Chapter 47. Collaborator and the One Who Burns (7)

Rena set up wire traps, laying down poisoned snares throughout. The traps would catch ankles, while some would even spit venom. She double-checked their positions with a satisfied expression.

"If things don't go well inside..." she said, trailing off.

I knew what she meant. We'd fall back to this spot. If things really went south, even retreating here might be impossible.

"Let's go."

We stepped into the deep, dark cavern. As we descended the spiral staircase, I noticed the wooden railing, a strangely thoughtful addition. Step by step, Rena followed silently behind me.

The cave had an ominous atmosphere. The surrounding dead trees seemed to warn that entering recklessly would mean death. But despite everything, this was merely a D-rank dungeon. The dungeon where I once lived with Lady Succubus was, I heard, classified as A-. I'd faced champions who breezed through a challenge of that level.

The cave brightened slightly inside as glowing orbs embedded along the walls provided light. Eight orbs dotted the walls, reminiscent of a spider's many eyes.

We stopped in front of a small iron door, and a translucent message appeared before me.

Ding!

[Vault of the Fallen Spider]

[Dungeon Rank: D]

[This dungeon is beyond your level to clear.]

[Recommended Level: 31-40]

[Suggested Party Size: 4-6]

This was the second one I'd seen since The Ossuary of Wraiths, which had an F-rank with a recommended level cap of 15.

I checked my status.

[Name: None

Skeleton Soldier Lv. 1 (70)

Health: 34

Strength: 40

Agility: 39

Wisdom: 13]

...

[Skills:

— Swordsmanship Lv. 5]

My level remained at 1. Ever since that blue-armored knight killed me, I didn't hunt any humans along the way. The dungeon's warnings were based on my current level. According to that standard, attempting this was madness.

"This is a higher-ranked dungeon, but the entrance is narrow. We'll have to work through a long, narrow corridor," Rena said.

"You memorized the map?"

"Of course. The narrow passages favor smaller numbers. We can unleash fire as we go, and they won't stand a chance to resist."

I nodded.

Rena looked at me and added, "This time, I'll join in a bit. After all, we have fire."

I watched her closely. Her potential was remarkable. If she leveled up, it wouldn't take long for her to surpass me. I was wary of her when we first met, but now I could trust her. She wouldn't simply be handling gear or gold from human loot. As she grew, she'd become a formidable ally.

I should help her grow.

If necessary, I'd let her gather experience points, if circumstances allowed, of course.

Clank.

I attached the fire sprayer to my belt and drew my sword.

The blade slid out with a cold, sharp sound. With one hand on the hilt, I pushed open the door with the other.

Rumble!

The iron door groaned as it swung open, revealing a narrow path sloping downward. Though tight, a human could pass through it. The wizard who designed this dungeon had intended for it to be for humans.

We descended the winding corridor for a long time. Only the glowing orbs embedded in the ceiling illuminated the path. We turned right for a while, then left again.

"This doesn't seem to be a living area," I commented.

"No, we need to descend further. There's nothing in these corridors."

"They mentioned feeding condemned prisoners to the spiders, right?"

"Right, but if they were left here, they'd just starve to death."

I nodded lightly. "True."

Rena seemed to ponder something, then murmured quietly, "Getting eaten alive by a spider or starving to death..."

"Not exactly a pleasant choice," I replied.

"Wouldn't it be better to get eaten? I heard that spider stingers contain an aphrodisiac."

I refocused on our path down. After a long descent, the floor began to feel sandy underfoot. Eventually, we reached a small open area.

"There!" Rena exclaimed, pointing to three charred spider remains nearby.

Each spider was at least a meter long.

"Are you not afraid of spiders?"

She shook her head. "Why would I be? I don't plan to keep one as a pet, but... are you scared of spiders?"

"It's just a general thing. Humans tend to fear them."

"I suppose they'd hate the ones lurking in drains or hiding in clothes and bedsheets," Rena remarked with a chuckle. Then she added, "Anything hidden in those places would be disgusting, but you're welcome under my sheets anytime."

She wandered around the area, checking for any other signs.

Following her gaze, I noticed holes scattered across the floor, barely wide enough for spiders to crawl through.

"That path's not an option."

"No, it's for spiders only," Rena confirmed.

Our only path was deeper into the cave.

"This way," she said.

We continued downward. Eventually, we saw spider corpses and a few humans half-stuck in spider holes with their torsos lodged inside. Blood was spattered around the holes, suggesting that the spiders had feasted on them.

Rena frowned slightly. "The guards went deeper in. Looks like they're planning to tackle the boss."

"That's... not great?"

"Further down, the space opens up. That doesn't play to our advantage. We're better off in narrow corridors."

Skitter! Skitter!

Just then, two spiders covered in blood crawled out from one of the holes where a human torso had been.

"Step back."

I pushed Rena behind me and charged forward.

Skitter! Skitter!

The medium-sized spiders made strange, clicking sounds as they lunged at me. Each of their eight legs was the length of a longsword and as thick as a human woman's waist.

Thud!

I drove my sword into the closest spider's body. I had the advantage in both strength and speed. These spiders were merely cannon fodder compared to the dungeon's stronger inhabitants. Skewered on my sword, the spider flailed helplessly as I shoved it back into the hole.

Shriek!

The other spider quickly met the same fate. I skewered it and pushed it back into the hole as I blocked the entrance with my shield. Then I wiped the green blood off my sword and watched it drip onto the cave floor.

Skitter!

Even as the spiders dragged the human corpses further inside, I had no intention of giving them time to feed. I grabbed the sprayer containing the one-twentieth dilution of Grassmere's Fire, aimed the nozzle at the hole, and cranked the manual pump hard.

Whoosh! Roar!

Screech! Skitter!

Flames spread through the narrow opening.

They're clearly weak to fire.

The shrieks of burning spiders echoed from within, even though they hadn't done anything wrong. Driven by their instincts, they simply attacked whatever entered their home. It was a natural, if not brutal cycle.

I felt no need to justify my invasion. I crushed their defense with merciless flames. To humans, I was a menace. To these spiders, I was equally a blight. However, it didn't matter if it meant gaining the power to protect someone someday. I'd do anything.

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

Silence settled from the hole. The two spiders I'd shoved inside were dead, but it hadn't taken more than a few seconds. Under normal circumstances, I would've had to hack off their legs and pierce them multiple times with my sword, a messy and time-consuming job. With the right weapon, I'd saved myself the trouble.

However, overconfidence was dangerous. The spiders outside were mere weaklings compared to the boss lurking within.

Four level-ups.

I allocated two points each to Strength and Agility.

[Health: 34

Strength: 42

Agility: 41

Wisdom: 13]

With both Strength and Agility above forty, I felt the increase in power and speed immediately.

"There should be a door soon," Rena said beside me.

"A door?"

"Yes. The narrow corridor should end soon. Are you going further?"

"I am."

Perhaps I'd led her too far in. I wasn't sure if I could protect her, but we moved forward anyway. After a few more minutes of walking, we reached a small iron door, just as she'd said.

Creak...

"Wow..." Rena breathed out as we opened the door, revealing a canyon-like space beyond.

"It looks like an ancient coliseum. Wizards have strange tastes."

Spiderwebs covered the canyon, and black spiders with bright red eyes crawled along them. Here and there, bundled-up humans hung within the webs.

Rena noticed the hanging humans the same time I did.

"They left them here, still alive."

"Doesn't look very comfortable."

A woman's pale leg twitched as it hung from the web. I looked closer, wondering if she was still alive, but her head, or where it should have been, was bright red. A spider had bitten it off. The twitching leg was simply dangling.

I averted my gaze and scanned the canyon floor. Charred spider remains and shattered oil flasks lay scattered across the blackened ground, their surfaces crusted with fire and tar residue. The signs of recent battles could be seen everywhere.

"They went down further."

"Yes. Most of the condemned seem to have been dumped here," Rena observed.

"Mind lending me the fire?" I asked.

Rena handed over the sprayer containing diluted Grassmere's Fire. I aimed it toward a massive web on the other side of the canyon, then cranked the pump.

Whoosh!

Flames shot forward, engulfing the thick web. Both the spiders crawling along it and the tightly wrapped humans within were consumed by the blaze.

Screech! Screech!

Spiders leaped down from the webs, scrambling toward us across the canyon. Though there were only a few left, likely survivors of the guards' earlier assault, they still appeared menacing.

One, two... five of them.

Roar! Whoosh!

With a calm, detached look, Rena aimed her stream of fire at the spiders, catching three of them mid-jump. Their bodies ignited and thrashed as they burned, while explosions sparked around the canyon, reigniting spots drenched in leftover oil from earlier battles.

As a spider crawled up the canyon wall toward us, I thrust my sword deep into its head, and it spasmed before going still. I swung the creature's body off the cliff and watched it fall.

[Level up!]

Once again, I leveled up. More importantly, I glanced at Rena. Above her head, I saw similar notifications pop up.

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

She really leveled up that fast?

[Name: Rena

Class: Thief Lv. 10 (New!)

Health: 13

Strength: 11

Agility: 17

Wisdom: 11]

[Remaining Points: 20 (New!)]

[Affection: 35

— Rena is drawn to you.

— She trusts you deeply and wants to help you however she can.]

[This character has not formed a bond with you.]

[Distributing points automatically.]

[Health: 19

Strength: 17

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Agility: 20

Wisdom: 16]

[Initiating Anápxia resonance with Character Doll.]

[Assimilation Rate has decreased.]

[92.49% → 90.14%]

For a moment, the world seemed to shake slightly.