Chapter 81
"Human-faced spiders?"
All the Light Wind Unit members were surprised. What the Light Wind Unit knew was that both the Mok family and the Baek family forces had suffered great damage. They had heard that they had fought with a monster, but they didn't know what kind of monster they had fought. But to suddenly say they were going to catch a human-faced spider, they were startled.
"Why? Are you scared?"
"Who said they were scared?"
Gu Mungoe answered immediately. But even as he said that, it was obvious that he was nervous. The human-faced spider was a monster that only appeared in legends. It was because he had never seen it in person, nor had he ever fought it. He had only heard that it was a terrifying monster.
"I'm sure you're curious about what happened in the gorge, but just wait a little. You'll know when you go."
Mok Wigun said with a smile, but the Light Wind Unit couldn't. They showed their anxiety throughout the move.
"Hey. Have you ever seen a human-faced spider?"
"Of course not. How many people have seen it?"
Why would they say it's a monster that only appears in legends? Because almost no one has seen it in person. Everyone was silent, as if their minds were complicated.
"It would be really disgusting if a spider had a human head. Ugh."
Gu Mungoe tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but it wasn't easy.
"It must be strong, right?"
"I guess so. That's probably why so many of the martial artists who went up first died."
Who were the people who went up? There were masters like Taeseokgwan and Bang So-eung, and there were also hundreds of people. But they had suffered enormous damage. The number of dead was countless. So how could they not be worried?
"Can we catch it?"
"Do you think the young master would take us to our deaths?"
Dan Bulseok said it was fine and soothed the members.
"But captain, why are you sweating so much?"
"Huh? It's a bit hot here. Is it because it's near the Flame Pond?"
In fact, he was also nervous. And that tension grew even greater when they arrived at the gorge.
"Wow. What's this?"
Everyone's jaws dropped. It was because a scene that was very different from what they had seen before was unfolding before them.
"What on earth did they fight with?"
"How can there be such a mark on the cliff?"
It was a trace of a fight that could only be described as enormous. It looked like the traces of a fight between monsters and immortals, not people. A sunken place, a broken and collapsed place. The marks of a collision of great power were engraved on the cliff and the ground.
"Th... there..."
Gu Mungoe pointed to a place with his hand. Everyone's head turned in that direction, and there was the corpse of a huge single-horned great serpent. And around it, there were traces of something being crushed.
"What's that? Young master."
"It's a single-horned great serpent. It was incredibly tricky to deal with that guy."
The single-horned great serpent, which boasted an enormous size even from a distance. It was unbelievable that they had caught it.
"It would have been difficult alone. I was barely able to catch it because Physician Pyon helped me."
"No. Are you two immortals? How could you..."
Dan Bulseok also tilted his head, saying he couldn't believe it. And they became even more intimidated. In fact, it would be a lie if they weren't scared even after seeing such a sight.
"Alright. Alright. Get a grip!"
Mok Wigun stopped the Light Wind Unit members who were approaching the corpse of the single-horned great serpent as if they were possessed.
"The mother of the human-faced spider and the single-horned great serpent have already been caught. What you will be dealing with are the young of the human-faced spider."
Only then did the Light Wind Unit members realize that the crushed traces were the young of the human-faced spider. But the young were not seen in the gorge. Mok Wigun immediately solved their curiosity.
"If you go a little further, you'll see the cave where they live."
Mok Wigun pointed to the bottom of the cliff in front, and a cave was visible there. And perhaps because they had heard a human voice, a few young human-faced spiders came out. It seemed they thought prey had come.
"I saw that a huge number of them survived, so it will be very good for your training."
Mok Wigun said that and then came forward a little and lured the young human-faced spiders. When he got close and threw a stone, the creatures immediately reacted.
Kieeeek
Two young ones rushed at Mok Wigun.
"Get ready."
Mok Wigun shouted to the Light Wind Unit members as he stepped back. And soon after, the fight between the Light Wind Unit members and the two young human-faced spiders began. Mok Wigun watched from behind and gave appropriate advice.
"Maintain the formation. Gu Mungoe, you've gone too far forward."
The Light Wind Unit, without being told, spread out in a formation and dealt with the young human-faced spider. At first, perhaps because of fear, they couldn't move properly, but after a few exchanges, their movements became much better.
"Dae Seokpyeong, you have to block that. If Dae Seokpyeong is late, Hwang Gyesu has to help! Can't you get a grip?"
If even a minor mistake was seen, Mok Wigun immediately shouted. Every time, the members came to their senses and focused again.
"Attack the legs first. If you just catch the movement, it's nothing."
"Yes. I understand!"
Dan Bulseok immediately swung his sword, aiming for the leg of one of them, and the creature lost two of its legs. The young human-faced spiders resisted strongly, but the Light Wind Unit members were stronger. The creatures couldn't last long and all died.
"Phew. It's not as difficult as I thought."
"I know, right? I thought it would be amazing because it's a monster from a legend."
The members said a word each with a smile.
"Well done. But don't let your guard down. It's because it was a young one; if it had been the mother, you would have been annihilated in an instant."
At that, Gu Mungoe said with a swagger.
"Aish. Young master. We've also become quite strong now. Even if it's the mother, we'll be able to deal with it to some extent."
"Oh? Then look over there."
Everyone looked in the direction Mok Wigun was pointing, but there was only the corpse of the single-horned great serpent. But when Mok Wigun approached and pushed the corpse a little, the mother of the human-faced spider behind it was visible.
"Uh..."
"It's huge."
Everyone's jaws dropped. The young and the mother were incomparable. An enormous difference in size. And it wasn't just the difference in size. Mok Wigun hit the mother's leg with his sword.
Clang!
With a metallic sound, the sword bounced off, but there was no wound on the leg. The members who saw that were horrified. If the spider's leg was that hard, both attack and defense would be difficult. It was on a different level from the young, which could be cut with a sword.
"How about it? Do you still think you can deal with it?"
"Uh... that's... hahaha."
Gu Mungoe couldn't answer and just laughed awkwardly.
"But if you train steadily, you'll be able to catch a creature like this too."
Was it because they had just caught the young? Or was it because they had seen the corpse that Mok Wigun had caught? Mok Wigun's words hit the members hard. They thought that they too would be able to catch such a monster someday.
"We can catch a monster like that?"
"We can catch a monster that even the Cold Sword and the Ghost Claw ran away from?"
Perhaps because the thought alone was pleasant, the members' expressions brightened. And it was obvious that their bodies were tensing up.
Who are the Cold Sword Taeseokgwan and the Ghost Claw Bang So-eung? They are masters who are well-known in the martial world, and they are martial artists who are called the strongest in a region. Where is there a martial artist who doesn't want to become strong? But to say that they could surpass them, everyone's spirits were greatly lifted.
"Alright. Then we have to start training again, right?"
Mok Wigun approached the cave. There, he could see four or five young ones loitering. Mok Wigun picked up a stone again and threw it at the creatures. This time, four of them rushed at Mok Wigun.
"Get ready!"
* * *
Appropriate tension is very effective for training. The members did not let go of the thread of tension even during the long training.
"Gu Mungoe, finish it!"
"I was getting ready-ah-ah!"
Gu Mungoe's sword separated the head and body of the young human-faced spider. Mok Wigun, who watched that, nodded his head.
It was certainly different from when he was dealing with people. Even if it was a young one, he was dealing with a monster. The members were tense and showed great concentration. And the more they did, the more they became accustomed to the formation.
Catch and rest. And catch and rest again. They had already repeated that several times. But it seemed there were still dozens of young human-faced spiders left.
"Young master. Can't we rest a little?"
Gu Mungoe said, panting. His eyes were full of desperation. I'm so tired. Please let me rest. He was saying with his eyes.
"It's been about half a day."
Looking at the position of the sun, it seemed to be about that much. The members were all drenched in sweat, and it was obvious that they were all exhausted.
"We have to eat anyway, so let's go back to where the party is."
"Wow!"
Gu Mungoe shouted, clenching his fists and raising both hands. The other members were not to that extent, but they all seemed to think it was a relief.
"Just take a few necessary things and go."
"What do you mean? Young master."
Mok Wigun said what he had thought of.
"The horn and skin of the single-horned great serpent. And the legs of the mother human-faced spider."
"I understand. You all heard that, right?"
When Dan Bulseok spoke, everyone rushed in and worked. But it wasn't easy. The work was easier if they used a sword aura, but the only person who could use a sword aura was Dan Bulseok.
Mok Wigun knew that and didn't help. It was a task he had ordered because he thought the members had to experience it for themselves.
"Oof. Why is this so tough?"
Gu Mungoe, who was skinning the single-horned great serpent, grumbled. It was because the skin was so tough that it didn't come off easily.
Dan Bulseok, who was in charge of the single-horned great serpent's horn, was also struggling, and Hwang Gyesu and Dae Seokpyeong, who were in charge of the human-faced spider's legs, were also having a hard time.
"Hwang Gyesu and Dae Seokpyeong, help the captain."
Mok Wigun, who was watching, said that and then approached the corpse of the human-faced spider. And he swung his sword a few times.
Swish, swish.
The creature's legs were cut off cleanly.
"Wow!"
The members who saw that let out a cry of admiration. They had been struggling to cut it somehow until now, but it hadn't worked. But Mok Wigun had just swung his sword once, and it was solved.
"Finish it quickly. So we can go and eat."
When the topic of food came up, everyone cheered up. And after a while, they were able to pull out the single-horned great serpent's horn.
"It's crazy. The horn is bigger than a person."
The single-horned great serpent's horn boasted an overwhelming presence.
"It would be a sight to see if we take it to the manor and decorate it."
People accept things more easily when there is something to prove it than just words. Perhaps if that horn was in the manor, the area would be crowded with people who came to see it. And that would be a great achievement and a mark that proves the strength of Mok Wigun and the Light Wind Unit.
"Let's just do that with the skin for now and go back."
"Yes. Young master."
At the words to stop, everyone answered cheerfully. And when they took the things they had packed and went back, the mouths of the people who were waiting dropped open.
"No. What's all this?"
(End of Chapter)