Lyria used her Absolute Gravity to throw one Rank 2 spider off balance. But this time, it was prepared and hastily used its long sticky web to connect itself with a tall building, trying to swing away.
Lyria didn't have time to deal with that one, so she used the pull function of Absolute Gravity to reduce the spider's swinging speed while also yelling out, "Liv, this one is yours!"
She then didn't hesitate and used her Whirlwind Sprint to catch up with the other fleeing one. She appeared at its side and used another Absolute Gravity to hurl it toward an open area.
Fighting these spiders in an open area was the best way to restrain them, as they also had great talent in maneuvering in just about any terrain. They could even stick onto any hard surface, and with their sneak talent, they were very hard to find despite their huge figures.
Livy had just finished killing the remaining two Rank 1s when she heard Lyria's shout. She glanced and noticed the Rank 2 spider swinging toward the housing district. It would become much harder to catch if it succeeded, so she bolted after it.
"Don't think only you can use ropes!" Livy roared while whipping out her 10-meter-long Water Jet Whip, which smoothly tied itself to one of the spider's thick legs. With her full strength, she hauled it toward her.
Even though the spider was still midair, Livy was barely able to pull it due to its weight and momentum.
Noticing her strength was still lacking, she hastily leaped toward it and used her other whip to smash it on top of its head. It made a dull sound, and the spider screeched miserably while dropping to the ground.
Although the Rank 2 spider's legs were tough enough to avoid getting sliced off by Livy's water jet whip promptly, that didn't mean its entire body was that sturdy.
The moment Livy's whip struck its head, it was nearly split into two halves. Dark red blood gushed from its wound.
Fear and dread enveloped the spider's entire being as it cried out miserably.
It tried shooting Web Bullets at Livy while still attempting to escape. It had completely forgotten that it was actually far stronger in close-range combat than at a distance. Only the idea of fleeing was on its mind now.
However, moving away from a whip user was much deadlier than moving closer.
Livy had no trouble dodging the Web Bullet.
For a Crimson Tide Spider, Web Bullets weren't their strongest attack and took a brief moment to shoot. Livy was an expert at dodging things even without using her Mudskipper ability.
After dodging, she lashed at the injured Crimson Tide Spider's head with her whip, striking the same bleeding spot.
The Crimson Tide Spider tried creating a Web Shield above its head, but due to its previous injury, its head was still buzzing. It was too slow and missed the perfect timing, receiving another solid strike on the same spot.
It helplessly let out a half-dead, painful whimper.
Livy knew her whip couldn't completely kill it with a few strikes, so while still dashing toward it, she leaped high and arrived right above its head.
Before the spider could resist, she pulled out a high-grade Tier 2 greatsword from her ring and threw it straight at its injured head.
Without much resistance, the sword went right through its skull, making the newborn Rank 2 Crimson Tide Spider let out its final cry before losing strength, collapsing, and dying.
Livy couldn't throw a sword made with her ability, as the things she created would disappear the moment they left her hands. That was another handicap of this ability, and that was why she preferred using whips in this battle. After all, Crimson Tide Spiders were far deadlier in close combat than at a distance.
The reason these Crimson Tide Spiders never came close was that they thought the two human Rank 1 Mana Wielders weren't difficult to deal with, and another reason was their weakness being close to their main body as well.
Livy gracefully landed beside the dead spider and breathed a sigh of relief. If she hadn't caught it before it escaped, it surely would have succeeded.
Right then, Eric suddenly appeared beside her like a ghost.
"It looks like you've finished your opponent neatly. Good job!"
"Hiiii—" Livy made a weird squeak and lashed her whip toward Eric.
Eric calmly dodged by blinking away.
He didn't mind the reaction. Normally, he wouldn't spook either of the girls for fear of such retaliation, but currently, there was no time to worry about such things. They needed to leave the village as soon as possible.
"S-sorry, Brother Eric..." Livy blushed in embarrassment.
She then noticed in bewilderment that Eric had completely changed his outfit.
His previous peak-grade Tier 1 outfits and cloak were replaced with high-grade Tier 2 chainmail armor.
It was long-sleeved chainmail armor with a brown leather belt fastened across his waist. There was a low cut from the neck, revealing the middle portion of his chest down to his lower abdomen.
She was even more bewildered by the gap in between—that was supposed to be sealed, or else anyone could stab the vital organs in the middle portion of the body.
She was curious why Eric had suddenly switched to high-grade Tier 2 lightweight armor when the newborn Rank 2 were already dead, but for now, she avoided asking.
"No need to worry—it was my fault," Eric waved it off. "Also, you shouldn't let your guard down after a battle. That's basic teaching from Grandma—don't forget it."
Livy nodded with some sadness. She suddenly recalled their days of training under Bella Noll.
She quickly shook her head and took a deep breath. She still remembered Bella Noll's last words: that they should keep their smiles in their hearts.
Eric smiled and threw his pocket watch toward her. "Put away your prize—we need to leave quickly."
Livy nodded. She was about to mention that there were still six Rank 1 corpses when Eric cut her off.
"Don't worry, I've already put away the Rank 1 corpses. After this, drink refilling potions or any other drinks to return to your best condition," he spoke rapidly.
Livy was amazed at how speedily Eric had put away the Rank 1 corpses. Not much time had passed since the warehouse had crumbled, and he had also changed his outfit during that time.
She wanted to ask why the hurry and why they needed potions when they could easily recover with some time, since the battle had already ended. She decided to ask later—for now, she would do as Eric instructed.
She swiftly covered the huge spider body with her Mana, feeling goosebumps as she 'intimately' touched the creepy spider's corpse—it felt similar to touching it with her own hands.
Eric turned toward Lyria's battle, which was also coming to its end.
---
As soon as Lyria had sent the Rank 2 Crimson Tide Spider back to the open field, she shot toward it with her high-grade Tier 2 longsword, without giving it time to react.
She lacked proper long-range attack abilities like Livy, and using bows against these spiders was useless—they could dodge or deflect arrows with their natural exoskeleton armor while countering with webs.
Since she was trying to avoid wasting time, the best way to deal with the spider was with a sharp weapon. A spear was good, but it would take too much time, as the spider would definitely dodge. She had to cripple it, and a sword was best for that.
She was also extremely reluctant to use her Crushing Blows on its body… for no other reason than it would destroy too much wealth!
After fighting these spiders, Lyria now understood why taking down a newborn Rank 2 Mana Beast required a team of early-stage Rank 3 Mana Wielders at minimum.
If not for her, Livy, and Eric's unusually high stats—and most importantly, their unique, powerful abilities, which they could rapidly fire with minimal energy usage, unlike spells, which took time to cast—that they could casually play with these Rank 1s and 2s. Otherwise, it would have been certain death for them inside the tavern.
Other factors also played a role—Tier 2 weapons, their own experience, training, spirit, and so on—but the true game-changers were their abilities and stats.
Despite that, it was wrong to say it was a walk in the park. If they weren't careful in battle, these Rank 2 spiders were more than capable of killing them—and swiftly.
The Rank 2 Crimson Tide Spider was still in a better state and could think properly. It felt extreme indignation at how it was being bullied and how its brothers and sisters were being slaughtered. Nonetheless, it knew these humans were too unusual—it needed to kill or escape hastily before other capable humans arrived.
It swiftly opened its jaw and fired a Venomous Web. However, before the web could leave its mouth, Lyria—charging toward it—'pushed' the web right back inside.
The spider could only curse in its spider tongue. It didn't get a moment to shoot it out.
It readied its limbs for close-range combat, feeling helpless against the human's push ability—no lighter attack could land if everything was pushed away.
Lyria appeared swiftly and slashed at one of its front limbs with her longsword.
The Crimson Tide Spider was greatly threatened by the sword. It knew it had to dodge at all costs, so it swiftly moved its left front limb away while jabbing at her with the opposite side's limb.
Lyria didn't dodge the attack—instead, she smiled, which gave the spider a bad feeling.
Before it could pull back its right leg, Lyria grabbed it while Hardening herself and coating her hand with Mana for extra protection. With her previous momentum, she leaped to the middle joint of that limb and slashed it with her sword.
Without surprise, its right front limb was sliced off.
The Crimson Tide Spider screeched in pain as blood shot from its wound.
Lyria could have rolled into the empty space beneath the spider's belly, but that place was lethal—the spider could pull back its sharp limbs to trap her and use its 'Web Cocoon Prison' to constrain her completely.
Thus, she first needed to reduce the number of its limbs.
After slicing off the limb—still midair—she noticed the other front limb piercing toward her. With her Hardening, she probably wouldn't get stabbed, but she had no interest in taking a beating from the spider. This position was also perfect for follow-up attacks.
She activated her Absolute Gravity in all directions, pushing everything away from her—including whatever was below her.
The Crimson Tide Spider's attack was diverted slightly. Its main body was also pushed toward the ground, though it resisted and stood firm.
With her momentum, Lyria front-rolled midair, arriving beside its next limb's joint, and chopped it in half in one clean swipe.
She landed on the ground and, without giving the spider time to recover, used her Whirlwind Sprint to appear beneath its second-last right limb, cleanly slicing it off as well.
The Crimson Tide Spider was helpless—its right-side three limbs were cut off. With a single rear limb, it couldn't hold its main body up, so it plummeted, screeching in pain at losing three limbs so quickly.
Lyria didn't waste a moment and swiftly arrived before the defenseless main body.
She knew if she gave the spider more time, it would find ways to protect itself, so the moment she reached its head, she stabbed her longsword right between its two large eyes.
The newborn Rank 2 Crimson Tide Spider's whole body shuddered for a moment before slumping down, dead.
Lyria released a long sigh of relief. For some reason, the more time passed, the more uneasiness grew within her.