Kaelos soon snapped back to reality upon hearing the immortal spirit. He held his breath as his steps retreated in silence.
Now a considerable distance away, he clutched his chest and breathed quietly. He found himself drenched in sweat.
After calming himself down, Kaelos glanced at the horrifying Weaver for one last time and ingrained its appearance into his mind.
The immortal spirit wasn't exaggerating.
While the immortal spirit imparted the creature's physical characteristics into him, seeing it was different. Far different.
When he read its description, he was already horrified.
But now…
Now, Kaelos scanned every nook and cranny of the cave's interior, checking whether it had traps or not. After all, he might enter later, so it was better to be safe than sorry.
Usually, a spider would exhibit different characteristics based on their species. Some actively hunt or ambush for food, but most set traps and wait for their prey to fall upon them.
Based on the description, however, Weavers were very hostile and aggressive creatures, rarely setting traps.
He squinted and soon spotted strings as thin as hair stretched horizontally across the space. Without actively searching and the ray of light from the outside, they would have been impossible to find.
Observing closer, the strings were somewhere between the Weaver and the cave's entrance.
Kaelos felt chills upon seeing such a sight. Thankfully, he knew he was incorporeal at the moment. Thus, he could be as reckless as he wanted.
He continued the observation outside.
A moment later, Kaelos found even more traps woven among the nearby trees.
Nodding and committing every location to memory, Kaelos sprinted away and scrutinized the soil as he continued looking for any more traps.
Every now and then, he would pause, crouch, and observe the soil beneath him. At times, Kaelos nodded. Most times, he frowned.
So far, Kaelos found neither traps nor the soft soil he wanted.
So he continued further.
Eventually, Kaelos breathed a sigh of relief. His body relaxed.
While he didn't feel any physical exhaustion, his mind did.
He finally found what he was looking for. The soil beneath appeared softer. Now, it could be dug easily and deeply.
Not only that, the path around the soil was narrow. A perfect place to obstruct the creature's movements.
Finally, his plan could now be executed.
"Can I get my spear now?"
"Very well."
Before him, the air surged and formed into a vortex. It continued swirling and swirling until it materialized into a medium spear.
The spear looked neither grand nor flashy. Just a simple spear.
Its base was made with wood and quite flexible, while its spearhead seemed to be made of steel.
Kaelos was again mesmerized.
He reached out and caught the spear. Gripping it, he noticed it was quite heavy, requiring both of his arms. Though that could be attributed to his weak strength.
"How much time do I have left?"
"Twenty minutes."
Kaelos nodded and sat down. He closed his eyes and meditated, feeling intensely nervous.
For now, he would relax his mind.
"Ten minutes."
His eyes opened. Kaelos began simulating the plan in his mind. The path he would take, what he would do, and how everything would end.
"Five minutes."
"Four minutes."
With every countdown, his heart raced faster. His stomach felt weird. It felt quite similar to the excitement one would have when getting what they wanted.
"Three minutes."
"Two minutes."
His nervousness surged.
"One minute."
Kaelos closed his eyes again, attempting to suppress the fear and nervousness within.
Then, he felt something change.
He looked at his body as it slowly gained its complexion back.
A moment later, his pale complexion returned.
Without hesitation, Kaelos stabbed his spear down the soil and measured it using the spear. When it was completely submerged, he nodded.
Then, Kaelos began digging with his hands as fast as he could. Dirt stained his uniform and clung to his nails, but his face showed no expression.
With every passing moment, his heartbeat throbbed even faster. Beads of sweat trickled down his face.
Drenched in sweat, Kaelos removed his uniform, leaving only a white sleeveless top, exposing his scrawny build even more clearly.
Finally, Kaelos dug a pit wide and deep enough for him to thrust the spear upward with enough force. To make sure, he tested his plan, and indeed, it was more than good enough.
Looking around, Kaelos gathered many leaves and covered the pit fully.
Now finished, he wiped his sweat off with his uniform, then sighed in relief.
Kaelos turned and peered off into the distance where the cave stood. His grip tightened and his eyes turned resolute.
Exhaling once more, Kaelos removed his shoes. He walked quietly among the trees while bent low, his spear pressed to his chest.
Every step was calculated and his mind was fully alerted.
Eventually, he reached the cave.
Kaelos gathered several small rocks, finding them quite unusually heavy, but paid no mind. For now, he would focus on the matter at hand.
As a final preparation, he took the deepest breaths he could muster.
Then, he hurled rocks into the cave.
In an instant, piercing shrieks echoed within the cave.
Chills ran down his spine.
His heart almost sank.
Yet, Kaelos hurled more.
The shrieks turned into growls. Then they disappeared.
But as Kaelos was about to hurl more, the Weaver finally emerged.
Standing upright, the creature towered above a human. Its blade-like legs gleamed under the sunlight, extending even longer.
It titled its head as its body shuddered.
When it stopped, the creature's head turned. Its six human-like eyes stared directly at Kaelos' location.
Kaelos widened his eyes.
Without hesitation, he hurled sharp rocks at its face. A few hit, making the creature screech.
He ran away, weaving among the trees in a zig-zag pattern.
When Kaelos turned, he found the creature missing. His steps faltered for a moment, then his pace increased until he looked up at the sky.
In the sky, Kaelos spotted the Weaver descending, its legs pointed at him and mouth fully opened. It might have used its silks to fling itself into the air.
His face shone in horror.
A loud thud resounded. The creature crashed down near him, but Kaelos didn't look back and continued dashing even faster.
Behind him, he heard loud skittering that made his hairs stand.
Suddenly, Kaelos felt the air change. He immediately dashed to the right. A strand of silk missed, piercing the tree right next to him and causing it to vibrate slightly.
He turned and flung another rock, hitting the creature's eyes. Its screeches grew even louder.
The Weaver raised its hand, revealing a miniature vertical mouth. A strand of silk shot out toward his tree.
Kaelos gasped and ducked, then retreated away.
The strand of silk missed.
As Kaelos was running, he heard whipping sounds behind him.
The creature was quick, shooting out several strands of silk at him.
But all missed.
Finally, in the corner of his eyes, Kaelos caught sight of the trap he had laid.
His eyes gained clarity.
He paused, his back pressed against the tree. His presence seemed to merge with the tree.
Kaelos waited for the creature to catch on, then threw even more rocks to infuriate it.
The creature neared. Yet he still waited.
And he waited even more.
Everything in his vision slowed.
He waited still until the creature was a few steps away from him.
Kaelos sprinted the fastest he could as the creature screeched, swinging its crab-like arm at him.
At that very moment, Kaelos jumped and twisted mid-air, gripping his spear tightly.
The creature missed.
When he fell into the pit, Kaelos preemptively thrust the spear upward with all his strength.
The spear pierced the creature's abdomen. A squelch resounded, followed by a loud, pained shrill.
It was a success.
However, Kaelos continued thrusting. His jaws clenched, and his eyes narrowed.
The Weaver shrieked and shrieked until it fell into silence.
Pungent fluid splashed his face.
The creature finally died.
Kaelos swiftly wiped his face and panted heavily. He almost vomited but quickly covered his mouth.
He rubbed his eyes with both hands, still in disbelief.
"Congratulations, boy! You've hunted a Weaver perfectly. Well done!"
Kaelos pushed the creature away and exited the pit.
He looked at the creature's body, horror still written on his face. "Now… what? What must I do to absorb its essence?"
Kaelos asked the immortal spirit with uneven breath.
"To absorb the essence of an abyssalspawn, you must find their most distinguishing trait. For a Weaver, it would be their sac."
Hearing this, his eyes narrowed and glanced at the creature's abdomen.
"Then?"
"Then eat it."
"W-What? Eat it? As in eat it, eat it?"
"Are you dumb, boy!? Eat it with your mouth, of course!"
His face distorted. He touched his stomach as he felt it twist.
"Eat it, boy! And you'll get its powers!"
An audible gulp resounded.