I Possess Too Many Characteristics

Chapter 25

“What in the world is going on?!”

Sunhyeong, burdened by his heavy plate armor, seemed to be nearing his limit from the sudden and prolonged movement.

But what could they do?

Everyone knew now.

The number of spiders attacking from behind was alarming, and the current situation had drastically deviated from their expectations.

“I don’t know either, but I think it’s the boss! Sangsu-ssi, how much more magic can you use?”

“Is it a mutation? I have some magic left. It’d be better if we don’t have to kill it!”

“Then when I give the signal, please support from behind too! Just keep them occupied.”

“Understood!”

Sangsu also obediently followed Jeonghyeon’s instructions.

He wasn’t a fool who would prioritize his pride in an emergency, driven by emotions like a child.

Even in this situation, was the personnel verification system of a guild like Jeongjin still reliable?

Jeonghyeon felt his side, counting the remaining daggers.

He already knew the number since he had thrown them himself, but he needed to double-check.

Five left.

With the upcoming battle against the boss, he was reluctant to use any more daggers.

But there were always unavoidable circumstances.

“Two in front, I’ll handle the rear!”

If they were attacked from both the front and rear, he would have to deal with the back all by himself.

“Kirelek!”

Since they were closing the distance, a collision occurred immediately in front.

At times like these, the distinction between the front and rear lines became meaningless.

“Be careful, both of you! They’re fast!”

While Sangsu was using magic, Jeongah and Doyun also had to draw their short swords and join the battle.

And during that time, a spider lunged at Jeonghyeon.

He could have easily dealt with it by throwing a dagger, but this time he decided to handle it directly.

He had already learned the Rock Spider’s movements through several previous encounters.

“Kieek!”

The spider that had reached above Jeonghyeon’s head sprung its body and fell straight down.

Its legs extended towards him, or its large pincers opened wide.

Getting caught by either one would undoubtedly result in serious injury.

But conversely, if he avoided those points, it wouldn’t be difficult to evade the attack itself.

It was an easy task for Jeonghyeon, who could see the attack trajectory.

Jeonghyeon’s body, which had been intentionally matching the pace of his party members, accelerated.

Kang━

Sparks flew from the spider’s claws as they struck the ground.

As expected, the sound was incredibly loud, as if a living creature had collided with a rock.

However, there was no time to be surprised by the sound, which he had frequently heard since entering the Gate.

Jeonghyeon’s foot, which had firmly planted on the ground, sprang back.

Changing direction towards the spider’s side, Jeonghyeon struck its third leg.

As expected, the spider’s legs flailed erratically.

His next target was the space between its eyes.

It was a spot that could be easily pierced even with a dagger.

The mace, combined with Jeonghyeon’s strength and its kg weight, was even more effective.

Pakak━

With a shattering sensation, viscous fluid soaked the mace and flowed onto the ground.

By then, the battle at the front had also come to an end.

The spiders were each flipped over, their legs curled up, twitching and trembling.

Sangsu’s electricity had done its job.

If it had been an ordinary Mana Bolt, they would have already been immobilized and become headless corpses.

“If you’re done, let’s run again!”

He didn’t know how many they had already killed.

Unable to receive proper healing, everyone had at least one or two sizable wounds.

They would likely experience excruciating pain once the battle ended and the adrenaline wore off.

‘I hope I can feel the pain.’

The group started running again.

Sangsu looked at Jeonghyeon with a renewed gaze, but the hostility he had shown before was gone.

An F-Rank Level 3 generally met the requirements for entering the Rock Spider Cave.

However, that only meant they met the minimum requirements, not that they could exhibit the combat power of a D-Rank Level 2 or 3.

But Jeonghyeon was different.

Perhaps he was having an even greater impact on the hunt than himself.

Moreover, his range of senses and judgment, which couldn’t be expressed simply by rank or level, were truly remarkable.

He could somewhat understand why Sunhyeong, Jeongah, and Doyun were so adamant about Jeonghyeon.

Once again, how long had they been running?

Suddenly sensing something amiss, Jeonghyeon stopped everyone.

“Wait a moment!”

Perhaps relieved that they could finally stop running.

Or perhaps anxious about the situation changing once again.

Their expressions were a mixture of both emotions, difficult to distinguish.

Jeonghyeon felt the same way.

“The spiders that were behind us have started to retreat.”

The spiders, which had seemed to be matching their pace and even intentionally approaching one by one, were now disappearing.

There were no more spiders to be sensed ahead either.

“Then……”

Jeongah trailed off, as if she had guessed something.

Everyone nodded in unison.

Jeonghyeon spoke.

“I guess this is the boss’s destination.”

After calming their breaths and moving forward, they soon arrived at a large plaza.

The ceiling was about three times the normal height, and the area was much wider.

Holes, which served as passages for the spiders, were densely packed, and at the top of the front wall was a large hole that looked wide enough for two people to pass through comfortably.

Since there were no other exits similar to the cave they had come from, this was probably the end of the Gate.

Originally, this would be where the boss resided.

“As expected, the boss isn’t here.”

Sunhyeong said, nervously raising his shield and looking around.

The information Jeonghyeon had found also stated that the Rock Spider Cave boss waited in a plaza called the”Boss Room.”

This was probably why the team sent by the Association hadn’t been able to find it.

He didn’t know if it had used the same tactic back then, but it probably wouldn’t have touched the Association team.

‘It seemed intelligent enough to do that.’

The fact that it had driven them here with ordinary spiders confirmed it.

It would have gauged their strength before choosing its prey.

“It could appear from anywhere. Everyone, stay alert.”

Even without Jeonghyeon’s reminder, everyone was fully prepared, ready to use their weapons at any moment.

They had been driven to the end of a Gate they hadn’t intended to enter.

And the boss that had cornered them finally revealed itself from the large hole above.

“Kiririk.”

“It’s here!”

The creature didn’t ambush them; rather, it slowly pulled itself out, almost leisurely.

Its size, comparable to a medium-sized truck, was impressive, but what stood out the most was,

“White?”

Its color was completely different from ordinary Rock Spiders.

Its texture and shape were similar, but its white body and red eyes stood out conspicuously in the dark cave.

It was an albino, a typical characteristic of mutated bosses.

The creature, finally fully revealing itself on the ceiling, stared down at the five people for a while.

Everyone was mesmerized by its overwhelming presence, unable to even swallow their saliva.

Meanwhile, Jeonghyeon acted.

Paang━

He threw one of his five remaining daggers with all his might.

It was so fast that even his nearby party members didn’t notice when he had drawn the dagger.

A single throw, perfectly executed without any concealment, showcasing his D-Rank Throwing Technique trait.

Pakak━

The dagger, tearing through the air, seemed to strike the center of the white head, but,

“Kieek!”

The creature quickly turned its head and barely managed to deflect it.

Nevertheless, Jeonghyeon’s dagger tore through one of its five pairs of eyes and embedded itself.

The giant spider roared, whether from pain or anger.

Jeonghyeon immediately shouted.

“Sangsu-ssi, Jeongah-ssi, fire!”

“Uh, uh, yes!”

Sangsu and Jeongah, who had been staring blankly, hurriedly came to their senses at Jeonghyeon’s call and launched their attacks.

Whether the creature underestimated them or not, Hunters were people who hunted monsters.

It not only killed humans without hesitation but also leisurely herded them like this for a hunting game?

Jeonghyeon’s heart, which had felt a bit of fear, calmed down.

The memory of being helplessly attacked by a monster was enough from when he was 10 years old and lost his parents.

Even if this was the end, he wouldn’t collapse without a fight.

He was a Hunter, and the white spider in front of him was a monster.

That was all.

Mutation, boss, size.

None of that mattered.

He just had to take advantage of the moment when the creature was still off guard.

Ping━

Chiririt━

Two attacks flew towards the spider in an instant.

Jeongah’s arrow struck first.

The white spider was a recently spawned boss monster.

The pain inflicted by Jeonghyeon’s dagger would be unfamiliar.

While the creature was still disoriented, Jeongah’s arrow calmly pierced the joint of its third leg.

“Kieek!”

The giant body staggered, but that was all.

Unlike ordinary spiders, its large size meant that the attack wasn’t enough to damage its nerves.

However, Sangsu’s electricity immediately jolted the creature’s entire body.

“Not yet! It won’t die from this!”

Jeonghyeon said, drawing another dagger but not throwing it.

It wouldn’t die easily, no matter how many daggers he threw.

He would have preferred to attack it directly at close range, but the creature was still on the ceiling.

He thought it would be more important to observe its reaction when this much firepower was poured onto it.

“Kieeeeek!”

As expected, the creature seemed enraged and started to move, roaring furiously.

Its previous composure was gone.

Instead, as if its instincts were the same as other spiders, it quickly crawled above their heads.

“It’s coming!”

Sunhyeong’s warning.

His arm and the giant shield on it were trembling slightly.

In a normal battle, he would have used his tower shield, as large as his body, to block the falling spider.

But could he really block that?

No one, including Jeonghyeon, expected him to.

However, it was also true that if the creature jumped down with all its might, it would be impossible for Sunhyeong, a tank-type, to dodge.

In this situation, there was no other choice.

He had to use one more trick.

But that one trick had to be used for maximum effect.

Jeonghyeon called out to Sangsu.

“Sangsu-ssi, can you imbue my dagger with magic?”

“Huh? That’s……”

Sangsu quickly glanced at the dagger Jeonghyeon was holding and nodded.

“Yes, I can!”

“Then use the strongest one you can! Now!”

There was no need to hesitate now that it was confirmed.

Jeonghyeon threw the dagger at the spider, which was almost directly above them.

“Eek! Give me a signal first!”

Sangsu, who seemed to have not considered that far, hurriedly cast his magic, but fortunately, the lightning magic was properly imbued.

Two conditions were necessary to imbue a weapon with magic.

The mage had to be able to use the magic they wanted to imbue the weapon with.

And the metal from which the weapon was made had to contain magical energy.

Crackling electricity surged through the light purple Marium dagger.

It flew straight and lodged itself into the joint of the third leg on the opposite side where Jeongah’s arrow had struck.

If he had just thrown the dagger, it wouldn’t have been much different from Jeongah’s arrow.

So, he had to increase the destructive power imbued in the projectile.

Since nerves also functioned through electrical signals, if a dagger imbued with electricity was lodged near a nerve, the physical size of the dagger wouldn’t matter much.

“I, I did it!”

“Dodge!”

As if to prove Jeonghyeon’s plan, the giant spider, which had come to a sudden halt as soon as the dagger struck, began to fall.

Since it was falling close to where the group was, Jeonghyeon grabbed the back of Sunhyeong’s neck and pulled him out of the fall zone.

thud━

A sound like rocks colliding filled the plaza, and a flipped-over white body could be seen through the thick dust cloud.

Its eight legs, moving furiously as if to emphasize its difference from ordinary spiders, were clearly visible.

But Jeonghyeon smiled triumphantly.

‘Just getting it to fall to the ground is half the battle!’