Chapter 74: Self-Defense

The first thing that caught Choi Jinho’s eye was a giant spider, as large as a house.

It was clearly a Calamity-Class monster, easily over ten meters tall at the shoulder.

He then noticed the swarm of smaller spiders surrounding it, numbering at least fifty.

A chill ran down Choi Jinho’s spine. If these creatures poured out of the dungeon, they would undoubtedly devastate the entire Macheon area.

Fortunately, it seemed the giant spider was dead.

Stretched out and motionless, it appeared to have already been taken down.

But the swarm of spiders encircling it were very much alive.

They were flattened against the ground, their legs splayed wide in a peculiar posture.

And the object of their strange, bowed posture wasn’t the giant spider at all.

It was a single human standing amidst them.

At the head of the giant spider’s corpse, this man reigned confidently like a king.

“Lee Taejun?”

What’s he doing here?

No, wait.

”…What’s he up to over there?”

Taejun stood holding a white spider by one of its legs. Beside him was a pile of silk threads, as if they had been extracted directly from the spiders themselves. Suddenly, he began shaking the white spider threateningly.

Squeak!

One of the Void Spiders, which had been flattened against the ground, abruptly sprang up, spat a jet of violet silk near Taejun’s feet, and retreated. The other spiders followed suit, vomiting silk threads and scurrying backward. This bizarre spectacle continued each time Taejun shook the white spider threateningly.

”…No way.”

Choi Jinho watched in disbelief. He couldn’t possibly believe it, yet a rational suspicion began to form in his mind, even though he knew it was absurd.

Could he possibly be…

…extorting items from the monsters?

“Is that all?”

Squeak…

A whimper, like the cry of a baby mouse, escaped from below.

I glanced down at the “hostage” I had been holding until then.

Squeak…

The swarm queen, her legs bound like a roast pig, gazed up at me. Her eight pitiful eyes trembled.

“Too bad. I wanted to tear off more.”

I turned away.

A mountain of Void Spider silk threads piled up to my waist.

Before me, the Void Spiders lay prostrate, motionless.

I never expected a monster to try negotiating like this, Manager Mi said, her voice carrying over the scene.

“Me neither,” I replied.

Just as the swarm queen was about to meet her end on the Dragon Spirit Iron Wire, she frantically spat something from her mouth and pushed it forward with her foreleg.

A shimmering bundle of silken threads, tinged with a subtle violet hue.

At first, I thought the swarm queen was spitting out venom in a desperate attempt to survive.

But the Status Window revealed the true nature of the threads:

Void Silk (Top-Grade) - Average Market Price: 10 Coins per gram

Silk spun by Void Spiders to construct their webs. Traded as a top-tier delicacy across multiple dimensions, threads personally spun by the swarm queen command an astronomical price.

I was astonished, first, that a fist-sized bundle of silk could be worth millions per gram.

Then, I was equally stunned to learn that a spider’s secretions were considered a delicacy.

It’s a shame Taegoon-nim still can’t list items on Parsley Market… Manager Mi said.

I agreed.

But someday, the sales restrictions on Parsley Market would surely be lifted.

There was no downside to stockpiling such a valuable item.

So…

“Really? That’s all you’ve got?”

Having confirmed I could extort items from the queen by holding her life hostage…

“Don’t you have any of your minions who can make more of these?”

I had already been extracting silk threads not only from the swarm queen but also from the Void Spiders under her command.

Squeak…

I threatened the queen one last time, but she only let out a pitiful whimper.

It seemed this was truly all she had.

If that was the case, there was no choice.

“Fine, I’ll spare your life,” I said with feigned magnanimity.

Activating Parsley Market…

I opened the temporary sale post and tossed the swarm queen through the cogwheel-shaped Dimensional Gate.

“Even if you could traverse dimensions at will, there’s no escaping from here.”

When you post an item for sale on Parsley Market, the item is stored in the Market’s dedicated storage facility, which is connected to all dimensions. In simpler terms, it’s like a central hub.

But as someone designated as “unauthorized to sell,” I face the exact opposite.

When I post an item for sale, it’s treated as a temporary sale post visible only to me. The item itself is stored in a sealed chamber, completely isolated from all dimensional connections.

For the swarm queen, it’s the perfect dimensional prison.

“Well, it’s not exactly illegal.”

[ Are you the only one who would exploit the system in such a crude way, Taegoon-nim? ] Manager Mi objected.

I cleanly ignored her and turned away.

The Void Spiders remained prostrate, still obedient.

“Your queen has been spared as promised. Now return to your dimension.”

At my command, the spiders slowly rose to their feet. One by one, they conjured violet Dimensional Gates and vanished into them.

With their queen held hostage, they wouldn’t dare invade another dimension on their own.

After carefully listing even the last strand of spider silk in my temporary sale post, I began to climb the hill.

My goal was to find the Gym Bro Magician, who had now completely transformed into my benefactor.

“I apologize, Ellikroid-nim. Did you have to wait long…?”

But the Archmage, who had been sitting there just moments ago, was gone.

Instead, beneath the towering ancient tree, lay a single parchment covered in hastily scrawled script.

You hunted the Swarm Lord magnificently. Seeing both my magic scroll and your first restored item put to good use fills me with immense satisfaction.

If I could, I would love to share a cup of tea and continue our conversation.

However, it seems you have many visitors awaiting you, so I must take my leave.

I eagerly anticipate our next reunion somewhere.

Translator’s Note: The following is a paraphrased translation.

“Ugh, I wanted to thank him properly.”

I bit my lip.

I had received so much from him today.

Well, I guess we can catch up later on Parsley Market chat.

For now…

“A guest?”

I furrowed my brow, puzzling over the word.

”…Lee Taejun.”

A voice drifted from behind.

“Choi Jinho.”

I called out the name of the man who had once been my best friend for seven years.

But this time, I didn’t ask what he was doing here.

His figure was covered in dirt, clutching a spear.

”…”

The Bicheon Guild members behind him glared warily.

A glance at the dungeon’s transformed environment revealed the situation:

A dungeon break is in progress.

I hadn’t noticed it earlier because of the dust kicked up by the Swarm Lord’s massive form.

Now, the dungeon was a bizarre mix of a peaceful Kobold village and the deep mountain valleys of the Heaven Guild.

The story was that the dungeon’s dimension had almost completely overlaid the present world. Hunters who had come to stop the rampage had been caught in the aftermath.

But of all the guilds, why did we have to run into these guys?

This was already the third time, after the Yanghwa Bridge Gate incident and the B-rank assessment.

Then, out of nowhere, a voice suddenly cut through the air.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the porter who backstabbed our guild and ran off?”

The man’s voice dripped with provocation.

It wasn’t Choi Jinho.

“Nah, that’s not right. Now that you’re a B-rank Hunter, I suppose I should call you ‘Hunter Lee Taejun.’ Doesn’t suit you at all, though.”

The man swaggered forward, staring Taejun down with deliberate hostility. He wore a jumpsuit and a terribly outdated Nike headband.

Yu Gihun.

Third-in-command of the Bicheon Guild and a B-Rank Hunter.

He was the type who seemed to be aging backward, acting more immature in his mid-thirties than a teenage boy with a half-formed brain.

Back when I was slaving away as a porter for Bicheon, he was the one who exploited me the most ruthlessly.

“Wow, you’re looking good. Must be living the high life these days, huh? The media’s been going wild over you.”

”…”

“Still just a former porter and my errand boy, though.”

Yu Gihun chuckled, taking another step closer.

I was impressed, but for a different reason.

He was still as out of touch with reality as that ridiculous, outdated headband he was wearing.

The other Bicheon Guild members, though wary, wouldn’t dare provoke me so recklessly.

Ah, now that I think about it, this guy wasn’t around during the Yanghwa Bridge Gate incident.

That explained it. He hadn’t witnessed firsthand what happened to Lee Youngjin, who had charged at me back then.

No, knowing this guy, he’d probably dismiss it as mere luck anyway.

“Fucking ignoring me?” Yu Gihun spat on the ground and took another step forward. “So, who did you come with?”

“Gihun-hyung, stop it.”

“Ah, our Vice Guild Leader should keep quiet for a moment.”

Choi Jinho’s face twisted into a scowl.

But he couldn’t bring himself to blurt out any rash insults.

Although Yu Gihun held a lower rank within the Guild, his experience far surpassed Taejun’s.

He pointed to the Swarm Lord’s corpse lying at the bottom of the slope.

“No matter how skilled you are, a mere B-rank hunter like you couldn’t have taken down something like that alone. So, who carried you through this time, you little shit?”

”…”

“Oh, so you’re going to keep your mouth shut until the end, huh?”

Crack.

Yu Gihun cracked his neck and grinned.

“Perfect timing. I was already pissed off about that sweet expedition getting cut short. You’re going to get your ass kicked until we clear this dungeon.”

“Hyung, Lee Taejun isn’t a Guild Member anymore.”

“Who cares about that bastard? I’ve hated him ever since he left our guild and somehow passed his B-rank assessment.”

Despite Choi Jinho’s protests, Yu Gihun advanced until his face was inches from mine.

Then—

“Guys like him only listen after they’ve been knocked around and reminded of their place.”

His fist hurtled straight for my face.

Shit!

“Fucking hell, Gihun-hyung! Stop it!”

Choi Jinho gritted his teeth and reached out.

But I was faster.

Clack.

I grabbed Yu Gihun’s wrist.

A flicker of surprise crossed Yu Gihun’s face.

But his wounded pride quickly twisted his features as he sneered, “Huh? You blocked it?”

“Blocked it?”

“What?”

“Can’t you see? You already hit me. Look closely.”

I raised my free hand and pointed at Yu Gihun’s restrained wrist.

“Your wrist.”

I pointed to my hand gripping his wrist.

“You slapped my palm.”

“What the hell are you talking about…?”

“So, this…”

Kiiiiiiiing!

“…is self-defense.”

“W-wait, what?”

An eerie sound of Mana gathering.

A bright blue light fell across Yu Gihun’s panicked face.

Blue Mana coalesced in my fist, aimed at his solar plexus, radiating a brilliant glow.

“W-wait!”

The Mana in my fist began to spin like a drill. I pressed it against Yu Gihun’s solar plexus with a soft thud.

For the briefest moment, an eerie calm like the eye of a storm swept over us.

KABOOOOM!

Yu Gihun’s back arched like a shrimp as the shockwave exploded outward from his spine.