The biting wind of the giant forest continues to howl, and the golden bridge in the sky remains radiant.
Whether it's because the dungeon lacks sunlight or the day-night cycle is too long, Kane discovers after resting that the sky outside seems frozen in time, unchanged from when he entered.
Since it's his first time exploring a dungeon and accidentally at that, perhaps all dungeons might lack day-night changes.
Regardless, the change between day and night isn't the focus today; clearing the dungeon is today's theme, so there's no need to dwell on it.
With a snap of his fingers, all the spider silk outside turns to flying ashes.
Kane organizes his equipment, stands by the tree hole gazing into the distance, and steps out into the future.
In the silent, dark giant wood forest, a shadow flickers in mid-air as Kane swings rapidly towards the leader's position using spider silk.
Outside, this mode of movement is too limited. Only here, within the hundred-meter-high giant forest, can he swing freely.
Before long, he spots the giant withered tree from yesterday, returns to his previous vantage point, takes a deep breath, and calms his mind.
Kane starts laying strands of spider silk between the trees, setting a dense web that reflects the luster of metal, all transformed into steel through material conversion.
Soon, the area around the withered tree is covered in steel webs, waiting for the only prey to arrive.
Slowly drawing three fire arrows from the quiver, he ignites them in succession. Activating Eagle Eye, he aims at the withered tree, pulls the bow, and releases, firing consecutively.
The three fire arrows form a straight line of fire, shooting towards the target, followed closely by two bundles of combustive spider silk.
Sparks on the withered tree ignite with the help of the spider silk, enveloping the tree rapidly in a blazing inferno.
Kane stands on the thick branch of a giant tree nearby, on guard, waiting for the massive creature inside the withered tree to awaken.
The fire on the withered tree spreads rapidly from the middle up and down; whether due to the tree itself, the blaze spreads extremely quickly, engulfing the entire tree in just over ten minutes.
The enormous flames soar up the hundred-meter-high giant tree, a surge of heat rushes forth, pushing the gloomy forest air outward, unable to advance even an inch.
The leader inside the withered tree finally awakens from the astonishing heat.
Surrounding the withered tree engulfed in flames, countless golden lights gather densely, forming a floating ring.
The golden ring spins swiftly, exploding with a bang, and abruptly the rising flames vanish without a trace. Only the lingering warmth and the surface-charred tree mark their presence.
The charred black base of the withered tree wriggles, a crack opens like a curtain being drawn, and a gigantic shadow crawls out.
What kind of monster is this, standing over 8 meters tall, yet with a physique disproportionate to its height.
Its lower body is a mass of gigantic rotting roots, akin to tentacles, moving and dragging the creature along.
The upper body is covered in dark green and black tumors, with four root-like tentacles dragging on the ground.
Its entire body oozes dark green liquid, emitting a stench so foul that even Kane, standing afar, can smell it.
Bending the bow, nocking an arrow
A fire arrow shoots from afar, piercing the monster's head.
The attached flames struggle to ignite, instantly extinguished by the monster's oozing liquid, rendering the bare arrow ineffective.
Seeing this, Kane realizes that fire has no effect on this monster, but he is prepared for such contingencies.
Swiftly moving around the monster using spider silk, simultaneously firing already steeled silk towards the surroundings.
These steel spider silks, combined with the previously laid steel web, can trap and hold it tightly like a spider capturing an insect.
One silk strand breaks easily, but an entire web? Not so easy, surely.
The monster appears to notice the little insect swinging around, its bloated lower body suddenly exhibiting immense power, launching it like a cannonball.
It breaks through several obstructive silk strands before entering a larger web, while Kane swings away to another spot.
Despite its speed being inconsistent with its size, it's still slower than a small spider.
The creature in the web doesn't show much intelligence, similar to other monsters in this forest, its eyes only on living prey, Kane.
Ignoring the silk wrapped around its body, it struggles fiercely, launching again towards the figure it just glimpsed.
The immense strength breaks the surrounding silk, tearing off some thick tree branches as well.
Four thick tree-root tentacles lash towards Kane but miss the target, scattering the nearby trees instead.
In the smoky, dusty field, sharp wooden branches suddenly fly out; these wood pieces are launched by Kane, using the tree as the bow handle and silk as the string.
They viciously stab into the creature's body. At the end of these branches, several spider silk strands cling to nearby trees, pulling against the creature's progress.
The creature, as though slamming into them itself, drives the sharp wood deeply into its body.
As the wood penetrates, the creature's liquid gushes like water from a fully opened tap.
Thus, Kane continues to maneuver around the creature, occasionally dodging its lashing vine attacks; it may err countless times, but Kane can only afford one mistake, and that would be his end.
Under Kane's deliberate lure, the creature charges continuously towards the webbed areas.
With more and more silk binding it, it can no longer perform straightforward charges, two lashing tentacles tightly fastened upon it.
The monster's threat level significantly reduced from its emergence, Kane seizes the opportunity, swinging to its side.
Relentlessly shooting spider silk, he circles the monster and the nearby giant trees, binding it firmly in a web of silk.
Furiously struggling, it becomes encased against the giant tree in layers of steel silk.
Kane squats on an adjacent giant tree, gasping heavily; the final cocoon consumed an immense amount of his magic power and physical strength.
Silently watching the still wriggling steel cocoon, he counts the time, recovering his strength.
Soon, Kane shoots silk at the nearby treetop, about eighty meters high, leaps with all his might, using the momentum to soar out of the forest, into the sky over a hundred meters.
Turning mid-air, he whips his wrist toward the cocoon below.
"Ugly beast, taste the feast I prepared just for you."
Magic power pours out wildly
Three to four-meter-long strands of silk shoot out, instantly transformed into long steel spears, densely arranged like a hundred-meter-high waterfall pouring over the cliff.
With irresistible force
"Weapon Formation. Divine Killing Arrow."
"Snap"
With a snap of his fingers, the spider silk encasing the creature loses its metallic sheen, disintegrating into ashes.
Freed for only a moment, the creature is inundated by the steel spear waterfall crashing down from high above.
In the colossal impact, liquid and fragments swirl up with the dust.
The hideous body is pinned securely to the ground by myriad steel spears.