Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Poison Arachne Queen
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3rd Layer.
Arachne.
Terrifying giant spiders.
Monsters with eight hairy legs and eight glowing red eyes.
These grotesque beasts had grown to at least two meters tall, spewing threads as tough as steel.
Those threads were sticky and refused to come undone easily.
That said, they had a weakness to fire.
Their fangs were as hard as steel.
That was why so many people fell to hobgoblins riding Arachne back on the 2nd Layer.
Even those who broke through to the 3rd Layer often ended up as Arachne food.
Our party wouldn't meet that fate, though.
The one silver lining was...
'They don't use poison.'
...But the ones in front of us now were a different story.
"Poison Arachne!"
Arachne with poison.
It wasn't entirely unexpected.
Hidden rooms always spawned stronger monsters than the next layer.
The Hobgoblin Champion had been like that, and now these Poison Arachne.
'Just my luck to run into the poisonous ones.'
And this bunch had a boss leading them, with plenty of minions in tow.
It was downright unfair.
I nocked an arrow and drew back the bowstring.
The arrowhead sparked with violet lightning.
"Yuseong."
Marcel had crept up and grabbed my shoulder.
And then...
Slithering in.
Mana flowed from him into me.
One of the new skills he'd picked up, probably.
"...Mana Supply. It draws out more of your potential."
"Thanks."
I drew the bowstring taut. Absorbing Marcel's mana, the violet energy crackled fiercely, amplifying the power.
And then.
Thwip!
The violet lightning arrow sliced through the air. Leaving the bowstring, it trailed a purple afterimage like a shooting star at dawn.
Rumble rumble crash!!
The purple bolt bloomed like a flower.
Most of the spiders inside were incinerated.
"Nice shot!"
"...I don't know, what was that? Scary."
Ermé cheered.
Marcel trembled.
Teresa advanced expressionlessly, smashing Arachne heads with her blunt weapon.
"That took out about two-thirds of them."
Even so, around thirty remained.
The real problem was...
'The boss took no real damage.'
Unlike the others, it had green eyes and a five-meter body. The spider stared right at me.
Kiruk.
Kiruruk.
Making eerie noises, the spiders began surrounding us.
"We'll handle that one—the Poison Arachne Queen."
Ermé pointed at the boss.
"Fire's its weakness, but lightning works too, so you and I take the boss."
"And us?"
"Marcel, cast support spells on us first, then back up Teresa and Rozenta. Teresa, hold the line defensively. Rozenta, prioritize safety."
With her orders given, Ermé charged forward.
I decided to cover her from behind.
The biggest threat was the Arachne poison.
'...Will this work?'
I pulled an arrow and coated the tip with poison.
Paralysis poison, made with elven crafting skills.
Kiiik.
I drew the bowstring, aiming at the Poison Arachne Queen. And released.
Whoosh!
The arrow cut through the air, drawn straight to one of the Queen's eyes.
Kiiik! Kiiiiik!
The moment it hit, the beast thrashed wildly.
But its movements slowed.
Was the paralysis poison working?
Its body began to stiffen.
"What’s that?"
"Paralysis poison."
In that brief freeze, Ermé swung her sword. Flames flickered along the blade.
"...Oh."
I murmured in admiration.
She'd clearly acquired some impressive new skill.
The Poison Arachne Queen sensed it too, hesitating as it eyed Ermé.
Roar!
Flames danced wildly on Ermé's sword. She swung it wide.
Kiiiiik!
One of the Queen's legs severed clean off. Despite its massive body, she seemed intent on chopping the legs one by one to bring it down.
But because of that...
The Queen's movements sharpened again.
'Good poison, though.'
A direct hit would've paralyzed a human for at least five minutes, but it was already shaking it off.
Labyrinth monsters were tough as nails.
That thought crossed my mind just as Teresa and Rozenta started giving ground.
They were handling the minions, but there were just too many.
I lightly drew my bow and fired at the adds.
The arrow melted into the darkness, piercing one Poison Arachne's torso—and the one behind it.
'Archery's improving.'
My shots now reliably took down two or three per arrow. In that split second of thought, a Poison Arachne fired webbing at the ceiling and swung toward me.
Thud.
It spat something black and foul.
My elven crafting and Rogue Mastery identified it: neurotoxin causing nerve paralysis.
I dodged right and drew my sword. The blood-soaked blade.
Crimson blood-qi rippled as I slashed.
Slash!
I cleaved the Poison Arachne in half.
I scanned the battlefield. Teresa and Rozenta were pushed back, but holding.
Ermé was tying up the Queen.
I kept firing to thin the minions and targeted the Queen.
Coating arrows with paralysis and nerve poison.
You weren't the only ones who could use poison.
I dabbled myself.
I drew and fired at the Queen.
Thwip!
The arrow vanished into shadow, embedding in her eye.
Kyaek! Kyeeeek!
Spiders don't scream, or so they say. These sure did.
Labyrinth monsters defied my past-life knowledge.
As that thought hit, I felt an eerie gaze.
The Poison Arachne Queen was fixating on me.
'Does it see me as the threat?'
My contributions: one paralysis arrow, one dual-poison shot to the eye, the lightning arrow that wiped two-thirds of the adds, and picking off the rest.
"..."
It had burned through most of my mana.
Marcel's help saved me; without his skill, I'd have been half-empty.
'Had to, with all those adds.'
Plenty of reason for her to target me.
Ermé had wrecked three legs, crippling her mobility.
That instant...
The Queen coiled her body.
Like prepping a leap.
'Spiders don't leap...'
Mocking my doubt, she boom! launched skyward.
The massive bulk hurtled like a cannonball. I shoved Marcel aside and slid under it.
Kaboom!
The impact cratered the floor like a bomb blast.
"What kind of tank is that...?"
"Marcel, buffs—now."
"Got it."
My body felt lighter, stronger, more resilient.
And then...
"This?"
"New sensory enhancement skill."
Senses sharpened razor-keen. A bit disorienting, but manageable.
I faced forward. The Queen had recovered, glaring at me.
Drip drip.
Green liquid oozed from her maw, melting the labyrinth floor.
'Poison.'
Sword raised, I advanced. With Ermé away, protecting Marcel fell to me.
Kyaek.
The Queen whipped a leg at me. I targeted it with my blood-soaked sword, but she countered with another. I clicked my tongue.
'Learning on the fly.'
Still, three legs crippled out of eight. Hack legs, then torso.
Kyaek!
She screeched oddly, firing something long—not poison. I recognized it as thread and dodged.
Kaboom!
Behind me, the twisted thread speared like a lance, impaling Arachne.
Master of range and melee.
But patterns were simple.
'Poison, threads, leg strikes.'
Beware the fangs, though—one chomp and I'd lose a limb.
'But we can heal.'
Rozenta had that gift turning pain to pleasure.
The more she took hits, the more ecstatic she got, assaulting the foe like a masochist.
Tap.
I charged. She raised legs to block.
Boom boom boom!
Each leg slam boomed like bombs. Great power and reach, but...
'All limited.'
Ermé had ruined three legs. That bulk needed at least three to stand steady.
Underbelly exposed, I slashed with blood-qi.
Shlick.
Too shallow.
Blood-qi relied on the item. True sword aura would've carved her effortlessly.
Crackle.
Violet lightning sparked along the blood-qi.
The Queen's maw targeted me.
I slashed wildly at her legs without pause.
'Ermé's coming.'
Until then, cripple two more legs minimum.
The Queen's body tilted. She gaped her maw.
And then.
Shlick.
I severed another leg.
Simultaneously, something pierced my gut.
Stab.
Fist-sized hole in my right side.
"Yuseeeong!!"
Someone called my name.
'Fuck.'
My gut burned.
Insanely. Yeah, thread through the stomach. Would I live? Fist-sized chunk gone.
Face twisted, she seemed to gleam with sadistic joy.
'I'll kill you.'
You're dead.
I gripped my sword.
Stagger.
"..."
Bile rose. I forced it down.
'Not dead.'
That was enough.
Rozenta could heal it.
More importantly...
First...
'End her.'
Her eyes darted wildly. Scouting escape routes.
Could she flee? That bulk might smash through walls.
Then...
'Finish before Ermé arrives.'
I focused on the sword.
Slithering in.
Most remaining mana poured into the bloodied blade.
One hand hurled a dagger to cramp her style.
"Yuseong!"
She ignored it. Toothpick to her size.
Her maw pursed, ready to spit.
Darkness swallowed my body.
The blade tip shrouded in shadow. My gift turned violet lightning into mana.
But this was different. Pitch-black smoke from some abyss clung to my sword.
I still didn't get it.
Why could I wield orc swordsmanship, elven styles?
Why could I mimic their secret techniques after seeing them?
'Doesn't matter.'
I assumed position quietly.
Everything slowed.
Eyes throbbed like bursting.
Queen aiming something at me.
Blood trickling from my mouth.
All in slow motion.
And then.
Kiiik!
She spat at me. My grip tightened, hand moving.
Upward slash. Simple.
But darkness coiled around the blade.
'Die.'
Shraaaash!
Darkness rent apart. Her thread and body split in tandem.