I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 329

Thanks to Mistilteinn serving as an excellent guide stick, we steadily pushed forward through the jungle.

While clearing our path, we encountered numerous organisms, but very few posed an actual threat.

Fundamentally, we maintained absolute vigilance against venomous snakes and repelled insects using pest repellents.

The only things we really needed to watch out for were large beasts, but surprisingly, they didn’t initiate attacks against us.

It seemed our large group size was the decisive deterrent.

"Progress is surprisingly smooth."

↳ Passing Dwarf) Boring.

↳ Starlight Lady) Something always goes wrong whenever someone says things like that.

↳ Suspiciously...) So when is the crisis happening?

↳ Novel Mukbang) A new incident really needs to break out soon.

"These people, seriously."

Everyone was actively praying for a crisis to befall me.

They were supposedly viewers rooting for my survival, but the lack of immediate danger made things too mundane for them, it seemed.

A few unfamiliar regular posters chimed in as well. They must have been bored out of their minds.

’Not having a crisis is a good thing, idiots.’

Aside from spotting the elephant herd dismembering the giant toad earlier, nothing notable had occurred since.

However, despite walking for a considerable duration, the jungle showed no sign of ending.

Just as I was wondering when this dense greenery would come to an end, a striking location appeared before our eyes.

"A cave?"

"It is a cave."

It was a pitch-black, murky cavern.

Fearing the little ones might wander inside recklessly, I hastily blocked their way.

As with any cave, an unusually eerie aura lingered around this one.

’There’s a bit of a smell, too.’

Most of the caves I had discovered so far were odorless.

To be precise, this smelled like the gamey stench left behind by living beasts.

While the characteristic coolness of a subterranean cave was present, the odor was distinctly different. Something was inside.

’There’s no mandatory reason to go in, though....’

The ultimate objective of this expedition was to locate the World Tree.

Therefore, we only needed to find the path leading toward the World Tree; entering this cave wasn’t strictly necessary.

However, judging from past experience, caves yielded substantial rewards on average.

Although it was now collapsed, there was the cave we once used as a shelter, as well as the Orichalcum Cave.

Back in the Orichalcum Cave, we faced a dire crisis upon encountering the Guardian, but now I had plenty of reliable allies.

’Still, I should be careful just in case.’

Before stepping into the cave, I prepared thoroughly. Starting with the little ones.

Wonmo was assigned to Lackey, while Tyranno and Cheongseol were placed under my direct care.

If any of them acted out unexpectedly, things could turn dangerous in an instant.

However, an unexpected hurdle presented itself.

"Largo... can he even fit inside?"

"Pwooreuk."

Beyond merely being huge, Largo was a giraffe whose long neck was his truest sorrow.

Forcing him inside would be miserable for him, yet leaving him outside posed too great a risk.

↳ Starlight Lady) The more I see that animal, the stranger it gets. Why is its neck so absurdly long?

↳ Passing Dwarf) Didn’t Grylls say it whips its neck around like a flail? Doesn’t the neck break?

↳ Princess Chaenggu) I want to slide down that long neck like a playground slide! ♡

↳ King Reor) How much do you weigh?

↳ Princess Chaenggu) Asking a lady such a question is extremely rude! Do you lack basic manners?!

↳ King Reor) Must be pretty heavy then, huh? lol

↳ Princess Chaenggu) Drop your address, motherfucker. SBLM

They were engaging in useless banter on the Gallery as usual, but I cleanly ignored them.

Since the entrance height was fairly generous, we decided to bring Largo inside as far as he could comfortably go.

Hoping the interior would remain spacious, I pulled out Mistilteinn.

Next, I wrapped an oil-soaked cloth around the tip of Mistilteinn.

"Tyranno-ya. Fire."

"Ppeek!"

Hwareureuk!

As Tyranno exhaled a tiny flicker of flame, a torch was instantly completed.

Mistilteinn wouldn’t suffer a scratch from something as trivial as this. Thus, it was perfect as a torch frame.

↳ Let’s Grow Trees) Wh-Wh-What?! You’re using such a precious artifact as a torch?! That’s Mistilteinn of all things?!

↳ Praise the Sun) What’s wrong with that? You should use whatever tools you have to the fullest.

Upon seeing Mistilteinn being used as a torch, Let’s Grow Trees threw a fit.

Naturally, I ignored him. After all, it had been used as Ludwig’s walking stick at the shelter anyway.

To me, it was nothing more than a versatile wooden stick.

Afterward, I handed the torch to Ludwig in the middle of our formation, then pulled out a crystal orb from my backpack.

Tuk-tuk—

Tapping the crystal orb caused a bright light to burst forth.

It floated gently into the air, brightly illuminating the cave interior.

The Light Crystal Orb gifted by King Reor was incredibly useful.

"Let me move out. Everyone, ready your weapons."

Our formation was as follows:

Me, Lackey, Ludwig, and finally Cain.

Bbareumbo was practically attached to my body as one unit, so I didn’t count him separately.

Furthermore, the little ones didn’t walk in front but stayed closely at our sides.

"Kkyuu! Kkyu!"

"Is there something ahead?"

Just then, Wonmo, who was sensitive to smells, pointed his tiny front paw toward a spot.

"Nyam-nyam-nyam."

Let me rephrase that. He snatched something with that tiny paw and was chewing on it enthusiastically.

Startled, I forcibly pried open Wonmo’s beak.

Wonmo wore a bewildered expression, but he didn’t resist my touch.

"...A spider?"

What Wonmo had eagerly devoured was a spider. Specifically, one with a bluish hue.

Whether it was a species adapted to this cave or just an ordinary spider was impossible to tell.

Still, seeing its distinct venomous fangs, getting bitten would probably be disastrous.

"Looks like spiders live here. We better apply insect repellent more thoroughly."

Leaving those words behind, I ventured deeper inside.

The cave was quite massive—spacious enough for Largo to walk around with his neck held straight.

However, looking at it from another angle, it meant creatures with bodies as large as Largo were highly likely to inhabit the area.

’A cave this large usually means one of two things: either an enormous creature lives here, or a hazardous environment awaits.’

From my perspective, I preferred the former.

A dangerous creature could somehow be overcome, whereas a lethal environment offered zero counterplay.

No matter how strong I became, before raw nature, I was just an ordinary living organism.

Jjeoeok—

"Huh?"

As I marched silently through the cavern, a strange sensation struck me. My feet felt excessively sticky.

Puzzled, I looked down at my feet to find a translucent substance stretching out beneath my soles as if coated in heavy glue.This story is hosted at nоvelping.com.

At first, I thought it was simply a sticky liquid.

Chsssss-

However, the instant I stepped on the sticky substance, an ominous sound echoed throughout the entire cave.

It sounded like creatures with numerous legs skittering rapidly across stone.

Yet, perhaps sensitive to light, they remained outside our visual range.

If those things launched long-range attacks right now, we could be rendered entirely helpless.

Straining my eyes, I hastily shone light toward the shadows.

Paaat!

Chjzzz-!

I saw it. I definitely saw it clear as day.

Countless legs, grotesquely multiplying.

A bluish hue fitting for a dark cave, paired with innumerable glowing compound eyes.

"M-Master! My legs won’t move!"

"Kkyuuuu! Kkyuu!"

To make matters worse, everyone’s feet had become completely immobilized.

Evidently, the sticky substance on the ground was spider silk.

Had we kept moving, it might have been fine, but standing in one spot caused it to adhere tightly.

"F-Fire! Apply fire to it! Spider silk should be weak against heat!"

"I-I’m barefoot!"

"Where the hell did you sell off your Body-Protecting Gangqi?! Melt it off quickly!"

I hurriedly commanded Lackey to burn away the webs using the torch.

Even as we removed the webbing, only skittering chjzzz- sounds echoed outside the sphere of light.

Presumably, the spiders found the bright light uncomfortable.

While that was fortunate, the reprieve didn’t last long.

Chwaak!

From beyond the light, a long, stark white strand shot straight at us.

It wasn’t moving at blinding speed, so I raised my shield and blocked it without difficulty.

Chwaaak!

The spider web attached to my shield pulled taut. The creature was attempting to drag me toward it.

Fortunately, the physical training I had undergone wasn’t for show; I had enough leverage to hold my ground easily.

In fact, I turned the tables by yanking back, dragging the spider into our lit circle.

"Keeeeek?!"

With a bewildered screech, the spider was pulled straight into the light.

Its complete form was revealed alongside its startled cry.

It looked like a scaled-up version of the spider Wonmo had devoured earlier, featuring a striking bluish body color.

Furthermore, its blood-red eyes contrasted sharply against the blue, exuding a menacing aura.

Chwaak!

I yanked my shield forcefully and sliced the spider cleanly in half.

Since my aura blade extension was substantial, I didn’t even need to get close.

Soon, the bisected spider twitched violently in its death throes before going still.

’Ugh. Disgusting.’

Not only was it larger than a big dog, but its hideous appearance triggered instant revulsion.

The real issue, however, was that there were at least five more of these things nearby.

Fighting without proper visibility made things exceptionally difficult.

"Kuh-euk?!"

[Ludwig!]

Ludwig almost got dragged away by a strand of spider silk.

Whether it had shot the web from above or not, Ludwig was floating upward into the air.

Fortunately, being a battle-tested veteran, he reacted immediately.

"#$%$% #@$%#!"

"The spider silk is incredibly tough and resilient. Be careful."

"Thank you."

Meanwhile, I quickly browsed the Gallery marketplace and found a suitable item.

The Light Crystal Orb had obvious limits. The same went for my night vision.

Thus, expanding our field of view was paramount.

"Flares... here they are!"

I purchased signal flares from the marketplace. If I had known, I would have prepared them beforehand.

Setting regrets aside, I handed a flare to Ludwig.

The reason was simple: I didn’t know how to operate military flares, whereas Ludwig was a trained military commander.

"Ahjussi! Use this quickly!"

"Mm."

Peo-ung!

Hearing my request, Ludwig discharged the flare.

A distinct red glare shot upward, emitting light far brighter than the Light Crystal Orb.

And then....

"Keeeeek!"

"Chrreuk! Chrreuk!"

Inside the vast cavern, we realized an appalling number of spiders were swarm-targeting us.

Under the flare’s vivid red radiance, an overwhelming, terrifying pressure pressed down on us.

Egg clutches were scattered across every corner of the cave, creating the eerie atmosphere of a monster dungeon.

"Master."

"Speak."

"I think we’re fucked."

"I know."

Apparently, the entire cave was one massive spider nest.

However, a question arose. For this many spiders to survive, they would require an immense food supply.

Where on earth were they procuring food? While I wondered about that, survival took absolute priority.

Staring at the densely gathered spider horde, I carefully drew my bow.

’There’s... no clear path to push through. We’re surrounded on all sides.’

I had no idea when this many spiders had assembled, but their movements were insanely covert.

If I hadn’t noticed the sticky ground earlier, we would have been caught completely unprepared.

Looking at the spider swarm that hesitated to approach us, I nocked an arrow.

’Normally, cave-dwelling creatures have degenerated eyes.’

Yet their glaring red eyes clearly indicated they relied on vision.

Piiing!

I released the arrow toward the densest cluster of spiders.

With a whistle of cutting wind, the shaft struck one of the spiders right in the face.

"Keeeeeek!"

The creature went wild, shrieking grotesquely.

However, because I hadn’t infused mana into it, no explosion occurred.

Given that spiders were sensitive to vibrations, triggering explosions would only escalate the situation into total chaos.

Though tedious, carefully picking them off one by one was our safest route.

"Lackey! Clear the webs off the ground first. Here are oil flasks, spread them around everywhere."This story is hosted at novеlping.com.

"Understood."

"Tyranno-ya! Help Lackey and spit fire on the ground."

"Ppeek!"

I decided to exploit fire—one of the spider silk’s greatest weaknesses.

And this tactic paid off brilliantly.

Whether they feared fire naturally or had simply never encountered flames living inside a cavern before—

"Chiiieeeek!"

"Keeek! Keeeeek!"

The spiders avoided the flames with extreme revulsion. In fact, it was more accurate to say they reviled the light itself.

Thanks to that, picking them off individually with arrows became much easier.

However, seeing their kin cut down must have pushed them over the edge.

Kureureureu!

"They’re coming! Be careful!"

Before we knew it, the spiders began charging in a massive wave.

Fascinatingly, they discharged silk threads from their mouths with surprisingly high accuracy.

Of course, high accuracy aside, their pulling force was weak. It was just disgustingly sticky.

Furthermore, with both the Sword of the Heavenly Demon and the Mythricon blade in play, clearing threads posed no issue.

[These creatures are ignoring me entirely?]

The one making the biggest splash amidst the swarming spiders was none other than Cain.

Perhaps because they held no interest in dead organisms, the spiders ignored him completely.

As a result, Cain roamed freely across the battlefield, drastically reducing the spiders’ numbers.

[Why do they keep attacking the iron coffin?!]

"They must realize that’s your main body. Tyranno-ya! Fire!"

"Pppeeeek!"

I answered offhandedly while ordering Tyranno to strike.

Thanks to his recent molting and growth spurt, the scale of his dragon breath had expanded noticeably.

Chiiiieeeek!

Just as the first flare was about to fizzle out, Ludwig launched a second one.

As the red light illuminated the cavern once more, the spiders’ movements froze abruptly.

For reasons unknown, it became indisputably clear that these creatures feared light.

The fact that their eyes hadn’t degenerated acted as a fatal weakness.

"Kyaaaaaa!"

"Kiiiiii!"

Even so, their sheer numbers poured forth endlessly.

It was as if they had summoned reinforcements from elsewhere in the cave, swarming us relentlessly.

Chwaaak!

"Th-They spit venom?!"

Some spiders even spat streams of acidic venom from their maws.

Fortunately, the projectile speed was modest, allowing my Body-Protecting Gangqi to block it effortlessly.

However, getting hit by venom even once could break our combat line.

"I’ll block all the venom!"

"Meat shield! So reliable!"

"Shut the fuck up!"

And so I volunteered as the meat shield. Since his words were half-true, I couldn’t even refute him properly.

How much time passed like that? By the time the cavern floor was drenched in sticky spider blood—

The ceaseless tide of spiders had thinned down significantly.

Chwaak!

Bisecting the final remaining spider, I signaled the end of the skirmish.

I thoroughly checked the surroundings for any hidden stragglers, but no live specimens remained.

"Huuu...."

"Lick. Lick."

Even while I was catching my breath, Cheongseol kept feverishly licking my cheek.

To be precise, she was diligently licking off the venom residue clinging to my Body-Protecting Gangqi barrier.

From the looks of it, venom posed zero threat to her digestive system.

’There are way too many of them... What on earth did they feed on to grow like this?’

Reflecting on it again, the sheer quantity was absurd.

These creatures couldn’t be reproducing out of thin air; there had to be a secret hidden within this cave system.

"Let’s push further inside for now. I’m curious to see what’s in there."

"I want to rest, master."

"In a place drenched in blood and poison? It smells terrible here."

"Actually, resting isn’t necessary."

Although he grumbled, rest was indeed necessary.

However, resting in a place like this could lead to disaster, so we had to keep moving.

True rest could only happen once we secured a clean location.

Dragging our weary bodies, we advanced deeper into the cave.

Surprisingly, the further inward we marched, the cooler and crisper the air felt.

’The interior is cleaner than expected... Wait, don’t raise a death flag.’

A dangerous thought had crossed my mind, but I violently shook my head.

At times like this, focusing purely on survival was paramount.

"The interior is quite clean."

"Did this motherfucker just...?"

Our dumb gorilla had personally raised a massive flag.

To Lackey, it was just a casual observation, but not to me.

Just as I was about to burst out in annoyance—

-Chrreureuk....

An ominous sound echoed from directly above us.

It was a faint noise, yet it rang crystal clear in my ears.

"...."

"...."

"...."

The rest of the party seemed to hear it as well. Everyone froze on the spot.

Though it sounded like a faint hiss, the entire team went rigid.

Gulping down my saliva, I slowly tilted my head upward.

Having lost the Light Crystal Orb earlier, we had only two sources of illumination left.

One was the Mistilteinn torch held by Lackey, and the other was my own vision enhancement.

And what my vision illuminated was—

"Chjzzzzz...."

A gigantic spider glaring down at us from the cavern ceiling.

It was colossal enough to cover the entire expanse of the cave roof.

It looked as though a whole building were suspended up there, exuding an overwhelming, terrifying presence.

"...What the hell is that."

↳ Starlight Lady) That’s a queen spider. I heard female spiders are several times larger than males.

Thanks for the explanation.