Six figures moved through a sunny, thickly wooded forest.

Among them, the youngest prince, Teil, was stuffing a sandwich as big as his face into his tiny mouth, chewing happily.

“Del… delicious!”

The sandwich must have been good — Teil forgot his earlier tears, and a smile spread across his face.

Princess Rain, still apparently scared of Ha Gangwoo, kept stealing glances at him as she nibbled her own sandwich cautiously.

“Thank you so much.”

Evan, walking at the front, turned to express his gratitude to Ha Gangwoo once more.

“Yeah, no problem.”

Ha Gangwoo scratched his cheek awkwardly and bit into his ham-and-cheese sandwich.

‘Two birds with one stone.’

It wasn’t that he’d bought the sandwiches specifically for the kids. He’d just been hungry, and bought a lot.

Ha Gangwoo finished his sandwich in one bite and took the lead.

They walked for about five minutes. Then Ha Gangwoo stopped.

“Wait a moment.”

“Huh?”

Evan and the two knights looked confused, but Ha Gangwoo ignored them and held out his palm.

[You have summoned the Frost-Imbued Shortbow from your Inventory.]

*Shwoop—* The Shortbow materialized into his palm, snapping into place.

Ha Gangwoo closed his eyes and extended his Sense outward.

‘More than I thought.’

Just like he’d heard, the area was crawling with monsters.

Normally, this was a quest where you’d form a defensive perimeter with a party and protect the group.

But Ha Gangwoo was alone.

‘Perfect timing.’

Still, a smile crossed Ha Gangwoo’s face.

Ha Gangwoo stared into the underbrush and pulled the shortbow’s string taut.

A satisfying creak accompanied the draw.

[Loaded a Wooden Arrow from Inventory.]

The arrow slid into place with a soft, suction-like sound.

Gangwoo aimed at empty air and released the string.

The arrow screamed through the air—a vicious whizz—before vanishing beyond the bushes.

Then,

a sharp yelp—

the death cry of a beast.

[Defeated Infected Wolf.]

[Acquired 600 EXP!]

[Acquired 600 bonus EXP from Perk effect.]

[Acquired 1,200 Gold.]

Pleasant chimes filled the air.

Gangwoo drew and loosed again and again—thwip, thwip—arrows flying in quick succession.

‘More useful than a gun, honestly.’

When Inventory’s Load function met a bow, the result was nothing short of broken. The Load erased the bow’s greatest weakness.

Every shot bypassed the need for a quiver, for fumbling for the next arrow.

Yelp after yelp—

[Defeated Infected Wolf.]

[Acquired 600 EXP!]

[Acquired 600 bonus EXP from Perk effect.]

[Acquired 1,200 Gold.]

[Defeated Infected Wolf.]

[Acquired 600 EXP!]

[Acquired 600 bonus EXP from Perk effect.]

[Acquired 1,200 Gold.]

….

…

..

Monsters around them were being mowed down as if they were nothing.

But Evan’s party just stared at Gangwoo, tilting their heads.

“What are you doing?”

one of Evan’s fellow knights asked.

“No idea,”

Evan replied, scratching his cheek.

‘Why’s he suddenly shooting arrows at the air?’

Evan watched Gangwoo with doubt clouding his eyes.

First he told them to stop, then started firing blindly into the brush. It made no sense.

But the question wouldn’t linger long.

“Let’s go.”

The Player stopped shooting and resumed walking. After about a hundred meters forward,

“Wh-What the hell?!”

A dozen or so monsters lay dead, their death cries frozen on their lips.

Evan’s brow furrowed as he studied the corpses.

‘All one-hit kills….’

One arrow each, straight to the skull. From that distance—unable even to see the targets—he’d picked them off with surgical precision.

‘This isn’t normal skill.’

The man he’d written off as a demon was a master archer, easily surpassing any legendary bowman.

‘Who the hell is he, really?’

Without realizing it, Evan’s hostility toward Ha Gangwoo had evaporated, replaced by pure curiosity.

The man who had saved the Princess the moment they met. His appearance was demonic, but his actions were those of a saint.

He took point as their vanguard, guarded the party, even provided food for the Princess and Prince.

He didn’t look like a demon who’d stormed a castle.

‘Could he really be the savior?’

If so, there was only one possibility: the savior from the Grand Mage’s prophecy. Maybe this was him.

And so, Evan began to trust Ha Gangwoo, little by little.

Meanwhile.

Ha Gangwoo began pulling arrows from the Infected Wolf’s skull.

‘Maybe five.’

Out of those, five were salvageable. The rest were too damaged to reuse.

[Wooden Arrow x21]

‘Only twenty-one left already.’

He’d burned through nearly a third of the thirty arrows he’d bought. But the Quest progress was satisfying.

If he could kill monsters from this far out in advance, there’d be no messy blood to deal with, and the NPC’s safety was guaranteed.

‘No items, though.’

Ha Gangwoo’s face tightened with a frown of regret.

‘Let’s move.’

Ha Gangwoo looked at the yellow arrow shimmering before him.

‘So I take a right around here.’

According to the intel he’d gathered, starting from the first monster-spawn zone, the Pathfinding skill’s arrow would guide him right, and that’s where he’d find it.

‘I wonder what’ll show up.’

And that monster dropped a special item at random.

Normally, only one of those items would appear, and you’d have to roll dice and compete for it. But Ha Gangwoo was alone.

He could hog it all.

A curious smile flickered across Ha Gangwoo’s lips. He turned around and called out to Evan’s party.

“Let’s head out now.”

As Ha Gangwoo strode into the brush, Evan called him back urgently.

“S-Sir… You can’t go in there…”

Evan wore a look of fear, but Ha Gangwoo didn’t stop.

“This is a shortcut. Trust me and follow.”

“W-Wait!! Over there!!!”

Evan tried frantically to stop him, but Ha Gangwoo ignored him and kept walking.

***

“Evan…”

The six-year-old boy, Teil, curled his small fists nervously in Evan’s arms.

A mere six years old, Teil didn’t know what kind of place they were heading to. But with a child’s instinct, he sensed it vaguely.

What lurked ahead.

“Don’t worry.”

Evan forced himself to reassure Teil, then followed behind Ha Gangwoo.

Evan knew well what lay ahead.

‘Is it really possible?’

The place they were heading to was a monster-infested zone. Originally, it had been a route connecting the Teron Kingdom and the Skeron Continent.

That’s why they’d once come with troops, trying to clear out the monsters.

‘Damn it.’

Evan’s teeth ground as he recalled that battle.

About three hundred men—his comrades and subordinates—had been annihilated by a single monster. Their bodies melted, their fluids sucked dry.

Just as Evan was gripping with unconscious terror, cold sweat beading on his skin—

*Squelch.*

A sticky substance appeared on the dirt ground.

Ha Gangwoo crouched down, brushing his index finger across the viscous mass.

A thick, white liquid clung to his fingertip as it lifted.

Ha Gangwoo rubbed his thumb and index finger together, studying it closely.

‘Spider silk, huh.’

The object was spider silk. But it didn’t look like ordinary web—more like thread coated in viscous glue, each strand glistening with tacky adhesive.

“Ugh… ughhh!”

Ha Gangwoo ducked his head to scan the floor when Evan’s companion screamed, eyes fixed on something above.

Evan grimaced, shielding Rain and Teil’s eyes with his hands, while Gangwoo slowly lifted his gaze to the treetops.

‘Hm…’

Roughly a hundred cocoons hung there, like water balloons suspended from a ceiling. An overwhelming number of them dangled overhead.

‘All people…?’

And inside each one, he could make out the shape of human remains packed tight.

Ha Gangwoo closed his eyes, casting his Sense wide.

‘Nothing nearby.’

Thankfully, there was no trace of a Monster in the vicinity.

Gangwoo turned back, speaking low to Evan and his group.

“Keep some distance.”

“Understood.”

Evan answered, cold sweat beading on his forehead, and Gangwoo moved forward without a word.

There wasn’t a trace of tension on Ha Gangwoo’s face.

‘I wonder.’

He was just curious about the monster’s reward.

For Ha Gangwoo, this place was beneath his standards—he was confident he could take down whatever monster came at him.

And then—

A sharp, scraping screech—

As if answering his anticipation, a hideous shriek tore through the air. A colossal spider monster burst out from the shadows.

It was about four meters across, a body the size of a dump truck.

“Wha—what the hell!!!”

Evan’s companion caught sight of the massive queen spider and stumbled backward, falling flat on his ass.

“W-We have to run!!!”

The companion was making a scene, but Evan just held Teil and Rain tight, frozen in place, not moving an inch.

He only stared at the Player in front of him.

‘Can he really kill it?’

A knot of dread kept tightening in Evan’s chest. This monster was something even three hundred soldiers couldn’t stop.

And the reason the kingdom had fallen to the demon was largely because of that very monster.

Supers with power equal to his own. Most of them had ended up inside that monster’s belly. If all the supers had survived, the kingdom wouldn’t have fallen so easily.

*Grind—* Anxiety kept surging, and Evan found himself grinding his teeth as he stared at the monster, unaware of it himself.

Right at that moment.

*Whoooosh—*

The Queen Spider spat something from its mouth. It was a strange kind of web.

“Dodge it!!!”

Evan shouted as he saw the web. That web was the reason his soldiers had been annihilated.

But as if mocking his cry.

*Squelch-thump—*

Ha Gangwoo’s entire body was covered in the web.

For a moment, despair settled onto Evan’s face.

‘This is how it ends.’

There’s no escaping that slime.

The more you move, the more bubbles form between the strands of web, and it gets tougher. And the moment it passes a certain point, it hardens, locking you in place without a chance to budge.

One strike, and everything was over.

Evan collapsed to the floor, his legs giving out.

‘Damn…’

Was it because he’d let himself hope for nothing? He wanted to give up on everything.

“Evan, what’s wrong…”

“Are we going to die?”

From within Evan’s arms, Teil and Rain looked up at him, their voices trembling with fear.

In that moment, a glimmer of light returned to Evan’s deadened eyes.

‘Giving up over something like this?’

Evan made his choice.

‘I’m helping him!’

Running was an option. But Evan decided to aid Ha Gangwoo instead.

It had been a short time, but the sheer power Ha Gangwoo displayed—that was the only hope left to reclaim the Teron Kingdom.

*Shing-*

Evan drew his massive greatsword and charged with all his might.

‘That power I felt cutting the beast—if I can wield that, I can cut through!’

Evan charged, recalling that miraculous power he’d gained before—the Frenzy effect.

And just as he was sprinting to help Ha Gangwoo—

*CRACK!!!!*

A thunderous explosion rang out.

The webs that had completely coated Ha Gangwoo’s body dissolved into nothing.

Evan was thrown to the ground by the shockwave that shook the earth itself.

“W-What?!”

As Evan slowly lifted his head to look at Ha Gangwoo, bewilderment spread across his face.

“N-No way! Is that even possible?!”

Escaping from that unbreakable cocoon as if it were nothing.

The moment Evan saw Ha Gangwoo’s expression, he found himself clenching his fists tight.

‘He’s…’

It was a face with a faint smile, as if that monster wasn’t even worth his attention.

Seeing that, relief washed over Evan’s face.

‘He’s our savior.’

As if answering Evan’s conviction—

Ha Gangwoo drew his bow with all his strength. *Shrrk-* The moment the wooden arrow kissed the bowstring—

*Fwoosh-* The arrow flew.

The instant he released the string. *Bang!* The air itself burst, the pressure swaying violently.

*Swoooosh-* The arrow viciously cleaved through the air, the moment it struck the Queen Spider’s body—

*KRAKOOM!!!*

The Queen Spider’s body split apart and exploded.

“Ah…”

Evan stood there, mouth hanging open like a fool, staring at the Queen Spider that had been blown to pieces.

The monster that had savagely devoured his comrades. That had seemed utterly impossible to kill. It had been torn apart as easily as a bug.

Before he knew it, a wild grin spread across Evan’s face.

‘We can do it.’

Evan clenched both fists, filled with certainty.

That if any man could drive out the demon and reclaim the Teron Kingdom, it was the one standing before him.

Meanwhile—

*Ding-*

[You have defeated the Queen of the Blue.]

[You acquire 2,100 EXP!!]

[You acquire an additional 2,100 EXP due to the Perk’s effect.]

[You acquire 20,000 Gold.]

Ha Gangwoo stowed the shortbow into his Inventory and clicked his tongue.

[Insufficient MP.]

[MP: 21/71]

“Definitely running low.”

With Reins’ Armlet left at the Smithy, his MP recovery was undeniably lacking.

A faint dizziness crept up on him, but maybe it was because he’d adapted to Lucifel’s Ring? He could bear it.

Gangwoo scowled at the slime coating his entire body.

‘Should’ve just dodged.’

Beyond the stickiness, the stench was vile—a burnt rubber smell that made his head throb.

Gangwoo approached the exploded spider’s carcass. This time, something glinted in the remains.

[Core of the Blue Queen Spider]

Grade: E

Description: The core of a queen spider that evolved through corrupted power. It is imbued with Demonic energy accumulated over a long period.

‘This is it.’

A satisfied smile tugged at Gangwoo’s lips as he picked up the spider’s core. The viscous fluid was disgusting, but the violet, lustrous bead looked rather elegant and antique.

[You have placed the Core of the Blue Queen Spider in your Inventory.]

In an instant, the core in Gangwoo’s hand vanished.

“Wow! That was incredible!”

Evan’s comrade approached the scene of the spider’s explosion, letting out a cheer.

“That bow you just used… Could we learn it too?”

His eyes sparkled as he looked at Gangwoo. He seemed utterly captivated by the overwhelming display of force.

Gangwoo ignored Evan’s comrade and took a step forward.

‘They said it was near where the queen spider was.’

His mind was on the hidden item’s information.

And finding the hidden spot wasn’t difficult.

Heading toward the area around the queen spider where the webs grew densest, a massive nest came into view.

“Where are you going?!”

“That’s not the way!”

Evan and his fellow knight came panting up behind him, then their jaws dropped at the sight of the nest.

“Th-This place is—!”

A vast web. Inside it, a space packed with round, mushroom-like silk chambers.

“Spiderlings?!”

It was the queen spider’s spawning ground.

Gangwoo spread his right palm wide and recalled the Activation word.

‘Fireball.’

*Whroosh—* A small fireball devoured his MP, growing larger and larger.

‘Guess I’m using it again.’

Fireball—a skill he’d rarely used due to its inefficiency. Now its moment had come.

Gangwoo spoke to the knight gaping open-mouthed behind him.

“I’m torching all of it, so get back.”

“Huh?… Ah!”

As Evan and his party expressed their confusion, they saw the ball of flame in Gangwoo’s hand and swallowed hard.

“M-Magic too?! What the hell is he?!”

Evan’s comrade flinched at the Fireball,

“What are you doing! Move, now!”

Evan urged him on.

Just as Evan’s group had distanced themselves enough,

Gangwoo hurled the Fireball at the ground.

*Whoosh*—the mucus coating the web was flammable. The fire raced across it in an instant.

Amid the blaze,

*Ding-*

[You have defeated the Blue Spider Egg Sac.]

[Acquired 900 EXP!!]

[Acquired an additional 900 EXP through the Perk’s effect.]

[Acquired 1,200 Gold.]

[You have defeated the Blue Spider Egg Sac.]

[Acquired 900 EXP!!]

[Acquired an additional 900 EXP through the Perk’s effect.]

[Acquired 1,200 Gold.]

[You have defeated the Blue Spider Egg Sac.]

[Acquired 900 EXP!!]

[Acquired an additional 900 EXP through the…]

…

..

.

*Ding-*

[Level Up!!]

The cheerful notifications drummed against his eardrums in a steady stream.

Ha Gangwoo dodged the flames. When the fire died down, he headed toward the spider nests reduced to charcoal.

Among them, the largest egg sac—the one that, unlike the others, pulsed with a strange wave of Mana.

Ha Gangwoo stood before it.

“This is it.”

Roughly a meter across. One look and you could tell this egg sac was a cut above the rest—different from all the others.

Ha Gangwoo opened his palm and summoned the core.

[You have retrieved the Blue Queen Spider’s Core from your Inventory.]

A luminous violet orb.

Shove this into that egg sac, and a Hidden reward would be his.

A faint smile curling at his lips, he drove the core in with a wet thud.

Huum—

The moment the core sank in, it flared with brilliant light.

Ding-

[Mutation!!! Spider Evolution.][Hidden]

Description: The eggs laid by the Blue Queen Spider have reacted to potent Demonic Energy, triggering a mutation. Defeat the evolved spider.

Reward: ???

A Hidden Quest had triggered.

“Wonder what it’ll give.”

According to the info, the loot from that mutant ran the gamut—some people had even gotten S-Rank items out of it.

That was why Ha Gangwoo was so hyped for this moment.

Gangwoo was eyeing the egg sac with a look of keen interest when—

KIIIIIII—

A monster—half spider, half humanoid—ripped out of the sac, shrieking in agony.

Gangwoo had already summoned his shortbow into his hand.

“Time to go.”

A cold smile touched his lips as he activated his skill.

Ding-

[Extreme Strike Stance has been activated.]

[Your next attack will have 10x destructive power.]

A violet shimmer rippled across Gangwoo’s whole body.

He took aim at the creature.

An arrow sucked itself onto the bowstring with a soft shhk—materializing from nothing.

[You have used Charging Shot.]

[MP consumed: 2.]

[MP consumed: 1.]

[MP consumed: 1.]

…..

…

.

A fierce corona of light gathered around the drawn wooden arrow, and Gangwoo released the string.

With a vicious hissss—

BOOM!!!!

[You have defeated Spell—Demonic Energy-Infused.]

[You gain 5,900 EXP!!]

[Perk bonus: you gain an additional 5,900 EXP.]

[You gain 21,200 Gold.]

The Hidden boss—Spell, Demonic Energy-Infused—was dead in an instant.