Kenley carefully opened the cellar door, keeping himself concealed as he scanned the underground chamber.

  No webs, no spider, no visible traps.

  He checked the Ring of Life—no signs of life.

  Strange. Where had the spider gone?

  Kenley didn't let his guard down. What he saw from the doorway wasn't necessarily the same as what was inside. The cellar was spacious, in line with the dwarves' tendency to build everything on a grand scale.

  The wide chamber was spotless, clearly well-maintained. Two rows of neatly arranged shelves lined the walls on either side, filled with preserved food stored in glass jars. In the southeast corner, six wooden barrels were stacked atop one another.

  Kenley's eyes lit up.

  At the very back of the cellar sat a large wooden chest, painted in a striking red lacquer. He didn't know exactly what was inside, but if the boots were anywhere, that was the most likely place. The shelves were in plain sight, and there wasn't a single boot among them.

  He crept down the stairs, moving with the utmost caution.

  The Cloak of Light could make him invisible, but spiders weren't like ordinary animals. Though they had eyesight, they relied more on vibrations and sound than on vision.

  The cellar floor was clean and well-kept, with no webs in sight. That meant the Black Mountain Spider hadn't set up any traps here, making it relatively safer.

  Step by step, Kenley edged closer to the wooden chest.

  The Black Mountain Spider was a third-tier creature—an insurmountable threat for him.

  In the game, tier suppression was brutal. The higher the tier, the more overwhelming the power gap. If the enemy was only one tier above, a group of well-coordinated players might still stand a chance. But facing an opponent two tiers higher? No amount of numbers could bridge that gap.

  If Kenley were level 20, at the second tier, he wouldn't have to be so cautious—he might even have a shot at killing the Black Mountain Spider outright.

  But at level 10, still within the first tier, he was utterly outmatched. Against a third-tier spider, his body wasn't even enough to serve as a decent snack.

  He didn't touch the chest immediately. The more obvious something was, the more careful one needed to be.

  In Aude Continent, Kenley had heard too many stories of players meeting untimely ends during seemingly simple quests.

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  There was one guild member, for instance, who had taken on what seemed like an easy mission—only to walk straight into a silver-tier monster as a mere bronze-tier player and get instantly obliterated. The poor guy later went on the forums to vent his frustration for days.

  Kenley scanned his surroundings once more, double-checking every possible threat. Only after ensuring nothing was amiss did he finally approach the red-painted chest.

  Since opening the chest required exposing his hands, the Cloak of Light wouldn't completely conceal him. Bit by bit, he reached out.

  As the lid creaked open, an icy gust swept past the back of his neck.

  A bad feeling surged through him.

  He let go of the chest, withdrew his hand, and pressed himself tightly against the wall—completely still.

  At that moment, Kenley finally looked up—only to realize that, at some point, a massive black spider, the size of a full-grown adult, had latched onto the cellar ceiling!

  He sucked in a sharp breath.

  Thankfully, his movements had been light, his hand hadn't been fully exposed, and he hadn't made a sound. Otherwise, he wouldn't even know how he had died.

  Strange. The Ring of Life hadn't detected this thing. Was it because the spider had entered a stealth state, making it undetectable? Or was it simply that its level was too high and his own level too low to perceive it?

  He was relieved he hadn't brought Sylph along. Knowing that little elf princess, she'd probably try to slay this spider like a dragon from some heroic tale.

  And then, before she even realized what was happening, she'd be sucked dry like a shriveled grape.

  Kenley steadied his breathing, trying to keep his emotions in check. Since spiders relied on vibrations and sound to track their prey, the louder his breath, the higher the chance of being discovered.

  The Cloak of Light he wore was merely a replica, far inferior to the original. It had little to no soundproofing, but its anti-detection and anti-visual properties were excellent. The Black Mountain Spider hadn't noticed him at all.

  Even so, that chilling sensation at the back of his neck earlier had been real. It was likely because he had briefly exposed his hand, putting the spider on alert.

  He needed a way to divert its attention.

  Kenley furrowed his brow. He had already thought of a plan before coming here, but now that he was about to put it into action, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety.

  One misstep, and things could go horribly wrong.

  Reaching into his backpack, he retrieved the silver goblet he had taken from the Kerr household. Silver was a striking color—bright enough for even a near-sighted spider to notice.

  And once the goblet hit the ground, it would create a loud clatter, drawing the spider's attention away.

  All he needed to do next was seize that moment—switch the boots at lightning speed—and get out as fast as possible.

  This was where his earlier decision to complete the Kerr and Lytalia family quests first paid off. Now, he wouldn't have to make a second trip to swap the boots for Parisha; he could do it all in one go.

  Since he had already matched the size of the boots, he quietly placed the pair he had obtained from Lytalia at his feet, ready for a swift exchange.

  Then, he lifted the silver goblet, weighing it slightly in his hand. His gaze locked onto the farthest corner of the room—his target.

  He would throw the goblet there, luring the spider away to investigate, then use the brief window of opportunity to complete the swap.

  1…2…3…Time to move!

  Kenley lifted a corner of his Cloak of Light, grabbed the goblet, and hurled it toward the opposite wall. The silver cup arced beautifully through the air.

  But he didn't act immediately. He had to see with his own eyes that the spider was truly distracted before making his move.

  Sure enough, the goblet caught the spider's attention. Its eyes tracked the shining cup mid-flight, and the moment it clattered to the ground with a crisp sound, the spider reacted instantly.

  Seeing this, Kenley wasted no time.

  He grabbed the boots, stretched out both hands, and moved swiftly—every second counted!