But what Kenley hadn't anticipated was that when he tossed the cup, it just so happened to hit the edge of the shelf at an awkward angle, causing it to spin back slightly and shift its position a few inches toward the center.

  At the same time, the spider scuttled onto the shelf and started climbing downward. As it moved, its line of sight gradually adjusted, and it ended up staring directly in Kenley's direction.

  Why are there human hands floating in the air?

  The spider's tiny brain struggled to process what it was seeing. It couldn't quite understand the situation yet. It first moved closer to the silver cup, examining it carefully—this thing wasn't alive. Then, it lifted its gaze toward Kenley. Without hesitation, it decided to investigate the nearby chest instead.

  Meanwhile, Kenley was focused on swapping his boots as quickly as possible. However, what he hadn't expected was that the chest was filled with miscellaneous junk, completely burying the boots out of sight.

  He had no choice but to dig through the mess, grumbling in frustration. But that frantic search ended up costing him precious time—long enough for the spider to creep closer and get right behind him.

  "Got it!" Kenley's eyes lit up as he finally found the boots and swiftly swapped them.

  Nice! Once I finish this mission, that legendary Cloak of Light will be mine.

  Getting his hands on an orange-tier item this early in the game would be a huge advantage. But what he didn't notice was that when the spider turned its head back around, it caught a glimpse of Kenley's partially exposed hands.

  That immediately made it suspicious.

  Kenley's instincts were sharp—he sensed something was off right away. But by then, it was too late.

  The Black Mountain Spiderling had already charged at him.

  He spun around just in time to see it looming right behind him, its many eyes flickering with curiosity. It looked at the boots in his hands, then back at him—clearly puzzled.

  For a brief moment, human and monster locked eyes.

  Oh, crap.

  Charge!

  Kenley didn't hesitate. He dropped low and slid right under the spider's legs in a swift maneuver, immediately following up with a powerful charge forward.

  Now that his stealth had been compromised, using the Cloak of Light would be too risky. He wouldn't be able to move silently anymore, and the Black Mountain Spiderling would definitely unleash its Hunting Web—a large-area skill designed for capturing prey.

  The only correct choice was to run straight for the cellar exit!

  There was a reason the Black Mountain Spider was trapped in the underground cellar—it couldn't leave. Kenley was betting on that fact.

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  But a third-rank Black Mountain Spider was no easy opponent.

  It reacted with terrifying speed. Just as Kenley's charge ended, the spider had already begun spinning a massive ball of white silk between its forelimbs and tail spinnerets.

  Kenley didn't even need to look to know—it was the Hunting Web skill!

  Beneath this web, even the Cloak of Light would be useless. If it wrapped around him, he would be dead for sure.

  What should I do?

  Kenley turned around decisively. Charge—his only usable skill at this stage—had already been consumed to create distance and was still on cooldown.

  If he stubbornly insisted on heading straight for the exit, the Black Mountain Spider's reflexes would undoubtedly allow it to seal his escape route with its web.

  Without hesitation, he drew his Imperial Military Sword. He was about to attempt something only pro players dared to pull off—Extreme Counterplay!

  In Aude Continent, warrior players always had an exceptionally high death rate. As a frontline class, they lacked the thick HP and shields that paladins relied on, making them far more vulnerable.

  To balance this, the developers had given warriors a hidden ability—Extreme Counterplay. If a player timed their defense at the exact moment an enemy's attack landed, they could completely negate the damage.

  However, the conditions were brutal.

  Extreme Counterplay required players to predict an enemy's attack with absolute precision in a fraction of a second. Too early or too late, even by a split second, meant failure. Without rigorous practice, the average player couldn't hope to achieve it consistently.

  Even professional players struggled, as maintaining such peak concentration drained mental energy rapidly. After a single fight, even the best warriors would be utterly exhausted.

  Thus, a saying emerged in the community:

  "Playing a warrior is like gambling with your life."

  A person's attention span and reaction time were limited. Maybe you could pull off one or two perfect counters in a fight—but could you guarantee success every single time?

  It was nearly impossible.

  This extreme difficulty set an absurdly high skill ceiling for warrior players. Many attempted to master it, only to suffer countless deaths in the process.

  Kenley furrowed his brows.

  This would be his first attempt at Extreme Counterplay in this world.

  He had only 0.1 seconds—the precise moment the web touched him—to react and strike back. Otherwise, death was inevitable.

  This was beyond human reaction limits. Even in reality, the fastest recorded human response time was only 0.15 seconds.

  But Kenley was different.

  He knew every character's abilities, every action, every skill.

  He had studied nearly every monster in Aude Continent.

  The moment an enemy raised their hand—the exact frame when an attack connected—he could predict them all with surgical precision.

  Because he had spent years observing and training.

  Because he had once been a professional player.

  If not for that, he never would have pushed himself this hard.

  If not for that, he never would have become the PVP Solo World Champion—using only the warrior class.

  It wasn't just a title. It was well-earned.

  Kenley narrowed his eyes as the Black Mountain Spider continued spinning its web, the sticky mass growing larger and larger.

  Even though he could counter it, that didn't mean he could win. The level gap between them was too vast.

  Their HP difference alone was an insurmountable chasm.

  Even if he managed to kill it, doing so wasn't worth the risk—especially considering his current mission objectives.

  And this wasn't a game.

  If he failed—he died.

  That was a gamble Kenley couldn't afford to take.

  The Black Mountain Spider, unaware of the human's thoughts, only knew that its prey had suddenly stopped running.

  It didn't care why.

  It didn't need to care.

  With a sharp, whistling sound, the spider launched its web, lifting its forelimbs and spitting a thick mass of silk directly at Kenley!

  Kenley's eyes narrowed.

  He raised his sword—but didn't swing yet.

  He had to see it clearly—to track the silk threads until the exact moment they touched him.

  Closer…

  The web expanded in his vision, filling his field of view.

  The angle was just right.

  Now!

  Kenley swung his sword!