The Spider King's Game of Tag
I had ended up inside a zombie apocalypse novel. The Spider King slowly moved its legs. They were nothing more than crude imitations of spider limbs crafted from rib bones, yet somehow it was closing the distance in an instant. It was exactly the same situation the original protagonist had faced. The only difference was that the protagonist never shook like a leaf the way I was.
"...Uwaaaaah."
Well, compared to the protagonist, my abilities were riddled with flaws. The protagonist would start pumping out adrenaline to brace for the coming pain, then use that strengthened body to carve through enemies. Me? I get endorphins. At this rate I could only be called a masochist. Still, I seemed to have the upper hand when it came to bodily recovery.
"...Even if it leaves scars, can't I at least get a little stronger...?"
"GIYAAAAAAAH—!"
A rib mutated into a fang came flying. I raised Beopbong horizontally to block, but it was pointless. By the time I regained my senses I was already sprawled pathetically on the ground. I must have slammed into something hard; no strength would enter my body. The Spider King's fangs moved with eerie freedom, as if surprised at themselves, like this was their true nature.
".........Ugh."
I spat out a ragged breath and tried to stand. But the Spider King was faster, scrambling onto me as I stretched out. As if the flashlight bothered it during this game of tag, a fang smashed the light apart.
".........Fuck."
Scenes from the novel flashed through my mind. The variants that reproduced using human females each had their own methods. Generals used what was called a courtship dance, beating the female to test the toughness of her body. Worm and snake types wrapped around the woman to measure her durability. I seemed to recall that spider types started a game of tag. Treatment varied depending on how well the female could run. So in the story, one survivor had apparently been a track athlete. Something about how she could make a living just by spreading her legs.
"Auuuugh........."
Fragments of sound that could barely be called language spilled from my throat. I scrambled up, rolled to gain distance, then crawled forward in a desperate run. The idea of fighting back had already been thrown out. There was no winning against that thing. Smash a General's head and it was over. But the Spider King, while mimicking a spider, also possessed insect functions. Kill the human upper body and it wouldn't die. Kill the spider lower body and it still wouldn't die. You had to inflict fatal damage on both, or kill both, to finish it completely. With my current level I could probably manage to kill either the human torso or the spider abdomen. But after that? What then? So running was my only option.
Luckily the Spider King watched my speed and let out a satisfied roar. I sprinted with everything I had, leaving that skin-crawling bellow that made my ears ring behind me.
"Shiiiiiit...!"
I had to reach the display shelves and hide. They were currently covered in spider silk. Obviously even the Spider King's strength couldn't move them. So a hit-and-run strategy from inside there would be best. If only I were faster than it.
"U.........Grk!"
The fang playfully swatted my back. The force was anything but playful. I floated through the air before tumbling across the floor. Even then I kept a death grip on Beopbong, though my arms and legs trembled. Using the weapon like a cane, I staggered to my feet and lurched between the shelves. The real game of tag was beginning now.
The Spider King located the female by sensing the sound and vibration of her footsteps. Then it would go to her. How many times it let her go didn't matter. If she caught its fancy, it could release her and recapture her as often as it liked. Because the spider webs were essentially the Spider King's playground. Even that General avoided facing a Spider King or Queen on the webs. It would rather burn everything.
"...I want to burn it all."
But I couldn't. The building would go up in flames faster than I could run. Burns were the most serious injury for regeneration-type ability users. No matter how much my body's recovery had improved from killing zombies, I had no answer for flames that melted flesh and charred cells. Even my ability might not be able to heal burns. So there was no choice. I just had to hold my breath, stay quiet, and escape outside.
......Or so I had naively thought.
A clicking sound came from the opposite shelf, and the Spider King turned its head exactly in my direction. I knew it instinctively. I'd been spotted. The reason it hadn't found me until now was obvious. The General's Secretion Pouch nestled in my cleavage. This had been an unfair game of tag from the start.
".....Fuck."
Even if I threw the pouch away now, the pheromones soaked into my body wouldn't fade easily. I had to decide. Run, or fight. Running gave me a chance to survive. Fighting gave me a chance too. Gritting my teeth until they creaked, I burst out from my hiding spot. Yeah, so what if I lose. I probably wouldn't die. With that thought I leaped forward and swung Beopbong with all my strength, top to bottom. The classic method of cracking the head open. But something pale rose up faster.
"...........Ugh."
The hard fang blocked Beopbong. The handle shook violently in my grip. Forcing myself to endure it, I prepared the next strike. But the Spider King's mouth was swelling. Poison. The instant the thought hit me I thrust Beopbong out horizontally like a shield. Luckily I blocked the first attack. I couldn't stop the second.
"Spray type...!"
It wasn't a thick, sticky glob of venom. It was a fine mist like from a spray bottle. Beopbong couldn't block it, and dodging was even more impossible. I covered my face with one arm and squeezed my eyes shut. Then I felt something seize my leg.
"Ah."
It was the Spider King. My first thought was how unfair it was. It had forced me to protect my face with the poison spray, then used that opening to grab my leg. It was practically calling a foul. I stiffened in case it tried to swing me around, but that didn't happen. Because the Spider King had shoved me beneath its belly.
"Fuck...! Fuuuuck...!"
Before I could pull myself free, blunt legs crushed down on my stomach. Fangs tightened around my neck to stop me from escaping while sharp legs slowly gripped my waist. It was trying to lay eggs. Thinking I had to get away somehow, I grabbed Beopbong with the arm that could still move and slammed it into the Spider King's abdomen.
"GIYAAAAAAAH—!"
"Uwaaaaaah!"
The legs clicked rapidly. Terrified of being crushed under those limbs, I crawled desperately, scrambled free, and ran. Banging into shelves left and right, I kept Beopbong clutched tight. Now I just had to smash the front door with it and escape. The moment I thought that and sprinted, something hard pressed against my back.
"Eh? Eh? Ah. Aah.... P-please... don't....."
"GIYAAAAAAAAH—!!!!!"
The Spider King didn't slow down. Only right before the front door did it brake with its legs. Naturally it released me from its fangs. I slammed into the door and collapsed onto the floor. I knew I had to move, but for some reason my body refused.
In the instant I tried not to let go of Beopbong, a sharp agony exploded through my right arm.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Giga."
"I was wrong! I w-was wrong! It hurts! B-blood, it's bleeding...!"
"Giga?"
"Huaaaaaang.....! Ah, I... I won't resist anymore. My left arm! Left arm—KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!"
Both arms were pierced side by side by the fangs. The Spider King watched me with the expression of someone observing a bug wriggling after being pinned by a needle. Then, realizing I was looking at it, it opened its mouth in a smile. It pulled the fangs free as if inviting me to try something else. I collapsed into a sitting position and examined my arms.
"..........Ha... Ahaha...... Hahaha......."
Both arms had holes wide enough for three fingers to fit through. A mild paralytic poison must have been injected too; moving my arms lagged by half a beat. The Spider King used its fangs to push Beopbong toward the mart entrance, then clicked its legs in clear delight. For some reason, I laughed. I could still move. I could still escape. I had to think of something.
That was when I remembered. The track athlete's words about the Spider King's weakness. Where was it? The Spider Queen knew its weak point—the birth canal. That hole was soft and vital; attacking only there would let you win, she'd said. Then for the Spider King too, the egg-laying tube had to be the vital spot.
"Ugh....................."
The Spider King drooled venom from its human mouth as if hungry. It seemed to mean that if I didn't satisfy it, it would simply eat me. Looked like I had no choice but to go all in. I had to run first. The bleeding might not stop, but somehow it would work out.