Kai stood still as the giant spider rushed towards him, its enormous legs pounding against the ground with every step. The same creature had chased him before, and it was the reason he had ended up unconscious the first time he entered the dungeon.
Back then, he had been weak, exhausted, and completely unprepared. This time, however, things were different. Kai had his cooking equipment stored inside his new spatial storage, the strange stick he had discovered earlier was still with him, and he had learned enough about the dungeon to know that running away wasn’t always going to save him.
The spider suddenly leaped into the air, its mouth opening wide as it prepared to land on him. Kai quickly moved to the side, barely avoiding its enormous body as it crashed into the ground. Dirt flew everywhere, and Kai stumbled backward from the impact before quickly grabbing his frying pan from his spatial storage.
"Let’s see if you’re still as scary as I remember." Kai said, gripping the frying pan tightly.
The spider turned around almost immediately and rushed towards him again. Kai didn’t wait for it to get close this time. He grabbed the strong stick he had used to break open the Gicoconut and swung it with all his strength.
The stick struck one of the spider’s legs, making a loud cracking sound. Kai’s eyes widened when he saw the spider stumble slightly. The stick was surprisingly strong, much stronger than an ordinary piece of wood should have been, and Kai suddenly wondered if it was another dungeon material he hadn’t properly appraised yet.
The spider screeched angrily and swung another leg towards him. Kai ducked underneath it before rolling across the ground. He quickly got back up and ran a few steps away, his heart pounding as the spider continued attacking.
He wasn’t strong enough to overpower it directly, so he had to rely on his surroundings and whatever equipment he had. Kai opened his spatial storage and pulled out his frying pan again, holding it like a shield when the spider charged at him.
The impact sent him sliding backward several feet.
"Okay, definitely not using this as a shield again." Kai said, shaking his aching arm.
The spider raised its body and opened its mouth. Kai remembered what had happened the last time he fought it. The venom had nearly killed him, and he wasn’t interested in experiencing that again.
The moment the spider spat out the venom, Kai jumped to the side and watched the liquid splash against the ground. The soil immediately began smoking where it touched, making Kai’s face turn pale.
"Yeah, I definitely don’t want that on me." Kai said, quickly backing away.
He looked around for something he could use, and his eyes landed on a large rock near the edge of the path.
An idea came to him. Kai grabbed the stick with both hands and rushed toward the spider instead of running away. The spider seemed surprised by his sudden movement and raised its front legs, preparing to attack him.
Kai suddenly changed direction and slammed the stick against one of its legs.
The spider stumbled, and Kai immediately kicked the large rock with all his strength. It rolled down the slope and struck the spider from the side, knocking it off balance. Kai didn’t waste the opportunity. He opened his storage space, pulled out his frying pan, and rushed forward.
"Take this!" Kai shouted, swinging the pan as hard as he could.
The frying pan struck the spider directly on the head. It wasn’t enough to defeat the creature, but it stunned it for a few seconds. Kai quickly grabbed the stick again and began striking at the spider’s legs. He wasn’t thinking about looking cool or fighting like some powerful adventurer. He was simply trying not to get eaten.
The spider recovered and screeched loudly, causing Kai to cover one ear. It rushed toward him again, but Kai had already figured out its movement.
He stepped aside at the last second, causing the spider to crash into the rock behind him. Before it could turn around, Kai grabbed the stick and struck the same damaged leg again. The spider collapsed onto one side, struggling to get back up.
Kai was breathing heavily by then, his entire body exhausted from running and fighting. He almost wanted to give up, but when he remembered Hori, he forced himself to keep going. He couldn’t afford to collapse again. He had promised the little boy that he would find him.
"Hori is waiting for me." Kai said, gripping the stick tighter.
He rushed forward one last time and struck the spider with everything he had. The creature let out a final screech before its enormous body suddenly began glowing. Kai stepped backward in surprise as the spider’s body slowly broke apart into particles of light.
"What...?" Kai asked, staring at it.
Within a few seconds, the giant spider completely disappeared.
A few objects dropped onto the ground where it had been standing. Kai carefully walked over and picked them up. One was a strange white material that looked almost like cotton, except it seemed to have a faint purple glow. Another was a small container filled with a dark liquid.
Kai activated his Food Appraisal skill.
[USE: POISON MATERIAL]
[ITEM: POISON COTTON]
[USE: CRAFTING MATERIAL]
Kai stared at the two items before looking at the strange cotton again.
"Poison cotton?" Kai said, confused.
He wasn’t sure what he could possibly do with something like that, but he had learned not to throw away dungeon materials. Everything seemed to have some kind of use here.
A new window suddenly appeared in front of him.
[MONSTER DEFEATED.]
[REWARD RECEIVED.]
[SKILL ACQUIRED: EIGHT SENSES.]
Kai froze.
"Eight Senses?" Kai asked.
He opened his status immediately, and a new skill had appeared beneath his other abilities. He didn’t completely understand what it meant yet, but the name alone was strange enough to make him curious.
[SKILL: EIGHT SENSES]
[DESCRIPTION: ENHANCES THE USER’S ABILITY TO DETECT SURROUNDINGS.]
Kai stared at the description for several seconds.
"So I finally got a skill that isn’t related to food." Kai said, smiling slightly.
It wasn’t exactly a combat skill, but Kai wasn’t complaining. Anything that could help him survive was useful. He stored the spider materials inside his spatial storage before continuing through the dungeon.
Kai spent the next few hours wandering through the forest, searching for any sign of Hori or the people who had messaged him. He checked every path he came across, but there was no sign of the little boy.
Every now and then he would come across other dungeon participants, but whenever he asked them if they had seen a small boy named Hori, they either shook their heads or told him they hadn’t seen anyone matching the description.
The deeper Kai went, the more confusing the dungeon became. Some paths led to huge open areas filled with strange plants, while others became narrow tunnels that seemed to stretch endlessly underground. He started wondering if the dungeon was intentionally designed like a maze.
"How am I supposed to find one kid in a place this huge?" Kai muttered, looking around.
He continued walking until he found a familiar-looking area. There was a narrow tunnel ahead, and something about it reminded him of the place where he had left Hori. Kai approached carefully and looked inside. The tunnel was dark, but there seemed to be a faint light coming from the other side.
Kai hesitated before entering.
The tunnel became smaller as he moved forward, forcing him to crouch. After a while, the ground suddenly sloped downward.
Before he could stop himself, his foot slipped.
"Whoa!"
Kai slid down the tunnel.
He tried grabbing onto the walls, but they were too smooth. His body continued sliding faster and faster until he finally reached the bottom and landed on a soft pile of strange moss.
"Ouch..." Kai said, rubbing his back.
He slowly stood up and looked around.
His mouth fell open.
The place on the other side wasn’t another monster-filled cave.
It was a market.
Hundreds of people were scattered throughout a massive underground area, with small stalls set up along the paths.
Some people were selling glowing stones, while others had weapons, monster parts, herbs, strange fruits, and materials Kai had never seen before. Voices filled the entire area as people shouted prices and called out to passing adventurers.
Kai stared in disbelief.
"There’s a market inside the dungeon?" Kai said.
He slowly walked forward, taking everything in. People seemed to have created their own little community down here. Some were sitting around fires, others were trading items, and several people were carrying large bags filled with dungeon materials.
Kai couldn’t help looking at the food stalls scattered among them.
There were a few people selling basic meals, but the food looked extremely simple. Mostly dried meat, plain vegetables, and whatever ingredients they had managed to find.
Kai suddenly remembered the messages he had been receiving online.
People were willing to trade valuable dungeon items for his food.
His eyes slowly moved across the market.
Then he smiled.
"Maybe I just found the perfect place for my restaurant." Kai said.
But his excitement quickly faded when he remembered why he had come this far in the first place.
Hori.
Kai looked around the crowded market, hoping to catch sight of a familiar little face.
"Where are you, Hori?" Kai asked quietly.
He had no idea that somewhere in this strange underground market, the answer he had been searching for might be much closer than he expected.