I Became a Tentacle Monster Blooming in the Academy Garden 46

## Chapter 46 – The Wrong Gate

Anne Jo and her group followed behind Hyeryeong, who had stepped forward, offering to guide them.

“Are we sure this is the right way?”

“Yes. Do you think I’d be wrong? Don’t underestimate the Tang Family’s intelligence network. If I wanted, I could know the number of dishes you have at home, and even how many moles you have on your body. So, why don’t you get rid of those useless worries?”

Anne broke the silence, questioning Hyeryeong, who nonchalantly swayed her cheongsam-clad hips as she walked ahead, answering without even turning around.

Anne pondered Hyeryeong’s response from just now, and her eyes widened involuntarily.

“Just so you know, if you really did that, I’d kill you.”

“Can’t you even tell a joke? That’s why you people don’t understand romance…”

“Haa…”

Was this what it felt like to have your head spin?

Anne let out a hollow laugh and a small sigh. For some reason, she was starting to dislike this woman.

‘Vivian…’

That’s right. It felt similar to when she faced Vivian.

Although Hyeryeong didn’t have a throng of followers like Vivian, her confident attitude was just like a carbon copy.

She didn’t know where Vivian was or what she was doing now, but thinking about Vivian, who had suddenly come to mind while looking at Hyeryeong, left Anne with a strange unease.

The mechanized longsword she was currently using had originally belonged to Vivian, but she was using it in place of her own sword, which she had sold to pay for her sister Marie’s medical bills.

At first, she had considered selling the expensive item to help rebuild the family’s trading house, but since the sword wasn’t hers, she always carried it with her, ready to return it when the time came.

If there was one true thing Vivian had said, it was that her family was insignificant, and her social standing was low.

‘But because of that…
I didn’t kneel before you.
And I never will…’

Feeling Marie’s hand tightly gripping hers as they walked side by side, Anne cleared her mind of the thoughts rushing in and refocused on the special assessment ahead.

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Inside the maze, which had been as quiet and still as a monastery.

“Why is that even…?”

“I… I don’t know…!! Kyaaak!!”

The maze, which had been filled with the occasional roars of monsters, the sounds of clashing weapons, and the explosions of magical spells, was now filled with the screams of students.

“Eek…!! Everyone, form a line…!! Don’t let it through to the back!!”

“It’s already breached… Keuhuk…!!”

A male student, with a desperate expression, gave instructions to the other students, trying to block the opponent. But ‘that being’ had already leaped over him, attacking a student in the back, its red eyes gleaming as it grinned.

“Gabe!! This is… impossible…!!
The information clearly said……!!”

“Snap out of it, you idiots…!! We’re all going to die if we keep this up!! Hiiiik!!”

A female student, barely holding onto her sanity, shouted at the other students, but she was soon staring at the chilling smile of the being that had suddenly appeared right in front of her, its four pairs of legs clicking. She was clattering her teeth so hard they made a sound.

“Sa… Save me…”

But before her plea could even finish, the female student, her neck torn by sharp, saw-like teeth, dropped her head, blood gushing out, and vanished in a flash of white light.

They had never expected things to turn out this way.

These students had been meeting team by team in the maze, increasing their numbers and size.

Out of the total of 500 students in the academy, eight teams of five students each had formed an alliance, totaling 40 students.

Some students had even managed to obtain information about the test beforehand through trickery. Rather than competing against each other to prepare for the upcoming test, they had agreed to cooperate for a safe passage.

With several teams already failing the special assessment for various reasons, their collaboration, representing 30% of the remaining students, could be seen as an efficient choice.

But after meeting each other in the maze, happily agreeing on a safe passage, only four of them remained.

The way they clearly showed they had lost the will to fight seemed to foreshadow their future.

“Ah… Aah…”

“The Arachne was…
Supposed to be at the next gate…
Heuk…!!!!”

They had been careless, and they had to pay the price. It was no different for those who remained, trembling in fear.

Among those trembling was Karla Sterben, a diligent student from the Alchemy Department.

‘What do I do… What do I dooo……’

“Karla… Karla…!! Snap out of it…!!”

Her roommate, Yui, was still alive and desperately urging Karla, who had lost her mind, but there was nothing she could do for Karla, who had already lost the strength in her legs.

Karla, unable to step forward while her friends were being torn apart, could only hope that her friends, who were being summoned away by their emergency escape artifacts, would at least survive.

And most importantly, her turn for the emergency escape, which activated upon receiving a fatal injury, was fast approaching.

The Arachne’s beautiful yet chilling smile as it bit and devoured her friends.

Karla flinched as that smile turned to her, her face losing all color.

“Huuu… I… I don’t want to……”

“Karla…!!”

But her fear only seemed to fuel its enjoyment. The Arachne smiled brightly, licking its lips, and Karla’s heart pounded as if it would burst.

Perhaps wanting to revel in that fear, the Arachne continued to snatch other friends, tearing at their flesh and enjoying the fresh meat and blood. Eventually, only Yui and Karla remained.

Just a first-year student from the School of Medicine and a first-year student from the Alchemy Department, both with no combat abilities.

Unlike the terrified Karla, Yui seemed to be facing the situation as calmly as possible, but she had no good solution either.

“Karla… Listen to me carefully…”

Yui’s trembling voice, whispering into Karla’s ear as she held her, began to resonate.

“The Arachne from Chao Xing… its true nature is an insect…
Weak against fire… So… So…”

Karla looked up at her with tearful eyes at Yui’s voice, which seemed to be suppressing her fear.

Looking down at her, Yui forced a calm expression, a small smile appearing on her lips.

“I’ll buy you time… Find a way somehow…
You’re in the Alchemy Department, aren’t you…? Got it……?”

“Yui… You can’t fight……
Don’t… Don’t leave me alone……”

“At least… Karla has to be safe……
I believe in Karla, if no one else. So…”

Yui couldn’t finish her sentence, tears welling up in her eyes as she pulled away from Karla.

She was from the School of Medicine, so she knew.

The Arachne’s behavior from earlier had been truly cruel.

As if resenting being trapped by humans, it was targeting the most fatal spots on humans, attacking in the most painful way possible.

Of course, the brutal neck-biting attack that caused excessive bleeding was one thing, but when there were many students at first, it seemed to be reducing their numbers. Some students even had their hearts pierced by those sharp spider legs, so it was needless to say.

Even though the academy emphasized practical training, this was too much.

Although the School of Medicine had the best facilities and excellent skills, this year might be the first time there would be fatalities.

In the midst of all this, she had hidden Karla behind her and stepped forward first.

‘I hope I don’t die……?’

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t find an answer.

But one thing was certain.

‘Karla… can do it……’

If she sustained a fatal injury, she would be emergency-escaped from this dungeon.

In that case, it was meaningless for her, who could only be helpless without allies, let alone in combat, to remain.

So, the only method Yui could think of was one.

“Find a way… Got it?”

Giving Karla, whom she believed in and had the highest potential, one more chance to struggle was the best way to overcome the current situation.

Both as a test and as a friend.

“Yu… Yuii…… Heuk…!!”

“Go!! Don’t look back!!”

Yui handed Karla her bag, who was crying her eyes out, and pushed her down a path in the maze. She turned around and blocked the passage, as if to block the way.

“Hoh…? Hastening your own demise…
Quite a brave child, aren’t you?”

The Arachne, watching the prey it had been holding turn into light with regret, approached Yui with a relaxed expression.

She had watched Karla run away, but the fact that she was so relaxed was a sign of her confidence that she could catch Karla soon.

“Not at all……
You won’t be able to pass through here.
More than that, you can talk, can’t you?”

“That’s right. I don’t talk to many, though.
You should consider it an honor.”

“Acting like a human, talking about honor and such…
Isn’t it funny, considering you’re not even human anymore?”

The Arachne’s brow furrowed slightly at Yui’s words.

She didn’t appreciate the remark that was provoking her.

“I thought you were smart…
But I guess not?”

With those few words, Yui looked up at the Arachne, who had crawled in front of her in the blink of an eye, her eyes trembling. The sound of her swallowing hard could be heard clearly.

“Then shall we enjoy this slowly…?”

“Do… Do you think I’ll be taken down by you so easily……?”

“Then…? Do you have something prepared?”

The Arachne glared at Yui, who had managed to maintain her composure, with a disdainful expression.

But not understanding the opponent seemed to be a big mistake for the Arachne as well.

“Of course. I may not know how to fight…
But I do know about you…”

“What……”

– Clang…!!

“Aaaaaaaagh!! You bitch……!!”

A small glass bottle flew towards the Arachne’s spider legs and shattered.

Yui forced a smile as she watched the Arachne scream madly and writhe.

“Does the taste of rubbing alcohol feel special?
If it gets into the respiratory organs in your abdomen and legs, it must feel like burning…
Heueup…… If you can’t catch me today, you’ll never be able to stretch those disgusting legs and sleep again, will you?”

Yui held her breath against the sweet and pungent scent of the alcohol that had rushed into her lungs, turned around, and began to run away with difficulty.

‘I’m counting on you, Karla……!!’