As time passed, the dark green spider grew weaker and weaker. It no longer had the strength to scream, and the mucus covering its body had been completely consumed in its previous acid barrage. The soul of the lunatic believer burned closer to exhaustion, their fragmented faces shattering into nothingness. At this stage, Punk could already declare his victory.
But no matter how weak an enemy became, Punk never allowed himself even the slightest carelessness. He understood that alchemical creations often carried the means to self-destruct. Until he confirmed the dark green spider's complete death—until it was utterly incapable of threatening him—he would remain vigilant.
The spider's collapse accelerated. Chunks of its flesh dripped from its body, its eight eyes dimming to lifeless orbs. Punk knew its end had finally arrived. But he wouldn't allow it even the chance for a desperate final attack.
"Pathetic insect, is this the 'power' you boasted about? You didn't even last two minutes."
Punk gazed down at the convulsing spider with disdain, offering the believers one last mockery.
Yet their souls were already on the verge of annihilation. Their lingering remnants lacked the strength to even comprehend his words.
"Trash."
Punk shook his head. To him, the fate of these ignorant fools had been sealed from the moment they set foot on this path. There was never any other possibility.
"It's time to end this farce."
He began casting a powerful containment spell:
Official-Level Conjuration—Energy Cage: Generates a high-strength energy barrier, enclosing a target within a 20-cubic-meter space.
Punk's mental force locked onto the ground beneath the dark green spider. Then, with a precise release of mana, the Energy Cage spell took shape.
A pale-white barrier, inscribed with glowing golden runes, enveloped the spider entirely. Punk was confident—this cage was unbreakable to a creature in such a feeble state. Even if it self-destructed, its dying struggle would be futile.
And so, the terrifying monster that had once heralded slaughter and death perished in complete silence, unable to so much as scream.
Only after unleashing three successive "Kinetic Bursts" did Punk confirm its complete death. He exhaled slightly. If the enemy's leader had coordinated with the spider—leveraging it as a relentless, disposable weapon—the battle could have turned against him. Fortunately, that never happened.
Now, with the dark green spider eliminated, Punk advanced toward the iron gate. He knew the enemy lurked beyond it. Though divination magic couldn't provide precise details, his instincts told him everything of importance lay within.
Golem One had suffered significant damage, but repairing it here, in enemy territory, was out of the question.
"How annoying."
Punk frowned. "The priority now is finding out what's behind that door—not wasting time resting."
Upon reaching the iron gate, an unusual detail caught his eye. There were no defensive or alarm enchantments on its surface. Instead, the surrounding walls were engraved with five or six anti-interference arrays. These formations prevented both magic and sound from passing through.
Now Punk understood why his battle outside had gone unnoticed. It wasn't just the effect of the Silent Domain—the iron gate itself had been enchanted to block all disturbances.
But that led to another question: Why was the enemy so desperate to avoid interruptions? Even at the cost of weakening their security, they had prioritized complete isolation.
Since he remained undetected, Punk took his time inspecting the gate.
Faint flashes of magical light betrayed hidden enchantments woven into the iron. The core structure and energy conduits were deeply embedded, making them nearly impossible to dismantle without triggering a surge of magical energy. With Punk's current knowledge of spell formations, breaking through silently was out of the question.
Yet, despite investing so much in secrecy, the enemy had relied only on a handful of weak zealots and a single mutated spider as their external guards. There wasn't even a proper alarm system.
"Wait…"
A realization struck him. Guards don't have to be magical constructs. In some ways, living sentries are even more effective. They can provide resistance, however feeble, while also serving as an early warning system.
In other words, these lunatic believers weren't just mindless cannon fodder. They were watchdogs. Even if they weren't strong, their transformation into the dark green spider was enough to make noise—enough to alert their master.
Had the spider abandoned the fight and focused on causing a disturbance, Punk would have struggled to stop it. Given how reckless these zealots were, it was likely their master believed they would be "foolproof" sentinels.
But the enemy had overlooked one fatal flaw:
Their watchdog was brain-dead.
Punk was certain the enemy had never expected their minions to be so utterly moronic—to throw themselves into battle at his provocation, entirely forgetting their duty to raise an alarm.
"Poor fool. Evil, chaotic lunatics are the most unreliable subordinates. When will these so-called 'villains' ever learn?"
Punk scoffed, amused at how easily his enemies had sabotaged themselves. With that, he leaned against the cave wall, retrieving a bottle of juice and some bread from his bag. The air was thick with the lingering stench of battle, but hunger took priority.
He pulled the wooden stopper from the bottle and took a sip.
"Not bad… Nialan juice always has a unique taste."
After finishing his meal, he restored his mana, ensuring he was at peak condition. Yet, even fully prepared, he couldn't shake the sense of looming danger beyond that iron gate.
"But after coming this far, there's no turning back."
Punk discarded the empty bottle and strode forward. Golem One, though damaged, remained close behind, its movements precise and mechanical.
"Well then… let's see what kind of bastard is waiting for me behind this door."