CH82

As the saying goes, "Many ants can kill an elephant," and these weren't ants but giant spiders larger than humans.

No matter how thick Helag's shields were or how much mana he had, these spiders could eventually wear him down.

Hearing the rustling behind him, Helag felt a chill run down his spine and pushed his speed to the limit.

The scenery blurred as he ran, his steps steady.

Using Deep Blue's detection, he ensured each step was stable, avoiding any slips or falls.

However, the spiders were faster than Helag anticipated, crawling at incredible speeds.

Their sheer numbers created a sea of spiders, surging like a tide.

They were forming a circle around Helag, ready to surround him soon.

"These must be directed by a spider queen!" Helag thought, seeing the situation through Deep Blue.

From hunting the mammoth to uniformly releasing it and then chasing him, their coordinated actions indicated a commander.

Only a spider queen in the nest could issue such commands to so many spiders.

[The spider swarm is closing in, estimated to encircle in three minutes!] Deep Blue warned.

Running, Helag scanned his surroundings. "I need to find a place. Running blindly ahead is certain death."

The spiders were too fast; continuing to run would only result in being surrounded.

The sight of spiders everywhere made Helag's head spin.

"There's a cave!"

Spotting a cave to his left, Helag decided it was his best chance, even if it wasn't a guaranteed escape.

With no other options, he dashed into the cave.

Once inside, he noticed the walls were incredibly hard.

Helag had planned to collapse the entrance to slow the spiders, but the cave walls were too solid.

The sound of spiders crawling outside was like a death knell. Helag ventured deeper into the cave, hoping to find an exit, even a subterranean river.

The spiders swarmed the entrance but didn't enter the cave.

Countless spiders sat at the cave mouth, their green eyes glowing as they stared inside.

Inside, Helag found the cave pitch dark. He took a lantern from his space ring and switched it on.

The lantern's light source was a special mineral, with a small magic circle at the base. Activating the switch caused the circle to absorb fire element particles, making the mineral glow.

Turning off the switch, the mineral would continue to glow for a while before dimming.

"Huh?" Helag noticed the spiders' behavior at the entrance, which Deep Blue displayed in real-time.

"Why aren't they coming in? Is there something more terrifying inside, or is this a forbidden area for them?"

Helag recalled the mammoth's behavior in the fields and the entities in the town's houses, all seemingly following certain rules.

For instance, the potion ingredients in the fields were protected, likely a rule set by the wizard managing the area.

Lighting the lantern, Helag saw many cave paintings on the walls.

The paintings were simple, almost crude, like a child's drawings.

Yet, these paintings made Helag frown.

"These are ancient."

Holding the lantern, he continued, finding the paintings told a story.

From the paintings, Helag learned that the natives here constantly fought beasts, suffering many casualties.

Then, a divine messenger arrived, bringing them a slate.

The natives gained magical powers from the slate, easily defeating the beasts.

With food easier to obtain, the tribe grew rapidly, living comfortably.

"A slate…"

Helag pondered, thinking the spiders didn't enter not because of a more terrifying presence but due to a rule preventing them.

"Let's see if there's anything else."

He continued deeper, hoping to find something valuable in the ancient cave.

Considering the spiders were likely maintained by a wizard, Helag doubted he'd get much but hoped for something useful.

"How do so many spiders eat? Even with abundant wildlife, it wouldn't be enough. Is there another energy source?"

Helag realized the spiders' numbers would deplete local wildlife quickly.

In a world with supernatural forces, he guessed the spiders had alternative energy sources.

As he walked deeper, the cave widened.

He found some statues, but they were ordinary stone carvings without special energy.

The cave had a single path, no branches.

Following it, Helag reached a large plaza, about the size of a football field.

The plaza had statues and fire pillars, showing signs of past fires.

The plaza was mostly empty, but something in the center caught Helag's eye.

A two-meter-tall slate stood in the middle.

Approaching, Helag saw figures and complex patterns carved into the slate.

"I can't look any longer."

After a while, Helag felt dizzy.

"My mental strength isn't enough to view this slate for long!"

In the wizarding world, many items require strong mental strength.

Books often contained profound knowledge, causing dizziness in those with insufficient mental strength.

Forcing oneself to read such books could lead to brain damage or even death.