Chapter 64: And Death Came Crawling

Noah glanced towards where Leo and Galahad were hiding. He wanted to fight freely, but he couldn’t, as long as he had people to protect.

So, there was only one thing to do.

“Leo! Galahad!” He yelled at the older boys, his shout echoing through the chamber. “Take Arlo and get out! Now! I’ll cover you!”

Leo and Galahad didn’t hesitate. They rushed out from behind the thick nest of eggs, grabbing Arlo under each arm.

The white-haired boy was barely conscious, blood dripping from his nose and lips.

As they dragged him toward the exit tunnel, Noah kept up with Devour, stopping every bullet from killing them.

Once they were out of the chamber and into the tunnels, he narrowed his eyes at the web above.

His muscles tensed, the boost in Agility from Devour surging through him.

He launched himself upward, leaping into the web-strewn ceiling. The sticky strands stretched under his weight, but they’d been spun to carry beasts much heavier than him.

From the moment his feet touched the webs, he became the hunted.

A web bullet tore past his shoulder. He spun, eyes narrowed, tracking the nearly invisible shimmer that marked the camouflage of the adult Bullet Spiders. Two of them.

One skittered along a thick web strand to his left. Noah flicked his palm and casted Rot.

A thin beam of energy lanced out, hitting the Spider as it was skittering along, thinking itself invisible.

Its right legs crumpled as the beam chewed through its chitin, turning it into dust.

It screeched, a horrid, high-pitched noise, thrashing in pain. Noah didn’t let it recover.

He stretched his hand, commanding Devour. The darkness unfurled beneath his feet like a pit, hands of darkness reaching up and yanking the injured beast into the maw that opened in the air beneath him.

Ding!

[Strength increased temporarily.]

[FFF → FF+]

Noah exhaled, landing on another web strand just in time to roll under another shot.

A sizzling web bullet missed his head by inches, taking a chunk out of the web behind him.

He turned his eyes to the final Spider. It was already scuttling back, attempting to flee through the tangled canopy of webs.

“No, you don’t.”

He darted forward, leaping from strand to strand like a predator. His new strength and agility boosted his movements, making him as sure footed as if he was standing on solid ground.

The Spider cut one of the thicker ropes of web behind it in a bid to block his path, but Noah leapt over it, rotating in midair as he cast Fireball.

The glowing sphere shot from his hand, striking the Spider’s side. It screeched, camouflaging flickering off as flames burst across its body.

It tried to scurry away, but Noah used Devour again.

The darkness rippled below the web strands, and the moment the Spider’s legs touched it, hands reached up and dragged it in.

It thrashed, tried to escape, but it was too late.

Ding!

[Endurance increased temporarily.]

[FFF+ → F+]

Noah remained crouched on the webbing, panting, sweat dripping down his brow.

Silence now filled the chamber. There were no more gunshot-like web bullets. No more clicking legs. Just the faint and distant sound of Leo and Galahad’s hurried footsteps, retreating with Arlo.

He looked around the chamber, at the eggs, the torn silk, and the broken corpses, and finally let the darkness disperse.

He dropped from the webbed ceiling, landing on the chamber floor with a dull thud.

Dust puffed around his boots as he straightened, heart still pounding from the battle.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then froze, a thought flaring to life in his mind like a spark in the dark.

’Is that why I’m not getting a spell from Devour?’

When he’d devoured the Rust Vulture, a Decay-type beast, he’d received the spell Rot.

But the adult Bullet Spiders, though clearly stronger than the vulture, had only granted him temporary boosts.

Why?

He thought back to the monsters’ affinities. Bullet Spiders had no alignment to his own. No Darkness, no Decay, no Hunger. But the Rust Vulture had been deeply tied to Decay, one of his affinities. That must’ve been the difference. That was the key.

’When I devour monsters with the same affinities as mine… I gain spells.’

That realization sent a thrill down his spine, even as the ache in his limbs reminded him of the danger he was still in.

If he found monsters with the same Affinities as him to devour, he’d get a spell from them! There would be no need for him to save money for spell formations. Only advancement rituals.

He turned, sprinting back into the tunnels with his enhanced Agility and Strength.

His body moved effortlessly now, feet pounding the stone, each stride smooth and efficient. The temporary buffs from the devoured monsters made him faster than he’d ever been.

It wasn’t long before he caught sight of Leo and Galahad ahead, dragging Arlo between them as they moved as fast as they could.

The moment they saw him, relief washed over their faces.

“Noah?” Leo blinked. “You’re alive! How are you alive?”

Galahad gawked. “You… you fought all three alone?”

Noah didn’t answer. He just reached forward and took Arlo from their arms in one smooth motion.

“I’ve got him.” He said. “You two keep running.”

They didn’t argue.

As they moved, Galahad’s voice was strained. “This was no E-rank monolith. Not even D. Adult Bullet Spiders, three of them? This was at least C-rank. Maybe even worse.”

Leo’s face was pale, eyes haunted. “Cal and Bronn are dead… It’s my fault. This is my—”

“Shut up!” Noah snapped, his tone sharp.

They all froze.

Noah’s ears twitched. In the quiet, a new sound came crawling through the silence.

Skrrt.

Skrrrrrrt.

It was faint. Soft. But unmistakable. The skittering of clawed limbs against stone.

It was growing louder. Closer.

This wasn’t the quick scattering of small legs. This was heavier. Slower.

Noah’s face darkened. “That’s not the younglings…”

Galahad’s eyes widened in horror. “No… that’s a swarm of adults.”

“Run!” Noah roared.

No questions. No hesitation.

They bolted.

Noah cradled Arlo’s unconscious body against his chest as he surged forward, his speed far outpacing the others.

Even carrying Arlo, he moved like the wind, his enhanced Strength making the boy’s weight feel like little more than a sack of feathers.

Leo and Galahad sprinted behind, pushing their tired bodies beyond exhaustion. Fear lent strength to their limbs, but they knew they couldn’t outrun what followed. Not forever.

The tunnels blurred past as they raced on, the monstrous skittering growing louder with every passing second.

And behind them, in the dark of the monolith, death came crawling.

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