I Subscribed to the Channel of Transcendents - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“SKREEEEE!!!”

A terrifying screech echoed through the dungeon.

Looking ahead, there were giant spider-like monsters, around 2 meters tall, densely packed together. They were called Arachne.

“SKREEEEE!”

“Skriee! Skrieee!”

In response to the earlier Arachne’s screech, the surrounding Arachnes started reacting one by one.

There were ten arachnids in total.

The dozens of pairs of spider eyes flashed a crimson red glow, painting over the darkness.

“As you can see, Arachnes’ live in groups like this.”

Then came a muffled voice.

Where the voice came from, there stood one man and three other people.

“They look like spiders to anyone, and they are indeed classified as a spider species. However, they are completely different from spiders living on Earth. For example, these creatures prefer hunting over fighting their opponents….”

“SKREEEEE!”

At that moment, a terrifying screech erupted, cutting off the man’s words.

Soon, the ten Arachnes began to charge all at once.

“All of a sudden….”

The man was taken aback by Arachne’s sudden behavior.

But it was only for a moment.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

*Skrrr*

The man unsheathed his weapon and charged at the onrushing arachne horde.

In his wake, the other three followed suit, drawing their own weapons.

Ten against four.

Though vastly outnumbered, the man and his group didn’t hesitate.

*Swish!*

The foremost Arachne was sliced in half by the sword the man swung first.

*Squelch!* *Thud!*

Attacks followed swiftly behind the man.

In an instant, half the Arachne fell to the ground.

“Skree?”

The Arachne began to panic as their brethren fell.

And then, the man leaped into the midst of the startled Arachnes.

*Swish!* *Thud!* *Thud!*

The chilling sounds of slicing and tearing flesh followed one after another.

And with each one came a resounding thud!

The Arachnes collapsed to the ground, bleeding thick green blood.

A battle that was nothing short of a massacre.

Some time went by.

There was only a lone man standing on the scene.

The man who fearlessly leaped in to protect his comrades.

Covered in the blood of Arachnes, the man gasped for breath, wearing a relieved expression.

In that moment.

“Cut!”

A shout interrupted the flow.

At the same time, as if on cue, the man’s face fell and he frowned.

“Ha, fuck.”

An expletive spat out.

“Arachne shoots spider webs first?”

The man stared narrowly down at the Arachnes’ blood that covered his entire body.

“This stuff smells really shit.”

The man scowled and let out a series of curses.

And some distance away from him.

A man standing behind a camera mounted on a tripod.

The man looked up and glared at the man behind the camera with an annoyed expression in his eyes.

“Hey, Maeng¹ Si-woo.”

“……”

“Aren’t you going to answer?”

“…..I’m sorry.”

Upon hearing the man’s cold words, Si-woo, the man holding the camera, bowed his head.

But the man didn’t like Si-woo’s response.

“I told you to answer. Who told you to apologize?”

The man stomped off, walking toward Si-woo.

And then, thunk!

He kicked Si-woo in the abdomen.

“Kuck!”

Si-woo let out a yelp as he collapsed with a thud!

He tumbled to the ground.

“Get up, you bastard. Do you think I pay you your salary just so you can lie there like that?”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Si-woo quickly pulled himself to his feet.

Despite the pain making it hard to breathe properly, Si-woo didn’t show it and forced himself to stand up.

“Don’t you do your investigations properly?”

“That’s….”

“You said Arachne spits out their webs at the beginning? Do you even know how much the equipment I bought to film scenes countering spider silk cost?”

The man growled with frustration.

Si-woo had nothing to say in response to the man’s words.

Of course, he had plenty to say inwardly, seething with unspoken words.

Si-woo’s analysis of the Arachne’s personality was flawless.

The typical combat style of Arachnes was not ‘fighting’ but ‘hunting.’

Therefore, Arachnes’ first spit out their webs to ensnare their opponents.

Thus, they immobilize their helpless prey in their webs and inject venom slowly to bring about their demise.

Unlike typical spiders that simply wait for prey to get caught in their webs, Arachnes actively hunt their prey.

As such, they don’t simply lunge at anyone like they did earlier.

Such charges occur when the webs fail to ensnare their targets.

In other words, it was a fighting style used only as a last resort or in desperate situations.

But as soon as they encountered an opponent, they charged at them?

“I’ve never heard of this before….”

This was a completely unheard-of situation.

It could be asserted with certainty.

When it came to monsters, he knew more details than even the association did.

It was the weapon that had allowed Si-woo to survive in this hunter industry.

“So, it’s not your fault?”

“Not in that sense….”

“Then is it my fucking fault?”

“…… I’m sorry.”

Si-woo could only bow his head once again towards the man.

The analysis and investigation were perfect, but nevertheless, an unexpected situation occurred.

Of course, Si-woo was not at fault for that.

However, the man glaring right now, Kang Do-cheol.

Do-cheol was a B-rank hunter and at the same time, the actual owner of the ‘No strategy (I will guide you through anything)’ channel.

In short, Do-cheol was Si-woo’s employer.

Do-cheol is the Gab. Si-woo is the Eul.²

Whatever Gab said, it didn’t matter what it was.

Eul simply had to bow his head.

“….. I’m sorry.”

“Just like someone from the Maeng family. So oblivious.”³

Do-cheol frowned and clicked his tongue.

“Alright. Grab the camera and follow me. We’re going deeper to reshoot the footage from a different angle,” Do-cheol said firmly.

“Huh? Are you saying we’re continuing further?”

“Then shall we turn back here?”

In truth, that was what Si-woo hoped for.

It was understandable, especially since the behavior of the Arachne just now was so peculiar.

Without exaggeration, it was a behavior that had never been reported before.

It wasn’t even a rare instance.

Literally a behavior that has never been observed even once before.

This was definitely not something to ignore.

Faced with monsters never seen before, humanity teetered on the brink of extinction, but they managed to overcome it with the power of awakened individuals.

Afterward, monsters and mana began to take root with the new knowledge.

This became known as the 5th Industrial Revolution, which transformed the Earth into a new paradigm.

However, dungeons remained spaces filled with unknown mysteries to this day.

Like the depths of the ocean.

Dungeons still abound with discoveries that humanity has yet to uncover.

Therefore, the strange behavior of the Arachne just now.

It could be interpreted as a sign that something unknown lurked within the dungeon.

Si-woo didn’t know what it was, but he didn’t want to take the risk.

But Do-Cheol’s thoughts were different.

In fact, Si-woo doubted Do-Cheol was thinking at all.

“I need to get the angle right for the video.”

Well, in a way, it was almost like the destiny of a NuTuber.

“And to be scared by just an Arachne dungeon.”

The Arachne was classified as a C+ rank monster.

And Do-cheol was a B-rank hunter.

Plus the three C-class Hunters with them.

They had sufficient power to handle any dangerous situations that might arise.

Even the unexpected situation from earlier had been handled without difficulty.

“Maybe if we upload the battle we just had a little while ago as this week’s video…”

“Who would want to watch us struggle against just a C+ rank monster?”

Honestly, no one did.

“Besides, it doesn’t fit the concept of my channel, dumbass.”

It also didn’t match the concept of Do-cheol’s channel.

Do-cheol’s channel, “No strategy (I will guide you through anything),” was about how to attack monsters.

If it’s a video about slaughtering monsters, that’s another story.

In many ways, struggling didn’t fit the concept.

Honestly, if people wanted to see slaughter videos, they should watch the Channel of A-class hunters called Celestials.

Or the Channel of an S-class Hunter, the Pinnacle of Humanity.

“And the cost of the equipment I bought. If you’re not going to take responsibility for it all, shut up and follow me.”

With that, Do-cheol simply stormed out of the place.

Si-woo was left speechless.

Just as Si-woo was about to pack up the equipment.

“Maeng Si-woo, that bastard. When I look at him, it’s frustrating,” someone muttered.

Another voice came to Si-woo’s ears.

Other hunters working together with Do-cheol to build a channel of undefeated victories.

Due to adjusting the camera perspective, they were quite a distance away from Si-woo.

Even though it was a distance where whispers wouldn’t normally be heard, their voices came through distinctly.

It was deliberately spoken loudly so Si-woo could hear them.

“Well, after all, what would a mere civilian editor know?”

“But still, he did awaken. It’s because he’s undetermined.”

“Oh right, that’s how it was.”

Generally, along with awakening, each person is endowed with special abilities.

And those abilities were unique to each person.

Because they were all different, like fingerprints, they were called ‘unique abilities’ or ‘individuality’.

Si-woo was also an Awakened person.

However, his awakened ability was devoid of individuality.

Literally, it had no individuality whatsoever.

He was no different from a normal person.

In the hunter industry, it was considered utterly useless.

Therefore, Si-woo desperately analyzed monsters.

It was his only way to stay afloat and survive.

“Bastard.”

Mocking laughter could be heard.

But Si-woo pretended not to hear.

He just grabbed his camera and equipment.

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The exploration of the dungeon for filming Arachne’s raid continued uninterrupted.

And how far did they venture into the dungeon?

‘It’s odd.’

Si-woo couldn’t shake the feeling of discomfort he had felt earlier.

It had been half an hour since they entered the dungeon.

‘Not a single one?’

They hadn’t encountered a single Arachne so far.

Of course, such situations were not unheard of.

It was a rare but occasional occurrence.

The bizarre behavior of Arachne, never previously documented.

Once again, the Arachne hunts, and does not fight.

Therefore, their first action should always be to shoot their webs.

Attacking their opponent is a last resort.

It was a move made only when the situation became dire.

And yet, the Arachne pounces immediately upon encounter.

Strictly speaking, it’s not something that couldn’t happen.

However, that was merely a scenario based on possibility.

This behavior is like a right-handed person suddenly eating with their left hand.

After all, it’s not entirely impossible.

At first glance, it seems like a trivial matter.

But it was something Si-woo couldn’t ignore.

The wife who used to use her right hand every day suddenly starts eating with her left hand.

Others might not feel much of a sense of discord.

But her husband wouldn’t feel that way.

The husband would feel a sense of discord as if his wife had become a different person

Because the husband knows his wife better than anyone else.

That’s what Si-woo is feeling right now.

A small thing at first glance.

But one that cannot be ignored.

This was not the Arachne he knew.

The behavior of the Arachne is very strange.

But what if a special situation had arisen…?

Then it’s a different story.

A situation where the wife couldn’t use her right hand.

If her right hand was injured or in a cast.

Then it wouldn’t be strange at all for her to use her left hand.

It’s not just natural, it’s inevitable.

And so….

‘What if the Arachnes were already in a dire situation?’

Then all their previous actions would make sense.

He needed to confirm.

Si-woo hastily pulled out his camera and played the recorded video.

-SKREEEEE!

As soon as the video started playing, ten arachnids rushed in.

A dazzling red gleam and bursting screams erupted.

At the time, he didn’t feel it, but seeing it in the video makes it clear.

‘Are they scared?’

The Arachnes in the video were terrified.

Therefore, they weren’t charging to attack.

It looked like they were trying to get away from something.

During that process, Do-cheol’s group was merely blocking their path.

In the words of the Arachnes.

[We don’t have time to deal with you, so get out of the way.]

In essence.

The Arachnes were terrified.

‘Does this make sense?’

But this makes even less sense.

That’s because monsters don’t experience the emotion of fear.

They were prey.

Monsters are driven only by instinct.

Nevertheless, there were instances where monsters showed fear.

There’s only one instance in which a monster is afraid.

An overwhelming fear that triggers their instinct for survival.

Or when faced with such a being.

Therefore, an Arachne being terrified.

It could only mean one possible scenario.

Somewhere deep within.

Where Si-woo is heading now. Somewhere in there.

There’s an overwhelming presence that stirs an Arachne’s survival instincts.

‘I need to escape.’

Si-woo quickly made a decision.

An overwhelming threat that the Arachne were forced to flee from.

He didn’t know what it was.

But at least S-rank, perhaps even higher.

The moment they faced it.

It’s the end.

He doesn’t know why such a thing is in Arachne’s dungeons.

It’s even questionable whether such a being could really exist.

However, there is no room to entertain doubts.

Si-woo suddenly jerked his head up.

He shouted to Do-cheol and the others walking ahead.

“Everyone, run─!”

But before he could finish his words.

*RUMBLES!!*

A loud vibration echoed through the dungeon.

“SKRIIIEEEEEEE!!!!”

From the darkness ahead, a chilling scream erupted.

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** ** **

TL/N:

1. 맹(Maeng) more than 20,000 Koreans have this Family name.

2. The term “gab-eul relationship” originates from the Korean practice where, when a contract is entered into, the contractual parties are typically referred to as Gab and Eul. The more powerful party is referred to as Gab, while the other party is referred to as Eul.

3. 맹(Maeng) can also mean “blind.” It is often used in compound words related to blindness or as a metaphor for someone who is unaware or naive.

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TL/N:
Just wondering, do you guys want this kind of Translation with the whole TL/N? explaining some stuff or just provide the novel chapters to catch up with the Manhwa version which is on Ch 10 already? Do let me know by leaving a comment/feedback