She vanished, leaving Leo with no backup.

"You must have a plan!" Yun-Yun pressed.

Leo stood frozen for a moment, his mind racing.

When situations felt hopeless, he always relied on his hacking abilities. Pulling up his control panel, he examined the Spider Queen's stats.

Her magic was at its peak. No discernible weakness could be found.

"She doesn't have any vulnerabilities!" Leo growled in frustration.

"Can you use your special skill to break her bones?" Yun-Yun asked.

Leo thought for a moment. "I can disrupt the structure of her body." He quickly tried to modify her code, but the Spider Queen's powerful magic resisted his changes.

"It's not working!" he exclaimed.

"Then change the codes on something else!" Yun-Yun shouted.

Leo's eyes widened as an idea struck him. He couldn't make himself stronger or weaken the Spider Queen, but perhaps...

"Think fast!" Petunia screamed, slashing at the webs blocking their escape. The sticky strands seemed endless, her efforts futile.

A sly smile crept onto Leo's lips.

"You have a plan?" Yun-Yun asked, her voice calm despite the chaos.

"This might work," Leo muttered.

The meteor pinning the Spider Queen vanished, its magic dissipating.

"You're finished now!" the Spider Queen roared, lunging toward him.

But just as she moved, her legs sank into the ground.

"What?!" Petunia gasped.

"The Spider Queen... she's sinking into the floor?" Yun-Yun asked, her eyes wide with shock.

The ground beneath the Spider Queen had turned to liquid, swallowing her up like quicksand. As she struggled to climb out, the ground solidified again, trapping her within. Only her head remained above the surface.

"What have you done to the ground?!" the Spider Queen shrieked.

"I changed its structure," Leo said.

Just as he'd transformed Madame La Rosa's rose garden into blood, he had rewritten the stone floor's composition, turning it to water. As the Spider Queen fell in, he reverted it to stone, sealing her inside.

"Now's your chance! Finish her off!" Leo ordered.