Chapter 367: Reserve Food

Helag noticed the dissolving toxin had spread beyond his tailbone, affecting his entire body.

Pain radiated throughout, with bones, muscles, and organs slowly dissolving, nearly causing him to faint.

With immense willpower, Helag stayed conscious, knowing fainting meant death.

If he lost consciousness, he’d dissolve into a mush, consumed by the spiderlings.

Then, Helag saw red light spots appear on his body.

Initially thinking it was the spider’s venom, he realized the lights eased his pain significantly.

Soon, only his tailbone remained intensely painful; elsewhere, pain was mild.

A familiar straw doll’s phantom appeared before him.

The phantom shattered into fragments, disappearing.

“Scapegoat Doll!”

Helag understood it had sensed his impending death, activating to block the threat.

He checked himself; the spider’s venom was gone.

Though still in pain, his body stopped dissolving.

His strong physique began healing rapidly.

Helag raised his hand, relieved to find his spatial ring intact.

He quickly took a healing potion, accelerating his recovery.

The tailbone would take time to heal, but the potion would soon restore his mobility.

Helag didn’t rush to break free but waited for full recovery.

Now wasn’t the time to escape, as the giant spider remained nearby.

Only a kilometer away, Helag doubted the spider wouldn’t notice activity in its food storage.

Attempting escape now was suicidal.

With only one Scapegoat Doll, Helag couldn’t afford another close call.

He considered using his plane coordinates to teleport but decided against it.

Teleportation was brief, returning him to the same spot.

In the Abyssal Plane, Helag could crush the spider, but on the wizard plane, he was just a first-level wizard.

A short visit to the Abyssal Plane wouldn’t significantly boost his power, leaving him vulnerable upon return.

With the spider unaware of his survival, Helag pondered other options.

The incident highlighted his fears: encountering a vastly superior enemy with no time to react.

If not for the spider’s intent to store food, he’d have been killed instantly.

“Still too weak…” Helag realized the importance of strength.

As he healed, Helag remained vigilant.

The gorge was silent, with only small spiders scuttling around.

The pile of silk balls was motionless.

Helag inspected them, finding dead creatures inside.

Some were intact, likely recent captures.

Others were reduced to sludge, unrecognizable.

In one ball, Helag found a human skull, its origin unknown.

The skull emitted a strange glow, resisting decay.

Helag guessed the person was a powerful wizard, the skull enchanted into a magical item.

He didn’t know the spider’s name or type, nor its strength.

Explorers would know, familiar with the zone’s creatures.

Helag regretted his lack of knowledge, relying on luck.

Unable to act, Helag meditated, waiting for an opportunity.

Recalling the spider’s appearance, he noted its abdomen was swollen, likely preparing to lay eggs.

He needed to escape before it laid eggs, as the spider would guard them.

Once hatched, the spiderlings would feast on the stored food.

Under the spider’s watch, escape seemed impossible.

***

Eight days later.

Helag spent eight days in the cramped silk ball, enduring the foul air.

The spider’s mucus was pungent, the air stifling.

Helag poked a small hole for air, avoiding suffocation.

He meditated and healed, fully recovering.

Yet, no escape opportunity arose.

The area seemed to be the spider’s territory, with no other creatures nearby.

Creatures instinctively avoided strong predators.

Helag suspected the gorge’s prey were hunted by the spider, few wandering in.

Observing closely, Helag found a possible escape route.

Below the silk ball pile was a small hole, leading downward, destination unknown.

Reaching it required moving the food pile, creating noise.

The tunnel’s end was uncertain, possibly more dangerous.

Helag used Deep Blue to simulate countless scenarios, calculating 2.75 seconds needed.

He needed at least 2.75 seconds to dive into the tunnel and escape.