The Owner of the Cave
The rain that had poured all night finally stopped at dawn. I had worried that the cave might flood if things went south, but thankfully, it hadn't rained quite that hard.
The dying campfire had consumed the last of its firewood before I knew it. Thinking I should keep it going a bit longer, I gathered more branches. Seeing a thick one half-buried, I yanked it free, causing a crude mound of dirt to collapse. Buried beneath the fallen earth was something I hadn't noticed before. My brow furrowed instantly.
"Tsk. Of course. No way a cave this good would be completely empty."
Hidden beneath the dirt was a pile of bones. Most of them were old, and it certainly wasn't an amount that could have accumulated overnight. It seemed this cave already had an owner. A certain monster naturally came to mind, but I quickly shook my head. The cave was far too narrow for that giant to squeeze into. It was more reasonable to assume something else lived here. Seeing quite a few thick, large bone fragments in the pile, I figured any fight with the resident wouldn't be easy.
Should we leave right now? No, that was too hasty.
It's too early to set off immediately.
Sirien had only just fallen asleep. If I woke her now, she would suffer from exhaustion all day. Besides, it was still pitch-black outside. I had no desire to trade blows with nocturnal beasts in a place where I couldn't see a thing. If my sword got stuck in a tree mid-swing, I'd be dead meat. Navigating this treacherous forest in the dark was practically suicide. In contrast, the threat inside this cave was still uncertain. I didn't know why the owner had left its den empty, but I could only hope it was out hunting. As long as it didn't return before we left, we'd be fine. We just needed to borrow the place until sunrise.
In the end, nothing happened until dawn arrived. But conversely, that meant something did happen just as the sun rose and it was time for us to leave.
Clang! I deflected a sharp foreleg with my sword. A crisp, metallic ring echoed through the air, tossing my hair slightly.
My sword clashed against its body, yet it sounded like metal on metal. That means its exoskeleton is ridiculously hard.
My current opponent looked remarkably like a spider. Judging by the way it scurried around on its eight legs, it didn't seem to be the type to hunt with webs. Instead, it likely relied on the sheer strength of its legs and jaws to overpower its prey. If that was the case, those fangs might carry a deadly venom. I had to make sure I didn't get bitten.
It didn't seem like too difficult a task. The enemies I faced in this place always possessed weapons capable of killing me in a single blow. "Get bitten and die" or "get hit and die" was nothing new. After all, the same applied when fighting humans—you die if you get stabbed. I had actually come close to dying not too long ago. No, considering that was a stroke of luck, it wouldn't be wrong to say I had technically died once already if we were talking sheer skill. At any rate, the spider's primary attack pattern was slamming its two forelegs downward. Given its anatomy, it didn't have many other options, and this alone packed more than enough destructive power.
"Still, this is a bit underwhelming."
I wasn't weak enough to fall for such a simple attack. It looked like this would be an easy victory. Of course, I wasn't being arrogant. Objectively speaking, this spider simply paled in comparison to the monsters I had fought in the past. Plus, I had grown stronger in the meantime.
The spider's exoskeleton was hard, but it wasn't thick. A deliberate thrust pierced right through it, and a heavy strike with my pommel shattered it effortlessly. I even considered half-soothing—gripping the blade to beat it with the crossguard like a warhammer. The only reason I didn't was my lack of proficiency. It wasn't that I'd never done it before, but back then, I had been wearing gauntlets. I couldn't guarantee I wouldn't cut my own hands gripping the bare, sharp steel. If I messed up, the self-inflicted wounds from swinging my own sword would probably be worse than anything the spider could do to me.
Actually, I don't think this guy has anything to do with the cave. Did we just have bad luck running into it?
Some of the bone fragments I had seen inside the cave belonged to prey far too formidable for a creature of this caliber to hunt. The giant spider continued to attack with its hard, sharp forelegs, relying on its superior mass. Every time its legs slammed down, craters gouged into the earth. But that was the extent of its threat. I had remained cautious, wary of it spitting venom, but there was no longer any need. If it could spit venom, it would have done so long ago—before its forelegs started getting chopped off.
I unleashed a wide horizontal slash. My blade caught the pale blue of the early morning sky, leaving a light blue afterimage in its wake.
—Screeech! Screee!
One of its eight legs was cleanly severed. My persistent efforts to shatter its exoskeleton had paid off. The cracks I had left while deflecting its forelegs finally bore fruit. The other foreleg wasn't in any better shape. The left leg had simply been first; severing the right one was only a matter of time. A bizarre, agonized shriek tore from the spider. Its remaining legs twitched and flailed restlessly. Its cluster of eyes darted frantically, scanning the surroundings. It seemed to have given up on focusing entirely on me. It no longer viewed me as prey.
Is it trying to run away?
It looked ready to bolt the moment an opening presented itself. That wouldn't do. Who knew if this spider would hold a grudge? I wasn't sure if it was just an overgrown insect or a spider-type magical beast. The crucial detail was that some magical beasts were known to seek "vengeance." Whatever it was, killing it here was the only way to prevent future trouble. After all, corpses don't seek revenge.
In a desperate frenzy, the spider flailed its sole remaining foreleg. It looked like a panicked novice swinging a sword wildly for the first time. While chaotic thrashing was effective at temporarily keeping me at bay—since even I wasn't foolish enough to casually walk into a blender—large, wild movements were inherently predictable. A weapon swung in blind panic leaves no room for a follow-up. Waiting for the perfect opening, I struck. A clean flash of sword light seized the split second. Bluish blood splattered onto the ground as the massive leg fell limply. The creature was now completely disarmed. With its anatomy, its only remaining option was a desperate body slam.
Its massive body slowly retreated. I stepped forward in perfect sync, keeping the distance between us exactly the same. I was forcing a choice. Would it fight on despite losing its legs, or would it turn and run? Not that I had any intention of letting it live either way.
Screeech, scrape. I lightly dragged the tip of my sword against the ground. The beast flinched. Its decision was to flee.
"Yeah. That's much wiser."
It made things easier for both of us. I didn't miss the moment it turned its back. I plunged my blade deep into its body and dragged it downward, carving a massive gash. Blood erupted, and its innards spilled out. Not wanting to get spider blood on my clothes, I sidestepped the mess and leaped onto its back. From then on, it was a one-sided slaughter. Balancing atop the bucking beast like a cowboy in a Western film, I hacked away.
Thud! Thud! The thrashing beast slammed itself against trees and rocky cliffs. The massive trees shook violently, but their deep roots kept them standing. The spider's hard exoskeleton was relatively soft on its back. In the end, its frantic struggle lasted less than three minutes. My sword finally pierced through its neck and head, severing its life thread. Its body went limp. To make absolutely sure, I twisted the blade deeper into its neck. Only when the creature stopped twitching entirely did I sheathe my sword.
Sirien peeked out from a distance. Now that the commotion had died down, she seemed to have come out to check on me. Our eyes met purely by chance.
"Rajen! Is it over?"
"Yeah. You can come out now."
"Good job. I pulled out some jerky, do you want some?"
"Sure. Working up a sweat made me hungry. Give me a few pieces."
The fresh meat we had hunted was finished yesterday, so we had to rely on our preserved rations. As expected, the jerky was tough and salty. While we weren't eating it for the taste, my tongue still protested.
"How much jerky do we have left?"
"Not much. We need to ration it."
"Guess I'll stop after this, then."
My gaze drifted toward the spider's carcass. Technically speaking, meat was meat. Weren't there countries in the modern world where people ate spiders? Still, I couldn't bring myself to try it.
"It's a shame it's a spider. It feels a bit too gross to eat. Should we just leave it?"
"Eww! You're going to eat that? No way. I could never eat something like that, no matter how hungry I am."
"I won't make you. Besides, I'm not confident I can tell where the venom glands are, so it's a no-go."
"Mmhmm."
We spent some time quietly chewing on our jerky. Just as we were packing up our bags, a massive thudding sound echoed from the distance.
"Sirien, get back inside!"
"Y-yes...!"
It was massive. The tremors shaking the ground were ominous. Judging by the rapidly intensifying vibrations and noise, it was heading straight for us without a doubt. It was still hidden behind the dense trees. I gripped my sword once more and took a deep breath. Soon, the creature burst through the foliage.
—KIIAAAAAAAH!
The moment I saw the creature, its purpose became glaringly obvious. It looked exactly like a fully grown version of the spider I had just killed. The sorrow of a parent losing its child crashed down upon us.