The Hunting Spider (5)
As the sandstorm grew more intense, the hunters cautiously moved between buildings, making their way toward the city center.
They had witnessed the terrifying combat abilities of the Jagdspinne, yet their spirits remained high.
The monster had retreated after suffering significant damage. Its primary weapon and joints had been crushed—undeniable proof of its injuries.
The hunters believed it would take a long time for the creature to repair itself.
Even though Leon had refused to cooperate, the attacks from S-rank hunter Golden Iron, quasi-S-rank Hwang Yeonha, and mage Gil Taeseong had been effective.
The Jagdspinne was not invincible. The hunters felt confident.
"But are we really fine without that weird knight?"
"Who cares? He was a stuck-up bastard anyway."
"I mean… still, if he was strong enough to overpower that monster, doesn't that make him stronger than our guild master?"
Leon's identity was a hot topic among the hunters. Those with enough experience in the field came to the same conclusion:
"He's probably a survivor. Those guys are usually unpredictable."
"But not that unpredictable, right?"
"Still… where the hell did he come from? I haven't heard of any survivors appearing from a gate recently."
The hunters struggled to explain Leon's sudden appearance using their existing knowledge.
Yet, deep down, they couldn't fully accept their own conclusions.
Something about him was different. Something felt fundamentally off.
It was instinctual—the feeling that he did not belong to this world.
"Wait."
The lead hunter raised his hand, signaling the group to stop.
He pointed to a dull metallic object ahead.
"250 meters ahead, on the rooftop. A machine gun barrel's sticking out. It's the target."
The others cautiously confirmed it.
A familiar, beetle-like carapace was partially visible. The angle made it tricky to target with a rocket.
Fortunately, a ten-story building with a clear line of sight stood opposite the Jagdspinne's location.
"If the ranged attackers snipe from there, the bastard won't even have time to react."
"Ranged units, move carefully to that building. The rest of us will hold here. If it notices us, we'll draw its attention and buy time."
Following the order, the ranged hunters began their climb. They would take their time moving up the stairs, careful not to make noise.
The lead hunter smirked.
"You're dead, you damn spider."
He waited for the signal from his allies.
One minute. Three minutes. Five minutes…
No movement. No signal.
The hunters dared not move, afraid the Jagdspinne might detect them.
"The hell's taking them so long? Send someone up to check."
…
Even after sending someone to investigate, no signal came.
Just as the lead hunter sensed something was wrong—
Schlick.
"Huh?"
His vision spun.
In the dizzying blur, he saw a familiar spider-like silhouette.
"Jagd… spinne?"
Something was off. It looked smaller than before…
Wait.
If this was the real Jagdspinne…
Then what the hell had they been watching on the rooftop all this time—?
From his airborne perspective, he finally glimpsed the rooftop of the building they had been monitoring.
A large, detached shell. A stripped-down piece of armor.
A decoy. Complete with a crude, makeshift machine gun attachment.
"A… mo—"
Schlick!
Schlick! Schlick!
By the time his head hit the ground, dozens of razor-sharp lashes had already shredded him apart.
The Jagdspinne lived up to its name.
With its highly efficient lightweight frame, it moved like a spider, scaling walls effortlessly.
The wires from its numerous robotic arms sliced through the air with lethal precision, dismembering its prey.
It didn't even need to use its machine guns. Its enhanced mobility and flexible limbs were enough to slaughter the hunters.
"Shoot! Hit it with something—slow it down!"
A desperate cry.
Magic missiles shot through the sandstorm, homing in on the Jagdspinne.
Click.
It detected the incoming projectiles and sprinted up a building wall.
At an incredible speed, it rotated its body vertically and slipped into a narrow gap between two buildings.
BOOM!
Two magic missiles crashed into the exterior wall, unable to track the sudden movement.
The other three adjusted mid-flight and aimed downward, chasing the Jagdspinne as it crawled between the buildings.
But in that tight space, dodging was impossible.
The barrels rotated.
Tat-tat-tat-tat!
Despite their homing function, the magic missiles were still essentially linear projectiles.
The Jagdspinne's advanced AI calculated their trajectories and shot them down mid-air.
The hunters watched in stunned silence.
"Holy shit… Is that even possible?"
"That wasn't just evasive shooting… That was calculated."
They couldn't comprehend it.
A machine designed solely for warfare. A pure killing machine—its intelligence and precision were beyond human capability.
As they stood frozen in horror, the Jagdspinne flanked them in an instant.
"Shit! Take cover!"
Its robotic arms whipped through the air, tearing through the hunters like paper.
With its main weapons replaced entirely by razor wires, it massacred over twenty hunters in minutes.
Even the mages' long-range support was ineffective.
The remaining hunters ran, swallowing their screams in terror.
They didn't want to die.
Desperate, they sprinted toward an abandoned graveyard.
One hunter tripped over the overgrown weeds and gravestones, crashing to the ground.
"Khak—!"
Gasping, he scrambled to crawl away.
Click. Click.
The Jagdspinne approached.
The hunter realized he had no escape.
"N-No… please… I don't want to die…"
He cowered behind a gravestone as if it could shield him.
Even he didn't believe it would.
The Jagdspinne aimed its machine gun at him.
Its logical circuits activated.
「Second Logic: Priority—Eliminate Intruders.」
「Third Logic: Priority—Eliminate Intruders.」
It aimed. Any weapon would do. It could crush the hunter effortlessly.
And yet—
「Autonomous Override. Logic Decision Hacked. Sub-Logic Suppressed. Priority Altered.」
It lowered its weapon.
No bullets. No wires.
At that moment—
BOOM!
A barrage of magic missiles rained down, striking the Jagdspinne.
Gil Taeseong and the Black Mamba hunters unleashed their firepower.
"Yes! We hit it!"
"Stupid thing just stood there!"
The Jagdspinne's red optics turned toward them.
Had it been moving, it could have easily dodged.
But—
「Final Decision: Primary Directive—Protect Civilians.」
Its gaze fell on the gravestone the hunter had clung to.
Fighting here would cause unacceptable collateral damage.
The Jagdspinne retreated.
"Huh?"
The hunter blinked in confusion.
Instead of pressing the attack, the machine fled.
"We made it retreat!"
"It's at its limit!"
"After it!"
The Jagdspinne sprinted between buildings, evading pursuit. It didn't even counterattack.
Because some things took priority.
Even the long-deceased deserved protection.
Back at its workshop, the Jagdspinne repaired itself.
Replacing wires, replenishing ammo—keeping itself battle-ready.
「Protect the Seal. Allow no intruders.」
Its core directive remained.
But the AI knew—its limits were near.
Each wave of intruders pushed it closer to failure.
It accessed surveillance cameras across the city.
—Estimated enemy forces: 49 remaining.
—Threat Level 5: Active.
—Threat Level 3: Active.
—Threat Level 1: Multiple.
—Probability of victory: 35.7%.
It had no choice but to continue fighting.
As it finalized its repairs—
A voice echoed.
"Did you enjoy playing with the small fry?"
"!?"
A knight had been watching it the entire time.