Leaving the cocoon cavern, Yun Luohe stepped into a narrow passage.The path was littered with the corpses of spiders.Golden-Shelled Spiders, Silver-Backed Spiders—each one massive in size.Judging from the corpses, it seemed they had all been beaten to death with blunt force.Dead as could be—every skull smashed in with a single blow.Whoever had done this had inhuman strength.Yun Luohe could not help but feel curious.What kind of player would use a stick as their weapon?And more importantly… they killed this many spiders and just left?There were resources everywhere. Not picking them up was practically a crime.Well, maybe things had been too dangerous, and the person did not have time.But Yun Luohe had a personal rule: no wasting resources.She gathered everything into her backpack without hesitation.If she ran into the person later and they wanted their stuff back, she would return it.Along the way, she picked up:[Venomous Fangs ×15, Silver Web Spider Silk ×20]Not bad at all.The Venomous Fangs were actually the spiders’ toxic fangs—chitinous appendages at the front of the cephalothorax, used to inject venom during a sting.Once poisoned, the victim would experience searing pain, and the affected skin would immediately begin to necrotize.She figured she might be able to turn them into weapons later.She also encountered a few stray spiders along the way—all of which she dispatched with ease.These things were only troublesome in large numbers. One or two were simple enough to handle.Meanwhile, the sound of battle she had heard earlier was growing louder.Yun Luohe quickened her pace.At last, she entered a vast cavern.Dozens of lit candles were placed around the area.In the flickering, dim light, shattered webs and spider limbs were strewn across the ground.[Entered Spider Island Interior: Broodmother’s Cavern][Quest: Complete the Sacrifice Ritual]The system’s voice rang out suddenly.Yun Luohe froze.A quest?She had stumbled into the heart of Spider Island—the Broodmother’s Cavern.No wonder the resources here had to be top-tier.But… she was not the first one here.At the center of the cavern, a man dressed in gray martial robes was locked in fierce combat with a massive spider.A swarm of fist-sized spiders skittered nearby, trying to ambush him whenever they could.The giant ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) spider stood over two meters tall, its legs spanning five or six meters wide—a towering, monstrous beast.The little spiders were practically insignificant in comparison.The man in gray had hair cropped just one centimeter above his scalp.His profile was sharp, his nose tall, and his eyes calm and clear.His movements were fluid and precise. He wielded a monk’s staff, which howled through the air with force.Each strike slammed against the giant spider’s armor-like shell, producing a low thud that shook the very air.The spider shrieked in pain, prompting the smaller spiders to swarm toward him.The man swept the staff across the ground in a wide arc—but he could not fend them all off.While he was occupied with the little ones, the Broodmother prepared to attack again.Yun Luohe did not hesitate.She drew her bow and fired an arrow straight at the Broodmother.The arrow shot through the air like lightning—but it failed to pierce the spider’s back.That shell’s that tough?Yun Luohe’s eyes narrowed.The man turned at the sound, glanced at her, and gave a slight nod.His voice was clear and cool: “Thank you.”No more words were needed—they immediately fell into sync.Yun Luohe dashed forward and took up position beside him.It was not out of kindness.She simply knew—if she did not team up with him, there was no way she could complete this quest alone.Better to deal with the crisis now and worry about the quest details later.The Broodmother, enraged, slammed a massive foreleg down at the gray-robed man.He calmly sidestepped the blow and used the opening to sweep his staff horizontally, forcing the spider back a few steps.Yun Luohe took the chance to attack from the flank.Her dagger flashed coldly as she darted in, aiming straight for the spider’s leg joint.The spider screeched and retaliated, spewing thick, sticky webs from its abdomen to trap them.The man reacted instantly, spinning his staff to scatter the webs.Yun Luohe used that opening to leap forward, dagger aimed at the Broodmother’s head.Despite its size, the spider reacted swiftly.It lifted its massive fangs to block her, swinging them with crushing force to throw her off.A wave of brute strength surged toward Yun Luohe—her dagger nearly flew out of her grip.The man in gray saw this and immediately stepped in.His staff slammed down hard on the Broodmother’s fangs, forcing it back and giving Yun Luohe room to breathe.The two exchanged a glance—then struck again.The monk held the spider’s attention with direct staff strikes.Yun Luohe danced along its flanks, weaving in and out, searching for a weak point.She kept stabbing relentlessly, keeping the beast enraged.And then—during one of the spider’s turns—Yun Luohe saw her chance.She plunged her dagger deep into the Broodmother’s soft underbelly.She had been watching closely.Its back was covered in impenetrable armor—but this? This was its only weakness.The spider let out a chilling screech, its entire body convulsing.It spewed venom and web wildly in a desperate attempt to strike back.But it missed entirely.The monk seized the moment.With all his strength, he brought his staff down in a final crushing blow.BOOM.The giant spider collapsed with a heavy crash, raising a cloud of dust.The battle was over.Both of them stood catching their breath, the tension slowly dissipating.[Giant Golden-Shelled Spider slain][Loot: Golden Shell Fragment ×5, Venomous Fangs ×16]The monk planted his staff upright beside him and clasped his hands.A faint smile touched his lips as he turned to Yun Luohe.“Thank you for your assistance.”Yun Luohe casually waved him off. “No need for thanks. I was helping myself too.We had to work together to bring that thing down.”She glanced at the items on the ground.“Besides, I get a share of the loot.”The monk agreed without hesitation.[Obtained: Golden Spider Silk ×10, Golden Shell Fragment ×2, Venomous Fangs ×6]Not bad. This guy was surprisingly generous.After all, he had been fighting that Giant Golden-Shelled Spider for quite a while, and by the time Yun Luohe joined in, the creature had already been mostly worn down.“There’s one of the little ones left. I’ll handle it,” she said, glancing toward a nearby spider.“Let’s do it together,” Yun Luohe added.She wanted the loot from that spider, too.Yu Chenjin paused, then seemed to understand. “All right.”The two of them worked together to clear out the remaining smaller spiders in the cavern.Yun Luohe ended up with a considerable haul and packed her resources away with satisfaction.Yu Chenjin, however, remained calm and indifferent, as if none of it had affected him.“I’m Yu. Yu Chenjin,” he said.“Yun Luohe.”“You received the quest too, didn’t you?”Yun Luohe nodded. “Yes.”After a moment of thought, she added, “On the way here, I came across a lot of spider corpses. Were those yours?”Yu Chenjin replied, “I’m not sure. Maybe.”He had killed countless spiders along the way, but whether those specific ones Yun Luohe had seen were his, he could not say for certain.“So you did not collect the materials afterward?” she asked.Yu Chenjin shrugged slightly. “Some, not all.”Yun Luohe looked at him calmly. “I picked them up.”Yu Chenjin understood immediately.“What you picked up is yours.”Yun Luohe raised a brow. “Good.”She began examining the surroundings. Before long, she noticed a descending passage ahead.Taking out her resin lantern, she lifted it to light the way and walked forward.Yu Chenjin lit a wax candle and held it in his hand.They had not gone far when Yun Luohe suddenly made a discovery.“There’s something on the wall.”She brought her lantern closer, illuminating the cave wall—and revealing murals carved into the stone.There were three in total.The first depicted a giant spider with the upper body of a human woman and the lower body of a spider. The sight was deeply unsettling.The second mural was a map of Spider Island.It marked out resource locations in various regions, with the central highlight being this very cavern—home to the altar of the Spider Queen.The third mural depicted the sacrificial ritual.It showed three offerings placed upon the altar, and the sacrificer kneeling before it in prayer.Yun Luohe and Yu Chenjin both remained silent after examining the murals, absorbed in thought.—They continued downward for a long while, finally reaching the bottom of the cave.The sight before them was awe-inspiring.A colossal translucent tree stood tall in the deepest part of the cavern.Its bark shimmered with a semi-transparent texture. One could faintly see the inside of the trunk.The canopy was covered in tiny blossoms, giving off a sweet, cloying fragrance.At the center of the trunk was a massive hollow chamber.Suspended inside were numerous translucent amber spider eggs, each glowing with a mysterious inner light.As the two approached, they noticed silver spider silk covering the branches.“This must be the place for the sacrifice,” Yun Luohe said.The altar sat directly beneath the tree.It was made from a massive slab of black stone, covered in intricate rune patterns that emitted a faint red glow.At its center lay a groove, inside which rested a giant golden spider statue.This statue was unlike any spider they had seen.It had clearly taken on a humanoid shape—its head resembled a human female, while the body remained that of a spider.Golden bioluminescent markings curled across its carapace in ornate patterns.The face had distinct features, so lifelike it was terrifying.Compared to the mural earlier, this must have been a different form of the Spider Queen.Based on what they had seen in the mural, the ritual required three offerings.But Yun Luohe had no idea what exactly should be sacrificed.“Do you have any ideas?” she asked.Yu Chenjin replied, “The main question now is whether we perform the sacrifice together or separately. No one knows if the ritual can only be triggered once or if each player can do it independently.”“Then let’s try it together first,” Yun Luohe suggested. “Whatever we get, we split evenly. If we can perform the ritual again, we’ll do it the same way as before.”Yu Chenjin nodded. “Fine by me.”“Next, we need to decide on the offerings.” Yun Luohe’s gaze shifted to the blossoms on the tree.Something about those flowers told her they were not ordinary.She gripped her dagger and approached the base of the tree.After examining the blossoms for a moment, she decided not to pick them—just in case it triggered something unexpected.Better to wait until the ritual is over.After some discussion, the two agreed: since the mural depicted three offerings, one of them would have to contribute two items.So they would each present three options, pick the best three from them, and whoever contributed two would get first pick of the rewards.Yun Luohe opened her backpack and thought it over carefully.She took out a piece of Grilled Crocodile Meat, a root from the Rotwood Swamp Tree, and a Crystal.She was reluctant to part with the Crystal, but she really had nothing better in her inventory.Even the Rotwood Swamp root had just been dug out from her Crocodile Pack—she still had no idea what it could be used for, but it definitely looked valuable.Yu Chenjin’s offerings were: Heart of the Emerald Tree, Violet Swallowtail Butterfly, and Obsidian.Yun Luohe’s eyes widened at the sight of the deep violet-black stone.Was that… Obsidian?She composed herself and asked calmly, “Is that Obsidian?”“Yes. I figured something like this would be fitting for a sacrifice.”Compared to his offerings, Yun Luohe’s really did feel a bit lacking.But Yu Chenjin pointed out that the Crocodile Meat might actually be something the Spider Queen would prefer.After all, while Crystals and Obsidian were valuable to players, that did not necessarily mean the Spider Queen would care about them.In the end, they decided to go with the Crocodile Meat, the Violet Swallowtail Butterfly as a food item, and between the Crystal and the Obsidian, Yun Luohe insisted the Obsidian was more precious.However, she also mentioned that she had retrieved her Crystal from the lake beside the Broodmother’s Cavern.Yu Chenjin thought about it and finally said, “Then let us use the Crystal.”“If we get to perform another ritual later, I will offer the Obsidian next time.”After all, the rewards would be split anyway.The person who gave up an extra item would simply get first pick.Besides, he was also reluctant to part with that piece of Obsidian—he only had one, and it was meant for something important.Yun Luohe nodded. “Agreed.”Though Crystals were valuable, Yun Luohe already had three of them. Sacrificing one for the right to choose first? That was likely a good deal.After finalizing their plan, the two of them were ready to begin the sacrifice.As for who would conduct the ritual, Yun Luohe felt there was only one clear choice.“You do it!!” she declared.She had faith in her own Luck stat, sure—but there was always the risk of drawing some broken junk or useless trinket.Yu Chenjin, on the other hand, looked like someone born under a lucky star. He probably had a decent Luck stat.To her surprise, Yu Chenjin waved her off. “You should do it.”“…Huh?”Yun Luohe fell silent for a few seconds. “Dare I ask what your Luck stat is?”Yu Chenjin: “Fairly low.”Yun Luohe: “How low?”It couldn’t possibly be lower than hers.Yu Chenjin: “Thirty-something.”Yun Luohe’s expression shifted. Yeah… that was low.But she had no right to judge.“Then it really should be you. Mine’s even lower…”Yu Chenjin blinked in genuine surprise as he looked at her, clearly not expecting that.“…All right,” he said at last. He gripped his monk’s staff a little tighter, a trace of nervousness appearing on his calm face.Yun Luohe gave him a thumbs up. “It’s in your hands now! Good luck!”She stood off to the side to watch.Although the mural earlier had depicted the sacrificer kneeling, Yu Chenjin made no move to do so.He simply placed the three offerings on the altar—and in an instant, a strange mist began to rise.The flowers on the giant tree grew even more fragrant, their sweet scent thick in the air.The amber spider eggs inside the trunk seemed to swell slightly in size.A powerful energy descended over the entire cavern.Yu Chenjin stood calmly with his hands pressed together in front of the altar.A golden figure drifted out from the statue, wrapped up the offerings, and vanished. Moments later, the altar emitted a radiant glow.[Sacrifice Quest Complete][Rewards: Spider Silk Armor Blueprint ×1, Obsidian ×1]Yun Luohe and Yu Chenjin both heard the system message at the same time.But something else appeared on the altar that caught their full attention:[Spider Queen’s Treasure Chest]At first, neither of them moved.Yun Luohe stepped forward casually. “We agreed to split the treasure chest, right? Let’s open it together.”Yu Chenjin nodded.She picked up the chest and set it down on the ground.After a moment’s thought, she added, “Actually… you should open it.”She nearly forgot—her Luck stat was even worse than his. Letting him handle the sacrifice wasn’t enough. Opening the treasure chest was the key moment.Yu Chenjin gave a helpless little smile.“Okay.”He opened the chest—and a golden light flared from within.Five items lay inside:[Spider Queen Cloak Blueprint Fragment ×1][Mycelium Soil Formula ×1][Queen’s Amulet ×1][Ancient Amber ×1][Damaged Tarantula Armor ×1]Per their agreement, Yun Luohe got first pick. She knelt beside the chest and carefully examined each item.[Spider Queen Cloak: Legendary-grade purple armor. Evasion +35%, Movement Speed +15%, provides a stealth effect in poison fog (Cooldown: 2 hours).]Legendary-grade gear!!Absolutely busted-tier.But… why was it just a blueprint fragment?Yun Luohe glanced at Yu Chenjin.If someone with sky-high Luck had opened the chest, would the reward have been the full blueprint instead?Too late to dwell on it now.She continued reading:[Mycelium Soil: A soil recipe capable of growing the same species of mycelium found on Spider Island.]Before obtaining the blueprint or formula, the required materials are unknown.[Queen’s Amulet: A talisman blessed by the Spider Queen. Can block one fatal attack.][Ancient Amber: Spider egg fossil that has calcified over a thousand years. Hardened like stone.][Damaged Tarantula Armor: Once a high-grade golden armor, now broken. Requires special methods to repair.]…“I’ll take the Cloak Blueprint Fragment,” Yun Luohe said.Even if it was just a fragment, she had to have it.With her [Trash Can], it was impossible to pass up a legendary item.Yu Chenjin: “Then I’ll take the amulet.”Yun Luohe sighed. Of course.The amulet was a lifesaving treasure.Next, they split the remaining items: Yun Luohe took the Mycelium Soil Formula, and Yu Chenjin took the Damaged Tarantula Armor.That left only the Ancient Amber.It looked… useless.But Yun Luohe could vaguely sense energy fluctuating inside it.“How about this,” she proposed. “Whoever can offer a trade that the other is satisfied with gets the amber.”Yu Chenjin: “Agreed.”He rummaged through his backpack. “I’ll trade you some Golden Spider Silk.”Yun Luohe pulled out two pieces of Grilled Crocodile Meat.“Your Stamina must be empty, right? I’ve got two here that’ll fully restore it. That’ll make the trip back a lot safer.”Yu Chenjin really was out of Stamina, and he had already finished his food.He had been wondering how to get back without collapsing.“Three pieces,” he countered.Even if the amber seemed useless, it had come from the treasure chest.Yun Luohe frowned. “Three’s too much! These things sell for a lot in the trade center!”Yu Chenjin: “I’ll throw in 15 Golden Spider Silk.”“…Fine.”The trade complete, Yun Luohe happened to glance at the time.Six o’clock?!How had she been in here for so long? Damn!She quickly checked her messages.Qin Sisi and Lin Zhu had left one in the group chat:“We’ll wait at the coast until seven. If you don’t make it, we’re leaving without you.”Yun Luohe immediately turned to Yu Chenjin. “It’s late. I have to go.”With that, she took off running.Fortunately, she had memorized the entire Spider Island map from the mural earlier.She knew exactly which way to go now.Yu Chenjin watched her disappearing silhouette, then turned and walked in the opposite direction—slowly, unhurriedly.He remembered that Yun Luohe had appeared from that side.There must be a passage he had not discovered yet.Time to check it out.He had never planned on leaving Spider Island tonight anyway.He was already prepared to spend the night here—and thanks to Yun Luohe’s Grilled Crocodile Meat, he had the energy to back it up.

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