Chapter 108: Giant Boss

And just like that... everyone froze in fear.

Even I could barely think straight anymore.

Then, suddenly...

"POWER SHOT!!!"

FWIP!

An arrow shot out from behind us, flying straight toward the giant spider’s head!

Unfortunately, it bounced right off the monster’s thick exoskeleton and clattered to the ground.

Still, that single attack seemed to snap everyone out of their stupor.

"Come on, guys! Get a hold of yourselves!" Gopuberry shouted, already raising her bow for another shot. "So what if this thing looks scary? At the end of the day, it’s just one giant spider!"

"Hahaha! That’s right!" Gopuro exclaimed, his familiar grin returning despite the sweat dripping down his face. "We defeated twelve of these spiders earlier! Now there’s only one bigger one left! We’ve got the advantage!"

"Yeah!" Gopuran nodded firmly. "We can’t just give up without even trying!"

"ALRIGHT! BRING IT ON!" Gopugiga roared, puffing out his chest.

And just like that, my goblins managed to pull themselves together.

Their bodies were still trembling, and I could tell they weren’t nearly as confident as they were pretending to be. Still, they raised their weapons and spread out, keeping their eyes fixed on the enormous monster.

Meanwhile, I took a deep mental breath.

Right...

What’s being afraid of this thing going to accomplish?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

We had a problem right in front of us, and unless we wanted to die here, we had to do something about it.

We needed to survive. That was all there was to it.

"Alright, guys! Let’s show this big bastard what we’ve got!"

"YEAHHHH!"

All six goblins raised their weapons, ready to spring into action.

The colossal spider lowered its head toward us.

Krrr... krrr...

Its enormous mandibles clicked together, and thick strands of saliva dripped from its maw, landing on the ground below.

"Hahaha! Look at you!" Gopuflammy grinned, hefting the Blazing Skullcleaver. "Already drooling, huh? Are we really that delicious?"

"If you didn’t smell so terrible, you might actually look pretty appetizing!" Gopugiga added with a grin.

I wasn’t entirely sure the spider could even understand their trash talk, but hey, at least it seemed to boost everyone’s confidence a little!

...

As if responding to the taunt, the spider’s crimson eyes narrowed.

Then...

"KIEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!"

Its shrill screech tore through the clearing!

And the battle began!

The enormous spider suddenly leaped into the air, its colossal body soaring toward my goblins!

For a brief moment, its shadow swallowed the entire clearing.

Then it came crashing down!

BOOOOOOOOM!!!!

The moment its legs struck the ground, the earth split beneath its overwhelming weight. Dirt and rocks erupted into the air, while a powerful shock wave swept across the clearing.

However, my goblins had already scattered!

Gopuro and Gopuran dodged in opposite directions, while Gopuflammy rolled away from the impact. Gopuberry retreated behind a tree, and even Gopugiga managed to lumber out of the landing zone before the spider’s legs crushed the ground where he’d been standing.

BOOOOOOM!!!

Another crater formed beneath the monster as it stomped one of its legs.

Holy crap!

That thing was strong!

But...

Haha! It doesn’t seem particularly fast, at least!

The giant spider raised its front legs and swung them toward Gopuro.

WOOOSH!

The attacks were terrifyingly powerful, but its movements were surprisingly straightforward. Gopuro sidestepped the first strike and ducked beneath the second, narrowly avoiding the blade-like tips as they tore through the air above his head.

The spider followed up with a sideways sweep.

WOOOOOOOOSH!

Gopuro jumped backward just in time, watching the enormous leg slice through the space where he’d been standing.

"HAHAHA! Too slow!" he shouted with a grin.

"Hey! Don’t get cocky!" Gopuran warned him. "Keep your guard up!"

"Tch... I know!"

The spider now focused on Gopuro and charged.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Its eight legs pounded against the ground, shaking the earth with every step.

"AAAAAAA!!!! WHY ME?! WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?!"

Gopuro immediately took off running, his legs moving at full speed as the enormous creature pursued him.

Yet despite the spider’s terrifying size, it struggled to keep up with the nimble goblin.

"Haha! Maybe it’s because you look the most appetizing!" Gopuran called after him.

"THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?!"

While Gopuro desperately tried to keep the monster occupied, Gopuran suddenly changed direction and rushed toward one of its legs.

"HEYAAA!"

She swung Gopuflammy’s hammer with all her strength, smashing it against the spider’s armored limb!

CLANG!!!

The impact rang through the clearing.

At almost the same moment, Gopuflammy charged in from behind, swinging the Blazing SkullCleaver at the another leg.

"TAKE THIS!"

CLANG!!!

Both weapons struck the monster’s armor.

And...

Nothing happened.

...

"Ahh! Seriously?"

Gopuflammy stared at her axe in disbelief before trying again, this time aiming for a different spot.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Sparks flew with every strike, but the spider’s black exoskeleton remained completely intact.

Not even a scratch.

"Tch!"

Gopuflammy clicked her tongue and quickly retreated as the monster turned toward her.

One of its front legs came crashing down.

BOOOOM!!!

She dodged just in time, and the attack shattered the ground where she’d been standing. Fragments of rock and clumps of dirt flew past her as she rolled away.

Meanwhile, I was busy examining everything I could about this monster, from its attack patterns to its speed and defense.

Okay...

It’s definitely slow enough for my goblins to dodge. Its attacks are powerful, but they’re not impossible to avoid, either.

The real problem is its defense.

The giant spider’s exoskeleton was ridiculously tough.

Ordinary attacks barely seemed to affect it at all.

If we wanted to do any meaningful damage, we’d probably have to rely on skills.

WOOOSH!

The spider swept another leg toward Gopuflammy.

She ducked beneath it and immediately counterattacked, swinging her axe into the monster’s side.

CLANG!!!

The impact echoed through the clearing.

The spider barely even flinched.

...Yeah. That’s not going to work.

If only Flammy had enough MP left to use Whirling Flame again. That might actually hurt this thing.

Unfortunately, she’d already burned through most of her mana during the previous battle.

Still, it wasn’t as if we were completely out of options.

"Shadow! Take this!"

Gopuflammy suddenly shouted as she swung her arm and hurled the Blazing SkullCleaver toward Gopushadow!

The enormous axe spun through the air.

Gopushadow’s eyes widened for a split second. He quickly sheathed his daggers and caught the weapon with both hands.

"Got it!"

"Let’s see if your little tricks can do something!" Gopuflammy called out.

Gopushadow grinned.

"Kakaka! Leave it to me!"

At the same time, Gopugiga moved into position.

"GIGA! LEND ME YOUR POWER!" Gopushadow shouted.

"ALRIGHT!"

The enormous goblin crouched low, grabbed Gopushadow, and hurled him into the air with all his strength!

"WHOOOOOOOAAAAAA!"

Gopushadow shot forward like a freaking rocket!

...

Well, that was a pretty reckless move there, but at least the idea wasn’t bad.

With the huge momentum from Gopugiga’s throw, Gopushadow’s next strike was going to gain much more power!

He twisted in midair, gripping the Blazing SkullCleaver tightly with both hands as he flew straight toward the monster, which was already being distracted by Gopuflammy.

The orange markings along the weapon’s handle started to glow.

Then flames erupted from the blade.

FWOOSHHHH!!!

"AAAAA!!! WHIRLING FLAME!!!"

Gopushadow swung the axe with all his strength!

A blazing wheel of fire burst from the weapon, spinning toward the giant spider’s abdomen in a streak of orange and red!

KRRRAAAAAAASH!!!

The fiery wheel slammed into its armored body and exploded in a burst of scorching flames!

For the first time since its arrival, the enormous spider staggered.

Its massive legs scraped against the ground as it struggled to maintain its balance. Flames spread across its black exoskeleton, licking at the armored plates and sending thick trails of smoke billowing into the air.

The spider writhed in pain, letting out a piercing screech as it desperately tried to shake off the burning flames.