Chapter 118: The Haughty Arachne

<118 – Arrogant Arachne>

Lydia, an ancient kingdom in western Anatolia.

A time when the mighty gods of Olympus held sway.

In the region of Lydia, there lived a craftswoman named Arachne.

A master artisan with skills surpassing even the gods,

and a pride to match.

-Show reverence to the gods. Only then will you be forgiven for your sins.

-I fear no goddess. Let her come. I am confident I can defeat her, even in a direct contest.

Arachne ignored the divine messenger’s plea to respect the gods and not be arrogant.

-She has arrived.

The goddess herself came to punish her arrogance, and a weaving contest was held between her and Arachne.

Athena embroidered the demise of those who challenged the gods, while Arachne wove the shameful deeds of the gods.

-Not a single flaw can be found.

-The highest level of skill a human can achieve.

-It is regrettable. Truly regrettable. To possess such skill and yet close off her own future.

Even the gods who accompanied Athena as judges could not help but sigh in admiration.

Arachne’s skill was acknowledged.

She became the first human since the rise of the Olympian gods to win a contest in a field of expertise belonging to the gods, defeating a god with her skill alone.

-If your wisdom had matched even half of your skill, this tragedy could have been avoided. Now is the time to pay the price for your foolishness.

A human who defeated a god.

A heretic who defied the established order.

The gods did not forgive Arachne.

Athena, the goddess of crafts and war, who had lost the contest,

cursed Arachne and turned her into a spider.

Yet no one condemned her.

They laughed at Arachne along with Athena,

mocked her,

and some pitied her.

Even those who had praised her skill,

those who had encouraged her arrogance,

and those who had reported that arrogance to the gods,

not a single one comforted her.

Only then did Arachne realize

that her arrogance had brought about her own downfall.

This is the story of a human who challenged the gods.

A story of a pitiful woman who won the challenge,

was cursed and became a monster,

and was abandoned by both gods and humans.

A retelling of that unfortunate historical record,

that mythological tale,

forged with the power of the Gate.

“Just as you cursed me, this time I will curse you.”

Arachne sat before her loom.

To curse all those who had cursed and abandoned her.

To force the humans who lived by the laws of the gods

and tried to judge her

to live by the laws she created

and be subjected to her rule.

Thus, the Living Armor was born,

and here, a swordswoman resembling a god appeared.

‘Beautiful.’

That was Hae Eung Eung’s first impression upon seeing Arachne.

Unlike the pitiful Human-Faced Spider,

whose skin was shriveled because it could not withstand its own venom,

Arachne had not lost the beauty she possessed as a human.

She was the one who inherited the ability to spin and manipulate silk, not the spider’s venom.

There was no reason for her beauty to fade.

‘But she is filled with rage.’

Hae Eung Eung did not know the specifics of Arachne’s inheritance, but she could sense the sincerity of the rage she harbored.

“A woman who resembles Athena. Let her curse you. She curses herself, a human who was excessively talented, possessing a godlike appearance and skill.”

It was the rage of a woman cursed by the gods.

Arachne’s resentment was

revenge against the gods

and also anger towards herself

for reminding her of her foolish past.

‘It feels like a giant pillar is coming down.’

Arachne’s eight large legs

possessed a strength and weight

that would break a sword if misjudged even once.

‘It’s similar to the Human-Faced Spider, but different. She’s not an easy opponent even with my internal energy.’

To put it simply,

she possessed both the toughness of the Human-Faced Spider and the immensity of the Monster Hermit.

An existence that could not be harmed

by a single effective strike from a human,

a monster clearly residing beyond the realm of mythology.

The darkness in her two eyes, which could not see the bottom,

made even the peerless Hae Eung Eung struggle.

“You possess more skill than the humans below, but in the end, you are also merely human. That’s right. Humans are such weak beings.”

“…!”

“Die, human.”

<Arachne’s Spider Arts>

<Octagonal Nail Barrage>

Eight legs thrashing with terrifying force.

A barrage of strikes from all directions.

The impact reverberated down,

sweeping away all the Living Armor and humans engaged in combat,

leaving them unable to stand.

“Silent Swordsman…”

“We can’t possibly win against something like that…”

“Get a grip, everyone! We have to escape. If we’re any later, we’re done for too!”

“No. Not yet.”

“What do you mean, not yet! The Silent Swordsman is dead! The conquest is already…”

“It hasn’t failed.”

Shin Seong-gwak and Min Woo-sung.

Only these two, who had known the Silent Swordsman’s true worth since before this conquest began, understood Hae Eung Eung’s potential.

The diverse martial arts that emerged at the right time, no matter how dire the situation.

The unfathomable depth

of the Boundless Sea.

The founder and leader of the Hainan Sect.

The true value of the woman named Hae Eung Eung only revealed its fragments in the face of adversity.

<Technique> <First-Rate Martial Art> <Crescent Sundering Claw>

Only 10 levels away from surpassing the Second-Rate realm.

She was on the verge of mastering a single martial art, but that did not mean she could not use First-Rate martial arts.

‘I can use it once.’

As long as any martial art did not surpass the 5-Star threshold.

Because forced promotion would not occur.

Neither the body’s balance nor the physical stats.

In this situation, which was vastly different from the Murim world.

Any First-Rate martial art.

Could be unleashed once.

As long as it did not exceed 5 Stars.

‘I will unleash the combination of all the First-Rate martial arts I possess here.’

A First-Rate martial art unleashed by a First-Rate expert

cannot escape the limitations of the First-Rate realm.

If enlightenment bordering on the pinnacle of mastery was added,

its power could reach the Super-First-Rate level.

However, if the enlightenment of a Grandmaster who had overcome even the end of the Transcendent realm, surpassing this once again, was incorporated,

the combination of First-Rate martial arts unleashed by a Second-Rate body

“This, this?! Impossible. You were definitely human. Such power cannot be allowed to a mere human! Otherwise, why would I, why would I…!”

<Chain Sequence> <First-Rate Martial Arts Twelve-Style Combination>

Arachne’s Octagonal Nail Barrage

was completely shattered

by the combination of twelve First-Rate martial arts.

“Why… why don’t you finish me, human?”

Arachne’s abdomen was completely exposed.

Hae Eung Eung, who had permeated her body like a ghost,

extended her palm,

a Palm Strike.

She brought the strike to just above the lower abdomen,

but withdrew the attack without inflicting damage.

Because she had realized something

from Arachne’s appearance,

her eyes tightly closed, trembling,

with even tears welling up in her eyes.

‘Endless hatred towards humans. The aggression is the same, but I can feel more emotions from this Arachne. Almost… like a human.’

An existence that was not human, yet was human.

An existence that was consumed by rage, yet was human.

Hae Eung Eung knew such beings.

One was the Human-Faced Spider.

A half-demon who met a sad end in the Valley of Half-Demons.

The other was Hae Eung Eung.

Back when she was branded with the Blood Zombie mark in the Murim world,

she was like a wild beast

chasing only resentment and hatred.

‘Perhaps she is walking the same path as I did. Should I really kill you with these hands?’

-Can humans and half-demons only kill each other?

The Human-Faced Spider’s longing voice.

“Aaaah, please stop! I’ll die if I’m forced to use my abilities any more!!”

The screams of the Taebaek Guild members being forced to use their abilities for the Living Armor.

The situation was different from the time of the Human-Faced Spider in the Valley of Half-Demons, when she only had to bear it alone.

Even at this moment,

the Half-Time production crew’s cameras

were filming her from behind.

Her choice,

her decision,

all her actions

would change the relationships between herself and everyone else.

‘Can you change too?’

Just like how she had returned from a Blood Zombie who only craved blood

to a respectable human.

‘If I withdraw this hand, can you also put down that resentment, even for a moment?’

Just like how she had desperately wished for the deaths of the Emperor and the Murim Alliance Leader,

but had also paused to rest.

‘If I cannot understand you, I must kill you. But are you still not going to let go of that hatred, even with that expression?’

A human she wanted to understand

and a monster she could not understand.

Just as she was about to give up on understanding Arachne,

on the desire to save her.

“Guild Leader.”

Min Woo-sung, whose neat suit was stained with blood and dirt,

ran up the collapsed stairs.

He nudged one person’s back.

“This woman says she knows about Arachne’s lore.”

A psychotherapist who had been quietly mixed in with the conquest team,

existing as if she were not there.

‘Earn your keep, you damn baggage.’

Min Woo-sung’s malicious meddling,

unable to stand the sight of someone quietly blending in

while others were anxiously watching every move.

“W-well, um… Arachne is a human who was cursed by the gods and became a monster. The base of that resentment is a concept called ressentiment by Nietzsche…”

[Please summarize in one line.]

“Um… the morality of slaves.”

“……?”

“W-was that a bit too much? Then, the jealousy of the defeated…? A self-justification with the order reversed…? Um, would you say she was dominated by that kind of religious morality…”

The psychotherapist, who had been nothing but a burden,

had unexpectedly become useful.

‘What is this? A new type of suicide method?’

A usefulness that made the Silent Swordsman tilt his head,

and a usefulness comparable to an excellent tank,

stealing Arachne’s aggro

with her silver tongue,

surpassing the aggro drawn by the Silent Swordsman’s extreme damage.