The spiders didn’t rush.

  They descended slowly.

  Deliberately.

  Their human-like faces twitched unnaturally.

  One member swallowed. “That…”

  “Formation,” Daniel said quietly.

  They obeyed.

  But doubt lingered.

  Only two spiders.

  Nothing overwhelming.

  One member muttered under his breath, “So this was the terrifying prediction?”

  Daniel heard.

  But said nothing.

  Freya vanished.

  The spiders lunged.

  Invisible slashes cut across their legs — precise, shallow.

  The spiders shrieked.

  The members looked around wildly.

  “What is hitting them—?!”

  More slashes.

  But never lethal.

  Never fatal.

  The spiders staggered but retreated deeper into the palace.

  Dragging threads behind them.

  Daniel stepped backward slowly.

  “Let them separate,” he murmured.

  They began drifting apart slightly to corner the spiders.

  More spiders emerged.

  Five.

  Then eight.

  Then more from the upper balconies.

  Webbing shot outward.

  The formation broke.

  One member shouted, “Regroup!”

  Too late.

  Freya’s controlled slashes forced the spiders to maneuver chaotically, preventing the members from killing them efficiently.

  The spiders seized the opportunity.

  Thick webbing bound limbs.

  Venom suppressed strength.

  The five were dragged away, deeper toward the palace’s central hall.

  Freya appeared beside Daniel, laughing softly.

  “You’re insane. Using them as bait?”

  “They’ll live,” Daniel replied calmly.

  “And if they didn’t?”

  “They will.”

  Elsewhere

  In a quiet training courtyard of the Crimson House—

  David practiced alone.

  Spear thrusts.

  Step. Thrust. Turn. Guard.

  He paused.

  “…Why is no one here today?”

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  He wiped sweat from his brow.

  No idea what was happening.

  No idea that five warriors were being dragged through a spider-infested nightmare.

  Pitiful.

  To the main scenario:

  The five warriors did not die immediately.

  That was the cruelest part.

  They were dragged.

  Slowly.

  Helplessly.

  Webbing tightened around their limbs like living ropes, venom numbing their muscles just enough to prevent resistance but not consciousness.

  They were aware.

  Fully aware.

  The palace corridors grew darker the deeper the spiders pulled them.

  The marble changed color.

  From white…

  To gray…

  To black-veined stone.

  One of the five trembled.

  “We should have stayed together…”

  Another bit his lip hard enough to bleed.

  They had doubted him.

  Mocked him.

  Broken formation.

  And now they were prey.

  Above them, dozens of small spiders crawled along the ceiling, watching silently.

  Not attacking.

  Waiting.

  They were being delivered.

  Like offerings.

  The Central Hall

  The lair was vast beyond expectation.

  A grand throne room from a forgotten dynasty.

  But instead of banners, webs hung like funeral drapes.

  Instead of chandeliers, cocoons dangled from silk threads.

  Some cocoons were large.

  Humanoid.

  The five warriors were thrown before a cracked obsidian altar at the center.

  Webbing tightened.

  One of them struggled enough to activate a talisman.

  Light flickered.

  The Second Elder’s image appeared.

  Calm.

  Unbothered.

  “Elder! Please! The boss is here!”

  The elder observed the surroundings carefully.

  “…I see.”

  “Send reinforcements!”

  The elder’s gaze sharpened faintly.

  “You were deployed to test Daniel Maxim’s leadership.”

  The five froze.

  “If he dies here, the House will suffer temporarily… but stability will return.”

  Understanding dawned.

  They were pawns.

  Disposable.

  The projection faded.

  Despair settled like a suffocating blanket.

  Then—

  The air shifted.

  A ripple.

  A presence.

  A blur cut through the descending spiders.

  Steel flashed.

  Three bodies fell instantly.

  Webbing snapped apart.

  Daniel stood before them.

  He tossed five healing potions.

  “Drink.”

  One of them stared at him, shame flooding his face.

  “Why would you—”

  Daniel didn’t answer.

  Because the ground began to shake.

  The Descent of the Monarch

  From the ceiling’s deepest shadow, something massive moved.

  Webs trembled.

  Cocoons swayed.

  Six red lights opened in the darkness.

  Slowly…

  The Human Face Spider descended.

  Its body was monstrous — easily three times larger than the smaller variants.

  Six thick spider legs dug into marble like spears.

  Two muscular human-like arms extended from beneath its thorax — fingers tipped with curved black talons.

  Its face…

  Unsettlingly human.

  Six eyes stacked in two vertical rows.

  Pale gray skin stretched unnaturally across its features.

  Its mouth curved into something resembling a smile.

  Long venomous fangs extended past its chin.

  Drip.

  Drip.

  Each drop of venom melted stone upon contact.

  The aura it released crushed the air.

  One of the five fell to his knees instantly.

  Daniel stepped forward alone.

  Freya moved into the shadows without a word.

  The spider tilted its head.

  And then—

  It vanished.

  The Battle

  The marble exploded beneath Daniel’s feet as one massive leg struck downward.

  He rolled to the side.

  The impact shattered the floor.

  Before he could fully stand, the two human-like arms lunged simultaneously.

  One grabbed for his throat.

  The other clawed toward his abdomen.

  Daniel pivoted backward, blade rotating in a tight defensive arc.

  Clang.

  Sparks flew as steel met hardened chitin.

  It was tougher than he expected.

  Good.

  The spider screeched.

  Webbing shot outward from its abdomen in rapid succession.

  Not strands—

  Spears.

  Daniel cut three midair.

  The fourth grazed his shoulder.

  Pain flared instantly.

  Venom.

  Strong.

  He tore the silk off before it could fully sink in.

  Freya appeared briefly, carving two smaller spiders attempting to flank him before vanishing again.

  The Human Face Spider lunged with full force.

  All six legs stabbed downward like a cage.

  Daniel inhaled.

  The Demon God Heart pulsed violently.

  For a brief moment—

  He saw something.

  A flicker.

  Behind the spider.

  A throne.

  A dark gate.

  A world burning crimson.

  Demonic energy.

  Old.

  Ancient.

  So this dungeon is connected to it…

  The vision shattered as a leg nearly pierced his chest.

  He grabbed it mid-strike.

  Muscles tensed.

  Crack.

  The leg fractured.

  The spider screamed.

  The sound shook the entire hall.

  It retaliated instantly.

  Both human arms slammed into Daniel’s guard, sending him crashing through a pillar.

  Stone collapsed.

  Dust filled the air.

  The five members watched in horror.

  Was he—

  The dust parted.

  Daniel stepped out slowly.

  Unharmed.

  His eyes were colder now.

  The spider hesitated.

  Instinct.

  It sensed something had shifted.

  Daniel lifted his blade.

  Soul Annihilation Art.

  First Form.

  The air trembled faintly.

  The spider shrieked and charged in desperation.

  All six legs drove forward.

  Venom sprayed wildly.

  Daniel stepped forward once.

  Just once.

  And drew a clean horizontal slash.

  Silence.

  The spider froze mid-motion.

  A glowing line traced across its torso.

  Then—

  It split cleanly in two.

  Venom spilled across the altar.

  The six eyes dimmed one by one.

  The lair fell still.

  Later — Sword Hall

  The five stood before Daniel in the Crimson House Sword Hall.

  Bandaged.

  Humbled.

  One stepped forward.

  “Why did you save us… when we abandoned you?”

  Daniel’s expression didn’t change.

  “It is my duty to protect the warriors of my house.”

  Silence.

  The words hit harder than any blade.

  One by one—

  They knelt.

  “We swear loyalty to Daniel Maxim.”

  “We request to join the Sword Unit.”

  Freya leaned against a pillar, shaking her head.

  “You’re so shameless,” she muttered quietly.

  Daniel smirked faintly.

  He was waiting.

  Ding.

  [Quest Complete]

  He opened the reward window—

  And for the first time in a long while—

  Daniel Maxim was genuinely shocked.

  But he said nothing.

  The chapter ended there.