The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 142 The Cunning Giant Spider (10,000 words, please subscribe and vote!!!)

【Tang Qi's Guide to Longjin City】

If the entire 'Deep Well' underground city is considered part of Dragon Gold City, then it will undoubtedly become the most special area.

Countless adventurers followed one after another, and after nearly a century of exploration and development, they finally transformed this underground city into a completely different five-level underground city.

You will first pass through the entrance and enter a deep and long tunnel—every 20 meters apart, you can see the 'Eternal Flame' streetlights hanging on both sides of the wall, which are exactly the same as the streetlights in Longjin City.

As you travel through the tunnels, you can occasionally hear the gurgling of water.

Yes, in order to maintain the sewer system of Dragongold City, Lord Leon Lionheart allocated a huge sum of money to improve the first level of the Deep Well Underground City.

So when you walk for about ten minutes and reach the end of the steps, all you can see is a smooth road and square rooms, as if you have stepped into a man-made underground fortress.

Rather than a dungeon that needs cleaning, this place is more like a temporary habitat.

Therefore, you can often see adventurers in some rooms.

They might be resting, arguing, or even doing 'crafts', but by convention, only one adventure team is allowed to stay in each room.

Entering a room that is already occupied by a squad will be considered a provocation.

After all, once you're in the dungeon, there are no guards to care whether you live or die, so it's always good to be cautious.

Or every two corners, you might bump into a small group that's about to leave.

At this time, please watch your step.

To avoid accidentally bumping into some grumpy dwarfs when turning a corner.

But once you leave the first floor and step onto the stairs leading to the second floor, you will clearly notice that the man-made 'fortress' seems to have become less regular, and the earthen walls beside you have also become irregular and have begun to crumble with sand and gravel.

At the same time, the number of adventurers gradually decreased.

At this time, you should pay attention to the top of your head—

Prepare torches or other lighting tools.

Otherwise, you might overlook the giant spider hiding and crawling in the shadows.

The moment you become aware of their presence is the moment their webs entangle you.

"careful!"

The moment his hair stood on end as if pricked by needles, Tang Qi was the first to react as his "alertness" kicked in.

He held the Ring of Glory aloft, its dazzling light filling the dark room and illuminating the grey-silver spiderweb hanging overhead, and the giant spider climbing upon it—

Perhaps just mentioning the word 'giant spider' doesn't give you a sense of what kind of creature it is, such as how big it is or how threatening it is?
It's okay. Now, imagine that corner you glimpsed in your childhood, that little guy who was slapped away by your mother with a slipper.

Now, throw it into a mage's 'Grow Large/Shrink' spell until it's big enough to look like a small creature to you—

Do not look directly into their eyes.

If you do this, and you don't have trypophobia.

Congratulations, you have it now.

In that instant eye contact, Tang Qi couldn't count how many eyes were hanging on their heads; he only felt that those eyes were like rubies, crystal clear yet scarlet.

Four giant spiders, having been lying in wait for a long time, finally found a fresh batch of prey.

The two sharp fangs, covered in jet-black fur, suddenly hissed, and strands of silver threads sprayed out from its tail in a ribbon-like form.

Under the glow, the spider silk was dense and sticky. Almost the instant Tang Qi realized it, it connected the four corners in mid-air, weaving a spider web that spread throughout the entire room.

The silk released by giant spiders is extremely resilient, making it an excellent material for crafting soft armor.

Some adventurers would even deliberately find some unlucky goblins wandering the dungeons, wrap them in spider cocoons, and then cut open the silk glands at their tails in order to obtain more spider silk to sell.

The spider web in front of him was so dense that Tang Qi realized that even if he cut the threads in front of him, he would eventually be bound to the ground by the spider silk coming from other directions.

But as he tried to escape the spiderweb, the stinging pain all over his body seemed to remind him that it was all in vain.

Humans cannot escape the dark room the moment the spider web descends on their legs.

Having grasped the key point, he immediately gave the order, placing one hand inside the dimensional bag:
"Dawn, smash it! Everyone else, lie down—"

As he flung the dimensional bag behind him again, his hand was already gripping a small glass bottle. The moment the bottle slipped from his grasp, he was about to fall to the ground.

Standing beside him, Chenxi instantly drew the sheathless broken sword from her waist, twisted her waist as if swinging a club, and used all her strength to let the broken edge of the blade collide with the fragile bottle.

"boom--"

Immediately following was a crisp sound, the booming sound of the viscous fluid stored in the [Blazing Glue] bursting forth the moment it came into contact with the air.

A blazing flame spread through the air along with the ejected fluid, its sparks tightly intertwined with the intricately woven spiderweb.

The flames swept up the spider web, burning the sticky and tough silk into a black, hard lump that turned to ashes before even touching the ground and before it even hit the ground.

A few sparks of flame splashed onto Tang Qi's side along with the liquid, but fortunately he lay down quickly enough to avoid being affected.

Seeing the four 'hunters' hanging at the four corners, he targeted the giant spider closest to Kuru, then swept down the strings, letting out a short, flat melody and a loud curse:
"I will cut open your lungs, you ugly spider!"

The giant spider that had climbed to the top of Kuru's head, swung down using its strong web, and was attempting to bite Kuru's head with its sharp mandibles, suddenly hesitated for a moment—

The effect of 【Words of Harshness】 gave Kuru the opportunity to roll to the side and escape being bitten.

After confirming its position was safe, it quickly raised its wand and shot a streak of ice crystal, trailing a cold, eerie blue light, towards the spider closest to the dawn.
"Rua!"

The freezing ray struck the spider squarely in the abdomen, and as frost spread across its skin, it clearly felt its movements slow down.

Chenxi raised the broken sword high and rushed towards the wall where it was hanging. She stepped on the uneven earthen wall, used the momentum to leap into the air, and forcefully raised herself to a height of 5 meters, almost touching the ceiling.

She shouted, and the broken sword pierced the frost covering its waist and abdomen.

This was, after all, a rusty broken sword, unlike Tang Qi's 'Snake Kiss' which could cut hair in an instant. As a result, Chenxi almost relied on her own strength, using the wounds she had previously created, to carve the edge of the broken blade into its waist and abdomen.

Even the worn-out blades couldn't cut through the spider's exoskeleton, yet the power of dawn still managed to heal it—

She practically dragged the enormous spider off its hanging web and used the force to slam it to the ground!
With a loud "boom," the giant spider, which was still breathing but had fainted on the ground, was then repeatedly torn apart by the broken blade that was stuck in its flesh by Chenxi, causing it to splatter dark green blood.

It went silent amidst a hissing sound.

"Don't let your guard down, there are still three left—"

Look at the miserable state of your accomplices; your fate will be the same!

A clump of spider silk flew towards Tang Qi from another corner, but Tang Qi quickly dodged it using his [Alertness] ability. His music continued, and his cursing never stopped, causing the spider, which had been cursed before, to fall to the ground unprepared.

Taking this opportunity, Chenxi rushed to its side, raised the broken sword, and was about to use the same trick to carve the broken blade into its outer armor.

But this time, the spider's mouthparts arrived first—

With a clang, the sharp proboscis scraped against Chenxi's wrist guard, only managing to create a tiny spark!

The heavy and sturdy plate armor, at this moment, reveals its unique advantage—

While canned food is heavy, it provides a sense of security akin to that of a fortress.

In particular, Chenxi is quick and has plenty of energy, so she is not hindered by the heavy plate armor.

With a swift motion, she slashed the broken sword into the giant spider's head. Under immense pressure, the spider's head seemed to explode, spraying blood all over Chenxi's body.

"Rua!"

As she dealt with the second spider, Kuru continued her work, chanting obscure incantations, and an ice crystal reappeared at the tip of her wand.

It passed over Tang Qi's shoulder, took the lead, and landed on the forehead of the third spider that was hanging upside down, trying to bite Tang Qi.

Seeing the spider in front of him shrouded in cold air and moving slowly, Tang Qi simply didn't dodge or avoid it, and drew out the 'Snake Kiss' from his hand.

Just as the menacing maw was about to sever his throat, it stepped back and placed it horizontally in front of him.

"Pong!"

Another sliver of sparks appeared, but it seemed to be due to the force of its biting motion. When its sharp teeth collided with the black blade, the giant spider was shaken and trembled from the force of the impact.

Taking this opportunity, Tang Qi used all his strength to move the blade, dragging and slicing it across its mouthparts.

He wasn't known for his strength and couldn't do what Chenxi did, smashing a spider's head with a single sword strike.

But the 'Snake Kiss,' a magical weapon, was already incredibly sharp. Even a slight slash severed its mandibles, causing it to let out a shriek and try to escape Tang Qi by swinging on its webs. Chen Xi, however, had already raised her broken sword, leaped high, and slashed horizontally at its torso—

"Boom!"

Unable to pierce its armor, the spider was slammed against the wall, its silk bending momentarily before collapsing and leaving it unconscious on the ground, awaiting the final blow.

"Only one left..."

As Tang Qi spoke, he was about to look towards the last corner, but then he frowned and said...

"Gone? No, that's not right. It never made a move in the first place; it was just trying to take advantage of the chaos..."

He immediately raised the ring high, shining the light onto the ceiling, letting the light diffuse and spill into every corner of the dark room. There he saw the last giant spider, unnoticed, already hanging upside down above Hope's head—

To avoid being harmed by the spiders, Miss Tifflin quietly hid in a corner where the first spider had died after Don Qi ordered her to "lie down," using a large rock as cover.

Tang Qi's ability to move distances in real time prevented the light from constantly illuminating the entire dark room, allowing the remaining giant spider to disappear from the chaos with extremely nimble movements.

It moves slowly and steadily, like a cunning yet patient hunter in this noisy 'battlefield'.

Now, it is only a stone's throw away from the 'prey' it has been eyeing!

"His-"

"careful!"

Tang Qi's reminder was timely, and Hope's reaction was also extremely swift.

She instinctively reached for her boots, then lay down on the other side, but the giant spider's sharp fangs still grazed her shoulder, tearing her leather armor!

Hope gritted his teeth in pain, pointed with his finger, and suddenly recited an obscure phrase, extremely short and abrupt, yet filled with intense emotion.

It sounded like a curse, but to Tang Qi it sounded more like a curse—

【Purgatory Language】is the language used by demons and devils:

"【Hellfire Roar】!"

As the last syllable escaped his throat, a spark suddenly burst forth from the top of the giant spider's skull, the direction Hope was pointing.

The spark, fueled by its fur, skin, and anything else that could burn, grew into a blazing flame in the blink of an eye.

It was a far more crimson flame than any ordinary flame, as bright as her skin.

This flame comes from her bloodline, and from purgatory!
"Fizz!"

In the scorching heat, the remaining giant spider was enveloped as a trembling black shadow. When the scarlet flames dissipated in mid-air, the spider silk at its tail could no longer support the charred remains.

The moment it fell to the ground marked the end of this brief conflict.

"Are you OK?"

As the guide who led the way, Tang Qi took the lead and went over to offer his regards.

"There are some minor issues, but nothing serious."

Hope shook her head at him, then released her grip on her left shoulder, allowing Tang Qi to see the scarlet wound beneath the leather armor.
"Fortunately, it wasn't a poisonous spider; being bitten by its mouthparts wouldn't be fatal—"

"Don't worry about me, just give me some time to treat my wounds. You can go and loot the spoils first."

As she spoke, she took out a medical kit from her bag and began to clean her wound. She then started to bandage it, appearing quite adept at the task.

Tang Qi wouldn't see her as some weak, helpless woman who needed others to take care of her excessively.

Otherwise, she should be working in a restaurant, a school, or some high-quality brothel, not in such a dangerous place as the dungeon.

"Was that spell from your bloodline?"

As he asked the question, he glanced at the charred corpse of the giant spider not far away.

"That's right. Although it can only be used once a day."

Hope said with a wry smile, while also joking,

"Since we bear the curse of hell, shouldn't we at least get something out of the demons?"

As a 'child of the devil', Tieflin occasionally awakens some unique abilities, one of which is [Infernal Roar].

Tang Qi believes that it can be roughly categorized as an ability similar to that of a [Warlock]—discovering power from one's bloodline and honing it until it becomes one's permanent skill.

"And what about you? What was that you just now?"

Now that Tang Qi's question had been answered, Hope felt she had the opportunity to ask a question.

"Although you often encounter people who shout out the names of their moves during battles—after all, sometimes that's a necessary condition for them to unleash their abilities."

But this is the first time I've ever seen someone fight while yelling at a spider.

Did you use the "Animal Talk" feature? Otherwise, how can you be sure they understand your insults?

“You don’t always need to understand what you’re saying to insult someone,” Tang Qi replied.

"for example?"

Tang Qi gave the middle finger:
“You see, actions, emotions, and words can all be part of an insult. So as long as I convey my emotions to it, it will naturally know that I am cursing it.”

"I seem to understand."

Hope still wondered,
"Then why do you accompany your insults with music?"

Don't you think it has a great atmosphere?

"Of course, the music is beautiful—but what is your purpose in doing this?"

Hope just witnessed everything.

And that 'captain' who just watched helplessly as his two teammates attacked the spider, while he held a lute, playing and cursing at the same time... was just too bizarre.

Tang Qi shrugged:

"I am a bard, and it's perfectly normal for me to pick up my lute and play songs from time to time."

"That's perfectly normal..."

Hope suddenly realized something.

But after a brief silence, a drawn-out gasp of surprise echoed across the open space:
"what!?"

Hope felt that her eyes should be wide open like two brass bells at this moment.
"You're a bard!?"

"Isn't it similar?"

Tang Qi raised an eyebrow, as if to prove himself, and strummed a chord progression, then spontaneously sang,
"Don't underestimate me just because I'm a poet; I can wield a blade when necessary."
Driven by a passion for adventure, I knocked on the gates of this dungeon.

"Alright, alright—this habit of singing and laughing wherever he pleases is indeed very similar to those bards I've met in taverns."

Hope felt something was off, but she still believed Tang Qi's story.
"So you're a skilled bard, right? That's really rare, considering my impression..."

"Are bards a bunch of people who either sing lousy songs in taverns or fawn over nobles?" Tang Qi picked up where she left off.

"You're right."

Although Hope tried her best to remain calm, her surprise was still evident.
"But this stereotype may no longer appear in my mind in the future."

"No, I think you're right, after all, that's what I think too."

So I left the Academy of Poets, trying to change all of this.

Tang Qi nodded in agreement, then smiled and said...

"I will make the world remember my name — Donch Weinberger."

Perhaps many years from now, every poet singing in the tavern will no longer be singing scathing songs praising the nobility, but rather reciting my ballads.

Of course, we don't need to discuss this now; let time prove everything.

Now is indeed the time to gather spoils of war—

Then we continued our journey.

(End of this chapter)