Unfriendly arthropod from the neighborhood

Thump Thump Thump Thump

The rhythmic sound of a heartbeat echoed in the horned succubus head. Asme tried to calm down, but the adrenaline pumping through her body effectively prevented her from doing so.

The addictive thrill that soldiers feel before their first battle spurred the woman to action. Her pupils dilated, and her tail moved nervously.

Asme bit her lower lip. If Ramiel had seen this, he would have found it a very sexy sight. But the man could not see it. The Asme in question stood with her back turned to him, preparing for the coming battle.

Our horned beauty was facing the real test of today.

She was nervously approaching a giant spider cocoon. It was the size of a one-story house. Dread to think what kind of monstrosity hid inside it.

Of course, Ramiel knew what Asme would face, but he didn't tell her. Such behavior defeated his purpose. Today, he was to be just an observer.

The musician playing the first fiddle was a woman. The fate of the soldiers under her command would depend on her decision. If Asme and Caera's lives were not in danger, Ramiel would not move an inch.

Being five hundred meters away from the mysterious object, Asme raised her clenched hand upward, letting her units know to stop. In a firm voice, she gave further orders.

" Caera, attack whenever you are ready. "

The elfess nodded her head gently. Her slender hand went to her quiver of arrows. Turning over the darts with her fingertips, she found the target of her search. The woman's choice fell on a short arrow with a metal tip.

" Uff. " Caera's chest rose. Huge amounts of fresh air gathered inside her lungs. Holding her breath, the elfess tightened the bowstring.

Focusing on the internal flow of mana, Caera gathered vast amounts of energy at the tip of the arrowhead. Following Ramiel's instructions, she manipulated the mana by infusing it with the chaotic element of fire and the destructive element of space.

Caera's knowledge of the fire element was hopeless, but thanks to daily sessions with Ramiel, it had increased to an acceptable level. It was nothing spectacular, but it was enough for simple spells. Adding the element of space to the explosive mix could produce something quite interesting.

Swish

Along with the air released from her mouth, the string-powered arrow left the bow. Its mid-flight arrowhead was covered in blue flames.

The ambient temperature around the blue arrow rose dramatically.

Boom

With a loud bang, the arrowhead slammed into the snow-white cocoon. Moments later, it exploded, spreading blue fire everywhere. Like an apostle of gluttony, the flames consumed everything in its path, leaving nothing behind.

The sight of the blue flames devouring everything in their path was captivating. For a brief moment, a gentle glow appeared in Ramiel's eyes. He was proud of the elfess. In less than a month, she had made significant progress.

"WRAAAAAAAA"

A chilling squawk came from the center of the cocoon, which was covered with Caera's magic. Its outer shell moved chaotically, putting Asme on high alert.

The blood in the woman's veins boiled with excitement. Asme couldn't wait to clash with an unknown opponent. The shot of adrenaline she received would have been enough to climb Mount Everest alone.

She was now able to understand Ramiel in part. She had never understood why he enjoyed himself so much while fighting a strong enemy. Finally, when she experienced it for herself, everything became clear and lucid.

Crackle

Crackle

A massive arthropod limb emerged from a half-burned cocoon. It was covered with millions of fine hairs, which smoldered on the spider's body under the influence of the blue flame

With a loud roar, the monster ripped open the rest of the deadly trap, revealing its hideous body to everyone. The Queen of Corpse Timbers was similar to her weaker counterparts.

On its back rested a massive skull made of ashen nets. Its empty eye sockets glowed with a dark green radiance. Most interestingly, the structure had not been damaged by the fire. It looked as if the blue flames were gliding over its surface.

The same could not be said of the rest of the monster's body. Ferovouring wounds could be seen on the limbs, from which the unpleasant smell of burnt flesh drifted.

Two pairs of dark green eyes hurriedly mirrored the surroundings in search of the perpetrators of the commotion. The Queen of the Corpse Skulls was furious. She wanted to destroy every life form in her environment.

As she was indulging in a blissful sleep, a strange-looking fire suddenly attacked her out of nowhere. Usually, it would have been no problem for her, but she couldn't put it out for an unknown reason.

No matter how hard she tried, no matter how much mana she used to suppress it, it continued to burn, turning the dignified queen into a living roast.

After a brief moment, the spider's gaze fell on the dozen or so insects roaming its territory. The queen's special attention was drawn to a long-eared elfess holding a strange stick in her hands.

She sensed the same type of mana from the woman as that which was assaulting her body. Locating its future target, the deadly intentions left the body of the overgrown spider. Dark purple smoke rose from the empty eye sockets of the spider's skull.

It was a stronger version of the Corpse Skull poison, but thanks to Darwin's antidote, it was no problem at all.

Boom

Boom

Giant limbs the diameter of an adult tree moved, causing a small earthquake in the process. The Queen of the Corpse Skulls moved confidently ahead. Her mouth opened wide, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. All of them, as one, dripped a dark purple liquid. Upon coming into contact with the air, the liquid evaporated, emitting an odor that was irritating to the nose.

Asme poured astronomical amounts of mana into her weapon. When the queen was less than a hundred meters away from her, Asme slammed a sword covered in a thin layer of ice into the ground.

Crackle

Suddenly, the ground beneath the spider's legs cracked. Cool air, capable of freezing any living creature that entered its range, spewed out from between the cracks.

Like a bullet that left the barrel of a gun, vines created from crystal-clear ice shot out of the cracks. Like an anaconda hunting its prey, they wrapped themselves around the spider's two front limbs, immobilizing them.

On the vines of the ice vines, snow-white flowers appeared. In appearance, they resembled Ice Breath Lilies. Within a short moment, the petals shook, shedding pollen. This dust was remarkably similar to snow falling on a frosty night.

The monster's skin, in contact with Asme's magic, was covered with a thin layer of ice. The crackling frost spread at an alarming speed, freezing the monster's front legs in the process.

Ramiel's eyebrow raised at the sight of Asme's new spell. What the woman used was not as simple as it seemed. As for the level of complexity of the spell, it could be compared to those used by mid-low rank hunters.

" You managed to get quite an interesting woman master. " Seraphine praised Ramiel sincerely. She was impressed by the skills displayed by the succubus. At first, her attitude towards the woman was skeptical, but with the further progress of the fight, Seraphine's opinion of Asme improved.

The magic used by Asme played a big role here. It looked easy on paper, but controlling the rampant mana was not as easy as some might think.

Imagine writing two essays at the same time. The concentration needed to do both at the same time was enormous. Asme had to do exactly the same thing.

Drawing two magic circles, combined with maintaining a steady flow of mana, completely exhausted the woman, but she did not lose consciousness despite the inhuman effort. To say more, she was able to manage her subordinate units efficiently.

" You're right, but she's still an amateur... " A hint of disappointment could be felt in Ramiel's words. After the numerous hours he had spent training women, he had hoped they had a little more oil in their heads.

" Forgive me for my insolence, but aren't you exaggerating? In my opinion, Asme is not doing too badly. Yes, the fight did not start well, and Asme has already managed to make some glaring mistakes. But that is what you and I see. Unlike us, this girl has no experience in command or combat. "

For a brief moment between Ramiel and Seraphine, an awkward silence fell. The necromancer, wanting to continue the conversation, added.

" You can't compare her to yourself... " As if by the touch of a magic wand, Seraphine fell silent. She suddenly realized that she knew nothing about Ramiel. From the beginning, she had taken him for someone talented, but that was all. She did not possess any information about him.

Who was he? How did he get here? Why was he so weak despite the knowledge he had? No, calling him weak was wrong. The figure standing next to me is definitely not weak. Unnatural self-confidence, sharp mind, leadership skills, and great combat experience. What kind of monster does one have to be to achieve this at such a young age...

" Tsk... " Seraphine was snapped out of her musings by the loud click of Ramiel's tongue. In his eyes, resembling an abyss, there was an infinite depth in which one could find a mixture of incomprehensible emotions. His next words surprised the woman.

" I hate it when you guys are right. "

" Are we right? " The flames in Seraphine's eyes took the shape of question marks.

" Yes, you and Avi. I don't know why, but it irritates me terribly. " An ugly grimace appeared on Ramiel's face.

With a questioning gaze, Seraphine looked at her master. With the help of the element of necromancy, she looked into Ramiel's soul. After a moment, all her doubts dissipated like leaves in the autumn wind. Ramiel's soul again tried to separate from his body, making the man unable to think soberly.

Being a greedy woman, Seraphine decided to try her luck. Maybe in this state, she could extract some useful information. " Master, who were you before you became the ruler of the dungeon? "

Ramiel sighed heavily. Several thoughts were swirling in his head. Finally, after a few minutes, he broke the prevailing silence. " This is not the right time or place for such a conversation. We should focus on the fight. "

With that, Ramiel ended the conversation, leaving Seraphine with a new puzzle to solve. It was a cruel move in its own way, but the topic the necromancer raised required a longer meeting over a few stronger drinks.

At the same time that Ramiel was talking to Seraphine, Asme was doing quite well. Not even seven minutes had passed since the start of the fight, and the woman had already taken two limbs from the queen.

This was not the result of direct combat but rather the efficient management of her subordinate soldiers.

Boom

The space between Rascal's broken sword and the monster's functioning limb was filled with a sea of sparks. The veins on the green goblin's forehead came to the surface. Like the foundation of a skyscraper, the green monster's legs strained to form a solid support. The force that Rascal had to resist was comparable to the pressure of a hydraulic press.

Two Condemned Wolves jumped out from behind Rascal's back when the situation seemed hopeless. At Asme's command, the monsters climbed up one of the spider's remaining limbs.

The Queen of the Corpse Skulls tried to throw off the uninvited guests, but the fire led by Caera and Goblin prevented her. Arrows with infinity spearheads exploded, freezing the queen's burned body parts.

However, her problems were just beginning. The condemned wolves that entered her body tore off a monster's limb. Their jaws ripped out the spider's flesh in a brutal manner, crushing its joints in the process.

Boom!

The spider queen, unable to maintain her balance, collapsed with a loud bang. Huge amounts of dust filled the battlefield.

Agonal groans of the monster came out of the smoke screen. The Queen of the Corpse Skulls was helpless. Deprived of five of her four limbs, she had no means to resist her attackers.

Its eyes stared with indescribable fury in the direction from which Caera's arrows flew. Even in its final moments, the monster blazed with indescribable hatred toward the woman. Accepting her fate, the queen closed her eyes without resisting. A few minutes later, the boss of the floor gave its last breath.

Asme, reassured that it was over, breathed a sigh of relief. She felt her eyelids grow heavy, and her body wobble. Losing strength in her legs, she leaned backward. Being sure of falling, she closed her eyes in preparation for a close encounter with the ground.

However, that never came. Halfway down, she felt a man's strong arms wrap around her. When Asme opened her eyes, she saw Ramiel's smiling face above her.

It was the best reward for her hard work. It seemed to her that Ramiel was saying something, but only the man's muffled voice of the man reached her ears. The image in front of the woman's eyes blurred a moment later. With a wide smile on her face, Asme lost consciousness.