Chapter 337
Chapter 337
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 337
Chapter Title: Predation (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As I drew Regret.
The predator of the Abyssal Pit fully revealed its house-sized body.
Tsutsutsutsu-
"Now I see why they call it a human-faced spider."
Human-Faced Spider.
If you thought of its eight eyeballs as the precepts mark monks stamp on their foreheads, the other patterns drawn on its head looked just like a person's eyes, nose, and mouth.
Krurrrr-
That split vertically, drooling saliva in thick drops.
Woo So-rung freaked out.
"Eek!"
Namgung Yun drew his sword following my lead and chided Dang Ok-gi.
"Dang Ok-gi. Your words jinxed it."
"What? You were the one who first called it a predator this and that."
Dang Ok-gi shot back loudly as he drew his hidden weapons.
But he shuddered all the same.
"Ugh. Anyway, is that thing from the records a human-faced spider? It's really creepy..."
At his attitude.
Master spoke as if it was absurd.
- A guy who raises four poison spiders and even names them finds that creepy?
'...That's what I said.'
I voiced the thought.
"The guy who raises Hong-ok and Seol-lyu finds that gross?"
"How can you compare my babies to that thing?! Totally different!"
"......"
"And it's not gross, it's just unsettling. Unsettling."
"What's the difference between those two?"
"...It feels like it's blatantly treating us like prey? It's not a spider spinning webs and waiting. It's crawling out like some beast!"
From his words, I could tell why Dang Ok-gi was so repulsed.
The thing was marching straight toward us without a shred of spider-like subtlety.
"I just said it. It's lost all fear ruling this place alone."
Beasts that grow massive unchallenged in enemy-less lands always end up like that.
While we bantered, the human-faced spider began slinking toward us.
Krur-
I signaled my Eon brothers to fall back first.
Every step it took forward, we matched the distance retreating.
Recalling the original story, there were several key points to handling the Abyssal Pit's predator.
"So how do we take it down?"
I asked Dang Ok-gi mid-retreat.
"It was an old record, but it said to watch your mouth first."
"Mouth?"
"Yeah. It spits sticky poison, and watch the fangs too. They're serrated like saw teeth—once it bites, it shreds flesh off."
Krurrrr-
"Looks like it."
"Oh. And the legs are harder than decent iron."
"Anything else?"
"Else? That's all."
Dang Ok-gi tilted his head.
I spoke again.
"Can't just hack it to bits randomly. Something that size probably has an inner core, and it'd help your research, right?"
"Oh? Oh!!"
He lit up at my words.
But quickly sobered up.
"Still, don't underestimate it. You're a Flower Realm master, but... poison's unpredictable."
"I know."
"Ack! Listen! It sees us as food, and you're treating it like medicine! We don't know the venom's components, so don't get cocky even with Thousand Poison Pills or Hundred Poison Pills!"
"You think I'd get cocky?"
I asked the over-worrying guy again.
"So which parts should we preserve?"
"Inner core's probably mid-torso. Poison glands on the head if we can save them? Oh, and the spinnerets on the rear for silk..."
Telling me not to be careless, yet rattling off the parts he wanted.
As I listened, the human-faced spider apparently took our retreat for weakness.
Kyaha!!!
It accelerated, charging full tilt.
'Chopping it randomly's easy. But to save all Dang Ok-gi's parts, can't just rush in.'
Decision made, I scraped the ground with Regret.
Druruk.
Flung the dirt clod at it.
Chwak!
Then issued orders.
"Woo So-rung!"
"Y-yes?!"
"Snap out of it! If even one of us slacks, this gets tiring. Everyone's at risk."
"...Yes! Big Brother Eon!"
"Good, you're focused. So-rung, weave between its legs to confuse it."
"Got it!"
With his answer, Woo So-rung thunder-kicked off the ground.
Pat!
As ordered, he darted like lightning between the human-faced spider's legs.
"We're going too."
I kicked off simultaneously, telling Namgung Yun.
"Yun, cover So-rung!"
"Got it!"
"No wasteful strikes, focus on cover. Harass so it can't escape. Poison from the mouth, webs from the rear—watch out!"
"Understood!"
Dang Ok-gi tailed me closely.
"What about me?!"
"Those eyeballs on the human-faced spider—can't use them?"
"Records didn't mention."
"Then when So-rung and Yun make an opening, blind it."
"Got it!"
Soon after, the flustered human-faced spider from their movements slipped on the ground.
Kru?!
That instant.
Eight long needles shot from Dang Ok-gi's hand, stabbing precisely into its eyeballs.
Pupupupung!!!!
Kuhaak!!!
As it thrashed wildly.
I, circling nearby, surged like a hail of arrows.
Swaeaek!
Drew Regret, wrapped in dense qi, across its eight legs on the torso.
Shak! Shak!
Shashashashak!!!!
My eight sword strikes severed all legs; the torso crashed to the dirt.
Kuung!!!!
I tossed it a word.
"You saw us as prey too, so no grudges."
Then the ninth strike downward.
Chwaaak!!!!
Severing head from body, I asked Dang Ok-gi.
"Head separate. Inner core around here, spinnerets there. Good?"
Confirming his nod, I called the bone deer I'd stationed afar.
"Where'd the human-faced spider crawl from? Where's their nest?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After Eon Yong-un descended into the Abyssal Pit.
The watch team above took measures so no stakes were visible at a glance.
And pitched camp positioned to rush the stakes if needed.
The Eon brothers, with Prince Chu's men, chewed rations and jerky guarding the camp.
Eight days passed.
Jeong Hyeon, counting the time, spoke up.
"Prime Celestial Venerable. It's already been eight days killing time like this."
Of course, not just idling.
They trained sporadically.
Stealth mission, so no clashing blades or big movements.
Shwaaaaa-
The waterfall before them was stunning.
Like one from Dosol Heaven marking paradise, they called it Dosol Falls—gazing calmly, meditating alone cleared stray thoughts.
But not all worries vanished.
"The scenery's so great, meditation alone steels the mind... but fretting over those below won't fade."
The Eon brothers still worried for the infiltration team.
Even Yin Ha-seong staring at the silent stakes felt the same.
"Yeah. Hope they're all okay."
At their words.
Yin Xia Lian furrowed her brows.
"Jeong Hyeon Sword, Ha-seong too. It's only been eight days—why say that?"
"Why? It's about time they showed, and they haven't, so we're worried."
"At the meeting, Young Master Eon said he'd take the inner core and it'd take ten days. He'll come at ten days."
"Sister, I saw you biting your nails."
"Just a habit."
"Habit when anxious."
"No?"
As the Yin siblings bickered.
Cheon Jang-ho scratched his neck.
"Heh, everyone's been watching those eight days, huh."
Ye Hae-su replied.
"Junior's a pusher—says ten days, but shave off one or two as standard."
"Khm. Let's wait. If Yong-un hyung says ten days, it'd be a month for most."
Seeing the Eon brothers fret over Eon Yong-un.
Yang Jin-mu, assigned by Prince Chu, couldn't help chuckling.
Caught off-guard laughing, he schooled his face.
"Khm."
But the alert Eon brothers' eyes were already on him.
Yang Jin-mu coughed dryly.
"Khm. Apologies. To me, the Dragon Fiend feels like a monster. Seeing you worry over him like a kid by the water feels contradictory."
At his words, Yin Ha-seong shook his head.
"What? We worry because the monster picks monstrous deeds. Look at his known exploits—how many desperate moments?"
"...Ah. Intriguing. Any stories that aren't breaches of security?"
"...Hmm. Not just curious, are you?"
"...Yes. His Highness would enjoy them."
"Sure. Our Yang Kopi hyung picked fights with Yong-un hyung and earned His Highness's ire?"
"......"
"Not for loose lips, but you're honest, so here. Too many—where to start..."
As Yin Ha-seong began spinning yarns.
From afar, near Prince Chu's estate in Heung An, gray signal smoke rose in plumes—like beacon fires.
Hwaruk-
Hwaruk-
Four lines from Heung An county—not the border—meant intruders in Prince Chu's palace.
Yang Jin-mu and Prince Chu's guards bolted up reflexively.
"That's?!"
But held position.
Their orders: Obey Dragon Fiend as Prince Chu's will.
Yin Xia Lian spoke then.
"Go."
"But His Highness..."
"Said treat Dragon Fiend's words as his own. He delegated full authority to me. Go."
"...Really okay?"
"Yes. We'd love to, but must fetch Young Master Eon first."
"Not our wish either."
"Anyway. Young Master Eon would say the same. Jeong Hyeon Sword, called 'Dragon Fiend's right arm' by His Highness. Wrong?"
"Correct. He'd say that. And charge too."
Prince Chu's men bowed fists politely.
Yin Xia Lian returned it, then to Cheon Jang-ho.
"They're heading to the nearest post station—follow and scout."
"Got it."
"Jeong Hyeon Sword, descend and fetch Young Master Eon. Signal fire—not trivial."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After downing the female human-faced spider that hunted us, my team raided its lair and killed its mate too.
Not mere greed for inner cores.
We planned to absorb the Burrowing Earth Dragon's cores here.
But the lone mate would rampage—no choice.
We released the hatchlings.
No cores undeveloped, and without herbivores, the abundant spirit herbs wouldn't last.
With the second human-faced spider's core, we returned to Lord Yong's carriage.
Up front, Lord Yong—greed-blind to the end—died clutching reins, now bones.
After handling him, we sliced the iron-reinforced carriage corners.
Seok!
Secured the Millennia-Old Cold Iron Box.
Inside: truly Burrowing Earth Dragon cores.
Colonial beasts—find one, get multiples.
Seven cores in the long box.
"Human-faced spider cores lack absorption precedents, plus poison, so lab research. Burrowing Earth Dragon cores... Yun and So-rung split one. Eon Yong-un, your constitution can take a whole."
Following Dang Ok-gi's guidance, we absorbed sequentially.
One absorbs, others guard.
Woo So-rung groaned three days to success.
Namgung Yun sweated coldly two days in lotus pose.
Last, I took mine.
Saaak-
Chewing and swallowing, I understood their struggles.
Even impenetrable to cold flames.
Heat like molten iron surged meridians.
Hot enough to mistake my body for a furnace.
'Kuh.'
But I endured.
Circulated qi, hammering the furnace-hot channels.
'You yielding?!'
When vast energy settled in my dantian.
"!"
Eyes flashing open.
Eon brothers' gazes and Master's voice followed.
- Truly, your nature hoards every drop, but that body keeps up.
'How long?'
- One day for you—total with others, eight days.
Eight days: faster than ten estimated.
Nothing more to gain here.
'Search, maybe.'
But Lord Yong and spiders' endless greed led to ruin.
Nature's warning vibe hit; I rose abruptly.
"Let's go."
Returning to the Abyssal Pit start.
"Huh, Big Brother Eon? Isn't that Jeong Hyeon Sword?"
Jeong Hyeon descended our route.