Human-Faced Spider (3)

Seo Yerim stared at Kim Minwoo. He always managed to defy her expectations. She had thought he might offer a little comfort, but instead he abruptly told her to take up a bow.

She was incredulous.

“Are you serious right now?”

“You've never even tried holding a bow.”

The absolute certainty in his eyes left her speechless. Born in the Sword Sea Pavilion, she had awakened with a sword in her hand. As Minwoo said, she had indeed never held a bow.

She had never needed to.

“That doesn't mean I'll have a talent for it.”

“Ms. Seo. You want to reach greater heights, don't you? Then you need to try everything.”

Yerim fell silent. Of course, he had a point. If she tried, she might discover a talent in a new field, just as he said.

If she didn't, that was fine. She could simply keep practicing her swordsmanship as she always had.

But if, by some remote chance, she really did discover another talent...

'What would that make my entire life...?'

A lifetime of training would be invalidated in its entirety. That was why she didn't want to try changing. Failing to find another talent would be a problem in its own right.

But finding one would be a problem too.

“I know it's a lot to take in. But Cedric wasn't lying. You might raise your level and learn a few more skills, but you won't get any further than that,” Minwoo said evenly.

That was what people generally called an empty-shell S-ranker. High level, nothing to back it up.

'Of course, Yerim isn't quite an empty shell...'

But he had no choice if he wanted her to pick up a bow. He needed to deliver some harsh words now to snap her out of it.

“Take this opportunity to think about what you really want. Is it to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship, or to earn the Sword Immortal's recognition? Either way, you'll never achieve it with a sword in your hand.”

Yerim lowered her head. Had some nobody said that, she would have argued back immediately. But Minwoo was different. He was a swordsman whom even her grandfather personally asked for instruction.

With someone like him speaking with such certainty, she couldn't possibly argue.

She stared at her sword. Had reaching the pinnacle of swordsmanship really been her goal?

'... Maybe not.'

Earning her grandfather's recognition. That was her goal. Strictly speaking, the sword had been a means to that end.

Because her grandfather used a sword. Because her class was swordsman. Because she had trained with it all her life.

That was all it was—a weapon she couldn't let go of for those reasons.

“Let's leave it there. It's about time we went after the Human-Faced Spider.”

Minwoo hadn't expected her to take up a bow overnight just because he told her to. The conversation had been worthwhile simply for reminding her that she had options besides the sword.

'That's enough for now.'

She needed time to let it sink in.

He looked at Yerim.

“Ready to leave?”

“... You think this much would break me? Let's go.”

As befitted a professional awakener, she hadn't lost her composure inside a gate.

Minwoo looked at Sky-Piercing Mountain up ahead, shrouded in thick mist. It was time to head there.

* * *

Yerim drew her sword and looked at him.

“Do you have a plan?”

“I've got a rough one.”

“You seem to know a lot about the Human-Faced Spider. All I know is that its face looks human.”

A monster with a humanlike face. Its defining trait was being an exceptionally cunning, intelligent hunter.

'Its typical level range is around 351 to 400.'

An A-rank monster that usually appeared as a miniboss, it was something Minwoo had killed a few times before. Of course, answering that way would sound more than a little strange.

“I've read quite a few strategy guides. It was in those.”

“Strategy guides? You read books too?”

“... Yes. I read books too.”

A man could read a few books, couldn't he? Why get suspicious over something like that? She was making his bluff awkward.

“Let's head in, then.”

“It's evening, though.”

“Human-Faced Spiders are active at night. We won't catch it in the morning. It'll hide and refuse to come out.”

A Human-Faced Spider usually claimed an entire large mountain as its territory. The webs it expelled from its tail spread in every direction, clinging to every corner of the mountain and turning it into a hunting ground.

'Go in blind, and you're liable to come out a corpse.'

Its thin, transparent webs were extremely difficult to spot with the naked eye. And that wasn't all. They were sticky enough to sever any body part that became attached, and poisonous fumes filled the spaces between them.

Touch them, and you were done for.

Before climbing the poison-shrouded mountain, the first thing they did was take an antidote. Minwoo and Yerim each drank a bottle of top-grade antidote. That should let them breathe the poisonous air for thirty minutes without any trouble.

“The plan is simple. We'll make the Human-Faced Spider come to us.”

“How?”

“Like this.”

He summoned a horde of skeletons. The armed skeletons began roaming fearlessly through the mountain.

Soon enough...

CLATTER!

[Skeleton 356 has become caught in a sticky web!]

[Deadly poison is spreading!]

[Skeleton 543 has...]

[Skeleton 654 has...]

The skeletons swayed, their feet stuck fast to the ground. It was practically a signal to the Human-Faced Spider: a feast was ready, so hurry over.

Except...

'This isn't enough.'

The Human-Faced Spider was extremely cunning. It wouldn't be stupid enough to rush straight over just because something had become caught in its webs.

'It'll circle around.'

Whether it climbed a large tree or burrowed through the ground, it wouldn't come straight at the skeletons.

'It'll suspect a trap.'

What made matters even trickier was its natural camouflage. If it approached in hiding with its camouflage active, it would be all but impossible to spot.

Minwoo kept scattering skeletons in every direction, each carrying a trap. They climbed trees to set them and planted them in the ground, filling every available space nearby with traps.

“... Wouldn't it be easier to just set the mountain on fire?”

“If we do that, it'll hide in a cave or a tunnel it dug beforehand. Then catching it will take forever.”

Things would get very tiresome if the Human-Faced Spider hid in its lair. Unlike the scattered webs on this mountain, its entire dwelling was made of them.

'And they don't burn, either.'

Anyone who charged in expecting ordinary spiderwebs that melted away in fire would end up getting eaten instead. It wasn't called a monster for nothing.

Just then, Snowy's call rang out.

COO.

'It's coming.'

He had told Snowy to call if it sensed anything large approaching. Camouflage might fool the eyes, but it couldn't conceal the sound of that enormous body bumping into things. Snowy was clever; it must have caught on and called out.

The sound came from the west.

Yerim seemed to have sensed it too, her hand tightening around her sword. A tree swayed in the distance with a soft rustle. Something like a transparent body was approaching, its outline wavering.

The Human-Faced Spider watched the web-bound skeletons from a distance, cautiously testing the waters. Then, little by little, it began drawing closer.

CLICK.

BOOM!

Shrapnel traps exploded all around it. With several placed on top of one another, a chain reaction was inevitable.

KRRK?

Shrapnel covered its body.

'That takes care of its camouflage.'

Minwoo cast his curse. After missing several times, it finally took hold squarely on the creature.

[Human-Faced Spider has been afflicted with Curse of Aging!]

[The target's level is overwhelmingly higher!]

[The target resists the curse!]

[Defense and Movement Speed decrease by 5%!]

“Kill it!”

Skeletons rushed out of hiding from every direction.

SKREE!

The Human-Faced Spider's eyes glowed red. It spun once, slamming its enormous weight into the skeletons and smashing them apart.

The level gap alone was 300. The skeletons simply weren't equipped to deal damage to it.

That was why Minwoo hadn't summoned any mages either. Their magic wouldn't work anyway. His best option was to have the skeletons cling to it and hinder its movements.

He charged in with Cedric.

“Ice!”

[Snowy shares its attribute with its master!]

[You can now use the ice attribute!]

[Ice attribute resistance increases by 20%!]

The Human-Faced Spider had an extremely hard carapace, along with resistance to fire. On the other hand, it was vulnerable to water. Ice was a subset of the water attribute too. Minwoo drove his cold-wreathed sword hard into its body.

[The effect of the title 'Insect Slayer' is applied!]

[Damage increases by 10%!]

[The effect of the title 'Slayer of the Strong' is applied!]

[Damage increases by 20%!]

[You possess an opposing attribute!]

[Damage increases by 40%!]

Insect Slayer and Slayer of the Strong. But the damage boosts didn't end there. Attacking with an opposing attribute increased damage by twice the attribute percentage he possessed. Snowy had given him 20%, boosting his damage by 40%.

'Damage bonuses stack multiplicatively.'

With his damage amplified to nearly 1.8 times its original amount, his strike slammed into the carapace.

CLANG!

'One hit won't break through.'

No matter how much he amplified his damage, a low base meant the increase was bound to be low too. Still, that was fine. He had a way to break through.

On the opposite side, Yerim lashed out with her sword.

[Seo Yerim uses Spatial Slash (B)!]

SLASH!

Her sword instantly tore through part of the carapace. A high level, a weapon to match, and a powerful skill on top of it—she was certainly strong.

Poisonous blood spurted in every direction.

The Human-Faced Spider instantly turned its gaze toward her. The mouth on its humanlike face gaped open.

FWOOSH!

A tremendous cloud of poison poured toward Yerim.

[Seo Yerim uses Moon Step (A)!]

She dodged backward.

[Seo Yerim uses Sword Energy Flurry (A)!]

Minwoo watched her launch a barrage of vivid blue sword energy at the spider.

'Nice dodge.'

She was drawing aggro well too. Thanks to her, he could work in peace. He kept striking the same spot.

[You struck the same spot! Damage increases by 11%...]

[You struck the same spot! Damage increases by 22%...]

[You struck the same...]

The same spot. That meant attacking the exact same point without the slightest deviation. This level of gameplay was something he could manage while picking his nose—especially now, with all the aggro focused on her.

His damage began skyrocketing through multiplicative stacking. The carapace, gradually freezing a deep blue, finally shattered, leaving a sizable hole.

[You have acquired the title 'One-Spot Digger'!]

The screaming Human-Faced Spider turned its gaze toward him. As it opened its mouth wide, he threw every skeleton in front of it and immediately leaped back.

“Cedric!”

[Cedric uses Mini Breath!]

Cedric had already approached with his jaws wide open. He blasted his breath attack through the hole in the carapace. The creature might have fire resistance, but that only applied to its outer shell. There was no standing up to having its internal organs and blood scorched by a breath attack.

HISSS!

An enormous cloud of fumes rose as the poisonous blood cooked under the blast.

“...!”

The Human-Faced Spider leaped in agony as its insides roasted.

But it couldn't shake off Cedric as he poured his breath attack into its body. He had clamped onto the broken carapace and shoved his entire face inside. The vicious poison would soon force him to be unsummoned, but...

'Still worth it.'

He would revive once anyway. For free, at that.

[Cedric is being unsummoned...]

[Death Lord's effect activates!]

He went limp for only a moment. Revived and vigorous once more with full mana, Cedric unleashed a second breath attack inside it.

SKREEEEE!

The Human-Faced Spider screamed in agony after taking two direct breath attacks. All its legs began to stagger as well. Then it raised its tail, spraying webs in every direction.

Minwoo retreated with Yerim. Every skeleton too slow to react was unsummoned.

The Human-Faced Spider turned and began running like mad.

“After it!”

Minwoo ran alongside Yerim.

He tried summoning skeletons ahead to block its path, but they were useless against its charging force. Cedric fired his breath attack, and Yerim unleashed sword energy. It simply tanked the hits, mindlessly charging straight ahead.

The chase continued.

Before long, a cave appeared in the distance. With its entrance plastered in webs, it looked like the creature's lair.

'Looks like it's got about 10% health left...'

It would end up hiding inside the cave. Minwoo knew instinctively that they wouldn't catch it at this rate.

It was time to gamble.

He rummaged through his inventory. A moment later, he tossed her a bow and quiver.

“Catch!”

It was Magic-grade equipment with a level requirement of 51, among the items his skeletons had crafted. He had originally intended to use it simply to pull mobs, but in this emergency, he had to make do.

She caught them reflexively, then looked at him with her head tilted.

“What are you doing? Shoot!”

“I've never even held a bow before!”

“Just shoot! Hurry! It'll be too late if it gets inside!”

She started to say something, then gripped the bow. Imitating what she'd seen in the media, Yerim awkwardly took her stance. She nocked an arrow and drew, pulling the string taut. Inhaling to focus, she narrowed her eyes.

At that moment, time slowed to a crawl.

Her stance, her breathing, her weapon, the distribution of her strength—everything was a mess. And yet a strange certainty came over her.

If she fired now, she would hit.

A terrifying amount of mana gathered over her arrow. She could see the Human-Faced Spider heading for the cave.

[A brilliant talent blossoms!]

[Showtime!]

[Overwhelming talent creates a skill!]

[The skill Precision Snipe (A) is created!]

[You acquire the title 'A Taste of Complete Absorption'!]

[You acquire the title 'A Match Found at Last'!]

WHOOSH!

The mana-laden arrow flew. Tearing through the air, it pierced straight through the Human-Faced Spider's head.