Keyboard Warrior's Otherworldly Adventure

Li Jin felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on end, a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He turned around abruptly, but saw nothing. The faint light from the tinderbox only illuminated a small part of the cave; the rest was shrouded in darkness, as if some unknown danger lurked within.

"What's wrong?" Sophie noticed his unusual behavior and asked nervously.

Li Jin didn't answer, but held his breath and listened carefully to the sounds around him. Apart from Sophie's slightly rapid breathing, he seemed to hear a faint rustling sound, like some kind of creature crawling.

"Did you hear anything?" Li Jin asked in a low voice.

Sophie shook her head, her face growing even paler: "No... only the sound of the wind..."

Li Jin frowned. Was he being too nervous? Just as he was about to relax his guard, the rustling sound rang out again, clearer and closer than ever before!

He turned around sharply and finally saw the source of the sound—a huge spider, entirely black, with eight hairy long legs moving rapidly along the stone wall, and a pair of scarlet eyes staring intently at them, gleaming with a chilling light.

"Holy crap! What the hell is this?!" Li Jin couldn't help but swear, instinctively shielding Sophie behind him.

Sophie screamed in fright when she saw the giant spider and clung tightly to Li Jin's arm.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here," Li Jin reassured him, though he himself was a little uneasy. This spider was larger than any he had ever seen, and it was clearly not one to be trifled with.

"System, what's the deal with this thing?" Li Jin wondered to himself.

[Ding! Target creature detected: Shadow Spider, highly venomous, aggressive, weak against fire.]

Fear of fire? Li Jin's eyes lit up, and he quickly brought the tinderbox in his hand closer to the spider. Sure enough, the Shadow Spider hesitated noticeably upon seeing the light and stopped in its tracks.

"Looks like this thing is afraid of fire." Li Jin was delighted and slowly approached the Shadow Spider with a tinderbox in hand.

The Shadow Spider hissed, seemingly warning Li Jin not to approach. But Li Jin ignored it and continued to close in.

Just then, the Shadow Spider suddenly sprang up, its eight long legs kicking out as it pounced towards Li Jin.

Li Jin was prepared and dodged the attack by sidestepping, while throwing a tinderbox at the Shadow Spider.

The tinder struck the Shadow Spider, instantly igniting its fur. The Shadow Spider let out a piercing scream and rolled frantically on the ground, trying to extinguish the flames.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Jin drew his dagger and stabbed it fiercely into the abdomen of the Shadow Spider.

With a "plop," the dagger pierced the Shadow Spider's body, and green liquid gushed out, emitting a nauseating stench.

The Shadow Spider struggled a few times, then lay still.

Li Jin breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing that his back was soaked with cold sweat. He turned to look at Sophie and found her gazing at him with adoration.

"You...you're so amazing..." Sophie stammered.

Li Jin smiled and said, "It's nothing, just a trivial skill." Although he said that, he was secretly glad that the spider was afraid of fire, otherwise he would have really been done for today.

"However, Your Highness, you still haven't told me why you're being chased?" Li Jin asked while cautiously observing the cave entrance.

Sophie hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke, "Actually... I ran away from my arranged marriage..."

"Runaway bride?" Li Jin was somewhat surprised. "Why would a princess of a nation run away from her arranged marriage?"

Sophie sighed and said, "I don't want to marry that old man..."

"An old man?" Li Jin was even more curious. "Who is he?"

Sophie bit her lip and said, "It's...it's the king of the neighboring country..."

Li Jin suddenly realized that it was a marriage of convenience. He stroked his chin and grinned mischievously, "So, Her Highness the Princess has taken a liking to me?"

Sophie blushed and retorted, "You wish! I just..."

Before she could finish speaking, footsteps suddenly echoed from the cave entrance, followed by a chilling voice: "Found you!"

Li Jin and Su Fei's expressions changed. They looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man in black standing at the cave entrance, holding a gleaming dagger and staring coldly at them.

Behind the man in black followed several others dressed similarly. They all had ferocious expressions and exuded murderous intent.

It seems that a fierce battle is inevitable...