As a Charming Mushroom, I Fell into the Apocalypse (MUSHROOM)
Gradually, Hui Gu stopped trembling. All the deeply buried fears began to dissipate under the soothing influence of the man's unique presence.
He looked up at Gu Wang and, feeling secure once more, naturally reverted to his spoiled self, venting his nano-scale temper.
Hui Gu muttered softly and petulantly.
Complaining about why he had arrived so late.
Any later, and what awaited him would have been a plump, white cocoon.
A slight softening appeared on Gu Wang's cold, strikingly handsome face.
Throwing a tantrum again.
It seemed the situation wasn't too serious.
Unaware that his own heart had been stretched to its limit, Gu Wang carefully placed Hui Gu into his pocket.
This action provoked White Spider, who had been covering his face nearby.
His pupils rapidly dilated into solid green, his once fair and delicate face now contorted with ferocity. The original owner of this vessel was already dead, and even though high-level mutant creatures possessed powerful regenerative abilities, they could not repair the damaged parts.
White Spider opened its mouth, several black veins spreading from its lips across its entire face. "Give him back to me!!!"
"Give him back to me!!!"
Gu Wang looked at the monster before him with a cold, mocking smile, his eyes shadowed with murderous intent. "He doesn't belong to you, nor to anyone."
This killing intent was like an extremely sharp sword energy, capable of making one's heart feel as if it had been torn open and wounded.
But for White Spider, the man's scornful expression and merciless words were even more devastating.
"Die!! I will! Kill you!!"
Its face contorted, every feature exuding a venomous aura. White insect limbs burst through its flesh from its back, growing rapidly.
Similar to the mutation of the Sub-part from before, yet swollen larger, with two insect limbs sprouting from each side. Combined with its arms braced against the ground, it now had six limbs in total.
White Spider swiftly climbed up the white silk on the wall, moving so fast it left only a white afterimage. Its trajectory was impossible to capture with the naked eye.
These white silks were not only a means of restraint but, more importantly, within this silk, the spider's abilities were greatly enhanced.
Whether in strength or speed, as long as it stood on the silk it had spun, its powers would be significantly amplified.
Even an A-rank new human standing here would be unable to keep up with this terrifying speed.
In less than half a minute, they would find themselves in a fatal situation.
No wonder it dared to build its nest so brazenly.
Not only did it believe this place would not be discovered anytime soon, but it also had extreme confidence in the security of its lair.
Gu Wang raised his hand, expressionlessly using his sword to block a large mass of spider silk aimed at his face.
The spider silk fell to the ground, leaving severe corrosive marks. However, the one-handed long sword materialized by the man's supernatural ability remained completely unscathed. Instead, the black particles swirling around it devoured a portion of the spider silk.
It might have been an illusion, but the dark aura around the sword seemed to grow slightly stronger because of it.
White Spider hung upside down from the silk on the ceiling, a strand finer than a hair enough to support its entire body. It snarled, "Human, you are no match for me."
Along the traces of the black veins on its face, two symmetrical slits appeared. As the spider continued to spit silk and attack, these slits grew larger and larger until they suddenly opened!
Another pair of insect eyes emerged on this human-like face, broadening its field of vision far beyond that of a human.
White Spider grinned, its figure clinging to the white silk like a ghost.
But gradually, its smile faded.
No matter from which angle it attacked or ambushed, those white silks—faster than bullets—could not penetrate this human even slightly. They couldn't even leave a single scratch on him.
Countless fine white silks were all severed by that one long sword.
The man stood tall and straight, not even moving his feet under such a furious onslaught. Simply by channeling his supernatural ability, he blocked every one of its attacks.
"This is impossible!!" White Spider became even more unhinged, its voice shrill as if someone were choking it.
The sound waves traveled layer upon layer through the surrounding spider silk, forming a kind of attack wave.
Gu Wang's eyes turned cold as he quickly mobilized his psychic energy to form a barrier.
A coppery sweetness welled up in his throat, only to be forcibly suppressed.
Outwardly, there was no change, but only Hui Gu noticed that the captivating fragrance had grown stronger.
He hastily emerged from the pocket: "Gu?"
Then, his little hat was gently patted.
Gu Wang did not look down: "It's nothing."
But something was wrong.
The White Spider, as if suddenly seizing an advantage, scurried rapidly across the ceiling while letting out a shrill, mocking sound: "You sustained severe internal injuries before and haven’t fully recovered yet. You can’t use your supernatural ability extensively."
No wonder he was only defending and not exploiting the openings after its silk attacks.
He had to wait for the right moment because there would be only one chance—he had to kill it in a single strike. Otherwise, his burdened body wouldn’t be able to muster a second powerful attack in a short time.
But the spider’s high-speed movement along its silk made it nearly impossible to expose a weakness quickly.
The White Spider felt it had gained the upper hand: "After you die, I’ll make good use of your face."
Its human-like head spun around on the ceiling: "He likes you so much? If I wear your skin, surely he’ll like me too."
The spider’s tone was as exhilarated as if it were high, its face pale as plaster under the reflective silk.
Gu Wang finally moved. He reduced the frequency of slashing the silk and began dodging instead, yet even then, he moved as leisurely as if strolling through a game.
His calm, unhurried demeanor showed no intention of launching an attack.
Though he was the one under assault, he appeared more composed than the attacker, his confidence clearly not a bluff.
Thousands of silk threads had been severed, and the spider couldn’t even get close.
The arrogance on the White Spider’s face shifted several times, eventually giving way to panic.
Its expression turned grim: "You knew?"
Gu Wang slowly lifted his gaze upward, directly exposing its weakness: "You’ve used so much silk to build your nest earlier. Your reserves must be running low now." It had been trying to cover up this fact with its bluster, but now it was laid bare.
For a spider, exhausting its silk without harming the enemy was not only humiliating but also exposed its fatal vulnerability.
The White Spider grew two more eyes out of sheer rage.
It never expected that it was the one who had fallen into the trap.
The more it attacked, the closer it came to being at the mercy of others.
The White Spider stopped spewing silk, and in that momentary misjudgment, a smaller black sword silently appeared behind it, seizing the brief opening to pierce straight through its chest!
A youthful voice mingled with the mutant creature’s agonized scream as the White Spider, writhing in pain, crashed heavily from above, landing with a thud on the uncovered ground.
How was this possible… It had been watching that black sword the entire time…
Unwilling to accept defeat, it widened its three pairs of insect-like eyes, only to realize that the sword impaling its chest was not the same one.
The insect eyes stared in shock, powerless to do anything else.
Sensing its weakening aura, Hui Gu immediately jumped out, chirping mockingly.
How stupid—who told you there could only be one sword?
Catching sight of Hui Gu again, even in excruciating pain, the White Spider seemed to switch to autopilot, its gaze instantly locking onto him with an infatuated expression.
I can't die... I can't die... If I die, I'll never be able to possess him...
Why... why... After all the effort it took to devour so many humans with supernatural abilities, just having advanced to an S-class mutant creature.
I haven't found that Titan Arum to take revenge, haven't become the form Mushroom would adore, and haven't claimed him as mine—yet I'm about to die like this.
A look of intense resentment crossed the Spider's face as it stubbornly stretched its insectoid limb toward where Hui Gu was, the tip curling slightly. From its perspective, it was as if it had seized the tiny Mushroom.
Gu Wang's expression turned icy, his frost-like gaze fixed on the dying mutant creature on the ground.
The black sword twisted inside its body like a final blow, churning until all its internal organs ruptured. Green fluid oozed from the White Spider's mouth and nostrils, leaving it without even the strength to lift a limb in resistance.
A voice filled with disbelief suddenly came from outside.
Yu Zhenxin rushed through the door that Gu Wang had shattered, finally taking in the scene inside.
His eyes widened in shock. "Don't kill it!"
Gu Wang extended his right hand, and the longer black sword flew back into his palm with a swift motion. With a sharp flick of his wrist, the blade pointed directly at Yu Zhenxin.
His tone was calm. "Has the Spider possessed you too?"
Yu Zhenxin's face darkened. "Don't kill it! We can still use it to intimidate other mutant creatures, just like before!"
He charged forward recklessly, and upon seeing the half-human, half-spider monster on the ground, a wild ecstasy flashed in his eyes. He muttered like a madman, "It evolved... It really evolved into an S-class!"
Even though he whispered, the words "really evolved" reached Gu Wang's ears unmistakably.
He stared coldly at Yu Zhenxin and raised his sword. "Step aside, or you'll die with it."
Yu Zhenxin jerked his head up, and the moment their eyes met, fear finally dawned on him.
Those were hollow black eyes, devoid of any emotion or unnecessary sentiment, as if he were merely looking at a piece of trash blocking his path.
He would truly kill him.
And this man wasn't just a Super A-Class—he had managed to injure an S-class mutant this badly, meaning he must be an S-class too!
If he wanted to kill him, it would be no different from crushing an ant.
Yu Zhenxin paled belatedly but still didn't move aside. Instead, he stealthily glanced toward Gu Wang's pocket. "Mr. Gu, why must we let things escalate to such extremes?"
"You think I deserve to die for privately raising a mutant, but aren't you doing the same?!" His tone turned sharp as he pointed directly at the man's pocket.
He tried his best to control his muscles, but his raised finger still trembled shamefully in the air, as if he had Parkinson's.
Hui Gu: ?
This involves me too?
He popped out from the pocket, chirping with a mix of anger and shock.
Who was like that stinky Spider?!
Hui Gu couldn't believe he was being compared to that foul creature.
It made him so angry he was about to turn from gray to red.
Gu Wang glanced down, understanding his frustration, and reassured him gently, "You're nothing alike."
Hui Gu snorted, still somewhat displeased.
Yu Zhenxin's face turned ashen. He never expected that what he thought was Gu Wang's biggest weakness would be met with nothing but disdain. The man didn't even bother to look at him, treating him like air, and instead whispered to that ugly Mushroom.
Can that mushroom understand human speech!?
"Gu Chen, let's both take a step back. I won't expose to others that you're carrying a mutant creature with you, and you stay out of my business... Ugh!"
Before he could finish speaking, excruciating pain cut off all the words that followed.
Yu Zhenxin looked down in disbelief. A thin white spider silk was floating in the air before his eyes.
Following the faintly visible direction of this spider thread in the air, he discovered it was actually emerging from his own chest.
When did this...
His heart was instantly bound tightly by this strand of spider silk, the silk embedding deep into the heart's flesh, sending a piercing pain shooting through him.
It felt as if in the next second, he would be torn into pieces by this terrifying thin thread.
Hui Gu tilted his head in confusion. He hadn't noticed the thin strand, only seeing Yu Zhenxin suddenly shut his mouth, his face contorted in pain.
"Ji?"
Just as Hui Gu leaned in for a closer look, the man blocked him.
Gu Wang's expression darkened as he swung his sword, severing the spider silk that had penetrated Yu Zhenxin's body.
But it was already too late. With a thud, Yu Zhenxin collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief: "You... you can't do this to me... I fed you so many new humans... your successful advancement was all because of me..."
With a sickening squelch, the silk threads instantly crushed his heart.
The nourishment from this A-class human's flesh and blood gave White Spider the strength for one final strike. It let out a maniacal laugh, its eyes filled with obsession and sick desire: "Since I can't have it, let's die together!!"
Countless white silk threads throughout the laboratory stood upright, instantly shooting toward Hui Gu's location with explosive force.
At the same time, White Spider closed its eyes, a brilliant smile spreading across its face as it triggered its self-destruction.
Gu Wang's expression changed abruptly. The black sword in his hand suddenly glowed with radiant light, bursting forth with silver radiance comparable to the sun and moon, firmly protecting the target of the attack.
Under the intense light, Hui Gu couldn't see anything. His eyes hurt and he instinctively closed them.
In the panic, he only knew that a pair of somewhat dry hands were tightly holding him.
And that slightly hoarse voice saying "Don't be afraid."
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•
The completed novel is now available in my Ko-fi page.
If you appreciate what I do, please consider supporting me on kofi. Thank you!
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•