Chapter 22
It wasn’t really something to get angry at Quintilla for…
But since every second counted, my voice came out sharper than I intended.
“The surest way is for Aracnesia to release them directly from the cocoons. The cocoons and Aracnesia are connected. Where do you think all the absorbed life force goes? It travels through the threads connected to the ends of the cocoons—straight to Aracnesia.”
“Th-then… if those Anthragons stay trapped like this…”
I stared at the countless cocoons where the Anthragons were imprisoned and continued.
“…Yes. That’s why I tried to persuade her somehow, but she refuses to listen to me.”
As Quintilla spoke, her obsidian eyes blazed intensely.
Ah. I understood now.
Quintilla hadn’t come to fight Aracnesia—she’d come to convince her.
Even though she, of all people, must be overflowing with hatred for Aracnesia, she’d held it back.
Because she wanted to save her imprisoned children alive.
“…Quintilla, I have a good idea. So tell me where Aracnesia is.”
When Quintilla’s calm, sea-black eyes locked onto mine, I added firmly:
“Right now.”
* * *
Aracnesia had always been plagued by hunger.
Her mother, driven mad by starvation, had devoured her own brood one by one, and humans had destroyed their habitat again and again.
There was nowhere left for Aracnesia to go.
After wandering endlessly for what felt like an eternity, she had finally discovered this place—home of the Anthragons.
A paradise of abundant resources and prey.
So when she first pleaded with Quintilla, promising not to harm the Anthragons if only she could share a small part of the territory, she had meant it.
There was no need to eat Anthragons anyway—there was more than enough prey to go around.
Moreover, Quintilla—their queen—was a great magical beast far older and more powerful than Aracnesia herself, a troublesome opponent she’d rather not provoke.
But three days ago, all the prey in the area had vanished—without a single trace.
Every last one.
Aracnesia fell into despair.
The memories of losing countless homes before had already scarred her deeply; it didn’t take much to drag her back into the pit of hopelessness.
“…I don’t want to be hungry anymore.”
Then, at that moment, a delicious white shape entered her sight.
Aracnesia slowly opened her black mouth toward the Anthragon writhing in her web.
“Delicious… so delicious…”
One, then two…
With every bite she took, her red demonic energy grew darker and thicker.
“Still not enough.”
Her jet-black eyes gleamed as she stared at the Anthragons—eyes framed by her burning red hair.
* * *
“Hey! Aracnesia!”
Zoe stormed right into Aracnesia’s territory without hesitation and shouted harshly.
Her sharp, cutting voice echoed through the space.
In response, Aracnesia slowly emerged from the darkness.
As I thought—just like Quintilla, she takes human form.
If Quintilla was a pure, lovely girl with an innocent smile, then Aracnesia was her cold, urban counterpart—an icy beauty.
If not for the many spider legs extending from her lower body, one might have mistaken her for a human.
As Aracnesia’s dark, sunken eyes met Zoe’s, the two stared each other down.
Without breaking eye contact, Zoe shouted again:
“Hey! You’re the one who hurt our kids, aren’t you?”
Her tone was rough, like some street punk picking a fight, but it carried an unfiltered rage she couldn’t hide.
Aracnesia didn’t move a muscle.
She only watched Zoe in silence.
Quintilla had warned that Aracnesia was a cautious, stealthy predator—one who hunted in silence from the shadows.
Yet for some reason, she had revealed herself so easily, despite Zoe’s blatant provocation.
“…”
Zoe couldn’t make sense of it.
The stench was suffocating, and the red demonic miasma swirling around Aracnesia made Zoe’s instincts scream at her to flee.
“When someone talks to you, you should answer, you damn spider freak.”
Zoe muttered irritably and stepped closer.
She had come here to negotiate, but the words just wouldn’t come out sweetly.
Ever since she’d entered this lair, her insides had been churning with unease.
She exhaled slowly, releasing the tension in her chest.
“…Forget it. Don’t talk if you don’t want to.”
Her tone was dry, almost mocking.
Her usually bright blue eyes glinted sharply as she stared at Aracnesia.
“…”
Aracnesia looked down at the young human girl glaring up at her.
The moment the girl entered her den, that intoxicatingly delicious scent had shredded what little self-control Aracnesia had left.
The hunger burned hotter, enough to make her forget her own habit of hiding while she hunted.
“Such a delicious smell… I’m so hungry… Human, I’m going to eat you.”
She licked her parched lips with a crimson tongue and lunged.
Shhhh—!
Aracnesia spat a spray of venom-laced silk toward Zoe.
Even a massive Beorax beast would collapse instantly from a single touch of that poison.
“…Tch, take this instead!”
Zoe rolled aside just in time and flung acidic slime back at her.
Chiissss—
The web melted away wherever the acid touched it.
Red veins flared in Aracnesia’s sclera.
That acid could even corrode a golem’s stone body—it was clearly effective.
“…Human, why do you torment me?”
“Oh, for crying out loud—shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
Zoe snapped back.
“Why do you humans always torment me, steal my home… You wretched prey—how dare you! How dare you!!”
Her voice, sharp as finely honed blades, cut through the air.
Zoe was left speechless by the absurdity of it all.
Wasn’t that exactly what the Anthragons could say to her?
There was one thing Zoe could never tolerate—
When the strong preyed upon the weak.
And if those victims were the ones she cared about most, she would fight anyone, no matter how strong.
Zoe thought of her gentle friends—those who hated humans, yet had still offered her warmth, even over a single scone.
She had planned to use her Taming Skill here, but…
That would be far too merciful for this monster.
Her blue eyes burned fiercely.
She decided to show Aracnesia firsthand what true survival of the fittest meant.
“This time, you’ll be the one who’s weak.”
Abandoning any pretense of mercy, Zoe attacked wildly.
When Aracnesia rushed toward her along her web, Zoe kicked her square in the abdomen.
BOOOOM!
Aracnesia’s body flew in a high arc, crashed against the wall, and slammed into the ground.
The impact seemed to have dealt serious damage—likely thanks to Zoe’s high Strength stat.
“Ugh…”
Zoe approached the groaning Aracnesia, grabbed her by her red hair, and slapped her hard across the face.
Smack!
“Ah—stop! Stop it… It hurts! It hurts, don’t hurt me!”
Aracnesia’s screams filled the air, but Zoe didn’t stop.
And just when Aracnesia collapsed completely, several smaller Arachne burst out of hiding and threw themselves over her.
“Mother—we have to protect Mother.”
“Protect her! Protect her!”
As her body reached its limit, Aracnesia looked at the children surrounding her and thought—
That she would do what she had once despised her own mother for.
She would devour her own children.
