How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 74: 6-Circle (5)

Henry and Squad 3, now across on the central island, followed Karl’s instructions and immediately destroyed the bridge.

There was no time to report to Count Uldemir, the chief administrator, or wait for approval.

The swarm of spiders had already drawn dangerously close.

BOOM!

It was a narrow escape.

Henry sheathed his sword and watched the collapsing bridge sway and crash apart.

The curving structure shattered as it slammed into the cliff on the opposite island. Spiders that had made it halfway across plummeted helplessly into the churning sea below.

For now, they had blocked the spiders from reaching the central island.

But it was only a temporary measure.

The most severely wounded were sent back to Lugesium with those tasked with reporting and requesting reinforcements. The remaining unit members stayed behind to defend.

"How’s the injury?"

Rail lifted her head, still seated with her back against a nearby tree.

Henry sat down heavily beside her, looking exhausted.

Thanks to Rail’s laid-back nature, the two had always had a casual rapport despite the difference in rank and age.

She lowered her head again and muttered.

"My guts are all twisted—I’m one step from dropping dead. But it’s bearable."

"...I can’t tell if you’re saying you’re fine or not. If it’s serious, you should return too."

"I said it’s bearable. As long as I can still swing my sword with all my limbs intact, I’m staying put. What, I’m supposed to back out because of some internal damage? Might as well resign as squad leader if that’s the case."

Henry let out a small, bitter laugh.

It was a forced attempt to lighten the grim mood.

"Still... what a bizarre sight."

Rail raised her head again and murmured, staring toward Zone 11.

All the other unit members were staring at it too, their faces pale.

A massive, squirming black mountain at the edge of the island.

A true army.

The sheer number of spiders clustered together like a military formation, all facing them in eerie unison, was enough to chill anyone to the bone.

‘How the hell did it come to this?’

The situation had escalated far too quickly.

And in a very bad direction.

Not long ago, it had been just a few spiders crossing over. But now their numbers had multiplied a hundred—no, a thousandfold—posing a direct threat to the central island.

"I shouldn’t have disturbed the cocoon."

The deaths of so many unit members... the spider army converging on the central island...

Rail felt responsible for it all.

Henry clicked his tongue quietly at her gloomy voice.

"You were just following orders."

"But I could’ve made a better judgment call."

"No one could’ve predicted what that cocoon held. No way to know. So cut the guilt trip."

"You’re shit at comforting people, you know that..."

She let out a dry laugh and sighed.

"The queen... spider, right? He said all those spiders were mentally linked to her, under her control."

Henry nodded.

A magical beast capable of controlling such an enormous swarm through psychic links—it was hard to believe, but the situation left no room for doubt.

That was why Karl had stayed behind on Zone 11 instead of crossing with them. If he could take down the queen, the tightly coordinated swarm would collapse, and the crisis would be over.

"...Is he going to be okay?"

Rail muttered, thinking of Karl.

The situation had been urgent, so she had followed his orders without question. But the more she thought about it, the crazier it seemed to leave him there alone.

Henry felt the same, and it showed «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» in his uneasy expression. Still, he had absolute faith in Karl.

"He must have a plan. That kid may be young, but he’s one hell of a mage."

One hell of a mage.

That wasn’t up for debate. Rail found herself nodding unconsciously.

She could still see it clearly in her mind—the flash of lightning, the bolt that struck the giant spider monster. That shocking scene had burned itself into her memory.

And it wasn’t just his magic. Karl had been the only one to fully grasp the situation and explain it.

She suddenly remembered how she’d mocked him as a brat when they first met.

‘Ugh, that’s embarrassing...’

Feeling her face heat up, she scratched the back of her neck awkwardly.

She decided then and there to properly apologize when he came back.

Meanwhile, Henry stared grimly into the distance.

The massive spider monster hadn’t reappeared yet, but if it did, their current standoff would be over in an instant.

Given its monstrous leaping ability and how it had fired web like a pressurized cannon, this distance wouldn’t be a challenge.

Even a single creature like that making it across would be a disaster. Just imagining it was horrifying.

‘All we can do now... is wait and hope?’

It was a powerless position to be in.

Henry gazed at the spiders on the other side, his eyes dark.

He prayed Karl would find and kill the queen as soon as possible.

* * *

The spider queen, Kainbella.

An ancient magical beast from ages past, her memories of the distant past were hazy.

All that remained clearly was the memory of a fierce battle with incredibly powerful humans, her eventual defeat, and barely escaping with her life. She’d drifted across the currents until she ended up on this island. To recover, she had entered a deep slumber for what felt like an eternity.

The faded memories were a side effect of that long hibernation.

But her hatred for humans remained vivid.

When Kainbella first awakened from her sleep, her wounds were healed, but she’d lost much of her true power.

Regaining it wasn’t difficult.

The island was filled with monsters—nutrient-rich prey for her.

Through hunting and absorbing their essence, she grew stronger with each molt.

With her spare energy, she birthed offspring, expanding her swarm and influence.

Eventually, she became aware that humans were inhabiting an island nearby.

Her hatred flared instantly. She wanted to hunt them at once—but her intelligence allowed her to suppress that instinct.

The memory of nearly dying at the hands of those powerful humans filled her with caution.

She didn’t know how strong the humans here were. She needed to recover more power, expand her swarm, and prepare thoroughly.

More time passed.

Finally, it seemed her preparations were nearly complete.

Not only had she produced countless regulars, she had birthed elite spiders—and even several commander-class units.

But then there was an incident.

Humans from the neighboring island had dared to destroy a cocoon she’d placed on the northern outskirts, and even killed a commander spider that was just about to hatch.

Enraged, Kainbella decided it was time for war.

She mobilized most of her swarm’s power and sent them to the human-inhabited island.

After all, her molt was nearing completion, and once she finished her seventh molting, she would regain her full strength.

Somewhere on Zone 11, in a dark cave...

Deep within, a spider large enough to fill the entire chamber crouched silently.

Its whole body was blood-red, its outer shell bulging and contracting as it emitted pulses of ominous light.

Crack...

Unstable sounds echoed from its body.

In the final stage of molting, Kainbella writhed in agony, unable to even stand.

And yet, her emotions weren’t pain—but anticipation and ecstasy.

Once she endured this final step, her long molt would be complete, and she would reclaim her full power.

That would be the moment when the humans on this island would be annihilated.

She would personally join the swarm and chew through every last one of them—

– ...?

At some point, a single spider had entered the chamber.

A regular-grade spider stood silently, staring up at her.

What was this?

Kainbella was momentarily confused.

She had sent the bulk of her swarm to the humans. She hadn’t ordered any spider to come here.

And this one—how dare it appear before the queen with such disrespectful posture?

Even in her pain, she began to express her anger... then froze.

Something was wrong.

The spider before her wasn’t connected to her mind. It wasn’t part of the mental link. Had it been severed? That was impossible...

Step.

Amid her confusion, someone else entered the chamber.

When Kainbella saw who it was, her dozens of eyes widened.

A human.

* * *

"Finally found you."

Karl stared straight at the massive spider crouched in the chamber.

[Lv. 68]

[Spider Queen, Supreme-Class Magic Beast]

Spider Queen Kainbella.

Even with detection magic spread wide, there wasn’t a single other spider in the cave. Just as expected.

Kainbella never kept other spiders nearby during molting.

While molting, her control over the swarm weakened, and there was always the risk of stronger spiders attacking her in that vulnerable state. That was why the red cocoon containing a commander spider had been placed far from her location in the first place.

In the game, there had always been two options for fighting the spider queen Kainbella:

Either become strong enough to fight her head-on later, or—

Strike now, during her molting phase.

In other words, there were no interruptions to worry about.

Krrrrrk...

Kainbella began to rise.

Her body glowed red in waves, her half-shed shell dragging and scraping against the floor.

Screeeech...!!

She didn’t look stable at all.

Even now, she was barely lifting herself, glancing at Karl in confusion. She could crush him in an instant, yet she hadn’t—because she wasn’t in full control.

Level 68.

Normally, she’d be a foe far beyond Karl’s ability to handle. But he was sure.

Back when he played a warrior, he’d managed to kill a molting Kainbella at level 55—barely, by outplaying her with tight control.

And now he was level 57.

Karl smirked and immediately cast a spell.

【Ray Buster】

BOOOOM!!

A massive beam of white light slammed directly into Kainbella’s head.