Episode 25: Tower of Lethe (3)

<Camel Spider> 

-Danger Level: C  

-Discovery Location: Sincheon-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul Special City ‘Stairway of Sighs’  

Dungeon scavengers that hide in damp, dark places and feed on predator leftovers.  

Particularly fond of oil and fat; the massive humps on their backs store ingested oil.  

Dozens of Camel Spiders scurried busily through the dim restaurant hall.  

Scuttle- scuttle scuttle scuttle scuttle scuttle  

Ecosystems form pyramid-shaped food chains.  

Apex predators eat those below them, who eat those below them. 

At the very bottom are the “cleaners” that dispose of the scraps left by predators.  

Camel Spiders are precisely those cleaners.  

[Crunch… munch munch…]  

[Slurp… sluuurp…]  

[Gnaw! Gnaw!]  

They devoured human corpses and food waste scattered across the hall.  

Their favorite? 

Oil.  

Fatty globs clinging to flesh or organs were gourmet delicacies.  

They sucked up oil and fat, storing it in the massive humps bulging on their backs.  

As the Camel Spiders frantically sniffed for oil—  

Claaang~!  

A sharp sound like shattering glass rang out.  

The source: a corner window seat.  

A huge hole gaped in the massive glass wall.  

Soon, a chilling wind rushed through the gap.  

Whoooooooosh~!  

At that moment.  

[……!] 

[……!]  

[……!] 

Every Camel Spider in the hall snapped their heads in unison.  

Some trembled in ecstasy, legs quivering.  

A greasy, savory aroma.

Rich umami thick enough to taste.  

A scent that made dozens drool.  

It was the smell of oil.  

The wind from the broken window carried a thick oil stench that spread mercilessly.  

Soon.  

Scuttle scuttle scuttle! Scuttle! Scuttle scuttle  

Scuttle-!  

Dozens of Camel Spiders charged toward the window seat.  

Pushing, shoving, overtaking, being overtaken. Rolling, tumbling, trampling, leaping.  

They raced with all their might to be the first to taste whatever emitted that delicious scent.  

Thud thud thud thud thud thud  

Thud thud thud thud thud thud~!  

The hall floor shook like an earthquake.  

Cracks spider-webbed across the broken window, then it shattered completely.  

At that moment, the lead Camel Spiders saw the source of the irresistible smell.  

The entire path to the window was drenched in oil.  

Sesame oil, perilla oil, soybean oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, chili oil, peanut oil, walnut oil, butter, margarine, pork lard…  

Every oil imaginable mixed into a massive oil puddle around the window.  

[Kieeeeeek~!]  

[Kigik! Kigigigik-!]  

[Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeek~!]  

[Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!]  

Discovering it, the Camel Spiders grew even more frenzied and accelerated.  

A floor soaked with every oil in existence.  

To them, a paradise flowing with milk and honey.  

The frontrunners dove headfirst and began slurping.  

Glug glug glug glug glug!  

Gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp!  

Slurrrrrp slurrrrrp slurrrrrp!  

They drank like they’d starved for days.  

But only briefly.  

Other Camel Spiders barreled in with ferocious momentum.  

Thump! Thump! Thooom! Thump! Thoooom!  

They began crashing into each other.  

The impact shoved the front-runners sliding backward.  

Marble tiles slick with oil were slipperier than ice.  

On a steep incline, the front row kept getting pushed back.  

Soon.  

Thump! Thooom~!  

Trailing Camel Spiders shoved the ones ahead.  

Thump! Thooom! Thump! Thooooom!  

Push, push, push again.  

Like items on a conveyor belt, they endlessly shoved each other.  

Before long, the lead Camel Spiders reached the very edge of the shattered window.  

[Kieik!?]  

[Kiiiiiiiik!]  

[Gyaaaaaaaaah!]  

Only then did the frontrunners sense something wrong and try to backpedal.  

But.  

Kigik-kigigigigigik kigiiiiik~!  

They couldn’t stop.  

Wouldn’t stop.  

Thump! Thoom! Thump!  

Behind them, a chain of Camel Spiders kept pushing, getting pushed.  

They clawed the floor desperately, but—  

Slip- sliiiide-  

Oil-slick legs slid helplessly on the 45-degree slope.  

[Ki, kiiiik!]  

[Kigik~! Kigik-!]  

[Kieek!]  

The Camel Spiders kept sliding.  

Toward the perfectly open window.  

Toward the dizzying ground far below.  

***

It started with three or four Camel Spiders falling past the window.  

Ruuuuumble-  

Then the entire horde began plummeting in a chain.  

Sucked into a black hole, every last one.  

Soon, faint sounds of crushing echoed from below.  

……!  

Then.  

Splat! …Splat! …Splat! …Splat! …Splat! …Splat! …Splaaat!  

Again and again.  

“They fell for it this easily?”  

I watched from behind a pillar.  

A trap made from the restaurant kitchen’s oil.  

The “Oil Trap” operation was far more effective than expected.  

Good thing Camel Spiders aren’t intelligent.  

And without Featherback’s log on their habits, this would’ve been impossible.  

Soon, a system window appeared.  

Ding dong!  

<Camel Spider soul……  

(1/30)>  

Morgue’s Magical Warehouse requested “extract Camel Spider souls.”  

Looks like soul extraction is automatic.  

I’d worried about killing them but failing to extract souls—this was fortunate.  

The window updated at terrifying speed.  

<Camel Spider soul…… (2/30)>

<Camel Spider soul……. (3/30)>  

(4/30)>  

<Camel Spider soul <Camel Spider soul (5/30)>  

<Camel Spider soul (27/30)>  

<Camel Spider soul…… (28/30)>  

<Camel Spider soul …….>

<Camel Spider soul ……. (29/30)  

(30/30)>  

<Request completed! Exploration rate slightly increased.>  

<Morgue’s Magical Warehouse repaired by 0.000000……0000001%.>  

“……Simple enough.”  

Over 40 Camel Spiders had free-fallen to the ground.  

Thus, the warehouse quest was easily cleared.  

Soon, the awaited system message appeared.  

Ding dong!  

<Warehouse Keeper’s Strength +1!>

<Warehouse Keeper’s Stamina +1!>

<Warehouse Keeper’s Agility +1!> 

<Warehouse Keeper’s Intelligence +1!>  

<Warehouse Keeper’s Mental Power +1!>  

“Okay. Stat gains are solid.”  

Complete warehouse quests and grow steadily.  

If things keep going this smoothly, my hunter rank will skyrocket.  

Soon, a new system window appeared.  

Ding dong!  

<1 repair operation available inside Morgue’s Magical Warehouse!> 

<Perform periodic repairs to manage stored items more safely and comfortably!>

<Current repairable zone: Safe Zone>  

“Repair operation?”  

A new system window I’d never seen.  

Fulfilling multiple warehouse requests must have unlocked the “repair” function.  

Soon, images of the warehouse’s deplorable state flashed in my mind.  

Those bug things turned it into a complete wreck.  

Repairing Morgue’s Magical Warehouse to full integrity might make me even stronger.  

I initiated the Safe Zone repair.  

At that moment.  

Scuttle- scuttle scuttle- scuttle  

An unpleasant presence came from behind.  

I quickly spun and scanned the area.  

Shadows scurried in the darkness.  

“Some left?”  

Camel Spiders.  

Fifteen… no, sixteen.  

Most emerged from the hallway outside the restaurant; some descended from the ceiling on webs.  

I glanced at the remaining oil puddle.  

But soon shook my head.  

That oil’s useless now. Probably.  

Even if Camel Spiders aren’t smart, they wouldn’t repeat the same mistake after watching others fall.  

Scuttle- scuttle scuttle scuttle scuttle scuttle-  

The remaining Camel Spiders began encircling me in a ring.  

“…Alright, your turn to shine.”  

Ding dong!  

<Summon MRG-682 ‘Immortal Pseudo-Dragon’? …… [Yes/No]>  

I reached out, decision made.  

But then.  

[…………..!] 

[……..! ……!]  

[……..! ……! ……!]  

Suddenly, the Camel Spiders scattered in panic.  

At the same time.  

Crunch… crunch crunch… crunch crunch crunch… crunch crunch crunch crunch…  

A strange sound began echoing.  

Seeming far yet somehow close.  

“What…?”  

Drip……  

Drip drip…… drip drip drip……  

The ceiling where the Camel Spiders had swarmed.  

It began melting like mush.  

Then.  

KABOOOM!  

Something massive dropped from the liquefied ceiling.  

An elongated oval body.  

The thing that had scared the Camel Spiders away.  

Ding dong!  

<Gigasnail>  

-Danger Level: A  

-Discovery Location: Sincheon-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul Special City ‘Stairway of Sighs’  

An oil dragon that devours everything in its path with an appetite matching its colossal size. 

Its sleek skin constantly secretes viscous oil mucus; rivers of flowing oil are reportedly seen near Gigasnail habitats.  

“…A snail?”  

A grotesque, impossibly massive snail that shouldn’t exist in reality.