Chapter 8
Inside, it was a completely different world.
The moment we entered, hordes of monsters began surging toward us like an army.
‘Is it because this is reality and not a game, that there are so many of them?’
From the start, it wasn’t easy.
And the monsters of this dungeon—though they showed killing intent toward all of us—their first target was always the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness! T-there, behind you!”
Max desperately tried to shield the Prince.
“Lady April, please be careful and follow us closely!”
Even Yeniel joined Max in guarding the Crown Prince.
But there were just too many.
Green creatures, reminiscent of orcs and goblins, rushed at us, spewing black poison.
The closer they came, the clearer it became that the toxic fumes from their breath corroded the dungeon walls and floor.
“Everyone, stand back! I’ll summon my offensive spirit! — Shaeplin!”
At Sian’s call, a fierce wind rose.
It condensed into a sharp, crescent-shaped storm that poured down upon the monsters—a rain of death.
In an instant, the horde encircling us was slaughtered, bodies collapsing to the ground.
The attack was powerful, and Sian, drained of mana, caught his breath with a frown, briefly covering his mouth as if sickened by the sensation of life being cut away.
“Reperel, blow these fumes away.”
The wind spirit carried off the poison and stench of blood, though the metallic tang still clung heavily in the air.
Even Yeniel and Max covered their mouths, but the Crown Prince appeared unbothered—accustomed, perhaps.
“Thank you, Sian.”
We pressed onward. One sector gave way to another, each populated with different monsters. Now it was pitch-black lizard-like creatures.
They mimicked human voices, and when shredded by Sian’s spirit, they screamed with chilling cries that resembled human wails.
After two or three such areas, we reached a small rest zone.
It truly felt like a fantasy dungeon, yet, true to a horror game, everything was grotesque and unsettling.
Kill, kill, rest, then kill again.
How far had we come like that?
Remaining on guard, we eventually reached a vast cavern.
A rotten stench hung faintly in the air, the kind of darkness no normal person would dare to step into. The sticky floor added to the suffocating dread.
If I had claustrophobia, I would’ve gone mad right then, desperate to escape.
“Why is it so wide and dark in here?”
Max muttered, trembling.
So far, monsters had appeared regularly. But their numbers had been dwindling—until now, when none appeared at all. As if the creature dwelling here was too dangerous, even for other monsters.
Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed above us.
A gigantic spider, larger than several humans combined, descended silently overhead.
Its red, grotesque compound eyes rolled, fixing upon us. A chilling cry echoed from its maw.
Yeniel bit her lip in despair.
“Your Highness—it’s a demon-spawn! A corrupted servant summoned by devils!”
Looking closer, the ground around us was littered with huge cocoons of white silk.
As my eyes adjusted fully to the darkness, the ground beneath us became clearer.
Spiderwebs. White threads.
And what I had thought were rocks—
“Uagh!”
Sian, the strategist, went pale and stumbled back.
They weren’t rocks at all. They were bones—human skulls, hand bones, ribs, and other remains I couldn’t even recognize.
Among them were carcasses of the dungeon monsters too, shriveled and cocooned in webs.
‘…I remember this.’
This was the section where the giant spider appeared, constantly chasing us across the webs. In the game, Yeniel’s slower speed and stamina made for a thrilling, near-capture chase sequence.
I had always thought this spider was just a visual scare.
But something strange was happening.
The ground trembled, and the giant cocoons around us began to rip open.
From within crawled dozens of baby spiders.
“Baby” in name only—they were each the size of a man’s forearm.
As they swarmed, the giant spider itself finally landed with a thunderous crash.
It had come down. The spider itself.
‘What’s happening here?’
The only choice left was to run.
The entire party sprinted desperately.
“Where should we go?!”
The Crown Prince’s shout was answered by Max, who pointed ahead.
“T-that way!”
Beyond this zone lay a path. A tall staircase leading up to a white, temple-like structure.
“Sir Max is right…! Over there!”
Panting, Yeniel nodded in agreement.
‘Huh?’
As we rushed toward it, dodging spiders, I realized my body was moving on its own.
The memory of pressing keyboard keys translated directly into instinctive movement.
Since this was reality, there were sudden deviations—like the spider’s cry collapsing the ceiling, or baby spiders bursting from underground.
But—
‘Wait… this is easy?’
The more I ran, the more familiar these variables became. Patterns revealed themselves.
‘If I act too calm, it’ll look suspicious… like I’m the mastermind setting up these traps.’
So I dodged spiders without making it obvious, pretending to struggle while still staying out of harm’s way.
Then—
“Lady April!”
To my surprise, Sian suddenly grabbed my hand and yanked me forward.
“What are you standing there for? Run! Hurry!”
I had been in a perfectly safe spot, avoiding all attacks, but I let him drag me along without resistance—playing the role of April.
Ahead, a section of ground free from webs appeared.
Since the spiders only moved along their webs, it would be safe there.
But then—
The Crown Prince confronted a small spider lunging at him.
“Your Highness! In front of you—!”
Yeniel’s cry came too late. The Prince raised his arm to block, but it wasn’t enough.
The spider’s screech split the air, and the Crown Prince let out a sharp, pained cry.
The Crown Prince had been struck.
