The cavern trembled as Volk burst free from the cocoon, his form now something far beyond his previous self. No longer was he just an Orc—he was something monstrous, something primal. His new Ogre form stood towering and thick with pure, unadulterated muscle.

Gone was the brutish bulk of a typical Ogre; in its place was a sculpted monstrosity of sinew and power, a titan carved from stone itself. His veins pulsed like molten rivers beneath his skin, and his fists clenched with enough force to shatter bones like twigs.

And then—BOOM!

A roar exploded from his throat, not just a cry of rage but a war declaration that sent shockwaves through the air. The cavern walls cracked, dust and debris raining down as the sheer force of his bellow reverberated through the mountain.

The spider recoiled. For the first time, it hesitated.

But only for a moment.

SCREEEEE! The beast shrieked, its hesitation vanishing as its predatory instincts took over. This was still prey—it had to be. No matter how much stronger it had become, everything could be subdued. It had caught Volk once, and it would do so again.

The spider lunged, its eight legs skittering at unnatural speed, fangs dripping with venom as it came in for the kill.

Volk grinned.

The first strike came—a wicked lunge with needle-sharp fangs, aimed straight for Volk’s throat. The venom within them was powerful enough to liquefy a boulder from the inside out, but—BAM!—Volk didn’t dodge. He caught the fangs with his bare hands. The impact alone cracked the ground beneath him, but his grip was unyielding. His fingers dug into the chitinous exoskeleton like iron clamps, stopping the deadly bite in its tracks.

The spider shrieked in fury and thrashed, trying to rip free, but Volk squeezed.

CRACK!

A fracture ran through one of its fangs. The spider spasmed, its many eyes blinking in shock.

But it wasn’t done.

With terrifying agility, it launched another attack—a rapid flurry of strikes from its serrated forelegs, each capable of slicing through solid rock. SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

But Volk barely moved.

Each deadly leg crashed against him, aiming for his torso, his limbs, even his head. The cavern rang with the clang of chitin striking flesh, but Volk didn’t even flinch. His skin was like reinforced steel, his muscles absorbing the blows with ease.

The spider shrieked in frustration and skittered backward, recalculating. It had other weapons.

The next attack was venom.

Its fangs reared back, and with a deep hiss, it spat. A stream of thick, greenish-black liquid shot toward Volk, a substance so corrosive that it sizzled mid-air. The ground where it landed moments later melted into a bubbling sludge.

Volk stood there, watching it with mild interest. Then, as if mocking it, he flexed his arms. His skin, bathed in a faint glow, shrugged off the venom like rainwater.

The spider froze.

This was wrong.

Everything was wrong.

But it wasn’t done yet.

It had one final weapon.

Desperation kicked in, and the spider leapt into the air, twisting its massive body mid-flight. Its spinnerets flared wide—FWOOOOSH!—releasing a massive tidal wave of silk. It wasn’t aiming for just Volk now. It aimed for the entire cavern.

A web storm descended, thick, sticky, and reinforced.

The strands wrapped around Volk instantly, layer upon layer, faster than even his enhanced strength could rip apart.

He growled, struggling for a moment, but more silk came. The spider poured everything into it, wrapping him tighter and tighter. His limbs became bound, then his torso, then his legs. The silk compacted, forming an ever-thickening cocoon.

Within seconds, Volk was gone.

Silence.

The spider finally stopped, panting, its legs trembling.

It had done it.

The cavern was still. The only thing remaining was the massive cocoon hanging from the ceiling, pulsating slightly as whatever was inside still twitched.

The spider hissed in victory, stepping back.

But then—

RIPPPPP!

A deep, guttural sound echoed through the chamber.

The spider’s eyes widened in horror.

RIIIIIP!

The cocoon began to bulge.

The webbing—its strongest, most reinforced webbing—was being torn apart like mere paper.

And then—BOOM!

A massive, muscular arm exploded outward, strands of silk dangling from its fingers like torn fabric.

Volk’s voice rumbled through the cavern, low and menacing.

“You really thought that would work?”

The spider’s many eyes trembled, its legs twitching erratically as it skittered backward in a panicked frenzy. It had wrapped him up, cocooned him, used its strongest silk—how? How was he still standing? No, worse—how was he completely unharmed?

Volk stepped forward, the thick remnants of the webbing still clinging to his muscular form, but he barely paid it any mind. He flexed once, and the remaining silk disintegrated into useless strands, falling to the floor. His hulking figure, rippling with unnatural strength, loomed over the spider like a nightmare made flesh.

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The spider screeched, its mandibles clacking together in rapid, desperate beats. Then—FWOOSH!—it lunged.

This time, there was no strategy. No careful attack pattern. No illusions, no calculated webbing.

It was pure, blind desperation.

Its eight legs curled inward, its fangs bared, its venom-dripping stingers primed to pierce through anything in its path. It didn’t care where it struck—so long as it killed him.

Volk barely blinked.

The first strike came—a downward slam from one of its serrated forelegs, aiming directly for his skull.

CRACK!

Volk caught it mid-air.

The impact sent shockwaves through the cavern, splintering the rock beneath his feet. The spider thrashed, its massive leg struggling in his grip, but he didn’t budge. His fingers tightened, and—CRUNCH!—he snapped the leg in half.

The spider shrieked.

It reeled backward, but Volk was already moving.

BOOM!

His fist slammed into its face with the force of a battering ram, sending the entire creature skidding back across the cavern floor. Its body crashed into the rocky walls, BOOM! CRASH! THOOM!—the stone cracked and split apart from the sheer force of impact.

But Volk wasn’t done.

The spider twitched, attempting to get up—BOOM!—another fist sent it sprawling.

It hissed, barely managing to lift itself with its remaining legs—BOOM!—Volk’s knee smashed into its thorax, caving in part of its exoskeleton.

The spider wailed.

It tried to flee.

It tried to crawl away, but Volk grabbed one of its remaining legs and yanked—hard. The beast was ripped backward, its body slamming into the ground again.

THUD!

It twitched violently, its legs curling inward.

Volk loomed over it, his breath steady, his eyes cold.

Pathetic.

Utterly pathetic.

The spider shivered beneath his gaze, its many eyes filled with something Volk had seen in countless creatures before—fear.

He lifted his foot.

The spider screeched one last time, its legs frantically scrabbling for purchase, trying to retreat—

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Volk’s foot came down.

The entire cavern shook.

The floor beneath them split apart, a massive crater forming where the spider’s body once lay. A sickening SPLAT! echoed through the chamber, accompanied by a spray of thick, black ichor splattering in every direction.

The spider’s form was gone. Reduced to nothing more than a grotesque, flattened mess.

Volk exhaled slowly, lifting his foot from the crater. His eyes narrowed in disgust.

“…Too weak.”

Silence.

For a moment, everything was still. The cavern, the walls, the remains of the battlefield—nothing moved.

Then—

Skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter…

Volk’s ears twitched.

His gaze slowly lifted toward the darkness beyond the cavern.

The sound grew louder. Closer. Faster.

What is that?

The cavern trembled as the skittering grew deafening. From the shadows, one spider emerged.

Volk didn’t hesitate.

BOOM!

His foot came down, and the creature burst into pulp, its thick exoskeleton shattering like fragile glass beneath his stomp.

Before the remains even settled, two more crawled out from the darkness.

BOOM!—one crushed. BOOM!—another turned to mush.

Then three more came.

Then four.

Then five.

The flood began.

A wave of grotesque, skittering monsters poured from the cavern walls, their thick legs clattering against the stone, their soulless eyes glowing like eerie lanterns in the darkness. Their sharp mandibles clicked, their venom-dripping fangs bared wide as they rushed toward him, hunger and rage filling their hollow forms.

Volk exhaled.

He cracked his knuckles.

“Fine.” His lips curled into a wicked grin. “I’ll crush every last one of you.”

And so he did.

BOOM!—one. BOOM!—two. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—three, four, five in quick succession.

Their bodies exploded under his sheer strength, their exoskeletons snapping like twigs, their innards spraying across the battlefield.

But they didn’t stop.

More and more poured in.

A tide of grotesque, writhing arachnids, each one larger than the last. Their numbers doubled, tripled, multiplied with every passing second.

Volk’s grin widened.

“Come on then.”

BOOM!—another stomp.

BOOM!—a punch sent one flying into the wall, shattering it on impact.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—his fists tore through the swarm, bodies rupturing, limbs flying, black ichor drenching the cavern floor.

Yet they just kept coming.

The spiders piled on top of one another, forming a writhing, chittering mass of legs and fangs. They swarmed toward him, a never-ending tide of nightmare fuel.

Volk didn’t back down.

He lunged forward, his fist colliding with the first wave—BOOOOOOM!—a shockwave erupted, sending dozens flying.

He ripped through their numbers, grabbing one by the legs and hurling it into the others—CRASH!—their bodies shattered on impact.

He grabbed another by its bloated abdomen and squeezed—SPLURCH!—it popped like an overripe fruit, drenching him in black ichor.

His movements became a blur. His muscles tensed, coiled, unleashed with every attack.

One spider tried to leap at him—BOOM!—a backhand sent it flying.

Another tried to web him—BOOM!—he ripped through the silk and slammed it into the ground.

Yet the tide never stopped.

Ten. Twenty. Thirty. More.

They climbed over each other, screeching, desperate to overwhelm him.

But Volk—Volk was a storm.

Each step he took left a crater.

Each punch he threw shattered bones.

Each kick he delivered sent bodies exploding into mist.

And still, they just. Kept. Coming.

He stomped. He crushed. He ripped. He tore.

Ichor flooded the cavern floor, thick and pungent, soaking the ground in the remains of his enemies. The air reeked of death.

Yet Volk barely even breathed heavily.

His muscles bulged. His eyes glowed. His grin never once faded.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of slaughter—

The skittering stopped.

The tide of spiders hesitated.

The remaining few twitched, their mandibles clicking nervously.

They could sense it now.

Fear.

Volk took a step forward.

The cavern shook.

The remaining spiders flinched.

His grin stretched wider.

“What’s wrong?” He cracked his knuckles, ichor dripping from his hands. “Don’t tell me that’s all you’ve got.”

Silence.

Then—

From deep within the cavern, a new sound emerged.

A deep, guttural chittering.

Volk’s grin slowly faded.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep