Thump.
The cocoon I was looking at throbbed intensely, as if it were a beating heart.
Thump!
No, it wasn't just the ominous cocoon emitting that pulsating energy.
My heart.
The organ that pumps blood throughout my body pounded violently.
'Dark energy? Why?'
With that pulsation, the dark energy within me resonated.
Something inside the cocoon reacted to my dark energy, and the energy within me slowly began to seep out.
-…Connection? …Still… incomplete…
At that moment, a fragmented, unfamiliar voice pierced my ears.
-Not yet? Ah, you… have waited… long… King… finally…
The voice grew clearer.
There was no need to wonder whose voice it was.
The words were coming from inside the cocoon.
And before I could fully grasp the situation—
Crack.
The eerie, grotesque shell split open.
***
With the advancement of Hunter tactics in the modern era, the role of the Desk became increasingly emphasized.
Briefings, situation control, communication, long-range supply support, and combat assistance through various observation devices—
It was no longer a time when only those wielding weapons on the front lines mattered.
And the one supporting Squad 5 this time was none other than Lee Jung-ho.
-All members have regrouped.
At Choi In-ha's report, Lee Jung-ho gave a nod.
Preparations had been completed faster than planned.
Thanks to the Young Master drawing more attention than expected, and the cadets executing their mission with greater proficiency than anticipated.
"You did well. A magic fluctuation has been detected 50 meters ahead. It appears to be a semi-corporeal entity approaching, so proceed to the northwest."
-Understood.
Lee Jung-ho swallowed dryly as he monitored the screen at the base camp.
Everyone's heart rates and blood pressure were slightly elevated, but considering their nerves, it was still within an acceptable range.
Due to the dungeon's magical interference, the internal mana levels of the team seemed somewhat suppressed, but it wasn't a critical issue.
'Thanks to the Young Master drawing attention, the cadets had enough time to adjust. We avoided the worst-case scenario of fighting without proper acclimation.'
It was a crazy plan.
A crazy plan, but… the more he thought about it, the harder it was to reject.
For some reason, Lee Jung-ho felt that if they followed the Young Master's strategy, they wouldn't just complete the mission—they would succeed beyond expectations.
He glanced at the time.
'The communication cut off ten minutes ago… He should have reached the nest by now.'
The operation would begin once communications were restored.
Until then, all Lee Jung-ho had to do was monitor the situation and provide preemptive warnings about any approaching monsters.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Suddenly, the transmission equipment blared with an alarm.
"What's this?"
The magic distribution graph of the dungeon spiked erratically.
'An error?'
No matter how unstable a dungeon's magic was, it never surged this suddenly and explosively.
As he stared at the wildly fluctuating graph, Lee Jung-ho's expression hardened.
This wasn't a malfunction.
The Heart of the Dungeon.
A nest of Faceweavers.
Lee Jung-ho's eyes trembled as he read the numbers rising next to the crimson dot.
"Rank 5…?"
The continuously climbing magic power finally surpassed the threshold of a Special Rank 6 dungeon.
***
It was not a cocoon.
It was an egg.
The very anomaly of the Faceweaver Forest, the mission assigned to Class 5.
Crack—!
A massive, blade-like leg forced its way out through the fissures of the splitting egg.
Viscous fluids splattered in all directions as an enormous, grotesquely shaped figure emerged.
—Ah, ah…
A human upper body. A spider's lower half.
Where the Faceweaver's head should have been, a human woman's torso stretched outward. Beneath her waist lay a massive, monstrous abdomen, three times the size of a fully grown Faceweaver.
—Kiiiiieeeek!
The adult Faceweavers that had been guarding the egg let out piercing screams.
The unidentified being that stepped forward stood motionless, gazing at the sky.
I swallowed dryly.
I could tell.
That creature was stronger than any Faceweaver present.
But the surprises didn't end there.
—Kiiieek.
Slowly, very slowly, the half-human, half-beast monster lowered its gaze, scanning the Faceweavers around it.
—My children. You are hungry.
It spoke.
A mere Rank 6 dungeon monster, speaking human language.
No… it didn't open its mouth. Then how…?!
Some monsters could speak, but only if they had learned human language or were transmitting their thoughts through willpower.
Yet, regardless of the creature's intentions, I was somehow able to hear its thoughts.
Could it be the Black Aura…?
This had never happened before.
But that was the only explanation I could think of.
—Kiek! Kik!
The adult Faceweavers quickly stepped aside.
Moving with the grace of a queen, the half-human, half-spider monster climbed up the webbing and pressed its mouth against the top of a cocoon suspended in the air.
Then—
Crunch!
The moment its hands touched the cocoon, it collapsed inward with a grotesque squelch.
At the same time, a crimson mist-like energy seeped out of the cocoon and was absorbed into the monster.
Devouring. A high-ranking monster's ability.
Now I understood why so many cocoons were gathered here.
A monster like that would have been documented somewhere. Which means… the dungeon created it.
In other words, this monster was the leader of the Faceweavers, newly born within the dungeon.
A boss monster—The Faceweaver Queen.
The creatures stored in the cocoons weren't merely developing larvae. They were offerings meant for the Queen.
And the gathered adults? They were here to protect their yet-incomplete ruler.
That's not the issue right now.
A major variable had appeared in our plan.
I quickly ran through my options while the monster fed.
I had anticipated some deviations, but this was too great a risk to ignore.
Not only was this monster completely unknown, but the adult Faceweavers, which should have been scattered across the dungeon, were all gathered here.
…A variable. But is it really a problem?
At that moment—
My instincts screamed.
My gut, right in front of me.
Something was coming!
Boom!
I swung my blade instinctively, blocking the impact.
The cocoon surrounding me burst apart.
I hadn't even considered maintaining my stealth technique.
The sheer force of the attack left me no choice but to unleash my magic.
—What are you?
Click. Click.
The Queen moved slowly toward me, climbing down the webs and trees.
—You… You hold something that awakened me. Why does a human have that… that…
I raised my hand to my ear.
—Give it to me!
Boom!
The Queen suddenly unleashed a surge of magic.
The force of the wave, accompanied by a powerful sonic blast, sent me reeling.
And then—
Fear.
Predator's Cry Against the Lowly Prey
A predator's cry, one that subjugates lesser beings.
But Pior cannot consume me.
Woosh—
A black aura spread out, as if engulfing my entire body, swallowing Pior's energy whole.
—You insolent—!
At that moment—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the ground violently.
The queen, who had been perched on a tree, fell straight to the ground, and countless mature creatures let out eerie screams, their bodies trembling.
Fwoosh!
Flames erupted from the far end of the dark forest.
The queen, the Inmyeonju, shivered.
—My forest…?
The fire spread rapidly, as if fueled by oil, consuming the forest at an incredible speed.
—What have you done?!
It had begun.
Right before facing the queen, I had touched my ear—where a radio communicator was attached.
Receiving the signal again was the cue to begin the operation.
—"It's started! Commencing now!"
—"Team 1! Moving out! Hold on as long as you can!"
I channeled my magic, strengthening my entire body, and glared at the queen.
"This is called a Magic Incendiary Bomb. Conveniently, your wretched nest is full of fuel."
A Magic Incendiary Bomb.
A weapon crafted by humans using mana stones.
Unlike conventional explosives that rely on gunpowder, this one used surrounding mana as its fuel source.
The Inmyeonju's forest was woven with fine strands of webbing imbued with mana. Plenty of kindling.
—"This is Base Camp! Young Master, we've just detected a mana surge at Level 5 within your nest. It seems like…!"
"Forget me! Focus on supporting the cadets first!"
A murderous intent oozed from the Inmyeonju queen's eyes.
—"Children! Hurry! Defend my forest!"
With the queen's command, dozens of adult creatures within the nest swarmed into the forest.
The queen bared her massive fangs at me.
—"You… I will devour you myself."
I swallowed dryly and poured more mana into Mujin.
***
Choi In-ha immediately shouted upon hearing the transmission.
"Operation start! Team 1, head straight for the nest!"
"Wait! Didn't something unexpected happen in the nest?! Are we really pushing forward?!"
Despite Kim Bo-seong's outcry, Choi In-ha unsheathed his sword without hesitation.
"It's the Young Master's order! We proceed as planned!"
The plan of Squad 5 was as follows:
Step 1: After Lee Cheol's capture, the primary objective was to film the footage.
Step 2: While Lee Cheol rampaged through the forest, drawing attention, the cadets would plant incendiary bombs throughout the area.
Final Step: When Lee Cheol re-established communication, it would signal the detonation. As the adult creatures scattered to put out the fire, a portion of Squad 5 would infiltrate, extract Lee Cheol, and escape.
On paper, it seemed like a simple, flawless plan. But in reality, it was insanity.
Firearms were rarely used in dungeons for a simple reason:
Unenchanted gunpowder-based weapons were ineffective against anything beyond low-tier monsters, while mana-based firearms were unpredictable, potentially destabilizing the dungeon itself.
Moreover, for a warrior from Sungmuiga, a family that worshipped strength, resorting to firearms was anything but honorable.
But Lee Cheol didn't care.
—"Our only concern is mission success. Besides, there was no order prohibiting the use of firearms… or setting the dungeon on fire."
With a sly grin, Lee Cheol added:
—"And let's be real… spiders and insects? They hate fire."
BOOM!
Team 1, led by Kim Han, set out to rendezvous with Lee Cheol.
Meanwhile, Choi In-ha and Kim Bo-seong's squad focused on securing an escape route.
Choi In-ha glanced at Kim Bo-seong.
"How many incendiary bombs are left?"
"We distributed three per person. You?"
"About the same."
—KIIIIIEEEEEEKK!!
The Forest Stirs.
Amidst the overwhelming flames consuming the forest, the stench of burning corpses and the screams of monsters echoed throughout.
"That's enough. Don't hold back—blow them up while we secure the retreat."
Kwaaaang!
The sound of another incendiary round exploding rang out.
***
The fully grown creatures scattered in all directions.
Now, only the queen-faced spider remained.
Arrogant human child. Even if none of my offspring remain, do you truly believe you can handle me alone? Or do you place your trust in your comrades rushing toward the nest?
"..."
How foolish. My offspring have scattered everywhere—do you really think they'll arrive in time? You cannot stop me…
I know that.
Even though I've awakened my aura, the being standing before me is classified as a Rank 5—a high-tier monster.
Rank 5, boss monster, mutant.
Any one of these traits would pose a problem, yet this creature possesses all three.
However, no matter how dangerous it may be, in the end, it's still just a newborn spider.
"You're the one underestimating me."
I closed my eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them again.
Wooong—
A gentle glow, reminiscent of a sunset, shimmered in my eyes.
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