Villain Hiring: Help! Author Wants Me Dead-Chapter 43: Nightmare Fuel?

"Noah! Watch out"

Ma’s voice echoed in my ears, sharp with urgency.

I didn’t think—I moved.

Instinct took over as my body twisted, boots skidding across the damp forest floor.

A shadow whipped past where I had been standing, slicing clean through the air. A second later, something heavy slammed into the ground behind me and the earth cracked.

Too close.

I barely had time to process what had just happened before a clicking sound filled the air. My eyes darted up.

The trees above shifted. Dark figures moved between the branches, limbs scraping against the bark.

Then, one of them dropped.

It landed in front of me with a silent crunch, its weight sinking into the dirt.

The thing was massive—at least seven feet tall, its body covered in thick, black skin. Eight jagged legs bent at unnatural angles, each tipped with razor-sharp claws. Its head twitched, teeth clicking as a thick string of saliva dripped from its fangs.

I stiffened.

A shudder crawled up my spine, cold and unwelcome.

Spiders. Of all things, it had to be spiders.

Grandma did not hesitate. She was already moving, her dagger flashing as she lunged at another one. Her blade sliced cleanly across its leg, black blood splattering against the ground. The creature shrieked, jumping back.

I forced my focus back to the fight.

No time to freeze. No time to think about how utterly disgusting these things were.

One of them lunged at me.

I reacted purely on instinct, pulling my arm back and swinging my fist straight at its head.

My knuckles connected with the hard skin—and pain shot up my arm.

"Ow—shit!"

The impact barely did anything. I might as well have punched a brick wall. The spider didn’t even flinch before its teeth snapped toward me again.

I jumped back, my heart beating too loud.

That wasn’t going to work.

I needed to use my power.

But the only way I knew how…

My hands clenched.

I could wrap the energy around my wrists. Strengthen my blows. Drain the life out of whatever I hit.

It was the only method I had figured out so far.

The pale liquid coiled around my arms in an instant, crackling faintly. My skin tingled, and warmth flooded my muscles.

The spider lunged again. This time, I met it head-on.

My fist crashed into its face, and the effect was immediate.

The energy latched onto the creature, sinking deep. I felt something flow from its body into mine—something raw, something alive.

The spider twitched violently, its shriek cutting off as its movements slowed. Its body stiffened, then convulsed before its legs fell beneath it.

A second later, it hit the ground.

Dead.

I stumbled back, panting.

That worked.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

And I could feel the difference. My muscles buzzed with energy, my limbs lighter, my exhaustion fading.

But the moment of relief didn’t last.

Because another one was already coming.

I turned, raising my arm again—

Something wet hit my forearm.

A hiss followed.

A sharp, burning pain flared across my skin.

I choked out a gasp, stumbling back. My vision blurred for a second as I looked down—

My skin was melting.

The saliva had dripped onto my arm, eating through my sleeve, and bubbling against my flesh.

Oh shit—oh shit oh shit oh shit—

A wave of nausea hit me. My stomach twisted, the smell of my own burning flesh making my throat tighten. I gritted my teeth, trying to suppress the panic bubbling up.

I was not good with stuff like this.

I was really not good with bugs.

And right now, they were everywhere.

The spider in front of me jumped, seeing its chance.

My body moved before my mind could catch up. I ducked, barely avoiding the snapping canines, and lashed out again with my energy-covered fist.

The hit connected. The draining effect kicked in, but something was off.

It wasn’t working as fast as before.

The spider screeched but didn’t drop dead immediately. It flailed, legs thrashing, trying to shake off the draining effect.

I staggered back, panting.

That wasn’t good.

Did it mean my power wasn’t just an instant kill? Maybe it worked better on weaker enemies, but stronger ones could resist?

I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

Ma was still fighting off another, and more were dropping from the trees.

I needed to try something else.

I glanced at my hands, at the pale blue liquid still dripping around my wrists.

If I could coat my fists with it… could I do more?

What if—

I spread my fingers, trying to push the energy out instead of keeping it locked around my arms.

The mist wavered, flickering uncertainly.

Then, it extended—barely.

Thin, slimy tendrils stretched from my fingertips before flickering out of existence.

Not enough.

I tried again, forcing more of my will into it.

The tendrils grew longer this time, reaching forward—

One of them brushed against the spider’s leg.

And latched on.

My breath caught.

The moment it made contact, I felt it. The same pull, the same draining sensation, but this time—

I didn’t need to punch.

The energy was pulling straight through the tendril.

The spider convulsed.

Its movements grew sluggish, its body trembling as its strength drained faster than before.

It worked.

This—this was better.

I clenched my fist, willing the tendrils to tighten. The spider shrieked one last time before collapsing, its body shrivelling inward.

I exhaled sharply.

This was it.

This was how my power could really be used.

Not just through physical hits.

I could pull energy from a distance. I could attack without even touching.

heheehe

I could get stronger much faster.

The realization sent a rush through me, a mix of excitement and unease.

But I couldn’t stop now.

Another spider lunged.

This time, I met it with an outstretched hand.

The tendrils snapped forward slowly, wrapping around its limbs as it almost reached me.

I pulled.

The energy rushed into me, faster than before. The creature shrieked, its movements slowing, then ceasing entirely as its body crumbled.

Sylvie Grandma’s voice snapped me out of it.

"Noah! We need to move!"

She was right.

Even with my new trick, we were outnumbered. More spiders kept coming, their movements a blur between the trees.

I turned, running after her. My body felt alive, stronger than before, but my mind was racing.

I had learned something new.

But I had also learned something dangerous.

If I drained too much of whatever energy I was absorbing from them, then what would happen to me?

And what if I couldn’t stop?

The thought gnawed at me even as we ran.

But I didn’t have time for hesitation.

As we broke through the trees into a clearing, something massive dropped in front of us.

The ground shook.

A towering shadow loomed, twice the size of the others, its gleaming exoskeleton covered in jagged spikes.

Its deep, guttural clicking sent a chill straight through my bones.

Damien let out a low whistle.

"Welp. Looks like you just met the real nightmare fuel."

***

A/N:

Limited Time Offer:

Every 1500 coins worth gift = 1 Bonus Chapter.

Every 5000 coins worth gift = 3 Bonus Chapters.