Chapter 67: Vivian la Classidus
Chapter 67: Vivian la Classidus
Eternal Flame. Literally, the name could be interpreted as “the god charged with fire,” but in Hall Plain it referred to the pure crystallization of flame: an Authority capable of burning everything that existed. That was why Seraph had so fiercely opposed my body’s assimilation with Eternal Flame.
True to its name, Eternal Flame was a Myth-rank flame capable of burning everything in existence. It stood above Flame-rank, the highest grade of fire a human could control. Seraph had called the two comparable, but in terms of pure Destruction, even the hellfire ruling Avici, the lowest of the Eight Hot Hells, might have yielded to Eternal Flame—assuming the ancient records I had studied were accurate.
Above all, combining my Authority as a Sword Specialist, which could cut through anything, with the Authority of Eternal Flame could be defined as the ability to cleave and incinerate all that exists in this world. The problem was that since Eternal Flame was Myth-rank, it included the god-slaying attribute. In other words, if I put my mind to it, I now possessed the Authority to kill Seraph. (Of course, that didn't mean angels were pushovers. It was only possible in theory.)
In any case, if even the destructive Inferno of hell would have to take a step back, there was no way the threads of a mere human-faced spider could block the flames of my Eternal Flame. After confirming that the others had all been turned into cocoons and were dangling in the air, I immediately roused my magic power.
Fwoosh!
“Wh-what?”
A pale, vermilion mana blossomed, and the threads wrapped around my body vanished in an instant, like melting ice cream. Vivian, her face a mask of panic, shot more threads at me, but the result was the same. She narrowed her eyes for a moment, then, as if having made a decision, opened her maw wide. I could see the yellow venom churning inside; it seemed she was about to spit it at me.
“Insolent!”
Vivian let out a furious roar, and a moment later, a foul-smelling liquid shot from her mouth, hurtling toward me. With a broad smile still on my face, I let the venom hit me without a care. The moment it touched my skin, it vaporized into the air, leaving no trace.
“Heeheeheehee. What should I do? I didn't want to kill you, but I'm just so angry, you see.”
“I'm not dead.”
Vivian's mouth fell open as she watched me walk forward after my casual reply, her expression like she had just seen a monster. Ah, how unfair. She was the monster, and I was the human. Why was I the one getting this treatment? In any case, I stroked my perfectly smooth skin and continued to walk. Whether the venom seeped into my body or just touched my skin, as long as I was borrowing the power of Eternal Flame, all I had to do was burn it away.
“N-No way.”
“What do you mean, 'no way'?”
“How could a... a lowly human...”
“How could a... a lowly spider...”
When I threw her words back at her, the spider scowled and raised two of her legs. It looked like she was about to slam them down, but borrowing the power of Eternal Flame, I was now demonstrating a level of skill far beyond her expectations. I raised my sword and swung it once. To others, it might have looked like a simple stroke, but the power of the wave contained within it was not to be underestimated.
The wave, imbued with my magic power, shot toward the legs the spider had raised.
“Kyaaaaaaaah!”
It severed its target in an instant. The entire process took less than a second, leaving her no time to even bring her legs down. Vivian shrieked violently and retreated, then began spewing venom and threads indiscriminately. It felt too desperate to be a simple, pain-induced tantrum.
I could simply have let every attack hit me, but I deliberately swung my sword to receive Vivian’s assault. My defense was simple: deflect the incoming threads and let the venom flow past me. Employing the profound techniques of my advanced swordsmanship against attacks this crude would have been an insult to Taiji.
But for the one on the receiving end, it must have been hell. She was attacking with all her might, yet I didn't retreat. In fact, I never stopped advancing. The flashes of my sword danced, weaving a beautiful pattern in every direction. The threads she spat out fell to the floor, and the venom she spewed simply passed me by.
For every step I took forward, Vivian took one back. With a calm expression, I opened my mouth to mock her.
“You call yourself an alchemist, yet your attacks are awfully monotonous. You’re disgracing the name Ancient Alchemist. Vivian? Answer me. Hahaha.”
Vivian's expression was frantic. She was sweating profusely, too preoccupied to even pay attention to my words. But I could see her face turn pale as she seemingly exhausted her reserves of venom and thread. She appeared to be straining to squeeze out more, but all she could manage were a few thin strands.
“Kk...! Kk-kki...! Kk-kikiki...!”
Letting out a series of pained noises, Vivian looked up at the ceiling and hastily began to scale the wall. Watching the spider scuttle across the wall and onto the ceiling, I leaped up as well and began running along the wall myself.
“Let's go together.”
Vivian, who had been diligently climbing the wall, shrieked in terror when she saw me right on her tail and committed the disgrace of falling to the floor. My goodness. A spider falling from the ceiling. Do I really look that surprising?
“Ugh...”
Suddenly, I heard a groan from beneath the spider. Hanging upside down in the air, my eyes glinted with interest. Unfortunately for the female User, it seemed she had fallen along with the spider. She must have hit the ground first and acted as a cushion, because Jung Jiyeon's once-swollen belly was now sunken in. I could see green orbs, burst here and there, rolling on the ground below. It seemed the spider's fall had unintentionally pressed on Jung Jiyeon's stomach, forcing the orbs out. It wasn't a pleasant sight, and I frowned.
Vivian shoved Jung Jiyeon aside with an annoyed expression, but then a thought seemed to strike her. She wrapped her legs around the woman and lifted her up in front of me. Her face brightened. Did she come up with a good idea? I waited patiently for her to speak, curious to hear what she had to say. After I descended and landed softly on the ground, Vivian, as if on cue, raised the leg holding Jung Jiyeon high.
“Hee... You, you're a human too, right?”
“Yes.”
“If you come any closer, I'll kill this woman.”
“...Sigh.”
I let out an audible sigh. Seeing my reaction, Vivian's face flooded with relief, and she licked her lips. I stared blankly at User Jung Jiyeon's face, which was contorted in pain. Her eyes were also fixed on me. Jung Jiyeon's gaze held a kind of desperate longing.
“Hee... hee. First, why don't you let go of your sword?”
“As you wish.”
I gently placed my sword on the ground. Vivian, who had been half-doubting, confirmed my action and a thin smile curved her lips. Ignoring her, I closed the distance between us again. With every step I took, Vivian's body flinched, and she thrust her leg forward even more, almost bringing the hostage right up to my face. ...Is she an idiot?
My eyes met Jung Jiyeon's. I felt no guilt. It wasn't like this was my first or second time killing a User. Still, as a small gesture of apology, I gave a slight nod before reaching for the female User's white neck.
“I didn't say you could come closer—?”
My hand closed around the woman's slender neck.
“L-Let... go...?”
Snap. Crack!
“Guhk... ack...”
I squeezed and twisted. With a Strength stat of 94 points, breaking a delicate female User's neck was an easy task. I felt the bones in her neck crumble in my hand. The human-faced spider could only gape in disbelief at Jung Jiyeon, who had gone limp in an instant, her tongue lolling out. After enjoying the spider's expression, I kicked off the ground, leaped into the air, and landed lightly beside her face. I gently stroked the top of the dazed Vivian's head and spoke.
“You idiot. In a situation like this, you should have grabbed my companions. What are you doing, taking some random human hostage?”
“B-But... you're both human... Why...”
“She was annoying and in the way. Besides, she has nothing to do with me. It doesn't matter if she lives or dies.”
“S-Still! How could you just kill a person like that! Are you even human?”
“It sounds a little weird coming from you. Oh, and stop trying to sneak your leg toward my friends. Freeze. Or I'll rip it right off.”
When I warned her with a cold smile, Vivian flinched and retracted her leg. How sneaky. I was now perched on Vivian's body, and she was sweating buckets, at a complete loss for what to do.
My hand glowed with pale vermilion light—the Magic Power of Eternal Flame. Using this power for the first time to bring down a boss monster seemed appropriate. Perhaps the prospect of fighting a proper monster after so long had excited me; dense killing intent poured from my entire body. How should I kill this one?
Vivian met my gaze for a second before quickly looking away. Her lips trembled; she seemed to have realized the difference in our classes. Knowing that I was contemplating her fate, Vivian's expression filled with despair. Still, it seemed she wanted to live. The proof was in the trembling that shook her body every time I stroked her hair and the way she kept sneaking glances at me.
As for how it felt to use part of my power this time, honestly, even I was somewhat surprised. I had been confident of victory, but I had never imagined it would be this easy. Vivian was a Dungeon Master and a boss monster, even if her dungeon lay near a small city. So this is what having power feels like.
“Ugh!”
I must have unconsciously tightened my grip, because Vivian's face contorted sharply. She kept stealing glances at me, then swallowed hard and opened her mouth.
“Hey.”
“Yeah.”
“Let me live.”
“?”
What was this nonsense? I scratched my head once or twice and answered with a dubious expression.
“Well...”
“Why not? Let me live. Huh? Please let me live.”
“...You're the master of this dungeon, a boss monster. Have you no pride?”
“What does that matter? Staying alive is what's most important. Spare me. I'm begging you.”
“......”
Seeing Vivian's expression change completely as she pleaded earnestly with wide, sparkling eyes left me a little dumbfounded, but I soon came to accept it. Since the Hall Plain wasn't a game, death was final for everyone—not just humans, but animals and all other living things. It was only natural for any sentient being to have a strong desire to survive.
“Still, it's just too weird for you to beg for your life this easily. Come on, let's fight a little more and then decide. Who knows? You might even win...”
“No. I have a feeling that if I attack you from now on, I'll die a horrible death without even being able to resist. I'll give you something good. So please, spare me. Please. Huh?”
She had good instincts. I had indeed been planning to kill her in one explosive blow the moment she made any move. But after I'd climbed on top of her, I couldn't sense any killing intent from her at all. If I had to name the emotion I felt, would it be submission? In any case, at Vivian's offer to give me something good, my eyes sparkled.
“Something good?”
“Uh-huh. The reason you came in here... well, there might be other reasons, but you came to get my treasures, right?”
“Hmm.”
As I stroked my chin with a thoughtful expression, Vivian quickly prostrated herself. She was like a puppy wagging its tail at its owner. I decided to graciously accept whatever Vivian coughed up.
“What are you going to give me? As you know, the price for a life is quite steep.”
“Um... I'll give you everything. First, let's go to my workshop. You can look around, and if you like what you see, you can spare me. The workshop is just outside this passage.”
“Fine, let's do that. By the way, the others... They'll be okay like that for a while, right?”
“I don't mind, but... yeah. Don't worry about them. When we get there, there should be a couple of humans still alive. I caught them yesterday, but they're still breathing!”
Looking at the three of them in their silk cocoons, I felt a little sorry. But when I nodded my head, the spider turned its waddling body around and, with a relieved expression, quickly exited the passage. With me riding on its back.