Chapter 215: Chapter 216: The Broodmother’s Submission
Ares brought his hands together once.
CLAP!
The sharp sound echoed through the conference room, immediately drawing the attention of both Chairman Kang and Director Han.
"Then it’s settled."
Ares smiled.
For the first time since the discussion had begun, there was no attempt to hide the satisfaction on his face. The expression was subtle, but neither of the two officials failed to notice it.
Chairman Kang narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You seem rather pleased with the agreement."
"I am."
Ares leaned back in his chair.
"After all, it’s a fairly good arrangement for me."
Director Han remained silent for several seconds before speaking.
"Even if we agreed to your conditions, I still find it difficult to believe that you can actually accomplish what you’ve proposed."
Chairman Kang nodded.
"We’ve spent a year studying that dungeon, Director Han has personally reviewed the reports from every expedition, and we’ve already sent five S-Rank Awakeners into the deeper sectors. The conclusion reached by every team was the same. The creatures within that dungeon are beyond anything South Korea can reasonably deal with."
Ares smiled faintly.
"That’s precisely why the arrangement is so profitable."
Neither official found the answer particularly reassuring.
They had agreed because they had no realistic alternative.
That did not mean they believed Ares could succeed.
Chairman Kang looked at him carefully.
"Mr. Yoon, I want to make something clear before we proceed. If you fail, we will not have the resources to rescue you."
"I understand."
"And if the dungeon collapses before you can clear it, the consequences could extend far beyond Seoul."
"I understand that as well."
Ares nodded calmly.
"Then there’s nothing more to discuss."
He stood.
"Let’s go."
Director Han frowned.
"Go where?"
Ares looked at him.
"To the dungeon."
The two officials exchanged a brief glance.
Before either could respond, Ares raised one hand.
"Don’t worry. I’ll bring you back before you have time to regret agreeing to the contract."
Chairman Kang’s expression tightened slightly.
"Mr. Yoon—"
Ares flicked his finger.
FWOOM!
The space around the three of them distorted.
The conference room vanished.
The walls disappeared.
The table disappeared.
The floor beneath their feet seemed to dissolve into nothingness.
For a single instant, Chairman Kang and Director Han felt as though their bodies had been separated from the world itself.
Then—
WHOOSH!
They opened their eyes.
Neither spoke.
They were floating.
Not standing.
Beneath them stretched an enormous forest that seemed to have no visible end.
Towering trees rose hundreds of meters into the air, their trunks so enormous that several buildings could have been constructed around their bases. Thick branches extended in every direction, creating layers of darkness beneath the canopy.
But that wasn’t what shocked them.
The entire forest was covered in webs.
Thousands upon thousands of enormous strands stretched between the trees, forming a vast network that covered the entire region.
Some webs were thin and nearly invisible.
Others were thick enough to resemble bridges.
Several were large enough to cover entire sections of the forest.
The air itself was filled with a faint poisonous mist.
Director Han’s eyes widened.
"W-what..."
Chairman Kang slowly looked around.
"Where are we?"
Ares remained beside them, suspended effortlessly in the air.
Director Han pointed downward.
"Chairman..."
His voice had become unusually quiet.
"Look at the forest."
Kang followed his gaze.
Then he saw them.
Spiders.
Not dozens.
Not hundreds.
Thousands.
Different species moved throughout the enormous forest.
Some were the size of ordinary wolves.
Others were larger than houses.
Some possessed long, thin legs and moved silently across the webs.
Others had thick armored bodies covered in dark chitin.
There were spiders with enormous fangs, spiders covered in luminous markings, spiders capable of changing their coloration, and even massive creatures whose bodies appeared to contain several different forms of magical energy.
The entire ecosystem was filled with them.
Director Han stared in disbelief.
"This..."
He swallowed.
"How could creatures like these possibly exist inside the Gate?"
Chairman Kang’s expression became increasingly grim.
More importantly, he looked around.
"How are we flying?"
Ares glanced at him.
"Relax, Chairman. You’re perfectly safe."
Kang looked at Ares.
"Safe?"
Ares smiled.
"If I intended to harm either of you, you wouldn’t still be standing."
The statement was delivered so calmly that neither official could find a reasonable response.
Ares raised one hand.
"Watch carefully."
He flicked his finger.
The enormous forest below suddenly became silent.
Then a vast magical formation appeared behind Ares.
FWOOOOOOOOOM!
The formation expanded across the sky.
It was enormous.
A circular structure composed of countless concentric rings appeared behind him, each ring rotating in a different direction while ancient symbols moved across its surface. The outermost circle contained hundreds of unfamiliar characters, while the inner layers were covered in markings resembling distorted souls.
The pressure released by the formation immediately caused Chairman Kang and Director Han to stiffen.
Director Han stared at it.
"What kind of magic..."
Ares lowered his hand.
"Forbidden Soul Art."
The formation activated.
The effect was instantaneous.
Across the forest, thousands of spiders froze.
Their bodies remained motionless.
Then something began separating from them.
Their souls.
One after another, translucent forms emerged from the bodies of the spiders.
Thousands.
Tens of thousands.
Every spider’s soul was forcibly separated from its physical body and lifted into the air.
The forest became filled with spectral creatures.
Their translucent bodies floated above the trees, their forms distorted by the overwhelming force of Ares’s magic.
The physical bodies beneath them collapsed.
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
The sound spread throughout the forest as countless spider bodies fell from the webs and crashed onto the ground below.
Chairman Kang’s expression became pale.
Director Han stared upward.
There were simply too many.
The sky itself seemed to be filled with souls.
Then the formation behind Ares began rotating faster.
The countless souls were drawn toward it.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
VMMMMMMMMM...
The spectral bodies were pulled through the air toward the enormous formation.
Ares raised one hand.
The souls began disappearing into his palm.
One.
Ten.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
The entire forest seemed to be emptied of its spiritual presence in a matter of seconds.
Every soul was absorbed.
Every trace of spiritual energy disappeared.
The enormous formation continued rotating until the final soul vanished.
Then—
FWOOM!
The entire formation disappeared.
The silence that followed was overwhelming.
Chairman Kang stared at the forest below.
Thousands of spider bodies remained scattered across the ground.
Director Han slowly turned toward Ares.
"You..."
His voice was unsteady.
"That entire forest..."
Ares looked at him.
"Every A- and S-Rank spider within this region has already been eliminated."
Director Han’s eyes widened.
"You killed all of them in an instant."
Ares nodded.
"Yes."
Chairman Kang remained silent.
For several seconds, neither official could speak.
Finally, Director Han asked quietly,
"Such power..."
He looked at Ares.
"Can a human really be allowed to possess something like this?"
He looked toward the deeper forest.
"But this was only the first region."
Chairman Kang’s expression changed.
Ares nodded.
"There are four major regions inside the dungeon."
He turned toward them.
"And the creatures occupying those regions are considerably more dangerous than these."
---
Ares looked toward the deeper forest.
"But this was only the first region."
Chairman Kang’s expression changed slightly.
Ares continued.
"There are four major regions inside the dungeon."
He turned toward the forest below.
"And the creatures occupying those regions are considerably more dangerous than these."
The two officials followed his gaze.
The enormous forest stretched endlessly beneath them, covered in webs and filled with thousands of different spider species.
Ares raised one hand.
"Let’s start with the first boss."
FWOOM!
The space around them distorted.
In the next instant, the three appeared much deeper inside the forest.
The difference was immediate.
The webs had become considerably thicker, covering entire sections of the enormous trees and stretching across the sky like enormous bridges.
The poisonous mist was denser here.
Even the air felt heavier.
Ares looked ahead.
"She’s nearby."
Chairman Kang followed his gaze.
Then the forest moved.
RUMBLE...
Something enormous shifted beneath the trees.
The webs trembled.
Thousands of spiders suddenly began moving away from the same location.
Director Han’s expression changed.
The trees ahead were pushed aside.
A gigantic black body emerged from beneath the forest.
Eight enormous legs rose above the canopy.
The Abyssal Broodmother.
Her enormous body was covered in black chitin, while countless smaller spiders crawled across her abdomen and limbs.
The sheer size of the creature made the surrounding forest look insignificant.
Her eight crimson eyes opened simultaneously.
She looked directly at Ares.
SKRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
The screech tore through the forest.
Chairman Kang instinctively raised his hand.
Director Han immediately prepared his barrier.
But Ares remained completely calm.
"Stay behind me."
The Broodmother opened her enormous jaws.
A wave of poisonous magical energy poured from her mouth.
WHOOOOOOOOOSH!
A green-black cloud spread across the forest.
The poison wasn’t powerful enough to threaten Ares.
But Chairman Kang immediately understood what would happen if they were hit and exposed to it.
Ares raised one hand.
A translucent barrier appeared around the three of them.
The poison struck.
HSSSSSSSSSSSS!
It disappeared.
Every trace of the poisonous energy was absorbed into the barrier and erased.
Ares looked at the Broodmother.
"How rude."
The Broodmother responded by releasing another screech.
Her enormous legs suddenly moved.
The surrounding webs tightened.
Thousands of strands shot toward them.
WHOOOOOOOOOSH!
Ares raised one finger.
The webs stopped.
Every strand froze in midair.
He slowly moved his hand.
The entire web network dissolved.
The Broodmother’s eight eyes narrowed.
Ares looked toward the forest surrounding her.
He turned toward the Broodmother.
The colossal spider had remained still throughout the entire process.
Her eight eyes were fixed on Ares.
For the first time, there was something other than aggression in them.
Fear.
Ares slowly moved closer.
The Broodmother raised her enormous legs.
Ares didn’t stop.
She released another screech.
SKRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Ares raised one hand.
A different magical formation appeared.
It was smaller than the previous one.
But the pressure surrounding it was considerably greater.
Dark crimson symbols formed around Ares’s hand, while several rings rotated around a single black point.
Chairman Kang immediately understood that this was different from the technique Ares had used against the other spiders.
Ares looked at the Broodmother.
"This one is for you."
He closed his fingers.
"Soul Inferno."
The formation activated.
The Broodmother’s enormous body suddenly convulsed.
Her eight eyes widened.
SKRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
The scream was deafening.
But Ares wasn’t attacking her body.
The flames were burning her soul.
Crimson-black fire spread through her spiritual core, consuming her soul without immediately damaging her physical body.
The Broodmother writhed.
Her enormous legs struck the ground.
BOOOOOOM!
The forest shook.
She attempted to retreat.
She couldn’t.
The flames followed her soul.
Her screech became louder.
SKRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
Chairman Kang and Director Han watched in shock.
The enormous creature that had seemed capable of destroying an entire nation was now unable to resist.
Ares slowly raised his hand.
The flames intensified.
The Broodmother’s soul began burning more fiercely.
Then—
She stopped.
Her enormous body suddenly became completely still.
The crimson flames disappeared.
Silence.
Ares lowered his hand.
The Broodmother remained motionless.
Then something strange happened.
Her enormous body began shrinking.
The black chitin covering her body dissolved into streams of dark energy.
Her eight enormous legs disappeared.
Her massive abdomen contracted.
The countless spiders covering her body scattered into the surrounding forest.
The transformation continued.
The colossal creature became smaller.
Hundred meters.
Fifty.
Twenty.
Ten.
Five.
Finally—
A small figure appeared where the gigantic Broodmother had been standing.
A young woman.
She appeared to be only around sixteen or seventeen years old.
Her body was small and slender, with long black hair falling around her shoulders and down her back.
Her skin was pale.
Her eyes were crimson.
But several characteristics remained.
Small black markings resembling spider patterns covered portions of her arms and neck.
Her pupils were slightly unusual, resembling those of a spider.
A faint pair of black markings extended from the corners of her eyes.
Even in human form, the identity of the creature she had once been was unmistakable.
Chairman Kang stared.
Director Han’s mouth opened slightly.
Neither could speak.
Ares looked at the young woman.
She immediately dropped to her knees.
"Master..."
Ares blinked.
"...What?"
The woman lowered her head.
"Please spare me."
Chairman Kang looked at Ares.
Then at the woman.
Then back at Ares.
"The monster..."
His voice was filled with disbelief.
"It became human."
Director Han stared at the young woman.
"And she’s calling Mr. Yoon Master."
Ares sighed.
He looked down at her.
"Who are you calling Master?"
The woman raised her head slightly.
"You."
Ares stared.
"Me?"
She nodded rapidly.
"Yes."
She lowered her head again.
"Please don’t kill me."
Ares crossed his arms.
"What exactly are you plotting?"
The young woman immediately shook her head.
"Nothing!"
Her voice trembled.
"I swear."
Ares narrowed his eyes.
She immediately lowered her head.
"I don’t want to die."
Ares sighed.
"Stand up."
The woman hesitated.
Then slowly stood.
Ares looked at her carefully.
"Why did you transform?"
The woman swallowed.
"The pain."
She looked down at her hands.
"I couldn’t endure it."
Ares raised an eyebrow.
Ares stared at her.
Then he sighed.
"This is ridiculous."
The woman immediately lowered her head.
"I’m sorry."
Ares looked at her again.
"How are you calling me Master?"
The woman hesitated.
"T-that’s..."
She looked genuinely confused.
Ares’s expression became complicated.
"You want to become my subordinate?"
The woman’s eyes widened.
"Of course!"
She nodded rapidly.
"I’ll follow all your orders."
Ares stared at her.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course!"
She immediately smiled.
"Please just spare me."
Ares sighed.
"Seriously..."
He rubbed his forehead.
"This spider."
The woman immediately lowered her head again.
"Please."
Ares remained silent for several seconds.
Then he sighed.
"Fine."
The woman’s face immediately brightened.
"Really?"
"Yes."
She smiled.
"Thank you, Master!"
Ares raised one hand.
"First, hide within my shadow."
The woman immediately nodded.
"Understood."
Her body dissolved into a mass of black mist.
FWOOSH!
The mist flowed toward Ares’s feet and disappeared completely into his shadow.
Director Han stared at the ground.
"She disappeared."
Chairman Kang looked at Ares.
"Where did she go?"
Ares looked down at his shadow.
"Don’t worry about that."
The two officials remained silent.
Ares turned toward them.
"Alright."
He looked across the forest.
"The first boss has already been dealt with."
He smiled faintly.
"That solves the first problem."
Director Han looked at him.
"Then what exactly happened?"
Ares shook his head.
"I cannot answer that."
He looked toward the deeper regions.
"More importantly, I’ve already shown you what I’m capable of."
Chairman Kang nodded slowly.
Ares continued.
"The remaining battles will be considerably more dangerous."
He looked at the two officials.
"I don’t recommend that either of you come with me into those regions."
"Even if you were A and S-Rank Awakeners, prolonged exposure to the mana density surrounding the remaining bosses would place enormous strain on your bodies."
Ares’s expression became serious.
"The deeper regions contain far more powerful creatures, and unlike the spiders you saw here, some of them can directly interfere with the surrounding environment."
Chairman Kang understood.
Ares raised one hand.
"But before you return, there’s something you should see."
Director Han looked at him.
"What?"
Ares didn’t answer.
He simply raised his hand.
FWOOM!
The three disappeared.
---
They reappeared above an enormous mountain range.
The landscape below was almost entirely stone.
Towering mountains extended across the horizon.
Then one of them moved.
RUMBLE...
Chairman Kang stared.
The mountain itself seemed to rise.
Then he realized the truth.
It wasn’t a mountain.
It was the back of the Calamity Behemoth.
The colossal creature slowly opened its eyes.
The surrounding mountains trembled.
Director Han’s face became pale.
"This..."
Ares remained calm.
"The second boss."
The Behemoth shifted one foot.
BOOOOOOM!
The entire region shook.
Several distant mountains cracked.
Chairman Kang stared at the creature.
"That movement alone..."
Ares nodded.
"It is stronger than the Broodmother."
He raised his hand again.
FWOOM!
---
The mountain range disappeared.
They appeared above an enormous swamp.
Dark green mist covered the surface.
Massive trees emerged from the water.
Something enormous moved beneath them.
The swamp exploded.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The World-Eater Serpent emerged.
Its body stretched across the swamp for hundreds of meters.
Then more of it appeared.
And more.
Its enormous dark emerald and black scales reflected the surrounding light.
Six gigantic fangs emerged from its mouth.
The surrounding mana immediately began flowing toward it.
Director Han’s expression changed.
"It is absorbing the mana."
Ares nodded.
"The third boss."
The serpent’s enormous eyes opened.
They immediately focused on Ares.
Chairman Kang stiffened.
"It can sense us."
"Yes."
The serpent opened its jaws.
Dark energy began gathering inside.
Ares raised one hand.
The attack was released.
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The enormous blast struck Ares’s barrier.
It disappeared.
Ares looked toward the serpent.
"Another rude visitor."
The serpent slowly lowered its head.
Ares turned toward the officials.
"The third boss."
Chairman Kang remained silent.
The creature beneath them was large enough to devastate an entire region.
And yet Ares spoke about it as though it were simply another obstacle.
Ares raised his hand.
"There’s one more."
FWOOM!
---
The swamp disappeared.
Heat immediately surrounded them.
An enormous volcanic region stretched beneath their feet.
Lava flowed through valleys.
Black mountains rose into the distance.
The air itself distorted from the temperature.
Director Han’s expression changed.
"This presence..."
Ares looked toward the horizon.
"The fourth."
Something moved.
At first, it resembled a mountain.
Then the mountain stood.
Two enormous wings unfolded.
The Infernal Emperor Dragon slowly raised its head.
Black volcanic scales covered its colossal body, while golden-orange cracks glowed across its surface like rivers of molten lava.
Its four massive legs pressed into the volcanic ground.
Its horns curved backward.
Its golden-red eyes opened.
The entire region seemed to brighten.
Chairman Kang stared in silence.
Director Han’s breathing stopped.
Ares remained still.
The dragon’s gaze immediately turned toward him.
Its eyes narrowed.
Ares’s expression changed slightly.
The dragon released a low growl.
GRRRRRRRRRRRR...
The mountains trembled.
Director Han finally whispered,
"That’s an SS-Rank entity."
Ares nodded.
"The strongest of the four."
Chairman Kang looked toward the dragon.
Ares raised his hand.
FWOOM!
---
The three returned to the room where they had begun.
For several seconds, neither official spoke.
Then Director Han finally broke the silence.
"Teleportation."
He looked at Ares.
"I’ve never seen anyone move through space like that."
Ares remained silent.
Director Han continued.
"Even Kang Ji-hoon, despite being one of the strongest Awakeners in Korea, is limited to relatively short-distance spatial movement."
He looked toward the city.
"But you transported us into the Gate, moved us across multiple regions, and brought us back here without any difficulty."
Ares smiled faintly.
"I’m not an ordinary Awakener."
Chairman Kang looked toward the distant Gate.
Then toward Ares.
He had seen the Abyssal Broodmother.
He had witnessed Ares erase thousands of powerful spiders.
He had seen the Behemoth.
The World-Eater Serpent.
And finally, the Infernal Emperor Dragon.
He had no reason left to doubt the information Ares had given them.
Kang slowly exhaled.
"I believe you."
Ares looked toward him.
"But I still don’t understand why you’re telling us all of this."
Ares smiled.
"Because I need the dungeon."
Director Han nodded.
"The dungeon, its monsters, its crystals, its materials, and everything else inside it."
He looked directly at Ares.
"Under our agreement, all of it belongs to you."
Ares smiled.
"Exactly."
Chairman Kang’s expression became serious.
"Then we’ll leave everything to your care."
Director Han nodded.
"If anyone can handle what we just witnessed, it is probably you."
Ares turned toward the distant Gate.
"Then leave it to me."
He smiled.
"I’ll take care of everything."
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter