Chapter 157: The Spider's Lair
Chapter 157: The Spider's Lair
"Pfft!"
Lindsey advanced through the forest, thick with spider silk. His mood gradually grew irritable, and he felt an urge to burn everything in sight to ashes.
Even an ordinary Awakened One at the fifth stage would find it challenging to navigate this place, having to proceed with utmost caution.
After all, the environment and enemies here presented countless difficulties.
But Lindsey's concern wasn't about these challenges.
He didn't feel any danger here; his ability, the Spider Terror Eraser, was like a dispelling aura, allowing him to stroll leisurely.
The real problem was...
The spider had fled, but its web wouldn't disappear into thin air! After just a few minutes of walking, Lindsey found himself covered from head to toe in annoying white spider silk.
This wasn't even the most annoying part.
Having a whole web stuck to his body only made it a bit cumbersome for Lindsey to move.
But those individual strands of silk floating in the forest, nearly invisible at night, easily brushed against Lindsey's mouth or forehead.
If a whole spider web stuck to these sensitive areas...
He could just tear it off and throw it away.
But these single strands were itchy, thin, and sticky, making them harder to remove and causing discomfort all over his body!
Fortunately, this problem didn't bother Lindsey for long.
About half an hour later, he noticed something unusual on the map.
Ahead, beneath a cluster of oak trees covered in cocoons, there was a thick layer of white spider silk.
This scene was common throughout the forest.
But what caught Lindsey's attention was that beneath this web was not a solid ground but a hollow space!
"Is this the treasure it mentioned?"
Lindsey nodded vigorously, feeling he had found the right place.
The Corrupted Venom Spider's concealment of the treasure was quite effective, but this simple physical structure couldn't fool Lindsey's skills.
Bang! Lindsey rushed forward, taking two steps before being stopped.
To hide the underground cavity, the spider silk here was much thicker than elsewhere.
The Corrupted Venom Spider was a dangerous monster capable of hunting large animals.
When their silk threads accumulated to this extent, their toughness became incredibly exaggerated!
The treasure was right in front of him, but Lindsey didn't bother to use his knife to cut through it.
Instead, he took out the Ice Badger Fang Mace and stretched it forward, stirring and cutting through the web. The mace quickly became entangled with large patches of white silk.
Soon, Lindsey held a giant cotton candy-like mass in his hand.
And beneath his feet, a pitch-black cavern appeared, emitting a putrid stench that invaded his nostrils.
"You can't expect monsters to be hygienic."
Lindsey held a torch in one hand and covered his nose with the other as he cautiously stepped into the cave.
The cave was filled with scattered white bones and torn leather bags.
These were obviously the leftovers from the spiders' meals, the source of the foul smell he had detected earlier.
Lindsey ventured deeper.
Finally, at the end of the cave, he found a relatively clean spot.
And there, he discovered the treasure the Corrupted Venom Spider had mentioned.
First, there was a pile of coins scattered in the corner, including many silver and copper coins, and only two gold coins, all of which were the universal currency used in remote areas. Their origin was evident.
On the other side of the coins were various disorganized items.
From rusty brass belt buckles to a black wide-brimmed hat with a hole in it, everything was there.
"..."
Lindsey's face darkened.
He couldn't resist picking up the hat, putting it on, and saying with a hint of resentment:
"I'm a spider who loves wearing hats."
"This is my treasure, my precious!"
"..."
Lindsey felt a bit silly and threw the hat away.
The Corrupted Venom Spider probably wouldn't use human currency, and the accumulation of coins here was highly likely to be the treasure the other party had mentioned.
However, it was unclear if this was due to the spider's different perception of treasure or if the other party had been deceiving him all along.
In Lindsey's eyes, these items were definitely not what he would consider treasures.
Clang!
At that moment, Lindsey dug through the pile of junk and unearthed a sheathed short sword.
This short sword didn't exhibit any Essence-related reactions or manifest any extraordinary qualities.
But what made it special was that Lindsey actually felt its weight!
"What a joke, my strength is a whopping 19 points!"
19 points of strength was an exaggerated attribute far beyond that of ordinary people. For Lindsey to feel the weight of this dagger, its density was likely much greater than that of gold!
[Weapon/Material: Ectotantalum Iron Dagger]
[A dagger with extremely high weight and hardness, almost indestructible; when damaged, it slowly repairs itself; can also be used as a material to craft other items.]
[A rare dagger crafted from Ectotantalum Iron, a material found only in the depths of the earth, making it quite valuable.]
"So, there really is a treasure!"
Lindsey was both surprised and delighted, his expression changing faster than he could flip through a book.
He was thrilled to have obtained a unique item, ensuring his trip wasn't in vain.
But he was also perplexed as to how this item had ended up here.
The descriptions of its high value, rare material, and origin in the depths of the earth all added to its mystique.
Even without any Essence qualities, this weapon was extraordinary.
Lindsey placed the Ectotantalum Iron dagger on the workbench.
[1 Ectotantalum Iron Dagger + 1 Titanium Alloy + 1 High-grade Gem Powder + 1 High-grade Metal = Unbreakable Blade]
"Unbreakable Blade!"
Looking at the synthesis formula before him, Lindsey inexplicably thought of his former expedition team.
An idea suddenly popped into his mind.
Perhaps this dagger had been accidentally dropped by the expedition team as they passed through the Black Mountain World and, for some special reason, had ended up in the possession of the Corrupted Venom Spider.
Lindsey didn't dwell on it for long.
He decided to take this pleasant surprise and then proceeded to tidy up the so-called treasure trove.
In the end, Lindsey took only the coins and the dagger in his hand.
"..."
"I hate spider webs!"
Amidst his loud complaints, Lindsey began to cut through the spider silk.
The Corrupted Venom Spider's territory covered the entire mountain range, but Lindsey's speed was no laughing matter either.
After exerting all his strength to traverse the spider web-covered area, he reached the relatively normal mountain forest, and his pace quickened significantly.
"..."
Lindsey glanced back at the pitch-black forest.
He and the trembling spiders in the forest bid farewell simultaneously,
"Goodbye forever!"
Lindsey had no intention of resting in such a place.
From then on, he focused solely on moving forward.
After a long journey, he finally crossed the mountain range and reached the other side of the mountain forest.
At that moment, the first rays of dawn pierced through the clouds, shining directly on Lindsey's face. Deep blue skies bordered the darkness, with stars still twinkling faintly, and a thin mist rose from the valleys.
In the light of the rising sun, Lindsey saw neither the Black Mountain nor any fearsome enemies.
Instead, he witnessed the vast earth, stretching to the horizon and beyond, until it faded into the scattered light.
"..."
For a moment, Lindsey was speechless.
The majestic natural landscape before him conveyed a single message.
From the climbing vines to the spider forest, this was just the beginning.
The world he had to traverse was an entire world away!
The journey ahead was still long.
(End of Chapter)
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