episode_0046

Arachne.

Terrifying giant spiders.

Eight-legged monstrosities covered in bristling hair, their eight crimson eyes gleaming in the dark.

And these grotesque creatures had grown to at least 2 meters in size, capable of spewing silk threads as tough as steel.

The threads were sticky and nearly impossible to break free from.

That said, they had one weakness—fire.

Their fangs boasted strength comparable to steel.

Because of this, many adventurers on the 2nd floor often fell victim to Hobgoblins riding Arachne.

Even those who managed to break through to the 3rd floor frequently ended up as Arachne prey.

Our party wouldn’t suffer that fate, though.

At the very least, there was one small mercy.

‘They don’t use poison.’

……But the ones before us now were a different story.

“Poison Arachne!”

Arachne that wielded poison.

It wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.

Hidden rooms only spawned monsters stronger than the next floor’s standard fare.

Just like the Hobgoblin Champion, the Poison Arachne we now faced followed that rule.

‘Still, of all things, it had to be poison-users…’

And to make matters worse, there was a boss among them, accompanied by a swarm of underlings.

It was downright absurd.

I drew my bowstring.

The arrowhead crackled, emitting a violet lightning.

“Meteor.”

Glasses, who had approached unnoticed, gripped my shoulder.

And then—

Sssss…

Mana flowed from Glasses into me.

One of the new skills he’d recently learned, perhaps.

“…Mana transfer. A skill that helps draw out more of your latent potential.” “Thanks.”

I pulled the bowstring taut. The violet energy, now amplified by Marcel’s mana, crackled violently.

And then—

THWIP!

A streak of purple lightning split the air. The arrow, released from the bowstring, left behind a violet afterimage, like a meteor streaking across the dawn sky.

KRZZZZZT—BOOM!!

The purple lightning erupted like a blooming flower.

Most of the spiders caught within were incinerated.

“Nice!” “…I don’t—what even was that? Terrifying.”

Ermé cheered.

Glasses trembled.

Theresa stepped forward expressionlessly, crushing an Arachne’s head with her mace.

“We’ve cleared most of the small fry.”

Even after wiping out about two-thirds of them, around thirty still remained.

The bigger problem was—

‘The boss barely took any damage.’

Unlike the others, this one had emerald-green eyes and a massive 5-meter body. It stared straight at me.

Skree… Skreeee…

Making eerie noises, the spiders began encircling us.

“That one—the Poison Arachne Queen—we’ll handle her.”

Ermé pointed at the boss.

“Fire is their weakness, but electricity works too. So Meteor and I will take the Queen.” “What about us?” “Marcel, support us with spells first, then assist Theresa and Rosenta. Theresa, focus on defense. Rosenta, prioritize safety above all.”

With that order, Ermé dashed forward.

I decided to cover her from the rear.

The greatest danger was the Arachne’s poison.

‘…Will it work?’

I nocked an arrow, coating its tip with poison.

A paralyzing toxin crafted through an elf’s production skill.

Creak—

I drew the bowstring, aiming at the Poison Arachne Queen. And then—

SWISH!

The arrow sliced through the wind, as if sucked toward its target—piercing one of the Queen’s eyes.

SKREEE! SKREEEEE!

The moment the arrow struck, the Queen thrashed wildly, as if enraged.

But its movements gradually slowed.

Was the paralyzing poison taking effect?

Its body began stiffening.

“What’s this?” “Paralyzing toxin.”

In that brief moment of immobilization, Ermé swiftly swung her sword. Flames flickered along its edge.

“…Oh.”

I muttered in quiet admiration.

At a glance, it was clear she’d acquired a skill far from ordinary.

Perhaps the Poison Arachne Queen sensed it too, hesitating slightly as it watched Ermé.

WHOOSH!

The flames dancing along Ermé’s blade flared as she swung it in a wide arc.

SKREEEEE!

One of the Queen’s legs was severed. Though its body was massive, Ermé seemed intent on systematically dismantling it limb by limb rather than targeting the torso directly.

But perhaps because of that—

The Queen’s movements grew swift again.

‘Good poison, though.’

A direct hit should paralyze a human for at least five minutes, yet it had already worn off.

The monsters in this labyrinth were absurdly resilient.

Just as I thought that, Theresa and Rosenta were being pushed back.

They were handling the underlings, but the sheer numbers were overwhelming. I lightly drew my bowstring, firing at the swarm.

The arrows melted into the darkness, piercing through one Poison Arachne’s body—and the one behind it.

‘Has my archery improved?’

Now, my arrows routinely took out two or three with a single shot.

As I pondered, a Poison Arachne shot a web to the ceiling, descending toward me.

Thuk.

It spat out something black.

My elf crafting skill and a thief’s ultimate instinct told me—it was a neurotoxin, one that induced paralysis.

I dodged swiftly to the right, drawing my sword.

A blade drenched in blood.

Crimson aura flickered along its edge as I swung—

SCHLICK!

—bisecting the Arachne cleanly.

I quickly scanned the battlefield.

Theresa and Rosenta were being pressured, but not to the point of collapse.

Ermé was keeping the Poison Arachne Queen occupied.

I continued thinning the swarm with my arrows, then turned my aim to the Queen.

Coating another arrowhead with paralyzing and neurotoxins.

‘You’re not the only ones who can use poison.’

I had my own arsenal of toxins.

Drawing the bowstring, I took aim at the Queen.

THWIP!

The arrow vanished into the darkness—then lodged itself in the Queen’s eye.

SKREEE! SKREEEEE!

They say spiders don’t scream.

This one sure did.

Maybe because it was a labyrinth monster. The dissonance with my past life’s knowledge was stark.

Just then, an eerie gaze prickled my skin.

The Poison Arachne Queen was staring straight at me.

‘Does it see me as the biggest threat?’

All I’d done was fire a paralyzing arrow, a neurotoxin-laced shot, and a lightning arrow that wiped out a third of its swarm—contributing heavily to thinning their numbers.

“……”

But that had cost me a lot of mana.

If not for Glasses’ skill, I’d have less than half left.

‘Still, the underlings were too many to ignore.’

The Queen had every reason to target me.

Ermé had already crippled three of its legs, severely limiting its mobility.

The moment that thought crossed my mind—

The Queen curled its massive body.

A posture like it was preparing to leap.

‘Since when do spiders leap—’

As if mocking me, the Queen BOOMED into the air.

Its colossal frame shot up like a cannonball. I shoved Glasses aside and slid beneath it.

KABOOOM!

The impact cratered the ground like a bomb had gone off.

“What kind of tanky bastard—?” “Glasses, buffs. Now.” “Got it.”

My body lightened. Strength surged. My flesh hardened.

And then—

“This is?” “A new sensory-enhancing skill.”

My senses sharpened. Slightly uncomfortable, but manageable.

I looked ahead. The Queen had already recovered its stance, watching me.

Drip. Drip.

Green liquid oozed from its maw, melting the labyrinth floor.

‘Poison.’

Sword in hand, I advanced. Until Ermé arrived, I was the only one protecting Glasses.

SKREEE!

The Queen swung a leg at me. I aimed for it with my bloodied blade, but the Queen struck with another leg instead. I clicked my tongue.

‘It’s learning.’

Still, three of its eight legs were disabled. If I severed more and targeted the torso—

SKREEEEE!

The Queen screeched, firing something. Not poison—a long, thread-like projectile. I dodged, recognizing it as silk.

KABOOM!

An explosion. Glancing back, I saw the silk had coiled like a spear, impaling several Arachne.

An opponent with both ranged and melee advantages.

But its patterns were simple.

‘Poison, silk, and leg strikes.’

If I got careless, a single bite could cost me a limb.

‘But recovery is possible.’

Rosenta’s gift converted pain into pleasure.

The more she was hurt, the more euphoric—and vicious—she became.

Tap.

I charged. The Queen raised a leg to block.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Each stomp shook the ground like detonations. Its attacks were powerful and far-reaching, but—

‘All limited.’

Ermé had crippled three legs. Its massive frame needed at least three to remain stable.

Beneath the Queen’s abdomen, I slashed with my blood aura.

SCHLICK.

Too shallow.

The blood aura relied on my weapon’s power. A true sword energy would’ve cleaved it clean.

Crackle.

Violet lightning sparked along the aura.

The Queen’s maw turned toward me.

No time to rest—I hacked wildly at its legs.

‘Ermé’s coming.’

Until then, my goal was to sever at least two more.

Suddenly, the Queen’s body tilted. Its jaws gaped.

And then—

SCHLICK.

I severed another leg.

Simultaneously, something pierced my body.

Thud.

A sharp pain in my right abdomen.

“METEOR!!”

A distant voice screamed my name.

‘Fuck.’

My stomach burned.

Agony. Of course—a silk spear had impaled me. Would I survive? A fist-sized hole was gone.

Grimacing, I saw the Queen’s eyes curl—as if amused.

‘I’ll kill you.’

I’ll slaughter you without fail.

Gripping my sword, I staggered.

“……”

Something rose in my throat.

I forced it down.

‘I’m not dead yet.’

That was enough.

Rosenta could heal me later.

For now—

‘Finish it.’

The Queen’s eyes darted wildly, as if searching for an escape.

Could it flee? With that bulk, it could probably smash through walls.

In that case—

‘End it before Ermé arrives.’

I focused on my blade.

Sssss…

I poured most of my remaining mana into the bloodied sword.

At the same time, I threw a dagger to restrict the Queen’s movement.

“Meteor!”

But the Queen ignored it. To something that size, a dagger was like a toothpick.

Instead, it curled its maw, preparing to spit.

Darkness enveloped me.

My sword’s tip drowned in shadow. My gift—violet lightning—had morphed into mana.

But this was different.

A pitch-black smoke, as if dredged from the abyss, clung to my blade.

I still didn’t understand.

Why could I wield orc swordsmanship? Elf techniques?

Why, upon seeing them, could I replicate their secret arts?

‘No time for that.’

I steadied my stance.

Everything slowed.

My eyes throbbed painfully.

The Queen aimed its maw at me.

Blood bubbled at my lips.

All of it—crawling in slow motion.

And then—

SKREEE!

The Queen fired.

Simultaneously, my grip tightened.

An upward slash—simple, yet wreathed in darkness.

‘Die.’

SCHWIIING!

The darkness split.

The Queen’s silk projectile—and its body—were cleaved in two.