Chapter 33 Arachne

In front of the Guardian's right palm, purple Mana was being condensed.

It took solid form.

A bright purple crystal hovered.

In front of the Guardian's left palm, three spheres of poison appeared.

'Magic, huh? Shouldn't be too hard to dodge.'

The next instant, the purple crystal was shot.

Mark quickly stepped sideways.

The crystal hit the ground.

'Aiming for my feet? Is it trying to limit my mobility already?'

The next second, the three spheres of poison were shot one by one with great speed.

Mark had less than a second to dodge.

But as soon as he tried to do so, his right foot was caught by something.

Mark chuckled inwardly at his own mistake.

'Poison and Ice, huh?'

A trail of ice stretched from the spot the purple crystal had landed all the way to Mark's right foot.

Thanks to his high Strength Stat, Mark easily managed to break the ice that was keeping his foot in place, but that portion of a second necessary to do so was more than he could spare.

Two of the poisonous spheres hit their target.

Mark's body was splashed by the poisonous liquid.

The third Poisonous Bomb evaporated, as it collided with Mark's Great Fire Ball.

[A Strong Poison has entered your body.]

Mark was wounded, which would've made the poison much more effective, if it wasn't for,

[Your "Poison Resistence[E]" is combating the Poison in your blood.]

'Thanks to my Poison Resistance Skill...' Mark thought while staring at the ball of raging flames that was approaching the Guardian.

[If any more Poison penetrates your body, you will start losing Health Points.]

The Great Fire Ball had crossed half the distance between Mark and the Guardian, when the former started sprinting as fast as he could.

As the attack got closer, Mark's Passive Skill "Advanced Kinetic Vision" activated.

The Great Fire Ball appeared to be moving a lot slower.

Thanks to the Passive Skill's effect, Mark was able to notice the Guardian's silhouette, preparing to dodge.

The Boss Monster had slightly shifted its center of gravity to the left.

And so, Mark launched himself forward with all his strength.

His arms were wrapped in Aura.

Mark threw a devastating punch, but the Guardian was quick enough to dodge by a hair's breadth.

As Mark's fist hit the wall, cracks appeared all over it.

'It landed behind me, huh? Mm. Weaker but faster? Its Agility Stat might be higher. But not necessarily... Maybe it's equal, but because of its 5 additional legs, it can produce more power? Is that how it works...?'

Mark turned around.

Noticing that his arm was still covered in Aura,

'I should use my Aura and Mana defensively more often... Oh. I guess I could have protected myself from those Poisonous Bombs. Especially since I have my barrier Skill...' Mark thought to himself.

A monstrous smile appeared on his face.

Mark jumped off the wall.

He landed on the ground with a BAM.

'I guess I should utilize more of my power, huh? I have so many Skills, and yet...'

Once again, the Guardian raised its two arms.

Mark launched himself towards it.

He used about 80% of his maximum speed.

The Boss Monster responded by immediately jumping away.

And Mark followed it.

Twenty seconds into the Approach-Flee-Follow contest, Mark felt at ease.

'Did it get scared after seeing my punch's impact? Mm. Understandable. It's not doing anything except running away. Which means...'

On the other side of the room, the leg that the Guardian had previously lost started floating in the air.

'...I can focus on other things!'

The next second, Mark accelerated.

He reached his top speed instantaneously.

The Guardian was startled by the sudden change of pace.

It dodged.

A second too late though.

Mark's fist managed to reach one of its remaining legs, breaking it clean.

But that wasn't the end.

The Guardian, feeling that something was coming from behind it, moved at the last instant.

The first leg that it had lost grazed its neck.

Red blood started going down the Guardian's pale skin.

'It managed to dodge that? Just how high is its Sense Stat? Mm. Could be the effect of some Passive Skill...'

Mark jumped back in order to create some distance.

'It's fast enough to dodge most of my attacks. With those sharp legs, it could probably cut me in two, if I give it the opportunity. Its poison is strong enough to bypass my Poison Resistance. On the other hand, losing another leg must have slowed it down a bit though...'

Mark's heart started beating faster.

He raised both his arms towards the Guardian.

A volley of Staggering Thunderbolts was shot.

The Guardian dodged.

The Thunderbolts hit the ground below it.

When the two thunderbolts hit the ground, the electricity spread, making a chain.

Mark did not miss that fact.

He started aiming at the ground below the Guardian.

Five thunderbolts hit the ground around the Guardian, who did not feel the need to dodge.

The next second, the electricity was transferred from the ground to the Guardian's legs.

Noticing that a second too late, the Boss Monster jumped up towards the ceiling, but its movements had already been slowed down.

The Guardian's thin muscles twitched, as it hung upside down from the ceiling.

Her black hair fell, as electricity ran through its body.

Refusing to give the Boss Monster even a moment to rest, Mark ran towards it before spreading his wings and approaching rapidly.

As Mark got closer, the Guardian noticed that the two legs it had lost earlier were moving.

They were actually moving faster than Mark was.

One of those legs was aimed at the Guardian's spider-like abdomen.

Since it was such a weak spot, it had to be protected.

The Monster decided to let itself fall.

The projectile missed its body.

The second projectile was approaching rapidly.

The Boss Monster tilted its head ever so slightly as it fell.

At the exact moment the second projectile grazed the Guardian's neck, Mark stood at its side, ready to throw a devastating punch aimed at its head.

The Boss Monster tried dodging in mid-air.

But unlike Mark, it lacked the wings that would grant it the mobility to do so.

A great amount of Aura enveloped his right fist.

The instant Mark's fist came into contact with the woman's face, his body twitched.

The attack was so powerful that the Boss Monster's body was launched away.

Its body hit the ground twice before crashing into a wall.

Mark stood tall.

Bleeding heavily from its stomach, the Guardian struggled to stand back up.

The Boss Monster stared with hatred at its great foe.

Its beautiful face had disappeared, as its face was now disfigured and covered with blood.

A single hit at full power had crushed the Guardian's head.

'I guess that's that. Didn't even need to use those Skill Points. Not even the Compensation...' Mark thought as he raised his palm towards his enemy.

Three Great Fire Balls were shot.

Once the smoke faded, only the Guardian's body remained.

Unmoving.

Burnt to a crisp.

But just as Mark was about to walk away, he froze in place.

'Did I not defeat it yet? Why am I not getting a message?'

The next instant, the Guardian's spider abdomen was cut in two from within.