A Death Spider?
I stared at the massive creature—not just because of its size or its Uncommon rank, but because something about it felt... off.
This wasn't just any monster.
The Death Spider was one of the rarest and most powerful spider species in all of Ambrosia Forest—a place already feared as one of the most dangerous regions in the world.
Seeing it here, walking calmly out of a bush like it belonged, was more than enough to make me nervous.
Its long, dark legs moved smoothly and quietly, which was creepy for something so huge—about twelve feet tall and over 800 pounds.
The rain made its body shine a little, and the tiny hairs on its legs caught the soft light from the glowing ascension behind me.
Dark red markings covered its stomach, looking like ancient symbols.
They gave off a faint glow, like they were reacting to something I couldn't see.
I glanced again at the Appraisal screen:
---
[Death Spider]
Abilities: Death March, Death Cry (Currently Inactive)
Weaknesses: Fire-based attacks, critical hits to head, eyes, and abdomen (Currently Inactive)
Special Trait: Delivers an exceptionally painful death to its prey (Currently Active)
Rank: Uncommon-Rank Monster
Win Probability: 100%
---
But that 100% win rate didn't calm me.
All it meant was that I could win—not that it wouldn't try to tear me apart in the most painful way possible.
Despite its Uncommon rank, the Death Spider's danger level far exceeded what the system claimed.
It came from places most adventurers never returned from.
Places even Platinum-ranked hunters avoided—or died trying to survive.
How did I know?
I came across it in a book I read yesterday.
Hmm... was it a spider encyclopedia?
Maybe.
I don't remember exactly, but still...
What is this thing doing here?
That was the real question.
It wasn't supposed to be anywhere near this region.
And it definitely shouldn't be alone.
A cold, crawling sense of dread crept down my spine.
Something's wrong...
I slowly looked into its eight dark blue eyes.
They looked… tired.
Wait—a tired monster?
That didn't make any sense.
And now that I really thought about it, why was the system showing a 100% chance of victory for me—even though its special ability was still active?
Sure, its other powers were disabled, but if its strongest one was still working, shouldn't it still be dangerous? Shouldn't it still have a chance to fight back… or even kill me?
So then… what was going on?
I looked at it again.
To my surprise, it hadn't moved an inch.
It just stood there—completely still, like a statue.
Strangely, I didn't feel as afraid anymore.
Just moments ago, I had checked its body more carefully and noticed something important: four of its eight legs were seriously injured.
These weren't just surface wounds. They were deep gashes, and dark red blood was dripping from them, forming puddles on the forest floor.
The rest of its body, though, was untouched. No marks. No bruises. No other damage.
A 100% win rate, huh...
As we stared at each other, I slowly reached into my inventory and pulled out two daggers.
Without wasting a second, I threw them both at its abdomen.
And then…
Nothing.
It didn't move. Didn't flinch. Didn't try to defend itself at all.
Both daggers hit dead center, stabbing deep into its body.
Blood started to ooze from the fresh wounds.
What's wrong with this thing?
I stood frozen. Shocked.
Even now, it didn't react. Not even with its uninjured legs.
This was the first time I had ever seen a monster just… give up.
Like it had accepted death and didn't care anymore.
While I tried to make sense of it all, the spider suddenly let out a low, quiet growl.
It was soft, but it made me look up fast.
I stared at its face—at those eyes.
The color was gone.
They were completely lifeless.
Empty.
Like staring into a bottomless pit.
Then, all at once, its huge body began to collapse—falling straight toward me.
Wait… what?!
I quickly moved to the left to avoid being crushed by the monster's massive body.
As I stepped aside, I saw it crash to the ground with a loud, heavy thud.
What just happened?
I wondered, staring at its body.
Is it… dead?
It sure looked like it.
The monster wasn't moving at all.
But that didn't make sense—it had been standing strong just moments ago.
I had stabbed it twice in the stomach with both my daggers, but I didn't think that was enough to kill it.
Plus, if I had been the one to land the final blow, my system screen would've appeared right away to confirm the kill.
But it didn't.
No notification.
No sign.
Which could only mean one thing—it wasn't me who killed it.
Curious, I carefully walked up to its body to figure out what really happened.
But just as I got close, the back of the monster suddenly burst open.
Blood and guts sprayed everywhere—covering everything, including me.
Oh no…
When I saw the monster's blood falling toward me, I tried to get out of the way—but I was too late.
I could only stand there and watch as its blood splattered all over me, from my face down to my feet.
My beautiful dress…
I screamed in my head, panicked, and immediately started wiping at the fabric with both hands.
No, no, no—this can't be happening!
The dress… I have to save it!
I rubbed at the bloodstains as fast as I could, trying to keep them from drying and becoming permanent.
"Please don't dry… don't dry… don't dry," I whispered over and over as I scrubbed harder.
I was completely freaking out.
This wasn't just some regular outfit.
It wasn't even mine.
It belonged to Allen—his favorite dress.
He gave it to me earlier today for some weird reason, saying I should keep it safe.
I didn't really know why it was so important to him, but I promised I'd return it in perfect condition.
And the worst part?
I wasn't even wearing this when I first came into the jungle.
I had on an old T-shirt at the time.
But after fighting tons of monsters and getting soaked in blood, the smell was unbearable.
So, just for a short while, I changed into Allen's dress—to enjoy the fresh, clean scent.
Only a few minutes.
Not even an hour.
I had only been wearing it for twenty minutes.
Right before I met this monster, I was about to switch back to my dirty T-shirt.
That's when I noticed the system showing a 100% chance of victory.
So I waited.
I checked again just to be sure.
Then I threw two daggers at the monster from a safe distance, careful not to get the dress dirty.
Even when it started falling, I used all my focus to sidestep away from the splash.
But in the end… I still failed.
Ugh, damn it...
Why can't I ever do anything right?
I kept silently yelling at myself as I tried to save the dress.
But just a few seconds later, the monster's body started to fade away—and the blood on the dress began to dry.
No, no...
Even after all that rubbing and scrubbing, nothing worked.
The blood dried completely as the monster's corpse faded into thin air.
"Of course. My luck sucks as always," I muttered a little louder than I meant to, finally giving up on cleaning the dress.
Perfect. Just perfect.
Now what am I supposed to do?
What am I even going to say to Allen when I see him again?
He's going to be so angry when he finds out his favorite shirt is ruined—and it's all because of me.
Honestly, I never should've worn it.
If I had just kept it safe like I promised, none of this would've happened.
But now?
I have no idea how he's going to react.
He wouldn't actually kill me… right?
…Right?
Ugh. Who even knows at this point?
Just thinking about it made a cold shiver run down my spine.
Screw it.
It's my fault, and I'll take whatever punishment he gives me.
I sighed and tried to clear my head.
I have bigger things to worry about than a shirt right now.
I looked over at the spot where the spider's body had been just moments earlier.
Now it was completely gone—only a dark patch of dried blood remained on the forest floor, as if the monster had never been there at all.
As I stood there, staring at the blood-soaked ground where the spider had fallen, a sudden thought crept into my mind.
Wait… who killed it?
If it wasn't me, then… who did?
Yeah—who actually took down that monster?
Was it another creature? Or... a human?
Just as the question started to circle in my head, I heard the rustle of leaves.
Hmm?
Someone stepped out from the very same bush the spider had crawled out of earlier.
"Yahoo! Got you!" a cheerful voice rang out, echoing through the clearing.
The sudden shout jolted me back to reality.
I snapped my head toward the sound, instinctively reaching for my weapon—just in case.
A young man emerged into view.
He had short, tousled blue hair, sharp green eyes, and a surprisingly clean, decent-looking face.
He was wearing a sleek black suit that looked completely untouched by the battle—or the forest.
His frame wasn't bulky, but it was athletic enough to suggest he could handle himself.
Judging by his height and features, he seemed to be about my age.
For a few seconds, we just stared at each other in silence, unsure of what to say or do.
Did he get rid of the spider?
Then he tilted his head slightly, his expression turning curious.
"Hey, are you okay? What's with your face?"
Huh?
What did he mean?
Frowning, I raised a hand to my cheek.
My fingers brushed against something sticky.
I pulled my hand back and stared at it.
Blood.
Thick, dark, and half-dried.
What? Blood?
No way… Don't tell me—
That's when I realized it.
My entire face was splattered with the spider monster's foul-smelling blood.
It must've hit me during that explosion when its body burst.
Disgust and panic hit me all at once.
I immediately started wiping my face with both hands, trying to scrub it off.
The sticky texture and iron smell made me gag a little.
After about a minute of frantic cleaning, I managed to get most of it off.
Still catching my breath, I looked back up at the guy, forcing a shaky smile as I started to say, "Thanks for—"
But I never got to finish the sentence.
What the—?