Chapter 638
Spiders?
I’d seen them more than enough in my life. Even during the chaos of the Great Cataclysm, Hope Gosiwon never lacked for pests, and spiders were always among the regulars.
Jinho hyung once even joked:
‘Maybe the landlord’s name here is Fabre?’
The insect density was so absurd it made us believe in the reincarnation of a long-dead entomologist.
But people say humans are creatures of adaptation.
At first, I was disgusted every time one appeared. But not even a year later, I got used to them, and a few years after that, I could even identify species.
‘Hyung, say hi. That’s a ghost spider. Next to it is an orb-weaver.’
‘Shut up and get rid of it.’
‘And that’s a Brazilian wandering spider.’
‘I said get rid of—wait, why the hell would a Brazilian wandering spider be wandering around Hope Gosiwon? Does this make sense?’
‘Why wouldn’t it? I fought goblins yesterday.’
‘…Ah.’
‘And this one’s a tarantula. Must be new here.’
‘Is this a nightmare? Why is there a tarantula here…?’
Such was the mysterious ecosystem of Hope Gosiwon. I spent my youthful days living alongside countless spiders, eventually treating them like neighbors.
But I could say for certain: I had never seen a spider as grotesque and enormous as the ones now before me.
“…Thousand-Year Spiders?”
The unfamiliar name slipped from the Beast Miao King’s lips, and unlike tarantulas or Brazilian wanderers, these were on a completely different level.
‘Seriously… if someone asked if I’d ever seen a spider larger than a bear, I could nod without hesitation. Because I’m staring right at them. Five of them, no less.’
Their movements were ghostly. Eight bristly legs scraped down ancient trees as their massive bodies slid like shadows.
And the instant those monstrous eyes caught sight of us, the Beast Miao King roared.
“They’re coming!”
The next moment—
Swaaah!
Whitish slime poured from above, covering a radius of more than ten jang.
Thanks to his warning, I barely slipped free of the attack range. But when I looked ahead, my eyes widened.
Sizzle!
The ground, rocks, grass—and even the corpse of the White Tribe warrior left behind—all melted with a stench, as if someone had dumped hydrochloric acid.
‘Acid?’
If I hadn’t dodged, if even a part of me had touched it, my body would have melted instantly.
A sight that chilled me to the core.
But I didn’t have the luxury to just stand shocked.
Rustle!
From the bushes, through the fog, from the treetops—they closed in from every side.
Five spiders, each larger than a bear, tightening their circle.
“…They’re forming a net?”
At my dumbfounded mutter, the Beast Miao King gathered his qi and replied.
“The Thousand-Year Spiders are called kings among Southern poisons. More than just ferocious, they’re cunning. Records say a thousand warriors once tried to exterminate them. They fought for ten days and nights, and half died before the spiders vanished.”
“What the hell, they’re just spiders… No, I guess after a thousand years, that makes sense.”
“They’re named Thousand-Year Spiders because they can live for that long. No one knows how old these are. This is the first time several have appeared together.”
For five such monsters to appear at once—it was unprecedented.
As I watched the acid still eating through the ground, I muttered inwardly.
‘Damn it. We walked right into this one.’
Now I understood why the other Southern warriors’ corpses hadn’t been found. Why the beasts they brought had vanished.
The spiders had hunted them, stored them alive in webs, and dragged them deeper into the Poison-Blooded Land.
‘Just like that White Tribe warrior wrapped in threads.’
That was likely their plan for us as well.
But…
‘That’s what you think.’
I extended my empty hand into the air.
‘Inventory open. Summon.’
Ding.
The infinite warehouse opened with a small chime. Among the countless weapons I’d stored for emergencies, my grip closed around a shining spear of white flame.
“…Did I just see—”
“You saw wrong. It’s a folding spear. I usually keep it in my sleeve.”
Leaving the stunned Beast Miao King behind, I infused qi into the blade of White Flame.
Swaaa.
The edge flared, manifesting blue fire fueled by Scorching Yang Energy. The Poison Fog wavered, and even the spiders flinched as though burned.
Screee.
A chorus of wary cries. Their black, multi-eyed faces scanned rapidly.
But retreat was no longer an option. For them or for us.
The dice had been cast. Only one side would live.
And today, it wouldn’t be us that died.
“What are you waiting for?”
I leveled my flaming spear and said,
“Get in here already.”
That was the signal.
Swaaah!
Acid slime poured from every direction and above. But the Beast Miao King and I tore through space itself to meet them.
Screeech!
The poison that seeped through breath and skin fizzled away, devoured by my blazing spear. The fire roared larger.
‘Now.’
Whoosh! Boom!
One sweeping strike. My slash vaporized the falling acid.
And before that, the Beast Miao King’s thunderous fist smashed through the air.
Boom! Sizzle!
Acid exploded everywhere. But we emerged unscathed, striding through the destruction.
Screeech!
He went for the one blocking the front. I leapt toward the treetop spider.
No plan, no agreement—but our eyes met, and that was enough.
Thud.
My foot met his massive palm. Muscles bulged, and with a thunderous shout, he launched me like a cannonball.
“Go!”
I shot through the air, faster and harder than any Movement Technique.
Right into the face of the giant.
Multiple eyes reflected shock, almost human-like.
I drove my spear down.
Shhhh. Slash!
Flames arced, and sticky blood sprayed.
The spider lost three legs but spat acid in desperation.
Swaaah! Sizzle!
I dodged with burning speed, but some still grazed my skin and clothes. Pain flared.
Yet instead of groaning, I thrust again—straight into its massive torso.
Crunch! Stab!
Exoskeleton or not, it couldn’t withstand my qi.
“You think I’ve never killed a spider? If you lived in Hope Gosiwon, even your cousins would’ve died by my hand!”
* Screeeech!
It writhed in agony.
I dodged another jet of acid and ripped one of its legs off with my bare hands.
Crack!
* Screeech!
Enough was enough. I drove the spear into its head.
Thwack!
The thrashing legs went limp. The massive body stiffened.
And then came the system alert.
Ding.
* [Lv.117 Thousand-Year Spider] has been slain!
* You gained a large amount of experience and fame!
* Special reward granted for slaying a king of poisons!
* Rare achievement [Bug Hunter Without Prejudice] obtained!
* Bonus stats when fighting insect-type enemies!
The flood of notifications had to wait.
Because below me, the Beast Miao King was battling multiple foes at once.
Sizzle!
“You bastards! Melting my hair?!”
Even now, he was raging about that. His clothes were half melted, his once-thick hair nearly gone.
Yet true to his title as one of the Ten Kings, he’d already slain one and was fighting three more.
Wham!
Correction—two more.
With another explosive strike, he destroyed a spider.
Meanwhile, I kicked off the tree and shot down like lightning.
Slash! Crack!
My spear pierced another’s torso.
Scorching Yang Energy erupted inside.
Whoosh! Boom!
It exploded into pieces.
Ding.
* [Lv.109 Thousand-Year Spider] has been slain!
* You gained a large amount of experience and fame!
* Bonus experience gained for slaying a rare foe!
* Level up!
Warm healing light swept my body. My skin regenerated, my qi restored, my flame blazing stronger than ever.
Hiss. Screee…
The last spider recoiled at the sight of my burning spear.
Then it chose escape.
Whoosh!
It sprang, its eight legs propelling it into the air. And as it landed on something invisible above—
A glimmer flashed beyond the flames.
‘Spiderweb?’
The thought struck instantly.
The Beast Miao King and I charged after the fleeing monster.