Unexpected Encounter

'Wait... wait, wait... what has just happened?'

Taking raspy breaths and spitting the blood inside his mouth, Zenon raised his gaze to observe the dead Layer Beast - something he still can't believe.

'That... that easy? Just like that?' Not like he was complaining about it.

Not only that but the Tarantula was injured before the fight. Losing almost half of its legs must have taken a big portion of its mobility yet still was fast enough to cause a problem.

Part of its exoskeleton was cracked, especially on the legs, meaning that Zenon had an easier time fighting against it.

But, if such an injured creature managed to bite his shoulder...

Zenon sighed, unable to take the dead spider out of his sight. After some five seconds of rest, he recalled what he saw just after the spider dropped dead.

Ironically, it made him chuckle.

Zenon continued analyzing the spider while trying not to slip from the edge. The spider's leg hung from its mouth, centimeters away from Zenon.

The red metallic liquid that came from its brain also started spilling, making a small... bloodfall? Strangely when it touched the river it was almost as if it vaporized.

However, in the midst of all this chaos, there was something that gave Zenon a little bit of hope. It was the fact that he received a Carapace!

'Let's see what this - hopefully - bad boy is capable of doing.'

Zenon summoned his Soul Runes, containing all the information about him, Soul, Familiar, and of course, Carapaces.

Then he started analyzing once again.

[Carapace: Sharp Fang.

Rank: Tier-II Mindless.

Description: Tarantula peacefully lived inside her nest along with her children for centuries. Then the darkness was engulfed in flames.

Attributes: Poisonous || Enhanced].

Zenon opened the Runes regarding both Attributes. And to say the least, he was amazed by the result.

[Poisonous Description: A mild weakening effect flows within its blade.]

[Enhanced Description: Your blade is more resistant and won't lose its sharpness easily.]

Zenon read the Attributes while supporting his chin on his fist. This ambush turned out to be beneficial for him!

Not only did it serve as training in an almost impossible-to-move environment, but it rewarded him with a proper weapon to fight!

'I'll check it out after getting to a safe spot.'

Suddenly, Leviathan arrived from scouting - just in case - and instantly went near Zenon to check his condition, especially his shoulder. When he noticed that he wasn't even gritting his teeth in pain, he hissed at him.

Zenon looked at him somewhat confused,

"Uhm... I'm feeling well ac-" A sudden wave of pain made him draw a breath, "Well... not exactly but it's nothing serious. Actually, my arm feels sleepy."

He tried moving his left arm but he could only lift it some centimeters before it lost strength.

Leviathan looked closely at the wound and was stunned at the fact that the bleeding was slowly stopping. When he checked again, he saw how the Solis Vines were - very slowly - both regenerating the armor and stopping the wound from opening more.

Zenon also noticed it and frowned his forehead as he has never seen it do that before.

'If I remember correctly... the Carapace has a Regenerative Attribute. Perhaps this is how it works? Maybe if I get direct sunlight it'll go fast-'

*Grrrr*

"Oops... that's my stomach."

Zenon stared at his stomach for some seconds before drifting his eyes toward the dead spider in front of him. He sighed, not because he had to eat the insides of a dead Layer Beast, but because he had nothing to start a fire.

The entire canyon was dried as if it was a desert eons before transforming into the death trap it currently is.

A campfire can be made in a very small area, but if the only material he had were rocks, it was a big problem. First of all, he had nothing organic that could start a fire eas-

Or maybe he does.

Taking a deep breath, Zenon opened the spider's mouth, grabbed a chunk of flesh, and ripped it clean off the spider.

He then took another chunk and started searching for medium-sized rocks. It was preferable to have a flat big one and a medium size one.

Now, the only limiting factor was if he could manage to find a metallic rock, perhaps iron or copper.

But, some minutes later, Zenon tried almost everything he could find with unsuccessful results. Everything he found was... ordinary rocks.

After some more scavenging, he thought that maybe he had to go even deeper inside to find the proper rocks to start a fire with.

'This is troublesome.'

Sitting once again in front of two big chunks of flesh, Zenon had no other choice but to eat them raw. Sadly, this was also not a choice.

Since the spider was called Venomous Tarantula, dropped a Carapace that had a Poisonous Attribute and just one of his bites was enough to make Zenon's left shoulder hit the sack...

Let's say it's not the best option.

Sighing once again, Zenon stared at both chunks of meat with gloomy eyes. After some more reconsideration, he got up and planned on continuing his traverse.

Leviathan, however... hadn't eaten something delicious in a while. So, without thinking twice, he dived inside one of the chunks of meat and started feasting.

Zenon noticed this and gave a quick peek before looking away while holding a gag.

'How can you eat that? It's awful.'

Leviathan just shrugged and continued devouring the chunk of meat. Zenon. though, began walking forward while clutching his shoulder.

The wound left way for a strange sensation of both coldness and hotness, sending not only waves of pain but drowsiness all over his body. Instead of using the void to get rid of it, he augmented his legs and began running.

What's the worst that could happen anyways?

---

"Oh, damn... that was a… bad idea… So sleepy."

Turns out just one small bite was enough to send his brain into a drowsy state. He noticed this after his head unconsciously dropped which almost made him lose balance.

This was two hours ago, and Zenon thought that distributing the void all around his blood would help. Sadly, it didn't.

Though it managed to stop the full power of the poison which could kill a hundred Initiators... probably. It wasn't enough to stop all the effects though.

So, this left Zenon wandering through a narrow edge at sunset, where light hardly came through the openings and could make him fall at any moment.

Luckily, he found a ravine that had multiple small openings that could fit a small teenager inside. Zenon took advantage of this, went inside, and pretty much curled himself into a ball.

The Venomous Tarantulas' poison was so potent that it was slowly sending him to sleep. He tried his best to hold on to that last brink of energy he had, but at one point it just made his body almost unable to move.

He slowly walked, using all of his strength to not fall toward the river until he managed to find this opening.

Inside, still wearing his Solis Vines, Zenon was slowly drifting into a deep sleep. And it wasn't long until his body gave up to the tiredness...

---

*Rumble!! Screech!!*

Quickly waking up to the sonorous overload, Zenon instantly knew what was happening. Once again the canyon was changing.

"OH, REALLY?!"

As if he never got poisoned in the first place, Zenon instantly got up and quickly passed through the narrow passage, earning some cuts on the face from the rocks. Making it out, he noticed that the ravine he was in was starting to close.

Not only that... but it was already midday. He slept almost twelve hours approximately and somehow didn't even notice.

Anyhow, Leviathan was already up on the surface and swiftly found the most optimal path to safety.

Zenon followed his instructions and quickly found himself in an intersection that was also closing. He turned right and began running for his life between the two edges, which were close enough for his feet.

He reached another closing intersection which was extremely close to yet another closing ravine, but it was the only option. He took a sharp turn right and then-

*BAM!*

Something bumped into him. Avoiding falling by using the wall as support, he quickly turned around to see who it was... and his jaw slightly dropped.

'You need to be… fucking hell.'

Wearing armor. Neck warmer up to the nose. Green eyes and short white and turquoise hair.

Not wasting a second on introductions, they both ran for their lives.