A Long Way Home

I could see it. A way home. It was right in front of me, and yet it could be hundreds of kilometers away. Because between me and the exit stood the Spider Queen.

It was a terrifying sight to behold. She stood towering over me, her massive form reaching nearly five meters high. Her body was covered in thick, armored plates, each segment glistening in the dim light of the cave. Her eight legs were thick and muscular, each ending in a set of razor-sharp claws that glinted dangerously in the darkness.

And her head was the most horrifying part of her body. It was nearly as big as my entire torso, and it was dominated by two enormous, multifaceted eyes that glowed with otherworldly light. Her mandibles were long and sharp, dripping with venom that steamed in the cold air.

But it was her abdomen that truly made her an abomination. It was swollen and bloated, like a grotesque, pulsing balloon. It was covered in thick, bristly hairs, each tipped with a deadly, barbed stinger. And as she moved, it quivered and shook, as if it were about to burst at any moment.

Despite her immense size and fearsome appearance, she moved with a fluid grace that belied her monstrous form. She stepped forward, her eight legs moving in complete sync. I could hear her chitinous armor scraping against the rocky ground.

As she approached me, her mandibles clicked and clacked, and I could feel the hot, fetid breath of her exhalations on my face.

"F*ck!"

After everything I've been through down here, right when the exit from this hellhole is in my sight, fate wants to play with me and place an impossible challenge in front of me.

I was angry. Very, very angry.

Soon, anger turned into determination.

I refuse to die in this place!

After everything I have been through, I won't let anything stop me. I faced the queen without taking a single step back.

She just stood there, mocking me.

I decided to break this stalemate and fired at her. But my attack was useless against her strong exoskeleton. The Queen hissed in amusement as if my attempt to defeat her was merely child's play.

I decided not to be bothered by it and increased my spell strength as much as I could before firing again.

She finally moved. Faster than I could react, she dodged my shot and rammed into me. I flew several meters in the air and rammed into one of the cave walls. Luckily, the walls were covered with webs and cocoons, which dampened my fall, or else I would surely break something. But it still hurts like hell.

I stood up, my muscles aching and my head spinning. I knew I had to think fast. I faced the Queen again, my eyes locked on hers.

"You think you can defeat me?" I shouted, my voice echoing through the cave.

"I am not just a snack for you to devour. I will not die here! And I will not let you stand in my way!"

The Queen hissed, her eight legs skittering across the ground as she lazily moved closer.

Why is she like that? Earlier, she could have easily killed me, but she didn't. And now she just stands there. But then it hit me. "She is playing with me."

She sees me as nothing more than food.

I hate it. But it also works for me. It gives me time. Not much time. But a few more moments to try and figure out a way to kill her or die trying.

My trusty [Stone Bullet] is useless here. Not only could she easily dodge it with her speed, but I'm pretty certain I won't be able to do much damage through that chitin armor.

I wish I could have burned her like those spiders before. But she is too quick and agile to get caught in a trap.

She finally decided to lunge at me. In desperation, I grabbed the last few wood twigs I was carrying. I lit them on fire and threw them at her right as she tried to bite off my head. It worked somehow.

I pumped a lot of mana into it, and it burned her but failed to do more than minor damage.

She lunged back. It seems she is afraid of fire, like the others. I got a bit more time but now she is angry.

Playtime has ended, and she looks at me with narrowed eyes. The next attack will be for real. And I have no chance of surviving it. My mind was in overdrive, and I scrambled to come up with a plan.

If only I could master fire like the other elements. Every time I channel the heat, it is weak and costs so much mana that I can't sustain it for long. What am I doing wrong?

As I watched the dying flames on the Queen's body dissipate into nothingness, I was getting really desperate.

Moving the air is easy, and magic fire is technically nothing more than burning gas, so why is it so much harder?

Wait a minute... moving?

That's it!

I get it now!

You can't create something from nothing.

I'm always moving an existing air not trying to create a new one. It's the same with fire. In order to make fire, you need fuel. I'm subsidizing it by burning my mana and turning it into heat.

It works perfectly. I even found out that you don't need oxygen; magic fire burns everywhere, even underwater. The problem is... me.

Heat still needs something to conduct it. In this case, it's me. The problem is that I'm afraid of getting burned, so I always conjure it atop my palm as far away as I can. So I move the heat through the air, and the heat dissipates before it has time to properly form.

I finally understood. In order to control the fire, I must embrace it. Channel the heat through my body and release it from within. Like a dragon breathing fire.

But it is easier said than done. The idea of basically setting myself on fire is scary. My fear of getting burned didn't go away. I'm afraid. So, so afraid.

But now, with the spider queen looming over me, I have no other choice. I close my eyes and concentrate.

I think I know how to do it. However, it will be the hardest thing I have ever done, and I won't be able to control it for long, so all I have is a single shot.

I feel the heat building up inside me, like a raging inferno waiting to be unleashed. The flames grow stronger and brighter, and I can feel my body beginning to change. My eyes snap open, and I see the queen hesitating, her eight legs twitching nervously.

I stand up, and flames erupt from my hands, engulfing my entire body. I feel the heat and power surging through me, and I step forward confidently toward the spider queen. Her eyes widen in fear, and she scurries back, her chittering legs slipping on the slick cave floor.

I laughed triumphantly as I advanced, the flames now swirling around me like a fiery vortex. I put everything into this spell. Every drop of mana I have left.

The spider queen tries to flee, but it's no use. The flames explode with tremendous force, scorching her body and tearing into her flesh. She struggles to escape, but it's too late. With a final scream, she falls to the ground, her body twitching in the last throes of death.

I felt a sense of triumph wash over me as I watched her lifeless body sizzle and melt in the flames.

I stand there for a moment, panting, the flames slowly subsiding. I look around the cave, and I can see the exit, now unobstructed. I have a big grin on my face. I have done it. I won my ticket to freedom.

I struggle to stay awake. I'm tired. So tired and so hot. But I can't let myself pass out. Not yet. There are more spiders around. I looked back. Luckily, the spiderwebs behind me caught on fire, creating a wall of flames between me and the rest of the den.

I took a deep breath and looked around. The spider den was quiet now, the other spiders having fled at the sight of their queen's defeat. The way ahead was clear now, and I could finally continue my journey.

I turn to leave, but then I pause, looking back at the spider queen's body. Something caught my eye, and I moved closer. I saw a gem. A purple gem glinted in the dim light of the fire.

It's the same gem I discovered in the bear-like monster's corpse in the Forest. Although it is a little bigger and of a different color. I still didn't find a use for it. And it is only the second time I have ever found one.

It seems only some monsters have it. Not that I bothered to check every monster I killed. I decided now was not the time to think about this. I pocketed the gem, and then I turned and ran towards the exit, my heart pounding with the thrill of victory.

As I walked, I noticed that the air was fresher, and the passage was growing wider. The darkness began to recede, replaced by dim, gray light that filtered in from an opening ahead.

With growing excitement, I quickened my pace, eager to see what lay beyond the cave's exit. And then, at last, I emerged into the light.

I found myself standing on a narrow ledge, high above a deep chasm. Far below me, I could see a glittering river winding its way through a lush, green valley.

For a moment, I stood there, taking in the breathtaking view. The sun was just rising, casting a golden glow over the landscape. The air was cool and crisp, filled with the sweet scent of fresh flowers and the sound of birds singing.

And then, with a sense of joy and relief, I realized that I had made it. I had conquered the cave, faced my fears, and emerged victorious. I had found my way out of the darkness and into the light.

With a deep sense of gratitude and wonder, I closed my eyes and breathed in the fresh, clean air. I knew I would never forget this journey or the lessons I had learned along the way.

And with a final glance back at the cave's entrance, I turned and began to walk down the narrow path, toward the valley below. I knew there would be more adventures waiting for me in the days ahead. However, for now, I was content to bask in the warmth and beauty of the rising sun.

***

Deep within the Northern mountains stood a tower, rising above the treeline and piercing the clouds. The tower was ancient, its walls etched with the scars of time, but even in its decrepit state, it exhaled an aura of majesty and power that could not be ignored.

On the highest floor of the tower, beyond winding stairs and hidden corridors, in a small round room, the Oracle sat.

Secluded from the rest of the world, she peered into the secrets of the universe, seeking knowledge that few could comprehend. Sitting in a circle of ancient runes, her plain gray robe blended into the shadows around her.

For how long she had sat there, she did not know. Time had little meaning for those who could see beyond it.

And then, with a sudden jolt, she snapped her eyes open. Her eyes were murky and lifeless, yet they saw with otherworldly clarity.

She was blind, and yet she could sense the flow of magic that formed our reality all around her. And just then, she felt it. A faint disruption that could only be the release of a powerful spell.

"Interesting," she creaked, her voice rough from disuse. With a knowing smile, she closed her eyes once more, as if nothing had happened at all.

*** End of Volume 1: A New Beginning ***