Lucas sighed, holstering his
“So, what now?” Chloe asked, spinning her sword as if her earlier fear had completely vanished. “Do we keep moving forward, or are you going to magic up some new weapon like last time?”
He glanced at her before shifting his gaze to a glass door in the hallway.
‘Showroom 01.’
‘Showroom 02.’
‘Showroom 03.’
The hallway was lined with showrooms. Peering into one of them, he spotted several kinds of equipment neatly displayed despite the overall chaos. He smirked at the sight. “Sure, let’s see if I can whip out anything good.”
He stepped inside the room. The interior was spacious, accommodating an assortment of tools, machinery, and chemicals. His eyes scanned the available equipment as his mind raced, piecing together a suitable design.
Streaks of Psionical Force emerged from his body, flowing into various objects. Meanwhile, his pupils began shimmering with blue rings as he activated
In this state, his Psionical Force became his extended senses, revealing the details of the machinery through its magnetic field. Coupled with his
, he could detect even the minute details of any machinery. He could see how his Psionical Force interacted with the objects' magnetic fields and how each component reacted with the others.
As he started to get used to this vision, he couldn’t resist grinning. “This is great.”
One by one, the items began to either disassemble or reassemble into distinct components. Piece by piece, they started assembling into numerous spider-like robots.
“They should work fine,” Lucas mumbled as he willed the spider robots to dance, spin, twirl, and perform all kinds of movements. Each spider was slightly different in color, as they were built using a variety of materials from the machinery in the room. All of them were equipped with a gun-like turret on their back.
Since he crafted numerous Rare-rank spider robots, the system asked him to name them. But Lucas was too lazy to name each individual spider, so he just named them according to the original name of the blueprints he based them on.
Chloe, who was watching from the side, was amused by the dancing spider robots. She approached one of the spiders and studied it. “Looks rather cute.”
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Spider Bots - Model 05R
Rank: Rare
A mechanical construct crafted by a Talented Crafter. Originally designed by Hexxen Corp as a multi-purpose drone for reconnaissance and combat, this model has been altered to exclude any usage of Magitech components.
Special Effect(s):
Advanced Algorithms - Equipped with an advanced processing unit, it can execute complex commands and enhance its adaptability.
Climber’s Legs - Equipped with flexible and specialized legs, it can navigate through any terrain, unaffected by terrain effects.
Psyform - Residual psychic energy imbued in the construct enhances its overall structural integrity.
Special Note(s): As long as it remains within proximity of its creator, its energy source will not be depleted.
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Under his
He could see the area around him through the spider’s vision. “So, I can do this too, huh?” His lips curled up at this revelation.
While he was experimenting with how his Psionical Force interacted with the spiders, Chloe interrupted him.
“Just out of curiosity,” Chloe said, picking up one of the spiders and fiddling it. “How are you making them so quickly? I mean, don’t they usually need some kind of delicate testing and measurements like that?”
Lucas watched the spider bots doing all kinds of acrobatics while replying, “They do. That’s why I’ve prepared those things beforehand.” He tapped his temple and smirked, “In here.”
“And how do you do that?” she asked, clearly curious about how Lucas was able to build things so quickly.
Looking at Chloe’s curious gaze, Lucas just smiled. “Well, out of every skill I have, more than half of them are crafting-related. So, there you have it.”
“More than half? How many Skills do you have? I’ve got eight,” Chloe continued.
“Hmm. Fifteen,” Lucas answered, now done testing the spider bots.
Her eyes widened slightly when she heard Lucas’s answer. “That’s like twice the amount I have.”
“Nah, it's because I’ve reached Second Class. I got a couple more extra skills, and some are rewards for crafting good things,” Lucas said, looking at Chloe.
Lucas glanced back at the spider bots before sending them scurrying around. Each spider began crawling in various directions, some against the walls, others deeper down the hallway, and a few into the vents on the ceiling.
“Now, our itsy bitsy spiders will scout for us. Once they locate anything noteworthy, I’ll get the message straight away,” Lucas said, patting the last spider before sending it off. “Now, let’s get going, shall we?”
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The couple began making their way down the hall. Unexpectedly, no monsters ambushed them. Even the spider bots scurrying ahead provided no feedback to Lucas through their Psionical Force connection.
Eventually, they reached the end of the hallway, which connected to a circular room. The room was in the same state as the corridor, dimly lit, with marred walls, and gooey black liquid on the flood.
In the center of the room stood an elevator shaft, encased in reinforced glass, with faint red emergency lights lining its edges. Surrounding the room were several sealed doors, each with labeled arrows indicating their destinations.
“Office, security, canteen, entertainment,” Chloe recited the labels aloud as she circled the room. “Looks like an administrative floor for regular workers.”
Lucas approached the elevator and noticed a biometric scanner mounted beside it. The scanner was designed to read a user’s palm and access tag before granting authorization to use the elevator.
Meanwhile, Chloe’s attention was drawn to a reception counter. Behind it, a console-like device rested, its surface illuminated by a faint glow. Intrigued, she studied the console. Its design was a blend of futuristic technology and alien symbols, reminiscent of Samantha’s runes.
Curiosity got the better of her, and she touched the console’s screen. Almost instantly, an interface popped up. As she navigated it, she found an option labeled “DIRECTORY.” Without hesitation, she tapped it, and a holographic display of the underground lab emerged, showing a vertical layout of the facility's various floors.
“Hey, Mr. King of the Eurobeats. You might wanna see this,” Chloe called out, her eyes fixed on the hologram.
Hearing her, Lucas approached and raised a brow at the glowing display. “Wow, a hologram. Nice.”
As Chloe swiped her fingers across the display, the hologram flickered slightly, and a basic introduction information about their current floor appeared.
“It really is just an administrative floor,” Lucas muttered after glancing at the description.
Chloe pointed at the hologram’s depiction of the central elevator. “But don’t we need an access tag to use the elevator? And there’s that hand scanner too. The security control room might have them, right?”
Lucas smirked at her suggestion. “Probably. We might find some useful information in the security room, but we don’t need the tags. Let me have a look.”
Just as Lucas moved to navigate the console, he froze mid-step, his gaze snapping to one of the sealed doors. “Get ready, Chloe. My spidey sense is tingling.”
Chloe’s eyes sharpened, her hand instinctively resting on the hilt of her sword as she turned toward the same door.
Faintly, they could hear beastly growls and the heavy sound of stomping from the corridor beyond. Then, with a thunderous crash, the metal door burst open, revealing several grotesque, hulking hound-like monsters.
The grotesque creatures resembled the Crawlers they had encountered earlier. Their fleshy, pale skin was streaked with black veins, and extra appendages jutted out at odd angles. Their mouths were filled with jagged teeth. However, these beasts were canine-like in shape but larger and more menacing than any normal dog.
One of the monstrous dogs sniffed the air before jerking its head toward Lucas and Chloe. It let out a guttural howl as the rest of the monstrous dogs began fanning out, inching closer with snarling fangs.
“Who let the dogs out?” Lucas smirked at the sight of the advancing creatures.
Chloe, standing beside him, sighed. “You already used that joke once.” She drew her sword and studied the monstrous dogs. Just as she was about to charge in, Lucas pressed a hand on her shoulder.
“Alright then,” he chuckled. “I’ll use another joke this time.”
“Spider-Army, assemble!”
At his command, numerous red dots glowed on the ceiling. In an instant, countless spider bots scuttled into action. Their glowing red eyes flashed as they descended from the ceiling, landing with quiet metallic thuds.
When the monstrous dogs saw the countless eight-legged creatures dropping from above, their snarls turned into vicious growls as they immediately shifted their positions.
“Are they positioning themselves?” Lucas muttered, noticing the beasts’ calculated movements. “So they’re not just savage dogs,” he observed, studying the monstrous creatures intently.
One of the dogs barked at the spider bots, as though issuing a warning, but the spider bots ignored it entirely.
All of a sudden, a wire whipped around the barking dog’s neck and tightened, making the beast whimper in pain as it thrashed, trying to break free from the sudden attack. As though this was a signal, the monster dogs roared in fury and charged at the spider bots.
However, the spider bots were designed to be nimble and flexible. Each bot fired its own metallic wires, latching onto high vantage points and swiftly pulling itself out of reach.
As the spider bots soared into the air, the barrels mounted on their backs began to hum.
Flashes of energy beams erupted from the spiders, cutting through the air and slamming into the monstrous dogs. The beams left charred scars across their flesh, but the wounds resealed at an alarming rate, as though they had never been injured.
The spider bots' red eyes flickered, instantly recalibrating their strategy upon detecting the creatures’ regenerative abilities. In unison, they switched their assault, deploying razor-sharp metallic wires instead.
The wires lashed out, wrapping around the dogs' limbs with precision. Some of the beasts were caught mid-charge, their legs tangled and yanked out from under them. Others, more agile, dodged and leaped around the snapping wires.
As if performing a dance, all the spiders were swinging in the air, with their metallic wires cutting through the air, whipping or binding the dogs on the ground.
One of the larger dogs attempted to ‘coordinate’ with the others, barking repeatedly as if issuing commands. However, its efforts were in vain as its companions were too preoccupied with dodging the relentless attacks from the spider bots.
Frustration flickered in its glowing eyes as it realized the pack was being overwhelmed. With a furious growl, the beast sprang into action.
It leaped high into the air, jaws wide, aiming to snatch one of the spider bots mid-swing. But before it could land its attack, a wire shot out and wrapped tightly around its legs, yanking it sideways. The dog let out a surprised whimper as it was violently thrown off balance, crashing to the ground in a heap.
Seizing the opportunity, a nearby spider bot unleashed a chemical shot directly at the beast’s exposed belly. The dog howled in agony as the corrosive substance sizzled and burned through its thick hide. Though its regenerative abilities immediately began mending the wound, the relentless assault caused it to falter.
The dogs were powerless against the spider bots' aerial agility. Their snapping jaws couldn’t reach the spiders darting through the air, their speed was useless against enemies perched out of reach, and their large, muscular frames only made them clumsier against the spiders' nimble and precise maneuvers.
Their only advantage, regenerative ability, proved futile as they were slowly overwhelmed by the relentless assault of the spider bots. The constant barrage of wires, energy beams, and chemical shots chipped away at their resilience, leaving them no room to recover.
One by one, the dogs fell. Their regenerative powers were no match against the spiders’ heavy fire.
The last dog standing snarled. Its body was marred by cuts, burns, and gaping wounds inflicted by the spiders' relentless arsenal. In a final desperation, it lunged at a nearby spider bot but before it could even reach it, the spider fired an energy beam directly at its head, blasting its head into gory fragments. Its body twitched before collapsing lifeless to the ground.
The spider bots, now victorious, regrouped into a tight formation. Their glowing red eyes scanned the area, searching for any remaining threats.
Once certain the battlefield was clear, they dispersed in synchronized silence, disappearing into the shadows.
Lucas, who had watched the entire fight, leaned back with a smirk. “That’s Spider-Army for you.”
“Maybe I should be a Mechanic too,” Chloe mumbled when she noticed Lucas comfortably lounging with his legs propped up on the countertop.