Chapter Fifty-Five: Unexpectedly Gaining Two New Abilities with a Finishing Blow

The azure hurricane summoned by Jasmine He tore across the Black Web Spider’s surface like countless blades, slicing its body and eliciting pained howls that echoed through the battlefield. In mere seconds, the storm carved fine wounds into the spider’s steel-hard black carapace, exposing the inky flesh beneath.

With a guttural roar, the Black Web Spider reared its massive head and spewed forth clumps of white webbing. This time, the threads carried a corrosive venom—any human flesh they touched would quickly decay. The webs, swift as white shadows, surged toward Jasmine, but as a wind elementalist, she soared through the air, evading with the aid of her powers. When evasion proved impossible, she swung her spirit blade, unleashing wind-edged slashes that severed the webbing before it could entangle her.

While Jasmine held the monster’s focus, Lily Liu seized the opportunity to strike. Under the command of her mind, the surrounding ice elements condensed, forming a barrage of icicles that rained down with the density of a tempest.

With sharp, icy blue streaks, the icicles hurtled at the spider’s already-wounded form, each strike landing with impressive effectiveness. The creature’s immense size left it no room to dodge the relentless attacks of both women.

Outside the combat circle, the demon hunters looked on as Jasmine and Lily battled the monstrous spider. Yan Gu, itching to join the fray, grumbled in frustration, “Are we just supposed to watch? This is killing me!”

“Don’t even think about jumping in and making things worse.” Kora Luo tapped her lightly on the head. “The captain gave us orders to stand by. Do you really think she and Lily could lose to a mere giant spider?”

He Jiang, unlike the others, kept his gaze fixed on Lily’s graceful, birdlike movements. His eyes grew ardent as he muttered to himself, “I never expected Lily’s strength to surpass what it once was. One day, I’ll catch up to you—then, perhaps, you’ll finally look my way…”

Feng Cheng wanted to help, but none of his current attacks could even scratch the Black Web Spider’s armored hide. Even his earlier lucky shot, where a blood javelin pierced one of its eyes, would not succeed again—the beast would be wary now. As he pondered how best to contribute, a hand came to rest on his shoulder; it was Kora.

“Brother Feng, best to stay back. This great fiend is out of our league. The captain and Lily can handle it,” she said, and her reasoning was sound. The Black Web Spider’s size and formidable defenses meant that only Jasmine and Lily stood a chance. The rest of them would only be scratching it—interfering would do more harm than good.

Indeed, Kora’s assessment was correct. The spider, now enraged beyond measure, let out bizarre roars and slammed its eight massive, jointed legs, shaking the ground with each thunderous step. Yet both Jasmine and Lily, seasoned in battle, evaded every blow with swift, practiced movements, leaving the spider’s attacks to strike only empty earth.

Assailed from both sides by two elite demon hunters, even this S+-ranked monster began to falter under their combined assault.

“Tempest Sonata!” Jasmine declared, intent on ending the fight. She murmured the words, and with a swift raise of her spirit blade, Gale, an overwhelming wind swept the battlefield, clearing the dust from the earth. Wind elements from all directions converged, their azure glow settling upon her blade. The haunting, chill melody of the wind played as the spirit blade blazed with dazzling blue light.

With a fierce cry, Jasmine brought the blade down. A tornado of azure energy erupted forth, roaring straight for the Black Web Spider.

“Ice Banquet Waltz!” Lily invoked her own spirit art, lifting her blade, Frost Moon. Countless fine ice particles gathered, clinging to the spirit blade and dyeing its slender, snowy length an icy blue. When the frigid energy reached its peak, she slashed downward, unleashing a brilliant, freezing beam of light.

With a piercing sound, the azure tornado and the icy beam crashed simultaneously into the spider’s towering form, each strike carrying unstoppable momentum.

The Black Web Spider, weighing hundreds of tons, was actually forced backward by the sheer force of the twin attacks. It howled in furious agony, its eight massive limbs scrambling and retreating uncontrollably.

It resisted for only a few seconds before succumbing. Under the onslaught of both devastating attacks, its diamond-hard carapace shattered, crumbling as if made of tofu. Its body was pierced through from head to abdomen, and as violent spasms wracked it, the red glow faded from its three eyes, and its eight limbs finally lost all strength.

The giant spider’s body collapsed heavily to the earth, sending tremors through the ground as the last signs of life ebbed away.

As Lily exhaled in relief, she saw a figure rushing toward the fallen spider. It was Feng Cheng. She was puzzled—was he not worried the beast might not be quite dead?

In truth, Feng feared the opposite: that the monster would die before he could act. He wanted to deliver a final blow before its life completely faded, hoping to awaken a new superpower.

Standing before the spider’s corpse, Feng was struck by its sheer size. Still, he wasted no time; drawing his blade, Thunder Sever, he plunged the sharp tip into a wound on the spider’s head. Twisting the hilt, he churned the blade, destroying the last vestige of life in the beast’s brain.

[Ding! Host has slain a monster-class fiend.]

[Detection complete… Target: Great Demon Insect, Black Web Spider.]

[Reward: Two superpowers. Do you wish to acquire them?]

[Note: If you do not wish to acquire superpowers, they may be converted into skill points.]

Hearing the system’s prompt, Feng felt a rush of delight. He had only hoped for a chance, never expecting success. The system counted the kill as his, and unlike before, he was being granted two superpowers at once. Clearly, the rewards for slaying an S-class monster far exceeded those for lesser creatures.

He chose to receive the superpowers rather than skill points.

[Power awakening… 30%… 50%… 80%… 100%.]

[Acquired active skill: Thunder Shadow Step lv1+1.]

[Acquired active skill: Lightning Flash lv1+1.]

The methods for using both new skills surged into Feng’s mind, complete with detailed explanations.

[Thunder Shadow Step]—Unleash lightning-like speed in an instant; duration depends on the user’s physical condition.

[Lightning Flash]—Channel energy into the spirit blade for a single, explosive attack; a lightning-fast, air-rending draw slash.

This second skill seemed strangely familiar, as if he had seen it in some anime before. Regardless, Feng was thoroughly satisfied—after this long and arduous night, he had acquired three new abilities, counting the passive skill [Mindguard].

“What are you doing, Feng Cheng?” Lily asked, appearing behind him.

“Nothing,” Feng replied casually, withdrawing his blade. “Just making sure it’s really dead.”

From afar, Jasmine’s gaze lingered on Feng for a few moments, thoughtful. She didn’t know the newcomer well, but she sensed something odd—her intuition telling her that, after retrieving his blade, Feng’s aura seemed to have undergone a sudden transformation, becoming far more powerful.

Women’s intuition is rarely wrong.

But she dismissed the thought. How could such an absurd thing be possible?

With the Black Web Spider dead, the demon hunters began to clear the battlefield.

And thus, the battle at the auction house that night drew to a close.