Yuri's True Battle
Yuri. True battle.
“Hmm?”
“A spider?”
While moving cautiously with a wall to one side, wary of our surroundings, what suddenly popped out in front of us was a medium-sized dog-like spider covered entirely in pure white fur.
“Chiiik! Chiiiiik!”
“It’s a monster-nyang! Everyone, stick behind me-nyang!”
“...Is that a monster?”
“It looks pretty pathetic.”
Eight sparkling emerald-colored eyes and four pairs of thick legs clustered together. The pure white fur covering its entire body was puffed up, perhaps due to wariness. If compared to a real-world spider, it resembled a jumping spider. In other words, it was quite cute. Cute enough that one would want to catch it and raise it.
“Chiiik, chiiik!”
Between the soft-looking white fur, a black jaw was visible, clutching something that looked like the lizard the contractor had eaten before. Somehow, it seemed our party had interrupted this friend’s mealtime. So that was why it was angry enough to puff up its fur?
Even when it’s angry, it’s cute.
The hissing sound reminded me of a cat spitting.
However, no matter how cute and adorable the opponent was, one shouldn’t let their guard down. This was a dungeon. An unknown space that couldn’t be judged by real-world common sense. One must never lower their guard based on appearance alone.
Staring at the front legs that waved softly as if tempting to be caught, I asked Sion for information on the creature.
“Thief. Is that thing dangerous?”
If so, it would be used as a test subject for the fear vaccine clinical trial.
As I was unconsciously touching my chest, Sion opened her mouth with a serious expression.
“That guy’s name is Rabbit Spider....”
Rabbit spider. Indeed, the white front legs it held up threateningly did resemble rabbit ears.
“It’s the strongest predator on the tenth floor of the White Zone, capable of jumping more than three times its body size-nyang!”
“Oh.”
“....”
The strongest in the White Zone. Now I understood why the White Zone was called a safe zone.
But. Hadn’t they said monsters didn’t appear in the White Zone?
As if to resolve the question, Sion’s explanation continued.
“That guy is originally a native magical creature of the White Zone called the White Jumping Spider-nyang. Its current appearance is a mutated form after eating the corpse of a monster that flowed in from the entrance of the Green Zone-nyang!”
“I see.”
The White Zone was originally a safe zone where monsters didn’t spawn naturally, but the place we were currently in was the boundary area between the White Zone and the Green Zone. Probably due to the special nature of such border regions, monsters were appearing even in the safe zone.
“But don’t worry-nyang! The Rabbit Spider is only 0.5 tier, one of the weakest among monsters-nyang!”
“That’s a relief.”
“It did look like the weakest.”
“Chiiiiik!”
As if understanding our words, the Rabbit Spider expressed its anger by raising and lowering its front legs.
“Hmm.”
“Hmm.”
At that threatening display, both my and the contractor’s gazes went completely cold.
It really was pathetic.
The contractor, who had been observing the Rabbit Spider hopping excitedly in place, suddenly asked Sion.
“Sion, by the way. Does something like that drop a maseok?”
“...!”
I couldn’t help but admire the dry gaze that measured material value from living beings. As expected of my contractor, known as the devil of materialism. What greed.
“It might drop one, or it might not-nyang! And even if it does, most of the ones that became monsters through mutation from magical creatures have maseok of pretty poor quality-nyang!”
Fifty percent chance, and even then it was trash maseok.
“Just a useless guy then.”
“Seems so. We can just pass by.”
“Chiiik?”
As if sensing the hostility from us had disappeared, the Rabbit Spider waved its front legs left and right, expressing confusion.
It was such a cute gesture that it made me want to catch it and make it a pet spider.
Can you stop tempting me? If you don’t want to be kidnapped.
“Chiiik!?”
Hop!
As if sensing something in that moment, the Rabbit Spider jumped backward, creating distance from me.
Was the title of strongest in the White Zone not for show? Its crisis detection ability was extraordinary.
“Even though it’s a guy with no particular use even if we catch it, we can’t just leave it alone-nyang. That guy is designated as a harmful creature that disrupts the White Zone ecosystem. We have to catch and crush every one we see-nyang!”
“...I see.”
“A White Zone ecosystem disruptor, huh.”
Just how much did this city care about the ecosystem inside the dungeon.......
As expected of a dungeon city?
Anyway, in the end, we had to dispose of that cute friend?
“Then I’ll take care of that guy....”
“Wait a moment.”
—Flutter!
In that instant, a black robe fluttered in the air and a white, slender arm appeared between the flowing sleeves. What was firmly gripped at the end was a short club that seemed capable of splitting a skull in one good swing.
“...?”
The contractor, Yuri, suddenly raised one arm and stopped me as I was about to conduct a fear vaccine clinical trial on our spider friend.
Why? Had she developed sympathy in the meantime?
“Contractor?”
“Raven.”
With a serious voice calling my name, she slowly turned her head. In her coldly sunken black pupils was determination. On her shadowed face was etched a firm resolve.
No way.
“I know I may have only shown insufficient sides until now, so you might not trust me, but.....”
Please.
“Could you leave this one to me this time?”
Her small mouth opened, hesitating and faltering, but finally forming the resolve into words. And from the gaps in her frail will, small fragments of dark, damp emotion leaked out.
Ah.
The addictively sweet scent and taste that had been lingering around my mouth since this morning.
I now understood what it was.
Fear is your origin.
MP: 31,622,213
MP: 31,622,220
MP: 31,622,280
MP: 31,622,300
It was felt. The hesitation born of fear and the instinctive avoidance born of terror. Nevertheless, the frail will trying to step forward using that fear as support.
Ah.
Just how sweet this fear was?
Gulp.
Every time I breathed in, the addictive scent tormented my taste buds and burned my head white. My entire body creaked from a new kind of pleasure I hadn’t felt in decades.
Just by lightly tasting the faintly leaking fear, it was this ecstatic. If I chewed and swallowed the source itself. If I took in the sight of it writhing in pain and screaming. Just how... thrilling would that be?
Kyu.
-Click.
But now was not the time for such unproductive thoughts. As a senior in life, it was time to cheer on the child trying to take a step forward.
Ugh. She’s so adorable it’s driving me crazy.
Kyu kyu!
What? You think so too, Kkachi?
Then let’s cheer on the contractor’s first adventure together.
Lightly shaking my head to clear away the idle thoughts, I spoke to the contractor who was looking down with a dark expression, perhaps from tension.
“I’ll trust you and wait. Go ahead and rampage to your heart’s content!”
I’ll be watching from behind.
“Ah.”
The contractor slowly raised her head to look at me. The darkness that had shadowed her face lifted, and light filled her black eyes. On her previously expressionless face bloomed a confident smile fitting her age.
“Yes...!”
“Oh! The newbie adventurer is stepping up-nyang!”
“I don’t want to be a burden to the party.”
Step.
Saying so, the contractor began to slowly walk toward the Rabbit Spider.
The Rabbit Spider quietly watched her, then suddenly raised two legs into the air and let out a cry.
A show of dominance? Not bad for a beast.
“Chiiik... Chiiiiik!!!”
“Come at me.”
Waving. Waving.
However, not yielding to the Rabbit Spider’s momentum, the contractor instead extended her club and provoked it.
“Chiiik.”
Stimulated by that, the Rabbit Spider, which had maintained a defensive posture the whole time, changed its demeanor.
“Something, something’s about to start-nyang!”
“....”
The air sank. Eight simple eyes met two eyes. The four pairs of legs curled as if ready to leap at any moment, and one pair bent low.
A brief silence.
And then.
“Chiiiiik!!!”
“...!”
A small but great battle had begun.
***
The one who stepped forward first was the Rabbit Spider. Because it was now a hunter, no longer prey. Even if it died fighting, it had no intention of being hunted obediently like its stupid kin!
“Chiiiiik!!!”
Releasing the sorrow and resentment it had accumulated until now, it strongly bent its four pairs of legs.
Thud!
Finally, the four pairs of legs that had been compressed to their limit suddenly extended, shooting forward like a spring with strong repulsive force.
—Shooook!
Instinctively folding its four pairs of legs back to reduce air resistance. Cool wind seeped between the white fur.
The target that had approached in an instant. All that remained was to grab the prey with its strong front legs, sink its jaws into the soft flesh, and inject digestive fluid.
But at that moment.
The survival instinct that had kept it alive until now began to sound the alarm.
Above?
—Shiiiiik!
Its proud fur detected an abnormal flow of air. It hurriedly tried to change its path, but it was a little too late. Had it let its guard down too much because its body was stronger than before? The price of carelessness was quite heavy.
“Hiyaaat!!!”
Thud-!
With a spirited shout full of a small life’s killing intent, a strong impact was felt from its cephalothorax.
“Chiiik!!!”
Its body was slammed hard into the ground, then bounced back up, floating for a moment.
In the slowly flowing time, the eight emerald simple eyes filled with rage reflected a small figure. The black cloth and hair floating toward the sky, clenched teeth. The two hands gripping the club so hard that veins bulged had their skin peeled from the strong impact, blood flowing.
The hands trembling finely from pain, but there was no more hesitation in the black pupils. Because the adult who believed in her for the first time was behind her. It was simply shining black with the pure child’s desire to show results and receive praise, and the anticipation for the slaughter she was committing for the first time.
Thud.
Then, as if losing strength in her hands, the club slowly slipped from Yuri’s grip.
Seeing that, doubt and joy rose simultaneously in the Rabbit Spider.
Now it was its turn.
No, it was supposed to be.
Swoooosh!
“Chiiiiiiiiik!!!”
Along with pain that made its anus clench involuntarily, suddenly darkness came to one of its eight simple eyes. Due to the pain as if its nerve ganglion was burning, its reason disappeared. What remained for the Rabbit Spider was seven simple eyes reduced from eight, and the beast’s instinct engraved at the genetic level.
Killing intent surged rapidly. It wanted to tear apart the thing that gave it this terrible pain! That was all.
“Chiiiiiiiiik!!!”
The excessive killing intent spewed out from between its front teeth dripping with digestive fluid.
Looks like it’s really angry.
Yuri, with a skewer stuck in its eye, quietly watched the suffering Rabbit Spider and retreated backward to create distance. As if teasing it, her steps were extremely light.
“Chiiik! Chiiiiik!!!!”
Having completely lost its reason at the sight, the Rabbit Spider entrusted itself fully to instinct and leaped strongly.
Tap!
The distance between the Rabbit Spider and Yuri narrowed in an instant.
“Chiiiiiiik!!!”
The hunting procedure it had done all its life progressed sequentially from the four pairs of legs, fifty-six joints.
The four pairs of legs threateningly surrounding Yuri’s upper body.
Now.
It was the end.
It is the end.
The two warriors’ thoughts crossed.
However, there could only be one victor.
Because two suns could not exist.
Clench!
Yuri’s small hand advanced toward the Rabbit Spider’s eye. The pinky and ring finger folded, middle finger, index finger, and thumb extended straight.
At the same time, Yuri’s small mouth opened.
And petitioned the world.
"Even someone as insignificant as me... I hope I can shine even a little."
"So that everyone can look at me properly."
⟨ Light ⟩
Father! Look at this! This is the light I made!
The dark past of repeating futile efforts to be praised, to be loved, was reflected.
It’s disgusting, so take it away.
Ah.
The light of that time had helplessly faded in indifference, but now it was different. Because now there was someone who looked at her, who believed in her.
No. Because there was a demon.
【“Light.”】
—Flash!
With a small murmur, a tiny sun rose from Yuri’s fingertips.
“Chiiik!?”
In that instant, the Rabbit Spider’s vision was dyed pure white like its own fur. The sensory nerves of the Rabbit Spider, which had adapted to the soft light of luminous moss all its life, were paralyzed by the intense light bursting from Yuri’s fingertips.
“Huuuup!”
Not missing that brief gap, a black blade quickly drawn from Yuri’s sleeve. Gripping it firmly with both hands, Yuri immediately thrust it into the center of the paralyzed Rabbit Spider’s cephalothorax.
—Swoosh!
The blade embedded into the pitch-black exoskeleton hidden within the white fur. Through the thin gap between the blade and the chitin, translucent bodily fluid spurted out due to the sudden pressure difference.
“Chiiiiiiiiik!!!”
The Rabbit Spider let out a pained cry, feeling the cold and sharp sensation from inside its body and the heat from the momentary friction.
And then.
“Now, just die. Bug.”
Crack!
Tick!
With the contractor’s two hands applying weight and twisting strongly, the obsidian knife, embedded in the Rabbit Spider’s cephalothorax, twisted and eventually couldn’t withstand the force and broke.
“Chi... chiiik.......”
At the same time, the sharp cry that had been striking the Rabbit Spider’s nerve bundles and eardrums was cut off. The Rabbit Spider, which had once clung to the dungeon ceiling, avoiding the guardian and ruling the tenth floor of the White Zone as its resident boss, today.
Did I... do it?
Lost its life at the hands of the novice adventurer Yuri.
“Haa... Haa. Uwaaaaah!!!”
As if exploding the pent-up resentment and joy at once, Yuri clenched her blood-flowing fists tightly, raised her head proudly, and let out a victorious roar.
Pitter-patter-patter-patter!!!
In that moment, as if celebrating the birth of a new powerhouse, a cluster of light burst into the sky, leaving a pure white flash behind Yuri.
Surely this great battle would be recorded in the history of the tenth floor of the White Zone.
Meanwhile.
The insane demon? Raven and the dungeon sherpa Sion, who had watched the desperate bloody battle between her and the Rabbit Spider from ultra close range.
“This is completely insane. It’s awesome, isn’t it? Was the contractor the type strong in real combat? I might need to revise the reinforced Yuri plan.......”
“Nyang... The adventurer suddenly became scary-nyang. This is definitely the influence of the crow-nyang....”
Consumed by excitement and fear, and perhaps tired, they hurriedly walked toward Yuri, who was dragging her club on the floor.
Because they had to congratulate her on her first adventure.
Her glorious first victory!
