The only sound Abrafo heard was the frantic pounding of his own heart. With desperate, renewed effort, he worked at the dragline silk, feeling the oppressive tightness finally give way. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, fresh air seeped into the stifling cocoon. He was moments from tearing free and making a run for it, but then the colossal spider stopped abruptly. It turned with a chilling swiftness, just as it neared a gnarled, ancient tree.
Abrafo finally got a closer look at his surroundings, his blood running cold: hundreds of silken cocoons hung from every conceivable branch, swaying like macabre fruit. He knew instantly—he needed to release himself, and fast, or he would become just another addition to this monstrous collection.
The giant spider turned slowly, its two enormous eyes fixing on Abrafo, who instinctively feigned unconsciousness. A low, guttural hiss vibrated through the air, and its long, massive chelicerae, razor-sharp pincers, began to extend towards him. Abrafo knew that if he didn't do something now, he was going to be this monster's dinner.
With a sudden surge of adrenaline, Abrafo lunged, grabbing one of the spider's chelicerae. His unexpected attack startled the colossal creature, causing it to rear back suddenly, inadvertently pulling him completely free from the silk wrap and sending him flying into the air. He released the monstrous chelicerae mid-flight and, with precise aim, plunged his blade deep into the giant spider's largest left eye.
A piercing shriek, raw with agony, ripped through the forest. The wounded spider staggered back, swaying violently left and right, its monstrous body crashing against the trees. Cocoons rained down from the branches, shattering on impact. One particularly large cocoon landed directly on Abrafo, splitting open the moment it hit. Thick, black, foul-smelling putrefaction fluid gushed out, drenching him from head to toe.
The spider screeched again, a deafening sound that echoed throughout the entire mountain. He tried desperately to stand and run, but his legs remained numb, utterly unresponsive. The giant spider, blinded in one eye, continued to shriek in pain, its remaining eyes frantically searching the ground for Abrafo's trace.
Though the spider was as massive as a horse, its seven eyes paradoxically granted it very poor eyesight. Now, coated in the putrefaction fluid, Abrafo's scent was completely masked. The creature continued its enraged screeching and frantic searching, unable to pinpoint his location.
Abrafo propped himself up on his elbows and began to crawl, dragging his paralyzed lower body along the path the giant spider had taken him from, desperate to escape.
Michio heard the loud, piercing screech not far from him. He knew that if he wanted to reach the source of the scream, he had to emerge from his hiding place and pass the unsettling creature standing nearby.
Michio took a few deep, fortifying breaths. "Here we go," he muttered. As he spoke, he burst from behind the tree, his movements swift. He fired two talismans, one after the other, at the grotesque thing in front of him. Then, he pulled out his three-section staff and hurled it like a javelin.
The greenish creature in front of him shrieked in pain as the talismans struck. With a powerful thrust of his foot, Michio launched himself forward, swinging the three-section staff at the green monster. The monster quickly countered Michio's blows with its sharp, wicked claws.
Michio nimbly stepped back, staring intently at the green monster. It possessed the body of a grasshopper, disturbingly combined with a human face—one side male, the other female. Seeing the creature clearly now, Michio finally understood why he had heard two voices earlier, making him believe there were multiple enemies.
"What are you?" Michio asked, a mix of suspicion and morbid curiosity in his voice.
The monster's mouth stretched into a grotesque smile. "The name is Zöld."
Michio matched the smile with one of his own. "Michio. Why are you trying to kill me?"
Zöld stretched out its long, spindly fingers, then slowly, deliberately, licked its lips with a dark green tongue. "Because we haven't had human flesh for a long time…" it hissed, its voices intertwining. "Fresh flesh… tastes the best."
Michio's eyes widened in dawning horror. He remembered the old village, the field of bones. "You ate all those villagers?" he roared, his voice laced with disgust.
Zöld giggled, a chilling, childlike sound. "It's not our fault that they built their houses under our feet."
"You evil… monstrous grasshopper with a double human face…!" Michio snarled, incensed.
"The name is Zöld," the creature chuckled, unfazed.
"I don't care if your name is Ze… Zo… or Zöld!" Michio shouted back, his voice booming. "I only know that you are killing innocent people indiscriminately! This is something that this monk cannot look past!"
"They entered our territory…" Zöld countered, its smile fading. "The guardian said that whatever comes into our territory, we can do whatever we want with it."
"Guardian? Who is the guardian?" Michio pressed, seizing on the new information.
"Whoever lives on top of the mountain is the guardian," Zöld replied, its voices merging into one contemptuous tone.
"The land belongs to all living creatures, not just you!" Michio declared, pointing his three-section staff at Zöld. "You have no right to take anyone's life; only Heaven has that right!"
"Where have you been?" Zöld sneered, its eyes narrowing. "Since ancient times, we carnivores have always had the upper hand. We are at the top of the food chain, and you humans are at the bottom. So don't compare us." Zöld snarled, its monstrous face contorted with malice.
Michio's own eyes blazed with defiance. "I will show you which group of us is at the top of the food chain!"
Michio galloped forward, swinging the three-section staff directly at Zöld's head. Zöld raised a sharp, chitinous paw to block Michio's blow, and with its right paw, swung a clawed strike towards Michio's abdomen. Michio quickly blocked it and countered with a powerful kick to Zöld's midsection.
Michio executed a swift front flip, landing squarely on Zöld's back. He began to strike Zöld's head repeatedly, left and right, with rapid, precise blows. Zöld thrashed and writhed, trying desperately to dislodge Michio, but couldn't. Michio quickly rolled further onto Zöld's back and smashed a potent fire talisman onto the creature's carapace.
Zöld shrieked in excruciating pain. "Ah… evil humans… we are burning… ah… we are burning!"
Michio, wary of the rapidly spreading flames, quickly distanced himself from Zöld. Zöld continued to scream and curse at Michio as its body ignited.
Michio sighed, "Amitabha…" He watched the flames engulf Zöld. Not wanting to witness the full, gruesome burning, he turned and started running towards the sound of the earlier screeching, hoping it was Abrafo. When he had run far enough, he stopped to catch his breath and turned to look back, but he could no longer see Zöld or the burning flames. He assumed Zöld must have put out the fire, so he continued to run, driven by urgency.
Quietly emerging from the dark green pond was Chun's head. Her face was strikingly beautiful, framed by long black hair, her eyes a mesmerizing red. Chun stood there motionless, her gaze fixed on Yul's back. She knew, with an ancient certainty, that Yul hadn't noticed her. Not many things on this mountain noticed her until she chose to make a move.
Chun flowed swiftly, effortlessly, like water descending a river, touching nothing, like wind passing silently, leaving only ripples on the surface of the pond. She swam to the edge, pushing herself out of the water with graceful hands, the other half of her scaly, serpentine body following her upper torso onto the bank. She stood there for a moment, observing Yul, then began to follow him slowly and silently, a predatory patience in her movements.
Yul came across a long piece of dried snakeskin, its scales still visible. He stopped suddenly, staring down at the shed skin on the ground. It looked as though it had been there for a long time, faded and brittle. He bent down slowly, examining it closely. He knew, with a chill, that they were entering very dangerous terrain indeed.
As Yul straightened, he felt a hand gently caress his back, moving slowly downwards towards his lower spine. He spun around, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his sword, but he saw nothing. The air was empty.
"It's so handsome," Chun's voice purred, seemingly from thin air. "Why don't you stay and be another husband for me?"
Yul quickly searched around, his eyes darting through the trees, but still saw no one. "Who are you?" Yul demanded, his hand gripping his sword.
"Chun," the voice replied, and then she appeared, lying languidly on a branch above him, gazing down with a seductive smile. Her long, green, scaly tail slowly, deliberately, crept onto Yul's back, stroking him. "Stay by my side. I can fulfill any wish of yours."
"What I want, you can never fulfill," Yul stated, his voice firm, refusing to be swayed.
Chun laughed softly. "I have lived for thousands of years, and there is nothing I don't know."
Yul continued to turn, trying to pinpoint her exact location, despite seeing her. "Take me to No Man's Land and help me retrieve the white dragon tail. If you can do that, I will consider living here with you."
Chun laughed, a trilling, mocking sound. "You're crazy. You'll never succeed."
"Why?" Yul asked, his patience wearing thin.
Chun materialized from behind a nearby tree, now standing just feet from him, smiling alluringly. "Because no creature has ever entered No Man's Land."
"What do you mean?" Yul pressed, a jolt of alarm going through him.
Chun's smile widened, her red eyes glinting. "Why should I tell you?"
"You don't have to tell me about No Man's Land," Yul conceded, trying a different approach, "but perhaps you can tell me why you're alone on this mountain."
Chun's beautiful face twisted with sudden, fierce anger. "You think I like staying here? This place is a prison! If I had a choice, I would be the first to leave here voluntarily."
"If you think this is a prison, why don't you leave?" Yul asked, intrigued by her vehemence.
"I can't leave here," Chun said, her anger subsiding into a deep sadness. "Anyone who enters this mountain can't leave here. Besides, if I leave here, I'm afraid I won't see him again."
"Who?" Yul asked, sensing a vulnerability.
"My lover." She rolled her eyes playfully at Yul and smiled, her attitude shifting abruptly. "Since you are so handsome and kind…" Chun's expression became conspiratorial. "I'll tell you what you want to know." She moved even closer to Yul, her voice a low whisper. "I heard other creatures say… To enter No Man's Land, you must first collect five keys. There is no point in reaching the Gate of Reality without those keys." She turned, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "You won't be able to break through the Gate of Reality. Many years ago, a very powerful mage traveled there without the five keys and decided to use his magical powers to destroy the Gate of Reality, but he failed catastrophically. He ended up killing everyone he took with him and himself. His body was destroyed into four hundred pieces. An unknown tribe took his flesh and buried him in a cave of crystals. For seven days they prayed without ceasing. Under their prayers, the four hundred pieces of flesh and blood of the dead powerful mage began to grow and turned into four hundred powerful mages to protect this mysterious tribe."
Chun stared at Yul, her smile unwavering, continuing her chilling tale: "It's a pity… these four hundred powerful mages were so stupid to follow their leader and serve a certain Northern king, but they died together with the things they created to protect this vicious king."
Yul suddenly realized the horrific implication. Chun was talking about the Kukungga tribe and the River of Sorrow. "Do you know where the five keys are?" Yul asked, his voice urgent.
"I don't know," Chun replied, shrugging playfully. "No one knows. I only know that these five keys contain five elements." She stopped, still smiling at Yul, refusing to divulge anything further. "Well… Maybe you can ask the Emperor of Heaven."
Yul sighed, a wave of despair washing over him. He knew that the black hole had been created by the Emperor of Heaven, so the chances of the emperor helping them were effectively zero.
"Thank you for the backstory," Yul said, turning to leave Chun.
Chun's smile remained. "Leaving so soon?"
Yul turned back, his gaze firm. "You finished telling your story. I have friends to save."
"My story is not free," Chun said, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone.
"I don't know how true your story is," Yul challenged, trying to buy time.
"My story is true, and I never lie to someone I'm about to eat," Chun said, her giggle turning into a chilling hiss as her split tongue flickered out at Yul.