Chapter 101: Grade S Monster

Chapter 99

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield...

Orion’s body was tightly bound by numerous chain-like webs that had burst out of the ground in a torrential flood, wrapping around his limbs, torso, and every other part of his body. The deadly strands held him firmly in place, leaving him seemingly unable to move.

Each tiny strand possessed an enormous amount of force. Individually, they were already strong enough to restrain powerful opponents, but when countless strands were combined and used together like this, their binding strength became far more formidable.

It was no surprise that even Orion, with all his current power, was unable to break free through brute force alone.

The webstrings continued tightening around him, their silvery surfaces gleaming beneath the light as they dug into his clothes and pressed against his body. These were no ordinary webs. Every strand had been reinforced with the Webfiend Lord’s power, and now that the monster was undergoing evolution, the strength of its webs continued to increase.

Yet Orion remained restrained, seemingly helpless, as the dungeon boss continued its transformation before him.

With every passing second, the Webfiend Lord’s body became more human. Its grotesque, partially gory appearance gradually disappeared as its body underwent a complete reconstruction, the unnatural features that had once made it resemble a horrifying fusion of a spider and a human slowly giving way to something far more refined.

But the more human it became, the more terrifying its aura grew.

The ground trembled beneath the pressure radiating from its body. The air split apart as though an invisible force were tearing through the surrounding space, while even gravity seemed to bend beneath the weight of the power gathering at the centre of the battlefield.

It was as if the world itself were being forced to acknowledge the birth of a powerful Grade S monster.

Then, a cocoon of pure mana formed around the Webfiend Lord, enveloping its entire body in brilliant light that illuminated the surrounding area. The concentrated mana within continued to fluctuate, releasing waves of energy that swept across the battlefield.

For a brief moment, the cocoon remained suspended in place before its outer layer began to peel away.

Little by little, it unravelled, breaking apart into countless luminous particles that drifted through the air and gradually disappeared. The process continued until the entire cocoon had dissolved, leaving nothing behind to conceal the creature within.

And when the light finally faded...

An extraordinary sight emerged.

Gone was the Webfiend Lord that had once resembled a grotesque spider-like monster fused with a human body.

What remained could only be described as a perfect human.

The newly evolved monster stood approximately six feet seven inches tall, its imposing figure radiating an aura of immense strength. Its skin was as pale and smooth as alabaster, while a purple spider tattoo spread across its head, creating a striking contrast against the pale surface.

Similar tattoos adorned its chest and back, though the markings in those locations were slightly larger.

Its body was extremely well-toned, every muscle perfectly defined without appearing excessive. Even the slightest movement of its hands seemed capable of unleashing tremendous force, as though the surrounding air would tremble if it decided to release its full strength.

Its long, dark hair remained suspended in midair for a moment after the transformation, each strand humming with condensed power.

Then, the monster slowly exhaled.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

A massive shockwave of energy erupted from its body, spreading outward in every direction. The ground shook violently beneath the force, and the surrounding air distorted as the newly evolved monster released a fraction of the power it had just acquired.

Its long hair finally descended, falling over its shoulders and draping down its back.

Then, its eyes snapped open, revealing a pair of purple and red eyes beneath the dark strands. Their unusual colours gleamed with a strange, sinister radiance.

"Huh..."

The Webfiend Lord raised its hands and cracked its knuckles several times.

Crack!

Crack!

Crack!

Each movement produced a sharp sound as it tested its newly evolved body. It could feel the tremendous surge in its strength, the energy flowing through its veins, and the profound transformation that had taken place within its very existence.

Everything felt different.

Its body was stronger, its senses sharper, and its energy had reached a level it had once been unable to imagine.

The boundary that had restrained it for so long had finally been crossed.

Grade S.

After pursuing this elusive grade for so many years, the monster had finally reached it.

A smile slowly spread across its face before twisting into a dark, sinister grin.

"This is more like it..."

Its voice carried a new depth, reverberating through the air with an unsettling weight.

The Webfiend Lord lowered its hands and shifted its gaze toward the human who had been fighting it.

Orion.

Before its evolution, the white-haired human had been one hell of an annoying prey. He had been far too fast, far too powerful, and far too difficult to kill. Every time the Webfiend Lord believed it had found an opening, Orion would turn the situation around and inflict another devastating injury upon its body.

The human had forced it to struggle, pushed it to adapt, and even provided the final stimulus that allowed it to reach Grade S.

But now?

Things were different.

The Webfiend Lord could feel the enormous gap between its current strength and the power it had possessed before its evolution. The human who had once been such an irritating opponent no longer seemed worthy of being considered prey.

No, calling him prey would be an insult to the word.

To the newly evolved Webfiend Lord, Orion was little more than a bug, a tiny, insignificant creature that could be crushed with a single movement.

The monster began walking forward, approaching the place where Orion was held by the countless webstrings. Its footsteps were unhurried, each one carrying the confidence of a being that believed its victory was already guaranteed.

Soon, it stood directly above the restrained human.

The Webfiend Lord looked down at him, its purple and red eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.

"You must be drowning in regret and blaming yourself for ever having chosen to fight me."

Its grin deepened.

"Well, it really doesn’t matter now. There is no one coming to save you."

The monster raised one hand.

"Take your final breath."

As soon as those words left its mouth, it issued an order.

The webstrings surrounding Orion immediately reacted, tightening around his body and pulling inward from every direction. Their edges grew sharper as the strands transformed into countless deadly blades, ready to cut into his flesh.

Their purpose was simple: to rip him apart.

The webs pulled with tremendous force, their sharpened edges cutting deep into Orion’s body. Blood began to seep through the silvery strands, staining them red as they pressed further into his flesh.

For a brief moment, it seemed as though the Webfiend Lord’s command would be carried out without difficulty.

Then...

The webstrings stopped.

They remained tightly wrapped around Orion’s body, but they no longer moved inward.

The Webfiend Lord’s expression shifted slightly.

It could feel it.

No... more than that.

It knew with certainty that the webs had stopped because Orion was preventing them from moving any further.

The human was resisting them.

But how?

How could someone who had been completely restrained still prevent the webstrings from cutting him apart?

The Webfiend Lord narrowed its eyes. It had become a Grade S monster, and its strength had increased by an enormous margin. Even the webs under its control were now far more powerful than they had been moments ago.

Yet Orion was stopping them.

The monster couldn’t understand what was happening. No matter how it tried to make sense of the situation, it couldn’t figure out how the human was resisting its power.

Then, it heard something.

A sound escaped Orion’s mouth.

At first, the Webfiend Lord thought it was a cry of pain, but something about the sound felt wrong. It didn’t resemble the desperate cry of someone suffering from unbearable agony, nor did it carry any hint of panic or despair.

Instead, it sounded strangely light, almost amused.

The Webfiend Lord stiffened.

Wait...

Was that a laugh?

No, not quite. It was too restrained to be a proper laugh, yet too close to one to be mistaken for anything else.

A chuckle.

A low, quiet chuckle escaped Orion’s mouth.

Then, slowly, he raised his head.

The Webfiend Lord stared at him, and despite all its confidence and the enormous gap in power it believed now existed between them, the monster did something it could scarcely believe itself capable of doing.

It took a step backward.