I Became an Ancient All-Host Lifeform - Chapter 36

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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036 Her Collection

The place we arrived at with the Arachne Maid was an ornate and sprawling mansion.
I walked alongside the maid, while Bokgu trailed behind us.
As we stepped into the foyer, intricately carved statues and curios caught my eye first.
Fine furniture and decorative pieces that one might expect to see in the upper echelons of human society.
The master of this mansion was clearly a person of considerable wealth.

“This way, please.”

As I followed the maid into the parlor, a woman who appeared to be the mistress sat gracefully in an ornate chair.

“My lady, we have a guest.”
“Oh, you’ve arrived? Welcome! I’m delighted you’ve come to my garden!”

With long black hair cascading down and a magnificent gown draped about her, she appeared at first glance to be a beautiful human woman.
Yet beneath the voluminous skirts, multiple spider legs peeked out—too numerous to conceal entirely.
I spoke through the Arachne Maid’s lips.

“A pleasure to meet you, Spider Queen.”
“Heh heh. So you’re the one dwelling within Emily. Your manners are impeccable.”

So this was the Spider Queen who ruled over this place.
She seemed surprisingly gentle.
I had imagined a monster brooding over vast egg sacs, indiscriminately devouring people and beasts alike.
Then how strong was the Spider Queen herself?
I quietly activated Insignificant Insight.

【Belladonna (Arachne Queen) Lv ??】

What? The level won’t show?
That much was certain—she was far stronger than I was.
I’d have to be careful not to offend her.
But in that moment, she narrowed her eyes and pointed at me.

“My, what are you doing right now?”

Damn. She’d caught me peeking at her status window.
I rushed to apologize.

“My sincerest apologies. A moment of curiosity got the better of me—”

She planted both hands on her waist and furrowed her brow.

“It’s terribly rude to pry into a woman’s depths upon first meeting!”

That sounded like it could be misunderstood by anyone listening.
Still, if someone examined my information without permission on a first encounter, I wouldn’t care for it either.
I bowed my head again and offered another apology.

“I’m truly sorry. I meant no ill will whatsoever.”
“Hmm… Very well. But since you’ve already pried into me, I’ll have a look at you in turn. You have no objections, I trust?”

I hadn’t even gotten a proper look at her, though.
But this opponent was a powerhouse whose very level eluded my perception.
A small fry like me had no right to refuse.
In that instant, a chilling sight unfolded before my eyes.

Shhhhrrriiiikkkk—!

Six new eyes suddenly appeared across her smooth face.
Two on each cheek, and two more on her forehead.
Combined with the two eyes she normally kept open, a total of eight eyes pierced through me all at once.
Eight glowing red gazes.
I froze in terror, unable to move a muscle.
She examined me with all eight eyes and opened her mouth.

“Hmm… are you a parasite? You look rather like a ladybug, don’t you? But then, you only have four legs? My goodness! I’ve never seen a species like this before!”

After observing me for a moment, she slowly closed the extra eyes.
The crushing weight that had pressed down on my entire body vanished.

Gasp, gasp….

Only then did I draw in the breath I’d been holding.
It had been such an overwhelming pressure that I couldn’t breathe freely at all.
So this is the true power of a high-ranking monster….
Meanwhile, she had already reverted to her smiling face, as if nothing had happened.

“Quite fascinating, really. I usually take an interest in fauna and flora, so I know most parasitic species. But I’ve never seen one like you before.”

Well, that makes sense.
I had been inside an ancient dragon’s egg, after all.
Could our species have gone extinct?
Or did we evolve into something else?
I couldn’t know for certain right now.
As my mind grew muddled, she asked me with sparkling eyes.

“Would you be interested in joining my collection? I’ll give you anything you want! I take very good care of my specimens.”

Huh? What is she talking about? Specimens?

“Specimens?”

At my question, she spoke with an animated expression.

“That’s right. If you join my collection, you can spend the rest of your life safely within this garden. My greatest pleasure is watching my specimens thrive in happiness.”

Like keeping multiple pets together?
Or perhaps it’s similar to running a zoo.
Belladonna added proudly.

“All sorts of creatures live here. Not just animals like the wolves or rats that serve as your hosts, but rare monsters from the surrounding region as well.”

Oh, this would be perfect for genetic harvesting.
I wouldn’t need to wander far—I could collect all manner of rare species right here!
While I was swallowing my saliva at the thought, she added further.

“And the humans here live like kings!”
“Humans? You have humans as well?”

Humans? I thought I’d misheard at first.
No matter how hard life gets, surely becoming a spider’s pet isn’t the answer.

“Absolutely! That fellow spends his days playing around with the maids, eating whenever he pleases, sleeping whenever he wants—his life is quite leisurely, I assure you! I wanted to collect elves and dwarves as well, but they simply refuse to come over. I’m quite confident I could treat them well too….”

Wait, come to think of it, that doesn’t sound so bad….
Ahem, no. Arachnids may be beautiful, but their lower halves are monstrous! Get a grip!

“I’m sorry, but I must decline. I won’t stay here under any circumstances.”

When I refused so firmly, she sighed while twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

“Is that so? Oh well… what a pity.”

Of course, if she truly wanted to, she could simply imprison us by force, but she didn’t seem inclined to go that far.
Did she genuinely wish for her collection to be happy?
She tilted her head slightly, her earlier disappointment already fading.

“Wait—then what did you come here for?”
“We’re heading to the Black Forest.”

At my answer, Belladonna’s expression shifted subtly.

“Hmm… I see. But unfortunately, you cannot pass without a permit from the Magic Tower. You’ll need to inquire there.”
“A permit from the Magic Tower?”

What kind of forest requires permits just to enter? It made no sense to me.
When I pressed for an explanation, she told me the history of this Spider Garden.
In short, the Spider Garden was created to prevent powerful monsters dwelling in the Black Forest from migrating southward.
To that end, a contract had been drawn up between the Tower Master and her—essentially a subcontracted security arrangement.

“So I’d advise against trying to sneak in. The Black Forest’s access control system is extremely rigorous. Of course, you’re so small you’d avoid detection, but your hosts would be registered the moment they passed through here. That mad old fool who runs the Magic Tower monitors everything down to a single mouse. He was so harsh about missing one little lizard last time….”

She rattled on with complaints about the Tower Master. Despite her sharp appearance, she was quite the chatterbox.
So the Magic Tower’s surveillance was really that thorough, then?

“Has anyone ever made it through without a permit? Aside from mistakes like that?”

At my question, she touched her lips thoughtfully with her index finger.

“Hmm… there was one instance, a few years back. One crazy creature that destroyed my entire garden and made it through to the Black Forest.”

Impressive. They had the audacity to tear through this place despite being guarded by such a powerful spider queen and her subordinates?
Just how strong was that creature?
Belladonna suddenly frowned and shuddered.

“Ugh! Don’t speak of that monster. It stresses me out. Stress is the enemy of beautiful skin.”

Just then, someone entered the reception room.

“Your Majesty. I’ve brought your guest.”

Guided by another maid, Gyusik had finally arrived from where he’d been kept isolated.
Though “guided” might be the wrong word—”carried” would be more accurate.

Squeak!

Gyusik bounded off the maid’s shoulder.
Belladonna’s eyes lit up again at the sight of him.

“Oh my, how adorable! And there’s a jewel embedded in his forehead?”
Squeak?

Sigh. Gyusik’s cuteness had clearly triggered her collecting instinct.
She clasped her hands together and pleaded with me.

“Please, stay here with me! I’ll make you all so happy!”

Good—at least she’s not trying to see through Gyusik.
If she’d used that skill of opening eight eyes from earlier, even the old man stuffed inside the jewel would have noticed.
It’s all thanks to Gyusik’s charm!

“Sigh. I can’t do that. We have to go to the Black Forest.”
“Just say the word! I’ll handle everything! Should I go to the Black Forest instead of you? I can enter it, after all.”
“I can’t. I have to go myself.”

Belladonna paused, considering my resolute stance.

“So you really want to go to the Black Forest that badly? Hmm….”

She twisted a strand of her hair around her right finger, lost in thought, then opened her mouth again.

“Well, if you’d just do me one favor, I suppose I could turn a blind eye….”

A favor?
It certainly wouldn’t be anything easy.

“If you’ll just do this one thing for me, I’ll take you to the Black Forest myself and won’t breathe a word to the Magic Tower. Of course, if they ask, I’ll say it was a ‘mistake.’ What do you say?”

It was an extremely tempting offer.
I could reach the Black Forest and have my secret kept.
But what kind of favor could it possibly be?

* * *

After receiving the report from Elina and the investigative team, the Bishop immediately relayed his judgment to the Sacred Palace.
Clemens VII, the supreme leader of the Central Church, accepted the Bishop’s opinion with unusual speed—almost like a rubber stamp.
The Pope himself saw this incident as a golden opportunity to gain the people’s support for the Church and expand its influence.
But the 3rd Circle Mage Tower Master Cornelius fiercely objected.
He vented his rage at the Bishop through the Crystal Ball.

“A Miracle? Do you truly believe that makes sense?”

The Bishop stroked his beard with composure and replied.

“Calm yourself, please.”
“Does it look like I’m calm? Mages and Holy Knights from the Magic Tower have been killed. And now you’re calling those monsters divine beings? ”
“At any rate, that is our determination. Moreover, there are no shortage of witnesses who saw the Miracle firsthand.”

Cornelius slammed the desk and shouted.

“This is absolutely unacceptable! Something is clearly wrong here. Either that, or your people have all gone mad!”

The Bishop continued in an unwavering voice.

“The investigative team’s psychological evaluations all came back normal. Sometimes the Lord performs deeds beyond our mortal comprehension. This incident is precisely such a case.”
“Ridiculous nonsense!”
Click.

Cornelius, enraged, cut off the transmission unilaterally.
His eyes blazing, he immediately contacted another location and issued orders.

“Form an extermination squad at once! We must eliminate these creatures by any means necessary before the damage spreads further.”

Following the 3rd Circle Mage Tower Master Cornelius’s command, an elite extermination squad was assembled with remarkable speed to deal with the unidentified monsters.
This squad was composed of elite members from the Border Guard.
First, two 5th Circle Mages with extensive combat experience were deployed. They were joined by knights to provide close-range protection for the mages.
And they waited for their final member.
A moment later, the door to the waiting room opened and the final member arrived.

“Ah, you’ve come, then?”
“I knew you would. There’s no way you’d give up like this.”

The most stubborn man in the Border Guard.
A legend who survived the Black Forest Massacre!

“Heh, have you been waiting long?”

Bern, the veteran hunter who had clawed his way back from the very threshold of death, joined them at last.
The decision to bring him in had been made in consideration of his experience fighting those creatures twice over and his proven track record.

“Those things are no ordinary monsters. I’ve faced them myself—I know what they are. So stay sharp.”

He had not forgotten the brutal defeat and humiliation of that last encounter.
His eyes burned with grim resolve as he gripped the knife—honed sharper than ever before—in his weathered hand.

‘This time, I’ll cut off their breath for good.’

The suppression team set out toward Debri Village to hunt down the Ghost Rats and Phantom Wolves, and whatever malevolent presence lurked behind them.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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