Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The First Hunt
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The search party's mission, as the name implied, was to search for the stairs. Naturally, they were the most crucial team in the tribe.
The only problem was that searching for stairs in this labyrinth was far more dangerous than one could imagine.
And as soon as Lee Si-woo found Kyle, he was forcibly assigned to his search party.
The pretext was to see if Si-woo was of any use.
“Hey, newbie. Here's your canteen. Take it.”
About thirty minutes had passed since Si-woo left the base with Kyle's search party.
Martin, a member of the party that had been advancing at a mind-numbingly slow pace, handed Si-woo a canteen.
Already thirsty, Si-woo frowned the moment he opened the canteen.
An unpleasantly sour smell wafted out from inside.
Martin, guessing Si-woo's thoughts from his expression, spoke in a gruff tone.
“What? Does it smell weird?”
“Yes. It smells a bit old.”
“Old? It's not even water in the first place.”
“...If it's not water?”
“You think there'd be groundwater, let alone a stream, in this barren labyrinth? Hey, you saw those grubs at the base, right?”
A bad feeling creeping over him, Si-woo narrowed his eyes.
“Don't tell me...”
“Heh heh, that's right. It's their saliva.”
The Common Sense Pill only instilled common sense, so Si-woo had no knowledge of things like having to drink grub saliva in the Pit.
Was that why?
Si-woo's expression soured even more.
For a modern man like him, being told to drink the saliva of a monster—not some brand of bottled water—was too harsh a demand.
“……”
Martin, finding Si-woo's disgusted face amusing, let out a laugh before continuing.
“Even if it turns your stomach, you'd better get used to it fast. It'll increase your chances of survival. Oh, right. I heard you... don't have any mana?”
“Yes, so I've been told.”
“Then Leader Kyle must have given you a pretty hard time, huh?”
Si-woo, noticing Martin's subtle attempt to get him to gossip, gave a wry smile.
He knew what Martin was hoping for, but he wasn't naive enough to fall for such wordplay and make a slip-up to someone he'd just met.
“Well, I can't say he treated me nicely, even as a pleasantry... but it can't be helped. Isn't hazing the new guy part of the fun?”
Martin, who had been trying to get Si-woo to complain about Kyle, raised an eyebrow in surprise as Si-woo slipped away like an eel, even deprecating himself.
His cautious attitude was unusual for a newbie.
Martin chuckled and patted Si-woo's shoulder.
“Yeah, you get it. The leader's got a lot on his shoulders. And he knows all too well that the more incompetent people there are, the more danger his existing comrades are in. So there's no reason for him to be nice to you in the future, no matter how much you suck up to him.”
Si-woo said with a blank face.
“Yes, I'm well aware.”
Martin, looking at Si-woo—who showed no fear of the unfamiliar environment, let alone any discontent—with amusement in his eyes, spoke in a slightly more favorable tone.
“Good that you know. Let's get along. Oh, and did Boss Rei tell you about the Monster Tribe?”
“Yes. She said it's a tribe made of monsters....”
“That's right. Just like she said, they're monsters. And they're the largest of all the tribes. But... did the boss tell you why they're the biggest in the labyrinth?”
“No, I haven't.”
“That's because, unlike the other tribes who only get new members from the ticket summoners, they also recruit from within the labyrinth.”
“From within the labyrinth?”
Just then, a sharp cry echoed from the darkness beyond the maze of stone walls.
-*Kyaaaak!*
*Ssssk.*
At the same time, an unpleasant sound, like insects crawling on walls, came from all directions.
The search party leader, Kyle, raised his hand and shouted.
“Everyone, prepare for battle!”
Martin gripped the spear on his back with both hands and said with a chuckle.
“The monsters of the labyrinth. The ones with intelligence can join the Monster Tribe, you see? But the funny thing is... the only ones in the Pit who can tell whether they're intelligent or not are those bastards themselves.”
Hideous shadows with eight legs crawled along the walls and floor, rushing toward them.
They were about one meter in size.
The desolate labyrinth landscape reflected in their compound eyes.
Menacing fangs that took up half their faces.
They were 'Fang Spiders,' one of the common monsters in the labyrinth.
“Hup!”
With a light grunt, veins bulged on Martin's arms.
The mana within his body infused his muscles with power, drawing out a level of strength impossible by Si-woo's standards of common sense.
*Swiiish!*
The silver arc drawn by the spearhead pierced the top of a Fang Spider's head.
*Splat!*
Green bodily fluid burst like a firecracker, drenching Si-woo's face and clothes.
Martin cackled at the sight of the ridiculous-looking Si-woo.
But only for a moment.
Martin wiped the smile from his face, his expression turning serious.
“Do you know what that means? It means they can pretend to be mindless and attack other tribes whenever they want. And they... they call these acts of theirs 'snack time' and laugh their asses off.”
Hearing the grim emotion seeping from Martin's voice, Si-woo's face hardened like stone.
Martin twisted his lips into a smirk.
“Welcome, newbie. To the final destination for abandoned dregs. Welcome to the Pit.”
Martin's voice, a chaotic mix of negative emotions like self-loathing and grimness, tickled Si-woo's ear ominously.
***
As Fang Spiders were common monsters in the labyrinth, they weren't difficult to deal with as long as one was careful of their sharp fangs.
This was especially true for a search party that moved like a well-trained military unit.
After the search party dealt with dozens of Fang Spiders in less than ten minutes, Kyle checked on his members one by one.
“Anyone hurt?”
A member, brushing spider fluid off his tattered leather armor, replied.
“No, sir.”
Kyle nodded, his tone satisfied.
“Good. Hmm, speaking of which...”
Kyle's gaze shifted to Martin, a skilled veteran member.
Glancing at the spider carcasses scattered around him, as if he'd wiped them out all by himself, Kyle asked.
“What about the newbie? Is he dead?”
Martin shrugged and chuckled.
“Heh heh, Leader. You sound like you wish he were.”
“Cut the crap. Where did he go? Is he hurt?”
“Hurt? Far from it. He's over there doing something weird.”
Following Martin's thumb, which pointed to the side, they saw Si-woo silently and meticulously examining the spider carcasses.
Kyle frowned, then walked over to Martin's side and said.
“What the hell is he doing?”
“How should I know? Maybe he gets turned on by spider corpses.”
Kyle clicked his tongue at Martin's crude joke and casually asked.
“He didn't cause any trouble, did he?”
“Not at all. He didn't do anything rash and just stayed quietly by my side like a new bride.”
“Hmph. Must've been frozen in fear.”
Martin chuckled, then gestured with his chin toward Si-woo, who was poking at a spider carcass with a stick he'd cleverly found somewhere.
“Does that look like something a scared kid would do?”
Kyle stroked his chin and asked.
“He didn't scream or try to run? A kid who saw a monster for the first time today?”
“He might have been tense, but I can guarantee he never panicked.”
“That's surprising. If he has no mana, he's most likely from another dimension... From what I've heard, people from there are usually cowards.”
“It's case by case, but the outer universes are known for being peaceful. I mean, what kind of wars have they experienced? Not racial wars, that's for sure. At best, they've only had internal conflicts on their own planets. How could they function properly in the Main Dimension? Hmmm, but still, Leader...”
Martin continued in a meaningful tone.
“There are always exceptions to the rule, aren't there?”
Kyle, noticing Martin's subtle praise for Si-woo, asked nonchalantly.
“Grown fond of him in that short time? That's high praise.”
“It's not praise, it's an objective assessment. Look, monsters he's never seen before in his life attacked. Yet he handled it calmly, which naturally allowed me to move more freely. At this rate... tsk, it's a shame he has no mana.”
“Sometimes you get those types who are unnervingly cold and calm. Seems he's one of them. Still... without mana, he's just trash pretending to be recyclable.”
Martin, who had been speaking favorably of Si-woo until now, also laughed like an old man and expressed his agreement.
He was, as he'd said, only evaluating the other person objectively; he didn't hold any particular fondness for Si-woo.
“Heh heh, that's true. Drawing lines on a pumpkin doesn't make it a watermelon.”
Kyle left Martin and approached Si-woo, who was still poking at the spider carcasses.
Kyle asked Si-woo, who was prodding one of the Fang Spider corpses with a stick.
“What are you doing?”
Si-woo lifted the stick. Green fluid dripped viscously from its tip.
It had the consistency of dough.
“Doesn't this corpse seem a little strange?”
“It does? Why?”
Kyle's eyebrow twitched as he looked at the corpse, which at a glance seemed no different from the others.
He thought this greenhorn was getting hung up on something weird and making things difficult.
Si-woo noticed Kyle's attitude, but he paid it no mind and calmly continued.
“The color of the blood is no different... but the consistency is completely different.”
Kyle asked in a bored tone.
“So what?”
“If it were just the consistency, it wouldn't matter. But while the fluid from the other spiders can be easily wiped off, this one is different. It's hard to get off no matter how hard you scrub. Look over there.”
Having said that, Si-woo pointed to one of the search party members with the tip of his stick.
“If you look at that man's pants, the fluid is still stuck to them like mucus. None of the other corpses have this characteristic, but this one specific corpse does... Isn't that more than just strange? It's too deliberate.”
For a moment, Kyle's eyes flashed. A thought had just crossed his mind while listening to Si-woo.
Kyle called over the member Si-woo had pointed to, the one with spider fluid on his pants.
“Tahar!”
“Yes, Leader.”
“Come here.”
As Tahar came over, scratching his head with a 'why are you bothering me' expression, Kyle examined his pants.
Just as Si-woo had said, the spider's fluid had dried into a sticky mess and showed no signs of coming off.
It was strange.
The fluid of an ordinary Fang Spider was never this viscous.
Kyle, getting a bad feeling, said.
“Tahar, from now on, you will move exactly as I say. Understood? Do not let your guard down for a second, and follow my orders to the letter.”
Tahar replied in a voice filled with military discipline.
“Yes, sir.”
“And...”
Kyle trailed off, looking at Si-woo.
Si-woo calmly met his eyes, which held a complex mix of emotions.
Kyle said one thing.
“Good job.”
“It was nothing.”
Si-woo said, scratching the back of his head as if embarrassed.
But Kyle just scoffed at the gesture.
With that brazen gaze and triumphant face, his modesty was so obviously an act it was practically an advertisement.
‘Observational skills to notice details. Meticulousness that doesn't overlook the trivial. Concentration that never lets go once it latches on... Damn, I've barely known him for any time at all and he's already making me re-evaluate him. But...’
Kyle walked past Si-woo and said in an indifferent tone.
“But... what if you were here alone, without us? Would you have had the chance to show off that keen eye of yours then?”
The expression vanished from Si-woo's face.
As if mocking Si-woo's vanished nonchalance, Kyle walked away at a leisurely pace.
Was it because his silence made him feel pathetic for being proud of a minor achievement?
Left alone, Si-woo bit his lower lip.
Suddenly, a burning thirst washed over him. But Si-woo's hand didn't reach for his canteen.
He knew.
What he craved wasn't water, but something else.
Yes. Thirst and hunger are the domain, the fate, of the weak.
So, to quench his thirst, he needed something else.
Unconsciously, Si-woo clenched the smartphone in his pocket.
As if it were his only lifeline.
***
Thirty compound eyes and twenty legs.
A massive body nearly five meters tall.
The tongue of Anetium, a monster species known as a tarantula, licked the air with relish.
At the scent of the 'dummy' on the tip of her tongue, Anetium's massive maw stretched into a wide grin.
‘This way, is it? They went this way.’
Saliva cascaded like a waterfall from beneath Anetium's mouth.
The anticipation of tasting human flesh for the first time in a while caused her appetite to erupt like a volcano.
In truth, Anetium belonged to the Monster Tribe and was not supposed to touch, let alone eat, humans.
It was a violation of the pact.
But who would dare say anything to her?
The prey often clings to laws and begs for mercy, but it is the way of the world for predators to deceive pacts.
-*Kihyaaaa...*
Anetium let out a heated breath and clung to the labyrinth's ceiling, crawling frantically.
Feeling the time of the hunt approaching, the hairs on her body stood on end, and sweat, born of excitement, poured from every pore.
‘But I can't be careless.’
It was common knowledge that an intelligent monster species of the same class was superior to a human.
But that was only when their numbers were similar; with Anetium alone, it was a different story.
‘So, I'll sneak up quietly and snatch just one... no, one is too few. I'll grab two and run. Then I'll go back to my web and suck out their brains while they're still alive. Ah! Just the thought of it is driving me crazy with excitement...’
Just then, the hairs on Anetium's massive body swayed like weeds in the wind.
Her 1-Star Talent, ‘Danger Sense,’ had activated.
-*Kiyayaak!*
With a sharp screech, Anetium's massive body instantly retreated.
*Swiiiiiish-!*
Spears, flying through the labyrinth's darkness, rained down on the spot where Anetium had just been.
*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*
Over ten spears were embedded in the ground like toothpicks in a rice cake.
If she had been even a moment late in dodging, it would have been her body, not the ground, that was turned into a pincushion.
-*Wh-what? You... how did you...*
From the shadows of the labyrinth, dozens of search party members appeared in formation.
Realizing things had gone wrong, Anetium tried to retreat hastily, but it was too late.
Martin, known as the search party's attack dog, was blocking her escape.
‘What? How did they know I was following them?’
Her thoughts stopped there. Realizing her disadvantageous situation, Anetium spat out in a voice as unpleasant as scraping metal.
-*...You bastards, why have you surrounded me? Huh? Don't tell me you don't know I'm a member of the Monster Tribe? This... you know this is a violation of the pact, right?*
Her voice, grating on the ears due to a vocal structure different from a human's, was answered by Kyle.
“Tahar, throw her the pants.”
“Yes, Leader.”
Tahar threw the pants stained with spider fluid in front of Anetium.
-*…….*
Kyle spoke to the silent spider.
“Honestly, I never dreamed you'd mix a dummy in with the Fang Spiders. Then again, thinking back... it was a little strange that a swarm of Fang Spiders attacked us less than an hour into our search.”
-*Where's your proof that I did it?*
“Proof? When a high and mighty member of the Monster Tribe is in a remote place like this... and conveniently right on our tail, do we really need such a thing?”
Kyle's aura was a mix of threat and intimidation.
Anetium, judging that this wouldn't end peacefully, snapped.
-*...If I don't return, the Monster Tribe won't stand by idly. Can you handle the consequences?*
At Kyle's signal, the search party members all raised their spears.
Anetium glared at the dozens of spear tips aimed at her.
“The labyrinth is vast. And just as dangerous. So... it would be a common occurrence for a runaway spider to never come home. Wouldn't it?”
-*Kihyaak!*
Anetium charged Kyle in a surprise attack. Because of her massive body, it felt like a huge boulder was flying at him.
*Chk.*
As if they had been waiting, the search party members took their stances and threw the spears they held.
*Swiiish! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*
Dozens of spears struck Anetium's carapace.
But it wasn't a fatal blow.
Anetium's 2-Star Talent, ‘Stone Carapace,’ helped her survive the countless spear tips with its defensive power.
Realizing this, Kyle muttered as a chill ran down his spine.
“The members' spears couldn't pierce its carapace? Don't tell me... a Talent? But a 1-Star tarantula's only Talent should be Danger Sense...”
A talent inherent to the species itself. A Talent.
It was precisely because of these Talents that summoners preferred individuals with high star ratings.
The number of stars was the number of Talents.
This was the common sense of the Main Dimension.
That was why Kyle was horrified.
The fact that Anetium had two Talents meant she was a 2-Star monster.
Yes, a high-value monster species of which you might find only one or two even if you combed through the entire labyrinth!
‘Ogong wouldn't bat an eye if three or four 1-Star monsters died. But a 2-Star monster? Would he still not make a move...? Dammit! We can't kill her!’
The image of Martin bouncing into the air was reflected in Kyle's eyes.
Martin somersaulted upward, used the ceiling as a foothold, and plummeted down like a thunderbolt.
The spear clutched in Martin's hand aimed for Anetium's head like the blade of a guillotine.
“No, Martin! Stop! Don't kill her!”
Martin, known as the attack dog, was a 2-Star talent who possessed the human species' 2-Star Talent, ‘Body Enhancement.’
And due to the nature of Body Enhancement, the user's attack power increased exponentially with the quality and quantity of their mana.
Therefore, a strike from Martin could easily pierce Anetium's shell, even one strengthened by Stone Carapace.
*Craaack!*
Did Kyle's voice reach him at the last moment?
By a stroke of luck, Martin's spear exquisitely missed Anetium's head and stabbed her torso instead.
-*Kiiyaaak!*
Anetium wailed mournfully as a fountain of green blood erupted from her back.
She cried so sorrowfully that even Martin, the one who had stabbed her, flinched.
Martin spat on the ground and said fiercely.
“Dammit... If I'd just smashed her head in one blow, she wouldn't be this loud. You know this is all your fault, Leader.”
Anetium's twenty compound eyes glared at Martin all at once.
She was resentful and miserable.
No matter that her opponent was Martin, the attack dog and vanguard of the Pure Tribe; she was confident she would never lose in a one-on-one fight.
But with dozens of humans throwing spears from the front and that Martin launching a surprise attack from behind, she stood no chance.
-*Grrrrr, Martin... I will never forget your face.*
*Thwack!*
Martin, lightly smacking the top of Anetium's head with the shaft of his spear, grumbled.
“Hey, you should be grateful I spared your life when I was about to crack your skull open. Haa, Leader. So what's the plan? If you stopped me, tell me why. Why can't we kill this spider bitch?”
“...That tarantula is a 2-Star monster species.”
Martin scratched the back of his head. Hearing that, the excitement of battle faded, and he roughly grasped the situation.
“No wonder its carapace was so tough... so it was a Talent? Tsk, to think something like this is a 2-Star monster. The Monster Tribe has really gone downhill.”
When Martin spoke in a deliberately contemptuous tone, Anetium flew into a rage.
-*Kyaaak! How dare you insult me, you lowly human who would have been nothing but prey if we met one-on-one?!*
“Ah, she's so damn loud. And I can't even just kill her...”
At the mention of killing her, Anetium, belying her massive frame, subtly tucked her head into her body.
It was a ridiculous sight, like a spider imitating a turtle.
Martin clicked his tongue and examined the green blood flowing ceaselessly from Anetium's back.
Although it had missed her head, it was a strike delivered with Martin's full power.
The carapace on her back was shattered like broken glass, and there was even a large hole. It looked like she would die soon if they didn't do something quickly.
“Haa, a 2-Star monster species... So if we kill her, that Ogong bastard won't let it slide, will he?”
As reckless as Martin was, he feared Ogong, the boss of the Monster Tribe.
He knew that if that centipede monster became truly enraged, the very existence of the Pure Tribe would be like a candle in the wind.
Anetium let out a triumphant laugh.
-*Kek kek, you guessed right. Our leader cherishes me. So if I don't return, he will be greatly angered, and then it'll be the end for you! Do you understand? You must not kill me!*
Despite her triumphant air, Anetium's voice grew weaker and weaker.
She had lost too much blood.
Martin spoke in a tone thick with annoyance.
“Shit, can't be helped. Leader, let's treat her quickly. It's galling, but if she dies, all hell will break loose.”
Kyle gritted his teeth.
Thanks to Si-woo's contribution, they had turned the tables on the hunter trying to hunt them, yet their situation as humans—having to not only spare her but also treat her and send her back—made his blood boil.
‘Disgusting, so disgusting... So damn cheap... and shitty.’
Meanwhile, Si-woo, who had been watching them from a distance, stiffened as his smartphone suddenly started vibrating wildly.
‘Vibrating? This is... Don't tell me?’
*Vvvvmm!*
Clutching the fiercely vibrating smartphone, Si-woo carefully backed away.
He was afraid the sound of the vibration would arouse the suspicion of the other members.
Fortunately, the members were so focused on Anetium that they had no time to pay attention to him.
Si-woo carefully slipped to the rear and took out his smartphone. Soon after, his pupils shook as he read the message that appeared on the screen.
[A devourable life-form is nearby. Would you like to devour it?]