Chapter 50

[Translator – Proks]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 50: Human-faced Spider (1)

“So, what do you think this mission is going to be?”

“Who knows? Probably something I can clear. The Leader wants me up there no matter what.”

“…You said you’re aiming for first place, right? What do you plan to do once you get the Ascension thing or whatever it’s called? I heard you have to offer it to someone, without exception.”

“Of course, I’m going to keep it for myself.”

Seo Yerim’s face stiffened slightly.

“…Isn’t the Leader pretty strong? Plus, I heard the leader of the Murim Alliance and even the Heavenly Demon are after it. Won’t that start a war?”

“Do maids also know about that these days?”

“…Jang Sam blabbed about it. I picked up a few things while waiting.”

Ah, Jang Sam.

He would be the type to spill everything he hears.

KIm Minwoo nodded.

“The Leader is pretty tough. You definitely can’t beat him in a head-on fight, and neither could I. It could very well start a war.”

“…But you’re still planning to keep it? Just looking at this, the gate’s name might change to something like Heaven and Earth Net, and it could get bumped up to A rank.”

“Oh, so you know about Heaven and Earth Net too?”

“…Huh, do you think I’m just someone who swings a sword all day? I’ve read a few martial arts novels.”

“Well… I can’t say it won’t happen. Now that you mention it, it sounds quite plausible.”

Heaven and Earth Net.

It usually implies an all-encompassing net or siege.

If he absconds with the Ascension item, all three major factions will probably come after him with everything they’ve got.

The setup for a huge siege is quite likely.

“Yerim, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because the most likely time for the clear condition to appear is right after the Dragon Phoenix Tournament ends and the final rankings are announced.”

“Then why don’t you just grab the Ascension item and escape? But they wouldn’t just let you walk off with something that valuable, right?”

“That’s why it won’t trigger for me. To be precise, I probably need to hand the Thread of Ascension clue to the Leader for the clear condition to be satisfied.”

If tradition holds, the offering might be a key condition for clearing the gate.

If he doesn’t give it up, the gate might get really angry and uprank in difficulty.

But what about Seo Yerim’s side?

There’s no tradition or requirement for the second or third-place winners to offer anything.

They just get their rewards and leave.

So, from there, the gate might allow her to escape.

“…So you’re saying I should make my exit first, getting all the rewards while you deal with the chaos?”

“Or do you want to break through Heaven and Earth Net with me?”

“…Hah, this is driving me crazy. Kim Minwoo, let me ask you something. If that Heaven and Earth Net thing actually shows up, do you really think you can break through it?”

“I can’t be sure. There’s a good chance I might die.”

“And you’re still willing to do it?”

“If I had always taken the easy and convenient path, I’d be the one bawling after getting beaten by Sagongja.”

“…”

“I will keep challenging myself now and in the future.”

After a moment of silence, Seo Yerim spoke.

“I don’t know much about you. But from what I can tell, you seem to be living a satisfying life, right?”

“Am I?”

She nodded.

“Then why do you go to such extremes? You’re rich, you’ve Awakened, and you don’t seem to lack anything. Most people in your position would choose to live comfortably, wouldn’t they?”

“Why do you keep practicing swordsmanship, Yerim?”

“…What?”

“Your face is pretty, your grandfather is the Sword Saint, and you’re already a star, making money like it’s nothing. So why do you keep swinging a sword all day?”

“…I just…”

She hesitated for a while, then spoke again.

“I just want to. I want my grandfather’s recognition, so I keep trying. I don’t know, it’s like a hamster wheel.”

Kim Minwoo smiled at her words.

“I also have a goal like you. Conquest. It’s my life’s goal. It became my job, and now I feel restless if I’m not doing it.”

“…You’re seriously crazy, you know that?”

“Am I?”

Seo Yerim stared at him.

She couldn’t be sure about a lot of things.

But there was one thing she could sense.

‘He’s genuine.’

His eyes were telling her that much.

When it came to this goal of strategizing, he was deadly serious.

“…Do you have a plan?”

“I have some ideas. I’m not sure if they’ll work, though.”

“Assuming everything goes well, what are the odds of surviving?”

“About 30%?”

“What if it doesn’t go well?”

“Maybe 1%? Almost certain death.”

“What if I join you?”

“If it goes well, 40%. If it goes poorly, maybe 2%.”

“Wait, you mean if it goes wrong, I only add 1% to the chance of success?”

“When things go wrong, it could really spiral. We have to account for the worst-case scenario. And sorry to say, but if you end up facing the Leader, you wouldn’t last 10 minutes.”

“And you would?”

“Twelve minutes?”

“…You’re saying you’re stronger than me?”

“Not necessarily stronger, but I have a lot of tools at my disposal.”

In a gate, anything could happen, so naturally, he came prepared with all sorts of things in his subspace ring.

He’d find plenty of uses for them later.

“…Alright, I’ll think about it.”

“Think about joining me?”

“Still haven’t decided yet.”

“Don’t get involved. The risk of death is really high, I’m not joking,”

Although his life’s goal was conquest, Seo Yerim was the person who had tried to save him by jumping into a dangerous situation.

He didn’t want to drag her into another death trap.

“…You’re getting ahead of yourself. I told you, I haven’t decided yet.”

“But I’m saying, you shouldn’t—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the door burst open.

“Quick! You both need to come! There’s a huge mission assignment!”

It seemed like a mission had been announced.

* * *

[Mission (Special)]

[Hunt the Human-faced Spider of Sky Mountain]

[Points: 30,000]

[Participants: Baek Socheon, Choi Ang-Ang, Jang Sam]

[Details: If the carapace of the Human-faced Spider is retrieved, Baek Socheon and Choi Ang-Ang will each receive 15,000 points.]

[This mission was agreed upon by the Elders’ Council and approved by the Leader.]

[Notice: Anyone interfering with this mission, regardless of status, will be subjected to a public execution and their entire family will be exterminated.]

The warriors throughout the Sado Alliance read the posted mission with great interest and murmured amongst themselves.

“The Human-faced Spider of Sky Mountain? Are they talking about that beast?”

“Even elite martial artists have gone and never returned…”

“Who are Choi Ang-Ang and Jang Sam?”

“Jang Sam? He’s just a servant, and Choi Ang-Ang is a maid, isn’t she?”

“Why would they send a servant and a maid? Are they asking for their deaths? And with the Fifth young master as well?”

“Did you hear? The Fifth young master knocked out the Fourth young master with just one hit…”

Then, from a distance, the three participants arrived: Baek Socheon, Choi Ang-Ang, and Jang Sam.

The murmuring warriors stepped aside to clear a path.

They read the mission notice.

Out of the three, only Jang Sam’s face turned pale.

His entire body trembled as he looked at Baek Socheon.

“Um… I’ve been wondering… why is my name on that list?”

“Jang Sam, you said earlier that you’re the only loyal servant of the 5th young master.”

“But… sister, that’s not the same thing!”

“So, are you planning to bail out on us?”

[Translator – Proks]

[Proofreader – Gun]

“That’s not what I meant…”

Jang Sam felt like he was going crazy.

Being a servant meant following the orders of his master, but this… this was different.

He’d endured the secretive year of his Young Master’s hidden strength with tears and frustration, thinking he’d finally made it out of the shadows after a year of perseverance.

‘Human-faced Spider?!’

The Human-faced Spider of Sky Mountain was a notoriously vicious beast known for devouring even elite martial artists.

And that wasn’t all.

Throughout Sky Mountain, poisonous air permeated the area, suffocating anything that dared to breathe.

The place was also strewn with sticky spider silk so thick that it could rip the skin off your feet with just one step.

And they were going to face this?

Jang Sam was dumbfounded.

It was essentially a suicide mission!

Sure, the Fifth young master had beaten the Fourth young master, but that was nothing compared to the beast they were facing.

Even a horde of warriors as strong as the Fourth young master couldn’t scratch the surface of the Human-faced Spider.

There was a reason why this mission was worth 30,000 points.

‘Oh, so this is where the Leader shows his cruel intentions!’

The Leader barely acknowledged the Fifth young master as a family member, but now he was ready to send him to his death, unveiling his true viciousness.

The elders’ decisions were final and could not be overturned, not even by the Leader.

Why?

Because the Leader had to approve them in the first place.

He wouldn’t do something contradictory by agreeing and then opposing the same decision.

“No one will interfere, at least,”

Kim Minwoo said with a calm nod, seemingly unbothered by the situation.

“Wait, you’re not worried? They’re sending us on a suicide mission!”

“Whether we live or die, we’ll find out once we’re there. Let’s go. We have a lot to prepare for,”

Kim Minwoo replied, turning his back and walking away.

Seo Yerim followed him without hesitation.

“…Hey, wait for me!”

Jang Sam shouted, running after them.

He couldn’t just escape from the mission.

He had no choice but to follow them.

* * *

Back at their quarters, they found a familiar face waiting for them.

It was the Second Elder.

He handed a sword to Kim Minwoo.

[GHOST BLADE]

[Rank: Unique]

[Level Requirement: 110]

[Effect 1: When struck by this blade, the probability of hallucinations increases significantly.]

[Effect 2: When swung, there’s a chance that a wraith will appear to assist in battle.]

[Effect 3: Mana +40]

Kim Minwoo whistled when he saw the stats.

A sword with a mana bonus was rare, simply because it was unusual for a melee weapon to offer such an effect.

It wasn’t the type of item that had much demand or supply.

‘Perfect for me.’

The other two effects were also quite useful.

Smashing the Judgment Blade, a rare-rank sword, had been worth it, as it led to the creation of this unique-rank weapon.

[TL/N: I have no idea when he got this, this wasn’t mentioned in the earlier chaps]

A true miracle.

“Do you like it?”

“Looks pretty good.”

“The Leader sent it for you.”

“Feels like something’s missing, though.”

“Haha, you’re quite perceptive. Here, take this.”

The Second Elder handed over a martial arts manual to Kim Minwoo.

[Ghost-Slaying Sword Technique]

Kim Minwoo quickly scanned through the manual.

‘Seems decent enough.’

It was a B-rank martial arts manual—an item that wasn’t too burdensome for the Leader to give away but also not something that just anyone could get their hands on.

Kim Minwoo had requested a sword and a martial arts manual from the Leader, and with both items in hand, the deal was complete.

“Please tell the Leader I received it well.”

“Will do.”

The Second Elder replied, nodding as his figure faded away.

Seo Yerim, who had been observing from nearby, approached with curious eyes.

“Are you planning to learn martial arts?”

“Nope. I can’t learn martial arts.”

“With your talent, you’d probably master it in a day if you wanted to.”

Nope, that’s not how it worked.

Martial arts manuals weren’t like skill books.

They were more like training guides.

Following them diligently could eventually lead to learning a skill, but the time required varied depending on one’s talent.

If Kim Minwoo were to try?

He’d never learn martial arts, even if he practiced until his hair turned gray.

It wasn’t a big deal for him.

After all, learning multiple martial arts styles was generally frowned upon because it could lead to a dangerous condition called “deviation” where conflicting styles could cause madness or worse.

For example, if someone learned a lower-level martial art from a particular sect, they’d need to stick with that sect’s upper-level techniques to avoid deviation.

The safest route was to start with an S-rank, top-tier technique, but that wasn’t exactly easy to find or learn.

‘A B-rank manual was about what I expected.’

Higher-rank manuals like A or S rank were strictly controlled, even for someone as powerful as the Leader.

Releasing them without serious justification would lead to chaos among the elders.

Hunting the Human-faced Spider might be enough to earn a higher-rank manual, but they were unlikely to hand it over lightly.

It would take proof of achievement, like a first-place prize, to persuade the elders to even consider releasing one.

But Kim Minwoo hadn’t asked for this manual for himself.

“Jang Sam, come over here.”

“You called for me, sir?”

“Take this.”

“…For me?”

Jang Sam asked, his eyes wide as he looked back and forth between the manual and Kim Minwoo’s face.

“Don’t want it?”

“No, no! I’ll take it! Thank you!”

The Ghost-Slaying Sword Technique—just from the name, it sounded intense and promising.

This wasn’t just some ordinary manual—it was handed over by the Second Elder himself.

There was no way it would be low-quality.

Jang Sam’s current skills consisted of techniques he’d learned from a street-corner sage and the basic Triple Essence Sword Technique, which even rural bandits knew.

No wonder he was so eager to accept this new manual.

“Inside the manual, you’ll also find the Ghost-Slaying Sword Technique and Ghost-Slaying Steps. Memorize everything. We’re heading out to hunt a spider tomorrow, and I’ll test you. If you can’t recite it, you’ll die.”

“Understood! I’ll memorize it!”

Jang Sam replied with enthusiasm.

If he made one mistake, it was like underestimating the seriousness of Kim Minwoo’s words about what would happen if he failed to memorize it.

[Translator – Proks]

[Proofreader – Gun]