Volk gritted his teeth as the sharp, searing pain lanced through his side. The spider had struck with blinding speed, one of its jagged legs slashing across his ribs. Blood dripped down his torso, but he didn’t fall. He stood tall, defiant, his fiery eyes locked onto the massive creature in front of him.

The spider loomed closer, its legs clicking against the stone floor, its mandibles dripping with venom that hissed as it touched the ground. Volk’s breathing was heavy, each inhale bringing a sharp ache to his injured side. But he didn’t care about the pain. His focus wasn’t on himself anymore.

He spun around, taking in the sight of his horde.

They were wrapped in thick, silken webs, their bodies suspended in grotesque, contorted poses. The goblins hung limp, their small forms completely cocooned. The Orcs twitched occasionally, their muscles straining against the sticky threads. The Ogres, massive as they were, looked disturbingly vulnerable, their hulking frames rendered helpless by the spider’s relentless weaving.

Volk’s heart pounded in his chest, not from fear, but from raw, boiling anger. This wasn’t how his horde would go down—not trapped like insects, not silent and still while he was left alone to fight. He clenched his fists, his claws digging into his palms as he roared with everything he had.

“WAKE UP!”

His voice echoed through the cavern like a shockwave, bouncing off the walls and reverberating through the thick mist. He lunged toward the nearest webbed form, a goblin, and with a single, brutal swipe of his claws, tore through the sticky strands. The goblin’s face was pale, its eyes fluttering as if trapped in a deep sleep.

“Wake up!” Volk bellowed again, his voice cracking with desperation and fury. He shook the goblin’s small body, its limp form barely responding. “You’re not dead! Get up, damn it!”

The spider hissed behind him, but Volk didn’t turn. He didn’t have time to fight it—not yet. His horde was his priority. He moved to the next cocoon, an Orc this time, and tore through the webbing with ferocity.

The sticky strands clung to his claws, resisting every swipe, but Volk was relentless. His arms burned with effort, his wounds screamed in protest, but he didn’t stop. “You’re Orcs! You’re stronger than this! Don’t let some overgrown bug take you down!”

The Orc’s face was exposed, its tusks bared, but its eyes remained closed. Volk slammed his fist into the ground, sending a small shockwave through the cavern. “Wake up!” he screamed again, his voice filled with raw, unyielding determination.

He tore through more webs, moving from one horde member to the next. Each time, his claws shredded the sticky prisons, his voice echoing louder and louder. “You’re goblins! You’re Orcs! You’re Ogres! You’re MY horde!”

Behind him, the spider skittered closer, its many eyes glowing with malice. It lashed out with its legs, but Volk sidestepped the attacks without missing a beat. His focus was absolute, his determination unshakable.

“Do you hear me?” he roared, slamming his fist into the stone beside a webbed Ogre. The impact cracked the ground beneath him, sending tremors through the cavern. “You’re MY horde! You don’t get to die here! Not today!”

The spider lunged, its fangs aimed straight for his back, but Volk twisted at the last second, its venomous strike barely missing him. He roared back at the creature, his defiance palpable, before turning back to his horde.

“Wake up, damn it!” he yelled again, his voice hoarse but still powerful. His claws worked furiously, cutting through the thick webbing that bound the massive Ogre in front of him. The threads resisted, their sticky grip almost impossible to break, but Volk didn’t care. He was a force of nature, unstoppable in his mission.

And then, finally, as he tore through the last layer of webbing, the Ogre’s chest heaved. A low, guttural groan escaped its lips as its eyes fluttered open.

Volk froze for a moment, his heart pounding in his chest as he stared at the awakening giant. The Ogre blinked, its gaze unfocused but slowly sharpening as it looked at Volk.

“You…” the Ogre rumbled, its voice low and gravelly. “…Boss?”

A grin spread across Volk’s face, fierce and wild. “Damn right, it’s me!” He reached up, slapping the Ogre’s massive shoulder. “Now get up! We’ve got a fight to win!”

The Ogre, still groggy but fueled by raw anger, let out a guttural roar and lunged toward the massive spider. Its enormous fists swung through the air with earth-shaking force, aiming straight for the spider’s head. The impact of the blow, if it landed, would have shattered stone, but the spider moved with terrifying speed. Its eight legs skittered across the cavern floor, a blur of motion as it dodged the attack.

The Ogre’s fists hit the ground instead, sending tremors through the chamber and dislodging chunks of rock from the ceiling. The spider countered in an instant, its sharp legs darting forward like spears, slashing at the Ogre’s arms and chest. The Ogre grunted in pain but didn’t back down, swinging wildly again and again, determined to buy time for Volk.

Volk, his claws slick with his own blood and the sticky residue of webbing, grit his teeth as he moved to the next cocoon. His body ached, and his vision blurred from exhaustion, but he refused to stop. The sight of his horde trapped like prey was seared into his mind, and he knew every second counted.

“Wake up, damn it!” Volk growled as he ripped into another web. This one was an Orc, its green skin barely visible beneath the thick layers of silk. Volk’s claws tore through the strands, but they clung to him with a maddening resistance. Every swipe was a battle, the webs pulling back like they were alive.

Behind him, the Ogre let out another roar as the spider struck again, its fangs scraping against the Ogre’s shoulder. The massive creature stumbled but kept fighting, swinging its fists like battering rams. Volk didn’t have time to look back.

“Get up!” Volk shouted, shaking the Orc’s limp form as its face became visible. “You’re not dead, and I’m not letting you die here! Do you hear me? You’re an Orc! You’re a warrior!”

The Orc groaned faintly, its head lolling to the side, but it didn’t wake. Volk cursed under his breath and moved to the next one.

A goblin this time. Its small body looked pitifully fragile, completely wrapped in webbing that seemed thicker than usual. Volk’s claws shredded through the layers, his hands moving faster than he thought possible. His arms burned, his muscles screaming in protest, but he didn’t care.

“Wake up, you little runt!” Volk snarled, gripping the goblin by its shoulders. “You’re not weak! You’re part of my horde! So act like it and wake the hell up!”

The goblin twitched, its small fingers curling slightly, but its eyes remained closed. Volk growled in frustration and slammed his fist into the ground beside it, sending a shockwave through the cavern. “Don’t make me repeat myself!”

The spider, sensing the commotion, turned its attention toward Volk. Its legs moved with deadly precision, slicing through the air as it charged toward him. The Ogre intercepted it with a roar, slamming its shoulder into the spider and forcing it back.

“Boss! Keep going!” the Ogre bellowed, its voice strained but defiant. “I’ve got this!”

Volk didn’t need to be told twice. He moved to the next cocoon, his claws already tearing into the webbing. His hands were raw, his knuckles bleeding, but he didn’t stop. Each cocoon he opened revealed another face, another member of his horde.

One by one, he freed them, and each time he shouted, his voice filled with both rage and desperation. “Wake up! Fight back! You’re not going to die here!”

The goblins were the first to stir, their small bodies trembling as they opened their eyes. One of them groaned, its voice weak but determined. “Boss…?”

“That’s right,” Volk snarled, gripping the goblin’s shoulder. “Now get your scrawny ass up and help me!”

The goblin nodded weakly, its eyes sharpening with resolve. It stumbled to its feet, grabbing a jagged rock from the ground and standing beside Volk.

Next were the Orcs. Their hulking forms took longer to rouse, but when they did, their growls echoed through the cavern. One of them, its tusks gleaming in the faint light, grinned fiercely at Volk. “We’re not done yet, are we?”

“Not even close,” Volk growled back, a savage grin spreading across his face.

The Ogres were last. Their massive bodies were the hardest to free, the webbing almost refusing to let go. Volk’s arms felt like lead, his claws barely moving, but he pushed through the pain. Each Ogre he freed groaned deeply, their voices like rolling thunder as they slowly stood. Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire

“Wake up!” Volk bellowed one last time, his voice echoing through the cavern with the force of an earthquake.

The spider hissed furiously, its body spinning in place as it prepared to attack again. But now, the horde was waking. One by one, the goblins, Orcs, and Ogres stood beside Volk, their eyes blazing with renewed fire.

“Boss…” one of the Orcs said, its voice trembling with a mix of fear and awe.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep