Memorize

"Hyung."

At the sound of An-Hyun calling me, I snapped back to attention. I quickly turned my gaze, and all the kids were looking at me with uncertain faces. The spiders had surrounded us, forming a circle. I had secured an escape route, but I had a feeling this would be the most troublesome monster we've faced so far.

The others seemed to feel something different about these monsters compared to the ones we'd faced so far, and they all had anxious expressions. If I showed any signs of nervousness, it would only amplify their unease. To calm them down, I quickly put on a composed face and spoke in a steady voice.

"Let's focus on dealing with the spiders first."

"Then... What about that woman?"

Sol asked with a regretful tone, trailing off. I shook my head. Since I had already determined there was no hope for her, our survival was the priority. Watching An-Hyun and Yun-Jung grab their weapons, I raised my voice even more.

"Forget about the woman hanging above. It seems like the dungeon master is behind her. From now on, our goal is to prioritize dungeon exploration and survival, not rescuing players. They're coming. Everyone, get into position."

We just had to get past this hurdle. The thought of finally getting out of this annoying dungeon made me hurry to draw my sword. With the intention of giving the alchemist a good whack if we met him, I continued.

"We'll hold our ground in a defensive formation while ensuring an escape route. There are a lot of spiders, but they're big, so they can't all charge at once. However, there are some that sneak in from the sides and spray venom. I'll take care of them. Everyone, focus on the ones in front of you."

Sss… Sss…

As soon as I finished speaking, the spiders made a sound as they slid across the ground, closing the distance between us. The closer they got, the more grotesque they seemed, and I raised my sword. If I felt this way, I could only imagine how Sol and Yun-Jung were feeling. The closer the spiders came, the more they looked like they were about to faint, but when they saw the green orbs continuously falling from the air, their faces turned vicious. They were clearly furious that another female player had fallen victim to this.

Soon, the spiders in front of us started shooting white threads from their mouths. It was the beginning of a battle that would push us past the peak of this dungeon exploration.

*

"Cure!"

As Sol's hands, glowing with white light, covered my body, I could feel warmth spreading through me. Even though I had said I was fine, she insisted on healing me, and there was no way I could stop her.

"Guys, you can rest now. I think I'm okay."

"But…."

"Hurry, you need to rest too."

This was how things unfolded. We had been engaged in a tough battle, and after much struggle, we had managed to gain the upper hand. Of course, this was only possible thanks to my coordination of the battlefield through support. Just as we were about to finish off the last of the spiders, a large amount of venom shot out from its mouth.

I quickly shoved the others away, and the venom splashed all over me. Given my affinity with fire, I could burn off most poisons, and with my high resistance, I was unaffected by the spider's venom. However, the others, in their panic, insisted on healing me. It was likely that my acting a bit shaky contributed to this as well.

It wasn't until I was almost angry that they moved away from me and took their own break, and when I turned around, they were practically lying on the floor. Yun-Jung was lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling. An-Hyun had his legs crossed and was looking at the ceiling in the same way. An-Sol was also sitting on the floor with a white face, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. I let out a light sigh, having a vague idea of what was wrong with them, and tried to figure out how to handle the female player.

I look up at the female player. Her belly was still bulging, but she was no longer dripping with spider eggs. The occasional grimace and groan let me know she was alive, but that was it. Well. If I were her, I wouldn't be alive.

"Wow... I can't believe it. Did we really defeat all these spiders...?"

An Hyeon looked around, shook his head, and opened his mouth. He was removing the cobwebs all over his body little by little, but soon he lay down on the floor, as if he was tired of that. His whole body felt like it weighed a ton, and it seemed difficult to even move his arms.

Yun-Jung's entire body was covered in small wounds. The clothes she was wearing were also torn, occasionally revealing her swollen flesh. I just stared at her with blank eyes, and Yun-Jung lowered her collar slightly and winked at me with a provocative look. However, when I stared at her with a stern look, she immediately lowered her head. Anyway, that troublemaker.

After a while, I also sat down on the ground, saying, "Let it be." For a moment, the kids' worried gazes gathered around me, but I immediately waved my hand to signal that it was okay. If I were to force the kids who were squirming now to get up, they might really rebel. As a representative example, Yun-Jung, who was lying on the floor, began to relax, her body's senses gradually became more active, and she kept groaning and desperately calling for An-Sol.

"Ugh… I think I'm poisoned… My whole body aches… An-Sol. Cast a detox spell on unnie."

"Okay… Just a moment… ."

"You little brat. For Su-Hyeon oppa, you did it right away. Are you discriminating against people?"

At Yun-Jung's sharp words, Sol's face turned red and she quickly waved her hands around.

"That's not it… I'm just exhausted right now… ."

Mana exhaustion means that if you use your magic power too much here, a reversal phenomenon may occur. Yun-Jung nodded her head as if she understood and laid her head back down on the floor. An-Hyun, who had been looking at the ceiling with a calm gaze, soon turned his head with a tired face and spoke to me.

"I… hyung."

"Why."

"What are you going to do about that female player?"

"…."

I held my tongue for a moment. An-Hyun was particularly concerned about female players even before the battle. I couldn't understand why he was so concerned. Is it because he's the opposite sex? He's quite haughty, so I felt the need to look into An-Hyun a little.

"What do you think?"

"I want to save her."

I smiled faintly as I watched An-Hyun answer without any hesitation. An-Hyun's disposition is True and Neutral. However, if he had a pure desire to save, there was a possibility that he would lean toward order or goodness later on. I wanted to give him an answer that lived up to his expectations, but unfortunately, I didn't have the taste to torture him with hope.

"Well. As you can see from her belly, it's clear she's carrying spider eggs. In other words, there's a high probability that she was forcibly conceived. If such a mutation has occurred inside her body, I honestly don't think there's anything we can do. Of course, we can take her… But would there be a high-ranking player who would step up for that female player in the current flow of the Hall Plain? No. Yes. There might be, so let's assume she lives. Even so, the reality that awaits her in the future will be no different from hell. In fact, killing her now might actually be the more merciful option for her own sake."

"I see… that's it. I see…."

"Well. Let's ask her what she wants. But first, we'll need to cut the rope she's hanging from."

Seeing the darkened expression on their face, I quickly added a comment. An Hyun, with a tired face, closed his eyes and gave a small nod. It wasn't exactly a pleasant sight to see her suspended in mid-air. It felt no different from displaying her exposed body for everyone to see. Thinking it would be best to bring her down first, I was just about to get up.

"Yohohoho!"

A frivolous laugh filled the clearing. The sudden sound startled everyone, their faces turning into a mixture of surprise and caution. Judging by the overly confident air, it seemed the dungeon's master had finally decided to make an appearance. I gave the group a subtle signal with a glance and quietly placed my hand on my sword.

"Two men~! Yes! And not~ a woman. Well, anyway, two of them! Ooh!"

Judging by the high-pitched tone, it seemed to be a female entity. She cheered for the men but jeered at the women, which made Yun-Jung jump to her feet in irritation.

"Who's there!"

"Who could it be~?"

"Where are you spouting nonsense from! Stop hiding like a coward and come out already!"

"Coming right now~!"

Rustle, rustle. Shuffle, shuffle.

Enhancing my hearing with magic, I could clearly detect a single entity descending from the ceiling above. It continued to chatter incessantly, further stoking Yun-Jung's anger.

"Oh my? A feisty human female, huh? I don't like strong-willed females. But I also do. They're perfect as hosts. Like that one hanging from the ceiling right now. Heeheehee!"

Yun-Jung, who was about to spew another string of curses, went pale at the mention of the word host. She seemed to have realized what it implied, her whole body shivering in revulsion. I clicked my tongue.

The aura radiating from above was distinctly different from anything we had encountered so far. If anything, it felt like a boss monster meant as a rite of passage.

If everyone had been in peak condition and fully prepared, it might have been manageable. But right now, all of us were physically and mentally exhausted. Sighing, I rose to my feet. It seemed like stepping in myself was the only viable solution.

"Everyone, get up. It looks like the dungeon's master has shown up."

"Correct answer!"

With that cheerful response, a rustling sound accompanied by a vibrant voice descended from above. Looking up, I saw a massive spider—easily over two meters tall—circling around the suspended female player as it descended. Its sheer size was shocking, but what stood out the most was the human-like face protruding from the upper section of its body.

An arachne.

Before the others could even react, the spider scurried down swiftly, landing lightly on the ground—though the sound of its descent still echoed with a resonating thud.

The dungeon master of the Ancient Alchemist Vivienne's domain was none other than this arachne. Vivienne, as she introduced herself, looked at us with a cheerful smile plastered on her strange, human-like face.

"Welcome, my new prey."

"Prey, huh? That's rude from the start."

I replied casually, and the spider tilted its head, seemingly puzzled. After a brief moment of contemplation, it flashed a wide smile and offered a more polite greeting.

"Welcome to my dungeon, human males. Oh, as for the human females, they're not welcome."

"Crazy bitch."

Yun-Jung's sharp remark hit the spider directly. The group had fully recognized this spider as an enemy. Moreover, they seemed to grasp that the suspended female player, Jeong Ji-yeon, had ended up in her current state because of the arachne before us. Though their legs trembled as they rose, I could feel the murderous resolve in their eyes as they glared at the spider.

The arachne gave us a quick once-over, then pouted its human-like face and spoke again.

"Oh my. I offered a warm welcome, didn't I? Sure, you cursed at me, but why are you all looking at me like that?"

"If you were in our shoes, would you graciously accept such a 'welcome,' you fucking idiot?"

Yun-Jung's harsh words, including "fucking" and "idiot," visibly hurt the spider. It made a deeply wounded expression before responding in a sulky tone.

"Tsk. I don't like you. Here I was, welcoming you all. Oh, wait. I didn't welcome you because you're a female. Fine, fine. I'll welcome you too!"

"Shut it. Your so-called welcome makes me want to throw up."

"Ugh, you're so mean. Why do you hate me so much?"

"What did you just say?"

The spider's innocent question left Yun-Jung momentarily dumbfounded. But soon, rage filled her expression as she glared daggers and pointed at the ceiling, shouting:

"Don't you see that female player up there? After what you did to her, how can you say such things?"

At Yun-Jung's scathing accusation, the spider tilted its head again in apparent confusion before finally responding.

"Well, that's only natural, isn't it? They were the ones who barged into my dungeon first. Not only that, but they killed my precious subordinates, my children, and even destroyed my living space. They provoked me while I was minding my own business. So, what? Was I just supposed to sit back and take it?"

"W-what?"

"You're no different. Actually, you've done even worse. The ones who should really be angry are the spiders—me. Look, just look at the corpses of my children. Oh my, oh my. You even stomped on the unborn ones, crushing them before they could hatch. So sad, so tragic. Boohoo."

The spider dabbed at its tears with the tips of its long, hairy legs, putting on an exaggerated display of grief. Watching this, I couldn't help but chuckle quietly. Yun-Jung, on the other hand, was completely dumbfounded, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly as she tried to process what she was hearing.

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