NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 8 - In the Slums (8)
Chapter 8 – In the Slums (8)
‘Why is that thing here?’
I froze in shock as I looked up.
A reddish-green spider twice the size of an adult.
Its exoskeleton, hard as armor, was clearly visible,
And porcupine-like spines grew all over its body.
Its eight compound eyes moved in all directions, staring at me and Yu Mihee.
[
[Run away!]
‘Acrea….’
It was a field boss that typically served as a cleaner in sewers or polluted waters.
With its immense strength emanating from its massive body, tough vitality,
And sturdy exoskeleton, it was a boss players avoided in the early game.
‘Later on, it becomes just a source of experience points for our wonderful protagonists, but…’
That’s only around mid-game at minimum.
Even for playable characters in their childhood years when their narratives begin, it was a monster impossible to defeat.
‘Why is it here?’
Acrea was something you’d have to deliberately search for to encounter.
Rather than actively hunting, it feeds on carcasses that flow through waterways, so it rarely ventures out on its own.
Then the thought of the sewer flashed through my mind.
‘Could it really have come because of that?’
I thought something might be attracted by the smell, but I assumed it wouldn’t matter.
‘Immature… it’s a young specimen that hasn’t fully grown.’
I see. It hasn’t built a nest yet, so it came up here where food is abundant.
The Acrea, which had been staring at us both, slowly turned its head and put Han Aejeong’s corpse, sprawled on the floor, into its mouth.
Crunch crunch
As bones and flesh were chewed, large amounts of blood flowed from its mouth like meat juices.
‘I’ve bought some time.’
Its preference for eating the dead gave us a brief reprieve.
‘Think… think about what to do.’
The forced quest was over.
Han Aejeong was dead, and my childhood narrative had probably met the minimum requirements.
If I ran away now and found shelter somewhere like an orphanage, I could probably grow until the age of admission.
‘But…’
The injured Yu Mihee and the other children, including Changsik, would all die.
The Acrea, sensitive to living things, wouldn’t let them live until a rescue team arrived.
They would certainly all die before help came.
Ding!
─────────────────
Escape quickly!
Think only of your own safety!
Condition: Immediate escape
Reward: 3000 store points
─────────────────
‘……’
An urgent quest sent by the Observer…
I could feel it urging me to prioritize only my own survival.
And I felt myself being tempted by it.
“…I’ll buy us time.”
I turned my head at the sound of the voice.
“There are still children left, right? I’ve sent an emergency request to the Association, so help will arrive in 30 minutes. I’ll somehow buy time until then.”
“But!”
She gently stroked my head.
“Thinking rationally, someone needs to stay behind. And that should be an adult like me, not a child with a bright future like you.”
Struggling to utter those final words, Yu Mihee rose to her feet.
Thanks to the potion Yu Siwoo had given her, she was merely not dead, but was in no condition to fight even by the kindest assessment.
The sword in her hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and every muscle in her body screamed and trembled.
But the light in her eyes had not died.
“Hurry!”
Hearing Yu Mihee’s cry, Yu Siwoo clenched his fist so tightly it might crush itself.
Tap!
Watching the boy run over the broken debris, Yu Mihee slowly smiled.
As if refusing to allow this, Acrea tossed aside the remaining corpse in the corner and moved its body using its eight legs.
Shuck
“Kishiak!”
Feeling a sharp pain in one of its legs, Acrea looked down at the foolish creature that dared to challenge it, an apex predator.
A fragile woman who looked like she could die at any moment.
Feeling the primal emotion of rage, it swung its saw-like leg like a whip.
Clang!
After several metallic sounds, Yu Mihee’s sword slowly cracked, unable to withstand Acrea’s weight.
‘Just a little longer!’
Only if she held out could the children, including Yu Siwoo, survive.
With only that desperate resolve, she exerted superhuman strength.
However
Thud! Crash!
“Ugh…”
Her strength finally exhausted, she was thrown against the wall.
As her consciousness faded, she thought of her precious only daughter.
‘Ah… is this what they call your life flashing before your eyes?’
Recalling her daughter’s bright smile, she slowly raised the corners of her mouth.
She closed her eyes, feeling the shadow gradually falling over her.
BOOM!!!
‘What?’
Hearing Acrea’s scream tearing through the air along with the explosive sound, she barely opened one eye to look ahead.
The boy who had fled minutes ago appeared before her eyes.
Holding a crude spear in both hands that looked twice as long as his body.
“Why… why did you come back!”
The boy looked at Acrea instead of answering Yu Mihee, who shouted with a cracking voice.
*
*
*
‘Yeah, why did I come back?’
Even he couldn’t understand himself.
This was clearly an action that had nothing to do with someone like him.
‘Did I think I had a good chance of winning?’
That couldn’t be… it wasn’t impossible, but the spider before him was a monster difficult to defeat even if he risked his life.
I am not the protagonist. I am not Han Suho.
I am not a hero who never gives up despite any adversity and cuts down evil with a single sword in hand.
‘But… I couldn’t run away.’
If I escaped from here and survived alone to enter the Academy, could I really achieve the future I want?
‘I’m afraid.’
I feel terror at the being before my eyes.
My breathing became rapid, and cold sweat ran down my body.
At the same time, I was certain.
‘This creature is the final trial of my childhood narrative.’
[Poor Adaptability (D+) is activating. Fear resistance increasing]
[Face of Plausibility (C)’s mental and physical effects are activating.]
[Resisting fear. Strengthening your resolve.]
[The Observer wishes for your safety]
[Equipping Mirze Explosive Spear (One-time use)]
I gripped the spear I had obtained from gacha and threw it toward the creature.
BOOM!
I saw the creature letting out a tearing howl as the explosion occurred.
[Target fixed on Yu Siwoo]
[Aggro level: 100%]
After checking the provocation level, I ran with all my might toward the back.
BANG!
CRASH!
Hearing the explosive sounds, Acrea charged indiscriminately using its massive body.
I ran while racking my brain.
[Using Observation.]
[High-ranking opponent. Only partially visible.]
▼
[Acrea (Immature)]
Strength: 26
Agility: 9
Vitality: 45
Mental: 3
Ability: 10
Potential: 9
▲
The most noticeable thing was the grotesquely high vitality stat.
Fortunately, since it wasn’t yet a fully mature adult, the stats other than strength and vitality weren’t that high.
‘Thank goodness it’s so slow.’
But in my current weak state, even the agility stat of 9 was difficult to handle.
‘I need to get there.’
The large warehouse storing massive amounts of magic stones.
That’s where I needed to execute the strategy I had in mind.
Splash!
‘Urgh!’
After running for a while, a soccer ball-sized glob of poison hit me in the back.
Poison shots, the main attack used by spider-type monsters.
Normally, it would instantly melt flesh down to the bone,
But instead, I felt pain like being seared by fire.
[You are receiving a powerful poison-attribute attack]
[Descendant of the Brand buff effect is strengthened (Vitality/Mental increase)]
Running like mad, I finally spotted a small gap just big enough for a child to crawl under.
I threw myself in and continued running.
Boom! I heard the wall reverberate.
It wouldn’t last long.
It would force its way through with its massive body.
After running a bit more, I saw stairs leading downward.
Tap! I jumped and quickly landed below, catching my breath.
Blue magic stones filled the area in every direction.
They ranged from thumbnail-sized to as large as a wrist.
‘Whew’
While catching my breath, I received the quest reward.
[Forced Quest Cleared!]
[Restrictions on you have been lifted]
[You can now purchase narrative backgrounds]
[Sub-quest cleared!]
[You receive 1500p and 10 gacha tickets as a reward]
[You have decorated Han Aejeong’s finale]
[
[You receive a 50% discount coupon (1 time) for store items]
I took out the mysterious box from my chest and placed it down.
I quickly searched for the item I had been eyeing in the store window.
──────────────────
[Key Beyond the Other Side(S+)]
A key created by an unknown being
existing in a distant place.
Price: 150000p
──────────────────
An item that would open the mysterious box.
True to being a cash item, it boasted a price that was out of reach even with the discount coupon.
‘But what I want to buy is.’
──────────────────
[Storage Sharing Right 1 time]
Share storage with another character.
Only cash items can be transferred.
Transferred items become extremely fragile.
Price: 3000p
──────────────────
‘….’
I spent all my discount coupon and reward points to purchase the sharing right.
When I tore the scrap of paper in my hand in half, a metal safe that I often saw in the game appeared with a red light.
‘I bought this once before to try out a build.’
I had put it in storage thinking it might be useful later.
‘I thought I would use it someday but.’
I didn’t expect to use it so soon.
I opened the safe and took out a dark red key from inside.
[Sharing Key Beyond the Other Side(S+)]
[Severe durability restrictions are imposed]
The key in my hand developed small cracks and emitted a little red smoke.
I knelt down and inserted the crumbling key into the box, then turned it.
[Using the key.]
[The mysterious box has been unlocked]
[You have acquired the Bound Artifact: Triple Helix(SS-)]
As the key and box collapsed,
Inside, a fist-sized device appeared with three ring-shaped energies interlocking and rotating.
‘……’
After silently observing it, I slowly picked it up and moved it near my heart.
[Triple Helix (SS-) is a permanent binding item.]
[Once used, it cannot be removed]
[Would you like to equip it? Y/N]
‘I can’t back down anymore.’
When I pressed the button, I felt the Triple Helix merging with my heart with a clicking sound.
As soon as the message appeared confirming it was bound to me,
I used every available means in my inventory.
[Using Giant Scorpion’s Stinger, Zombie’s Intestinal Poison, Poison Peak’s Feather, Red Orc’s Eyeball, Desert Banshee’s Nail, Lu Spider’s Poison Sac, Boad’s Eyeball, Poison Goblin’s Heart,
[Temporary Blessing and Regeneration buffs applied]
[Poison attribute attacks integrated and converted to Super Venom]
[Brand buff reaches maximum level (Mental/Physical increase)]
[Body will struggle to endure. Hurry….]
My skin turned pale green, and I felt a tingling sensation throughout my body.
Even with resistance, using this much poison at once is dangerous.
‘But without taking risks, I have no chance of winning.’
An impact thundered above the ceiling,
Bang!
Smoke spread thickly through the shattered stairway.
`Kishiruruk!`
Showing eerie red eyes, Acrea slowly walked out.
With my eyes closed, I concentrated on the Triple Helix in my heart.
[Triple Helix (SS-) activates.]
[According to the owner’s will, ‘Conversion’ is activated]
“!! Kuuu…AAGH!”
Feeling pain intense enough to jolt me awake, blood flowed from my eyes and mouth.
[You experience tremendous pain]
[Poor adaptability (D+) prioritizes the owner’s survival. Pain resistance increasing….]
[Face plausibility (C) is….]
Seeing me bleeding, Acrea instinctively sensed something and struck down with its long leg like a spear.
But
Crack!
“Kishaak!”
Hearing Acrea’s scream,
I threw one of its massive legs that I had grabbed in my hand into the corner.
[Function
[Strength temporarily moved to 40]
The Triple Helix had three major functions.
One of them,
‘The total of my abilities, raised through excessive doping and buffs, is currently 81…’
I could reduce useless abilities to 0, leaving only the minimum values needed to endure and react,
And then go all-in on another area as needed.
Thanks to that, I was able to momentarily exert an absurd strength of 40 to tear off Acrea’s leg in reverse.
‘But…’
I slowly looked at my arm. It was twisted in various places, covered with poison and bruises.
Bone fragments that had broken into small pieces were visible, piercing through the flesh.
[Your right arm has been severely damaged]
[Poor Adaptability (D+) prioritizes the owner’s survival above all else.]
[Blessing, Protection of Regeneration is currently active]
In truth, pushing myself this hard made it difficult to maintain my original form.
Especially in my case, since my adaptability activates solely for survival, it wouldn’t be strange if I turned into a monster-like form right now.
After all, that form would be more suitable for injuries and crisis situations.
In fact, as the broken bones in my arm were aligning and regenerating, my once slender arm was trying to transform into something closer to a beast.
That’s why gamers who used the Triple Helix said that traits supporting mental and physical stability were essential.
[Plausibility (C)’s mental and physical effects are currently active]
[Maintaining the owner’s mind and body in their original state as much as possible]
My transforming arm had somehow returned to its original form.
However, the similarity was only skin-deep.
The power I felt inside was much stronger and sturdier than before.
[Permanently increasing strength value….]
But everything has its limits.
If you fail to gauge them and cross the line, you’ll explode and disintegrate in all directions.
‘Or my reason and body would collapse, turning me into a complete monster.’
This was an approach I would never take if I were pursuing stable gameplay.
But right now, I need power.
Power to protect someone while creating the future I desire.
“How long are you going to just size me up?”
Acrea, who had been touching the severed part for a while as if feeling fear, responded to my voice.
“Come at me, you spider bastard.”
‘Kirrrrraaaaak!’
Acrea charged at me like a madman, and I also ran forward without backing down.