In A Fantasy World I Can Absorbs Abilities

Chapter 34 Let's Take Up a Side Hustle

Raising his hand, he shattered the barrier guarding the cave like glass.

As the barrier broke, a foul stench seeped out from the cave's depths, causing him to wrinkle his nose.

"I've found the right place," he muttered.

For his beloved grandson, swift action was necessary. Alfred stepped into the cave, the stench growing stronger with each step.

At the cave's end, "she" awaited.

Her long black hair flowed like a waterfall, framing a face of divine beauty. Her pale, ample bosom only added to her ethereal allure.

But the enchantment ended at her navel.

From the waist down, she was a massive spider—a grotesque blend of woman and arachnid.

It was her. The target.

[Who-who are you? How-how did you find this place?]

The creature was visibly startled, sensing a power far beyond that of any human.

Fear radiated from her as she trembled before the undeniable gap in strength.

"It doesn't matter who I am," Alfred replied coldly. "A mere fragment of an Outer God, pretending to be a deity."

[Si-Silence! How dare you call me a fragment? Insolent fool! I will tear you apart myself!]

"Do I look like one of your idiotic priests?" Alfred sneered. "Spare me the theatrics."

[You insolent wretch! I am the great and terrifying goddess of dread!]

Alfred's eyes, which had been gazing at the spider-woman with boredom, suddenly blazed with fury. Those who knew him would have been shocked to see such a strong display of emotion.

"To dare speak the word 'dread' in my presence!" Alfred roared, raising his hand.

Shadowy vines rose from his arm, surging toward the spider-woman. She screamed helplessly, her cries enough to shatter an ordinary human's soul. Yet Alfred stood unaffected.

Was he even human?

The spider-woman, weakened from piercing the material realm, could not resist. The shadowy vines bound her completely.

[Screeech! Who-who are you? How do you wield the power of dread? Are you her descendant? No... That cannot be. She is gone. How does such power still exist in this world?]

Greed flickered in the spider-woman's eyes. If only she could make that power her own...

But as the thought crossed her mind, her world flipped upside down.

[Wh-what is happening?]

The world spun around her, and she found herself looking at her own severed body—a beautiful upper half atop a grotesque spider lower half.

Her thoughts ceased there.

Alfred nudged the rolling head with his foot until it stopped, then approached her main body.

Slashing it open, he extracted its core, a small orb that pulsated faintly with power. A rare smile crossed Alfred's grim face.

"This will suffice to seal 'that thing' and solve Michael's problem," he murmured.

Meanwhile, Leonardo was in chaos.

The connection to his goddess had been severed, and he could feel her presence fading entirely. All that remained was the power she had bestowed upon him—the ability to charm and manipulate others.

But what use was that power if the goddess herself was gone?

Consumed by despair, Leonardo let out a guttural scream of rage.

Hearing his cries, the priests he had personally appointed and empowered came running.

"High Priest! Are you alright?"

Leonardo collapsed into a chair, his movements sluggish and resigned.

"None of this matters anymore," he muttered. "Not those fools outside, not these wretched worshippers. Without her, what's the point of it all?"

He waved dismissively at the priests.

"I'm fine. Leave me."

"But the screams—"

"I said leave!" he bellowed.

The priests exchanged uneasy glances before retreating. Once outside the tower, they shook their heads.

"Same as always," one muttered.

"Shh! Be quiet," another hissed. "Do you want to end up as food?"

The bald priest who had spoken first shivered, recalling the horrors of their sacrifices to the spider entity. People had been torn apart, their bodies devoured, and even their souls consumed.

"Ugh. If I'd known it would be like this, I'd have stuck to being a bandit," he grumbled.

"Shut up! Do you want to get caught?"

The bald priest fell silent but couldn't help thinking about how much things had changed.

Once, they had been carefree bandits. Now, their former comrades danced naked and crazed, invoking a goddess with manic fervor.

Forced to join in the bizarre rituals, he often felt overwhelming shame.

Still, survival demanded that he play along. With a sigh, he trudged toward the base of the castle.

Leonardo paced the tower, biting his nails. His mind was clouded and chaotic.

In his haze, he sensed a faint aura.

"My goddess!"

He was certain it was her. But why was her power so weak? And why outside the cave?

Had she escaped from the forces of Radiance, concealing herself in a weakened state?

Fury boiled within him.

"Damn Radiance!" he spat. "Those meddlesome dogs, always interfering!"

Consumed by anger, he sought out his deputy priest.

After berating the man for his tardiness, Leonardo calmed slightly.

"I have somewhere to go," he announced. "The rest is up to you."

The deputy priest was alarmed.

"High Priest, may I ask where you are going?"

"You may not, fool. Just do as I say."

"But the Blood Quill—"

"You deal with it! I have urgent matters to attend to."

Strapping on his satchel, Leonardo leapt from the castle wall.

The corpse golem waiting below caught him effortlessly.

Perched atop his 3-meter-tall masterpiece, Leonardo pointed decisively.

"Go! To where I sense the goddess's aura."

The deputy priest, also known as Orpheus, a covert priest of Radiance, stood dumbfounded.

This was disastrous.

All the meticulous planning was now on the brink of collapse because that idiot had fled.

"What do I do now?" Orpheus muttered, clutching his head.

Finding and manipulating that dim-witted necromancer into using the Blood Quill had been no small feat.

The plan had gone perfectly—turning bandits into priests, killing Baron Crowley and his family, and transforming the barony's population into fanatics.

With the arrival of Radiance's forces, the fanatics would have been effortlessly defeated.

How was he supposed to explain this debacle when his comrades arrived?