LIGHTNOVELONLINE C34
Chapter 34: Pioneering (1)
Kate, Vanadain, and Diana didn’t take long to return after arming themselves.
Kate was holding a large flag as always, and Vanadain had a bow and dagger, with a longsword also attached to his waist.
Diana had ridden Enika but seemed somewhat awkward riding alone.
‘Well, maybe Diana isn’t thinking about anything.’
In any case, three knights had gathered, and behind them, soldiers led by Jimmy were lined up in full armor.
After the unit commander Yoo Seong’s visit, and the knights arming themselves and rushing somewhere, they seemed to have followed along. Since everyone was resting and didn’t know the situation, despite being fully armed, there were slight signs of confusion.
“So, the soldiers can’t come along?”
“Ah, this feels a bit sorry.”
When Rene asked softly, Yoo Seong awkwardly smiled and answered.
This was essentially disrupting their weekend rest with a sudden visit from the unit commander.
‘Well…it would be strange to just tell them to disperse.’
It would be odd for soldiers to just sit around while the unit commander and knights were fully armed and preparing to fight.
Moreover, since they didn’t know exactly what might happen after the expedition, it made sense to remain armed, even if slightly uncomfortable.
“We’re ready.”
Kate stepped forward and spoke.
Yoo Seong nodded and ordered the soldiers to rest at the barricade, then turned back to the knights.
“Then we’ll begin the expedition. Does anyone need more time?”
“No.”
Kate answered immediately, Vanadain furrowed his brows but nodded without objection, and Diana, as always, said nothing.
“Then let’s start.”
Yoo Seong took a deep breath and pressed the ‘yes’ button on the status window.
Pot-!
A light flashed momentarily.
Reflexively blinking, Yoo Seong realized the location had completely changed.
“Successor?”
Rene blinked her large eyes and looked around.
Fortunately, they had all moved together – not just Rene, but Kate, Vanadain, and Diana were also nearby.
They thought the barrier would open slightly to create a door, but it seemed they had teleported as a group.
“We’re inside the barrier, I suppose.”
Yoo Seong also looked around while speaking.
Stone walls encircled a fairly wide space, with a purple barrier visible beyond. Inside the walls was a large open area and a two-story building, with some parts broken and collapsed, making it look like ruins.
“Could this be a training ground?”
When Rene mentioned the training ground, Yoo Seong nodded.
It seemed plausible when he thought about it.
The three knights, instead of speaking, looked around with thoughtful expressions.
“Did some of your memories come back?”
To Yoo Seong’s question, Kate narrowed her eyes and then shook her head.
“No, nothing clearly comes to mind. But…it definitely feels like a familiar space.”
Judging by the lack of disagreement, it seemed Vanadain and Diana felt the same as Kate.
Then suddenly, despite being in a space surrounded by barriers, a dry wind swept through the area, and a voice was heard from far away.
[Human—–, —–my———–, ——-.]
It was a small, delicate voice.
However, whether due to the dry wind or because it was coming from so far away, they couldn’t understand the content or even distinguish the voice’s gender.
Who could it be?
And what could the content possibly be?
As Yoo Seong listened, he casually looked to the side and widened his eyes.
“Kate?”
It wasn’t just Kate. The knights’ reactions were unusual.
Unlike Yoo Seong and Rene, who were simply listening without understanding, the knights were wearing painful expressions.
“Kate, are you okay? Kate?”
When Yoo Seong shook her shoulder and asked, Kate seemed to snap back to her senses.
“Is it a voice you know? Did something come to mind?”
To Yoo Seong’s question, Kate bit her lip and spoke with a painful expression.
“I don’t remember. But definitely, it’s definitely a voice I know-”
“It’s an enemy!”
Vanadain shouted loudly.
Yoo Seong was startled and looked into the distance, seeing something through the dust raised by the wind.
—
[Wolf Spider 0/500]
[Wolf Spider Queen 0/1]
[Expedition Goal: Defeat the Queen Spider and liberate the area.]
—
The victory conditions were displayed on the reflexively activated status window.
“Five hundred?!”
“They’re coming!”
Yoo Seong’s and Vanadain’s voices overlapped.
Swish swish swish-!
The walking sounds overlapped and became a massive noise.
Rene hunched her shoulders at the sounds coming from all directions, and Vanadain drew his bowstring.
Yoo Seong shouted.
“Summon the war horses! The enemy is Wolf Spiders!”
With the overwhelming number of enemies, they needed to fight while moving.
Rene and Kate immediately summoned their war horses, and Vanadain mounted Enika behind Diana.
The spider swarm of varying sizes approached, pouring out from all four directions.
The smallest were about the size of a large dog, but the largest were comparable to large predators like lions or tigers.
The brown, furry spiders with eight gleaming eyes were terrifying just by their appearance, and they didn’t stop there.
Unlike typical spiders that spin webs, these wolf spiders moved quickly and had incredible jumping ability.
Swish swish swish!
Bang bang bang!
Running and jumping, they were like a tidal wave.
It seemed they would be crushed if they hesitated even for a moment so Yoo Seong quickly decided.
“To the south!”
Yoo Seong began riding towards the south, where there were no walls or buildings, and the knights followed behind.
“We’ll fight while moving!”
“For the glory of Camelot!”
As Kate rode and raised her flag, a golden energy spread in a circle.
The spiders rushing like a flood screamed and retreated, and those caught in the area of effect twisted and suffered.
Yoo Seong activated his fire sword and trampled and burned the wolf spiders as he advanced.
Vanadain also drew his sword instead of his bow and cut down the rushing spiders.
“Don’t stop! We must keep moving!”
Although Kate’s “Glory of Camelot” provided some breathing room, the area was already filled with spiders.
If they didn’t move, they would be crushed by the approaching creatures, regardless of the skill.
“The big one is coming!”
At Vanadain’s cry, Yoo Seong quickly turned his head.
Indeed, as Vanadain said, a massive spider was approaching, crushing other spiders.
“It’s huge!”
“I think it’s the Queen!”
Its legs were 5-7 meters long, literally the size of a building.
Approaching in an instant, instead of rushing and biting like the other spiders, it spewed toxic venom from its mouth.
Tsu-haak!
“Kieee!”
The dense green poison was so potent that the spiders it touched melted with screams.
The group barely dodged by making their horses jump, but consequently became scattered.
“Fire Wall!”
Rene quickly erected a flame barrier to push back the spiders.
Kate rode towards Rene, and Diana and Vanadain closely followed.
But rejoining wasn’t the right answer.
Yoo Seong created an even larger flame and rode towards the giant spider, shouting.
“I’ll draw its attention!”
As Yoo Seong burned spiders and charged the giant spider, Vanadain quickly picked his bow and drew the bowstring.
-Bang bang!
Consecutive arrows almost simultaneously burst three of the giant spider’s eyes.
The giant spider screamed, and Yoo Seong stood on his horse’s back and then leaped towards the spider’s chest.
Kwajik!
The exoskeleton was hard but not enough to block the fire sword.
Yoo Seong stabbed deep into the spider’s chest and hung onto the sword handle while raising the fire’s intensity.
“Kiaak!”
As the spider’s chest began burning, it screamed and thrashed, crushing nearby spiders.
Yoo Seong gritted his teeth and held onto the sword, while Vanadain remarkably burst two more of the spider’s eyes in the chaos.
“Kia-”
Finally, the giant spider collapsed.
“We did it!”
Rene shouted joyfully, but Yoo Seong gritted his teeth.
The message on the status window was unexpected.
—
[Wolf Spider 212/500]
[Wolf Spider Queen 0/1]
—
The count for wolf spiders had increased, not the queen.
In other words, it wasn’t the queen, but a regular spider.
“Kiaaa!”
At that moment, massive roars erupted from all directions.
Two giant spiders in each direction had appeared, totaling seven.
They charged but Yoo Seong was looking elsewhere.
A massive shadow had fallen overhead.
“Oh my god.”
Rene said with a blank face.
Overhead, an overwhelmingly massive spider was descending from the sky to the ground.
Each leg was at least ten meters long, a truly gigantic monster.
That must be the queen.
That can’t be anything but the queen.
“Dodge!”
Yoo Seong leaped over a giant spider while shouting.
It was because the spider queen, unlike the giant spiders, spewed venom.
Chuaak-!
However, the quantity was different.
Since the spider queen was massive, her venom poured out like a waterfall, instantly covering the ground.
“Kieeek!”
“Kiaaak!”
The spiders caught in the venom screamed as they perished but it wasn’t just the spiders that got swept away.
Kate’s warhorse collapsed as venom splashed on its legs, and even as Kate tumbled to the ground, she quickly performed a reverse summoning.
“Sister Kate!”
Rene ran toward the fallen Kate, extending her hand.
Kate planted her flag into the ground, releasing a golden aura again, then grasped Rene’s hand and climbed onto Rainy’s back.
“This is insane.”
Vanadain furrowed his brows as he shot arrows at the spider queen.
Although the arrows hit their mark again, they failed to penetrate the queen’s eyes and merely bounced off.
Boom!
Finally, the spider queen landed on the ground.
While giant spiders charged at the group, the queen began laying eggs instead of attacking them directly.
—-
[Wolf Spider 312/500]
[Wolf Spider 315/550]
[Wolf Spider 334/600]
—
The maximum number of wolf spiders was increasing in real time.
Although many spiders perished under the assault of the giant spiders, the spiders’ numbers grew even faster.
“For the glory of Camelot!”
Kate gritted her teeth and unleashed her energy.
It was to gather the group and buy time for planning.
The brilliant light, reminiscent of the sun, made even the giant spiders hesitate and retreat. The group clustered around Kate as Rene spoke quickly.
“Let me get close to the spider queen! I’ll finish this!”
Even though Rene hadn’t proposed a specific plan, Yoo Seong immediately nodded in agreement.
Rene wasn’t the type to spout nonsense in such a dire situation.
“Kate! Over here!”
At Yoo Seong’s command, Kate leapt off Rainy and positioned herself behind Yoo Seong.
As Yoo Seong turned his horse toward the spider queen, he spoke.
“We’ll break through one point. Diana and I will clear the way, and Rene will follow.”
At that moment, Yoo Seong’s eyes blazed with an intense golden light.
Knight Order, King’s Time.
The knights, understanding Yoo Seong’s intent, nodded solemnly while Rene swallowed hard.
Yoo Seong charged, accompanied by Kate, he unleashed Camelot’s glory, forming a massive golden dome with a 30-meter diameter centered on them.
“Kiaaaak!”
Not only did the spiders recoil in agony, but they began to perish. Even the giant spiders shrieked and retreated.
But Yoo Seong didn’t stop there.
Activating Diana’s Shock, he rode side by side with Diana and rushed toward the spider queen.
Both Diana and Yoo Seong raised their spears.
Though the spider queen’s head and body were too high to strike directly, it didn’t matter.
They charged and pierced through, destroying space itself!
Boom-boom-boom-!
Diana’s chivalry and Yoo Seong’s chivalry activated simultaneously.
A golden flash erupted from the ordinary wolf spider in front of them, creating a massive shockwave that swept away the giant spiders and everything else nearby, carving a path.
“Go! Rene!”
As Yoo Seong and Diana split to create an opening, Rainy sprinted forward at full speed with Rene on her back.
Even the spider queen was swept up in the shockwave, making it impossible for her to attack Rene immediately.
“Rainy! Turn back!”
Rene shouted as she leapt from Rainy’s back, launching herself into the air.
Simultaneously, Rene soared skyward, propelled by telekinetic magic.
“Kia!”
The spider queen lunged at Rene, but Vanadain loosed his bowstring.
The golden arrow, imbued with both Vanadain’s skill and Yoo Seong’s chivalry, pierced the queen’s eye.
“Kiaaak!”
The spider queen let out an agonized scream, experiencing pain for the first time in ages.
Rene landed on the queen’s head.
The queen’s numerous eyes all turned toward Rene.
Rene felt fear.
No, it was a visceral revulsion and disgust that made her shudder.
But instead of screaming, Rene hurled herself toward the shattered eye and clenched her fist.
“Hyaaa!”
Her fist struck the queen’s eye with force.
Despite her clumsy battle cry, Rene’s punch pierced through the queen’s eye, her arm plunging deep inside.
But that wasn’t the end.
Inside the eye, Rene spread her fingers wide and activated a pre-prepared spell.
“Freeze!”
Although a basic ice spell, its power increased with the amount of mana poured into it.
And Rene not only poured all her mana into it but also activated her unique skill.
[Mana Storage]
She unleashed all her stored mana in one go.
Dubbed Freeze Boosted, the magic was so potent it could be called the cold of hell. The icy power froze the queen’s brain and internal organs, spreading through her body.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Sharp ice pillars erupted through her eyes, head, and neck.
The spider queen, her frozen brain shattered, collapsed without even a scream. With their queen dead, the spiders scattered in all directions.
“Kyaa!”
Rene, standing atop the queen’s head, lost her balance and fell.
Having depleted her mana, she couldn’t use magic to stop her fall but Yoo Seong was there.
Despite being equally drained from King’s Time, Yoo Seong ran toward Rene, extending his arms and catching her as she fell.
“Wow.”
Diana, typically stoic, couldn’t hide her astonishment.
With a look that seemed to ask how she did it, she marveled while Vanadain blinked in surprise before bursting into a hearty laugh.
“Whew.”
Cradled in Yoo Seong’s arms, Rene looked dazed, her voice blank with disbelief.
Seeing her large eyes blinking in astonishment, Yoo Seong smiled and spoke instead of complaining about his aching arms.
“Good job, Rene. As expected of the king’s mage.”
At his simple praise, Rene blushed and responded with a bright smile.
—
[Wolf Spider 421/600]
[Spider Queen 1/1]
[Pioneering Objective Achieved]
[Zone 1 Pioneering Successful]
[Commander Skill Points +30 Acquired]
[Level Up]
[Rene’s Level Up]
[Destroyed Training Facility Secured (Repairable)]
[Destroyed Metal Refinery Secured (Repairable)]
—
The successive status window messages were satisfying, but Yoo Seong instinctively realized there was more.
Rewards not yet revealed in the status window.
Still holding Rene, Yoo Seong looked toward what appeared to be a metal refinery.
A silver light shimmered softly from inside the building.
What lies within?
Amid the dry wind, a voice echoed again from afar.