Chapter 8: Complete Clearing of the Duplicate

Chu You froze instantly, as a group of spiders appeared not far ahead of him, blocking his way entirely and leaving no room to manoeuvre.

Chu You cast a glance at his current health points and found that he was at full health. He then allocated his five attribute points earned during the level up to Strength, which brought his Attack Power up to 52.

Scanning the surrounding environment, Chu You found no 'safe zones'. Thinking back on his path here, he hadn't discovered anything either. The only solution seemed to be charging in, finding some kind of terrain that he could use for cover. Without that, he was stumped.

In a solo dungeon, Nightmare Mode is considered Death Mode because you have to accumulate a considerable amount of experience through countless in-game deaths to finally find a viable strategy. It is key to remember:

Once a player is detected by any monster in the dungeon, no matter how far the player runs or how great the distance between them, the monsters will always follow the player as long as the player stays in the dungeon. There is no way to get rid of the monsters' attention unless the player finds a place to 'hide'.

When a player forcibly logs off while in-game, he may be surprised to find himself standing at the entrance of the dungeon when he logs back in.

So, there must be such a hidden spot; it all comes down to whether the player can locate it.

This dungeon is arguably one of the easiest. All the monsters are level 5 One Star Elites. If this dungeon is included as a quest in the newbie zone, it shouldn't be too challenging. With no branches in the path, the hidden spot should be easy to locate, at least for reborn players like Chu You.

Chu You took a deep breath; given that he had thought through the problem, all that was left was to rely on his keen observational skills.

Chu You crouched down, readying himself. His physical strength was currently at its maximum value of 100.

In a split second, he moved!

Chu You's tall and slender figure dashed forward towards the cluster of elite monsters.

Getting closer, closer, almost there!

When Chu You entered a range of ten meters, the first BaiNang Spider detected the intruder, alerting its companions, who also noticed Chu You, even though he had not yet entered other Bainang spiders' sensing range.

Instantly, the area was filled with a loud hissing sound as the spiders charged towards Chu You.

As both sides closed to a three-meter distance, just entering the BaiNang Spider's attacking range, Chu You suddenly jumped high with a great burst of speed, sending himself flying into mid-air.

The BaiNang Spiders raised their heads to watch their airborne enemy.

Then, Chu You landed in the midst of the spider swarm!

Instantly, all the surrounding BaiNang Spiders launched their attacks at Chu You.

His health gauge plummeted significantly. Not hesitating for a moment, Chu You started running forward as soon as he landed. With the momentum from his previous leap, he quickly passed through most of the spiders, causing some of the BaiNang spiders' attacks to miss.

In a flash, Chu You broke free from the swarm of monsters, covered in bloodstains. The sensation of pain was very realistic in the game, although not severe. It was more of an uncomfortable feeling, similar to that of a mosquito bite.

With an unchanging expression, Chu You examined his surroundings after running out. He didn't head deeper into the dungeon but saw a large cluster of BaiNang Spiders pursuing him from behind. They were not willing to give up their prey

It seemed that all the elite monsters were concentrated in that one area, and he didn't notice any others ahead. After a while, Chu You saw a large nest up ahead, guarded by a colossal figure. Chu You knew this was the final boss of the dungeon.

With a dead end in front and an increasing number of monsters behind him, there must be a hiding spot along this path.

Chu You, with his sharp mind, quickly focused on one specific location.

Here the terrain was a bit wider, Chu You spotted a stone pillar about three meters tall protruding from the ground. The stone pillar showed signs of permeating water; besides that, he didn't see any other peculiarities in the terrain.

This is it!

Chu You sprinted towards the stone pillar and then leapt up once again.

His body abruptly collided with the pillar, his hands tightly grasping the edge at the top. Using all his strength, he hoisted himself up and found at the top of the pillar was a well. The stone pillar was hollow, filled with water on the inside. The top was shaped as a circle, its entrance just enough to accommodate one person.

Without thinking, Chu You immediately jumped into the pillar, submerging himself completely within it.

At this point, the surrounding BaiNang Spiders had already crowded around the stone pillar where Chu You was located. A few spiders immediately began climbing. They quickly reached the top of the pillar.

However, when they realized that Chu You had vanished, their vengeful state immediately returned to normal, and this information was swiftly relayed to their companions below. Upon receiving the message, the spiders around the pillar slowly moved back to their initial positions.

The spiders up top also moved downward. They began to disperse.

Ten seconds after submerging himself in the water, Chu You started to see his health declining.

-10, -10, -10.

Every two seconds, he lost 10 health points. From the water, Chu You vaguely saw that there weren't any spider silhouettes above and instantly floated up from the inside of the pillar.

Checking his surroundings, he discovered that the BaiNang Spiders were moving back to where they came from. At this moment, Chu You's gaze landed on one spider.

He noticed that one BaiNang Spider had fallen behind, getting separated from the group by a substantial distance. After checking his health gauge, he deemed that he could withstand two attacks from the BaiNang Spider.

This was enough for Chu You.

He promptly jumped out, chasing the straggler spider, leading it back to the vicinity of the pillar, and swiftly dealt with it using his prior guerrilla method.

After a quick tally, nine elite spiders remained up ahead.

Chu You decided to first recuperate his health and stamina before proceeding, so he sat down to rest.

Ten minutes later, Chu You was back at full strength and stood up again.

Chu You decided to first eliminate all nine spiders. He was aware of how rare it was to encounter an elite monster during the beginner stage. In the wild, regardless if players can handle it or not, they first attack to claim the initial aggression.

Following his previous strategy, Chu You lured the nine spiders in and dove into the pillar's well again. After shaking off their aggression, he climbed back up to find a lone BaiNang Spider had strayed from the group. He swiftly chased it and finished it off.

Although this method was time-consuming, it was currently the fastest way to gain experience. Chu You didn't mind the hassle. He was delighted watching his experience bar fill, which was much faster than leveling up in the wilderness. Remember, apart from the boss, the rest of the level 5 elites in the wild are regular monsters.

After clearing up all the spiders, Chu You officially proceeded towards the boss location.

That area was a nest, where a gigantic spider, its body size similar to a lioness, richly colored in purple-brown, lurked. With patterns on its back, it had quietly climbed onto the spot.

What surprised Chu You was that behind the Spider Leader, a treasure chest radiated a bright light on the stone platform.

The BaiNang Spider Leader, Level 5, One Star Elite, Class: Boss.

Just as Chu You took his first step into the cave, stepping on the floor webbing, the quietly lurking Spider Leader woke up. However, it did not move and stayed silently still, its eyes cracking just a bit open. It could sense that its prey was about to step into its trap.

But what surprised the BaiNang Spider Leader was that the prey had also stopped moving.

Chu You halted. As soon as he stepped on the webbing on the floor, he noticed its slowing effect. He instantly sensed that this might be a trap.

Chu You paused at the entrance, creating a silent standoff between both.

Chu You knew, even if an average player noticed something unusual here, but the Spider Leader stayed still, they would mistakenly believe that they had to venture inside to wake the Spider Leader, initiating a 'normal start'. They would never anticipate that once the player got close to the Spider Leader, this gigantic and cunning Spider Leader would immediately launch its attack, by then it would be too late.

Now, it was simply a test of patience between the two of them.

Chu You clearly understood some of the rules within the game, so obviously he was the more patient one.

However, even Chu You couldn't help but feel doubtful when the cunning spider lost its patience after 5 minutes.

The Spider Leader instantly locked on to Chu You and stood up menacingly! Alert and focused, Chu You knew he couldn't be careless.

The White Sac Spider Leader advanced rapidly, its eight legs moving like pieces of well-oiled machinery, matching Chu You's sprinting speed.

Chu You turned and ran.

The nest was full of webbings that slowed movement. It wasn't the best place for a one-on-one fight. If he had rashly entered earlier, he would be in a highly disadvantageous position.

Once he left the nest, Chu You felt much lighter. The terrifying figure behind him also left the nest, relentlessly pursuing Chu You.

Chu You arrived at the half-stone pillar again. This was where the decisive battle would take place.

Chu You barely paused when the Spider Leader chased him and launched a fierce attack.

Relying on the stone pillar, he continued to dodge and waited for the opportunity to counter-attack.

-17.

This was Chu You's first point of damage. The Spider Leader had a lot of health and a hefty defense, making it a formidable adversary.

But who was Chu You? A reborn being full of experiences from his past life, he had already developed the patience necessary to become a qualified and excellent hunter.

Fully focused and vigilant, Chu You knew he could not be the least bit careless. One mistake was all it would take for him to get attacked when dealing with such a boss.

Mastery of the rhythm of the fight was essential. He had to progress slowly and avoid rushing.

Only after the Spider Leader attacked thrice, Chu You was able to spot a gap and strike with his sword. The damage was minuscule, but luckily with this method of fighting, the Spider Leader's health was gradually decreasing.

Relying on his agile figure, physical enhancements, and cover from the terrain, Chu You hadn't been attacked by the Spider Leader even once.

When the Spider Leader's health dropped to half, it launched a skill!

Without aiming for Chu You, it sprayed a wave of green poison into the sky.

The poison fell densely like raindrops and was impossible to avoid, Chu You could not help but get splashed with some of it.

-15, -15, -15.

The poison effect took hold, and every three seconds, his health would drop by 15 points for a duration of 30 seconds.

After 30 seconds, Chu You's health would decrease by 150 points. Fortunately, Chu You had been investing his points in Strength, which not only increased Attack Power but also his health points.

Chu You kept his calm with steady movements and a clear mind, striking out with his sword again.

After spewing the poison, the Spider Leader launched another attack against Chu You.

At this moment, the Spider Leader's battle style changes. After making a few normal attacks, the Spider Leader shot a tiny green sphere at Chu You.

The green sphere moved fast. After Chu You dodged it, it hit the rocky wall and turned into a sticky liquid.

If hit, not only would he take direct damage, but he would also suffer the negative effects of the poison.

Every time the Spider Leader used this skill, Chu You would use the stone pillar as support to avoid the attacks, and seize the opportunity to strike the spider with his sword.

Gradually, the Spider Leader's health dropped to a tenth. It didn't have much health left. It realized how annoying this style of fighting was. But as it lacked intelligence, it only dawned on it that its life was in danger far too late.

The Spider Leader once again released a skill into the sky, this time, however, it wasn't poison, but a significant amount of spider silk.

The webbing slowed movement speed. If it gets stuck on you, your movement will be severely restricted.

Chu You quickly vacated the area. This was exactly what the Spider Leader wanted, successfully forcing that damn prey out from its cover.

Upon seeing Chu You fleeing, the Spider Leader stopped releasing its webbing and quickly followed suit, while launching a green sphere at him.

Chu You managed to dodge on time and knew that it was now a battle of life and death.

Chu You was always somewhat reckless. Right now he was without fear. He glanced at his health bar, which had about restored to around 70% or 80%. After the Spider Leader sprayed the poison rain, it had not used this skill again. As a result, in the ensuing battle, Chu You's health was rising extremely slowly.

A showdown? Bring it on!

Chu You let out a grunt, with a swift motion of his leg, they rapidly closed in on each other!

The Spider Leader's massive fangs aimed at Chu You. Chu You instead leaped straight up. Controlling his positioning, his hand gripped tightly on the sword handle and sword pointing down, he fiercely stabbed towards the head of the Spider Leader. Chu You's legs landed squarely on its back.

The Spider Leader roared and shook its body, throwing Chu You off its back. Its third leg on the left adventured out a slash at Chu You in retaliation!

-89.

Chu You's health instantly halved.

Chu You did not flinch but laughed, a certain kind of madness seemed to have been ignited within him.

Ironically, Chu You didn't like battling with agility. He preferred to fight hard, body against body, in a brutal way!

It was life or death, and there was always room for a more brutal fight!

Chu You laughed manically, bracing himself for a fierce battle where no holds were barred.

-21!

-83!

-23!

-81!

DIE!!!