Chapter 66
Chapter 66
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: The Spider Queen's Lair
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Don’t worry, Seon-gi. Just go.”
“Seon-gi. I’ll watch over her, so don’t you worry. I’ll be eating and sleeping right here.”
Gong Yeong-ji pushed Sa Seon-gi, who couldn’t bring himself to leave, out of the hospital room.
“You be careful too, Mister Wang-sik.”
“He gets to be your big brother, and I’m a mister? Seon-gi and I are the same age. We’re friends.”
“I’m working on it.”
Wang-sik found her expression somewhat adorable and patted her head.
She didn’t resist his touch, closing her eyes slightly, which made her look even more like a cute puppy.
“We’ll be back, little sis.”
After a fist bump, Wang-sik left the hospital with Sa Seon-gi.
“You okay?”
Wang-sik asked as they rode the elevator down. But one look at Sa Seon-gi’s face told him he didn’t need an answer.
Because, like an assassin on a mission, all emotion had vanished from Sa Seon-gi’s face.
By the time they reached the deserted island, a helicopter was hovering in the sky.
As their motorboat arrived at the dock, the helicopter lowered its altitude, and someone jumped out.
The figure, who had slowed their descent by blasting fire from both hands, landed on the ground like a proud eagle.
“Hey, guys.”
The newcomer was Min Ha-na.
“Did you change your class to a fighter jet?”
“I had to call in a favor so I wouldn’t be late. I just got back from an overseas expedition.”
Min Ha-na was now someone who received invitations from abroad.
“Left it all in a blaze of glory.”
Indeed, her exploits were becoming a global topic. As a flame mage, her battles were the most spectacular.
“How’s Seon-yeong?”
“She’s fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
Min Ha-na had visited Sa Seon-yeong before leaving for her expedition, and she had made it a habit to visit whenever she had time. Knowing this, Sa Seon-gi had opened up to her.
“Alright then, guys. How about some ramen before we head out?”
“Hey, with all the money we’ve made, you want ramen again?”
Before Min Ha-na left for her expedition, she and Wang-sik had hunted undead every night.
They had done so for over a month, earning a total of thirty billion won.
“Kimchi fried rice, then? You make that well.”
“That’s just what I make when I’m too lazy to cook.”
“I bet Seon-gi wants some.”
As Wang-sik’s gaze fell on him, Sa Seon-gi nodded.
“You’re telling me *Seon-gi* said he wants kimchi fried rice? You expect me to believe that?”
“I want some.”
The expression on Sa Seon-gi’s face was completely devoid of emotion. No one would think this was the face of someone craving a particular food.
“Wang-sik, come here a sec.”
Min Ha-na called Wang-sik over and whispered in his ear.
After hearing her out, Wang-sik turned to Sa Seon-gi with a questioning look.
“Seon-gi. I’m suddenly craving a steak. You too, right?”
Sa Seon-gi nodded.
“I want to go to an amusement park. Should we go?”
A nod.
“Let’s just travel abroad.”
A nod.
Wang-sik stopped asking questions, and Min Ha-na’s face crumpled.
“Hey! Sa Seon-gi! Will you agree to anything Wang-sik says? If he asked you to die with him, would you do it?”
“As long as it’s after Seon-yeong’s treatment is finished.”
“Wow. I feel so left out right now. Is Wang-sik your only friend? Am I not your friend?”
“You are.”
Sa Seon-gi acknowledged her as a friend.
“Then why do you only listen to Wang-sik?”
“Because he made it possible for me to live.”
The words were laden with meaning.
The first to react was Wang-sik.
“Seon-gi. Let’s make this about brotherhood, not duty.”
Wang-sik and Sa Seon-gi bumped fists.
“Hey! I feel left out, you know!”
At this, Wang-sik extended his fist to Min Ha-na as well.
“Let’s make it about brotherhood, not love.”
“There’s no way I’d ever love you!”
“Have you forgotten how you tried to seduce me at first?”
“What seduction?!”
As Min Ha-na shouted in exasperation, Sa Seon-gi nodded.
“Don’t you agree with him!”
“Alright, alright. The menu is ramen and kimchi fried rice. Let’s have both. No complaints now, right?”
“Neither of those is what I wanted!”
“Okay, okay. I get it.”
Wang-sik led them into the house.
After a simple meal, they passed through the gate as night fell.
On the way to the hunting ground, Wang-sik once again reminded them of their shared purpose.
“Before we head to the Armored Spider’s Nest, we’re going to sync up. Once we feel we’re ready, we’ll take it over and make it our base of operations.”
The reason Min Ha-na had taken a ten-day vacation to come to the Decartes Mountains wasn’t simply to hunt.
If they had to give up the gate on the deserted island, they would naturally have to give up their research lab in the Decartes Mountains as well.
So, while searching for a new base in the mountains, they had discovered the Armored Spider’s Nest.
Those creatures were the dominant group in the level 3 area.
Since they lived in a maze-like network of tunnels, it was a suitable location for covert purposes, so they decided to take it.
“First, let’s warm up lightly. Ha-na, attack a little later than usual. Let’s begin.”
They began their preparations for the Armored Spider’s Nest.
An hour later.
A black shadow shot up from behind Wang-sik.
A Dead Shadow.
Its attack power was average, but its sudden appearance made it a troublesome foe.
But before the risen shadow could even attack, a line sliced through the darkness.
The Dead Shadow was annihilated the moment it appeared, and Wang-sik had no need to defend.
‘Incredible.’
Watching Sa Seon-gi’s movements, Min Ha-na was genuinely amazed.
‘I can only just see him now.’
Only after hunting together for an hour was she beginning to follow Sa Seon-gi’s movements.
Fast and precise.
A simple assessment, but Sa Seon-gi transcended the limits of those words.
‘He’s already S-rank at this rate, isn’t he? No need to worry about close range.’
Sa Seon-gi took down every monster that got within three steps of Wang-sik.
“Good. Our teamwork is starting to click now, huh?”
Sa Seon-gi and Min Ha-na had already established their respective ranges.
‘Excellent.’
Sa Seon-gi acknowledged Min Ha-na’s skill as well, leaving the long-range targets to her. Their zones and roles naturally divided between them.
“This is too easy. I love it.”
Wang-sik was thrilled.
As they began to sync up, their hunting speed increased dramatically.
“Still, let’s do a bit more. There are still too many variables.”
Their hunting ground, which had started at level 3, naturally shifted to level 5.
It was to practice their coordination in more difficult situations.
By the tenth day, they could handle unexpected situations with certainty.
“I think we’re done with preparations, right?”
At Wang-sik’s declaration, Sa Seon-gi and Min Ha-na both nodded.
“Let’s go claim our territory.”
Returning to the level 3 area, they entered a region filled with a sour smell.
The place, cast in deeper shadows than its surroundings, had an eerie atmosphere, and webs were displayed everywhere as if for show.
Occasionally, they saw cocoons wrapped in webbing, their size nearly double that of a person.
The territory of the giant Armored Spiders.
It was the most dangerous area in level 3.
*Screeeech!*
An Armored Spider, having sensed the intruders, began to make a threatening noise.
The party, led by Wang-sik, stopped, and soon the source of the sound came into view.
It was a giant spider, three meters long, approaching through the trees.
It was astounding that a creature of that size could move through the trees.
“The branches have been artificially woven together.”
The branches were connected like a log bridge.
“Three on the right, two on the left. Three behind the bushes in front. Two approaching from behind.”
Sa Seon-gi relayed the positions of unseen enemies to his comrades. This was another of his roles.
“Men go straight ahead.”
“And women charge right in.”
A nod.
Their invasion had begun.
They encountered dozens of Armored Spiders, but no one was injured or even scratched.
Combat was always tense, but for them, who had faced level 5 undead, the level 3 Armored Spiders were not difficult opponents.
Furthermore, their teamwork had improved, and as they grew accustomed to the spiders’ patterns, the battles became even easier.
After passing through the forest, they arrived at a huge pit concealed by bushes.
The entrance to the Armored Spider’s Nest.
Given the creatures’ size, the entrance was large enough for all three of them to enter at once.
“Let’s get a little more serious now.”
It would be like a dungeon inside.
There was no telling how many of them were in there.
“We have to kill the Queen Spider too.”
Since this was to be their future base, not a single one could be left alive.
Wang-sik activated Dark Vision and entered the dark cave.
It was a long battle.
For six hours, they advanced, destroying everything in sight, yet they were still inside the maze.
Without Sa Seon-gi, they would have been completely lost.
The place they arrived at was a hatchery containing thousands of eggs.
The sight of meter-long, writhing eggs submerged in slime was instinctively repulsive.
About twenty spiders guarded the place, baring their sharp fangs at the sight of the intruders.
“Ha-na.”
*Fwoosh!*
Min Ha-na unhesitatingly unleashed a firestorm.
As the hatchery was instantly engulfed in flames, a piercing shriek echoed from the previously quiet maze.
“They’re approaching. At least ten. No, twenty. The number is increasing rapidly.”
With the hatchery under attack, the spiders that had been guarding their posts all rushed over at once.
“This should make things a bit easier.”
A slight tension arose, but no one was afraid. And that confidence was reflected in the result.
Hundreds of Armored Spiders were annihilated without even managing to scratch the three humans.
Having turned the hatchery into a sea of fire, they calmly advanced deeper inside.
“Wait.”
Sa Seon-gi stopped the party as they passed the hatchery and reached a suddenly widened passage.
“There’s a special one.”
At Sa Seon-gi’s warning, Wang-sik raised his shield and moved forward, and they soon arrived in a massive cavern.
The 20-meter-high circular space was completely covered in webs, as if it had been wallpapered.
“Seon-gi, where is it?”
The so-called special one was nowhere to be seen.
“Above.”
The moment he spoke, Wang-sik lifted his shield over his head.
*Chiiiiik!*
A web of immense toxicity spread out like a fisherman’s casting net, descending upon them.
White smoke, a sign of corrosion, rose from Wang-sik’s shield, but thankfully, he was able to quickly deploy his Holy Fence and push it back.
“The Queen Spider.”
They had reached the end of the maze.
Even though its first attack had failed, the master of the nest did not reveal itself.
“Ha-na. Burn the webs first.”
Min Ha-na’s flames began to incinerate the webbing. Startled, the Queen Spider scurried across the ceiling, moving from place to place before finally descending to the floor.
It was a colossal spider, 7 meters long and 4 meters tall. Its red eyes and constantly moving fangs glinted like well-honed scissors.
Faced with an aura clearly different from what they had encountered so far, the party’s tension heightened. But Min Ha-na’s attention was drawn to what was behind the Queen Spider.
Behind the spot where the Queen Spider had landed was a spherical object wrapped in webbing.
A faint blue light seeped out from the sphere. As she became aware of it, she could feel a powerful magic emanating from the blue light.
“Looks like it’s trying to protect that.”
That was why the Queen Spider had come down to the floor.
“Meaning it’s something valuable.”
A satisfied smile spread across Wang-sik’s face.