Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? (LN) - Volume 1 - Chapter 3

THE EGG 

The egg. 

It’s an essential ingredient in cooking, from simple preparations like boiled eggs and fried eggs to more complex dishes like rolled omelets and custard. 

They’re excellent on their own, but combined with other ingredients, they open up a world of endless culinary possibility. 

Yes, the egg is the king of all foods, so much that every refrigerator has a space designed specifically for storing them. 

I used to eat them in cup ramen all the time. 

Zzz. Yaaawn… Ahhh, I slept well. Almost too much, enough to make me sluggish. 

Being able to sleep safely is a wonderful thing. The lazy life is the best. Thank goodness for my little home. 

Since I ate my sibling and that frog earlier, I don’t feel too hungry. 

Maybe spiders can store food longer than humans? 

As I wake up with an assortment of idle thoughts on my mind, I feel one of my threads vibrating. 

I’m not particularly famished, but it’s probably still a good idea to eat whenever I can. 

After all, if I miss this opportunity, who knows when I’ll get my next chance. 

So, what’ve I got now? 

Huh?! 

A h-human?! 

A man carrying some round object is struggling furiously in my webbing. 

He’s wearing the kind of clothes you’d expect on an adventurer in a fantasy world. 

Maybe that occupation really exists here. 

Wh-what should I do? 

Wait, this guy’s all bloody. Is he okay? 

Ah, he noticed me. He looks panicked. 

Seriously, what am I supposed to do here? 

Ah, he took something out. 

Wha—?! It’s burning?! 

The man throws the item he’d produced to the ground, and it starts spouting a crazy inferno. 

Now the man is covered in flames. 

What the hell is he doing?! 

The fire is spreading to the webbing and burning my net. Did he self-destruct to get rid of my threads or something? 

Apparently so. Now he’s rolling on the ground, extinguishing the flames on his body. 

But now he’s covered in burns. 

He was already bloodied to begin with, and now he’s scorched, too. It doesn’t take an expert to see that he probably isn’t going to make it. 

Nevertheless, the man musters the last of his strength to dash away. 

Pretty impressive he’s able to run in that state. 

Now it’s just me and the round thing the man was carrying. 

What’s this? 

<Egg> 

I use Appraisal and learn it’s an egg. 

It’s about the same size as me, so probably three feet across or so. 

Well, this has to be a monster egg. What kind of person leaves a thing like that lying around? 

Judging by the guy’s condition, maybe the egg’s parents attacked him? 

This thing isn’t going to hatch suddenly, is it? 

Or worse, its parents aren’t going to come looking for it, are they? 

Yikes, I hope not. Scary. 

For the time being, I have to start rebuilding my web, since the adventurer-looking dude burned it down. 

I can think about the rest later. 

A whole day has passed. 

My home is quite peaceful. 

Apparently, the egg’s parents aren’t going to show up after all. 

Maybe the thief gave them the slip before getting here, or maybe they hadn’t bothered chasing him for the loot to begin with. 

I don’t know what happened to the egg thief afterward, but from the look of those injuries, I doubt he survived. 

Which means it’s okay for me to eat this, right? 

That human risked his life to bring back this egg. It must be a very rare item. 

Maybe it’s an extremely delicious one, too. 

Since my rebirth, all I’ve eaten is gross stuff like my sibling and a frog, so even a raw egg seems like a much more respectable meal. 

I have no reason not to eat it. 

So I decide to get down to business. 

First, I’ll have to break the shell. 

I tap it with my front legs. Nothing. 

I hit it again with more strength. Nothing. 

Getting desperate, I bang on the shell as hard as I can. Still nothing. 

Huff…huff… 

Why is this egg so tough?! 

At this rate, I can’t eat it even if I want to. 

But still… Hrmph. If you think I’m just some ordinary spider, you’re making a big mistake! 

Kneel before the glorious wisdom of a former human being! 

I adhere a strand of thread to the egg. Then I attach the thread to the ceiling and loop it back down to the ground. 

I pull on the cord, raising the egg nearly to the ceiling. It’s pretty heavy. 

Finally, I let go, and gravity pulls my meal to the ground. 

Splat! …Or not?! 

Despite falling from close to the ceiling, the egg is completely unharmed. What is up with this insanely tough shell? 

Humph. Clearly, I’ll need to take more drastic measures. 

Okay. Next, I’ll drop it on a sharp rock. 

Once again, I haul the egg up to the ceiling. 

Then I position it above a particularly sharp rock and let it fall. 

Now that should definitely be enough to splatter it… Or not?! 

In fact, the egg actually chipped the rock. What? 

Okay, well, I’m not gonna break this thing open. 

All right, how about wrapping a bunch of elastic threads around it? 

I vaguely remember an experiment where people wrapped hundreds of rubber balloons around a watermelon until it eventually burst. 

Maybe that would break an egg, too? 

It’s worth a shot. 

And so I set about creating rubbery threads and winding them around the egg, over and over. 

Doing repetitive tasks like this makes me sleepy, so I decide to use the time to consider something that has been bothering me. 

Namely, skills. 

Of course, there’s the question of what exactly these skills are, but that tangent won’t yield an answer, so I’m not going to bother. 

More important, I want to think about the abilities I currently have and the ones I might be able to gain in the future. 

From what I can tell, I’ve acquired five thus far: [Appraisal LV 1], [Acid Resistance LV 2], [Poison Resistance LV 1], [Taboo LV 1], and [Heretic Magic LV 1]. 

I also got ahold of Appraisal by spending skill points. Those points are another mystery. 

However, I decide not to worry about them for the time being. 

Frankly, since I have 0 skill points and no idea how to go about procuring more, there isn’t much point in worrying about that at the moment. 

Anyway, unlike Appraisal, I obtained Taboo and Heretic Magic by earning a title. 

After that, I tried a bunch of other stuff, but I didn’t end up with any new titles. 

Without knowing what titles are available or what I need to do to get them, it’ll probably be tough to gain titles deliberately. 

For now, I’ll just count myself lucky when I do get one. 

I continue winding the rubber thread. I’ve made a lot at this point, but there’s still no visible change in the egg. 

At any rate, although I got some skills through titles or skill points, the way I stumbled upon Acid Resistance was totally different. 

I think I got that one because I was hit with an attack and took acid damage. 

So as long as I can handle the pain of the process, I bet I can acquire more resistance. 

For instance, if a fire attack lands on me, will I obtain Fire Resistance? 

In terms of self-defense, the more resistances I have, the better. 

So from now on, should I always take the first hit from an enemy as long as it won’t kill me? 

Hmm… Nah. I don’t want to get hurt, and there’s no guarantee I’ll even obtain any resistance skills. 

There’s no need to put myself in unnecessary danger, at the very least. Yeah, it’s not just because I don’t want to deal with pain for any length of time. 

When I got hit with the frog’s attack, I not only received Acid Resistance, my Poison Resistance skill also went up. 

So if what the Divine Voice (temporary name) said was correct, that means I had the Poison Resistance skill from the beginning. 

Well, I’m a spider, and I use venom, so it’s no big surprise that I would be a little more immune to these things. 

Even so, though, what kind of system doesn’t tell you what skills you have in the first place? 

If the Divine Voice hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have realized that I had Poison Resistance. 

So wait, doesn’t that mean I have other skills I don’t know about yet? 

That would probably make sense, huh? So what kind of skills do I have? Poison attacks? 

I wish I could check, but I don’t have a way to do that. 

Maybe if my Appraisal skill level goes up, I’ll be able to see it? 

Appraisal…level? Proficiency? 

Hey, wait, maybe I could raise that skill level, then? 

Proficiency basically just means how familiar you are with a thing, right? 

So if Appraisal ranks up based on proficiency like the Resistance-type skills, won’t it increase if I just use it a whole bunch? 

Since I got it with skill points, I assumed I’d only be able to raise its level with more points, but maybe not. 

Still wrapping rubbery thread around the egg, I start Appraising everything in sight. 

A ton of useless information, like <Wall> and <Floor>, flows into my brain. 

Oof, that’s kind of unpleasant. Like getting drunk on too much data. 

<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Appraisal LV 1] has become [Appraisal LV 2].> 

Worth it! Woooo! It only went up one level, but I feel like I’ve taken a huge step forward! With some anticipation, I try Appraising myself. 

<Small lesser taratect       Nameless> 

Ooh! Now there’s something that looks like a species name, too! 

I still didn’t get much information, but compared to level 1, when it only provided <Spider>, this is still a substantial improvement. 

At the same time, though, why “small” and “lesser”? That makes me sound inferior… 

Okay, now my excitement about increasing Appraisal’s skill level is dying down a bit. I wasn’t expecting much to begin with, but it didn’t occur to me that I might be such a small-fry… But that’s more or less what I was in my previous life anyway, so I guess it isn’t a big deal. 

More important, I have to keep Appraising and raising my skill level! 

As I wrap the rubber threads around the egg, I do some level grinding on Appraisal. 

…It won’t go up. 

I keep Appraising the wall over and over, but my skill level doesn’t rise one bit. 

By the way, the result of that analysis was <Dungeon Wall>. Not exactly helpful. 

That isn’t such a big deal, but why isn’t my level going up? 

Hmm. 

The most likely explanation is probably that your proficiency only increases the first time you Appraise something. Otherwise, it’d be too easy to level it up, huh? 

Just to be sure, I Appraise every nook and cranny of my home. But the skill level doesn’t rise. 

Looks like I don’t have enough proficiency. 

Which means that if I want to cultivate my Appraisal, I’ll have to leave my house and use it on other things. Thinking back, I did Appraise a whole bunch of monsters when the skill was still level 1. 

That might be what got me most of the way to level 2. 

Outside, though… Ugh. Now that I have this safe, comfortable house, why would I bother going out? 

If I want to live in peace, my best bet is to stay a shut-in. 

But if I want to raise my skill level, I need to go outside. 

There are pros and cons to both sides, but the danger of going outside is a pretty massive downside for sure. 

Plus, although this probably isn’t the case, it’s not impossible the egg’s parents are roaming around out there. 

Okay. That settles it. 

I’m staying inside. 

As I continue working on the egg in my home, one of the threads of my web starts vibrating again. It’s a special occasion: my second catch. Perfect timing! I was just getting a bit hungry. 

I skip a little as I head toward my prey. 

…It’s kind of surreal for a spider to skip, even for me. 

Last time, I let down my guard and took a surprise attack to the face, so this time I approach with caution. 

Now, I wonder what kind of prey I’ve caught this time…? 

<Elroe frog> 

It’s another frog. You again! Why, dammit?! There are tons of other monsters in this dungeon! What are the odds of catching the same kind of monster twice in a row?! 

Ha…ha… 

Whoops, I got a little carried away there. Really, though… 

Splat! Noooooooo! 

While I’m preoccupied with a one-man comedy act in my head, the frog aims a spit attack right at me. Never in both of my lives have I been so shocked! I’m such an idiot! 

Ah… Okay. 

The pain brings me partially to my senses. This time, my resistance doesn’t level up. Must not have enough proficiency yet. Well, whatever. 

I wrap the frog in thread so it can’t fight back. Then I bite down on it from above. Chomp! 

The first frog didn’t die after one bite, so this one probably has some resistance, too. 

Still, if I immobilize it and bite it once, that should weaken it significantly. 

I quickly bring the frog bundle into my house, then go back and immediately rebuild the broken web. 

Last time, I left the webbing as it was and ate my prey right on the spot. But thinking about it afterward, I realized I left myself totally defenseless in the meantime. 

If other monsters or even humans had arrived right at that moment, I would’ve been under attack without a complete web for defense. 

So this time, I’ll restrict the frog’s movement first, repair my web, then finish it off and eat it once I’m fully prepared. 

When I return to the frog, I see it wriggling around in an attempt at escape, despite being all wrapped up. 

Hmm. 

I guess one bite didn’t have that much effect. 

Chomp! I bite it again. 

The first time, I’d beaten the frog by biting it over and over, but that probably wasn’t necessary. All I need to do is sink my teeth into it and keep injecting poison through my fangs. 

<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Poison Fang LV 1] has become [Poison Fang LV 2].> 

Oh! I totally leveled up a skill! This is the first I’ve heard of this one. 

At the same moment my skill levels up, the struggling frog gives one last spasm and stops moving. It’s so sudden that I’m a little startled. 

Oh, but that probably meant that leveling up my skill increased the potency of my poison. Nice! 

<Experience has reached the required level. Individual small lesser taratect has increased from LV 1 to LV 2.> 

Hmm? Hmmm? Ah, my body feels strange!! Huh?! What’s going on?! My skin’s peeling off?! 

Molting? Am I molting?! 

<All basic attributes have increased.> 

<Skill proficiency level-up bonus acquired.> 

<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Poison Resistance LV 2] has become [Poison Resistance LV 3].> 

<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Spider Thread LV 2] has become [Spider Thread LV 3].> 

<Skill points acquired.> 

Wh-whaat?! W-wait a second!! 

Did I just get a whole bunch of important information at once?! 

Say it again! One more time, please! 

The Divine Voice (temp.) remains silent, ignoring my wishes. 

Oh man. Seriously…? 

No, no. 

I have to calm down and remember. Did it say I leveled up? It did, didn’t it? 

Argh, I was so distracted by the sudden molting that I didn’t catch everything! 

No, wait, there’s no way I’d just randomly start molting for no reason, right? 

Maybe my body renewed itself because I leveled up? 

At any rate, the old skin is still stuck to me, so I peel it off. Wow, a few areas, like on my back, are pretty messed up. That was where the frog’s acid got me. I wasn’t able to see it until now, but it looks like a pretty bad wound. 

Hmm? 

Speaking of which, the part of my vision that was busted is all back to normal! 

Ooh! So if you level up, you make a full physical recovery and everything? Very fancy! 

Okay. 

So this is definitely a level-up. My body feels kind of light and refreshed, too. 

It probably happened because I beat that frog and gained experience points, right? I decide to start eating the frog while I process what happened. 

Now, let’s see if I can remember it one at a time. 

I think the first thing it said was that my level went up. The molting started right after that, and while I was freaking out, I think the Divine Voice (temp.) spouted off a whole bunch of other stuff. 

Let me see… Skills? That’s right—wasn’t there something about skill levels going up? 

And it was more than one, right? Did two go up at the same time? Why? 

Right, I think there was something else before the bit about skills. 

Uh… “Skill proficiency level-up bonus,” maybe? That’s it! It did say that! 

In other words, when I leveled up just now, bonus points were added to my skill proficiencies! 

So that’s why multiple skill levels went up at once. 

The skills affected were Poison Resistance and…Spider Thread, right? 

Huh, so thread handling is a skill, too. I didn’t catch what level it is, though. 

But if I keep making spider thread, the skill should improve easily enough, right? 

Well, that’s handy information. 

And at the end, wasn’t there something about skill points? 

So I guess you get more of those by leveling up, then. 

In summary, when I level up, I completely recover health. I think my stats go up, too. Plus, I get skill points. 

I can probably test out how much I earned later. 

And the most important part is that I received a skill proficiency bonus. 

I don’t know exactly how many points that entails, but since it raised two skills at once, I bet it was a ton. 

So leveling up might be a good way to enhance skills effectively. 

Levels, huh… 

Since skills and titles exist, I kinda figured levels would, too, but still. 

I’ve been trying not to think about it too much, but boy, this world sure is gamelike. 

I was afraid that if I took that view, I might start acting as if I’m just playing a game, but I guess it’s too late for that. I have to admit, though—I’m already getting a little excited. 

I can’t help it if I have the soul of a gamer, all right? 

For now, my current goal is to break that egg. It seems impossible at the moment. The shell’s just too tough. 

Wrapping the rubber threads around it didn’t do a thing, it seems. 

But if I keep raising my level and improving my stats, I should be able to crack it eventually. 

Heh-heh-heh. Just you wait, egg! 

I’m gonna break you open and eat you if it’s the last thing I do!