It felt like an eternity where his mind would remain a tumultuous tempest. But the crystal pendant was an anchor in the storm, a lifeline pulling him back from the abyss of madness.

Thanks to its effect, he could feel his racing heartbeat gradually slowing, as the grip of panic began to loosen. The storm within him eventually subsided, leaving behind a tranquil sense of calmness. The traumatic images no longer flashed in his mind, seeming to have been magically stolen away by the pendant.

Placing a hand on his heart, he found that the once erratic beats were now steady and calm. The blue crystal pendant had managed to pacify him.

Thank you, Mother. He offered his heartfelt gratitude to her memory in his mind as he tucked his precious pendant back under his black scarf.

Known as the [Fragment of the Cerulean Sky], it was an artifact that possessed several abilities, one of which was the power to forcibly calm its user. Without it, his mind would have already crumbled to dust on many other occasions.

With his newfound mental fortitude, he patted down his stained attire, wiping off the remaining dripping blood. Luckily, it no longer bothered him as much as it did before. Most of the blood had already dried up, caking his entire face in a black, cracked layer. Unfortunately, no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t get the rest off. He could only let out a deep sigh.

As he recalled his encounter with the giant spider, he was suddenly enlightened.

Those thick vine webs from before… they were all spun by the spider! 

It made sense. This was all part of its hunting strategy.

Given the spider's tremendous size, the thick and sturdy vines that it spun must have felt as delicate as silk. It was able to effortlessly raze through its own vines while pursuing its prey, while those it hunted would struggle against the unyielding barriers. It was likely that all the victims in the vine cocoons had succumbed to this flawless hunting technique.

It seems that in a manner reminiscent of its smaller kin, the giant vine spider would envelop its dead prey in a vine cocoon before suspending them from the towering branches above, then allowing them to rot and decay within the vine cocoons as they slowly stewed into the black blood that dripped out.

Why would it choose to do that? Doesn’t it need to feed on these bodies for sustenance? He shivered as he pondered.

No… The sheer amount of bodies all around me are surely more than what it needs for consumption.

The hammer of realization suddenly struck in his head, and he finally understood. 

Hanging off its excess prey off the branches of its home… The giant spider was trying to show off its collection of trophies to the world!

So the absence of the animals in the forest… It must all be due to this monstrous spider. It was going on a killing spree! What a sick and twisted creature!

Looking up at the dreadful shapes above him once again, he gulped in fear. The people within them; wanderers, adventurers, travelers, all of them used to be living, talking, breathing humans. All of them lived their own separate lives; had their own feelings, dreams, ambitions, families. All of them were real people!

But now, they all slumbered namelessly in perfect silence. It was the end of their story, forever.

Yet, such was the mindless cruelty of Mother Nature. The unthinking and unfeeling creatures that roamed the land were impartial to all. If it was a human standing before it as its next meal, it would happily oblige. Why would the vine spider hold itself back from killing a human, just as it did any other creature?

This was true nature, raw and unfiltered.

A shudder ran down his spine. If he wasn't careful, he was going to end up as one of them within the next few hours. He couldn’t afford to make a single mistake around this cruel spider, lest he suffers the same fate!

Glancing over at the vine nets strewn close to him, he came to yet another disheartening realization about the vine spider.

The rate of regeneration of these vines… They're absolutely monstrous. They can repair themselves in a matter of mere seconds. And considering the fact that the giant spider’s whole body is made from it, it is highly likely that it can regenerate itself similarly quickly…

In other words, it meant that dealing damage to it would be meaningless.

I can't defeat something like this… The young wanderer's heart was full of despair. From the very beginning, this wasn’t a foe that was capable of being killed.

It was an easy conclusion : Fighting it meant death.

All he could do was to run and hide like a scared little rabbit.

Or…

Allow the monstrous spider to deliver a cruel death to him.

***

Having spent his few precious minutes of rest pondering unsettling thoughts, he knew that he had to make a move sooner or later. By his estimation, only a few hours remain before night arrives. When that happens, the darkness would surely render his escape from the spider impossible.

Peeking his head out from the cover of his trusty tree, he squinted his eyes, straining to spot the figure of his relentless attacker in the far darkness. Sure enough, the massive creature’s distant silhouette could still be seen, lurking about like a malevolent shadow.

Knowing that this abhorrent creature was the one responsible for all the death and rot corrupting the air, his fear and caution towards it had increased several folds.

Regrettably, it appeared that the colossal spider was still searching for him. It occasionally halted its movement, taking pauses to scan its surroundings carefully.

With trepidation gripping his heart, the young wanderer scanned the far end of the forest. The direction of escape was clear in his mind.

Since he had entered from the opposite side of the dark forest, all he had to do was to cut right across the giant plains of vine webs.

Fortunately for him, there were still many giant trees sticking out from the ground, all across the otherwise empty plane. With this in mind, he formulated a new strategy: he was going to use their cover to stealthily evade the detection of the spider!

He pressed his back firmly against the rough bark, gearing himself up for a daring sprint to the next nearest tree. He kept an unwavering eye on the monster’s distant figure at all times, praying to remain unseen. 

His heart thudded in his chest as each beat resonated the peril he faced with every step. He feared that letting off even the slightest sound could act as a beckoning signal, giving away his position. He did not even dare breathe too loudly.

It was like tiptoeing around a slumbering bomb; the moment the spider became aware of his location would mark the end of his life.

After a few seconds of hesitation, he finally mustered up the courage to make his move. Scurrying like a nimble squirrel, he dashed towards the next tree, ducking behind its massive trunk to conceal himself as quickly as possible.

As he snuck a peek at the spider’s reaction, he let out a soft exhale of relief. The massive creature remained occupied with its search, stumbling around aimlessly. It appeared that the giant spider wasn’t able to detect his movements. 

He pumped a silent fist in his heart. This plan was going to work!

Ensuring that the time he spent exposed out in the open was minimized, he ducked and weaved behind the covers of the trees as frequently as possible, gracefully dashing from one tree to the next like a silent shadow. Each leap between trees was executed with the grace of a tightrope walker. 

In this manner, he slowly slipped further and further away from the giant monster…

***

After 30 minutes of the tedious process, he finally managed to reach the edge of the forest. But what stood in his way yet again was another solid wall of vines.

However, this wall was nothing like the others. It was notably thicker and sturdier. The vines were wound together so tightly that any view of the other side of the vine wall was completely obstructed, adding an air of mystery.

Knocking on the wall gently using his knuckles, he groaned inwardly. He could already tell just how troublesome this wall was going to be. Standing as firm and strong as it did, it might as well have been a stone wall!

He glanced back fearfully in the direction of the giant spider once again. But finally, he could no longer spot its intimidating figure.

He had finally lost the massive monster.

However, he still opted to maintain his silence. It never hurts to remain careful.

Turning his attention back to the huge and firm wall, he recognized that there was absolutely no way it could be knocked down using brute force.

Besides, the noise created from doing so would undoubtedly draw the spider's attention immediately. It was definitely not a viable option.

Having no other alternative, the young wanderer reached his hand down to his sword sheath, wrapping his fingers around the handle of his trusty sword. There was no other choice than to cut the wall down!

Chink! The sheath clicked, loosening the blade from its hold. The blade did not shimmer as it was drawn from its sheath. Instead, it revealed a gleam not of sharpness, but of unsightly rust.

Examining his sword, he frowned at the prospect of using it to cut through the thick vines. After all, his blade was not meant for such tasks. Using the sword to saw through the thick and tough vines would be akin to hacking and slashing at bags of sand. Sure, it would complete the task, but it would dull the blade infinitely quicker, accelerating its wear and tear.

Sigh… If only I had brought along [Helios] with me…. 

The image of the ancestral blade of Azerion flashed in his mind; Its hilt, adorned with intricate engravings, and its blade, forged from a mythical metal. 

The sword was a cherished family heirloom, bestowed upon him during his 14th birthday. But unfortunately, it was resting comfortably back in his far-away home, thousands of miles away from here.

With the unbelievable sharpness of the legendary sunblade, it would have no trouble cutting through these thick vines. And as an added bonus, it probably wouldn’t be dulled one bit by such a relatively trivial task. It would have been the perfect tool for the current situation!

But regrettably, two years ago, he had made a firm and conscious choice to leave the family’s sword resting on his desk, before setting out on his indefinite journey.

He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Whatever the case was, the blade was not here with him right now. There was no point in lamenting its absence any further. 

Once again holding out the blade of his humble rusty sword in front of him, he steeled himself to use his own weapon for the task. For two years, the sword had been a silent and helpful companion, faithfully serving him to the best of its ability. Yet here he was, abusing the precious blade that bore all his sentiments. The once radiant blade had now deteriorated into a mere shell of its former self.

After being constantly abused by his reckless usage, it was now covered in a hideous coat of rust. He was aware that it wouldn't be long before the blade reached the end of its lifespan.

I’m sorry, my friend. He lamented as he concentrated, pouring his focus into casting the sword aura mana technique, [Sliding Edge], onto his blade.