episode_0029

The entrance to the designated tunnel was closed off with a wooden fence and rope.

Was it to prevent giant spiders from leaping out and attacking the village?

It looked quite crude, and I doubted its effectiveness, but I heard it did have some effect.

They said that since they blocked the entrance, the number of missing persons in the mining village had significantly decreased.

“Let’s go in.”

We removed the firmly secured fence with the rope and entered the tunnel.

Kirkel led the way, covering his upper body with a newly bought shield, sniffing as he walked ahead. Laut and I followed behind him.

Wolfgang stood beside Kirkel, holding the torch high to illuminate the surroundings, announcing the beginning of human history like an ancient caveman who discovered fire.

– Aaah!

The brightness seemed ten times more intense than usual.

The torchlight reflected off the inhuman head of the octopus-human, brightly illuminating the interior of the tunnel as if it were broad daylight.

It was blinding, almost as if a saint had descended. In reality, though, it was the furthest thing from a saintly occupation.

Unlike the calming and sacred aura conveyed by a saint just by being present, the bald martial artist was a creature that should not exist.

Merely looking at it caused discomfort and sparked anger.

…Anyway, relying on the torchlight, we proceeded into the tunnel.

In truth, experienced adventurers preferred carrying lanterns or rechargeable light magic tools around their waists rather than torches.

Carrying a torch meant one arm was tied up serving as a light source.

This meant they couldn’t properly grip a weapon with both hands, and if their shield required tying to their arm, they had to give up on types with handles.

The only advantages of giving this up were that it was slightly brighter than a lantern and much cheaper than a magic tool.

Therefore, Kirkel and I usually carried lanterns instead of torches, but this time there was no reason to do so.

Why waste fuel lighting a lantern when you have a chimpanzee with empty hands from the start?

Just hand the torch over to the useless chimp’s left hand.

It was a decision that benefited us all. I could see well ahead, which was good for me and Lautte, and Kikel liked the warmth beside him. It was even good for Wolf Chimpanzee. Rather than swinging our fists at the giant spider, it would be more effective to use torches to set fire to its web, wouldn’t it? With the damage doubled… no, at least tenfold, there was no reason not to be pleased.

As is often the case inside a gang’s hideout, the air here was extremely dirty. Poor ventilation made it stuffy and musty. The smell of damp earth mixed with a fishy odor, and faint odors of small animals’ excrement wafted in. It wasn’t just the smell. Perhaps it had been quite some time since human footsteps had ceased here. Dust piled up thickly on the walls and floor, rising like smoke with each step, and dewy spider webs filled every corner, necessitating careful removal and movement.

“…Are these spider webs from the giant spider?” Lautte asked quietly as he swept away the webs with a branch he picked up while walking.

“Nope. They’re from its offspring. The big ones have larger webs. These are small,” Kikel replied, shaking his head. Judging by his certainty based solely on the size of the webs, it seemed he had experience dealing with adult spiders.

After about five minutes of walking…

“We’re close. Ten steps. Watch your head,” Kikel warned, pointing to the ceiling with his right hand, using a dart. It was a signal to prepare for battle. Lautte and I each drew our weapons and loosened our shoulders, feeling our attack power increase by about twenty times with the sharp blade.

“Finally!” The bald man just stood there. Well, he had nothing to do. After all, he was just a martial artist who didn’t understand the concept of weapons. I don’t know why he chose bipedal locomotion without intending to use tools. If that was the case, wouldn’t it have been more efficient to use all four limbs to run around? Evidence that evolution doesn’t always work in a positive direction was right in front of us.

“Let’s go!”

After confirming the preparedness of myself and Routte, Kikel raised his voice and began to run swiftly.

“Kik! Kiiik!”

Had they just noticed our presence? The giant spiders clinging closely to the ceiling about ten meters ahead rushed at us with sharp screeches.

Six of them. Their number wasn’t that large, probably because we were still near the entrance of the den.

“Kishaat!”

Kikel faced them, coiling a piece of rock debris with his tail and swiftly hurled it like a baseball towards the approaching spiders.

Thud!

A powerful throw, enhanced by Lizardman’s muscular strength. The face of the leading giant spider crumpled like mud, spewing yellow fluid.

“Kieeek?!”

“Kiiiiik!”

The two following spiders also tumbled to the ground, shocked by the impact.

And thus, the battle began.

***

“Haaaap! Accept the Dragon’s Roar!”

As the two giant spiders landed on the ground, Wolfgang leaped forward, shouting out the name of his flashy technique and swung his fist.

In a rather unskilled manner, as if he had forgotten the existence of the tool in his left hand.

Thud!

His gloved fist struck the back of the giant spider with a heavy, muffled sound. The exoskeleton caved in where his fist had landed, about half a centimeter deep.

Well, it was more like 0.5cm.

As expected, it was a natural result. How could a punch delivered with ordinary leather gloves shatter a monster’s exoskeleton, unless he was someone extraordinary or had some kind of enhancement?

“Grk… Surprisingly tough!”

Your head is surprisingly dull.

“In that case, how about this, Thousand Blood Kick!”

Still neglecting the use of his left arm’s tool, Wolfgang attempted to kick the giant spider backward.

Yes, a kick would certainly be more effective than a punch. Not only in terms of the difference in power between arms and legs but also because unlike the flimsy gloves, his boot had a protective metal plate at the tip.

However—

“Kiiiiik!”

The giant spider had legs too. Eight of them, to be exact.

“Kiiik!”

A giant spider, with only its torso resembling a human, leapt towards Volfgang, thrusting its sharp legs like spears.

“Ugh…!”

Volfgang urgently pulled back, the giant spider’s foreleg grazing his forearm, leaving a thin gash. Clad in a robe made of silk, he was unable to block the spider’s attack, even with leather protection over his chainmail, unlike Kikel, whose body itself was akin to scale armor.

“Kiiiiiee!”

The missed claw strike caused the giant spider to bend its body in mid-air, lunging at Volfgang with its fangs. A spinneret, is that what it’s called?

From the spider’s spinneret, a white web shot out and aimed for Volfgang’s face.

“Cowardly from a distance!”

Desperately rolling on the ground to evade the spider silk, Volfgang found himself covered in dirt and remnants of the web upon rising.

“Haah….”

A scene where contempt for unarmed combat seemed to grow stronger.

“What, just one?”

Kikel effortlessly pinned one giant spider to the ground with a vertical slash, then drew his axe and slammed it into another, embedding it into the cave wall. It was a powerful attack, incomparable to Volfgang’s pitiful display.

“Hmm, they’re stronger than I thought…!”

Picking up the fallen torch, Volfgang wiped the blood flowing down his arm, muttering to himself.

There was nothing to say. Well, this is the average of unarmed combatants. He hadn’t expected anything from him in the first place.

“Hoo….”

I let out a shallow breath as I rushed forward to confront the spiders descending from the ceiling.

Two were taken care of by Kikel, leaving one incapacitated on the ground and writhing, and three stuck to the ceiling.

Two of them leaped toward us, slashing with their claws, while the other spewed webbing in our direction while remaining attached to the ceiling.

“Rautena!”

“Yes!”

I swung my sword towards the air, slicing off three legs of the spider rushing towards us, while Rautena blocked the web with her round shield.

“Kieeeek!”

“Kiiieeek!”

The huge spider, its front legs severed, writhes and oozes yellow fluid. “Kaaahp!” Laute unleashes a sharp scream and swings her mace like lightning, smashing one of their heads. With a swift stroke, I pierce a giant spider from its fangs to its hindquarters with my longsword. Unlike Wolfgang’s futile punches, my pointed blade and hefty pommel pack enough power to shatter the spider’s exoskeleton. It was truly a triumph of civilization, so to speak.

Kel pulled arrows from the lifeless bodies and shot the last one like a javelin, concluding our first battle unscathed. It was hardly a battle… more like a one-sided massacre.

“You all are amazing! I’m grateful!” Except for the nearly humiliated chimpanzee baby in reverse.