Chapter 66: Encountering the Human-Faced Spider - Part 2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 66: Encountering the Human-Faced Spider - Part 2
The Human-Faced Spider.
As the name suggested, it was a giant spider that possessed the features of a human face.
One could distinguish between males and females based on the location of this face. In females, the head itself took the shape of a human face, while in males, the patterns on the abdomen formed the visage.
The Human-Faced Spider harbored an incredibly dense toxicity within its inner core. With every breath it took, the poison nestled in its core would seep out, devastating its surroundings.
The poison was so potent that it turned everything within a thirty-foot radius into a poison zone where no living creature could survive.
Its size was equally formidable. It stood nearly eight feet tall, a massive stature that easily surpassed even the largest of men.
The strength in its legs, born of that massive frame, could easily crush boulders, and its fangs, dripping with secretions from its poison glands, could melt through solid steel.
Furthermore, its carapace was so hard that not even a scratch could be made without the use of Sword Qi.
The conditions for hunting one were notoriously difficult. It was said that it required over a dozen peak-level swordsmen who had mastered poison arts—or, if they lacked such arts, a master of the Super-Peak Realm.
And now, that very monster had appeared before Sun-woo’s eyes.
Sun-woo broke into a cold sweat.
Eight black eyes.
A human-shaped face on its abdomen.
A massive body.
Sun-woo recognized it instantly. The monster before him was the spiritual being known as the Human-Faced Spider.
He was bewildered. Why would a Human-Faced Spider suddenly appear here? And of all places, right in front of the Godok Hall.
The Human-Faced Spider was a famous spiritual being even within the Murim. Its uniquely grotesque appearance, its massive size, and the fact that it actually existed made it a staple monster in many heroic chronicles.
Jang Sam had also grown up reading heroic biographies involving the Human-Faced Spider. Raking through those memories, Sun-woo was able to identify the creature at a glance.
Seeing the Human-Faced Spider in the flesh, after only seeing it in illustrations, made his knees tremble.
The actual size of the creature was breathtakingly immense. While records described it as being nearly eight feet tall, the one before him looked to be well over ten feet.
Each of its eyes was larger than his own head. Seeing all those eyes fixed on him at once made him so skin-crawlingly terrified that he couldn't even find his voice.
Skreeeeeeee! Skreeeeeeee!
Thwip!
Making a bone-chilling sound, the Human-Faced Spider began to descend on a strand of webbing as thick as a man's arm.
Watching this, Sun-woo instinctively backed away. Never in his past or present life had he seen a creature so utterly abominable.
Thump!
The Human-Faced Spider landed on the ground with a heavy thud. From this vantage point, it looked even more gargantuan than it had from below.
Skreeee! Skreeee!
The spider began to roll its eight eyes, tracking Sun-woo.
'This is dangerous.'
Sun-woo sensed the peril. Those eyes were undoubtedly sizing him up. He increased the speed of his retreat.
In the case of herbs like He Shou Wu, they absorb the spiritual energy of nature over many years to evolve into elixirs. As time passes, that spiritual essence deepens, leading to vast differences in price based on age.
The same applied to spiritual beings. When an animal absorbs the spiritual energy of nature over a long period, it undergoes a transformation.
Once they evolve, they become incomparably larger and stronger, taking on a distinct form. For instance, a fox grows more tails as it ages, eventually becoming a Nine-Tailed Fox. A serpent or snake grows to an enormous size over the years, eventually becoming an Imugi.
The Human-Faced Spider followed the same principle. When a spider lives for a long time and accumulates natural spiritual energy, it grows in size and toxicity, eventually becoming a Human-Faced Spider.
Usually, a master of the Super-Peak Realm was considered the minimum requirement to face one. Its carapace was so hard that nothing short of Sword Qi could scratch it, and without poison arts, one would be poisoned the moment they drew near.
Thus, the standard strategy was to use the Astral Qi of a Super-Peak master to quickly tear it apart and then treat the poison afterward.
However, judging by the size of the spider before him, it looked as though centuries had passed since its initial transformation. This meant it could be a monster with power exceeding that of a standard Super-Peak master.
Sun-woo’s sweat poured down. He knew that the moment he turned his back, the monster would surely mark him as prey.
Sun-woo stared straight back into the eight eyes watching him and flared his aura. He had to give the impression that he was not an easy target. If his spirit wavered here, he would be forced into a fight.
In the wild, predators are extremely cautious. Even a small wound can become a fatal injury that threatens survival. Therefore, they think carefully before they hunt.
Is this an opponent I can beat?
How much damage will I take?
How much stamina will I expend?
Only when they reach a conclusion do they begin the hunt. They never target prey that can inflict significant damage upon them.
The Human-Faced Spider would be no different. Even if it considered itself stronger, it wouldn't attack if the potential gain didn't outweigh the risk. Compared to the spider's massive size, Sun-woo was tiny—hardly enough for a full meal.
Thus, if he projected a fierce aura, it might decide he wasn't worth the trouble.
How much time passed? The spider's eight eyes continued to scan Sun-woo as if observing him, and Sun-woo intensified his aura in response.
'Shit, just get lost. Get lost already!'
Sun-woo cursed inwardly, praying for the spider to leave. He didn't want to engage in a life-or-death struggle with an opponent whose strength was uncertain.
SKREEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!
But Sun-woo’s hope was dashed. The Human-Faced Spider raised its forelegs and lunged straight at him.
"Fuck!!"
Sun-woo spat out a curse. If he had known it would come to this, he should have struck first instead of wasting mental energy on a staring contest.
Sun-woo ignited his Sword Astral and met the charging spider head-on.
Clang!
The Sword Astral clashed with the spider's foreleg. Sun-woo was sent flying, unable to withstand the sheer physical force behind the limb, but the spider's foreleg was severed by the Sword Astral.
SKREEEEEEEEE!
The spider shrieked in agony from the severed limb.
Thud.
Sun-woo, who had been thrown back, used the Wind-Dust Step to land safely. He felt a surge of triumph.
It certainly possessed monstrous strength befitting its size. Its speed was also so great that an ordinary master wouldn't have been able to track it. However, it was still no match for him, now that he had reached the Upper Stage of the Super-Peak Realm.
Sun-woo watched the spider as it shrieked over its severed leg. It might be big, but it wouldn't be an impossible opponent.
Crunch, crunch. Slurp, slurp.
It was then. The Human-Faced Spider began to chew on its own severed foreleg.
"What? What is it doing?"
Sun-woo watched, bewildered. Instead of running away, what the hell was it doing?
Skreeee! Skreeee!
Gulp.
After swallowing the remains of its leg in one go, the spider began to scream.
And then...
Squirm, squirm.
Something began to wriggle at the site of the severed limb. Seeing this, Sun-woo felt a sense of dread.
'No way... right?'
He shook his head, telling himself it was an impossible thought. But soon, his ominous premonition became reality.
Squelch!
A new foreleg began to sprout from the stump of the old one.
"...Shit."
Sun-woo cursed again. Dealing with a monster this strong was bad enough, but this kind of regenerative power was a massive headache.
"What are you, a damn Hydra?! You crazy bastard!"
Sun-woo adjusted his grip on his sword and charged at the spider. He had no intention of giving it time to heal.
Skree!
The spider shrieked and swung another leg at Sun-woo.
Clang!
Slice!
The other foreleg was severed.
Thump!
Sun-woo used the Thousand-Catty Press to anchor himself, barely preventing his body from being blown back by the impact. If he were thrown back now, he would just be giving it more time to regenerate.
Though the sudden use of the Thousand-Catty Press strained his body slightly, it was manageable. Sun-woo immediately slashed at the regenerating stump again.
SKREEEEE!
Hiss-sssss!
Sensing the danger, the Human-Faced Spider began to spew poison from its mouth.
'Dammit.'
Sun-woo used the Wind-Dust Step to quickly put some distance between them. No matter how high his poison resistance was, taking a direct hit from that spider's venom at point-blank range was bound to be dangerous.
Sun-woo had already been soaked in poisonous Qi once before by Tang Seo-yoon, who had absorbed the spider's venom. That experience made him even more cautious.
As Sun-woo backed away, the spider began to regenerate its severed limbs once more.
Irritation flared within Sun-woo. The spider's carapace clearly couldn't withstand his Sword Astral. If he could just get close and hack at it a few more times, he could definitely kill it.
But there were too many variables. First, he couldn't easily withstand the raw physical force of that massive body. Furthermore, its speed—which didn't match its size—was on par with his own. It wasn't easy to dodge.
And then there was that unheard-of regeneration. He didn't know if this specific spider was special or if all of them were like this, but this monster could restore its severed limbs.
If he let the fight drag on, he would be the one at a disadvantage. He needed to cut it all down before it could regenerate, but the poison it spewed made approaching difficult.
Although his Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art could absorb poison, there was no guarantee it could handle the venom of a spider that had likely lived for centuries. Sun-woo was in a bind.
He had entered the hall with a light heart, but what the hell was this? Sun-woo’s head throbbed. How was he supposed to deal with this thing?
SKREEEEE!
While Sun-woo was lost in thought, the spider finished its regeneration and began to approach him, shrieking. Sun-woo covered his ears at the ear-splitting sound.
"God, you're so fucking loud!"
Annoyed, he manifested his Sword Astral again. There was no other way. He would just have to endure the poison as best he could and cut it down.
Skree!
The spider swung its newly grown foreleg again.
Clang!
Slice!
Cutting it off once more, Sun-woo used the Thousand-Catty Press to force his body to a halt.
"Ugh!"
The massive impact vibrated through his entire body.
'Shit.'
But he couldn't give up here. If he didn't finish this, he would be the one to die. Sun-woo swung his Sword Astral.
Clang!
Slice!
The spider shrieked as the leg it raised to block the Sword Astral was severed.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Sun-woo swung his sword with blinding speed, striking from all directions. The spider also used its eight eyes to read the trajectory of Sun-woo’s blade, raising its legs to incessantly block the incoming strikes.
"Aaaargh!"
Sun-woo let out a cry of pain as he repeatedly absorbed the staggering force from the spider's legs. He used the Thousand-Catty Press over and over to withstand the impact.
In the process, his muscles screamed and his bones began to crack. But Sun-woo only increased his sword speed. If he stopped now, he would lose.
Slice! Slice! Slice! Slice!
When more than half of its legs were hacked away, the spider panicked. What kind of creature was this, cutting off its legs repeatedly before they could even regenerate?
In its centuries of life, it had seen countless creatures that looked like the one before it. Weren't they always fragile beings that it devoured like delicacies? Then what was this thing that was not only matching it but overwhelming it?
Driven into a corner, the spider began to spew poison from its mouth again.
Hiss-sssss!
A thick cloud of poison began to envelop the two of them. The spider felt a sense of relief. Now that it had released the poison from its core, the creature before it would either writhe in agony and die or back away. If it backed away, the spider intended to regenerate its legs again.
Slice!
Unfortunately for the spider, its plan failed. Sun-woo swung his sword through the poison, enduring the toxic mist.
SKREEEEEEEEE!
Slice! Slice!
The spider shrieked. It desperately tried to block with its legs, regenerate, and spit venom, but it was all useless. The claws of the creature before it were too sharp, carving through its body. Moreover, the creature was fast enough to cut it down before it could heal.
And as if it had some resistance to poison, no matter how much toxic mist it spat out, it had no effect.
Shiver.
The Human-Faced Spider felt a sensation of fear. The creature it had regarded as prey was, in fact, a predator.
Skree!
The spider spat out a web toward a tree and began to climb. it was trying to escape.
But Sun-woo wouldn't allow it.
"Fuck no! You think I'm letting you go?"
Sun-woo leaped toward the spider. Seeing this, the spider hurriedly tried to block with its foreleg, but it was futile. The leg was already gone.
SKREEEEEEEEE!
Drowned in terror, the spider shrieked.
Stab!
Sun-woo lunged and drove his sword straight into its head.
Crunch! Crack!
Twitch...
With the sword embedded in its skull, the spider's body convulsed a few times before going limp. It was dead.
Thud!
As the webbing snapped, the spider fell to the ground with a thunderous crash.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Sun-woo panted heavily. He never imagined he would struggle this much at the Godok Hall.
"Ugh!"
The spider's poison began to seep into his system. Because the spider had spat out a mist rather than a concentrated liquid, his exposure had been limited. Thanks to that, he had been able to fight through it, but it seemed he had reached his limit.
Sun-woo immediately sat cross-legged and began to circulate the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art. Upon checking his internal state, he found a significant amount of poison filling his body.
He desperately tried to unify the poison with his internal energy.
"Nnggh...!"
The spider's venom began to thrash wildly within him. The excruciating pain was an unwelcome bonus.
A pain so intense it threatened to snap his consciousness assailed him, but he couldn't afford to delay. There was no Tang Seo-yoon here to save him, nor any antidote. He had to merge the poison with his internal energy as quickly as possible to survive.
'Aaaaaargh!'
On the outside, his muscles and bones, which had taken the brunt of the spider's physical force, were screaming. On the inside, the poison was rampaging, causing agony.
Sun-woo screamed silently in his mind as the pain continued.
'Goddammit!!!!!!!'
Sun-woo’s internal scream continued until every last drop of the invading poison was unified with his energy.