The Paladin in the Abyss

A streak of blue-green Sword Aura came flying, slicing off half of the monster's tongue, which slapped onto Bruto's face with a slurping sound, the corrosive Digestive Juice scalding the Dwarf until he let out several weak groans of pain.

This was an attack that Lancelot launched from fifteen feet away. To achieve such length, he had to significantly sacrifice power, but it was more than enough to slice through a soft tongue. Moreover, if it wasn't for his strengthened physique after Foundation Establishment, Lancelot wouldn't have been confident in hitting that tongue from such a distance without accidentally stabbing the Dwarf in the neck.

Pained, the monster released the tentacle that was coiling around Bruto. Lancelot didn't stop for a moment; he instantly dashed behind the Dwarf and grabbed the collar on the back of his neck, pulling him backwards.

Four black tentacles whipped furiously toward Lancelot, filled with the monster's rage for its severed tongue. Lancelot was suddenly in grave danger. As he protected the Dwarf, he also had to deal with tentacles attacking from all four directions. Moreover, due to the effect of the Shadow Web, he couldn't retreat quickly to dodge this assault.

Unless the Human Knight could grow another pair of arms, he was genuinely in trouble. Lancelot had prepared himself to take the attack with the Protective Sword Shield, but then support arrived from his companions.

A bright light, as brilliant as the sun, exploded behind the Human Knight, dispersing all shadows while also eliminating the force that prevented distancing. The Human Knight felt the pressure on his back lessen and instantly, dragging the Dwarf, he retreated backward like lightning, narrowly avoiding the monster's swinging tentacles.

This was Alamir's Third Circle Divine Art, Daylight, which could produce sunlight-like brightness within a spherical area with a sixty-foot radius and dispel all darkness created by magic of up to the third circle. When Lancelot's calls to the Dwarf were ineffective, the Elf Priest had begun to prepare this Divine Art; however, the miraculous situation that occurred during the casting of the Healing Spell didn't reappear until Lancelot reached the Dwarf, only then did he complete the preparation of the Divine Art.

As everyone had guessed beforehand, the intense light severely agitated the creatures of the Shadow Realm. That strange spatial fluctuation appeared again, and Lancelot felt as if the creature had 'jumped'; it disappeared from its spot in an instant.

However, his Spirit Perception warned him that the monster hadn't moved far, just hiding in the shadows outside the effective range of the Daylight, patiently watching them. But for now, the condition of the Dwarf seemed more urgent, so Lancelot quickly retreated to where his companions were waiting.

"Ah, ah, it hurts ..." Find your next read at My Virtual Library Empire

He gently placed Bruto on the ground. The Dwarf's condition looked very bad; his face was a dark purple, like an eggplant, and his body felt as hot as a stone soaked in a hot spring.

"Aira, quickly check his condition," he called out to the Priest, "How long can your lighting Divine Art last?"

"One hour," the Priest replied curtly, bending down to examine Bruto's wounds. The Elf's expression became very solemn, and without looking up at Lancelot, he said, "Leave this Dwarf to me."

Lancelot nodded at the words, raised his sword, and ran outside to stand guard. Meanwhile, Aira immediately began preparing another Healing Spell. Moments later, a strong surge of life energy flowed into the Dwarf's body, stabilizing his condition visibly.

"Ah, thank you, Elf," Bruto struggled to sit up but was shocked to find he couldn't lift his arms. In fact, it seemed extremely difficult even to move his fingers; he had never felt so weak.

"What's happened to me?" the Dwarf's voice quivered in panic, "I feel like all my strength has been drained away..."

"I'm afraid so, the monster's fangs can absorb the target's strength," the Elf Priest said, his face gloomy. "I'm sorry, Bruto, my abilities are not enough to restore you. Lifting this condition requires a Fifth Circle Divine Arts Greater Restoration, which is beyond my capabilities. But in the places where the Aira gather, there are certainly powerful priests who can surely heal you."

"That bastard!" Bruto's teeth itched with irritation as he lightly punched the ground, venting his powerless anger. "How could I be so stupid, charging in like a fool! And to think that thing licked me, what rotten luck!"

"Did you see that Valasti?" Dong Quan asked curiously from the side. "What does it look like? Is it really as big as a house?"

"Yes, it looked like the illegitimate child of a spider and an octopus." Remembering the monster's terrifying appearance made Bruto shudder again. "I think I might see its eye-covered body in my nightmares from now on."

"What do you mean by a combination of a spider and an octopus?" Kalalin asked, drawn into their conversation. "You mean it had tentacles like an octopus on its body?"

"Ah, yes, exactly," replied the Dwarf, propping himself up to sit. "Do you know what kind of monster it is?"

"I think I've heard of this creature somewhere..." Kalalin agonized, pulling at his hair. "Let me think..."

"Boss, how's it going over there?" Cromwell's cautious voice echoed in his mind. The skeleton head understood that Lancelot was not in combat at the moment and so dared to communicate telepathically, "A certain little bat is nearly dying of anxiety..."

"Things are not too bad here; the Dwarf is injured and has temporarily lost his combat ability," Lancelot described the monster's appearance and attack methods to Cromwell. "Do you know what this monster is?"

"A spider-like body with octopus-like tentacles? Can it use shadows to restrict its enemies' movements?" The skull's voice fell silent for a moment before he confidently said, "I know now—it's a Dark Weaver! Definitely that thing!"

"Dark Weaver?"

Lancelot repeated instinctively, and Kalalin slapped his thigh and said:

"Yes, the Dark Weaver! Hey, Lancelot, how did you know?"

"I described the monster's characteristics to the skull head, and he recognized it," Lancelot explained while anxiously staring in the direction where Divine Sense detected the monster. "What are the characteristics of this Dark Weaver? How do we deal with it?"

"Light, it's all about light," Kalalin declared decisively. "This type of monster is shrouded in a shadow-formed armor that can negate most damage, and it can also use Shadow Jump to teleport instantaneously. If we don't disperse the shadows around it, it's nearly impossible to kill it."