Chapter 47: Spider Hunt

As soon as I opened the door and stepped inside, an unpleasant sensation washed over me, as if I was passing through something.

And the scenery that unfolded was a little different from what I expected.

A long, narrow corridor stretched out before me.

A gloomy atmosphere pervaded the area, shrouded in deep darkness.

The moment I stepped inside, I activated Stealth. Since my goal was to retrieve Lisa, it was best to avoid any confrontation with Chimeras.

So I proceeded cautiously, concealed from view.

The structure was simple.

I just walked straight ahead, following the long path.

As I walked, focusing solely on the path ahead.

Rustle

“…!”

I turned my head at the creepy sound that grated on my nerves and was startled.

A hideous-looking spider was crawling right next to me.

You might ask why I was so surprised by a mere spider.

The problem was its size – at least much larger than my palm.

Its large size.

That meant its appearance was more visible than usual.

I almost unleashed my electricity at the sight of the repulsive creature, but I managed to restrain myself with superhuman patience.

I didn’t want to provoke any Chimeras that might be lurking around.

Leaving the spider, oblivious to my presence, to crawl away, I quickened my pace.

But soon, I had to stop again.

“What is this now?”

Spread before me was a spiderweb, like white threads.

Countless spiderwebs, connecting wall to wall, blocked my path.

I checked it closely, but it was too densely woven for me to pass through.

Even if I cut through it with my sword, the sheer amount of webbing visible beyond made the attempt seem daunting.

Faced with the inevitable detour, I looked around for another path. Then something caught my eye.

I found a small hole in one of the collapsed walls, leading somewhere.

…This should be big enough to pass through.

After assessing it, I decided it was passable.

The hole was larger than I expected, big enough for me, an adult male, to fit through.

After peering inside for a moment, I lowered my head and crawled in.

Musty air.

And pitch-black darkness. I briefly considered turning back.

But then I felt a bright light coming from ahead and continued forward.

Emerging from the hole, I found myself in a new space.

It was like a maze, with walls intricately intertwined.

High, thick walls.

And thick spiderwebs still strung everywhere.

Fortunately, it wasn’t as impassable as before.

Avoiding the scattered webs, I stepped into the maze.

The winding maze.

As I navigated the uncertain path, unsure of the correct way.

Rustle

I spotted another spider crawling in front of me.

I should have ignored it.

But.

This time, I couldn’t hold back.

Overwhelmed by disgust at the sight of the spider, I instinctively stomped on the spider crawling in front of me.

Squish

The spider was completely crushed with a sickening sound.

And at that moment.

Screech!!

“!!!”

A chilling sound came from somewhere.

Then, the sound of something heavy moving followed.

Thump Thump Thump

Something was approaching.

I felt the tension rising as the sound grew closer.

Should I run now?

…No, it was too late.

The sound, which initially seemed distant, was now very close.

Judging it too late to escape, I recast the Stealth spell that had been broken when I stepped on the spider, and hid myself in a corner, pressed against the wall.

Just as I successfully concealed myself.

Thump!

A massive shadow fell over me, accompanied by a vibration from directly above.

Creak

The shadow slowly descended to the floor with a creepy movement.

Then I could see its appearance clearly.

A spider easily over three meters in size.

It had multiple legs and what looked like moth wings on its back.

And most notably, where its head should be, there was something resembling a woman’s face.

Arachne.

It resembled a monster from mythology.

A human face on a spider’s body.

And moth-like wings.

It was a truly hideous sight. But seeing it, I paradoxically nodded.

Yes, that was a Chimera.

Beta and Iota, the Chimeras I’d met so far.

Their appearances were far from what I imagined a Chimera to be.

Iota looked like a bear with no other visible peculiarities.

Beta even had a mystical aura about her.

Their appearances didn’t look like Chimeras at all.

This, however, was more fitting of the name Chimera.

The Chimera stared down at the crushed remains of the baby spider.

The number inscribed on the Chimera’s back.

AE-11

It meant the Chimera before me was the eleventh one created.

Eleventh.

Considering Iota, who was difficult to deal with, was the ninth.

I couldn’t imagine how powerful this eleventh Chimera would be.

I held my breath, crouched down, and waited for this moment to pass.

The Chimera seemed oblivious to my presence.

But as it looked around with its massive body, it almost touched me with its leg.

As I slowly backed away, keeping my eyes fixed on it.

I accidentally touched the spiderweb behind me.

Screech!!

“…Oh dear.”

The moment I touched the web, my Stealth was broken.

The Chimera screeched ferociously at the sight of me suddenly appearing.

With no time to hesitate, I immediately threw myself to the side.

Whoosh

A web shot towards where I had been standing.

Narrowly dodging it, I quickly rushed towards the Chimera and swung my sword.

But.

Clang!

“….”

As soon as my sword struck the Chimera’s leg, the sound of metal clashing rang out, and a sharp pain shot through my hand holding the sword.

Why did all these Chimeras have such high durability?

My sword wouldn’t pierce it.

Screech!!

The Chimera raised its leg high.

Seeing that, I immediately turned and ran in the opposite direction.

Thump Thump Thump.

I navigated the maze, dodging the chilling sounds chasing me.

As soon as I turned a corner, I gathered my mana.

And immediately turned around and swung my sword.

“Lightning Strike!”

Crackle!!

Boom!!

Sparks flew everywhere.

A violent electrical storm raged towards the Chimera, just turning the corner.

But.

Screech

The Chimera flapped its wings and quickly climbed onto a nearby web, dodging my attack.

My attack hit only empty air.

Fast.

It was faster than any enemy I’d faced so far.

The Chimera, which had been using the webs to escape, suddenly began to approach me.

Following its movements with my eyes, I prepared for another attack.

Crackle

Electricity gathered at the tip of my sword once again.

“Lightning Strike!”

I swung my sword at the approaching Chimera.

A direct attack from the front.

I thought it wouldn’t be able to dodge this time.

Until it reappeared after the storm subsided.

Screech

The Chimera was completely enveloped in spiderwebs, glaring at me as if mocking me.

It seemed to have used the webs to shield itself from the attack in that short time.

Electricity didn’t conduct through spiderwebs.

But.

It doesn’t conduct electricity?

Then.

“I’ll just burn the whole thing.”

I gathered all my remaining mana and concentrated it into a single point.

“…Flame Lightning.”

Boom!

A small sphere flew with a long trajectory.

The moment it touched the Chimera’s body, it created a tremendous shockwave.

Crackle!!

And.

Whoosh

The spiderwebs instantly caught fire.

At first, it was a small flame.

But it quickly grew into a huge blaze.

Screech!!

The Chimera began to burn brightly, like a miniature sun.

Trapped in its web prison, it was slowly dying.

The shield that had protected it had become the cause of its demise.

The Chimera, burning for a long time, was completely reduced to ashes without a single resistance against the raging flames.

Only after confirming its demise did I turn around.

My remaining mana was now critically low.

Thanks to the mana stored in the bracelet, I avoided collapsing.

But it would be dangerous if another battle broke out.

I carefully made my way out of the maze and found a stairway leading down.

Carefully descending the stairs, I reached the depths.

There, I found a tightly closed metal door.

Unlike before, this door wasn’t magically sealed.

I forcefully kicked the old, rusty door.

Unable to withstand the years, the door easily broke, and I easily entered.

As soon as I stepped inside, I was greeted by.

A giant glass tube in the center.

And inside it.

“…Lisa.”

Lisa was asleep with her eyes closed.