Chapter 67

00067 Viviane La Classiderus

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Fire Warden. While a literal translation would be a deity in charge of fire, within the Hollow Plain, it can be interpreted as a pure embodiment of fire. The power to burn everything that exists. The reason Seraph fiercely opposed the assimilation of my body with the Fire Warden is due to the aforementioned power.

The Fire Warden is, as the name suggests, a mythological-grade flame that can burn everything that exists. It is not only above the Flame Rank, the highest rank of fire that humans can control, but even the Catastrophic Flame that governs the lowest level of the Eight Hells, Mukan, might step back when compared to it, if my research of ancient records is accurate.

Most importantly, combining the power of the sword, which can cut through everything, with the power of the Fire Warden results in the ability to "cut and burn everything that exists in this world." The problem is that since the Fire Warden is of the mythological grade, it includes the attribute of divine killing. In other words, I had the power to kill Seraph if I so desired. (Of course, this doesn't mean angels are easy to defeat. It's only theoretically possible.)

Even the Catastrophic Flame, which governs the lowest level of the Eight Hells, might step back when faced with the Fire Warden. There was no way a mere spider's silk could withstand the flames of my Fire Warden. After confirming that the children had all turned into cocoons and were hanging in the air, I immediately summoned my mana.

Whoosh!

"Wh-what?"

A faint crimson mana rose and soon the threads that wrapped around my body melted away like ice cream. Viviane, looking flustered, kept shooting out more threads, but the result was the same. Narrowing her eyes for a moment, she seemed to make a decision and opened her jaw wide. It looked like she was about to shoot out a yellowish venom.

"Arrogant!"

Viviane roared, and a venomous liquid with a strong smell of poison rushed towards me. I maintained a slight smile and effortlessly received the incoming venom. The poison that touched my skin immediately oxidized and vanished into the air.

"Hehehe. What to do. I didn't want to kill you, but you made me so angry."

"You're not dead."

After a light response, I took a step forward, and Viviane's face turned as if she had seen a monster. Ah, how unfair. The monster is you, and I'm just a human. Why am I being treated like this? Anyway, I stroked my smooth skin and continued walking. Whether the poison seeped into my body or remained on the surface, as long as I borrowed the power of the Fire Warden, it would be burned away.

"It... It can't be."

"What can't be?"

"An... a lowly human, how... how can you...?"

"A lowly spider, how... how can you...?"

Repeating her words, the spider furrowed her brows and lifted two of her legs. It seemed she was about to strike, but with the power of the Fire Warden, I was currently displaying abilities far beyond my usual level. I raised my sword and swung it once. To others, it might look like an ordinary swing, but the force of the wave contained within it was not to be underestimated.

Soon, the wave of my mana, aimed at the spider's raised leg, shot out.

"Kiaaaaaaah!"

In an instant, it severed the target. The entire process happened in less than a second, leaving no time for the spider to strike. Viviane let out a loud scream and retreated, spewing out venom and threads in a desperate attack. It was a rather desperate attack, not just a simple reaction to pain.

I could have just let her hit me, but I deliberately swung my sword to block her attack. My defense was simple: I deflected the threads and let the venom pass by. It would be a disgrace to the principles of Taekuk (太極) to use my advanced sword techniques against such a simple attack.

However, it must be a terrifying experience for her. She is putting all her strength into her attacks, but I am advancing without retreating. The sword light dances beautifully, cutting through the threads and letting the venom pass by. As I took a step forward, Viviane took a step back. I smiled mockingly.

"Still, you're a famous alchemist. Aren't your attacks too monotonous? The name of an ancient alchemist is disgraced. Viviane? Answer me. Hahaha."

Viviane's expression was urgent. She was sweating profusely, seemingly unable to pay attention to my words. However, it seemed she had used up all her stored venom and threads, as her face turned pale. She was trying to summon more, but only a few thin threads emerged.

"Ku...! Kuku...! Kukuku...!"

Continuously groaning, Viviane looked up at the ceiling and quickly climbed up the wall. Watching her climb the ceiling through the wall, I leaped and started running along the wall.

"Let's go together."

Viviane, who was climbing the wall, gagged when she saw me closely following her and fell to the ground. What a spectacle. A spider falling from the ceiling. Do I look that astonishing?

"Ugh..."

Suddenly, a groan came from below the spider. Hanging upside down in the air, I was surprised. Unfortunately, it seemed the female user had fallen with the spider. She had acted as a cushion for the spider, and her protruding belly was now indented. Green beads that had burst open were rolling around. It seemed the spider had unintentionally pressed on the user's belly, forcing the beads out. It wasn't a pleasant sight, so I frowned.

With a frustrated face, Viviane pushed the user, Jeong Ji-yeon, away. Then, as if a good idea had come to her, she wrapped the user with her legs and lifted her towards me. Her face brightened, indicating she had a good idea. I waited for her to speak, ready to hear what she had to say. After I landed softly, Viviane lifted the user high.

"Hi... You're human, right?"

"Yep."

"If you come any closer, I'll kill this woman."

"...Sigh."

I sighed openly. Seeing my reaction, Viviane looked relieved and smiled. I calmly looked at the user Jeong Ji-yeon, whose face was contorted in pain. She was also looking at me, her eyes filled with a pleading gaze.

"He... He. Can you put down your sword?"

"Sure."

I gently placed my sword on the ground. Viviane, who was hesitant, smiled faintly after confirming my action. Ignoring her, I closed the distance between us. With each step I took, Viviane trembled and extended her legs further, almost reaching me. ...Is she stupid?

Jeong Ji-yeon and I exchanged glances. I felt no guilt. After all, I've killed users more than once. Still, as a sign of regret, I nodded slightly and reached out to the user's white neck.

"You didn't tell me to come closer...?"

I grabbed the user's slender neck.

"S-S-Stop...?"

Crack! Snap!

"Gurk... Ah..."

I twisted her neck. With a Strength stat of 94 points, it was easy to break the neck of a slender female user. I could feel the bones shattering in my hand. Seeing Jeong Ji-yeon's lifeless body, the spider looked incredulous, her mouth agape. After enjoying her expression, I jumped into the air and landed next to her face. I gently stroked Viviane's head and spoke.

"Stupid. When you do that, you should grab the kids. What will you do by grabbing an unrelated human?"

"B-But she's human... Why...?"

"She's annoying and in the way. And she's not related to me. Whether she lives or dies, I don't care."

"B-But! How can you kill people so casually! Are you really human?"

"Your question feels awkward. Ah, and stop trying to extend your legs towards the kids. I'll tear them off."

Smiling coldly, I warned her. Viviane, looking startled, retracted her legs. It was suspicious. I was currently on top of Viviane, and she was sweating profusely, looking at a loss.

My hand was burning with a faint crimson light, the mana infused with the power of the Fire Warden. It seemed like a good choice to use this power on the boss monster. I was excited to finally fight a proper monster, and I was exuding a thick aura of killing intent. How should I kill her?

Viviane, who met my gaze, immediately turned away. Her lips were trembling, indicating she had realized the gap between us. Knowing I was contemplating her fate, she looked desperate. Still, she seemed to want to live. The trembling of her body and the glances she threw at me were proof of that.

Anyway, my impression of using some of my power this time. Honestly, I was quite surprised. I was confident I would win, but I didn't expect it to be this easy. Even though she's the dungeon master and a boss monster, the power I possess is overwhelming.

"Ugh!"

I must have unconsciously tightened my grip, as Viviane's face contorted. She kept checking my reaction, then swallowed and spoke.

"Listen."

"Yep."

"Let me live."

"?"

What kind of nonsense is this? I scratched my head a couple of times and replied with a dubious expression.

"No..."

"Why. Let me live. Okay? Let me live."

"Still, you're the master of the dungeon and a boss monster. Don't you have any pride?"

"That's irrelevant. Living is the most important thing. Please, let me live. I beg you."

"..."

Viviane's sudden change in attitude was a bit shocking, but I could understand it. In the Hollow Plain, which is not a game, once you die, it's over. Especially for intelligent beings, the desire to survive is normal.

"Still, it's strange to beg for your life so easily. Come on, let's fight a bit more and decide. Who knows? You might win..."

"No. I have a bad feeling that if I attack you again, I'll die horribly without even being able to resist. I'll give you something good. Please, let me live. I beg you. Okay?"

You have good instincts. I was planning to kill you the moment you made a move. However, after I climbed on top of you, I couldn't sense any killing intent from you. If I had to describe your emotion, it would be submission. Anyway, I was intrigued by Viviane's offer of something good.

"Something good?"

"Yep. After all, the reason you came here... there might be other reasons, but you came to get my treasures, right?"

"Hmm."

I stroked my chin, thinking, and Viviane quickly lay flat. She looked like a dog wagging its tail for its owner. I decided to accept whatever she offered.

"What will you give? Keep in mind, a life is quite expensive."

"Well... I'll give you everything. Let's go to my workshop. If you like what you see, I'll let you live. The workshop is right in front of this passage."

"Alright. By the way, the kids... will they be okay for a while?"

"I don't care, but... yeah. Don't worry. There will be a few humans still alive when we get there. I caught them yesterday, and they're still alive!"

Seeing the three in the silk cocoons, I felt a bit guilty. But as I nodded, the spider turned around and quickly left the passage, carrying me on her back.

============================ Author's Note ============================

Hello, I'm Ro Yu-jin.

Why does Viviane seem so pitiful? However, her pitiful state is not over yet. For those who find the dungeon boring, please bear with me for a little longer. There are only a few more chapters left, and I'll try to finish them as quickly as possible. Still, shouldn't I extract everything I can before leaving? Hahaha.

And to Personinlife, thank you for the message. I just saw it, and I was really moved. You've been a great support to me from the beginning of the novel. (__)

『 Reader Feedback 』

1. Blami: Congratulations on the first place. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. I'll also try my best to write.

2. Hohokaya1: Your comment made me feel like all my fatigue disappeared. I'm sorry I can't always reply to your comments. Ah, February is so busy lately. I had to quit my job and prepare for the handover. The Lunar New Year is also approaching. It's been incredibly busy. Hahaha.

3. Reincarnation: Actually, showing my skills early on in the story results in this. Like in this chapter. Hahaha. I'll try to reveal more of my skills after leaving the Muul. Please bear with me a little longer. :)

4. Zeromax: I'm always worried that my writing might be boring, so I'm glad to hear that. I'll try to prepare a rich content for the next chapter. Thank you.

5. Einthe: Hahaha. Viviane is really... I find her more and more endearing as I write. I hope you have a lot of luck, Einthe. (Turns out you have 101 points in luck?!)

6. Demodex: Thank you. I'll focus and write more. :)

7. Personinlife: Hahaha. I really enjoyed your message. Even when I wanted to rest, reading your comments made me want to write. I guess I naturally like my readers. Ah, is this a confession? *-_-*

8. GradeRown: Ah, I was worried that some readers might frown while reading. That's why I skipped some parts. It's a shame, but this is goodbye to Ji-yeon. The female users around the protagonist will be protected, but the male and female users will face more hardships. Hahaha.

9. Hyun Oh: Haha. I understand that some readers might be disappointed with the plot. My motto for the plot is to be fast when it needs to be fast and slow when it needs to be slow. I wanted to include various elements in the first exploration and the first dungeon. Please bear with me a little longer. (__)

10. Crying Soul: Ah, you're talking about Seraph. One of the most carefully crafted characters. As an important character, many things will happen to her. Personally, Seraph is my third favorite character! (So who are the first and second? ...)

I always read all the comments repeatedly. Please don't be too disappointed if you're not mentioned in the feedback. If you have any specific questions, feel free to send me a message! (More comments and recommendations, please! ☞☜)

That's all for today.

I hope you always read my writing with a comfortable mind.

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