BRDM 154

chapter 154

The prey caught in a spider’s web cannot move, destined to become food for the spider.

Spider Hell.

Camila Duarte’s signature skill was inspired by this concept.

Once someone was caught inside her territory woven tightly with magical threads, there was no escape.
The magical threads stuck once and never let go.

But—

What if such a Spider Hell were set up inside the belly of a massive whale?

―ᛇ.

[New magic “Thunder Whale” has been born!]
[The Thunder Whale is preparing to digest any enemies who enter its belly.]

‘…What… is this?’

Camila swallowed dryly, a chill running down her spine.

She always laid traps like these around the areas she stayed in.
As a cartel officer who lived with the risk of assassination, her Spider Hell had saved her countless times from crises.

But what was this thing?

Kwoooong…

The ominous crackling sparks she could understand, but that heavy throbbing, like the heartbeat of a monstrous beast…

The Thunder Whale was a spirit beast formed from gathered lightning.
It was a transformed version of a thunder-core implanted into a building.

And—

「You used the Clone Technique, didn’t you?」

It was also one of Lee Hyun’s new clones.

Sun Wukong chuckled as he examined the Thunder Whale with his Fiery Golden Eyes.

‘Yes. I inflated a clone I had originally made as a spirit to the maximum size. It looked like it could be used in some interesting ways.’

「A clever approach. Good for trapping enemies, good for surveillance since you’ve extended your consciousness… and since it has spirit, you don’t have to micromanage it either.」

He stroked his chin.

「At this rate, you can even overcome the greatest weakness of a mage—close combat.」

For mages, casting time was always a disadvantage. No matter how much it was shortened, they could rarely match warriors in direct combat.

But Lee Hyun had flipped that weakness, shaping the battlefield itself in his favor.

What if the Thunder Whale followed him wherever he went?

It would be his bodyguard in peace, his vanguard in war, and sometimes, like now, the very battlefield itself.
Here, Lee Hyun could unleash a variety of spells without long incantations.

While Sun Wukong used clones only as combat support,
Lee Hyun had reinterpreted and reshaped the idea entirely.

A faint smile tugged at Lee Hyun’s lips.

‘Feels good to hear Daeseong’s praise after so long—’

「But it still has too many weaknesses. Widen your field of consciousness too much, and the density of information you can process drops.」

‘…Of course. I wasn’t expecting much more.’

Lee Hyun let out a bitter laugh inwardly.

‘So, I coded an algorithm to maximize coverage. Even if density is low, it’ll still detect movement. Once something’s caught, it can track and respond automatically.’

Fwaak!

Across the walls, streams of violet light flickered inside the currents.

[Countless Cursed Nodes are lying in wait to activate.]

‘And those nodes make the electricity more vivid, more alive.’

「Not bad at all.」

Sun Wukong now understood the principle and purpose of this new clone magic.

With just a few cursed nodes, he had woven thousands of lightning strands into a summoned beast.
It was already a walking catastrophe.

「Your new persona is shaping up nicely. Anyone who sees you dragging that around will panic instantly.」

‘That was the point. And…’

Lee Hyun lifted his gaze to the shaken Camila.

‘Judging from that stupid face, I’d say it worked well.’

“What’s the matter? What happened to that bold promise to tear me apart?”

In the deep darkness, Camila cloaked herself with magical threads, attempting stealth.

But despite her effort to hide, her face dripped with cold sweat.

『……』

Her pupils trembled.

Lee Hyun was looking straight at her.

Her stealth was broken.

“I finally came since you kept searching for me… and this is how you welcome a guest?”

With a cold sneer, Lee Hyun twisted his rune staff.

“Let me fix your posture first.”

―ᚦ.

[Chains of Lightning activate!]

Bzzzt! Crackle!

The current running across the ceiling sprang upward, reaching for Camila.

『…!!』

She hurriedly dropped from the ceiling, spreading her arms wide. Her magical threads fluttered like dragonfly wings.

Papapapap!

As magic surged, the threads stiffened and sliced the lightning chains into pieces.

But—

“Pointless. Lightning’s nature is that it can reconnect no matter how many times it’s cut.”

The scattered currents blinked and rejoined in midair.
Like a web.

“And then—explode.”

Kwakwaang!!

The mesh erupted in a chain of explosions.

“Kyahhh!!”

Camila was flung down, crashing to the floor.

She managed to shield herself with threads to block most of the blast, but not the shockwave.

Boom!

She hit the ground hard, her stance broken.

Crackle!!

Chains of lightning lashed out from all directions, piercing into her.

Thunk! Thunk-thunk-thunk!!

“Damn it!!”

The anchors dug in so deep she couldn’t shake them off.

Desperately, she tried to free herself—

But all she got was Lee Hyun’s cold voice:

“Didn’t I just tell you? It’s meaningless.”

―ᛊ.

Power surged into the chains binding her.

A flash of blinding white light burst across the area.

Bzzzzzt!!

“……!!”

Tting-tting-ting!

Her prized magical threads all snapped.

Camila collapsed to her knees, her body charred black.

Thud!

Her body shook violently, smoke rising from her mouth.

Step. Step.

Lee Hyun approached slowly.

Through fading consciousness, Camila looked up at him with terror.

‘How… is such a monster possible…?’

Even when she had met him months ago, she had sensed he was formidable.

But never did she think she would lose.

Now she knew—he was a monster beyond anything she could handle.

“At last, you’re easier on the eyes.”

Beyond the demon mask, his golden eyes gleamed coldly like an oni’s.

And yet, despite wielding such brutal lightning so casually, his gaze carried no emotion at all.
As cold as a glacier.

“You… what are you…”

“I warned you that day, didn’t I? Keep pestering me, and I’ll hold Feng Jinghao and Nayeli Vargas responsible.”

Memories flashed of when she first encountered Ghost Thunder—
His arrogance in casually naming two of the world’s greatest leaders.

“I was willing to let it go, but… no. I gave you an inch, and you kept crawling up with insolence.”

Camila wanted to speak, to stall him somehow.
But she had no idea what to say.

“So now, I’ll make you pay the price.”

“W-wait—”

Her cracked voice squeezed out, but—

Ssshhk!

Lee Hyun’s hand was already covering her face.

A slow, almost gentle touch—yet she could do nothing.

Her eyes widened between his fingers—

『Lower your torso, Duarte.』

“…!?”

A voice pierced her ears.

It was transmission magic, a skill said to only be usable by high-rankers.

Camila instinctively ducked her body down.

Kwooooom!!

An explosion rocked the place. Lee Hyun was pushed back, and a strong force yanked her away.

The lightning chains were suddenly broken, the wind brushing against her face.

She looked up—

Maxance was carrying her, running fast.

“Hold tight. Escaping him will take everything we’ve got.”

“…”

Camila nodded heavily.

If it meant survival, she would accept anything. Relief flooded her chest.

Meanwhile—

“…”

Whooshhh!

Lee Hyun brushed off the smoke, watching the direction they fled.

Despite losing his prey, he looked anything but upset.

“This is shaping up to be fun.”

With a short mutter—

―ᚱ.

Flaaash!

He leapt onto a radiant trail, leisurely chasing after them.
Like a wolf herding sheep.

Maxance led her through a secret underground passage connected to the club.

Luckily, Ghost Thunder’s strange summon hadn’t reached this far.

Hhhhhh—

Only then could Camila catch her breath.

“Why… why did you save me…?”

“You want to ask why I suddenly rescued you?”

“…”

Her silence was agreement.

Smirk.

“Because you’re just that irresistible.”

“….”

“No sense of humor? Fine. Let’s say if you died, it’d be troublesome for me—and the organization.”

His eyes gleamed coldly despite his casual tone.

Camila realized—this man was indeed the one who inherited Érèbe, the Darkness, one of Zeus’s sons.

Radamanthys, judge of the underworld second only to Hades.

A ruthless strategist who always calculated his interests before moving.

‘…So he fears Zeus’s Sons and the Cartel clashing over Ghost Thunder?’

If so, saving her had placed Zeus’s Sons in the Cartel’s debt.

And the Cartel—unlike trash like the Cult—was known for paying its debts, no matter what.

“Thanks to the Styx’s poison water, his pursuit is slowed. You can walk from here, right?”

After rounding a corner, Maxance set her down.

She steadied herself and asked, “And you?”

“Don’t forget—I have business with Ghost Thunder too. Why? Already sad to part ways?”

He winked.

“Sorry, but we can’t be. If sparks fly again, let’s have the romance of the century then.”

Camila let out a helpless laugh. His ridiculous manner was almost familiar now.

“You’re ridiculously cheesy.”

“No way. Women love me. Anyway, see you next time.”

Drawing his sword, he strode back the way they had come.
The heat of pursuit was rushing down the corridor—he would buy her time.

“…”

Only when his presence completely faded did Camila continue forward.

She now held a card key in her hand.
Engraved with a white rabbit.

[Rabbit Hole Card Key]

The White Rabbit’s key for Alices who seek Wonderland.

Sends an encrypted signal to the worldwide dungeon gate network, opening an exit for escape.

Requires mana, blood, jewels, or other mediums to activate.

• Type: Misc. Spatial Movement

• Origin: Fairy tale Alice in Wonderland

Enemies often mocked the City Cartel as “Rabbits.”

Like rabbits digging burrows all over a mountain, the Cartel used dungeons and gates worldwide to move freely.

Originally dug to evade rival forces and intelligence networks,
they had since become the Cartel’s lifeline for moving businesses safely worldwide.

That was how Camila had traveled so quickly from overseas to Korea through the Goblin Market.

Each card key’s access depended on rank and department.

‘With so many dungeons now, it’s more like an ant colony than rabbit holes.’

She pressed the card key against the wall.

Beep—

The wall rippled, distorting.

An emergency gate was opening.

Every business site was already fitted with such devices.

‘Ghost Thunder is far stronger than expected. And that strange summon… I must inform the boss at once. If possible, reinforcements must come too—’

The gate completed. She reached for the handle—

Then froze.

A chilling sensation crawled down her spine.

She whipped her head around.

Crackle! Bzzzt!

White currents streaked across the ceiling and walls, tearing through the darkness.

Like a monster in the unknown, stretching its tentacles toward her.

“……!!!”

Her face turned pale.

This was something she could neither resist, nor refuse, nor even comprehend.

It was cosmic terror—pure helplessness and worthlessness.

Ghost Thunder.

The name, Demon’s Lightning, fit perfectly.

In that moment—

Flash!!

Two eyes pierced the dark.

Huge, whale-like eyes, blazing gold like ghostly fire.

『So here you are. Carrying something interesting. That must be the key to Nayeli’s location, yes?』

“……”

Tremble… tremble…

Instinctively, Camila clutched the card key to her chest, trying to step back.

But her legs shook too hard—she couldn’t move.

『That object—I’ll be taking it.』

Her will was irrelevant.

Dozens of white tendrils thrust out from the darkness toward her.

Camila’s mouth opened in a silent scream.

And in the end—

Crrrk, crk-crk…

Only strange noises echoed through the dark.