Spider Ghost (3)

Pahpak!

“Kiiiiiiiiiik!”

The creature and I were moving at almost the same speed.

So perhaps thinking it couldn’t catch me, it suddenly stopped chasing and looked back.

It seemed to want to return to Bae Jonggwan.

“Damn it!”

My nape tightened.

For a beast, it was disgustingly quick at assessing the situation!

In the end, I had no choice but to turn back as well.

If I fled completely, Bae Jonggwan would die.

Right now, Bae Jonggwan was swinging his body around, knocking away and trampling the horde of Wild Hound Ghosts.

The sight resembled that of a massive bear beating down a pack of wolves.

The Wild Hound Ghosts’ fangs and claws could not pierce Bae Jonggwan’s hardened body, nor could their strength rival his.

But no one knew how much longer that would last.

Bae Jonggwan could not actually kill the Wild Hound Ghosts, and he would only grow more exhausted over time.

So I could not allow the Spider Ghost to reach Bae Jonggwan as well.

I hurled myself toward the Spider Ghost and shouted.

“Over here, you damn spider bastard!”

Then, as if it had been waiting for this, it lunged at me.

Shuhaak!

“Urgh?!”

Its sharp claws slashed toward my chest.

I had no time to dodge.

Pook!

The claws pierced my chest.

At least, that was how it looked.

But what it pierced was only my afterimage.

At the very last moment, I instinctively deflected its claws, breaking into a cold sweat as I accelerated and fled again.

It was thanks to the Tianfeng Footwork of the Flying Eagle Sect.

The instinctive manifestation of my internalized Tianfeng Footwork had saved my life.

Of course, I couldn’t say I was completely safe yet.

“Kiiiiiiiiiik!”

With its face twisted in rage, the Spider Ghost began chasing me again.

Even in this crisis, I gave thanks in my heart to Bi Sayoung.

“Sayoung! You saved my life! If you bring back the Captain before I die, I’ll call you hyung!”

Screaming inwardly, I resumed the desperate chase.

It turned into a strange pursuit, circling around Bae Jonggwan as he fought the Wild Hound Ghosts.

“Kiiiiiiiiii!”

Some time passed.

Bae Jonggwan was still playing the beast among the Wild Hound Ghosts, while I kept circling him.

Though the Spider Ghost nearly caught me several times, in the end it only brushed my collar.

Its face was now twisted with a madness born of frustration.

“Kiaaaaaaak!”

By now I could almost interpret its screeches.

“If I catch you, I’ll kill you.”

Something like that.

So far, the situation wasn’t entirely bad.

We hadn’t killed the Spider Ghost or the Wild Hound Ghosts, but at least we were holding ground.

But inside, I was far from fine.

The pressure to change something weighed heavily on me.

Bae Jonggwan’s movements, which I had been watching carefully, were slowing down.

He was tiring.

And honestly, so was I.

I had thought myself confident in sustaining footwork, but putting my life on the line like this consumed stamina differently.

At this rate, even if Bi Sayoung brought Captain Seol Pung here immediately, we might not last until then.

I needed another way.

“What do I have that surpasses it?”

Comparing myself to the Spider Ghost, only its overwhelming advantages came to mind.

Physical abilities beyond those of peak masters.

Skin so tough that even sword energy barely penetrated.

Sure, a sword might pierce its eyes or mouth, but why would a creature with such reflexes let me hit those?

No, I probably wouldn’t even have the chance to swing.

If it caught me, I would die instantly.

If anything, my only advantage was that I could think, and that it had not fully adapted to my Phantom Sword yet.

But I doubted I could use the Phantom Sword more than once again.

One more use and it would probably adapt.

I cursed inwardly.

“Damn it! Better to meet a Howling Ghost at night than a Spider Ghost in the day!”

Then suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.

“Wait. Howling Ghost at night, Spider Ghost in the day?”

I immediately recalled the terrain of this area.

There was indeed something nearby….

It was a gamble, but…

Still, a gamble was better than nothing.

Even in the urgency, I smirked and glanced at the beastly face chasing me.

“Then first things first.”

I changed direction.

Tatak!

I aimed for a spot where a Wild Hound Ghost Bae Jonggwan had tossed was still rolling.

As I suddenly rushed at it, the creature instinctively swung its arm at me.

Buuung!

I dropped low, evading it, and slipped past its flank like air.

Thank heavens for the Tianfeng Footwork.

Glancing back, I saw the Spider Ghost on a collision course with the Wild Hound Ghost.

Perfect!

I clenched my fist—pointlessly, as it turned out.

Phuhaaak!

The Spider Ghost instantly ripped through the Wild Hound Ghost’s torso and came after me again.

Startled, I picked up speed.

“Uwaaaah!”

Shuhaaak!

Its claws grazed the back of my hair.

Chills ran down my spine.

Damn it!

So one Wild Hound Ghost wasn’t enough?

Grinding my teeth, I sought the next target.

This time I dove toward three clustered Wild Hound Ghosts.

As I charged head-on, three sets of claws slashed through the air.

“Kraaaagh!”

My focus sharpened to a blade’s edge.

Time itself seemed to slow, their claw paths vividly etched in my vision.

Let’s do this!

I tilted sideways, brushing past the first downward slash.

Buuung!

Then the horizontal swipe.

Shuuung!

I ducked deep beneath it, then burst upward like a dolphin.

Pahpak!

My toes barely brushed against the third claw as I rose.

Shyaaaak!

“I did it!”

I cheered inwardly.

I had slipped through three Wild Hound Ghosts’ attacks by the thinnest of margins.

This was something I had never achieved, even at my peak in my past life.

At least in footwork, I had definitely surpassed my old self.

And as I hoped, the Spider Ghost couldn’t pass so easily.

Phuhaaak!

“Kiiieeeek!”

“Kkeeegh!”

Puhhhk!

It shredded two instantly but collided with the last one, slowing down.

An opportunity.

Using the opening, I slashed my hand, spraying blood across its face.

Chwaaaak!

“Graaaagh!”

Now its face, drenched in my blood, twisted in feral madness as it chased me.

I grinned and dashed.

‘Good! Keep chasing me!’

I kept running deeper into the forest.

The frenzied beast no longer even thought of Bae Jonggwan, focused solely on me.

“Kiiiiiiiiiik!”

Its screeches pressed against the back of my head.

Just a little further!

Soon, a rocky mountain came into view.

It was the place I had aimed for.

With the Spider Ghost on my heels, I scaled the slope and leapt into a cave halfway up without hesitation.

“Entering!”

I shouted as I charged deeper inside.

As I knew, the cave was quite deep.

“Kiiiiiiiiiik!”

Its screech echoed through the cave, masking the sound of my own movements.

I was grateful.

Deeper and deeper I went, until not a single ray of light remained.

Total darkness.

Taking a deep breath, I slashed my palm and smeared blood on the cave walls.

Then I kept moving further in.

Howling Ghosts acted at night, but Spider Ghosts in the day.

So naturally, the Spider Ghost relied on sight, not hearing.

But here, in pitch black, only its sense of smell remained.

Like now.

Kwaaang! Kwaaang!

It smashed into the cave walls.

It must have charged at where I had spread my blood.

I smirked.

I had successfully confused its senses.

Now it couldn’t see me.

Of course, the problem was I couldn’t see it either.

Stopping, I stood still with my eyes closed.

I tried to calm myself.

In my past life, Captain Seol Pung had trained by walking with his eyes shut, honing his senses.

I had longed to be like him, perceiving the world vividly day or night.

But I had failed.

Though my senses sharpened, I never reached his level.

And in this life, I hadn’t even begun that training yet.

I slowly extended my bleeding palm forward.

Now I had to stake my life on something I had never succeeded at.

If I failed again, I would die.

“But I’ve got no other choice, do I?”

I grinned.

Kwaaang! Kwaaaang!

The smashing sounds drew closer.

I swallowed hard.

Seonu Jin.

Stay calm. Don’t rush.

Rushing would mean failure.

Breathing slowly, I tried to sense the creature.

Its position, its movements, its shape.

But all I pictured was darkness.

Pitch black.

And now, it stopped smashing the walls as it drew closer.

So even sound no longer betrayed its location.

Where was it?

Had it locked onto me?

Uneasy thoughts swirled.

I exhaled slowly.

Let go of impatience, let go of stray thoughts.

As Captain Seol Pung once said, I thought only of blending with my surroundings.

Calmly, peacefully.

Like air. Like stone.

Then it happened.

I sensed something coming toward my palm.

It was trying to stab its claw into my outstretched hand.

I flinched.

Jerking my hand back, I thrust my sword forward with all my strength.

Pook!

I felt it sink deep into something.

Then came a terrible scream.

“Kiaaaaaaaaak!”

The Spider Ghost’s scream.

Success!

Exhilaration filled my mind.

I had pierced the one place I could: its eye.

I had done it!

Against a being with reflexes and strength surpassing peak masters, this would’ve been impossible in daylight.

But in darkness, where it could not see me, I succeeded.

I nearly burst out in cheers but restrained myself, releasing the sword and leaping back as the creature thrashed.

“Kiaaaaaaaaak!”

It writhed in pain.

I carefully slipped past and dashed out of the cave.

I could clearly feel it rolling on the cave floor instead of chasing me.

The cave that had felt so long entering now felt short as I rushed back out.

The sunlight at the entrance never felt so precious.

Emerging, I ran straight to Bae Jonggwan.

Exhausted and panting, he still gave me a radiant smile when he saw me.

A smile as bright and pure as sunlight.

I shouted to him.

“Jonggwan! Time to go back!”

Then I slammed into the Wild Hound Ghosts charging at him.

“Haaap! Iron Meteor!”

Puhbbububuk!

This time, tears threatened to fall—not from despair, but from relief.

Because I hadn’t left him behind.

Because we were going back together.

Truly… it was a blessing.

---

Bae Jonggwan and I left the Wild Hound Ghosts behind and sprinted back to the Thirteenth Unit.

There was no way such creatures could keep up with us in earnest flight.

On the way back, we encountered Bi Sayoung running desperately alongside Captain Seol Pung.

Sayoung’s face was twisted with tears, but when he saw us unharmed, his expression went blank in shock, then twisted in fury.

“You bastards! You damn bastards, really! Really…!”

Then, lowering his head, he sobbed.

“…Thank you. Thank you, you bastards.”

Bae Jonggwan and I smiled warmly and embraced him.

Having survived countless times thanks to friends’ sacrifices in my past life, I understood his heart.

After he calmed down, we returned to the Wild Hound Ghosts.

This time, we could watch in peace as Captain Seol Pung massacred them.

With every strike of his fist, their heads burst apart pitifully.

As for the Spider Ghost, it was still writhing in the cave.

Captain Seol Pung went in alone, finished it, and returned with only my sword—the one I had driven into its eye.

I decided to keep my fight with the Spider Ghost a secret.

As only a second-rate, no one would believe me, and besides, I didn’t want to stand out prematurely.

So I gained neither merit nor fame from this incident.

But I was satisfied.

Because the next day, I could still train in martial arts with my friends, Bae Jonggwan and Bi Sayoung, as usual.

This ordinary life felt more precious than anything.