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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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Bryn’s absurd words left the party members in disbelief.
“…”
Amidst the silence, Jeong Yoo-shin was the first to regain his composure.
“Aren’t you a minister’s daughter? Don’t you have any aspirations of following your father’s footsteps, saving people, and setting the country right?”
“W-Well, I’m the third daughter. And I don’t like that kind of pressure. Being a minister and all that.”
“…”
Jeong Yoo-shin glanced at Iron Mask and sighed deeply.
“Sigh. Alright. We still have to try. I can’t just leave them alone.”
Iron Mask echoed Jeong Yoo-shin’s sentiment.
“Skar is right. We can’t just leave them here. We have to try to save them if we can. Bryn, you stay put. There’s no need for you to get involved.”
“…Okay.”
Bryn replied, unable to hide her displeasure.
Jeong Yoo-shin looked at his party members and thought for a moment.
Giant Spider.
A medium-sized monster that was three times the size of a Goblin Warrior.
It primarily used paralyzing venom from its fangs and spiderwebs. Due to its large size, a single blow from its foreleg could be difficult for even a seasoned vanguard warrior to withstand.
A direct confrontation would make a clean victory unlikely.
“Giant Spiders are strong. We might be able to handle the young ones, but anything more than that would be difficult.”
Iron Mask said.
“We just have to rescue them stealthily.”
The dwarf priest interjected.
Jeong Yoo-shin looked down at Kubo.
“Kubo, you look pale. Are you alright?”
“I’m a bit chilly, but I’m fine.”
“Did you take the antidote?”
“I took it last night. Cough. Cough.”
Kubo suddenly started coughing.
“Hmm?”
A small spider crawled out from the nape of Kubo’s neck.
Flick!
Jeong Yoo-shin flicked the spider away.
Kubo flinched and stepped back.
“Wh-What was that?”
“I saw a baby spider and flicked it away.”
“Th-Thank you. But tell me next time. You almost gave me a heart attack. Cough. Cough.”
‘This is unsettling. Is this right?’
A bad feeling gnawed at the back of his mind.
“…Couldn’t we just sneak in and rescue the people? There’s no need to fight the Giant Spider. Should I go?”
Mars offered, but Jeong Yoo-shin interrupted.
“I’ll go.”
“Why?”
“Because I have the Venom Protection imprint. Even if we’re discovered, I can buy us time to escape.”
“…Skar, there’s no need for you to go.”
Mars tried to dissuade him, but Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head.
“No. Let me go.”
“…Alright. But don’t overdo it. If it seems impossible, just run.”
Iron Mask urged him.
“I will.”
Jeong Yoo-shin nodded and put down his backpack.
He took only his sword and dagger and carefully made his way through the bushes.
Rustle.
Fortunately, since they had moved away from the outer edges of the Forest area, it wasn’t as dark anymore, so he didn’t need a torch.
Minimizing his presence, he moved slowly and entered a secluded clearing. There was a cave in the center of the clearing.
White spiderwebs were everywhere, even on the tree branches.
He saw several monsters and people bound in white silk and hanging from the trees. Their limbs that were protruding from the webs were withered like mummies.
‘There they are.’
He could make out the pink and navy blue hair amidst the white silk.
Pink hair was Irene.
Navy blue hair was Lisa.
He couldn’t remember their looks clearly, but he was pretty sure about their hair color.
Without making a sound, he slowly approached the pink and navy blue hair.
The two women were hanging from a tree, their entire bodies, including their faces, wrapped in silk.
From their occasional moans…
‘They’re still alive.’
He took out his dagger and carefully cut the spiderwebs.
He gently lowered the bodies to the ground and examined them. They twitched slightly, seemingly unconscious.
‘This is strange.’
Although obscured by the spiderwebs, the women’s stomachs looked swollen.
As if they were pregnant.
He carefully peeled away the webs from their faces. They were the faces he expected.
But…
They were emaciated like skeletons, as if all the moisture had been sucked out of their bodies.
The pink-haired woman rolled her vacant eyes and looked at Jeong Yoo-shin.
“S-Save me.”
Her tongue was thick, as if she had been injected with paralyzing venom.
“Eh… eh.”
The navy blue-haired woman seemed completely out of it and was only making strange noises.
“Just wait a moment.”
Jeong Yoo-shin replied in a low voice while holding up his dagger.
He intended to cut them free from the webs. Though the women’s large bellies bothered him.
He understood that they had been intimate with Ret according to Bryn, but it didn’t make sense for their bellies to swell up overnight.
He carefully maneuvered the dagger, cutting the spiderwebs that bound their bodies.
And then he saw it.
‘As expected.’
It wasn’t his imagination.
Between their torn clothes…
He saw their bellies that were swollen like balloons.
“I-It hurts.”
The pink-haired woman mumbled.
“Just bear with me. I’ll…”
“M-My stomach hurts.”
“Ag… ag…”
Jeong Yoo-shin looked at the women’s bellies.
‘What…?!’
Something was wriggling beneath their skin.
It was too small to be a baby. And there were too many.
“It hurts… it hurts…! It hurts!!!”
The women’s mumbling grew louder, turning into screams.
“Kyaaaaaaaaa!!!”
The pink-haired woman screamed at the top of her lungs, her eyes bloodshot.
‘Fuck!’
The woman’s belly swelled even more.
And then…
Pop!!!
Pop!!!
Their bellies exploded like bombs, spraying blood everywhere.
Plop.
Blood and bits of internal organs splattered his helmet and armor.
Some even got into his eyes, temporarily blinding him.
Scuttling. Scuttling, scuttling.
He heard something moving near his ear.
He managed to open his eyes. And immediately regretted it.
Scuttling. Scuttling, scuttling, scuttling.
From the women’s bellies…
Hundreds of baby spiders swarmed out, a writhing black mass.
“Ugh!”
He barely managed to suppress the urge to vomit and stumbled backward.
“Ah… ah.”
The pink-haired woman looked down at her burst stomach and the hundreds of spiders crawling out of it as she died.
The same happened to the navy blue-haired woman.
Rescue failed.
He was too late. Far too late.
There was nothing in the books about Giant Spiders doing something this horrific.
Jeong Yoo-shin barely managed to pull himself together and retreated.
Munch. Munch. Munch.
The baby spiders clung to the women’s corpses and began to devour their flesh.
Could these horrific creatures even be classified as spiders?
He gritted his teeth and carefully made his way back into the bushes.
“…Fuck.”
He cursed as he entered the bushes.
He regretted joking around with his party members while relying solely on his Venom Protection imprint.
If they hadn’t been lucky, he and his party members would have met the same gruesome end as these two women.
He realized it once again.
The malice of the Great Labyrinth was as deep as the abyss.
“Huff. Huff.”
He took deep breaths and pushed through the bushes, returning to his party.
“H-How did it go?”
Kubo, the priest, asked. Jeong Yoo-shin was thankful he was wearing his helmet. No one could see his expression.
“They’re both dead.”
“Huh? I thought they were both alive.”
“Their stomachs burst open and they died when I tried to rescue them. The Giant Spider implanted its young into their bellies.”
Although his words were disjointed, the others understood immediately.
“…Horrifying.”
The dwarf mumbled, his face pale.
“Let’s go. We need to get out of here no matter what. The mother seemed to be away.”
“Alright.”
Just as he finished speaking and picked up the pack he had set aside…
Thud.
A sharp pain pierced his side. His mind went blank.
What?
Confused, he looked down.
“Huh…?”
Two fangs, as thick as a person’s arm, were impaled into his stomach.
“Skar!!!”
Iron Mask shouted and ran towards him.
Mars and Kubo did the same.
But…
It was too late.
His body was lifted into the air.
Whoosh.
He was dragged through the bushes, his stomach impaled.
Thud! Thud! Thud!!!
Branches, leaves, and spiderwebs scraped against his face. His helmet had flown off somewhere.
Thump!!!
Jeong Yoo-shin’s airborne body was slammed onto the ground.
He rolled like a deflated soccer ball and collided with something.
“Ugh.”
The hole in his stomach. Blood gushed from the hole the size of a small child’s arm.
Baby spiders came into view. And the pink-haired woman’s corpse.
It was already half-eaten, its bones exposed.
‘F-Fuck.’
He realized then…
He had landed in the very clearing he had just left.
Whoosh!!!
A gust of wind laden with dirt and grass swept past him.
‘Giant Spider.’
“Krkkk. Kreeek.”
Sharp fangs. Legs like tree trunks. Multiple eyes, each the size of an adult fist.
A massive body, large enough to make his knees buckle.
It wasn’t called the Grim Reaper among newly promoted intermediate-rank explorers for nothing.
“Skar!!!”
His party members rushed into the clearing.
Iron Mask was the fastest.
“Prepare for battle!”
Kubo, the dwarf priest, began chanting.
Mars raised his short bow.
Iron Mask charged at the Giant Spider with his greatsword.
Kubo’s magic activated in sync.
[Holy Fire]
Kubo’s divine magic. Sacred flames enveloped the party members, increasing their health and attack power.
Iron Mask, reaching the Giant Spider, swung his greatsword with all his might, as if unafraid of death.
A courageous attack.
Whoosh!!!
But the Giant Spider simply dodged Iron Mask’s attack by shifting its body slightly.
Clang!!!
The greatsword struck the ground.
Most people would falter after a missed attack.
But…
Iron Mask was different. He simply raised his heavy greatsword again…
Whoosh!!!
And swung it down.
The greatsword sliced through the air. His target was the Giant Spider’s head.
The Giant Spider dodged again.
Clang!!!
Another miss.
The greatsword embedded itself in the ground.
Splat!!!
The Giant Spider turned and shot a web. The lump of web, fired like a projectile, hit Mars, who was in the rear.
Mars, who had been rapidly firing arrows with the Quick Hands imprint, was knocked to the ground by the web.
He tried to get up, but all he could do was struggle against the sticky web.
“Mars!!!”
Kubo ran towards Mars. The Giant Spider’s abdomen aimed at Kubo.
[Intimidation]
An imprint that forcibly draws a monster’s attention.
It was a gift from the labyrinth that Iron Mask had obtained.
It was an ability that couldn’t be used recklessly due to its immense mana consumption, but the situation was desperate.
“Haaaaah!!!”
Iron Mask charged, gripping his greatsword with both hands.
Whoosh!!!
The greatsword, raised high, swung down once more.
With the force of a storm.
Thwack!!!
The greatsword severed one of the spider’s legs.
Green fluid gushed from the severed limb like a fountain, soaking the ground.
Neither the hard exoskeleton nor the thick, log-like leg could withstand Iron Mask’s greatsword.
“Krelerek!!!”
The Giant Spider shrieked and swung its massive foreleg.
Iron Mask tried to dodge, but the spider’s foreleg was faster.
Wham!!!
Iron Mask, struck by the giant foreleg, was sent rolling.
Kubo gripped his staff and stepped forward.
He seemed intent on protecting Mars and Iron Mask.
Jeong Yoo-shin, his vision blurring, could only watch as his party members struggled.
“Cough.”
He coughed, and bright red blood splattered the ground.
He couldn’t move a finger as he was paralyzed by the spider’s venom. His breathing became increasingly labored.
He couldn’t use Venom Protection.
Strangely, his mana wouldn’t budge.
‘Am I going to die here?’
He had prepared and worked so hard, but his party had crumbled in an instant.
Bryn was nowhere to be seen. She must have run away.
“E-Excuse me.”
Someone spoke beside him. He couldn’t turn his head to see her, but he recognized the voice.
That hesitant tone…
It was Bryn.
Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes widened.
She had come all the way here through that fierce battle?
How?
‘…Ninja?’
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T/N – I’m surprised that Bryn stuck around. She even got to the MC despite the battle going on. I guess there’s a reason why she was able to escape when her party got ambushed.
Also, really, it’s as if the MC isn’t a transmigrator or something. It was pretty obvious why their bellies were swollen. What a horrific way to go though.
Lastly, his Venom Protection imprint really sucks considering he has to activate it BEFORE he gets poisoned. If it was at least a passive skill, it would have been decent.
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
Holy shit that was actually disgusting man. is the same gonna happen to Kubo??
Wtf do you mean by that??
What… the fuck…
The incubation period seems too fast though
This might be the one thing that actually warrants the mature tag in this novel.
its not that strange that she is helping . if everyone besides her die she will too just a little later . she knows that she can’t survive on her own so ain’t really gonna praise her for just being rational
shit bad time to get caught up. btw your translations are good. tftc
His venom protection is actually not that bad. I recall the buff last for 6 or 8 hours if i’m not mistaken? Mc should’ve used it the moment he try to gget close to the spider’s nest. You know, you can’t never be too careful in life or death situation. The only downside is, it cost mana instead of free passive ability.