Chapter 109

Hearing a human voice, the attack unit quickly headed in that direction.

There, a pale, squirming object was encased in a white cocoon.

“P-Please… save me!”

A faint but distinct human voice emanated from the cocoon.

Kang Yuseong raised his sword and sliced through the cocoon’s silk.

*Snap!*

As the thickly wrapped cocoon silk was cut away, a person tumbled out, limp and unconscious.

“Cough! Cough! Ugh!”

The person gasped for breath, then retched, clearly in pain.

Kang Yuseong shone his flashlight on him.

He was covered in dark green bodily fluids, but the uniform he wore and the three stars on his shoulder epaulets were unmistakable.

‘A soldier!’

Kang Yuseong’s eyes gleamed.

A three-star general would likely be someone entrusted with a significant role even in the Blue House’s emergency response meetings.

“Are you alright?”

Kang Yuseong shook him.

The three-star general coughed for a while longer, then slowly looked at Kang Yuseong.

His face was partially melted in places, perhaps before the digestive fluid could fully dissolve him, but his life didn’t seem to be in immediate danger.

He blinked his eyes, struggling to regain consciousness, but it seemed difficult after being trapped in the cocoon for so long.

Kang Yuseong asked.

“The President…”

“Where is he?”

“Cough! Go, go that way. They dragged him that way!”

At the general’s words, Kang Yuseong sharply turned his head and looked in the direction indicated.

It was a corridor leading to Hall 1.

Given it was the largest hall, it was highly probable that Dark Arachnes were swarming there.

“Command, this is Stardust. Respond.”

Kang Yuseong spoke softly into the radio.

“This is Command. Stardust, what about the VIP?!”

“We found a survivor. His name is Kim Jae-sik, rank Lieutenant General. We need to evacuate him, so dispatch troops immediately.”

“Commander Kim Jae-sik! Understood. First, evacuate Commander Kim Jae-sik out of the bunker. We’ll send another attack unit to join you soon.”

“Understood.”

Kang Yuseong nodded and cut the transmission.

The three-star general was apparently a commander. Given that he was at the Blue House during such a crisis, he was most likely a Special Forces Commander.

Kang Yuseong had two Hunters help him up and sent him back upstairs.

He also assigned Blood to covertly escort them.

“Attack unit, move in.”

At Kang Yuseong’s command, the attack unit moved again.

Now that they had seen with their own eyes what kind of enemies they were up against, their expressions were filled with an unprecedented tension.

As they delved deeper into the corridor, the atmosphere grew eerily sinister.

Scattered skeletons and fragments of corpses were visible, and even mummified bodies, completely dried out, were discovered.

It seemed the Dark Arachnes had sucked out their bodily fluids and discarded them.

“These bastards…”

Low, angry whispers erupted among the Hunters.

*Shhh-shhh-shhh-*

That’s when it happened.

A crawling sound was heard, and the hairs on their bodies stood on end.

*Shhh-shhh-shhh-*

The sound quickly grew louder.

Like a massive tidal wave rushing in, the sound suddenly filled the passage, and the clear presence of something approaching was felt.

*Bang!*

And something burst out of the deep darkness.

“Kiiiaaah!”

It was a spider the size of a large dog.

Its mandibles were long and serrated, spread wide on both sides like sawblades.

It opened them wide like scissors, lunged at a Hunter, and snapped its fangs together.

*Clang!*

“Ugh!”

The steel armor was instantly torn, and blood gushed from the Hunter’s shoulder.

*Screech!*

At that moment, white, string-like substances shot out from all directions towards the attack unit.

*Shhhhhh-rat!*

“Whoa!”

In an instant, two or three Hunters were enveloped in white webs, immobilized.

*Clang! Clang!*

And countless spiders swarmed in, attacking the Hunters with their steel-like mandibles, as if trying to carve them apart.

*Clang!*

Only then could the Hunters fight back against them.

It had happened so quickly that they hadn’t had time to react.

“Kim Do-jin!”

Kang Yuseong’s loud shout echoed.

Darkness was their enemy’s ally.

If so, what could reverse this situation was fire!

“Burn them all!”

*Whoosh!*

Before his words even finished, crimson sparks swirled around Kim Do-jin’s entire body.

A chilling smile, as if he had been waiting for this, appeared on his lips.

*Shwoooosh!*

The sparks, scattered like dust in all directions, suddenly transformed into raging flames.

And Kim Do-jin spread his palms wide towards the front.

“Flame Ground, Total Incineration!”

*Kuwawawaah!*

At that moment, fierce flames surged from the ground in the direction he was facing.

*Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!*

The flames, as if to melt everything, flickered with wild tongues, devouring everything within them.

“Kieeeek!”

Due to the immense flames, the dark passage was momentarily illuminated, and the Hunters gasped in surprise at the sight within.

The passage.

They hadn’t known when they only heard the sounds earlier, but now, countless spiders were endlessly trampling over each other, creating a pandemonium as they tried to escape the inferno.

*Crunch! Crunch!*

*Thump-thump!*

The sound of their exoskeletons bursting and legs being severed was utterly bone-chilling.

*Whoosh!*

*Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!*

And this time, fierce flames erupted from behind as well.

Countless spiders, who had approached from behind unnoticed, were now forming a black swarm, horrifically melting in the flames.

The Hunters breathed a sigh of relief.

Had they been even a moment later, they would have been completely overwhelmed by the enemy’s relentless assault.

“Attack unit, advance!”

Kang Yuseong issued another command to the attack unit.

The VIP was in the room visible before their eyes.

Kang Yuseong felt it strongly.

* * * * *

Flames surged, and countless spiders burned to death, but the closer they got to the hall, the more severe the interference the attack unit had to endure.

The Dark Arachnes seemed to pour out from nowhere, continuously crawling out even after being killed again and again.

*Splat!*

Slicing a Dark Arachne in half, Kang Yuseong arrived at the entrance of the hall. He didn’t act rashly, immediately activating Thieving Eye.

*Flash!*

Even with flashlights, in this dark place, sight could be a disadvantage.

They would only trust what they saw.

Therefore, Thieving Eye, which could make the unseen visible, was a great help at this moment.

‘That way!’

Thieving Eye picked up the forms of numerous Dark Arachnes.

Kang Yuseong shuddered at the sight, but the important thing was that human life signs were visible inside the hall.

Unfortunately, there weren’t many life signs.

Approximately four people.

One of them was already losing the light of its aura.

This meant his life was hanging by a thread.

But Kang Yuseong realized something strange.

‘He’s not here!’

He had clearly felt it.

The king of these countless spiders.

The presence of the King Arachne.

And without him, there would be no focal point for so many Dark Arachnes to gather.

Yet, Thieving Eye wasn’t picking up his presence.

‘First, save the President. I’ll think about the rest then.’

While Thieving Eye was active, Kang Yuseong plundered one of the Dark Arachne’s auras.

[You have acquired the Black Spider’s Web ability.]

[Black Spider’s Web: Allows you to shoot sticky fluid like a spider’s silk. A Stage 1 web can withstand 100kg of weight and disappears upon contact with fire.]

‘A regular Spiderman, huh.’

Kang Yuseong chuckled to himself and deactivated Thieving Eye.

It seemed like it might come in handy later.

After confirming that there was no major threat inside the hall, Kang Yuseong immediately stepped in.

Entering a massive, unseen hall created quite a terrifying spectacle.

Moreover, knowing that Dark Arachnes lurked everywhere made it even more so.

But the attack unit moved forward without hesitation.

Though relying on the small beam of a flashlight, Kang Yuseong steadily headed in one direction, as if he knew exactly where he was going.

The Dark Arachnes, this time, did not dare to rush them.

Their kin had just been massacred outside the passage, so it was understandable.

“Captain, over there!”

At that moment, a Hunter shone his flashlight to one side.

Numerous cocoons were visible there.

Some cocoons were squirming, while others stood rigidly.

Kang Yuseong went to the spot he had identified with Thieving Eye earlier and searched for the President.

“Mr. President. If you’re there, please speak. We’ve come to rescue you.”

“Ugh-“

At his words, a groan came from one of the cocoons.

Kang Yuseong swung his sword, cutting open the cocoon, and a person emerged from it.

“Gasp! Cough!”

He was still alive, but he wasn’t the President.

He was likely the President’s bodyguard, as a pistol holster was at his waist, and he was very large in stature.

Kang Yuseong approached him and asked.

“Where is the President?!”

“Th-There! Over there…!”

Kang Yuseong turned his head and saw the cocoon that hadn’t moved since earlier.

It seemed the gradually fading aura he had seen earlier belonged to the President.

‘Damn it!’

Kang Yuseong quickly rushed over and tore open the cocoon.

Inside, a person lay with a pale face, eyes tightly shut.

‘Kang Tae-seok!’

Just as he had feared, it was President Kang Tae-seok.

Kang Tae-seok was clearly in a very serious condition even at a glance.

Kang Yuseong checked his pulse.

‘He’s still alive!’

Fortunately, though very faint, he had a pulse.

His breathing was also shallow but self-sustaining, so the worst-case scenario seemed to have been avoided.

*Click!*

Kang Yuseong quickly pulled a Healing Potion from his leather bag, opened the cap, and poured it into President Kang Tae-seok’s mouth.

The best elixir that could revive someone as long as they weren’t dead!

As the Healing Potion entered his mouth, Kang Tae-seok’s body twitched.

“Gah!”

A moment later, he let out a rough breath and struggled to open his eyes.

“Are you conscious?”

Kang Yuseong asked, looking at him.

Blinded by the flashlight shining on him, Kang Tae-seok covered his face with both hands and nodded.

“I’m… I’m fine. But where is this…?”

“Mr. President, you were kidnapped by the spiders. This place is dangerous, so I will escort you outside.”

“Th-Thank you.”

There was no telling when the King Arachne might appear.

Thieving Eye’s cooldown was still active, making it impossible to sense its presence.

With the Dark Arachnes already baring their fangs and watching the group, if the King Arachne also appeared, rescuing the President would become extremely difficult.

The priority was to get out of here as quickly as possible.

Just as the Hunters were helping the President and the bodyguard out of the hall.

“S-Stardust! Th-This is Command, respond, this is Command!”

Suddenly, an urgent radio transmission came through.

A sudden, ominous premonition struck Kang Yuseong from the unexpected call.

“This is Stardust. What’s wrong?”

Command’s reply came back.

“Warning, do not come out of there! Here… *Argh!*”

“Command, Command!”

Kang Yuseong frowned and radioed again, but there was no answer.

‘What’s going on…!’

It seemed something major had happened outside.

‘No way!’

Kang Yuseong’s eyes widened as he realized a possibility.

The King Arachne.

What if the one not seen here was outside…!

‘It’s dangerous!’

The King Arachne was an S-class monster.

Even the Immortal Guild’s Eternity Attack Unit couldn’t guarantee they would withstand its attack.

This meant that even if they rescued the President, there could be immense casualties outside.

Kang Yuseong clenched his lower lip.

The only ones who could capture that monster right now were Kang Yuseong’s attack unit.

“Team Leader Baek Myeong-han!”

“Yes, Captain!”

“Lead eight Hunters and escort the VIP out. Kim Do-jin, you’ll have to go with them.”

Kim Do-jin looked at Kang Yuseong, then nodded.

He seemed to have sensed the gravity of the situation in Kang Yuseong’s voice.

“Forward, you’re with me. It will likely be a very tough fight.”

Gil Hyeok-jun nodded.

“Captain, I’ll provide escort.”

There were multiple passages. The plan was to evacuate the VIP through a different passage, while Kang Yuseong and Gil Hyeok-jun would speed out to stop the King Arachne.

*Thump-thump-thump!*

Urgency appeared on Kang Yuseong’s face as he swiftly crossed the passage.

‘Just hold on a little longer, please!’

The strongest attack units outside.

They had only one job.

To hold on until Kang Yuseong arrived.

Kang Yuseong hoped and prayed for it.