02. Trial of Inherited Class (2)

Their fur-covered legs stretched wide across the stone floor, each one as thick as his wrist. The spiders moved with an eerie, synchronized grace that made his stomach turn. And every single one of them shared the same intent, the same hunger radiating from those alien eyes.

To hunt him down.

One of the spiders lunged without warning, its fangs bared like curved blades, streaking straight toward his face.

Alden flinched hard, his body reacting before his mind could catch up. Instinctively, he raised his makeshift shield into the trajectory of the attack, barely managing to deflect the creature. The impact sent vibrations up his arm, and the force of it knocked the spider back several steps.

Then something strange happened.

[Experience acquired]

Out of the corner of his eye, Alden saw the notification flicker into view, the text floating in his peripheral vision like some kind of video game interface. He blinked, momentarily confused. He hadn't expected to gain experience simply by blocking an attack.

Did that mean every action counted? Every successful defense?

Still caught in his thoughts, still trying to process this bizarre new reality, Alden shook himself. Focus. Those creatures weren't going to stop and wait for him to figure out the rules. They weren't going to give him time to think. They wanted him dead, plain and simple.

This time, he took the offensive. He couldn't just stand there and wait to be overwhelmed.

Alden slammed his shield forward, using defense as a weapon, bashing it into the nearest spider. The creature staggered backward, its legs scrambling for purchase on the slick stone. Before it could recover, Alden swung his torch in a wide arc, the flames catching on the spider's hairy body.

Fire spread across its form instantly, the flames taking hold and spreading without snuffing out.

To his surprise—and relief—the spider writhed and curled up on itself, its legs pulling in tight as it tried desperately to escape the fire consuming it. The smell was awful, like burning hair and something worse, something chemical.

[Burn effect applied: 3 seconds]

"So it works," Alden muttered, his eyes narrowing with realization.

Fire was the key here. His direct attacks with the board weren't doing much. He wasn't strong enough yet, didn't have the power to crush these things with blunt force. But the fire? The fire was different. Slowly, it chipped away at their health, the damage ticking away second by second.

With his brows furrowed and a spark of understanding flickering within him, Alden pressed forward into the writhing mass of spiders. He swung the torch again and again, lighting any spider that dared to get close, painting them with flame. He never once lowered his defense, keeping the wooden board up between himself and those dripping fangs.

Then his movement slowed. Drastically.

[Move Speed decreased 50%]

"What?" Alden looked down and cursed under his breath. His legs were tangled in thick webbing he hadn't even noticed, the sticky strands clinging like tar to his torn trousers.

They stretched and pulled with each step, restricting his every movement. He tried to kick free, but the webs only seemed to tighten, adhering to his skin.

At the same time, the tarantulas grew more aggressive, as if sensing his vulnerability. One of them—larger than the others—reared back and spat. A glob of sticky white substance shot through the air, splattering across his wooden shield with a wet splat.

[Attack Speed decreased 50%]

"What the hell?" Alden snapped, trying to raise his left arm in time to intercept another attack. But he was too slow now, his movements sluggish and delayed. His other hand, the one holding the torch, became an easy target.

A spider darted in from his blind spot. Its body slammed into his arm with surprising force, and the strike knocked the torch from his grip. The light flew across the chamber in a spinning arc, bouncing once before rolling to a stop against the far wall. Its flame guttered but didn't go out, leaving the corridor bathed in dim, flickering shadows.

Alden was left with no weapon now. No way to counterattack. And that shield? It was just a wooden board, already showing cracks along its surface.

A spider lunged from the front. Alden blocked it, but the impact sent pain shooting up his arm.

[Health: 95/100 (-5)]

"Shit!" The word came out as a gasp. Alden stumbled backward under the relentless barrage, his feet tangling further in the webs. He could feel panic starting to creep in, cold and paralyzing. The spider that had knocked away his torch now circled around behind him. He didn't even see it coming until it was too late.

The creature leaped, its full weight slamming into his back and driving him forward. Alden went down hard, hitting the stone floor with a grunt that knocked the air from his lungs. The spider landed on top of him, pinning him beneath its bulk. Its weight was wrong, heavier than it should be, pressing him down.

The spider's fangs gleamed, raised high above him. They drove down toward his face like twin daggers. Alden managed to raise his shield at the last possible second, the wood catching the strike. The fangs punched through the board with a splintering crack, stopping just inches from his nose.

Blow after blow rained down on the shield as the spider tried to break through. Alden's arms shook with the effort of holding it up. He couldn't keep this up much longer. His muscles were already screaming in protest. He needed a way out. Fast.

[Wooden Board Sustain: 60%]

That message flashed in his vision, and Alden felt his heart sink. The shield was breaking. He had expected something like this might happen, yet here he was, no real plan, no clue what to do next. Just surviving moment to moment.

But then, in his peripheral vision, he saw something.

Just beside him, half-buried beneath the thick webbing that covered the floor, sat the skeleton of a warrior. The bones were old, yellowed with age, the armor rusted and falling apart. But still clutched in its skeletal hand was a sword. The blade gleamed silver even in the low light, untarnished despite the years.

[Wooden Board Sustain: 40%]

He reached with his free hand, his arm extending toward the skeleton. His fingers stretched, straining, the sword's hilt just barely out of reach.

"Come on..." he urged himself through gritted teeth, his fingertips brushing the pommel. The spider shrieked above him, sensing he was trying something. It pressed down harder.

[Wooden Board Sustain: 20%]

With a final desperate lunge, Alden's hand closed around the hilt. The metal was cold against his palm, but solid.

[Ancient Silver Sword obtained]

Got it.

Without hesitation, without thinking, Alden plunged the blade upward with all his strength. The sword punched through the spider's underbelly like it was made of paper.

A shriek rang out, piercing and sharp enough to hurt his ears. Green ichor sprayed across the walls, across his face, hot and thick and reeking of rot. The spider convulsed violently, its legs thrashing... and then it dropped, going completely still. Dead weight.

Alden shoved the corpse off him with a grunt of effort, rolling to the side. Green blood dripped from the silver blade, pooling on the stone.

The other spiders froze.

All of them stopped moving at once, their many eyes fixed on him. They watched as Alden rose slowly to his feet, his chest heaving with exertion. The dead spider's blood dripped down his face, mixing with his sweat. His breath came in ragged gasps that echoed in the sudden silence.

For the first time since entering this nightmare, he stood tall in the chaos.

He had adapted. Forced to the very edge, Alden had fought his way back from the brink. The fear was still there. But the fire inside him—the desperate need to survive, to not waste this second chance—it overwhelmed every nerve, every doubt.

He couldn't afford to die. Not here. Not now. Not after being given another shot at life.

He had to become better. Stronger. Whatever it took.

The moment of stillness shattered. The spiders came at him again, this time all at once, their previous caution abandoned. They were blinded by rage now, driven by the death of one of their own. They swarmed forward in a chittering wave of legs and fangs.

But Alden is no longer just reacting. He moved, weaving between the creatures. He dodged left, slashed right. Not just blocking anymore, but striking back.

More shrieks echoed through the chamber, a chilling choir of pain and fury. And those shrieks summoned even more. Alden's heart sank as he saw them emerging from the walls, from the ceiling, from nests he hadn't even noticed.

Dozens more spiders poured into the corridor, surrounding him on all sides, cutting off any hope of retreat.

[Stamina: 10/100]

Alden's vision swam. His arms felt like lead. He was running out of strength, his movements growing sluggish. Each swing of the sword took monumental effort now.

But the horde didn't care about his exhaustion. They were relentless, an endless tide that seemed to have no end. The room reeked of blood and venom and burned flesh, the smell so thick it coated the back of his throat.

[Wooden Board Sustain: 5%]

[Ancient Silver Sword Sustain: 80%]

"How long are they going to keep coming?" Alden gasped, his voice raw. "Damn it... You won't kill me!"

He dropped what remained of the shield that was no longer protecting him. With nothing but the silver sword in his hands now, Alden made a silent vow. If he lived through this nightmare, if he somehow survived, he wouldn't waste it. He wouldn't throw away this second chance.

This life—this new life—was worth fighting for.

With the last reserves of his energy, he roared. The sound tore from his throat, desperate. He unleashed a final fury of attacks, his sword cutting through the air in wide, sweeping arcs. He brought down several spiders in quick succession, their bodies falling around him in a growing pile.

But his stamina was gone. Completely depleted. His strikes grew sloppy, slower with each passing second. He could no longer dodge the counterattacks. Bites tore into him from all sides. Fangs punctured his skin, injecting burning poison into his veins.

But he still fought. He still stood, even as his vision started to blur.

[Chamber Ruin Spider Venom received]

[Health: 40/100 (-5 per second)]

Alden's eyes widened as he read the notification. Maybe he'd misread it. Maybe it was a mistake. But no, there was no timer on the venom effect. No indication it would fade or wear off. Which meant it wouldn't.

The poison would just keep draining his health until there was nothing left. He needed an antidote, needed some way to stop it.

But there was no time to search.

He swung his sword in agony, cleaving through three monsters in one sweeping arc. The last wave was finally thinning out.

[Health: 25/100]

[Health: 20/100]

He collapsed to his knees on the blood-soaked stone, his sword clattering beside him. His vision blurred at the edges, darkness creeping in. He was seconds away from death.

Five seconds, maybe less. He could feel it.

And then, impossibly, the poison stopped.

All at once, the burning in his veins vanished. The constant drain on his health ceased. The bodies of the slain monsters began to dissolve into ash, floating silently through the air like snow. They disappeared completely, leaving no trace they'd ever existed.

"Congratulations!"

A voice rang out, clear and bright, echoing through the chamber. The same ethereal voice from before.

"You have succeeded in the Trial of Inherited Class. Please take a moment to rest before we reveal what class suits you best."

As the words faded, something incredible happened. All of Alden's fatigue disappeared in an instant, like someone had flipped a switch. The grime and gore coating his clothes vanished. His wounds knitted themselves closed, the torn flesh healing without even leaving scars. His stats were restored to full.

He had never felt so alive.

[Gathering all obtained experience. Converting into stats]

[Calculating performance metrics...]

[Analyzing combat style and tendencies...]

[Your verdict is complete]

"Reincarnator named Alden."

The voice proclaimed, taking on a formal, almost ceremonial tone.

"Heaven has decided. Your class will be the Valor Warrior. Would you like to view more details?"

A hologram appeared before him, larger and more detailed than the simple status screen from before.

Alden, still catching his breath, still trying to process everything that had just happened, stared at it in awe.

Valor Warrior. What did that mean? What could he do now?