A Spider's Den and a Desperate Gamble
I knew exactly where the spiders were hiding on the second floor of the annex. It was obviously the gymnasium. They'd probably set up a hatchery there and were planning to take me on alongside their high-ranking variants.
My prediction was spot on. The area around the gym was absolutely covered in webs.
“...Hoo.”
It had been a tough fight, but I figured I could still keep going. So I swung my blade, roughly slicing through the webs to clear a path. The severed strands clung to my arms and legs, giving me a weird, sticky sensation.
The gymnasium door wasn't locked. It was wide open, completely draped in spider silk that made the entrance look like the mouth of a cave. It really felt like I was walking straight to my death. Like a bug willingly throwing itself into a spider's nest.
But strangely enough, I wasn't that scared.
“It's not like anything could be worse than dying, right?”
I deliberately ignored the horrifying images that flashed through my mind at that thought and stepped inside.
Luckily, it wasn't pitch black. At the very least, I could make out where the spiders were and roughly how many there were. I could also see two massive shapes deep inside the gym.
“...”
It was the Spider King and the Spider Queen. And from the looks of it, they were in the middle of mating—the King was mounted on top of the Queen. He was probably inserting his reproductive organ and fertilizing her eggs right then.
In a way, that was actually fortunate. They wouldn't recklessly attack me until they were finished. Instead, the other spiders would definitely come at me.
In an instant, venom and webs began raining down. It wasn't as overwhelming as last time, but it was still intense. I hurriedly rolled across the floor. If I just stood there spacing out, I'd be immobilized in seconds. And if I couldn't move, my life would end right here.
“Like hell I'll die for you!”
I heard something continuously splattering behind me. There was a sizzling sound too, and I could see smoke rising. I kept moving without stopping. Maybe because I was used to being cornered like this, my head was working surprisingly well.
To be honest, I'd thought earlier that nothing could be worse than dying, but I was definitely about to experience something far worse than death.
I had killed hundreds of spiders in this building. And not just regular ones—these were Guards or Soldiers. The ones that were supposed to protect their allies from outside forces and fight on the front lines against other enemies. All that careful nurturing had been wiped out in an instant, so they were probably seeing red right now.
And on top of that, the intruder turned out to be a perfect host. The Spider King couldn't possibly let me go. He'd probably keep me hidden deep inside and subject me to something worse than hell.
When my thoughts reached that point, I couldn't help but think how truly miserable my life was.
“...!”
“Kiiiaaaa!”
A spider that suddenly leaped out from the side opened its mouth wide. I quickly swung Beopbong and killed it, but stopping even for a moment was a huge mistake. In the blink of an eye, venom and webs flew toward me from all directions. I barely managed to dodge them, but another spider that had been waiting immediately charged in.
“Ugh!”
I sliced it with my blade in time, but a stinging pain shot up from my leg. I'd clearly taken a direct hit from the venom. Not only that, but moving my foot had become incredibly difficult. This was seriously bad.
My field of vision was limited, I had to keep moving constantly, and I also had to dodge the spiders' surprise attacks—all within a matter of seconds. I'd expected it to be like this when I came in, but I never dreamed the resistance would be this fierce.
Fortunately, I knew exactly what to do in this situation.
“...!”
I clenched my teeth and deliberately spread both arms wide, starting to take every attack head-on. I wouldn't die, but I needed to get hurt badly enough that it felt like I might. Only then could I kill every zombie in this place and make it out alive.
And in an instant, the spiders swarmed me. They tried to bind my limbs with webs and bite me to inject paralyzing venom. Five or six of them were desperately trying to incapacitate me.
But it wasn't enough.
So I shook my body to throw them off, then hurled the Beopbong and my blade in succession. Both spun through the air in wide arcs. Unfortunately, the staff didn't fly exactly where I wanted it to.
“Giiiiaaaaaa!!!”
However, the blade flew straight to my target—the Spider King and Queen's nesting area. The King roared when he saw the blade narrowly miss him. Their mating had just finished, and he came charging toward me.
I don't remember what happened after that.
“...”
When I came to, I'd already been brutally beaten. I was barely clinging to life. The reason was obvious. Not only had I interrupted their mating, but I'd also massacred their offspring. Of course he'd be furious.
I first checked my surroundings. I hadn't been unconscious for long; I was still sprawled near the gymnasium entrance. The Spider King was right beside me, personally spraying webs to bind me.
“...Heh.”
I slowly pushed myself up. I knew the Spider King's weakness very well. After all, I'd smashed it once before. Or was it bitten? Anyway, I lunged forward and struck the Spider King's genitals with everything I had.
That was the end of it.
A monstrous shriek shook the entire gymnasium. The Queen, who had been watching, answered with her own roar. In an instant, a powerful impact slammed into my abdomen. I felt bones shatter and organs rupture. Blow after blow rained down with enough force to kill an ordinary person instantly.
The Queen even seemed intent on tearing off one of my limbs—I saw her fangs sinking into my arm. A burning pain shot through me, and my fingers stopped responding properly.
My physical condition was at its absolute worst. Anemia, paralyzing venom, and now internal organ rupture. If it weren't for my regeneration, I'd already be dead.
But I smiled.
My regeneration had stopped working a while ago. That meant, from now on, victory was guaranteed for me.
A few toes and fingers had gone numb, but that didn't matter. I could still take down these spiders before the paralyzing venom fully spread.
The Spider King must have noticed something was wrong. He thrust his fangs at me to finish me off.
But it was already too late.
“Kigaaaa...!?”
The Queen let out a confused cry as her broken fang crumbled. I had caught the King's fang with my arm. Normally I would've been overpowered by sheer strength, but not now. Even though one of my arms had a hole punched through it, I slowly pushed the fang back.
Then I stood up straight, only to take a direct hit to the leg from the Spider King.
“...!”
“Giiiiaaaa!!!!”
“Kigaaaa!!!”
I quickly realized why. It was the paralyzing venom. Not only had I been hit directly by the venom spray, but I'd also been bitten by a spider. It was only natural that my reactions were sluggish. It felt exactly like being drunk—my body was moving several beats behind.
In the end, I chose the only option I had. There wasn't much I could do anyway.
“Come at me!”
Take a hit, endure it, and counterattack. Even without regeneration, my body wasn't going anywhere, so it was a viable strategy. And since it didn't even hurt anymore, I could use it as much as I wanted.
My overheated body released endorphins that numbed the pain. My pounding heart pumped adrenaline through my veins. At this moment, it wouldn't be wrong to say I was addicted to combat.
The thrill of gambling with my life on the brink of death felt incredibly good.
So I endured the Spider King's first attack as it came in, then immediately swung my fist. The King’s body twisted violently from the blow.
The other spiders weren't about to just watch. Their attacks became even more ferocious than before. And they were far more aggressive. Instead of just spraying venom and shooting webs, they started throwing their bodies at me directly. Even if it meant their heads or stomachs would explode from a single hit, they acted like they were determined to sink their fangs into me at least once.
By now, I couldn't move my legs anymore. They were tangled with corpses and webs, leaving me completely immobilized. The venom seeping into my wounds burned like fire and made me feel like I was dying.
But I could still hold on.
I could still swing my fists. I could still land blows on those monsters.
After all, if we took it to the end, I would win.
The moment I became certain of that, I couldn't keep my mouth shut.
In the end, I couldn't resist taunting the Spider King.
“You're weaker than a Monster, you know!”
“Giiiiaaaaaa!!!”
“...!”
The price for provocation was brutal. It felt like my waist had been snapped in half. Dead blood gushed from my mouth. But I endured the attack and, in return, ripped out one of the Spider King's fangs.
Then I planted my feet firmly and pulled myself free from the pile of webs and corpses. I swung the fang as hard as I could. With a dull thud, the King's body twisted violently.
The Queen flew into a rage, and the spiders charged again. I hurled the fang roughly at the King and went on a rampage.
Then my consciousness cut out.
When I regained my senses, everything was already over. The first thing I saw was the Spider King's corpse. Next was the Spider Queen's. Scattered everywhere were smashed and crushed remains of who-knows-what.
I looked around, then collapsed. I couldn't breathe properly. I couldn't even twitch a single finger.
“...Ah.”
I immediately understood why. It was the paralyzing venom and the regular poison. The wounds were bad, but the toxins seemed to be having an even greater effect. I wouldn't die, but the situation was extremely dangerous.
“There's... no one to help...”
I needed someone to watch my back while I was incapacitated. If I passed out again and woke up in a zombie nest, it would be a disaster. Or I might end up as some cult's bride again.
“...Ah.”
Someone was walking toward me. I desperately forced myself to stand. My vision was blurry, but I could still make out who it was. Fierce red eyes glared at me. Bloodstained blonde hair swayed.
I thought for a moment. Human or zombie?
There was no need to think about it. A human would be better.
With that final thought, I passed out.