Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended

CHAPTER 191: The Armored Arachnid - The Four-legged Menace

Leopold's jaw clenched, fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword. "What's it doing?"

Daisuke's eyes narrowed, golden light flaring as he zeroed in on one of the eggs. "You two deal with the spiderlings," he commanded authoritatively. "I'll take care of the ugly mother."

Both men glanced at the silver-haired boy with an expression of absurdity, but when he effortlessly materialized a pair of daggers in his hand, they didn't bother to question his sanity.

As Daisuke had anticipated, moments later, dozens of baby spiders began emerging from their silken cocoons. But these creatures were far from the harmless, endearing image of a puppy or even a baby Horned Rabbit. They were a mirror of their mother—fierce, predatory eyes, fangs dripping with green acid, and mandibles and front legs sharp as razors.

Thankfully, their exoskeletons had yet to fully harden, offering a small window of vulnerability. However, their lack of armor was of little comfort when faced with their overwhelming numbers.

"I'll slow them down for you," Daisuke muttered as he activated a particular skill for the very first time.

[Glacial Dominion]

[Rank: Rare

Classification: Active Skill

Lvl: 1

Proficiency: 0%

Unleashes a powerful wave of icy energy that encases the caster in a five-meter radius of frigid air. Enemies caught within the aura are significantly slowed and face a high chance of sustaining cold-inflicted damage.

Skill Effect:

▪︎ Reduces the movement speed of all foes within a five-meter radius by 50% for 40 seconds.

▪︎ 35% chance to inflict the «Frostbite» Status.

Mana Cost: 35

Skill Duration: 25 Seconds

Skill Cooldown: 15 Minutes]

Daisuke's cape billowed as he blinked his eyes open, a white aura rolling off his body in stark contrast to his dark leather armor. The air crackled with an unnatural chill, and the very space around him seemed to shimmer with frost.

Leopold and Blazin flinched back as the aura intensified. The grass at Daisuke's feet crystallized in an instant, and even the microscopic organisms in the soil succumbed to the creeping frost. A wave of icy tendrils spread outward, leeching the warmth from the landscape.

The dozens of spiderlings hurling toward them faltered mid-charge, their movements sluggish as frostbite overtook them. Some skidded to a stop, their limbs locking up before they crumbled under their own weight. Others, too slow to escape the spreading cold, became frozen statues, their menacing forms locked in place like eerie sculptures.

Suddenly, the two knights seized the opening and surged forward. Leopold let out a battle cry, his claymore cleaving through the brittle bodies of the frozen arthropods. The blade struck like a sledgehammer, shattering exoskeletons in bursts of black ichor and frost.

A spider lunged at him from the side, its fangs bared, but he twisted mid-swing, reversing his grip and driving his blade through its face before it could reach him. He ripped the sword free and pivoted, cleaving another in two before kicking its twitching remains aside.

Blazin moved as quicky as he could in his heavy armor, weaving between the creatures with impressive footwork. His broadsword was a blur as he swung it in wide arcs. Unlike Leopold's calculated strikes, the former lieutenant's style was raw and explosive, each swing fueled by sheer force. He brought his blade down, cleaving through a spiderling's head in a single stroke.