Noon the next day, in the secluded confines of his office, Victor closed his eyes and focused on the complex spell model and incantation inscribed within the pages of the {Demonic Eye} spell book. After a day of dedicated study, it was finally time to test it. With a steady flow of infused mana, he conjured a vivid image of spectral puppets materializing as flying eyes. As energy particles converged together, five spectral puppets emerged just outside his office window, flying out into the open sky.

  In that instant, Victor’s field of vision expanded beyond the confines of his office, extending into the vast expanse of the sky. Tiny figures resembling ants toiled away on the ground below, and a black obsidian tower loomed on the other side. It felt like everything was within arm’s reach. Whoa, this is awesome!

  The sensation was unlike anything he had experienced through the holographic screen’s camera. Perhaps this was what the players were feeling when they tried the fully immersive game for the first time.

  Peeking was always entertaining, but that was not the main purpose of acquiring this spell. Victor guided the spectral puppets toward the Thornwood Forest, maintaining a mental connection with the spell. Through the eyes of the puppets, he witnessed their ethereal forms effortlessly navigate the dense forest canopy. Their crimson gaze scanned the shadows below, searching for any signs of the elusive Lesser Hiveborne Arachnid lair.

  With each flutter of their spectral wings, the puppets relayed their findings back to Victor’s consciousness, providing him with a comprehensive understanding of the forest’s ecosystem. As they traversed the labyrinth of trees, the forest’s perilous nature became increasingly clear.

  “Mhm, this forest is indeed a place fraught with danger,” he mused. If it weren’t for this spell, he wouldn’t dare set foot too deep into the forest.

  After all, the Thornwood Forest was filled with all sorts of unexplainable supernatural phenomena. In just the first few minutes of searching, the puppets encountered at least three strange occurrences. A peculiar undergrowth adorned with luminescent mushrooms emitting eerie light that seemed to keep the other trees alive was the most ordinary of them all. Not to mention the magical beasts roaming the area.

  One of the spectral puppets that ventured too close to a supernatural phenomenon was obliterated in an instant. The culprit seemed to be floating orbs of light, reminiscent of will-o’-the-wisps, that danced playfully among the trees, yet they created an eerie ambiance that sent shivers down Victor’s spine. These unearthly entities were unlike anything he had encountered during previous ventures into the forest—a reminder that using different vantage points could lead to vastly different encounters.

  After an extensive search, Victor’s patience was rewarded as he finally discerned faint signs of the Lesser Hiveborne Arachnids. One of these subtle clues appeared as a white spot amidst the sprawling sea of green. Yet as the spectral puppets drew closer, his suspicions were confirmed; the white spot was indeed a spiderweb delicately woven atop the canopy of a towering tree. Evidently, there was an arachnid making a nest here.

  Further examination of the area revealed the spider responsible for the intricate web was hunting a small creature. This discovery suggested that the actual hive should be in close proximity. Sure enough, one of the spectral puppets eventually caught sight of what appeared to be a cave nestled in the cliff face some distance away.

  It was a pity that by this time, the mental connection between Victor and spectral puppets had grown tenuous. Given Victor’s current magical power, the maximum distance of the connection was limited to a few kilometers. Any disruption now would likely result in the complete dissolution of the spectral puppets. Losing them at this critical juncture would mean losing a vital anchor point to the location. Therefore, he was left with no choice but to explore the area in person.

  “Guess it’s time for me to take action,” Victor declared as he rose from his seat, determined to finish this once and for all.

  Lizbeth, who had tirelessly devoted her night to crafting the intricate spell program, suddenly shifted her gaze, her golden eyes fixating on Victor. “What are you going to do? Don’t tell me...”

  “What else? I’m going on an adventure, of course.” He pushed the balcony door open and leaped to the ground, trying to look cool. Even a five-story drop held no danger for an extraordinary human like him, though it did hurt his ankle a bit. I shouldn’t have jumped.

  Unfortunately, he couldn’t risk bringing Lumen along; doing so would compromise the academy’s defenses. If a third-stage Initiate Attunement rank magical beast were to launch an invasion, the players would be ill-equipped to mount a significant defense, even with the contingency plans in place.

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  Thus, he proceeded to saunter into the forest alone.

  ***

  Victor positioned himself near the cave entrance, concealed by the dense undergrowth. It had taken him nearly an hour of cautious travel to arrive at this location. Really, navigating on foot through the forest, with the need to circumvent potential dangers like magical beasts and supernatural anomalies, had proven to be a time-consuming endeavor.

  But at long last…

  Exercising caution, he opted for deploying the spectral puppets to survey the interior of the cave rather than charging in recklessly. Just as he thought, the spectral eyes revealed a cavern teeming with spiders of varying sizes, from tiny thumb-sized arachnids to those as large as a grown man. The cave was chock-full of clusters of white eggs and cocoons adorning every available surface. Not a single spot inside was left untouched by the white sticky stuff.

  Contrary to his initial expectation, the number of spiders was not as overwhelming as he had feared. Maybe the queen spider had brought most of the brood for the invasion, or the rest that remained had scattered into the forest, but there were no more than a hundred of them within the cave. In fact, most of the inhabitants seemed to be young members of the species, relatively smaller in size compared to their adult counterparts.

  [Mission Accomplished!]

  [Congratulations on passing the mission. You have done well in locating the nest of the Lesser Hiveborne Arachnid.]

  [The reward (200 academy points) has been issued.]

  Victor ignored the System notification that temporarily blocked his vision and pressed on with his exploration of the cave to find if there was any treasure or loot hidden.

  “Wait, this…” Nestled in the heart of the cocoon-laden nest was a striking red egg enveloped in intricate layers of spiderweb with dozens of strands extending to the surrounding walls and ceiling. Clearly, this particular spot was the most protected place in the whole nest.

  Whatever was inside seemed to be very precious and high grade. Heck, it might even be another Queen Lesser Hiveborne Arachnid!

  A shiver ran down Victor’s spine. No, I can’t allow this to hatch, or at the very least, I need to find a way to suppress or contain whatever is inside. However, he knew all too well that taking on this many spiders alone, without adequate preparation, would be nothing short of suicidal. Even if there were five of him, the odds of emerging victorious against such a formidable force were slim to none.

  He would have to rely on the players to clear this area since dying was not permanent for them. The problem was that these players were still too weak. So, the only viable solution would be to train them to a level where they could successfully navigate the forest and confront the nest. Or a “dungeon,” in this case.

  This had already been on Victor’s agenda as something he planned to do anyway.

  “Alright. I should make my way out first then,” Victor decided, mentally mapping out the area and noting the faint mana fluctuations emanating from the egg. By the faint mana fluctuation alone, it was still relatively new and likely to hatch within a month’s time. There was still plenty of time to prepare until then.

  With that in mind, Victor swiftly turned on his heels and retreated from the nest. Along his journey back to the safety of the academy, he decided he might as well hunt some magical beasts while he was out here.

  ***

  Victor had some successful kills, which he stored in the kitchen, then returned to his office. Usually, someone would greet his return the moment he opened the door, but there was no such occurrence this time; only the sound of faint typing was heard in the background.

  In one corner, a small holographic screen emitted a soft blue glow and cast a gentle luminescence on the figure of Lizbeth. She fluttered her delicate wings as a miniature hologram keyboard was typing on itself nonstop without her fingers touching it. Lines of code cascaded across the screen, making a display of intricate patterns and symbols. It seemed the spell simulation program was hot in the making.

  The creak of the door and the sound of Victor’s footsteps must have finally drawn her attention away as she turned to face him. Yet, her expression was a mixture of annoyance and exasperation. “You’re back, huh? Just in time for the grand report, I see. You really do have a knack for handing out the most difficult task to someone else, don’t you?”

  “That’s what ‘delegation’ is all about. It’s basically using the resources available around you to their fullest extent.” Victor chuckled, closing the door.

  “What delegation? You dare call unpaid overtime work as a delegation? What audacity!” She huffed, puffing out her cheeks. “So, how’s the search going?”

  “I found the nest…” Victor then went on to recount the whole exhilarating yet dangerous adventure he had just experienced in the Thornwood Forest.

  When he was done, Lizbeth's eyes widened with interest as she remarked, “Ooh, sounds like quite the journey. Just be grateful you weren’t the one coding this program all day long. It’s been a whirlwind of numbers and syntax here!” Her sassy tone was unmistakable yet still playful.

  Victor simply shook his head and approached her, glancing over Lizbeth’s work on the holographic screen. “How’s the program coming along?”

  Lizbeth sighed, her irritation apparently subsiding. “Trying to simulate the intricacies of spell creation is more complex than I thought. But I think I’m making progress. Just a few more tweaks, and we should be ready for the prototype. It should be finished by tomorrow at the latest.”