Chapter 249: The Spider Was Definitely Eyeing Me!

The red moon kept spilling its crimson light somewhere beyond the horizon, like a wound leaking blood, casting a rust-colored glow over the world.

The rustling of enormous leaves and the skittering of giant insects shattered the forest’s hush. Each sound sent shivers crawling up my spine.

On the brighter side, the cold night wind felt fresh against my face, brushing through my golden hair the same way it rippled across the waist-high grass.

I had just begun to enjoy the breeze when a spider the size of a small car peeked from the bushes.

The spider’s face, looking disturbingly human, was stretched into an inhumanly wide grin.

It didn’t dare approach. Just stared from a safe distance.

Its many pitch-black eyes stayed fixed on me.

And under the haunting red moonlight, the whole scene was ten times more harrowing than anything my words could ever convey.

"Gods, this place is so fucking creepy!" I exclaimed as the spider slipped back into the oversized undergrowth.

"You think so?" Michael’s voice resounded from somewhere behind me.

His footsteps crunched closer until he came to stand at my side.

I threw my hands up. "Too many creatures here look like unholy mashups of humans, insects, and plants! If you listen closely, you can quite

literally

hear some trees screaming.

Screaming

! And I just saw a very suspicious spider eyeing me up and down!"

Michael shrugged. "Maybe she was interested in you."

I scowled. "Please die."

He laughed.

We stood there for several long minutes in silence, until the quiet grew heavy.

I let out a sigh that could’ve been mistaken for a groan and turned to him. "Michael, I know why you’re here. You want to talk to me."

He arched a brow.

I continued. "You don’t want someone like me around. You think I’m selfish and I’ll put you all in jeopardy for my own survival."

To be fair, that wasn’t

entirely

wrong.

Yes, I wanted to escape this place with all the main characters alive, because I needed them for my future plans.

But if it came down to me or them... I wouldn’t hesitate to choose myself.

Not out of arrogance or cowardice or selfishness. But simply because my life mattered

more

than theirs.

If I survived this arc, I was confident I could still find a way to stop the end of the world even without the help of the main characters.

Would it be

astronomically

difficult, maybe even downright

impossible

? Absolutely.

But I’d still bet on myself over these supposed heroes, these clueless and hopelessly dumb children.

I knew that kind of reasoning was hypocritical, even absurd. But let’s be honest — I

am

a hypocrite. Sue me.

"So don’t worry," I went on. "I’ll stay far behind you guys. I know you don’t want me traveling with the group."

Michael’s brows furrowed. "What?! No, Samael. That’s not it at all. In fact, it’s the complete opposite."

"The complete opposite?" I squinted in confusion. "So...

I

don’t want

you

traveling with the group?"

"Arghh!" Michael groaned. A vein popped at his temple like he was desperately resisting the urge to strangle me. "I mean I want you to travel

with

us!"

"...Oh?" I blinked.

"Yes!" He nodded, then exhaled woefully. "Samael, I’ve seen six Cadets die in half as many days. Yesterday, I came so close to saving one boy, but I couldn’t. I knew him. He used to sit in front of me during Applied Advanced Physics. But I wasn’t fast enough. And I had to watch a beast butcher him right before my eyes."

Michael’s tone grew soft. "He screamed my name when he saw me. But by then, he was already half-dead. And in the very next moment, he wasn’t even a body anymore... just scattered

chunks

of flesh."

The silence that followed pressed down on us.

Even the wind seemed to halt.

I tilted my head. "And you’re telling me this because?"

"Because you were right," he answered at once. "After we returned from Ishtara — when you said I needed to be stronger so next time there wouldn’t be regrets... you were right."

He turned to me, fists clenched and jaw tight. "But I’m not strong enough yet. So I need your help. Please. I need you to work with us so we can all get out of here alive. And I have just one request."

"Which is?" I prompted.

Michael’s eyes locked on mine, the red moonlight painting his face in a grim shade. "Use

only

me. No one else’s life should be put at risk. If you think you need to sacrifice someone at some point, let it be me. I’ll gladly go along with any of your plans."

I studied him for a long moment. The way his voice trembled but never broke, the way his gaze held steady even as the wind rattled the branches overhead.

"Wow," I said finally, my lips curling into something between a smirk and disbelief. "That’s... noble. Stupid. But noble."

Michael didn’t flinch. "I’m serious."

"That’s the problem," I chuckled. "You

really

mean it. You’d throw yourself into the meat grinder just to save someone else. I can’t tell if that’s courage or brain damage."

"I don’t want to hear this from someone who fights like he’s immortal," he shot back. "Regardless, just accept my request."

I let the silence stretch, then shrugged like it made no difference to me. "Fine. I’ll keep your deal in mind. I’ll remember you volunteered. But no promises. And don’t cry when you find out I’m not sentimental enough to die for you in return."

"I wouldn’t expect you to," he scoffed, then turned and started heading back toward camp. "We’re setting up. Join us. We’ll discuss what to do from here on out."

•••

I watched Michael leave, wondering if he was insane or just unbearably sincere.

Well, I knew the answer.

He was probably both.

So willing to draw a bull’s-eye on his own chest so no one else had to wear it.

What a perfect hero.

"Stupid idiot," I muttered, feeling vaguely irritated for reasons I couldn’t quite understand myself.

Right then, a dry rustle snapped the moment.

I spun, eyes narrowing toward the bushes. For a second, I thought that grinning spider had come back for another peek.

But nothing stirred. Just the whisper of leaves and the shadow of trees shivering in the crimson moonlight.

Still, the sense of being watched lingered, prickling across my skin and giving me the creeps.

After making sure Michael was gone and no one else was around...

I said calmly, "You can come out now."