Chapter 83: Spider Wound

The crows’ harsh cries echoed overhead as we finally stepped into the settlement. Their calls were unsettling enough on their own, but the sight waiting inside was far worse.

"Ugh... This smell..."

Gopushadow immediately covered his nose, and the others quickly followed suit.

Nearby, a crow perched on the chest of a dead goblin. It tilted its head, pecked at the corpse a few times, then pulled out an eyeball and swallowed it before returning for another bite.

Gopuran grimaced and quickly looked away.

"Eugh..." Gopuberry gagged, then dry-heaved.

I couldn’t blame her.

If I had a stomach, I’d probably be vomiting my guts out, too. The scene was straight out of hell, horrifying enough to make me wish I could look away. Unfortunately, I had a more important task than sparing myself the sight.

I needed to figure out what had happened here.

"Everyone, keep your eyes open. Check the surroundings, but don’t wander off on your own."

"Yes, Big Boss."

The goblins carefully scanned the ruined settlement, staying close to one another. Meanwhile, I examined the scene through Gopuro’s eyes, paying particular attention to the wounds on the bodies.

Most of the corpses were covered in horrific injuries. Deep gashes tore across their torsos, while narrow puncture wounds pierced their chests and abdomens. Some had suffered so many strikes that it was difficult to tell where one wound ended and another began.

Despite the sheer number of injuries, they shared a peculiar consistency. The cuts were long and deep, while the puncture wounds looked as though they had been inflicted by something sharp and pointed. It was almost as if the victims had been repeatedly slashed and stabbed by an enormous, curved blade.

Could these have been caused by the Dark Giant Spiders?

"Gopuro, examine those wounds carefully. Do they look familiar? Are they similar to the injuries caused by Dark Giant Spiders?"

The goblin crouched beside a nearby corpse and studied the damage. His expression gradually hardened.

"Yes, Big Boss. These definitely look like spider wounds."

"You’re certain?"

"I’m certain."

He pointed toward a deep gash running diagonally across the goblin’s torso.

"From what I know, Dark Giant Spider front legs are very big. They are sharp and curved, like giant dagger blades. They use them to slash prey or stab through bodies."

He moved to another corpse and inspected the wounds.

"See? These look like when spider stabs with front legs. And cuts like this..." He gestured toward the long gash on the first corpse. "Same as when spider swings its legs to slash. I have seen these attacks before. I’m very sure."

I see...

So their front legs function as natural weapons, and the wounds match the way they attack...

That was already strong evidence.

But the real horror lay in the sheer force behind those attacks.

As I continued investigating, something else caught my attention near one of the damaged huts.

A thick wooden pole lay broken across the ground which had been cut cleanly in two.

But the thing was... it was made from really strong and dense wood!

The pole was nearly as thick as a tree trunk. Yet Its cut surface was surprisingly smooth, with none of the splintering or ragged fractures I would have expected if it had simply broken under pressure.

Whatever had struck it hadn’t merely damaged the pole. It had sliced straight through it.

I couldn’t help recalling Gopuro’s [Big Slash Lv. 1] when I saw this.

When he unleashed that skill with his axe, he could deliver a devastating strike capable of cleaving through a large tree. Judging from the damage, whatever had severed this pole possessed comparable cutting power.

Damn. These spiders must have some seriously insane attacks huh?

...

"That aside, Gopuro," I asked as we continued exploring the settlement, "do Dark Giant Spiders use webs? You know, to trap their prey or something?"

I hadn’t seen a single strand of sticky web anywhere in the settlement.

So... are these spiders not the kind that spin webs?

As expected, Gopuro shook his head.

"No, Big Boss. They’re not like ordinary spiders. I’ve never seen them shoot out webs. At least, not that I can remember."

"I see..."

That was useful to know.

At least I wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally walking into some enormous web stretched between the trees. Not with these particular spiders, anyway.

Still, the fact that they didn’t use webs hardly made them any less terrifying.

*****

However, there was still one thing I couldn’t understand.

The Dark Giant Spiders had slaughtered an entire tribe, smashed through its defenses, and left hundreds of bodies scattered across the clearing.

And yet, despite searching the area as we ventured farther inside, I still hadn’t seen a single Dark Giant Spider corpse.

Not one.

Wait. What?

I went over the scene in my mind.

This was a large tribe. Its settlement was spacious, its defenses were substantial, and the sheer number of dead goblins suggested that it had possessed a considerable population.

Surely, with so many goblins fighting back, they should have managed to kill at least one of their attackers.

Right?

Unless...

"Hey, Gopuro. How strong was the Bright Red Nose Tribe, exactly?"

"Very strong, Big Boss," Gopuro replied. "Much stronger than the White Whiskers Tribe. That’s why I suggested we recruit them in the first place."

"And just how strong are we talking about?"

"Well..." Gopuro paused, apparently trying to recall what he had heard. "I’m not entirely sure, but I’ve heard that their chieftain is incredibly powerful. Some goblins say he’s already above Level 50. Others claim he’s almost Level 100!"

"What?! That high?!"

"Yeah!" Gopuro confirmed enthusiastically.

Damn...

Above Level 50? And possibly approaching Level 100?

Come to think of it, I hadn’t paid much attention to the natural evolution system of the goblins living in this forest. I knew they could evolve into stronger forms as they gained levels, but I hadn’t considered just how far that process could take them.

Curious, I asked Gopuro to tell me more about goblin evolution and their level system.

Fortunately, he knew enough to give me a fairly detailed explanation.

Goblin evolution followed several major level thresholds: Level 10, Level 25, Level 50, and finally Level 100, which was also the level cap for this evolutionary line.

And the evolution path went like this:

Goblin → Hobgoblin → Hulkgoblin → Hulgagoblin → Hulgagigogagoblin.

(In goblin language, they relatively translated to: Goblin -> Tall Goblin -> Strong Goblin -> Big Strong Goblin -> Strongest Big Goblin)

Of course, reaching those thresholds was no easy feat. Due to harsh living conditions and constant dangers, most goblins in this forest never made it particularly far along the evolutionary path. The majority of tribes were led by Forest Hulkgoblins, and only the more powerful tribes had Forest Hulgagoblins among their ranks.

As for Forest Hulgagigogagoblins....

There was only one known to exist in this forest.

It was the leader of the Bloody Face Tribe, the strongest goblin tribe in the region, was said to be a Level 100 Forest Hulgagigogagoblin.

So, if the rumors were true, the Bright Red Nose Tribe’s chief was at least a Forest Hulgagoblin...

Then how come they couldn’t kill even a single spider?