A loud screech made Kanos's ears ring.
Those eight blood-red hairy legs moved way too fast for a minivan-sized monster. The Red Spider crawled down the cave's crystal wall, spitting a thick white web straight at Belida.
Belida didn't retreat. The giant man swung his greatsword in one fluid circular motion, snapping the web in mid-air before it could even touch his makeshift armor.
"Right, Nos!" Garrick yelled.
Kanos, already crouching in the corner of the corridor, didn't waste a second. He dragged a thick curved line across the dirt using his leftover charcoal. His brain instantly pictured a solid stone wall curving inward. Blue dust flashed brightly, and a chest-high stone barricade shot up from the cave floor right as the spider tried to jump and escape into a narrow gap on the right.
Crash!
The monster slammed hard into Kanos's homemade wall. Its head shell cracked slightly.
"Nice!" Garrick slid in from the side. The brown-haired adventurer's short sword glowed with a faint yellow aura. In one smooth sliding slash, Garrick chopped off three of the spider's right legs all at once.
The giant spider lost its balance and toppled sideways.
Belida advanced. The giant leaped and brought his black steel sword crashing down dead center onto the monster's head, piercing straight through until the blade hit the cave floor. The creature convulsed violently, leaked green fluid from its jaws, and went completely still.
A transparent blue screen flickered in front of Kanos's face.
[ ENEMY DEFEATED: RED SPIDER (LEVEL 22) ]
[ EXPERIENCE SHARED. EXP GAINED ]
Kanos let out a sigh of relief, leaning back against the cave wall. That was the third elite monster they'd killed today. Their teamwork ran like a well-oiled machine. No wasted movements. Nobody was seriously hurt.
Kanos walked over to the dead spider, pulling three empty glass bottles from his pocket.
"Here, let me help," Garrick said, squatting down next to Kanos.
The man felt along the monster's sharp-haired neck, looking for the main artery. Garrick pulled a small dagger from his boot, then made a precise cut so the blood flowed slowly instead of squirting everywhere.
"Red Spider blood coagulates easily if exposed to cold air for too long," Garrick explained patiently. "Catch it straight from under the wound. Don't let it mix with the dirt."
Kanos pressed the bottle's opening to the cut. A thick, dark red liquid began filling the glass. The smell was sharp, but different from the nauseating centipede blood yesterday. This spider blood felt like it had a different energy density entirely. His artist instinct immediately knew this was high-tier ink material. Level three ink.
"Three full bottles," Kanos said in satisfaction after a few minutes. He corked the last bottle tightly. "This is enough to make full armor or a heavy weapon without me passing out from blood loss."
Garrick smiled wide. He patted Kanos's shoulder gently, deliberately avoiding Kanos's bruised ribs.
"Good job, Nos. Your barricade earlier was super precise," Garrick praised, his eyes shining with pride. "If you were even a second late, that monster would've escaped into that gap and called its swarm. You've got crazy support instincts."
"I'm just starting to memorize your rhythms," Kanos replied casually. He carefully slipped the three precious bottles into his cargo pocket.
Belida wiped his sword with a dirty cloth and nodded. "Your tactics are efficient. You know how to block the monster's retreat path without throwing away your own remaining blood to create a weapon."
Kanos just gave a faint grin. The praise from these two veterans stroked his ego quite a bit. Back in the real world, he was just an illustrator constantly yelled at by clients for getting the colors wrong. Here, he had a crucial role. These people needed him, and he actually felt safe standing behind them.
Garrick put an arm around Kanos's shoulder for a moment. The man's face turned a bit more serious, but that warm smile was still there.
"In this hole, we only have each other, Nos. You watch my back, I watch yours," Garrick said quietly, looking at Kanos intently. "I told you yesterday. I'm not gonna let you die a stupid death like my brother."
Kanos's chest felt a little tight hearing those words. It was incredibly genuine. He could only nod slowly, feeling a pang of guilt for briefly doubting this guy's good intentions yesterday.
Garrick let go of his shoulder, stood up, and took a deep breath. He looked down the end of the crystal corridor where it split into two paths.
"Well, we got the spider blood. Your charcoal stock is still fine," Garrick said, his tone turning cheerful again. "But if you two want a really insane haul to bring back to the surface... I know one more place."
Belida frowned, sheathing his sword. "What place?"
"A treasure room," Garrick lowered his voice to a whisper. He peeked left and right down the corridor as if afraid other adventurers were eavesdropping. "Rarely anyone knows the location because it's hidden behind a crystal rock illusion. There's pure metal ores and crystal cores inside. No small monsters hanging around either."
Garrick looked at Kanos, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "If we grab the materials in there, you can mix god-tier ink, Nos. You can make armaments that'll make Marrath's guild elites look like clowns. And you, big guy, you can buy your way out of your fugitive status using the money from selling the leftover ores."
Kanos and Belida looked at each other.
The bait was definitely too sweet. A secret room full of treasure sounded like a trap straight out of a cheap comic book. But after everything the two of them had gone through today with Garrick—seeing how the man risked his life to block monster attacks and made sure Kanos stayed safe—there felt like absolutely no room left for suspicion.
Belida nodded slowly. The giant knight finally completely trusted their guide.
"Where is the path?" Belida asked.
Garrick's smile grew even wider. "Follow me. We're gonna be rich today."