Chapter 52

As scheduled, posted in the morning. I didn't have time to write at night because of cleaning and housework. About 3,500 characters.

In the Forest of Alba, intense battles were raging.

"Haah!"

With a fierce cry, Node's sword drew an arc in the air. The blade of cinnabar steel left a trail as it sliced through the body of a nearby knight spider, killing it instantly.

However, the army of spiders, undeterred by the death of the vanguard knight spider, trampled over the corpse and relentlessly charged towards Node.

"Shaaah!!"

"Ugh...!?"

Using the dead spider's body as a stepping stone, the following spider lunged at Node's neck.

The chitinous mouth, deformed into fangs, clicked mechanically as it approached Node's face.

He blocked it with his shield in his left hand and thrust his sword to finish it off.

"Ugh...!?"

However, the offensive by the spider army showed no signs of letting up.

This time, the attack came from below. Sensing the spider's legs in the corner of his eye, Node quickly lifted his foot to dodge. The spider's jaws snapped shut with a metallic sound.

Node's body, now on one foot, wobbled and fell backward under the pressure of the advancing spider army.

"Kishaaaah!!"

The spider army surged forward like a flood, trying to engulf Node's body.

"Ah...!"

Node dealt with the crisis with extreme calm. Blocking the charge of the vanguard with his shield, he simultaneously kicked the head of a spider at his feet.

Transforming the energy of the collision into a propelling force, Node managed to create distance from the group of spiders.

Twisting his body in mid-air, he landed on his feet. Instead of forcing himself to stop, he rolled several times on the ground and stood up. Then, taking advantage of the momentum, he began to flee.

(This was a bit dangerous. I have to somehow maintain this distance...)

It had been several hours since Nyuut took off for the village of Alba. During that time, Node had been engaged in a relentless game of cat and mouse with the spider army.

Running, fleeing, and counterattacking when they got too close.

In the process, he had managed to slay a few knight spiders and general spiders, though only a few. Compared to the overwhelming numbers of the spider army, which seemed to fill the forest, it was a mere scratch.

It was like pouring water on a burnt stone. No matter how hard Node tried to launch an offensive, it wouldn't lead to their annihilation. In fact, every time he tried to counterattack, he risked being captured by the swarm of spiders.

However, Node had a reason to launch an offensive.

"Ah...! Damn it!"

Darting through the forest, Node caught a moving shadow in the corner of his eye.

Without hesitation, he drew a disassembly dagger from his waist and threw it at the shadow.

"Kii!?!"

The dagger embedded itself in the back of a knight spider that was trying to move past Node. However, it was just a disassembly dagger and didn't cause a fatal wound. The knight spider let out a short scream and ran away.

(I let it get away...!)

Regret washed over Node. This was the second time he had allowed a spider to head towards the direction of Alba village.

After a while, the movements of the spiders, which had initially just been chasing him, suddenly changed.

They began to split into two groups, flanking him, and launched wave after wave of attacks, showing tactical movements.

"Shaaaah!!!"

"Ugh...!"

Taking advantage of Node's moment of distraction as he tried to stop the spiders heading towards Alba village, the spiders attacked again. It was a separate unit that had flanked him from the side.

Node managed to block and repel the attack with his shield.

The dead spider's body rolled on the ground.

Node turned and looked into the depths of the forest.

"Shaaaah, gii, gishu, gishaaaah!!!"

In the rear of the spider swarm, there was a clearly different individual.

This individual, though not as large as the Empress Spider, had a significantly larger body than the others. Moreover, its dark brown body had more red eyes than even the general spiders.

Node counted at least twenty of them.

Not just a general spider, but a higher-ranking individual.

Beyond the largest, a transcendent individual.

Clearly, the swarm's movements had changed since this transcendent spider appeared. The spiders, which had been chasing him mindlessly, began to show organic coordination as if they were being commanded.

(No doubt, that spider is giving orders. The one that commands the knights and generals... perhaps a marshal spider.)

This marshal spider seemed to possess a very high level of intelligence.

It appeared to be observing Node's reactions and learning what he didn't want to happen.

Node, who had underestimated the spiders, thinking they were just monsters, regardless of their combat power and numbers, found himself in a dire situation.

(That spider has noticed the existence of Alba village.)

At first, the movements were sporadic.

The spiders seemed to ignore Node and move to the rear.

Node was wary, thinking they might be flanking him, but it didn't seem to be the case. The directions were all over the place, and he couldn't understand their intent. However, he thought it would be bad if they accidentally headed towards Alba village, so he dealt with any spiders moving in that direction.

Then, he suddenly realized his mistake.

Without him noticing, the spiders' movements towards Alba village had become more frequent.

The marshal spider had been observing Node's actions and understood that there was something—something worth the human's desperate time-buying efforts—in that direction.

The marshal spider had figured out that it was a human settlement.

The frequency of spiders heading towards Alba village visibly increased.

The fortunate part was that he realized the marshal spider's intent before it could pinpoint the exact direction.

With a bitter decision, he began to deal with spiders heading in directions other than Alba village to prevent the exact direction from being determined.

Moreover, the intelligence of the marshal spider was significantly higher than that of the knight and general spiders, causing confusion among them as they struggled to understand the marshal's commands.

Node saw an opportunity in this.

By deliberately counterattacking, he exposed his body to the knight and general spiders.

This way, the less intelligent knight spiders would prioritize the prey in front of them.

This strategy worked as intended.

The marshal spider's command began to malfunction, and the spider army resumed chasing Node.

However, occasionally, relatively intelligent individuals would try to infiltrate the rear under the marshal's orders.

Until now, he had managed to deal with them using his weapons—throwing knives and the like—but his long-range weapons were exhausted.

All that remained were his beloved cinnabar steel sword and shield, and one last trump card, a magic sword.

(The Flame Magic Sword... I have to save it to take down that one.)

The marshal spider's combat power, in addition to its intelligence, was palpable.

The sense of intimidation, though not as strong as the Empress Spider, was undoubtedly greater than Node's. It was certainly as strong as a Black Iron-class warrior.

(I have to make a decision soon...)

A cold, icicle-like chill pierced Node's heart.

He could still confuse the spiders, but it wouldn't last forever. His stamina was not infinite.

If Node fell, the spider swarm would recover from the confusion and, under the marshal spider's command, march straight towards Alba village.

But if the head—the marshal spider—was lost, the spider army might revert to a disorganized mob.

To buy as much time as possible for Alba village to evacuate, the marshal spider had to be taken down at all costs.

Even if it cost Node his life.

So, this is the latest chapter of "The Adventures of the Impoverished Noble Node," released on February 15th (Saturday).

For more details about the book, please check the activity report.

Thank you for the purchase reports and other comments. I really appreciate it ( ;∀;)

I hope you'll continue to support me so I don't "die a fiery death" or anything like that.

Regarding the latest chapter... hmm, it feels a bit verbose. Next time... it's scheduled for Tuesday. If it's delayed, it'll be Wednesday morning. See you, chao!