Chapter 54 …
Do-hyun flinched at the sudden message.
For a moment, he couldn’t process the situation.
“Slayer? Location?”
After a brief moment, Do-hyun quickly grasped what was happening.
It was the second ability of the Slayer trait.
He remembered the effect that allows one to detect the location of monsters with the Slayer title.
He hadn’t needed to use it until now, so he had forgotten about it.
He never expected that instead of the Truth’s Eye he had hoped for, he would be seeing the location in some other way.
“But why?”
He was puzzled why this message appeared.
The prerequisite was that the monster had to have the Slayer title, and he didn’t have the Spider-type Slayer title, right?
There was only one assumption that came to mind.
“No way…”
The only Slayer-related title Do-hyun had was the legendary title, “The First Slayer.”
“Could it be that the Slayer effect isn’t limited to devoured bosses, but applies to all bosses?”
When he had checked hidden information during Jihad, he thought the effect applied simply because he had devoured goblins.
That made more sense in terms of balance.
…Yeah, that makes sense.
“What kind of unbalanced game is this? Even if it’s legendary, does this make sense?”
Even someone who had gained many legendary titles wouldn’t have expected this.
Even in Demrock, legendary titles were rare, so he never imagined one could have such an absurd effect.
“Or maybe not? Technically, you need the Slayer trait for it to fully work…”
A kind of synergy effect, perhaps.
Separately, the Slayer trait and the First Slayer title were reasonable, but together they created an ability that was outright ridiculous.
Conditional OP—it made sense balance-wise if thought of that way…
“Hm, still. Yeah, it’s OP.”
No matter the reasoning, OP was still OP. And this was exactly the kind of OP that could give massive help in the current situation.
[Would you like to check the location of the field boss ‘Spider Queen Eliza’?]
“Yes.”
After consenting, the mini-map at the bottom of the screen changed.
The small square map, which had only shown Do-hyun’s position as a blue dot, now displayed a large dark-red dot as well.
“Huh?”
But the location looked strange.
“Why is it overlapping with me?”
The red dot overlapped the blue dot representing Do-hyun.
And then he saw it.
[The Truth’s Eye activates.]
Something wriggled.
A massive red silhouette, not there moments ago, wriggled underground.
It clearly took the shape of a spider.
Something red was slowly moving to the left…
“No way.”
Instinctively, Do-hyun activated his skill.
“Backstab.”
[Using Backstab.]
As the skill activated, Do-hyun’s form disappeared.
“Uh? What?”
“Why?”
The warrior nearby flinched, and the mage companion tilted their head.
The warrior cautiously looked around and said,
“Someone was standing next to me just now, a guy alone, and suddenly he disappeared.”
“Maybe he gave up and logged out. Standing alone near a field boss, probably couldn’t even find a party.”
“Could be… Oh, now that I think about it, there was a kid nearby too.”
“Kid? This is an 18+ game. Must have been just a short girl. Anyway, that’s not important now. 30 seconds left—focus.”
“Y-Yeah.”
The Raven field boss was notorious for its high competition.
Many people gave up, so those who ignored the distraction focused fully on the spider’s nest.
Only 10 seconds remained. They had to concentrate, not knowing where it would appear.
[Time remaining until field boss respawn: 00:00:00]
The ten seconds that felt like an eternity passed, and the respawn time arrived.
All the players’ eyes scanned the area.
“Where is it?”
“Not east! Is it there?”
“No, not here either…”
“West is empty too.”
“Huh? North is empty too?”
Confusion spread.
The field boss had not appeared at the respawn time.
The players, stunned, looked at the spider nest like broken marionettes.
It was the first time in Raven that a field boss had been stolen.
And at that moment:
[Using Backstab.]
[A mark has been created.]
—…Huh?
The Spider Queen Eliza froze, sensing a presence from behind.
In her eyes, a human appeared.
A man in red clothing with a touch of blue paint, holding a suitably thick iron sword.
“Wow… it worked?”
It was Do-hyun.
He had activated the skill, hoping it would work on the silhouette. And it actually did.
He couldn’t believe it even as he watched.
He wasn’t in the same space but had used a movement skill across the ground.
‘Theoretically, it’s possible.’
Backstab targets visible enemies.
Do-hyun had seen the boss as a red silhouette.
The conditions were perfectly met. Though normally, this theory wouldn’t make sense.
‘Hah… I’m probably the only one who’s ever used Backstab like this.’
Even Do-hyun himself felt uneasy.
Still, he had a rough idea of how it worked.
It seemed the Slayer effect revealed the boss’s location, and the hidden boss was considered stealthed, triggering the Truth’s Eye.
Then Backstab had been applied to the revealed boss.
Master, how did you do that?
“Too complicated to explain. Just know it’s OP.”Got it.
Jihad nodded at the brief explanation. It was the best Do-hyun could give.
[You have encountered the field boss ‘Spider Queen Eliza’ in the western forest.]
[The ‘Devour’ effect activates on first defeat.]
[You are the first to enter the Spider Queen Eliza’s movement path.]
[Benefits apply to the first discoverer only.]
[The density of essence orbs of the field boss ‘Spider Queen Eliza’ increases.]
[Drop rate increased by 30%.]
[Experience gained increased by 30%.]
[The Guardian has been summoned to the new location.]
‘If this isn’t OP, what is?’
All stats increased with the first discovery bonus, and drop rates and essence orb rewards were higher.
It wasn’t guaranteed gear like before, but the denser orbs meant better rewards upon harvest.
‘Even just the stats from the first discovery are pretty good.’
Hardly anyone could have received more rewards than Do-hyun in this area.
Eliza!
The Spider Queen, cautiously alert, let out a screech, snapping Do-hyun out of his thoughts.
His first impression:
‘Huge.’
She was overwhelmingly large for a spider.
Bigger than any tarantula he’d seen in foreign films.
Next, he realized she wasn’t as gross as expected.
Her white fur and massive size worked together; the silk-like fur made her less creepy.
Eliza, Eliza!
Still, her red, glowing eyes gave off a dangerous vibe.
Her constant shouting made her look like she was high on something.
[HP: 40,000 / 40,000]
‘40k… plenty for testing.’
A perfect number to check his new skills and items.
Do-hyun smiled and swung Bastard’s training sword through the air.
The sharp slicing sound satisfied him.
‘This feels more familiar.’
He had handled many weapons, but this size of greatsword was his specialty.
Eliza!!
The Spider Queen attacked first.
She struck down with the front two of her eight legs. The speed and power were immense.
Crack!
Do-hyun dodged sideways as her leg pierced the ground like a spike.
She used the embedded leg as support to launch herself forward.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Several spikes aimed at Do-hyun, but he remained calm.
He could even see her info panel:
[Spider Queen Eliza]
Title: Elite Field Boss
Type: Spider
Traits: Steel Web, Venomous, Spider Sensor
Description: Ruler of the western forest, Spider Queen Eliza.
A clever hunter, she drives prey to a chosen location and finishes it in one strike.
Her potent venom, steel-strong webs, and sharp spider senses make soloing her difficult.
‘So this is the sharp sensor.’
Her reflexes were impressive.
Unlike other bosses, she dodged Do-hyun’s swings not by reaction but by predicting the attack path.
Even agile melee dealers would struggle to hit her one-on-one.
But it was just better evasion than other bosses.
Swish! Crack!
Eliza, Eliza, Eliza!
She hadn’t landed a hit on Do-hyun.
She tried to bite with venomous fangs when close and strike with spikes when backing off, but Do-hyun didn’t allow a single hit.
It was then that he decided:
‘This should do.’
He glanced around, nodded, and used a skill.
[The mark disappears.]
-…Eliza?
The Spider Queen froze as Do-hyun vanished from sight.
Her sensor reacted, predicting a back attack.
Thud.
Blocked by the low ceiling before she could fall.
She bounced off the ceiling and rolled, looking utterly flustered.
Do-hyun smiled.
‘Just as expected.’
Why lure her without fighting properly?
To use the terrain.
Unlike a high-ceilinged spider nest, this tunnel was narrow and low.
The first encounter tunnel was taller, so he lured her here to restrict movement.
She was a rat in a trap.
Eliza, Eliza, Eliza!
Realizing this, she roared but had no choice but to quiet down.
Behind Do-hyun appeared the form of a golden dragon.
[Using Rising Dragon Kick (Sheng Long Jue, 陞龍㑢)]
[Set bonus effect: 6% additional damage]
The dragon descended along his leg, wrapping it around her.
The following kick sent her flying.
Based on immense strength, the Rising Dragon Kick’s force was devastating.
Wham! Bang!
Eliza’s body flipped and slammed against the wall, kicking up dust.
