Chapter 67

Cho-i Hyeon was hanging upside down in mid-air. Looking around, she saw a room decorated like a nobleman’s mansion. It was too dim to see clearly, but the outline of her surroundings was visible from a red light emanating from somewhere. With a grunt, Cho-i bent her waist while still hanging upside down. She then began to cut the spider web that was wrapped around and pulling her ankle.

“What in the world is this? Do monsters like me? Why do they always grab my ankle?”

Snip, snip. As she was cutting the sticky spider web, the angle of the red light changed. Cho-i Hyeon reacted sensitively and looked around. Come to think of it, where was this red light coming from? She looked at the ceiling. The spider web originated from there, and the entire surface of the ceiling was covered in spider web. The light was coming from a spot slightly off-center.

“What is that? Is it a directional light?”

Cho-i stopped cutting the spider web and stared at the ceiling for a moment. Then she suddenly smiled brightly and began cutting the spider web like crazy.

‘Oh, fuck, I’m screwed.’

The place where the red light was leaking out was none other than the boss monster’s eyes. The light pouring from its eight red eyes illuminated the entire room.

‘Damn it, Taehyeok Sa, you son of a bitch, when are you coming!’

Thump. Cho-i quickly cut the spider web and landed lightly on the floor. Although there was a thud, she still tried to land as softly as she could. She stealthily started to back away, looking around nervously.

‘Seriously, a boss mob right at the start? What kind of manners is that? Is this how it is in the USA?’

As Cho-i slowly backed away, something sticky clung to the sole of her shoe. It was, of course, a spider web. Cho-i shook her leg, but it wouldn’t come off easily. But then…

“This… why is the whole thing moving?”

As she shook the spider web she had stepped on, the entire spider web attached to the ceiling began to sway. Oh, wait. This really seems like a big problem. Cho-i smiled brightly. As the boss monster opened its eyes wide, the red light intensified, illuminating the surroundings and revealing dozens of Nine-Legged Spiders clinging to the wall corners, hidden in the darkness.

“Damn it, did I make enemies with monsters in my previous life…?”

It’s one against many again? Again!? Damn it! What did I do wrong to deserve this! But such an outcry was only for a moment. KIEEEEK-! The boss monster let out a shriek, and in response, the Nine-Legged Spiders began to rush at Cho-i. Is this the start of page 1 or something!?

“Oh, damn my luck!”

Cho-i immediately pulled out her Sword and Shield. She couldn’t defeat the boss monster alone, no, she couldn’t, wait, could she? Cho-i recalled one of her skills.

***

KIEEEEK-! A shriek echoed from afar. The party members, who were advancing and fighting monsters, looked up at the sound. It was coming from a floor far above. The mansion had lights on here and there, but the windows were blocked by wooden planks loosely tied with spider webs, so no outside light could enter.

“What was that sound just now?”

“Surely… it’s not from the boss monster room, is it?”

S-Rank healer Jane asked with an anxious voice. But no matter how they listened, considering the location and volume, it seemed to be the boss monster room. The monsters paused for a moment after hearing the sound, as if they had received orders from their boss. They rustled and suddenly turned their backs on the party members, running down the corridor.

“Stop them from going!”

Taehyeok Sa shouted, and with Telekinesis, he conjured a wall in their path. Bang, bang, bang! The monsters crashed their entire bodies into the wall, trying to push forward. Their reaction made it easier to attack them. All the dealers, including the A+ Rank, attacked the monsters who had turned their backs. CRASH! Gihyeon Park’s explosion played a crucial role. Boom! Boom! Each explosion burned away the spiders’ outer shells, exposing their flesh, and the dealers each used their weapons to stab those parts, instantly ending the spiders’ lives.

“Where are they going?”

“Perhaps to the boss monster room.”

“Where did Cho-i Hyeon go?”

“…I hope she was simply dragged upstairs.”

“It doesn’t seem like that, does it?”

Dongju Kim and Yeonhan Kim said. Taehyeok Sa then muttered.

I hope he didn’t stupidly go to confront the boss monster on his own.

If Cho-i Hyeon had heard that, he would have kicked his shins first and then spat about thirty-eight insults in his face. He would have clearly smiled and raised his middle finger, thinking, ‘I didn’t want to come here either!’ But Cho-i Hyeon wasn’t here.

“First, we’ll make rescuing that hunter our top priority.”

“Thank you, Shire Guild Master.”

“It’s nothing compared to you coming to help us.”

Just then, Jane interjected.

“First, we’re still on the 1st floor. It would be best to get off the 1st floor and go up as soon as possible. If the spiders gather at that cry, the monsters will probably be around the boss monster, so it’s probably best to be careful.”

People naturally frowned. It was obvious that this battle would be harder than they imagined if the already difficult SS-Rank boss monster had the ability to attract other monsters.

“I wish that hunter good luck….”

The Shire Guild members lowered their gaze for a moment. But Taehyeok Sa, Dongju Kim, and Gihyeon Park, who knew Cho-i’s secret, were only worried about something else. Especially Taehyeok Sa.

‘He needs to calm down. Especially…’

The Entity he used when he fought him. For Taehyeok Sa, the Entity was more of a Calamity than an SS-Rank boss monster. Just then, Gihyeon Park came next to Taehyeok Sa and asked cautiously.

“If he uses what he used when he fought me last time, wouldn’t it be possible for him to defeat the boss monster by himself?”

Taehyeok Sa frowned. Come to think of it, when he fought Gihyeon Park, he also awakened a skill, and that skill was equally strange.

“…Well, it’s still best to go quickly.”

“Okay.”

Gihyeon Park immediately ran, increasing his firepower. Flames swirled in his hands and shot straight forward, directly impaling the backs of the Spiders far away. Boom! The mansion shook once. Perhaps the explosion drew the Spiders’ aggro, as they turned their heads and began to swarm the party members. There were about ten of them. Shire Guild Master Kevin quickly slammed the floor, drawing their aggro.

“Don’t act recklessly!”

“Alright, alright.”

Gihyeon Park stepped back, and everyone returned to their original formation. However, Taehyeok Sa used Telekinesis to lift the Spiders, half-cooked by the Flames, all at once and slammed them down. Bang! Crunch! Crack! Their hard outer shells shattered, and their flesh and guts burst out. Soon, the Entities became chunks of meat and were thrown far away.

“Since we’re in a hurry, I’ll maximize our speed.”

People couldn’t help but nod when Taehyeok Sa, who should have been conserving his strength the most to face the boss monster, said that. And they exchanged glances without his knowledge.

‘He must really like that hunter, Cho-i Hyeon.’ ‘They say Paehyeok Guild Master confessed and was rejected, so he must still have a crush on her.’ ‘Oh dear….’

Such glances were exchanged behind him, but Taehyeok Sa began to walk, looking only forward. He had to bring Cho-i Hyeon before his eyes before she did anything reckless. The group began to fight monsters without resting. Cho-i Hyeon’s fate was unknown, and the endless number of monsters left them no choice. They hadn’t even left the 1st floor yet. The people from Shire were becoming increasingly anxious.

“Honestly… do you think he’s alive?”

Dongju Kim thought, “He’s alive.”

“If he was really dragged into the boss monster room alone, how could he possibly endure?”

Gihyeon Park thought, “He can endure.”

“It’s time to come to terms with it….”

Taehyeok Sa thought, “If we’re not careful, you’re the ones who’ll be taken care of.”

“It’s the stairs up to the second floor!”

Just then, the party, having reached the end of the corridor, found the stairs leading up to the second floor. The problem was that the stairs were swarming with spiders. The party reformed their formation and faced them. When Shire Guild Master Kevin drew their aggression, the dealers attacked instantly. However, since each individual was a formidable opponent, they weren’t defeated with just one attack.

“Here we go again!”

Gihyeon Park created a ball of flames amidst the clustered spiders and detonated it. Kiiieeeek- They writhed, screaming in pain, then immediately charged at Gihyeon Park. Then, boom! Kevin drew their aggression again and swung his axe. The spiders knocked back by the axe threw themselves against Kevin’s shield. He braced his thighs and endured, shouting,

“Once we pass this, it’s the second floor! A little faster!”

“I know without you telling me.”

Dongju Kim and Yeonhan Kim rushed in, plunging their swords into the exposed guts of the spiders and twisting them. Their guts and blood oozed out until they finally curled up their legs and died. Taehyeok Sa floated the dead bodies and living spiders in the air, using telekinesis to snap their legs and twist their necks with a crunching sound, cutting off their breath. The battle continued for a long time. But then, suddenly,

-!!!!!!!”

A tremendous sound erupted. It was so loud and ferocious that the Shire Guild members froze in unison. A sound like a desperate shriek that scraped the throat, incomparable to the boss monster’s roar from earlier.

“Wh-what on earth is that sound?”

“Could it be the boss monster making that sound?”

While the Shire Guild members exchanged opinions, the monsters’ reactions became strange. They began to tangle with each other and charge at the party. But something was off. It wasn’t as if they were trying to attack, but rather…

“It looks like they’re trying to escape…!”

They tried to stop the fleeing spiders, but the Paehyeok Guild members’ reactions were oddly strange. Suui Kim’s face was somehow bright.

“Hunter Cho-i Hyeon is alive!”

“I… I heard about that too….”

Taehyeok Sa’s face was grim. Dongju Kim and Gihyeon Park, seeing his grim face, looked at him with bewildered expressions. The monstrous sound that just erupted was definitely Cho-i Hyeon’s shout. But its quality was different. If Cho-i Hyeon’s shout gathered monsters, then what the entity just did was…

“The monsters are terrified and running away….”

The spiders were running past the party, fleeing to the very end of the first floor corridor. It was to the point where Kevin, who had been in a defensive stance, could lower his shield.

“What on earth is going on?”

“…Prepare.”

Taehyeok Sa said.

“Something huge is coming.”