Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System
Chapter 46: Nest of Webs

All he could do was sit there, tense and with breaths locked into his lungs as he stared at the freezer ahead, only getting a small reflection of the street from it. It was something far too large to be fought; like an ant attempting to resist a whale. The scope of it simply made it impossible to fight.

The breathing of the sky-floating entity emitted through the street with a soft, ethereal pattern, like that of a match against a striker. As his lungs ached from holding his breath for a prolonged time, a sense of relief was bestowed to him as he watched the snow-white colossus retreat back into the sky from the freezer's reflection.

An exhale allowed him to finally sit there and regain himself, looking up at the tan, stained ceiling of the convenience store.

"...Hah…" He let out, getting the chance to finally breathe.

As the immediate threat of death was gone, at least for the time being, the adrenaline dulling the pain he felt subsided as well. He grabbed his wrist as it still leaked blood despite his best efforts to tie it tightly, feeling that acute sharpness resonating from his wound.

"Shit…" He muttered while picking himself up to his feet.

Touching his right ear, just a simple graze brought him to recoil as it stung. Only feeling the blood that leaked from the wound was enough to tell him it wasn't in a good state. Rather than leaving through the front, he headed towards the door at the back of the store, replaceing it to lead outside into a parking lot.

He was still alert as he stepped outside, looking around as the lurking threat of the hunter was lingering. What was on his mind was getting back to Charlotte and Magnus, as soon as possible.

Though he knew the way back, he opted to go a longer route, taking a different block as he began to slowly walk down the sidewalk.

'Crow was there because he was looking for me–no, he was hunting me down. It's not a stretch that he would know about the library. Shit…I have to get back to them before he does,' he thought while somewhat dragging his feet from exhaustion.

He kept an eye out for the colossus that drifted in the sky, having to carefully examine the clouds if any of them moved in an abnormal way. Rather than moving through the street, he looked towards a path between two buildings, opting to cut through as he felt more comfortable in the shadows.

The feeling of being pursued brought him to check over his shoulder–nothing. A few steps later, a few seconds passed, he checked again–nothing.

'That skill he used earlier…It was definitely Blade Warp. He must've eaten an assassin like me–if that's the case, he could have access to any number of assassin abilities. On top of being able to track me, he can do it completely silent and unseen,' Finn thought, staying aware.

The threat of such a figure pushed him to move with quicker steps, leaving the alleyway as he found himself stepping into a garden-esque shopping center.

Somehow the trees and bushes that were artificially planted were still alive, healthier than ever as roots had run over the cement walkways.

He kept moving forward towards where he knew the library-turned base was, glancing around. There were an abundance of cobwebs spanning between branches. Noticing that, a more intentful glance showed him that the surrounding buildings of the small parking lot were layered in webs as well.

To his left was a coffee shop, and the right was a restaurant with a squirrel mascot—"Super Hot Chicken!" He couldn't tell if it was the name of the abandoned establishment, or just English words used to entice tourists.

Even more perplexing was why he focused on such a thing, perhaps trying to distract his mind from the paranoia he faced.

'…Just a few more blocks, I think,' he recalled.

Placing his boot down against the root-infested concrete once more, he froze at the distinct rustle in the tree overlooking him.

Reflexes prompted him to jump back just as something dropped from above. What blocked his path was a creature with eight legs coated in stone-like skin, looking at him with many, glistening eyes and mandibles that oozed with acidic saliva.

Finn exhaled through his lips, reading himself even as he was left exhausted and wounded, squeezing the handle of his dagger as his dominant hand stayed limp at his side.

The giant arachnid hissed at him before lunging straight for him with its fangs primed for his neck.

He let it come for him, ducking down as he held his blade up, letting it pass right over the sharp edge as its body was carved like butter against a hot knife.

["Giant Widow defeated."] ["Anarch Coins x150 obtained."]

[Experience points: +500] [1600/32500]

[Assimilated ability from ["Grand Widow"]: "Hydrostatic Pressure" 1 / 5]

It was hardly enough experience to warrant having to have bug guts land on him, brushing the repulsive spillage off of his shoulder as he didn't so much as glance back at the eight-legged corpse.

With only the intent to return to his companions, he remained in the same spot as he heard the bushes rustle and the branches above sway.

"...Shit…" He mumbled tiredly, not having the opportunity to take a single step forward.

Those many legs, skittering across wood and concrete alike in the shopping center that had been reclaimed by nature and fiend. He tilted his head back, witnessing many more of the arachnid's kin surrounding him, harbored in the trees above and in the bushes beside him.

While one was easy enough to deal with, he counted half a dozen. In his encumbered state, it didn't seem feasible to escape without being bitten.

It was only when noticing the abundance of colossal spiders in the shopping center did he take notice of the human-shaped gatherings of webs that hung from the surrounding establishments. There was no doubt that many had died to the nest of arachnids already, perhaps he would add to that number.

'I'm completely closed off. They've walled me in with their numbers–not even a blade warp can get through. I guess the low amount of people left in this city might mean they've been starving–ah, well. I'm not just going to stand here and become prey,' Finn planned.