In the pitch-dark space where nothing could be seen, the candelabras lit themselves, flooding the surroundings with golden light. Up to this point, it was the same as before.But when we noticed the scene had changed from what we remembered, we stopped our characters for a moment.Candelabras lined neatly against the wall, their flames flickering gold, alongside a grand staircase winding up to the second floor. And then—— “Were these cobwebs always here?”Everywhere, tangled and drooping in messy strands, were spiderwebs. They looked fairly new—no speck of dust clung to them—yet they weren’t exactly clean, either.[Party] Honeybread: Weren’t there.After my short reply, Gang Jaegyung immediately began quietly laying out his thoughts.— “In Dusk’s lore, spiders, designated as the Jijujok, were said to have gone extinct along with the spirits. The farming dungeon we keep running—‘The Fallen Aerial Fortress of the Ancient Jijujok’—if you look at its story, the reason for its fall is that the Jijujok who maintained it had gone extinct. But what if, like the spirits, the Jijujok didn’t actually die out but survived somewhere all this time?”By now I couldn’t help but wonder—just what kind of existence was a god supposed to be in this world? Can’t even handle the spirits properly, the Jijujok are still alive, and they go out of their way to cover it up, making people like Abrea start doubting everything. What the hell can they actually do right?Scoffing to myself, I moved my character toward the staircase. But after climbing only a few steps, I couldn’t go any further—like hitting an invisible wall.When I turned the camera to check why, I saw it: a thick strand of spiderweb stretched taut beneath my feet. No way.— “Why aren’t you moving forward?”Jaegyung, following behind me, asked as he tried to pass me. But he too stopped short, like he’d run into a wall.[Party] Honeybread: Web’s blocking the way.— “So it’s not just an ordinary spiderweb, huh?”This was the only path, yet we were blocked by a web. What were we supposed to do?[Party] Honeybread: Should we burn it?— “The carpet on the stairs looks flammable. Wouldn’t we burn to death too?”[Party] Honeybread: Just heal me ㅇㅅㅇ— “Oh, right. You switched back to Harmonizer? When did that happen?”What an idiot. That’s what he cared about right now?— “So you returned after the Beeper exploded? And I just kept running my DPS cycle without realizing? Why didn’t you tell me?”[Party] Honeybread: I did, you just missed it.[Party] Honeybread: Obvious.[Party] Honeybread: You were lost in some bait theory again, ignored the chat.[Party] Honeybread: Instincts are hard to fight.— “You really know me too well, huh?”I raised a hand and slapped my cheek. Harder than intended. Regretted it, but at least it snapped me out of it.[Party] Honeybread: Who else in the world knows you better than me?— “Me.”[Party] Honeybread: You don’t count.— “My mother.”[Party] Honeybread: Damn, that’s a checkmate;I could practically see Jaegyung smirking, but pressing further would only backfire, so I quickly shifted the topic.[Party] Honeybread: So how do we get up?— “Judging by the data we’ve gathered running this dungeon, the solution probably isn’t complicated. It’ll be something # Nоvеlight # ridiculously simple. Like this—”He struck at the spiderweb with a Corner Strike skill. The tough web snapped with laughable ease.— “It works.”[Party] Honeybread: Good.Either way, thanks to that we didn’t have to backtrack. We cut through the problem and moved up the stairs.I swung my sword with basic attacks, slicing through webs as I went. But why did they snap so easily when brushed with steel, yet stood stubborn and unyielding when I tried simply stepping on them?Grumbling, I climbed until the last step came into view. Just as I hurried my swings and ascended, the screen suddenly went black. After all this time in the dungeon, right before the final boss, at last the first story cutscene began.— “I’ll focus.”Jaegyung’s voice flickered in and out before fading away.The darkness brightened again—Honeybread and Retaking a Class had reached the upper floor and stepped into the lounge. Just like before, it looked like a grand banquet hall, still splendid and ornate.But it wasn’t safe from webs either. If anything, it was worse—massive bundles of silk hung everywhere, some shaped like cocoons. A few were so huge it seemed like a boss monster could burst out of them at any moment.The two characters crept inside, scanning their surroundings. The luxurious hall felt strangely silent, eerily mismatched. Then, the moment a web beneath them was stepped on, a black shadow darted across the screen.Retaking a Class immediately turned his sharp senses toward the sound, but no one was there. Only a freshly spun, snow-white strand of web gleamed faintly in its place.Noticing something odd, Retaking a Class moved closer to inspect it, hand outstretched. That was when a muffled snicker rang out—growing into a rising chorus of stifled giggles. It wasn’t human laughter. It was insectile, chittering, shrill.Startled by the ominous sound, Retaking froze mid-motion. Honeybread, sensing danger, pulled him behind and raised his guard.[– ?: Ahhh… it’s been so long since I last hunted, I got too excited.][– ?: And that prey turns out to be ‘Shinajok’!]Through the broken, incomprehensible chittering, a shape emerged. A giant figure cloaked in white, its hood shadowing its face and torso in pitch black. Below, a body of opaque yellow crystal—like gemstone—formed the abdomen, supported by three pairs of sharp spider legs.A spider centaur—upper body humanoid, lower body a jewel-bodied arachnid.Honeybread grimaced at the bizarre sight, once again nudging Retaking back. But from behind him, Retaking leaned forward, eyes shining with curiosity as he studied the creature.The spider-being raised a front leg to its shadowed face, chuckling in raspy clicks.[– ?: A Shinajok with intellectual curiosity…?][– ?: Could it be that you’re searching for ‘Adam’?]Adam… ah, right. This cutscene took place right after Adam and Abrea disappeared. We hadn’t seen a story scene since then—caught up in killing Groove-Eye and beyond, I’d nearly forgotten.Both Honeybread and Retaking reacted immediately at the mention of Adam’s name. The spider, confident it struck a nerve, burst into gleeful laughter. Then, in theatrical flourishes, it spread its arms as if to host a play.[– ?: I see… but you’ve taken the wrong path. Adam did not come here.][– ?: You must turn back, cross the central hall before the cliff you flew past.]…Why so forthcoming? This screamed trap.Sure enough, the spider sealed off the lounge entrance with layered webs, thick as walls, harder than stone. Even striking them wouldn’t likely cut through.As the characters flinched, the spider descended from the wall, settling on the ground, chittering gleefully.[– ?: Now, since I’ve told you Adam’s whereabouts, Anansi expects payment.]Who asked, though? We already knew from the trailer where they went.But oblivious to our knowledge, the spider feigned sorrow and kept talking.[– ?: We Jijujok, long ago, possessed the most beautiful hides.][– ?: Truly beautiful—brilliant colors, intricate patterns, softer than silk. Much like yours…][– ?: Then one day, your so-called ‘god’ appeared.]The background music cut abruptly, the air growing heavier.[– ?: That bastard skinned us of our radiant hides, and forced these useless, heavy minerals upon us instead.]…So they weren’t born with jewel bodies. A memory sparked—molted husks of spiders in the farming dungeon. That wouldn’t exist if they had always been gemstone-bodied.…That’s gruesome. What the hell was this “god” even doing? Couldn’t handle the spirits, lied about the Jijujok, and now skinned them alive, replacing their flesh with stone.Isn’t that just insane? And people actually worship this thing?[– ?: Not only that, after driving away the spirits who sustained nature, it had no knowledge of maintaining the cycle. So it abandoned it. Our once fertile, radiant world, ruined and withered the moment ‘that one’ interfered.][– ?: That’s why Anansi truly, deeply despises you fools who worship and serve it…]One by one, the candelabra flames trembled as though in a storm. One after another, they extinguished, leaving webs sagging heavier in the suffocating dark.When the last flame died, purple fire flared atop the candle stands. A new soundtrack rumbled in, booming like an oncoming storm.At the center of the hall, the spider lifted its head, arms spread wide. In a deliberately bright tone, it whispered as though into our ears.[– ?: Hello. My name is Anansi.][– Anansi: As payment for the information I’ve given, I have a request.]We never asked about Adam’s whereabouts, though.[– Anansi: Refusal isn’t an option. Anansi always takes back payment equal to what he gives.]So this was extortion now?[– Anansi: In return, Anansi desires revenge against ‘that one.’ And to achieve it, I need you.][– Anansi: And besides… your curiosity makes you oh so interesting to me…]With no regard for our opinion, Honeybread and Retaking readied for battle. Anansi, thrilled, raised his voice with excitement.[– Anansi: So until ‘that one’ appears here to wield its power…][– Anansi: Let me savor you, slowly, as I analyze every piece of you!]The screen zoomed close on the shadowed face hidden beneath the hood, then cut to black. The way it spoke to moths and butterflies with a spider’s body—it really did seem like it meant to hang us up and devour us.Still, all that mattered was winning.I straightened my posture, bracing myself, anticipation burning for the new gimmicks Zero Soft had prepared.

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