Memorize

Hwajung. Literally translated, it means "the god who governs fire," but within the context of the Hall Plain, it can be interpreted as the pure essence of fire itself. A power capable of burning everything that exists. The reason why Seraph vehemently opposed the fusion of my body with Hwajung was precisely due to this power.

Hwajung is, quite literally, a mythological-grade conflagration that can incinerate all existence. It surpasses the Flame Rank, which is the highest grade of fire that humans can control and command. While Seraph claimed that their power was comparable, in terms of pure destructive capability, even the hellfire ruling the lowest layer of the Eight Hells, the Avīci, might yield to Hwajung. Assuming the ancient records I studied are accurate, of course.

Most importantly, when combining my swordsmanship—which grants the power to cut anything—with the authority of Hwajung, it can be defined as the ability to "cut and burn everything that exists in this world." The problem lies in the fact that Hwajung, being of mythological rank, includes the attribute of god-killing. In other words, I now possess the power to kill Seraph if I so desired. (Of course, this doesn't mean angels are pushovers; it's purely theoretical.)

In any case, even the devastating hellfire that dominates the Avīci might take a step back, so how could a mere spider's thread stop the flames of my Hwajung? After confirming that all the threads had turned into cocoons and were hanging midair, I immediately unleashed my magic.

Fwoosh!

"What…what?"

Pale crimson mana flared up and, soon enough, the threads enveloping my body melted away in an instant, as if they were ice cream under the summer sun. Vivienne, visibly flustered, frantically launched more threads, but the result was the same. Narrowing her eyes for a brief moment, she seemed to come to a resolution and opened her jaws wide. The yellowish venom shimmering in her mouth suggested she was preparing to launch a venomous attack.

"How impudent!"

Vivienne roared in anger, spewing venomous liquid heavily laden with toxic fumes toward me. Still wearing a serene smile, I welcomed the incoming venom without a trace of concern. As soon as it touched my skin, the venom evaporated into nothingness, leaving no trace behind.

"Hehehehe. What should I do? I didn't really want to kill you. It's just that I was so angry..."

"You didn't kill me."

As I replied nonchalantly and stepped forward, Vivienne's expression morphed into one of pure terror, as if she were staring at a monster. How unfair. She's the monster here, and I'm just a human. Why am I the one being treated like this? Regardless, I continued forward, lightly brushing my flawless, unscathed skin. Whether the venom infiltrates internally or externally, as long as I'm wielding the power of Hwajung, burning it away is all it takes.

"Th-that's impossible," She stammered.

"What's so impossible about it?"

"H-how can a lowly human possibly…"

"And how can a lowly spider possibly…"

I threw her words back at her, and she scowled, raising two of her legs. She seemed poised to slam them down, but with Hwajung's power coursing through me, my skills had reached a whole new level. I gripped my sword and swung it once. To an observer, it might have seemed like an ordinary slash, but the rippling energy embedded within it was anything but ordinary.

In an instant, the wave of energy imbued with my magic shot toward the raised leg of the spider.

"KYAAAAAA!"

Before she could even bring her leg down, it was severed cleanly. The entire sequence of events took no more than a second, leaving Vivienne no time to react. She screamed in agony, staggering backward before wildly spewing venom and threads in all directions. It wasn't just a reckless attack born of pain—it was a desperate, frenzied assault.

I could have easily withstood her attacks without much trouble, but I deliberately intercepted them with my sword. My defense was simple: cut down the threads and let the venom flow past me. Using the advanced techniques of my swordsmanship against such rudimentary attacks felt almost disrespectful to the art of Taegeuk.

For her, however, it must have felt like a living nightmare. She was unleashing her full power, yet I pressed forward without hesitation, unrelenting in my advance. The radiant arcs of my blade danced through the air like a dazzling performance, slashing through the falling threads and letting the venom splash harmlessly around me.

My movements were a stark contrast to her chaos, calm yet unyielding, and her desperation only served to highlight her impending defeat.

As I took a step forward, Vivienne took a step back. I spoke with a calm expression, my tone mocking.

"You're supposed to be an alchemist, aren't you? Isn't your attack a little too simplistic? The name 'ancient alchemist' would be crying right now. Vivienne? Come on, say something. Hahaha."

Vivienne's expression was frantic. She seemed too overwhelmed to even register my words, sweating profusely as if in a panic. I noticed her face turn pale—it seemed she had exhausted her reserve of venom and threads. She struggled to muster more, but all she could produce were a few thin strands.

"Kii...! Krrkk...! Kreeeek…!"

Vivienne let out a series of guttural noises before looking up at the ceiling and desperately scrambling up the wall. In an instant, she scurried along the wall toward the ceiling like a spider in flight. Seeing this, I leapt after her, running along the wall without hesitation.

"Let's go together," I called out casually.

Vivienne, frantically climbing, glanced back at me closing the gap and let out a gasp of horror before unceremoniously tumbling from the ceiling. How pitiful. A spider falling off the ceiling—what a sight. Was she really that terrified of me?

"Ugh…"

Hearing a groan from below, I glanced down to see something unexpected. Still hanging upside down in the air, I raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. It seemed that when Vivienne fell, she had unintentionally dragged another woman, Jeong Ji-Yeon, down with her. The unfortunate victim had landed first and acted as a cushion for Vivienne's fall. Her once-rounded stomach was now sunken in, likely from the impact. Scattered green eggs rolled across the ground, broken from the fall. It appeared that the spider had unintentionally forced the eggs out of Ji-Yeon's body during the landing.

It wasn't exactly a pleasant sight, so I furrowed my brow.

Vivienne, annoyed, shoved Ji-Yeon aside with an irritated expression but quickly seemed to get an idea. A mischievous grin spread across her face as she wrapped her legs around Ji-Yeon and lifted her up in front of me like a shield. Her complexion brightened, as if she had stumbled upon a brilliant plan.

I waited patiently, curious about what she intended. Descending to the ground with a graceful landing, I stood still, giving her the chance to speak. Vivienne, not missing a beat, raised Ji-Yeon even higher, positioning her prominently between us.

"Heh… You, you're human too, right?"

"Yeah."

"If you come any closer, I'll kill this woman."

"…Sigh."

I let out an exaggerated sigh on purpose. Seeing my reaction, Vivienne's face lit up with relief as though she'd just escaped death, her lips curling in a satisfied smirk. I looked calmly at the tortured expression of the captive user, Jeong Ji-Yeon. Her eyes, too, were fixed on me, holding a desperate yet oddly expectant gaze, as if pleading for something only I could provide.

"Heh…heh. Now, why don't you put down your sword?"

"Sure."

I gently placed my sword on the ground. Vivienne, skeptical at first, confirmed my action before her smile deepened into a thin, smug curve. Unfazed, I continued to close the distance between us. With every step I took, Vivienne flinched and trembled, instinctively pulling Ji-Yeon closer in front of her as a shield, practically pressing her hostage toward me. Was she seriously this dense?

Jeong Ji-Yeon and I exchanged a brief glance. I felt no guilt. Killing fellow users wasn't exactly a rare occurrence in my experience. Still, out of a faint sense of courtesy, I gave her a small nod of acknowledgment before extending my hand toward her pale, trembling neck.

"I didn't tell you to come clos—?"

My hand closed around her delicate neck.

"L-let go…?"

Crack!

Snap!

Without hesitation, I twisted her neck. With a strength stat of 94 points, snapping the fragile neck of a slender woman was effortless. I could feel her bones crumble beneath my grip, her life extinguished in an instant as her limp body dangled. Her tongue lolled out, lifeless.

Vivienne, her spider-like features frozen in shock, gawked at the scene with disbelief. Her jaw opened and closed silently, unable to process what had just happened. Savoring her stunned expression for a moment, I launched myself into the air and landed gracefully beside her face, her disbelief still plastered across her features.

I reached out and gently patted her head, stroking her hair with an almost tender touch, before speaking.

"You idiot. If you're going to take a hostage, grab someone who's actually with me. What's the point of grabbing some random human?"

"B-but they're the same as you… another human… Why would you…"

"They're a nuisance and in the way. Plus, they have nothing to do with me. Whether they live or die, it's none of my business."

"Even so! How can you kill someone so recklessly? Are you even human?"

"Hearing that from you feels oddly out of place. Oh, and those legs creeping toward my companions? Stop that, or I'll rip them off."

I warned her with a cold smile, and Vivienne immediately froze, hastily retracting her legs. What a sly one. At the moment, I was perched on top of her, while she squirmed and sweated profusely, unsure of what to do.

My hand burned faintly with a soft crimson glow, the power of Hwajung coursing through it. Taking out a boss monster as a debut for this power seemed like a solid idea. My bloodlust thickened, seeping out in waves as I contemplated how to kill her.

Vivienne met my gaze briefly but quickly looked away, her lips trembling. She seemed fully aware of the vast gulf between us. Her face was etched with despair, but her subtle tremors and the way she stole glances at me hinted that she still clung to the hope of survival.

Each time I stroked her hair, she flinched violently. It was almost endearing—if not for her grotesque appearance.

As for my own impression of wielding this power? I had to admit, even I was a bit shocked. I was confident I'd win, but I hadn't expected it to be this easy. Even for a dungeon master and boss monster, this was too one-sided. So this is what it feels like to hold such power.

"Ugh!"

Realizing I had subconsciously tightened my grip, I saw Vivienne grimace in pain. She hesitated for a moment, then swallowed hard and finally spoke.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Let me live."

"?"

What was she on about now? I scratched my head a couple of times, giving her a puzzled look before responding with reluctance.

"No…"

"Why not? Come on, spare me. Please, let me live."

"…But aren't you the dungeon master? A boss monster? Don't you have any pride?"

"What does pride matter? Staying alive is what's most important. Please, I'm begging you."

"…"

Vivienne's expression shifted dramatically as she gazed up at me with big, pleading eyes, practically glowing with desperation. It was a bit ridiculous, but I could understand her reasoning. After all, unlike a game, Hall Plain was a world where death was final—for humans, animals, and even intelligent beings. Survival instincts were natural for anyone with a semblance of intellect.

"Still, begging for your life this easily? That's a little pathetic. Come on, let's fight a bit more before we decide. Who knows? Maybe you'll actually win…."

"No way. Somehow, I just know if I fight you again, I'll die horribly without even putting up a fight. I'll give you something good. So please, spare me. Okay? Pretty please?"

Her instincts were sharp. I had been planning to kill her gruesomely the moment she made another move. But now that I was observing her up close, I couldn't detect even a hint of killing intent from her. If anything, the emotion radiating off her was… submission.

When she mentioned giving me something good, I perked up.

"Something good?"

"Yeah, yeah! I mean, you came here to get treasures, right? I know there might be other reasons too, but in the end, isn't that why you're here? For my treasures?"

"Hmm."

Pretending to mull it over, I stroked my chin. Vivienne immediately flung herself flat on the ground, her posture resembling a dog wagging its tail at its master. It was almost amusing. Deciding to humor her for now, I nodded.

"So, what are you offering? You know, life isn't cheap."

"Uh… everything! I'll give you everything I have. Let's go to my lair. You can take a look and decide if it's worth sparing me. It's just down this passage."

"Fine. Lead the way. By the way, what about them? They'll be okay for a while, right?"

"Oh, I don't mind leaving them like that. Don't worry, they'll be fine. There are still a couple of living humans back in my lair. I caught them yesterday, so they're still alive."

I glanced back at the three cocoons spun from silk, feeling a slight pang of guilt. Still, I nodded in agreement. Sensing my approval, Vivienne wobbled her massive form around and quickly scuttled off down the passage, relief evident on her face. I rode on her back as she carried me toward her lair.

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