Chapter 149: Spider Reserves

In Mirkwood, as the Elven army continued advancing toward the southern forest, they encountered increasing numbers of giant spiders. The Elven warriors were agile and formidable in combat, moving lightly through the trees with leaps and bounds as if on flat ground, quickly destroying several giant spider nests. Especially Legolas, who led the vanguard. Unlike other Wood-elves who used bows for ranged attacks, he with his maxed-out archery talent, used his wand to cast spells with incredible precision. He was like an agile stag, darting swiftly through the dense forest. Only a blur could be seen. But his wand never stopped casting, with basically one spell bringing down one giant spider from the trees. Legolas didn't use powerful magic, instead choosing simple and quick spells like the Leg-Locker Curse and Tarantallegra that were effective against giant spiders. Indeed, under the spell strikes, the eight-legged giant spiders either had their legs locked or uncontrollably danced, quickly falling from the high trees. Then the Elven warriors waiting below swiftly delivered finishing blows, killing them instantly. Watching Legolas's excellent performance from behind, Thranduil couldn't hide the smile in his eyes, his face full of pride. Of course, he didn't forget to thank Kael. "Kael, Legolas has learned much while with you. I'm deeply grateful for this!" Kael smiled and waved his hand. "Legolas is also my friend, and he's helped me a lot during this time. It's nothing." Then he saw the Elven warriors kill several more giant spiders. His eyes immediately lit up as he hurried to the spider corpses, waved his wand to transform some leaves into glass bottles, and began collecting the giant spider venom. Giant spider venom had to be collected quickly, or it would spoil once the spiders were completely dead, becoming useless. After collecting the venom, Kael didn't forget to store the giant spider corpses in his space bag. By now his space bag contained hundreds of giant spider corpses, enough to feed his basilisk for a long time. And throughout this entire process, he hadn't contributed any effort, simply following behind the Elven warriors to collect corpses and coast to victory. He found this feeling very satisfying and hoped it would continue even more intensely. Seeing Kael's behavior, Thranduil immediately turned to instruct his deputy, arranging for several Elves to deliver giant spiders to Kael. The Elven army's assault was swift, advancing south all the way to the Old Forest Road. Here they finally encountered a wave of giant spider attacks. Though giant spiders couldn't speak, they possessed intelligence and were very cunning and evil. Upon receiving news of the Elven attack, they quickly organized over a thousand giant spiders near the Old Forest Road and set up an ambush there. The Elven army's advance stopped here. Looking ahead, Thranduil couldn't help but frown with concern. The forest ahead was blocked by massive spider webs, from ground to sky, everything was covered in webs, like a giant barrier net dividing Mirkwood directly in half from east to west. The Elven warriors tried to cut the web strands with sharp swords, but the silk was not only extremely tough but also highly adhesive. When swords struck it, not only did they fail to cut through, but the swords got stuck. Even if they managed to cut through, with layer upon layer of webs, who knew how long it would take to cut through them all? Just as Thranduil was frowning, Elladan and Elrohir volunteered. "Your Majesty Thranduil, battlefield situations change rapidly. These giant spiders clearly want to slow our advance. We can't give them breathing room. Let us and Legolas clear the path ahead!" Elladan said with determination. "We just learned many spells from Kael. This is a perfect opportunity to test them," Elrohir added eagerly. Arwen also stepped forward. "Count me in!" At this moment, Arwen's gentle temperament changed completely, her entire being radiating fearlessness and courage, like a combination of a goddess of beauty and a valkyrie. Thranduil didn't stand on ceremony with them and nodded, agreeing to their request for battle. "Then I'll trouble you all!" "Do you need my help?" Seeing Arwen and the others about to act, Kael asked Arwen. Arwen smiled and shook her head slightly, with a hint of teasing in her tone. "How could we have you, the professor, act personally? Let us students handle this first. After all, people need to see the results of us students learning magic from you!" Hearing this, Kael smiled helplessly, not expecting her to still remember his joking request for them to call him professor during class. He didn't insist and instead joked back. "Alright then, this professor won't steal your spotlight. I can just collect giant spider corpses from behind." "Don't worry, since you like such strange things as giant spiders, I'll definitely catch more giant spiders for you as a student's filial offering to her teacher," Arwen replied with suppressed laughter. Elladan, watching the somewhat strange atmosphere between the two, sensed trouble and immediately interrupted. "Arwen, let's go!" Kael and Arwen themselves hadn't noticed, but they exchanged a knowing glance without saying any words of caution. Then Kael watched as Arwen, Elladan, and Elrohir rode to the front lines to join Legolas. Thranduil, watching Kael's gaze, revealed a meaningful smile. But said nothing. The four gathered together, discussing how to jointly cast spells and attack one point, trying to tear open a gap. This would allow the Elven army to continue advancing without giving the giant spiders too much time to react. The four raised their wands, aimed at the spider web before them, and called out in unison. "Diffindo!" Four rays of sharp white light converged together, erupting with several times the power, instantly blasting open the web barrier and continuing to destroy more than ten meters ahead. Having broken open a large gap in the web barrier, Arwen and the others didn't linger, crossing through the web to continue opening a path forward together. The Elven army also quickly advanced through the gap. Breaking through the web obstruction, the Elven army formally faced off against the thousand-strong giant spider force. The giant spiders occupied the high ground advantage, continuously shooting web strands or attacking with poison stings. Legolas, Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen reacted swiftly, waving their wands in constant attack. Arwen was like an agile deer, her body light and nimble, seemingly weightless as she rapidly climbed straight up tree trunks like a blur, leaping and maneuvering in the trees with wand in one hand and short sword in the other, engaging many giant spiders. At this moment she was no longer the pampered Evenstar Princess of Lórien and Rivendell, but like an Elven warrior, agile, keen, quick to react, and always able to timely avoid incoming web strands and poison stings. She could even briefly hover in midair, twist her body, and kick attacking giant spiders down from the trees. Kael watched that figure from behind with full amazement. If previously Arwen had given him the impression of beauty, nobility, and elegance, perfectly embodying the image of an Elven princess, then now she displayed an entirely different kind of powerful beauty. Then what she displayed now was another kind of powerful beauty, carrying decisive, fearless, and resolute momentum, like a goddess combining both strength and beauty. Even Thranduil watched Arwen with full appreciation, somewhat regretting that she and Legolas hadn't taken a liking to each other. If he had such a daughter-in-law, he would definitely approve with both hands. Meanwhile, the three male Elves, Legolas, Elladan, and Elrohir, were not to be outdone. With their superior physical abilities and reaction speeds, plus magical assistance, countless giant spiders fell from the sky like hail. Other Elven warriors also used bows and other weapons, joining forces against the giant spiders. Soon, the thousand giant spiders showed signs of defeat, being beaten back by the Elves and beginning to flee south in panic. The Elven warriors didn't miss the opportunity to pursue, quickly chasing and killing from behind, leaving giant spider corpses along the way. These giant spider corpses were then continuously delivered to Kael by the logistics Elves. Kael naturally welcomed all comers, delighted beyond measure. The giant spider venom he had collected was now several barrels' worth, enough to make many potions. The giant spider corpses had already filled one space bag. But even so, Kael didn't think it was too much. After all, such opportunities were rare. Once Sauron and the dark forces are defeated in the future, these dark creatures will probably become increasingly scarce. He needed to stockpile more. Moreover, the basilisk had quite an appetite. As the basilisk aged and grew longer, these giant spiders wouldn't last very long. The Elven army pursued the giant spiders, crossed the Old Forest Road, and continued chasing south. But the further south they went, the more difficulties the Elven army encountered. The surrounding forest and air had been contaminated by giant spiders. The trees became grotesque and strange as if diseased, the soil and leaves became putrid and foul-smelling, the river water held hypnotic and sleep-inducing magic, and even the air was filled with hallucinogenic poison gas. In such an environment, the Elves struggled to advance, not only having to be careful of their surroundings but also striving to overcome the illusions and drowsiness brought by the poison gas, while remaining vigilant against hidden giant spider attacks. However, the Elven army wasn't unprepared. The Elven warriors unanimously took out prepared silk scarves to cover their mouths and noses. These scarves were soaked in medicinal liquid prepared by Elven healers, capable of alleviating the poison gas in the air. Kael also received a scarf. It emanated a plant fragrance that cleared the mind when inhaled. But this only alleviated rather than cured the poison gas, so Kael simply cast a Bubble-Head Charm on himself. Then he took out his staff, chanting incantations while channeling his surging magical power into the staff. The green gem at the staff's tip released brilliant light, then like a bubble machine, continuously produced countless colorful bubbles that floated around, enveloping each Elf's head. Each Elf was initially somewhat unaccustomed, but quickly discovered that under the bubble coverage, the poison gas was blocked and filtered out, and they could smell only fresh air. Seeing that the Elven warriors could all breathe freely now, Thranduil also showed joy, but watching the bubble floating toward him, he imperceptibly pushed it toward his elk's head below, letting the bubble envelop his mount's head. Then he thanked Kael. "Kael, you've helped us greatly again!" Kael shook his head but, seeing that Thranduil had no bubble over his head, hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty Thranduil, where's your bubble? Do you need me to add one for you?" Thranduil shook his head. "No need, this poison gas can't affect me." He wouldn't want to wear a bubble on his head. It would be far too inelegant.