Spider Demon
Swish!
"Kiiiiiihhh!"
The demon and I were running at nearly the same speed.
Perhaps realizing it couldn't quite catch me, it suddenly halted its pursuit and turned back.
It must have been heading for Bae Jonggwan.
"Damn it!"
The back of my neck prickled.
A beast shouldn't be this quick to judge the situation!
I had no choice but to turn back as well.
If I truly fled, Bae Jonggwan would die.
Right now, he was swatting ghouls aside, tossing and trampling them with his whole body.
At a glance, it was like watching a giant bear pummeling a pack of wolves.
The ghouls' claws and teeth couldn't pierce his iron-like body, and their strength was no match for his.
But how long could that last?
He couldn't actually kill them, and the longer it dragged on, the more exhausted he'd become.
I couldn't let the Spider Demon head for him.
I hurled myself toward the demon and shouted:
"Over here, you spider bastard!"
The monster seemed to have been waiting for that—it leapt straight at me.
So that had been its aim all along.
Slash!
"Ugh?!"
Its razor claws stabbed toward my chest.
I had no time to dodge.
Thrust!
Its claws pierced through my chest—
—or at least, that's how it appeared.
But what it pierced was only my afterimage.
At the last instant, I instinctively diverted its strike, sweat pouring as I pushed my speed higher and fled again.
That was thanks to the Heavenly Wind Steps of the Flying Sect.
Unconsciously manifested, the perfected Heavenly Wind Steps had saved my life.
Not that I was completely safe yet.
"Kiiiiiihhh!"
The Spider Demon's twisted face contorted further as it resumed its furious chase.
Even in that dire moment, I gave silent thanks to Bisa yeong.
Sa yeong! You saved me! If you bring back the captain before I die, I'll call you brother for life!
I screamed inwardly as the chase began anew.
A bizarre pursuit, circling around Bae Jonggwan as he brawled with the ghouls.
"Kiiiiiihhh!"
Time passed.
Bae Jonggwan was still playing the part of a beast among the ghouls, while I kept running circles nearby.
The Spider Demon had nearly caught me several times, its claws grazing my clothes—but never landing a fatal blow. Its face now looked completely deranged with rage.
"Kyaaaaaahhh!"
At this point, I could almost interpret its roar.
If I catch you, I'll kill you. Something like that.
So far, the situation wasn't hopeless.
I hadn't killed the demon or the ghouls, but at least I was maintaining the stalemate.
But inside, I was far from fine.
The crushing pressure told me clearly—something had to change soon.
I could see Bae Jonggwan's movements slowing.
He was tiring.
And honestly, so was I.
I had always thought I could sustain movement techniques longer than most. But running for my life at full effort burned through stamina differently.
At this rate, even if Bisa yeong reached the Thirteenth Squad and returned immediately with the captain, I doubted we could hold out until then.
We needed another plan.
What do I do? What advantage do I have over it?
Comparing myself to the demon, all I could think of were its overwhelming strengths.
Physical power surpassing peak masters.
Skin so tough even a sword aura barely penetrated.
Sure, its eyes or mouth could be cut—but there was no way it would expose such openings.
Truthfully, I'd be dead before I could even swing.
The only edges I had were my wits, and the fact that it hadn't yet fully adapted to phantom swordsmanship.
But I doubted I could use the phantom sword more than twice. One more time, and it would adapt.
I cursed inwardly.
Damn it! I'd rather face a Blood Ghoul at night than meet a Spider Demon in the daytime!
Then suddenly, a thought flashed.
Wait. Blood Ghouls at night… Spider Demon at day?
I quickly recalled the terrain around us.
Yes—there might be a way.
Risky, but… still a chance.
Even amidst the chaos, I grinned and glanced at the beast chasing me with that savage face.
Alright. First things first…
I shifted direction.
Thud!
Ahead, one of the ghouls Bae Jonggwan had hurled was rolling on the ground.
I charged straight at it.
The ghoul instinctively swung at me.
Whoosh!
I dropped low and slipped past, gliding by its side like air itself.
Heavenly Wind Steps—thank the heavens.
And just as I hoped, the Spider Demon was about to collide with the ghoul.
Perfect!
I clenched my fist in triumph—only to realize it was pointless.
Rip!
The demon tore straight through the ghoul's body as if shredding paper, and lunged after me without losing stride.
I frantically pushed my speed again.
"Uwaaaahhh!"
Swish!
Its claws brushed my hair, almost scalping me.
Chills raced down my spine.
Damn it!
So one ghoul wasn't enough to slow it down.
Grinding my teeth, I looked for my next chance.
This time, I dove into a cluster of three ghouls.
All three swung at once, clawing the air around me.
"Graaaaargh!"
My focus sharpened to a razor's edge.
The arcs of their claws seemed to move in slow motion.
Alright, let's do this.
I tilted left, diverting the downward slash.
Whoosh!
Then ducked low under the horizontal strike.
Swish!
And surged upward like a dolphin breaching the surface.
Swish!
My foot barely grazed past the last ghoul's claw.
Slice!
I did it!
I cheered inwardly.
I had slipped through the attacks of three ghouls by the width of a sheet of paper.
Even in my past life, as a high first-rate, I had never attempted something like this.
At least in movement skills, I had undeniably grown stronger.
And just as I hoped, the Spider Demon couldn't pass through the trio so easily.
Rip!
"Kieeeehhh!"
"Kkeeghhh!"
Crash!
It shredded two instantly—but collided with the third, slowing down.
This was my chance.
Using the brief gap, I slashed my hand to draw blood and flung it into its face.
Splat!
"Graaaaaghhh!"
Its face drenched in my blood, the monster now chased me like a rabid beast.
I grinned as I dashed forward.
Good. Keep following me.
I sprinted deeper into the forest.
Now frenzied, the Spider Demon no longer even considered returning to Bae Jonggwan.
"Kiiiiiihhh!"
The monster's shriek felt so close it seemed to scrape the back of my skull.
Just a little more… just a little more!
Soon, a rocky mountain came into view.
That was my target.
With the Spider Demon at my heels, I dashed up its slope and leapt into a cave halfway up the cliff.
"Entry!"
I shouted loudly as I plunged deeper inside.
I already knew this cave was fairly deep.
"Kiiiiiihhh!"
The monster followed me in, its cry echoing madly through the cave.
The reverberations masked my own sounds, which was exactly what I wanted.
The deeper I went, the less light remained, until not a single ray was left.
Complete darkness.
Taking a deep breath, I slit my palm again and splattered blood across the cave walls as I advanced.
Spider Demons, unlike Blood Ghouls, were day-hunters.
Which meant their dominant sense was sight, not hearing.
But here, in total darkness, that left only its sense of smell.
Just like now.
Boom! Crash!
The sound of the Spider Demon smashing into the cave walls thundered around me. It must have charged at the blood-scented wall.
I grinned.
It worked. Its senses were confused.
It couldn't see me anymore.
Of course, I couldn't see it either.
I stopped moving and stood still, eyes closed.
I tried to calm myself.
In my past life, I had once tried to imitate Captain Seolpung, who often trained with his eyes shut, perceiving the world as if it were the palm of his hand.
I had failed then. My senses had sharpened, yes, but nowhere near his level.
In this life, I hadn't even begun that training. There had been too many other things to focus on.
Still, I extended my bleeding palm slowly forward.
I tried to feel the monster's movements.
To bet my life on something I had never succeeded at before—reckless, yes.
If I failed again, I'd die.
But what else can I do?
The thought almost made me laugh.
Boom! Boom!
The crashing grew closer. My throat went dry.
Seonu Jin. You must be still. Do not rush.
If I rushed, I would fail for certain.
I exhaled slowly, washing away impatience and stray thoughts with each breath.
Just as Captain Seolpung had once told me, I thought only of blending with my surroundings.
Silent. Calm.
Like air. Like stone.
Then it came.
Something was moving toward my outstretched palm.
It was the monster, probing with its claw.
I flinched—then yanked back my hand and thrust my sword forward with all my strength.
Thrust!
I felt the blade sink deeply into something.
The next moment, a horrible scream split the air.
"Kyaaaaaaahhhhhh!"
The Spider Demon's shriek.
It worked!
Elation flooded my mind.
I had struck the one place I could: its eye.
I had done it.
Normally, stabbing such a weak point against an opponent with reflexes rivaling a peak master was impossible for me.
At least, not in daylight.
But in darkness, dragging it into blindness, I had succeeded.
The joy was almost overwhelming.
But instead of cheering, I released the blade and retreated quickly. The demon was thrashing violently.
"Kyaaaaaaaaahhh!"
Carefully skirting its frenzy, I bolted back toward the cave entrance.
I could feel it rolling on the floor in agony rather than chasing me.
What had seemed like a long, endless cave on the way in now passed in moments.
And then—the sunlight at the entrance.
Never had the sun felt so glorious.
Bursting out into the open, I sprinted straight toward Bae Jonggwan.
He was nearly spent, panting hard, but when he saw me, he smiled brightly.
A pure, radiant smile like sunlight.
I shouted at the top of my lungs:
"Jonggwan! It's time to go back!"
Then I charged into the ghouls swarming him, smashing into them shoulder-first.
"Haaaaap! Iron Meteor Strike!"
Bam! Bam! Bam!
This time, I wasn't leaving him behind.
This time, we were going back together.
Tears nearly welled in my eyes.
Thank heavens…
Bae Jonggwan and I abandoned the ghouls and sprinted toward the Thirteenth Squad.
There was no way those wretches could keep up with us.
On the way, we met Bisa yeong and Captain Seolpung, who were running desperately to reach us.
Bisa yeong's face was a wreck of tears and strain. Seeing us safe, he froze for a moment in disbelief—then scowled fiercely and cursed.
"You bastards! You sons of—of…!"
Then, bowing his head, he choked out through sobs:
"…Thank you. Thank you, you sons of bitches."
Bae Jonggwan and I smiled warmly and pulled him into a hug.
Having lived through countless sacrifices in my past life, I understood all too well what he was feeling.
After he calmed a little, we returned to where the ghouls had been.
This time, we could watch Captain Seolpung's slaughter with peace of mind.
Each time his fists struck, a ghoul's head exploded like a melon. It was almost pitiful.
As for the Spider Demon I had left in the cave—it was still writhing on the ground when Captain went in.
When he returned, the only thing in his hand was my sword, which had been lodged in the demon's eye.
I decided to keep my fight with the Spider Demon a secret.
No one would believe that a mere second-rate like me had battled such a monster, and I disliked drawing excessive attention when I still lacked skill.
So in the end, I gained neither merit nor fame from this.
But that was fine.
Because the next day, I could still train in martial arts with my friends Bae Jonggwan and Bisa yeong.
And that ordinary daily life felt more precious than anything.