Erwin took in his surroundings, searching desperately for a way out. This was his second dungeon he had been in, the other one being the Kobold dungeon near Pinespire. He knew the general mechanics of dungeon crawling, but this place was new to him. He didn't know the attack patterns, the pull radius, or even the best strategy to run this place. The Guild had extensive knowledge about the Kobolds. But here, he only had the basics. Moreover, he was with a full party last time.
Erwin gingerly crept backwards his sword pointed straight ahead.
"What are you doing?" he hissed. "Get back up and help."
"Nah," the redhead said coolly. "I am too tired after that run."
Erwin wanted to stab the woman through the heart, consequences be damned. But he couldn't afford to take his eye off the three Umbral Spiders boxing him in from three sides.
"Look," Erwin said in a pleading tone. "I am the tank. If I fall these spiders will come after you next. You do remember what happened last time they caught you, don't you? I…I can get us out. What Class do you have? It must be a support type, right? See, you need me to get out of here."
Erwin hoped beyond hope that the memory would knock some sense into the idiot. But her next words cut through him like blades. He felt a sudden chill from behind him, as he heard Jenny speak in a voice colder than ice.
"Take one more step towards me, and you will learn what true pain is."
Erwin's feet literally froze in terror, unable to move in either direction. He was well and truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. He didn't know why, but he felt safer facing the spiders than the woman.
"Screw it," Erwin remarked as he started casting all the buffs from his secondary Class.
The sudden rush of power washed away all the panic, as he felt the surge in power. He loved the feeling of having his strength and speed double, while his HP regen rose to insane heights. It was time to pop Jenny's bubble and show her what a paladin was capable of. He charged at the nearest enemy with a battle cry, his sword glowing a faint blue.
He weaved through the attacks with ease, countering them with devastating follow up attacks. His Class was geared towards confronting multiple enemies, allowing him to dish out significant amount of damage. The spider's attacks on the other hand, merely glanced off him. Within twenty minutes, all three spiders lay dead before him.
Erwin heaved in exhaustion, having bottomed out his mana pool to overcome the overwhelming odds he had been thrust against. He turned towards Jenny, his sword held high and chest puffed out in triumph. Now that he had proven himself, surely, she would pitch in to get out of this place alive.
"Twenty-three," Jenny said in a bored tone, confusing Erwin further. "That's how many mistakes you made during the fight."
The dismissive tone made Erwin clench his fist in anger. He was about to rebut the claim, but Jenny went on.
"That's just the tactical errors," she said as she withdrew another fruit. "The most glaring issue though, is the mana depletion. You are probably used to having a backliner feed you a constant stream of mana and healing. But in a dungeon, your method is pure suicide. Taking down two opponents after using everything is kind of bad, you know."
"Which is why I need you to do your job," Erwin said with gritted teeth. "As long as you support me from the backlines, we can get out of this alive. And with significant rewards too. Wait…what do you mean two opponents?"
Before he could react, he felt the world turn upside down. One of the spiders he had assumed dead, had cast a web that knocked him off his feet. The creature then proceeded to wrap him in a cocoon of unbreakable silk. Only his eyes and nose were left exposed, allowing him to see the coldness in Jenny's eyes as she sat there. She didn't even get up from the ground as he was fully enveloped in the trap.
Utter dread coursed through Erwin's veins as he realized the position he was in. Getting captured by an Umbral Spider was considered the worst possible outcome by all battle-hardened adventurers. And here he was, in that very scenario. As he was dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, his face was turned in Jenny's direction.
Erwin took solace in the fact that, at least he wouldn't be the only one going through the torment. At least that wench would be joining him soon. Without a tank, she had no way of getting out. Unless…
His eyes widened as he realized that maybe this was just a trap. The reason she was so confident must be because she had some token to escape the dungeon. He started cursing the woman and her entire family with his eyes.
But strangely, even as he locked eyes with her, she didn't move a muscle. Just staring at him with that empty expression, even as the spider started skittering in her direction.
"Ah, she wanted to die here with me," Erwin told himself with glee. "Probably wanted to inflict the same pain I once did on her as a last hurrah. Well, I have a resurrection token, you moron. I will live, and you will die the same painful death for nothing. If I can hear your pitiful screams, this pain will be worth it."
Erwin watched with hate filled joy as the spider towered over her. But her eyes were still locked onto him. She was probably too stunned to even attempt dodging. He really hoped she would be captured like him, and used as a breeding ground first.
But something happened that shattered all of Erwin's hopes and dreams. Jenny—the naïve weakling he once knew—raised her hand. She didn't even bother dropping her fruit from the other.
Snap.
Jenny casually snapped her fingers, triggering an ice lance to erupt from the spiders body, instantly killing it. The massive body of the creature dropped to the ground with a thud, as Jenny continued to eat, not breaking eye contact with Erwin. Only once she was done with her meal, did she rise to her feet, walking at a casual pace towards him.
Erwin felt like his mind had short circuited. This…this wasn't possible. This cannot be Jenny; he kept telling himself. No. This was some monster wearing her skin.
He started to struggle in the cocoon to get away from the approaching demon. For the first time, Erwin's mind registered the cold blue eyes. Weren't her eyes a different color before? His theory that Jenny was possessed by a demon solidified, as she looked down at him with an emotionless face.
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"Deadweight," Jenny spoke in an eerie tone. "That is what you called me once. Well, let me show you what that term truly means."
Having said that, she started dragging his cocooned form further down the tunnel. Erwin's fear spiked as he thought she would drop him near the spiders and watch as they devoured him. But what happened next was completely beyond his expectations.
Jenny just dragged him along like baggage from one fight to the next. Always making sure to let him see the full fights. Time and time again, she walked into scenarios that he would balk at if he was in this dungeon with a full elite party of his own.
And the craziest part: she wielded a sword and shield. Erwin prided himself on being a good frontliner. But what he witnessed shattered his ego like glass. Jenny always marched in solo without a hint of fear or hesitation. Her shield caught blows that would have flattened him. Her blade struck gaps he never would have noticed. Where he relied on buffs, she relied on instinct.
It was like watching an ice demon reap the souls of her enemies. Even injuries didn't slow her advance, as she neither bled nor cared for them. Room after room, she cut through the enemy ranks like a walk in the park. It had taken Erwin twenty minutes to kill two spiders. She cleared dozens of much stronger enemies within thirty minutes, standing in front of the boss room with Erwin lying limply on the ground like cargo.
Erwin saw her tattered armor, her dented shield. Surely, she couldn't be considering soloing a boss. But the look in her eyes said it all. For the first time, he saw an emotion in her eyes. And it wasn't what he was expecting.
"This will be my first solo boss," Jenny said, her eyes practically glowing with anticipation. "You think I will get a good Title for it?"
Her gaze swept over him, a look of utter dismissal. She didn't even consider that he would of be any help here. She knelt next to him.
"Oh, almost forgot," she said calmly before tearing a hole around his mouth. "Can't really be a cheerleader if you can't even speak. Aenon is right, sometimes you do need an audience when doing something momentous."
Even though Erwin's mouth was free, he had no words to describe what he was feeling. He just lay there, numb to the world as Jenny carried him into the big central chamber. There were hundreds of smaller Umbral Spiders all over the place. But it was hard to focus on any of them after seeing the humongous one at the very center.
Umbral Spider Matriarch | Level 99
Erwin didn't even have the mental energy to fear the giant beast. He just watched as Jenny took in her surroundings like someone exploring a new house. She seemed to be searching for something, even as the nest went into a frenzy. The denizens of the place got into fighting formations as Jenny continued to turn around calmly.
"Ah," she finally said before walking towards a corner. "This spot should be good."
She wedged Erwin's cocoon into a crevice and took a step back. Her eyes seemed to be admiring her work, like someone checking to see if they mounted their picture frame correctly.
"There," she said with a malicious smile. "Your very own front row seat."
Erwin just stared with a blank expression, even as the hundreds of chittering sounds reverberated around the chamber. Only then did Jenny turn to face the horde. She spoke in a voice so calm; it might as well be the whispers of a frozen tundra.
"You wanted to know our secret? You wanted to know how we propelled ourselves so far ahead," Jenny said as she dropped her damaged shield.
A faint icy mist started to envelope her form. The spiders too seemed to have sensed something was off, since none of them dared to attack.
"While you use other people's lives as currency to forge ahead, we have been tempering ourselves by putting our lives on the line," Jenny stated as she tore off her damaged armor, including her shoes.
All sounds in the room stilled like the dead of winter had been unleashed. Rather than intercepting the interloper, several spiders took a step back.
"Yes, I have been given opportunities, been trained by the very best," Jenny said. "But I have only managed to come this far by risking it all." She looked over her shoulder towards Erwin, "Something my brother used to say: You can't be a gamer till you have bet your very soul to get better."
That last line cut deeper than anything Erwin had witnessed today. She hadn't just mocked him; she had expertly dismantled everything he took pride in. Including his status as a gamer.
The temperature of the room dropped several dozen degrees, as Jenny dropped her sword. It miraculously passed through the ground, as a sudden torrent of icy wind burst outwards. Jenny started walking towards the boss, her empty hands outstretched to the sides. Two blue blades started to coalesce in her palms, as she picked up her pace.
What Erwin witnessed next wasn't a duel. It was the last stand of an army against the primordial force of nature. And as one would expect, nothing was effective against the blizzard incarnate. If not for the warmth of his prison, Erwin was sure he would have frozen to death.
The chittering sounds were replaced by shrieks as frostbitten limbs started falling all over the room. The Matriarch, perhaps because of her advanced level, resisted it to some extent. But not for long. Jenny had completely given up on defense, betting it all on her offensive capabilities. And it paid dividends.
None of her enemies could see through the snowy winds that billowed across the cavern. Their limbs started to jam up, while Jenny seemed to move with the same grace and precision as ever. But even so, Erwin was yet to see her take the fight lightly. Her every move was calculated; her counters tuned to the very last second. Her fighting style was equal parts bestial and the trained precision of a fighter.
Erwin's broken mind didn't even register the final echoes of the fallen enemies. As the snowstorm cleared, only one woman stood amongst a mountain of corpses. And her blue eyes bore into his very soul, sowing a seed of fear that drilled its roots into his psyche.
"Ice Demon Witch," Erwin murmured. He didn't even attempt to break free, as he saw her walk towards him at a casual pace. As she stood before him, Erwin gave up all hope of escape. He only prayed that she would end his life swiftly.
"This is the secret you have been looking for," Jenny said without emotion. "The source of strength of those who follow Aenon. It's our conviction to put ourselves in harm's way to protect those who can't. Something sniveling cowards like you and the Alliance can never understand."
Erwin wanted to refute her claim, but he couldn't. Since it was the truth. When they first came here, he had every advantage there was to excel. He knew how these scenarios were supposed to play out. He could even pick up the magic system with ease. He was like a fish in water for the very first time.
Jenny in contrast was so lost that it was genuinely sad to look at. And in that desperation, she had come to him for help. And he…he had taken advantage of her in his own hubris. Much the same way that he used his party member's lives to escape the Treant assault.
"I am…," Erwin began to say.
"Don't you dare," Jenny cut him off. "Your apology has the same significance to me as your life. Both are absolutely worthless to me."
With that she started walking away towards the dungeon exit portal. It took a second for it register in Erwin's mind that she was leaving him.
"I am sorry Jenny," he called out desperately while struggling to break free. "You can't just leave me to starve here."
Jenny's footsteps halted as she turned back with a predatory grin. "Oh, don't worry. You won't be starving to death. I wouldn't treat precious cargo like that."
As if the System itself wanted to mock him, a Title notification popped up in his vision at that moment.
Title achieved: Deadweight | +1 WIS | Contribute less than 0.001% towards the clearance of a dungeon. This Title cannot be hidden, removed, or absorbed into evolutions. It will always be on display for as long as the wielder's soul exists, superseding all other Titles and items.
Erwin's eyes bugged out at the implication. His humiliation would be on display forever, even if he was to evolve. Even death wouldn't remove the ultimate shame the System had put on him.
Crack
Erwin's eyes tore away from the screen as he felt…something skitter across his shoulder. He couldn't even look to see what it was, turning to Jenny helplessly for an explanation. But the grin on her face only heightened his dread.
"Oh," she said in faux sorry tone. "Looks like I placed you on the eggs, shielding them from my ice."
"No," Erwin nearly choked as he felt more vibrations run up his legs. In his state he barely registered Jenny's parting words as she left the dungeon.
"When you meet your mistress in a couple days," Jenny's cold voice echoed across the cavern. "Let her know we are coming. And the debt she owes will be repaid in blood."
"NOOOOOO!" Erwin shrieked as he watched Jenny enter the portal, while a tiny spider crawled into his ear.
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