How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game

Count Uldemir, having received a brief but grim explanation from Karl, immediately dispatched the remaining members of the 3rd Squad to the site.

Karl’s expression had been serious enough that he acted without hesitation.

Karl and Henry were riding alongside them now, caught up in the mobilization.

'Goddammit. Why does shit pop off everywhere I go...'

Scowling, Karl spurred his horse and sank into thought.

The red cocoon.

The moment he heard that phrase, only one thing came to mind.

One of the most difficult enemies he’d ever faced while playing the game as a warrior class—an upper-tier magical beast.

The Spider Queen, Kainbella.

He never imagined that thing would be hiding somewhere in this archipelago.

It was absurdly strong on its own, but what made it truly horrifying was the massive swarm it commanded.

The red cocoon was one of the worst-case outcomes that could result from that monster.

A spider blessed by the queen would undergo long-term growth and evolution within the cocoon—until it emerged as an elite warrior of the swarm.

If the cocoon had already turned red, that meant the evolution was complete.

If anyone touched it, they’d be waking the monster early. And there was no way the forces he’d seen earlier could handle it. All he could picture was total annihilation.

It had been a long time since Karl had felt this kind of bone-deep danger.

And that’s exactly why he chose to risk himself by joining the dispatched forces headed for the site.

He had to see it with his own eyes.

What kind of monster had been born from that cocoon?

'If it’s a commander-class unit, then it’s over.'

The cocoon was massive. At the very least, that confirmed it was a high-ranking spawn.

If it turned out to be a weaker variant, maybe there’d be a chance.

If the thing was in the level 50 range, no matter how tough it was, they could probably find a way to deal with it.

But if the cocoon had produced a level 60+ commander-class spider—the highest of the elite...

“...I hear something ahead!”

A scout leading the group suddenly shouted.

Sure enough, they all began to hear it.

A deep rumble shaking the earth, an eerie shriek with no clear source, and underneath it all—the unmistakable sound of human screams.

As they closed the distance, the scene came into view.

A massive spider was already visible from far away, and someone gasped at the sight.

“What in the hell...?!”

Rail’s squad and the prisoners were being absolutely massacred.

Karl’s eyes fixed on the rampaging spider, and a familiar window of information flashed into his mind.

[Lv.60]

[Commander of the Kainbella Swarm]

“......”

A commander-class spider.

The worst-case scenario he’d considered—had come true.

The moment he saw the level, Karl made his decision instantly.

'That thing is impossible to fight.'

Not level 50. Level 60.

The difference between the first digit changing is incomparable to a few digits on the back end.

Taking down that monster with their current strength was practically suicide.

“Everyone, full speed! We’re going to assist them!”

The rest of the squad—unaware of what they were truly facing—whipped their reins and charged forward.

No, even if they had known, they probably wouldn’t have turned back.

Not with their comrades dying right in front of them.

They were 3rd Squad under Rail, after all.

Which is why Karl couldn’t stop them. He could only stare helplessly at their retreating backs.

“Hmph...”

Only Karl and Henry remained calm.

Henry, letting out a faint sigh beside him, turned to look at Karl.

He, too, had sensed that the monster ahead was not something they could handle.

“......”

Karl sank into deep thought.

His mind rocked back and forth, like a scale struggling to balance.

It should’ve been a simple decision. Even if he stepped in, all that would come of it was more pointless deaths to that absurd monster.

The most logical choice was to turn around now and destroy the bridge connecting to the central island.

“...Fuck.”

Whinny!

But Karl couldn’t bring himself to turn back.

He bit his lip and drove his horse forward, heading straight toward the chaos.

If he hadn’t come this far, maybe he could’ve ignored it.

But seeing all those people dying right in front of him—he couldn’t look away.

The sky was cloudy. Fitting.

As the rain began to fall, Karl pulled his robe’s hood over his head and calculated his odds.

'Will it work...?'

Calling Thunder. A 4-circle forbidden spell.

But its power rivaled that of top-tier 5-circle kill spells.

Alongside Ray Buster, it was one of Karl’s strongest offensive spells.

And with the bonus from the Arzakh-style ancient circling, his lightning magic gained an additional 75% damage boost.

Even if that wasn’t quite enough, it would push the spell’s output near 6-circle territory. At least, that was his guess.

Fwoosh!

Once he’d gotten close enough, Karl jumped off his horse.

Activating Magic Booster, he surged ahead, passing the knights who’d ridden ahead.

They looked up, stunned, as Karl flew past them through the air.

He landed just a bit away from the creature, keeping his distance.

The spider didn’t even glance his way.

It was still focused entirely on Rail’s squad and the prisoners.

'Doesn’t even see me as a threat. Doesn’t care how many humans show up.'

That was why now was his only chance.

Karl didn’t hesitate—he cast the spell.

The force of his mana burst out through his magic circles.

It was nothing like when he’d fought the chimera.

His level had risen significantly since then—both his casting speed and raw power were leagues beyond what they had been.

Rrrrrumble...

Electricity crackled through the dark clouds overhead.

Far ahead, Karl saw Rail bounce off the ground after being struck by one of the spider’s legs.

The monster began slowly lumbering toward her, like a predator savoring its trapped prey.

Now.

KRAAA-KOOM!!

A blinding bolt of lightning ripped through the air and slammed straight into the spider commander’s body.

The earth exploded beneath it, scattering debris in all directions.

Smoke began to rise, acrid and black.

The spider stood frozen in place, its blood-red carapace now scorched black.

“......”

Rail. The squad members. The prisoners. Even the knights who had just arrived.

Everyone stopped moving and stared in a stunned daze.

The horrific battle of moments ago felt like a lie in the sudden silence.

The spider commander didn’t move—completely still, like it had been killed on the spot.

“...Ah.”

Karl, still glaring at the monster, let out a short sigh.

Its legs twitched.

People nearby screamed and scrambled backward.

Of course it wasn’t over in one hit.

Still—it had taken a real hit. It was staggering slightly.

Karl immediately began casting again.

He’d already queued the next spell without pause.

Thunder rumbled once more as a second bolt of lightning tore through the sky.

KRAAA-KOOM!!

It struck true—but Karl’s face tightened.

A dark red aura had begun to ripple around the spider’s body.

It was surrounded by a writhing, crimson shell.

Karl muttered without meaning to.

“Fuck... Blood Armor?”

It just had to be that ability?

Magical beasts each possessed unique abilities.

Not every spider in the Queen’s swarm had one, but commander-class units inherited powers directly from the queen.

And one of those powers was Blood Armor.

In the game, it had tripled the user’s physical and magical defenses. An absolutely busted defense buff.

The second lightning strike had done nothing to it.

The creature’s scorched carapace had already begun to regain its blood-red sheen. The damage it had taken was almost fully recovered.

Ssshhh!

The monster turned its head toward Karl, its violet eyes locking onto him. Then it crouched low, legs coiling beneath its body.

Karl immediately recognized the stance—

it was preparing to leap.

He hastily activated Magic Booster and launched himself to the side.

KRAAANG!!

A thunderous impact shattered the ground where he’d just been standing, as if a quake had struck.

'What the hell...'

Karl stared at the monster in shock. That kind of size shouldn’t move like that.

But then—his eyes widened.

The thing had opened its maw and was facing him directly.

A split second later, a blast of pale-white fluid shot out—like a high-pressure cannon. Webbing.

Karl raised a magic shield just in time, but the web clung to it like glue and started yanking it forward.

Fwoooosh!!

He quickly cast fire magic and burned it all away.

By the time he freed himself, the spider commander had already coiled its legs again.

Preparing to leap.

'Shit...'

Just then—

A sword flew in from somewhere and struck the creature’s head.

CLANG!

It bounced off harmlessly, doing no damage at all—but it got its attention.

It had been Henry who threw it.

“Recover your mana!” he shouted at Karl. “We’ll hold it off in the meantime!”

He and the knights charged forward, heading straight for the spider commander.

The surviving members of Rail’s squad regrouped and joined in as well.

Of course, it didn’t change anything.

In fact, the situation was worse now.

The spider had fully recovered and was now wrapped in its Blood Armor.

“Haah...”

Karl watched the scene with a hollow sigh.

If Calling Thunder hadn’t worked, then nothing else he had could ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) deal damage either.

There was no way to stop it now.

In the game, when you faced a commander-class spider with Blood Armor, there was only one strategy:

Dodge, stall, and wait until its ability wore off.

But in this situation, they couldn’t even stall. They didn’t have the means. Or the time.

One by one, people were dying.

Torn apart, swallowed whole.

At this rate, they’d be wiped out in minutes.

'There’s no way to deal damage from the outside...'

And hitting it from the inside wasn’t an option either.

It’s not like he could let himself be eaten and then cast magic from the creature’s stomach.

“......!!”

That’s when it hit him.

A single possibility.

A spell he’d completely forgotten.

He’d unlocked it back when he first reached 3rd Circle, but hadn’t touched it since.

It wasn’t practical, guzzled mana like crazy, and worst of all—it was just gross.

He’d tested it once out of curiosity, then never used it again.

Karl’s eyes swept sharply across the battlefield—

specifically, the prisoners panicking between the knights.

[Lv.51]

[Illegal Slaver, Prisoner of Lugesium]

Biden was cursing nonstop in his head as he tried to assess the situation.

'Shit, shit...'

That spider couldn’t be killed.

At this rate, they were all doomed.

He’d pretended to fight just enough to avoid suspicion, but he couldn’t keep that up.

The moment things got worse, he was gone.

“What are you doing?!”

A nearby knight shouted at him.

“Stop standing around and get in close! If we die, you’re next anyway—”

Squelch!

The knight’s head flew off.

Biden calmly lowered his sword and grinned.

“Barking mutt.”

The nearby knights and prisoners froze.

“You bastard! What the hell are you—?!”

Before the knight could reach for his poison activator, Biden twisted away.

Sure, if he survived and returned to Lugesium alone, the punishment would be unimaginable.

But better that than dying here and now.

'If I can just make it to the bridge—'

THWACK!

Something struck his leg from the side, punching straight through it.

His body tilted violently.

“...Huh?”

When he looked up, an ice spear came flying toward his face.

He couldn’t dodge.

It pierced his skull cleanly, killing him instantly.

Fwoosh!

Karl used Force to yank Biden’s corpse toward him.

He pulled out a mana potion from his inventory and drank it in one gulp.

<Dead Blast – 3rd Circle, Forbidden>

Triggers a detonation using the remaining life force of a corpse.

The higher the target’s level, the more mana it consumes and the greater the explosion’s power.

The more intact and recently deceased the body, the more potent the effect.

Explosion occurs 10 seconds after casting.

Dead Blast.

A type of enchantment spell that turns a corpse into a bomb.

The moment Karl cast it on Biden’s body, he felt his mana drain as hard as it had when using Calling Thunder.

“Didn’t think I’d go this far, even with a prisoner...”

Was it even going to work?

He had no other options now.

Karl stared at the spider commander with visible unease.

Crackle!!

He zapped the monster with a bolt of lightning to get its attention.

Once it turned toward him, Karl floated Biden’s corpse into the air—

then hurled it directly at the monster’s mouth.

CHOMP!

The creature snatched the body midair and crunched down, chewing and swallowing it whole.

Karl just stood and waited.

A freshly killed, level 51 body.

Even with its ridiculous defenses, there was no way the creature’s stomach was shielded.

And the spell’s power scaled with the target’s level...

BOOOOM!!

A massive explosion from within.

With a muffled blast, the spider’s body suddenly lurched violently.

ScreeeeEEECH!!

It let out a shrill scream and flipped over, flailing its legs wildly in the air.

From its shredded mouth, blood, fluid, and viscera poured out in torrents.

The surrounding knights could only stare in stunned silence.

Krrrk...

The creature thrashed for a while—then began to slow.

And then—it stopped moving completely.

Karl watched it for a moment, then muttered,

“Huh. That actually worked.”

Stupid bastard swallowed it without a second thought.

In any case—they’d finally taken it down.

This time, Karl was sure it was dead.

Because a message had just popped up in his mind.

[Your level has increased.]

He silently offered a brief word of thanks.

To the nameless bald prisoner who had given his body for the win.