The Sword of The Past: 14

Struggle

If Guts was still alive, he would have warned me of the danger. I hate how easily that spider made a cacoon of me, how I didn’t even notice the danger before it was too late. It was a mistake on my part. I shouldn’t have gone alone to this labyrinth.

What happened, happened. I can’t change that, but it doesn’t mean that I will just let that spider make me its meal. Even if I couldn’t move, I could feel my sword, which was under my feet. I only need to free myself, get the sword, and kill that spider.

The problem was that I couldn’t move. The web did not allow any movement. Still, it didn’t stop the flow of my origin energy. I concentrated my origin energy on my fingertips and burned small holes on the web, freeing my fingers.

I didn’t know how flammable the web was. If it caught on fire, I would burn alive. So I was as careful as I possibly could. Only heating my fingertips, burning little by little of the web that was wrapped on me.

It took some time, but I managed to free my arms and then cut myself off the wall to the ground. I left some of the webs on my body. It was a sticky substance, but it was firm and stopped the bleeding of my leg and arm. As long as it didn’t obstruct my movement, I didn’t mind it being on me.

Taking my sword from the ground, I moved quietly as I could. The cave was dark. That spider probably has not seen the light in its lifetime. I had to assume that it was blind but had a great sense of smell and great hearing. I could hear the spider somewhere nearby.

I knew that I had only one chance to take it down. I saw its eight eyes. So I had to wonder what would happen when a creature who didn’t see any light in its lifetime would be presented with an enormous light source.

I quietly gathered some web and wrapped it around my sword. Igniting the web with fire, I watched it spread along with the sword to its tip. So the web was burned pretty well. Once the fire was at its peak, I moved forward.

The giant spider wasn’t far away, and hearing my movements, it turned to face me. My guess was right: seeing my burning sword, it hissed and backed off. I didn’t let it go and jumped at it. Swinging my sword and hitting its front leg, I heard a crunch as the leg broke.

Not letting it run off, I pushed forward to its face. The spider was panicking, swinging its legs erratically. I ignored the pain when it managed to hit me and just moved forward as it tried to move back, away from my burning sword.

Once close enough, I tried to pierce the spider’s head with my flaming sword. Just as I thought I would succeed, it spat something at me. Using my sword to block it, I took a step back. The substance that I blocked wasn’t a web but some kind of sticky bile that extinguished the sword's flames.

The moment I knew that I was fucked, the spider’s leg swiped and swatted me like some kind of fly to the wall. I almost lost my consciousness to the hit, but I managed to keep my eyes open through sheer will. I saw the spider size of horse coming to me.

I didn’t have the strength to get up, and my origin energy was almost spent. This might be it, but I couldn’t just give up. As the spider came to me, opening its jaws and hissing at me. I gathered all my remaining strength to my arms and stabbed in its mouth.

The spider didn’t suspect this attack, and I pushed my sword till only the hilt was left outside its body. After a few more moments of struggle, the spider went quiet and slumped to the ground. It seems that stabbing monsters into the mouth is an effective strategy.

Afterward, I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore and embraced the sweet sleep.

…

“Please, help me.”

A voice pulled back me into reality. Quickly standing up, I looked around. I don’t know how much time I had slept, but I had regained some strength. Two cacoons near me wriggled around, and I could hear a crying voice from one of them. Moving to the one who asked for help, I ripped the web from its head.

Cutting the cacoon open, I found a man in his early thirties. He was dressed in well-maintained steel armor. A silver tag hanging out around his neck. The other man was younger but with steel armor and a silver tag.

I didn’t like that they didn’t look like hunters, even if the silver tags suggested otherwise. The problem was that I was hurt and didn’t know what kind of monster I would meet next. I need help, no matter how suspicious I am.

“My name is Tom, and he is James. Thank you for saving us.”

The older one introduced himself and his companion to me. His manners were weird, and I think I became too paranoid that I would determine people's nature by their manners. Still, he was too polite.

“I am Levi, Bronze rank.”

“A Bronze rank, you managed to kill that monster on your own.”

The younger one looked at me, surprised. Even the older one looked at me like I was lying. I just showed them my bronze tag, not trying to explain any further. After checking my tag, they nodded at each other.

“Well, it seems we have a new talent blooming in our glorious empire.”

Definitely suspicious. If he’s that patriotic, he should have joined the army. They were weird. I couldn’t let my guard down around them. At least they didn’t mention my sword, but that could be just to hide their true intentions.

“Help me get out of this damn labyrinth, and we will be even,” I told them.

“That a good deal, very well, my friend is sensitive to air fluctuations. We should be able to find an exit in no time,” Tom said, slapping James’ back.

“Or another cave with a giant spider,” I couldn’t help but comment.

“I don’t think there will be any more monsters,” James told me, and after I looked at him with questioning eyes, he continued. “I mean, this kind of monster would be the apex predator. It would have killed other monsters.”

“It had to eat something, and people just came there a couple of days ago.”

James’ analogy wasn’t wrong but was too naïve. There could be monsters with the ability to run away from the spider or the ability to hide. They weren’t experienced, so why are they silver rank? The more they talk, the more suspicious I am of them.

After finding the weapons, they had dropped, we left the cave and returned to the labyrinth. While looking from an exit, they explained that they belonged to the party led by Gold rank hunter Franz. Apparently, they were sent to scout and see if it was more important to explore lower floors rather than upper floors.

‘Are you really going to trust them, boy?’

“Now you are talking,” I answered the Heavenly Demon in quiet. ”You could have helped with that spider.”

‘Don’t be ridiculous. You needed all your focus to survive that encounter. I would only have distracted you. You should thank me instead of complaining.’

I didn’t reply to him. There was no need to get in an argument with someone who wouldn’t shut up even if he lost it. Still, his question was a valid one. The trust I gave to people has not paid off right now. There was no way I would trust these two, who were clearly suspicious.

“You know, Levi, our leader, is always looking for new talents. Would you like to meet him?”

“I am not looking to join any party, Tom.”

“Why not, ah, don’t worry, you wouldn’t need to be bound by any contract or rules. You would be free to leave at any time.”

That sounded even more suspicious. The leader probably dealt with the people who left the party in secret, so these two would think they were free. No, they didn’t look like hunters in the first place. More likely, they are knights in disguise, so the leader was probably some kind of noble.

If what I am thinking is true, it is even worse. A noble doesn’t look for companions but for servants. He would entice me with some great rewards before using me for all I am worth before I couldn’t take it anymore. He would then say that I was free to leave with no compensation in hand.

“I will think about it,” I gave Tom an answer. “More importantly, how does it go, finding an exit?”

“I am certain that we are close. I can feel air flowing differently from this direction.”

I listened to James answer and followed him. Not long after, we reached a dead end. I had my hand on the hilt of my sword, thinking they lured me there to kill. But seeing the surprised face of James’ and thinking about it, there was no need to bring me there if they wanted to kill me.

“It can’t be. I definitely feel the difference in the air in there.”

I narrowed my eyes and looked around attentively. Now that I think about it, we walked quite a while, and I didn’t see any bread crumbs that I dropped anywhere. It meant that we walked to the place I have not before, or something had eaten it.

“Well, you have been mistaken, James.”

James nodded at Tom’s words, but I could not get rid of the idea that we were missing something. The floor and the ceiling were smooth stones, like the other walls, but not this one. The wall that blocked our path was made of bricks. I put my hand on the wall and could feel the coldness that the floor didn’t have.

“It is the way,” I said to the two men, who were preparing to turn back. “James, check every brick on this wall, see if you can feel something.”

James looked at me skeptically but, in the end, nodded. Touching every brick from top to bottom, his face changed. He repeated the action repeatedly, and his face took a serious look. After about ten minutes, he turned back to me.

“The middle bricks are colder than the outer ones. I think it is a hidden passage.”

“That good, now we need to find a way to open it,” Tom looked delighted.

“I have an idea,” I said. “Do either of you have some food, bread, or anything.”

I lost my supplies at the cave of that spider, so I had only a canteen of water and nothing else. Tom and James looked in their pockets and brought a loaf of bread and a couple of apples. I took the food from them and cut it into pieces before placing it on the floor.

Both men looked at me confused while dragging them away from the hidden door. Once we turned around the corner, I hid them behind me and waited. Ten minutes passed, and nothing happened, Tom tried to question me, but I shushed him and waited some more.

After a half-hour later, I felt a chill running through my skin. James felt it too as he gripped the hilt of his sword. The hidden door got a shine on it before something like ice covered it. I took my dagger and prepared to sprint. Once the door opened, a white fox appeared.

Without any delay, I jumped at the sprint, and before the fox could react, I grabbed it. Tom and James were right behind me. Looking behind the door, I saw a white world. Snow-covered everything that was behind the door.

“This is our exit, gentlemen.”

They were surprised, just as I was at the place that we found. It wasn’t room. It was a forest with a white sky. Bunch of trees covered by snow and even animals running nearby.