Playing Dead
After holding his breath as much as possible, he waited for the situation to pass. “Shh! Stay still…!”
His face was pressed against her stomach, his arm wrapped around her waist—an ironic position. Whether he was aware of it or not, he remained motionless, only scanning their surroundings. When warmth from his hand reached her, Hedy frowned. …It was the first time her body had been this close to a man’s.
Though mildly displeased, she had to admit the truth. The Spider Queen was prowling outside the cave, and he had thrown himself into a blind spot while holding her. It had happened in an instant. If the spider had noticed them, a fight to the death would have broken out.
Hedy held her breath and peered outside the cave alongside him. …The Spider Queen was moving somewhere, her eight massive legs shifting in sequence. Upon closer inspection, she was heading straight for the very cave they were hiding in.
“……!”
What now? If she entered, they would be discovered with no way out. Hedy’s focus wavered.
“Follow me!”
At that moment, the delinquent leader grabbed Hedy’s hand and pulled. “W-what are you doing…?! You’ll get us caught!”
“Shut up and follow!”
They whispered as they moved behind the pile of corpses. The delinquent leader soon lay flat behind the heap, letting his arms and legs go limp. He wasn’t just hiding—he was pretending to be a corpse. Hedy’s mind lagged behind his actions for a moment.
“……?”
“What are you doing?! Hurry up and copy me!”
Caught off guard, Hedy awkwardly lay down beside him. “Kikikikik…”
The Spider Queen entered the cave entrance. She sent the swarm of Big Spiders away and began rummaging through the corpse pile, soon using her long pincers to start her meal. “Crunch… crunch…”
Even though the bodies were already dead, they had been human just moments ago. Watching them being devoured right in front of her filled Hedy with shock and nausea. She forced herself to steady her breathing. The Spider Queen seemed too focused on her meal to notice them.
“…When I give the signal, get up and run.”
“……?”
The delinquent leader whispered amid the chaos. Hedy doubted her own ears. Run in this situation? Had he lost his mind and wanted to become spider food? Yet his expression showed not a trace of hesitation. Did he know a way to escape the massive beast?
For some reason, Hedy found herself drawn to his eyes. In her dazed state, she nodded. He lowered his head again and resumed playing dead.
The Spider Queen, having devoured nearly half the corpses, approached Hedy and extended her pincer-lined jaws. ‘Hic—!’ Hedy flinched in surprise. The delinquent leader had suddenly sprung to his feet.
“……?!”
The Spider Queen, sensing movement from the corpses, also hesitated in shock. The delinquent leader seized that brief opening and moved swiftly. He drew the longsword hidden among the bodies and thrust it into the Spider Queen’s massive pincer jaw.
“Hup—!”
—Thud! The longsword pierced sharply into the Spider Queen’s jaw. “Kik, kikikikikikikik!” The Spider Queen let out a pained cry and reared up. “Now! Run!!”
“……?!”
He grabbed Hedy’s hand again and pulled. She ran without thinking. They escaped the cave, and soon felt the Spider Queen, now seemingly alert, rumbling after them.
—Tap tap tap tap tap! Their frantic footsteps echoed through the cave. As they sprinted madly, a large group of Big Spiders suddenly blocked their path ahead. “Ssssss!” “Sss, sssss!”
“…! Did they hear the Queen’s cry and figure it out?!”
“……!”
The leader at the front looked flustered. Meanwhile, the Spider Queen was closing in at terrifying speed. Though panicked, Hedy quickly drew her sword from its sheath and slashed at the Big Spiders. Wasting time here would only let the Queen catch up from behind.
One by one, she cut them down. The Big Spiders blocking the way disappeared, clearing the path. Just as she thought they could flee again— “Kikikikikikik!”
““……!””
Had they wasted too much time? The Spider Queen, enraged with a hole in her jaw, was already right on top of them. One step from her eight long legs would reach them.
‘Too late…!’
An overwhelming pressure radiated from her massive body and presence. Hedy’s animal instincts screamed that she could never win against this being. How could she, who hadn’t even broken through the 3-star realm, possibly face this monster?
If she had known, she would have trained harder in secret at home. ‘Is this the end…?’
When she first saw the Spider Queen, she had been paralyzed by fear. Thanks to the delinquent leader’s quick judgment, she had briefly thought they might survive. But it had been impossible. Even giving it her all, escape was out of reach.
She had no choice. Hedy made her decision. “…Hey, delinquent leader.” “Yeah?”
Hedy stepped toward the Spider Queen, sword raised, her eyes resolute. There was no plan. “Go.” “What?”
“Go. Why get hurt over this?”
“…….”
There was no need for two corpses. Besides… without him, she would have died in the corpse-pile cave long ago. For a brief moment, he had been her savior.
“Kikikikik…”
“…….”
Facing the monster up close, she felt it clearly—there was no chance of victory. Suddenly, Hedy’s life felt cursed. She had finally escaped her miserable existence, only to face death again. The heavens were cruel.
…But she didn’t want to die. She wanted to struggle, survive, and become a Sword Master. She wanted to fulfill her wish—to stand proudly before the world as a woman who needed no man, not one bound by them.
Therefore, she could not die. Hedy slowly walked before the Spider Queen, gripping her sword and bracing for the attack.
But then— “Hey.” “……?” “I told you to run. Where do you think you’re going?”
Something was wrong. He hadn’t fled. Instead, he walked beside her toward the Spider Queen, his worn longsword raised as if ready to fight. “A monster like that isn’t something a kid like you can handle. So don’t worry about it and just run.”
He spoke calmly, yet his face looked oddly displeased. “Why should I?” “…What?”
“You want me to leave you behind in this situation? That’s not something a man does.”
“…….”
Hedy was momentarily stunned. Then, without realizing it, a small laugh escaped her. She had heard countless men boast about being “a man,” but none had ever felt this genuine. All those who talked big were just bluffing. How many men would still claim to be one when death stared them in the face?
At the academy, he had often met her eyes. Had he been interested in her? If she had known he was this decent, she should have paid more attention.
He faced forward and took his stance. Hedy stopped thinking and shifted into combat posture. And right then, as if refusing to give them any more time, the Spider Queen charged at full speed. “Kikikikikik!”
Her target was Hedy. The speed was incredible. Enraged, the Queen poured everything into the assault. “Hup!”
Hedy moved her body sharply, narrowly dodging the charge. —Boom! The Spider Queen slammed into the cave wall. Seizing the moment, Hedy made the monster’s movements exaggerated. ‘Water Sword Style, Second Form—M Waterwheel…!’
Hedy’s body bent backward fluidly. The technique was one she had learned from Laura’s class—the object of her admiration. Unlike a standard vertical slash, it traced an extremely precise arc to maximize sharpness.
—Whoosh! —Slash! “Kikik!” She landed a clean strike on the Queen’s flank. But— “Kikikikik!” “Ghk!”
It was only a shallow wound. Though she had cut well, the Queen’s enormous size reduced it to a mere scratch. The Spider Queen turned her head toward Hedy, lowered her pincer-lined head, then swung it upward in a rapid headbutt.
—Clang! Hedy blocked with her sword but was sent flying by the recoil. “Hurk—!” “Kikikik!”
That wasn’t all. A white liquid shot straight at her—the Spider Queen had spewed it from within. An enormous amount of webbing. Hedy, airborne and defenseless, couldn’t block it. —Splat! The webbing covered her upper body. At least it hadn’t hit her face. If it had, her airways would have been sealed. Then again… maybe that would have been a mercy.
The Spider Queen slowly approached the now-vulnerable Hedy. “Ghk!” Hedy struggled, but the powerful adhesive made it impossible. ‘Is this… the end?’
Fear began to color Hedy’s emotions. “No! I don’t want this—! Get away!!” She thrashed with all her strength, but the webbing showed no sign of loosening. “Kikikikikik…”
The Spider Queen, seeing the terrified Hedy, clicked her pincers in apparent delight, producing a chilling sound. One step, two steps. The distance closed until the monster was nearly touching her. With each step, the light of hope in Hedy’s eyes dimmed further. She was certain it was over.
—BOOM! “Kikikikikik—!!”
But then, in an instant, the area flashed blue. With a deafening roar, the Spider Queen convulsed. Confused, Hedy turned her head toward the source. And she was shocked once more. “……!”
The Spider Queen’s flank—where Hedy’s earlier strike had failed to wound—was now bleeding profusely. A long, deep gash ran straight across her body. “H-how…?!”
There was only one way to inflict such a wound on this monster. Auror. Only a Sword Expert or higher, channeling mana beyond the 3-star realm, could create a wound like this.
Startled, Hedy turned her gaze to the delinquent leader facing the Spider Queen. And there he stood—gripping a sword that violently emitted blue auror with both hands. It was indeed the delinquent leader. His entire body glowed with blue light. Yet he looked as calm as someone who had no idea what he was doing.