Chapter 51

It wasn't just a normal spider, but the once famous "Purple-Spiked Spider". Due to their purple body and spiky carcass, they were named as such. Along with that, they have a great deal of poison inside of their systems that it can lead to organ failure in less than five minutes if bitten and not healed. The purple hue on its exoskeleton may have faded over time, but the spikes were still obvious and the faded color.

As for how Hisashi knew this, Benzei's dungeon library contained many books about many professions which include animal and monster encyclopedias, and such creatures used to exist centuries ago in Benzei and Gozu's time.

"Luckily, they seemed to be dead for centuries now. Given how the last people to enter were at least decades to centuries ago now. If that last creature is still alive, the highest possibility is for it to be starved to death or cannibalism within its species."

Seeing all the small pocket diaries left on one of the cells. With his right leg, he kicks two of the steel bars sideways giving him access inside to pick it up. He opens it and saw a familiar alphabet before pocketing it inside his clothes.

"I'll translate it later. I still need to practice my fluency in the written language. They haven't changed but discrepancies appear about… 10 to 20 percent in this text."

He then checks all the other cells and unfortunately, only found a good quality Geom. He is no appraiser and so, he simply puts it on his waist along with his sword before hesitating whether to pay his respects to the dead as he wasn't used to such custom.

Eventually, he decided to at least bow and left all the average-quality weapons and armor inside before coming back to the main lobby. Clicking his tongue, thinking about trying to figure out where the library is. Taking a guess, this time he went to the left side.

This time, however, there was nothing important. He gets back on a few more times before finally encountering something significant. In a pretty spacious room are a lot of mechanical and alchemy equipments.

The most noticeable stuff was a couple of glass vials with green liquid and a seed inside, after a close inspection. Hisashi quickly inspects every table, cabinet, chest, and corner of the room looking for the thing that can explain it. An alchemist's documentation notes which he managed to find.

"Some pages are torn but the alphabet seems to match with the one on the prison cells," Hisashi said as he skims through some of the pages making his eyebrows raise.

"My experimentations are starting to bear fruits. The plants managed to react to the air to activate. Unfortunately, they can't sustain a lifespan longer than 1 minute and 28 seconds. The problem seems to root from the wrong amount of the spider's sternum."

Hisashi reads from the notes. Given the alchemist's notes, he thought that he or she was probably a mad one. If his theory was right, this alchemist needed the Purple-Spiked Spiders and the reason why there are here in the first place.

Besides, the plant monsters on the first large hall were probably somewhat of a product of his. This means that aside from the arrow traps, there were no other original traps for the dungeon.

Lastly, why are there humans here when there was no documentation of any human experimentation? Realizing this, he gets the diary back and skimmed to the latest writing.

"They said that they have found him. That crazily obsessed Seolim managed to get through the Sucheon-Gaeui Hamjeong Pyeheo(Ruins of Thousand Traps) without dying and continuing his dumb experiments. Luckily, the general told us that his pitiful life will finally end after causing all that trouble."

What he read confuses him more but he decides to postpone his investigation a little more. He knows that he's missing something but he still needs to look for the library if this place indeed has one. After another hour of checking another tunnel, his efforts paid off as on the next tunnel, large shelves of books greeted him after illuminating the room.

"Looks like I'll be able to teach you for quite a long time Aime…" Hisashi smiles as she remembers that young girl's smile at the thought of drawing her father. Hisashi said as he pulls out a folded paper from his bag a stick it to the room's wall. It was a painting of Koyori holding an apple.

He also sets his bag and things up before looking at the books. Given the labels on the tunnels, he'd probably have to start learning the written language of the books first. Which for him, will take weeks at the very least to understand the basics.

Looking at the shelves, he looks through all the sections before finally seeing some writings that he somewhat recognizes. With that, he spent his next hours looking for the right books before finally coming out again to teach Aime and paint some more spots like rivers and forests.

…

"You seem down for the past few days?" Hisashi asks Aime who looks at him in surprise. It has been a few months and Aime has become very proficient. She was able to draw people in great detail and luckily, her father has yet to find out about her learning how to draw. She also has a collection of her friend's portraits that she keeps to herself.

"My friends are sometimes avoiding me," Aime said gloomily. Hisashi sees this and looks at her through his straw hat. Despite his softness to children, he is a bad caretaker of them and he can't even think of anything to say to Aime.

"I… uh… Maybe they just… Maybe it's just a coincidence or something." He said awkwardly. Aime just looks at him with a confused look.

"They don't want to play with me. They don't like me anymore."

"Well… did you guys get into an argument? Or maybe fight?" He asks.

"No… I think… Someone spread a rumor about Father." "What rumor is it?"

Aime just shook her head indicating that she doesn't know. They then enter an awkward silence again before Aime looks intently at Hisashi.

"Father's Day is near, right, old teacher?" Aime asks.

"Yeah, why?" Then, Aime just takes the stack of papers before giving it to him.

"I've drawn every one of my friends and you too, teacher. The last one is father. However, I also want to draw you."

"But you have drawn me already, didn't you?"

"Yes, but that's not your face. I want to draw your real face. Please?" Aime said before showing her puppy eyes to Hisashi. He felt a heavy feeling in himself before he sighs to let it out.

"Okay. However, don't tell others what I look like okay? And don't show the painting to someone else."

"Why?" Aime had a confused look on her face.

"Because… I eat other people! RAWR!" He jokes before scaring Aime who covered her face.

"I'm just kidding. Just don't do it. Or other people would be unlucky." Hisashi then starts to lift and remove his straw hat. There, Aime saw the opposite of an 'old teacher' that she calls him.

Along with his red kimono, red hair, and red eyes, everyone would drop their jaw just like Aime did. Hisashi simply snaps snapping her out of the trance after knowing that he wasn't old.

"I'll hold this apple and paint me, okay? And remember, don't show or tell anyone about how I look." Hisashi said before posing with an apple in his hand to help in Aime's reference.

"O-Okay…" Aime said as she thought about Hisashi getting angry at her for calling him old.