CHAPTER 31
A criminal was roaming the Moss Flower Cave.
This was a situation on a completely different level from the western barbarian, Kardun, trying to occupy a base, or revengers attacking pioneers.
As long as you didn't touch the bases Kardun occupied, you wouldn't have to clash with them.
And the aggressive revengers were only a small fraction of the whole.
Even most of those aggressive ones had been arrested by the Regular Army after killing innocent people.
The ones they sought revenge on was the still-unidentified murderer, they didn't want indiscriminate slaughter.
However, a criminal was a different story.
Someone who had committed a crime so heinous they had to flee to the 2nd World.
It was uncertain whether it was one person or many.
If a criminal group approached, pretending to be pioneers, there could be no greater headache.
And to top it off, even the normally calm revengers could go on a rampage.
They might assume the criminal group included the No-Named murderer and start attacking people indiscriminately.
The worst brings about the worst.
This chain reaction of worst-case scenarios had turned the Moss Flower Cave into a lawless zone where no one could be trusted.
"This isn't good."
Even the composed Callen had a bead of sweat on his temple.
The situation was just that bad.
"Let's go back."

A decision had to be made here.
While the entrances to the Moss Flower Cave were all different, the exit appeared in the same location.
If the criminal group found out it was connected to the 1st World, they would surely try to occupy the exit.
We had to get out before then, or at the very least, assess the situation.
"Pingle, can you guide us via the shortest route?"
Callen agreed without hesitation.
There wasn't even a moment to spare for deliberation.
"It's quite a distance. To go quickly, we'll have to pass through a Fantasy Species habitat."
"Let's get moving for now."
"Agh, what a headache."
It was a headache, just as he said.
There were risks, but to think something like this would happen right after we finally entered the 2nd World.
I knew my life was cursed with bad luck, but it still made me sigh.
While they were talking, I quietly approached the corpse.
Then, I secretly pocketed a severed finger that had fallen off.
There was a chance I could revive it and get a clue.
It wouldn't hurt to have some insurance.
"Let's go! We'll think on the run!"
As Pingle started running, we hurriedly followed him.
"What's the situation?"
Babiyen, who had been watching from my side, threw a question.
Her face showed that she hadn't grasped what was going on.
"There are criminals roaming the Moss Flower Cave. And there's a high chance they'll try to take over the exit."
"What? How can criminals take over an exit?"
It was a reasonable question—how could mere criminals occupy an exit?
"Babiyen, Black Dawn are criminals too."
"I know that, but the criminals who fled to the 2nd World are just guys who ran here because they thought they'd get caught in the 1st World, right?"
Substandard criminals.
That's what Babiyen was saying.
"We'd be lucky if that were the case."
But the dwarf, Vandal, offered a completely different take.
He shifted the thick axe on his shoulder as his short legs moved.
"They're survivors of the 2nd World. They might even be monsters who were banished to the 2nd World because they couldn't be handled."
In the past, during the Great War era.
Back then, there were many monsters who were not easy to execute.
There were rumors of a strategy where such creatures were cornered, banished to the 2nd World, and then they'd wait for the gate to change.
The criminals Vandal was talking about were that kind of monster.
Of course, the chance of such creatures still being around was extremely low.
But the fact that the possibility existed was the problem itself.
"More importantly, while being a pioneer is a rough job, it's not a profession for fighting people. Our job is to hunt Fantasy Species."
Pioneers might get into fights, but they avoided killing if at all possible.
If they did, they'd be kicked out of the Pioneer's Guild.
But criminals were the exact opposite.
They were experts at dealing with people, more so than anyone.
They would shamelessly use dirty tricks and knew human weaknesses all too well.
"And those pioneer bastards are fundamentally individualistic, so they have no intention of cooperating. If they think fighting will result in a greater loss, they won't bother fighting the criminals."
The criminals' goal was already set, anyway.
They'd want a return to the 1st World in exchange for a pardon, or a reward of similar value.
The pioneers were, for all intents and purposes, hostages.

Hostages they had no particular need to kill.
Pioneers were good at one thing: calculating what was best for them.
The criminals knew that fact well.
"They'll either wait for the Regular Army to arrive or for their respective Pioneer Guilds to pay their ransoms."
"......What i-if the Pioneer Guild doesn't pay?"
Just then, Horizon, who was following behind, asked cautiously.
What would happen if the Pioneer Guilds refused to pay the pioneers' ransoms?
"Then it's war."
Pioneers and criminals.
A war would break out between them.
"More importantly, the moment the Regular Army assesses the situation and enters the 2nd World, war is already guaranteed."
It was just as Callen said.
War between the Regular Army and the criminals was inevitable.
So, getting out before getting swept up in it was the best choice.
"Everyone, stop."
Pingle, who was leading, stopped everyone.
As we all held our breath and halted, we saw a group of pioneers passing by at a fork in the path.
Their faces were all grim.
Shoulders slumped, they trudged forward, weapons clutched in their hands.
Swish-
At that moment, one of them looked our way.
Just as Pingle had noticed them, they had noticed us.
Their bloodshot eyes stared at us for a moment.
A tense atmosphere passed between us.
While Callen secretly placed a hand on the hilt of his sword...
"Let's go. No way that bitch is traveling with that many people."
Fortunately, they let it pass.
They gave us no further glance and moved away with slow steps.
As the suffocatingly silent atmosphere broke, everyone wiped the sweat from their faces.
"......Those are the Revengers," Callen said quietly.
The Revengers.
Those whose families or comrades had been murdered by the killer were all unhinged.
With people like that roaming around, it was no wonder we were told to be careful.
It seemed they hadn't yet realized there were criminals in the cave.
What a relief.
"Pingle, please lead the way again."
"Hah, this is all like walking on thin ice. Got it."
As Pingle began to guide us again, the chatter between us died down.
The encounter with the Revengers moments ago had put us more on edge.
"The spider bastards' nest is just ahead!"
Just then, at Pingle's shout, everyone's faces relaxed a little.
Everyone knew that once we passed the spider den, the exit was right there.
Still, we had to proceed without confronting the spider Fantasy Species as much as possible.
That required the utmost caution.
"W-Wait a moment."
At that moment, Horizon suddenly grabbed my arm and stopped me.
The abrupt action sent my body lurching forward, and I barely managed to land on my feet.
Aranseol had told me she was skilled in combat, but Horizon was even stronger than I thought.
"Horizon?"
For her to stop me in this situation, it had to mean something was there.
Sure enough, Horizon's face was rigid.
"What are you doing? I told you we have to hurry!" Pingle shouted, looking back.
His reaction was one of annoyance, wondering why we were dawdling when we had a long way to go.
"Here... it's better not to go this way."
"What do you mean?"
"Ah, i-it's hard to explain, but, well..."
Horizon stammered, looking around frantically.
She looked as if she had sensed something.
"Pingle, it seems something is bothering Horizon. What about another path?"
"What?"
Pingle frowned.
He was already on edge after encountering the Revengers.
But thankfully, Callen intervened appropriately.
"Pingle, scout ahead first."
"Agh, those spider bastards have great presence detection, so dawdling will be a pain in the ass!"
Pingle stomped his feet but faithfully followed Callen's orders.
After tapping the walls and feeling the ground, he suddenly lifted his head.
Then, he took a dagger from his belt and began to cut through the moss.
"Goddammit, fuck."
A curse flowed from Pingle's lips.
It meant something unpleasant had happened.
"Pingle."
At Callen's call, Pingle held up a handful of moss.
"The reason spider Fantasy Species thrive in the Moss Flower Cave is because moss is one of their main food sources."
The moss in Pingle's hand was extremely dry and crumbly.
"So, moss that's been eaten by spiders becomes brittle like this. But all the moss around here is in this state. It's excessive, even if it is their main food source."
Oh, shit.

My face froze. I had learned about the Moss Flower Cave from Bulldog.
The others still looked like they didn't know what this situation meant.
"Just the conclusion."
"Damn it, the eggs hatched! It means the spider queen, Arachne, laid her eggs recently! But the bigger problem is that her spawning season isn't supposed to be right now!"
Pingle threw the moss in his hand to the ground.
"Those bastards... it was their doing. I don't know what they did, but Arachne entered her spawning season earlier than before." The criminals...
"......In that case, having finished her spawning, Arachne must be extremely hungry."
"The Holy Mage-nim gets it."
Pingle looked up with a pale, defeated expression.
"Arachne usually leaves the hunting to her children, but right after her spawning season, she hunts herself."
Pingle finally leaned against the wall and slumped to the ground.
"And she'll devour every last thing that has entered this cave."
The feeding time of the Vermilion-grade Fantasy Species, Arachne.
The worst possible disaster had befallen the Moss Flower Cave.

The grades of Fantasy Species are divided into seven, following the colors of the rainbow.
In addition, there are White-grade and Black-grade.
White-grade for the unmeasured.
Black-grade for those designated as un-huntable.
Therefore, they are separate from the preceding grades.
The pioneer grades also consist of eight levels.
Iron (Purple-grade) - Copper (Ultramarine-grade) - Silver (Blue-grade) - Gold (Green-grade) - Platinum (Yellow-grade) - Mithril (Vermilion-grade) - Orichalcum (Red-grade) - Adamantite (Black-grade).
The eight grades are divided according to the level of Fantasy Species one can hunt.
It was safe to assume that the Adamantite-grade effectively did not exist.
And now, the Vermilion-grade Arachne was roaming the Moss Flower Cave.
The grade required to hunt Arachne was Mithril.
Naturally, as a pioneer's grade increased, their numbers dwindled.
Even Platinum-grade pioneers were a rare sight.
Mithril-grade pioneers were individuals renowned throughout the country.
Arachne was a creature that only such people could hunt.
From the perspective of the current pioneers, she was nothing short of a being of terror.
"......I believe the last Fantasy Species my master hunted in her youth was Vermilion-grade."
Babiyen muttered to herself, seemingly reminded of the Red Flame Lord.
It seemed the money-crazed Red Flame Lord would even take on pioneer work if the price was right.
Because of that, it was a famous story that she was, at minimum, a Mithril-grade pioneer.
I had seen that whore of fire (the Red Flame Lord) with my own two eyes.
A monster who fired high-temperature beams without so much as blinking.
Considering even that wasn't her full power, she was an existence I wouldn't dare to oppose.
A Vermilion-grade Fantasy Species, valuable enough to hire the Red Flame Lord.
Its strength was as easy to grasp as its value.
"Heading towards the spider den like this is a suicide mission. It'll be teeming with hatchlings."
Pingle's words finally made me understand why Horizon had stopped us.
She could see through walls using shadows.
She must have seen something crawling with an immense number of creatures.
"Then that means we have to go back."
Pingle covered his face as if he was about to tear it off.
"I can't guarantee we can proceed without running into Arachne."
Moreover, going back would take a lot of time.
We all fell silent.
Not just the dwarf Vandal, but the human female Miren also had a dark expression.
As for Callen, he was racking his brain to find a way to break through the situation.
I slowly lifted my head and looked back and forth between Horizon and Babiyen.
I also took in the sight of the dry, brittle moss.
"......If we can confirm that Arachne will definitely stay in one place, can't we escape somehow?"
Everyone's eyes turned to me.
A crisis had befallen us.
The only way to live was to overcome it somehow.

An idea had come to me.