ENCOUNTER WITH HUMANS
I eat.
And eat.
And eat.
Like drawing in a thread.
Slowly and carefully.
My chewing is more like slurping.
<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Satiation LV 2] has become [Satiation LV 3].>
<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Divinity Expansion LV 4] has become [Divinity Expansion LV 5].>
Upon reaching the Upper Stratum, I immediately started constructing a new home.
There’s a nice, wide space pretty close to the entrance to the Middle Stratum, so I decided to make that my territory for now.
In the Middle Stratum, my thread burned up so fast that I couldn’t even make a simple home, so this is my first since the one that got blown away by the earth dragon Araba in the Lower Stratum.
Ahhh, nothing beats this sense of security!
It was super-hot in the Middle Stratum, and I didn’t have the protection of my thread, so I was far from getting a restful sleep.
Now, compare that with the incredible comfort that is the Upper Stratum!
The temperature is nice and cozy, not too hot or too cold!
I can put up as much thread as I like, so my home’s totally break-in-proof!
And there are no strong monsters up here, so I can finally sleep soundly!
Ah, this is the best.
So, I spent a couple days rolling around doing nothing.
Listen, I’ve worked really hard this whole time and barely made it out alive, so I’m allowed to take a little vacation.
However, I can’t go on like this forever.
Unlike before, since I have the delightful combo of Intimidation and Fearbringer now, monsters don’t come anywhere near me.
And since no monsters are trying to charge my house, I’m not getting any food.
In order to secure food and gain experience, I have to go hunting.
Not to mention, I want to expand my map of the Upper Stratum and find an exit.
I haven’t made any preparations for going outside just yet, but there’d certainly be no harm in at least finding an exit.
But considering how large the Upper Stratum is, I doubt I’ll find one that easily, so I’ll just consider it a stroke of good luck if I happen to stumble on one.
The main purpose of hunting is securing food, followed closely by gaining experience.
Once I gain one more level, I’ll be level 20, meaning I’ll be able to evolve.
So I do some laid-back hunting in the Upper Stratum for a few days.
But there are no monsters to be found up here.
Apparently, this strange phenomenon is the work of some mysterious monster.
According to one of the few surviving frogs in the Upper Stratum:
“Yeah, it’s some dangerous creature with a super-scary aura who uses tons of poison and magic. Why wouldn’t we run away from that?”
Makes sense.
The Great Elroe Labyrinth Upper Stratum Monsters’ Union is taking the situation very seriously and plans to set up an operation center nearby to deal with the problem soon.
Just kidding. Tee-hee.
The “dangerous creature” is me, of course. Tee-hee-hee.
THERE ARE NO MONSTERS AT ALL! THEY ALL RAN AWAY!
The second I started setting up shop in this area, those cowards all up and ran for the hills!
At first, I figured it’d be easy to catch monsters here, since it’s not like they can escape into magma like in the Middle Stratum or anything. But even I have my limits, you know!
I have to travel several days away from my home to even find any monsters! What the hell is this?!
Thanks to that, I’ve been on a trip for a few days now, making simple homes instead of returning to my base!
What am I, a nomad?!
Well, I guess what I’m doing makes me more of a hunter-gatherer than a nomad, but still.
Ugh… Unreal. Seriously, there’s noooo way.
Making the trip back to my home every single time is a pain, so I’ve been raising my Spatial Magic level at top speed.
Spatial Magic level 9: Long-Distance Teleport.
A wonderful spell that lets you instantly relocate to any place you’ve been to before.
Since I learned this spell, the problem of not being able to return to my home easily has been solved.
Plus, now that I can instantly move to any location I’ve already been to, the range of my exploration has been widened accordingly.
As part of my increasingly active travels, I found a huge passage even Mother would probably be able to pass through.
Of course, since I saw Mother going down into the Lower Stratum with my own eight eyes, she wouldn’t be up here now.
But what I did find up here is an earth wyrm.
It looked more like a dinosaur than a dragon, and it was about as strong as the eels in the Middle Stratum.
But an eel-class monster is no big deal to me now.
I restrained it easily with thread and sucked its life dry with my Evil Eyes.
Out of all its stats, only its stamina was absurdly high, so that alone was enough to completely fill up my Satiation stock.
So, since I didn’t really need to eat after that, I made a simple home on the spot to keep it nice and preserved.
Since then, I’ve just been teleporting to that spot to have a nibble whenever I get hungry.
Today, when I got hungry and teleported back to the earth wyrm, there were some humans wandering around.
I was suuuuper-surprised.
Without thinking, I froze on the spot and ended up making eye contact with this foppish older guy.
He was a stoic-looking fella, the type who’d seem cool smoking a cigarette.
Being the angel I am, I hurriedly turned off my Evil Eyes.
If I had kept staring at him with my Evil Eyes still active, the world would be down one stoic dude, just like that.
Apparently, the humans were just as surprised as I was.
My Intimidation skill was definitely working on them.
They suddenly shouted and took off running, so I guess they were fleeing from me, huh?
Hmm. Better that than them suddenly attacking me, sure, but still…
They were kinda dressed like knights, so they should’ve been fairly capable warriors, right?
But they got scared by my Intimidation and ran off.
Is it me, or does that mean I’m going to cause a huge panic if I leave the labyrinth?
I mean, if that’s how hardened warriors react to me, are ordinary people gonna faint on the spot if they see me or what?
I’m starting to get the feeling that even if I evolve into an arachne or pick up Telepathy or whatever, my efforts are gonna be wasted.
Either way, I can’t picture things going very smoothly.
It works out fine for me that those knights ran away, but what if they had tried to take me on or something?
I mean, they probably ran away because they weren’t super-strong, but if I meet any humans who are confident in their own strength, they might try to conquer their fears and challenge me.
It might even be possible that a human stronger than me exists.
Judging by those knights, humans seem to be weaker than I imagined, but I feel like it’s dangerous to assume that this early.
I mean, I started out really weak, and look at me now. It’s not impossible that a human being could do the same.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a huge variety in strength among individual humans.
I’m sure the average villager and a soldier have totally different stats, for one thing.
But I don’t really know anything about the humans in this world, so this is all just speculation.
The best way to find out more would be to make contact with humans, but the problem is that I can’t do that in the first place.
Even if I tried to use Telepathy, if those knights’ yelling is anything to go by, I think they must speak a different language here…
If I want to talk to humans, I’d have to learn this world’s language, but to learn the language, I’d have to make contact with humans, which means I’d have to talk to them… Ahh, it’s a total catch-22.
Yep. I have a feeling that communicating with humans is gonna be next to impossible.
A few days after my encounter with the knights, I stiiiill haven’t evolved.
Man, there are waaay too few monsters around here.
It feels like I’ve been stalled just before the finish line, y’know?
So of course I’m starting to get annoyed about how few monsters there are.
My home’s defense is flawless, and I still have the earth wyrm for food, so all I need now is experience points.
The table is set, so where’s the EXP?!
Oh, wait, I just found it pretty easily.
EXP, or rather, a monster.
It’s a snake.
That thing’s one of the stronger monsters in the Upper Stratum, so if I beat it, I should level up and be able to evolve.
But there’s just one little problem.
The snake is fighting some humans.
There are two humans facing the snake head-on.
Then two more injured ones lying a short distance away.
One more person is healing those two.
So five humans in total.
Judging by the view of the situation I’ve got with Clairvoyance, they’re probably adventurers who were attacked by the snake, I guess?
Hmm.
I can’t use Clairvoyance and Appraisal at the same time, but at a glance, I feel like maybe the snake is stronger?
So those two people alone can’t beat a snake, huh…?
Oh, since there are two people down already, I guess it was just five people to begin with.
Man, I guess humans really are weaker than I thought.
Ahh, what should I do?
I could probably muscle in and nab the snake myself, but if I do that, I’ll get mixed up with the humans.
It’d be a pain if they freaked out like those knights did before.
But if I just leave them be, it looks like those humans are gonna get wiped out.
But I mean, that’s fine, isn’t it?
Why don’t I just wait for the snake to wipe them out, then beat the snake myself?
That way I don’t need to get involved with humans at all.
…Yeah, I guess I can’t do that, huh?
As a former human and all, it doesn’t quite sit right with me.
Yeah, I know, I don’t exactly have the nicest personality, but I do understand basic moral principles, you know?
Although whether I act accordingly with those principles is another story.
It’s just, I dunno. I can’t bring myself to let them die just ’cause it would be kind of a pain, so I guess even I have a teensy little bit of a conscience.
I guess I’m gonna save them, then.
You guys are lucky I’m so incredibly selfless.
Dash!
I’m not going to make a show of rescuing them or anything like that.
I’m just gonna kill this thing and get outta here.
I don’t wanna stick around in case things go south.
And so, Mr. Snake, I’ll have to ask you to take your leave.
It only takes a moment for me to reach the place I’ve been watching with Clairvoyance.
I use Dimensional Maneuvering to hop right onto the head of the snake.
Then I swing my scythe. I’ve added Cutting Enhancement, stat boosts, and Deadly Poison Attack on top.
My scythe pierces right through the crown of the snake’s head before it even realizes I’m there.
Just like that, the snake’s HP is instantly reduced to 0.
The enormous serpent collapses.
I pull my scythe out of the snake’s head and shake off the blood.
Another one bites the dust.
I can’t believe I used to think of these guys as boss monsters.
<Experience has reached the required level. Individual Zoa Ele has increased from LV 19 to LV 20.>
<All basic attributes have increased.>
<Skill proficiency level-up bonus acquired.>
<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Faint Resistance LV 3] has become [Faint Resistance LV 4].>
<Skill points acquired.>
<Condition satisfied. Individual Zoa Ele can now evolve.>
<There are multiple options for evolution. Please choose from the following.
• Ede Saine
• Greater taratect
• Orthocadinaht
>
Sweet! I finally leveled up!
Now I can finally evolve.
All righty, looking at the adventurers (or whatever), it appears they’re still frozen with shock.
Well, I can’t say I blame them.
Guess I’ll just grab this snake and be on my way via teleportation, then.
Ah, but…it looks like the two passed-out humans back there are going to die.
The snake’s poison is taking a real toll on them.
The healer guy is doing his best, but his speed and power are too low.
At this rate, they’ll die faster than he can heal them.
Hmm. Well, I already came this far.
If I’m gonna do it, might as well do it right.
I teleport over to the two fallen humans.
The man doing the healing is so surprised by my sudden appearance that he messes up midspell, but it’s not like it was doing that much good anyway, so whatever.
I activate Healing Magic.
Then I use status recovery and HP recovery magic on each of them.
Since I used it a lot while I was training my Fire Resistance, my Healing Magic skill level is stronger now.
So this degree of injuries and poison is no sweat.
Watching me work, the man who was doing the healing bugs his eyes out.
Ahh, I really don’t wanna get involved any further than this.
You guys are on your own after this, got it?
I go back to the corpse of the snake, intending to get out of here for real this time.
Then my eyes happen to fall on something miraculous.
Fruit.
It looks sort of like dried persimmons.
Oh-hoooooo?!
Sweets?!
Those are sweets, right?!
Did these guys drop them while they were fighting?!
Can I take these?! I can, right?! Whatever, I’m taking ’em!
Finally! I got some sweets!
Wooo! I might even be happier about this than about leveling up!
I’m so psyched, I practically skip over to the snake.
The adventurers (or whatever) are still dumbfounded, so I grab the snake and teleport away for real this time.
Home, sweet home.
Okay, I’ve gotta try this fruit I just got.
Evolution? Whatever, that can wait.
First I gotta focus all my energy on enjoying the heck out of my very first dessert in my life as a spider!
Taste Enhancement, full throttle!
And why not Olfactory Enhancement, while we’re at it!
First, I’m just gonna gaze at it in appreciation for a while.
Might as well Appraise it, too.
<Dried Krikta Fruit>
<Krikta: A plant that grows extensively across the continent of Kasanagara. It flowers regularly and produces fruit. The fruit has a sweet taste and restores a small amount of MP.>
Ooh. So this fruit is no ordinary snack.
It recovers MP, too.
If those humans were carrying these for MP recovery, then it might’ve been bad of me to take them.
But I mean, I did heal them when they were about to die and all, so I don’t think they can complain if I take a couple fruits.
It’s fine, it’s fine. Just think of it as payment for my services.
Now then, gotta take a deep breath.
Huff… Whew. Okay!
I’m gonna try it!
…Sweet.
Ah, it’s sweet.
It’s so, so sweet.
Compared with the fruits I ate in my previous life, it’s a little astringent and not especially delicious.
And since it’s dried, it’s obviously not very juicy.
But still, it’s sweet.
This is the first time I’ve tasted anything sweet since I became a spider.
So sweet.
So tasty.
Soooo happy!
I eat slowly and carefully.
Savoring the flavor.
Right down to the last bite.
Whew. That was pretty good.
There’s really nothing like a proper dessert.
I should definitely appreciate how delicious that was, no questions asked.
No use getting into a weird mood about it.
If I get out of the labyrinth, I’ll be able to get more tasty foods like this. I really gotta light a fire under my butt about aiming to evolve into an arachne.
So while that stage might not be in reach just yet, it’s time to take one step closer by evolving now.
Unlike when I evolved in the Middle Stratum, this time I’m totally prepared.
I’m safe and secure, and I have food supplies.
No problems there.
If there is one thing I’m worried about, though, it’s that I’m afraid Taboo is going to get maxed out with this next evolution.
Taboo… Ugh.
I get the feeling something’s gonna happen when it maxes out, but even with the power of Wisdom, I have no idea what that might be.
It’s probably gonna be bad, right?
Well, I don’t think I can avoid it for much longer anyway, so I guess I’ll just have to accept it, whatever it is.
I just hope it’s not instant death or some irreversible penalty or anything.
Hmm.
Well, it’s certainly scary, but I kinda think it’s not gonna be anything that bad.
I mean, my other mystery skills like Pride and stuff have worked out great so far.
Maybe it’ll end up being a huge power boost with no disadvantages at all.
Okay, I don’t think that’s gonna happen. But since D seems to enjoy watching me struggle along so much, I doubt it’s gonna be a sudden death penalty.
I think D would rather leave me alive so I can keep providing entertainment.
Huh? Wait, what if that means I’m going to meet with a fate worse than death?
…Better not think about that.
Not like there’s anything I can do about it anyway.
I’ll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it. There’s no other choice, really.
This time, I have three options for evolution.
Greater taratect would bring me back to the original taratect line.
I saw one of those in the Lower Stratum.
I guess they’re probably strong, but I have no intention of taking that route.
I’d get bigger, for one thing.
One of the evolutionary conditions for arachne is that you have to be a small- or medium-size spider-type monster, so if I evolve into a big ol’ greater taratect, I won’t be able to evolve into an arachne anymore.
So, greater taratect is out.
That leaves two options. Ede Saine and Orthocadinaht.
<Ede Saine: Evolution Requirements: Zoa Ele LV 20. Description: A small spider-type monster feared as an omen of death. Has incredibly high combat and stealth capabilities.>
<Orthocadinaht: Evolution Requirements: Spider-type monster with stats above a certain amount, magic-type skill(s). Description: A spider-type monster that specializes in magic. Has high intelligence and is capable of advanced strategies such as setting traps.>
Orthocadinaht is a magic type, and Ede Saine is the higher evolution of Zoa Ele.
But I don’t think Orthocadinaht would be very useful.
I think it unlocked because I’ve got Height of Occultism and Celestial Power, but to be honest, it seems like a crappy option to me.
Sure, it’s supposed to be smart, but that’s by monster standards.
I’ve been using traps since the moment I was born, y’know.
Besides, Orthocadinaht doesn’t evolve.
So that’d be the end of the line.
Looking at my evolution tree, it doesn’t seem to be a particularly powerful monster, so I’m not exactly impressed.
Now, Ede Saine, that’s another story.
It’s not the end of its evolutionary line, but judging by the tree, it seems to be just a step below Mother’s degree of power.
The evolution tree is arranged so that you can tell how a monster ranks to a certain extent by how high its name is listed.
And this name is just one step down from an evolution that seems to be very nearly on par with queen taratect, which I think it’s safe to assume is my mother’s species.
Ede Saine.
It’s way higher in the monster power rankings than the other two evolution options.
So, obviously, Ede Saine is the only way to go.
Man, without Wisdom to show me the evolution tree, I might not’ve known what to do.
Thank you, Professor Wisdom!
By the way, since arachne is a special evolution, it’s separate from the rest of the tree.
Its evolutionary conditions are being a small or medium spider monster, having the Pride skill, and being level 50 or above.
That’s pretty crazy.
So I guess I’m pretty crazy for trying to reach it.
<Individual Zoa Ele will evolve into Ede Saine.>
All right, evolution start!
Just like that, my consciousness fades away.
<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Taboo LV 9] has become [Taboo LV 10].>
<Condition satisfied. Activating the effect of Taboo. Information now installing.>
<Installation complete.>
…Good morning.
……
Well, don’t I feel like shit now.
Taboo, huh?
Yeah, I guess this probably is taboo to the people of this world.
I mean, if a native inhabitant found out all this information, they’d probably go insane, right?
Why drag me into all this, though?
This has got to be D’s doing.
That’s the only explanation.
Man, what an asshole.
It’s D’s fault I was reborn into this world that’s on the brink of collapse.
Weren’t there any other options to be reborn into?
Sure, a world with skills and stats and all is very gamelike, but who would ever suspect there’s such a sick secret behind it?
Sure, it’s unusual, but anyone would just assume that’s how this world works.
Who in their right mind would imagine that a stupid game-y system like this is actually in place in order to save the world?
D must be one hell of a hardcore gamer to make something like this.
Now that I know about all this, I can’t just go on as if nothing’s changed.
I’ve gotta take action.
But what can I do? Massacre a bunch of humans and monsters?
No way.
Whether I’m capable of that or not, Administrator Güliedistodiez would never allow it.
In retrospect, that dark man I met when D’s smartphone appeared must have been Administrator Güliedistodiez.
At the time, D forbade him from meddling with me and chased him off, but if I go too far, I bet anything he wouldn’t let D stop him again.
Otherwise, I’m sure they wouldn’t have just let the world fall into this situation.
Which means no massacring for me.
Not that I really wanted to do that in the first place.
In that case, there’s only one way forward.
I have to improve my skills and get stronger.
Stats and skills are really nothing more than temporary powers granted as part of the system.
But I’ll find a way to sublimate that temporary power into the real thing.
In the end, I guess I’m doing exactly what D wants.
I think D might’ve reincarnated me into this world knowing this would happen.
So that’s why I have the “n% I = W” skill.
I’ll have to keep doing everything according to that annoying D’s plans.
To be honest, the fact that I’m playing into D’s hands really pisses me off.
How much, you ask?
<Proficiency has reached the required level. Acquired skill [Wrath LV 1].>
That’s how much.
Ugh, I’m so mad!
I hate being forced into something by someone else more than anything else!
But as much as it irritates me, I have to do exactly that.
Otherwise, I’d just be committing a double suicide with this collapsing mess of a world.
I’ll take a hard pass on that, thanks.
I know this is going to be a pretty difficult road, but I can’t simply give up without even trying.
I mean, maybe this world isn’t going to collapse nearly as soon as I think.
But if I take my chances on a faint hope like that, I’d just be cutting myself off from my only path forward.
Even if it’s one laid out for me by someone else.
Maybe I should even be thanking D for setting up a path for me like this.
But knowing that super-ultra-hyper-mega-twisted rotten jerk, I bet D’s watching me right this very moment and getting a good laugh about it!
Really, if you’re gonna go and give me a path to salvation, maybe try not reincarnating me into a world that’s about to collapse in the first place!
I mean, I guess if it’s between that and not being reborn at all, I’d pick this option with a “thank you very much,” but still!
I should probably be grateful, but I’m more irritated than anything! Argh, I hate this stupid feeling!
If even this feeling was part of the plan, then D really is an evil god.
A horrible evil god who has fun by toying with people’s minds.
Whew.
All right, I feel a little better now.
But there’s still a lot of stress built up inside me.
Guess I’ll take it out on some monsters.
I’m going into the Lower Stratum to do some level grinding.
I’m not gonna gripe about being scared of some stupid earth dragon anymore.
I’m going to level up for all I’m worth.
That way, I can build up enough power to bid this world farewell.
Looks like my ultimate goal has gone past arachne to one step further.
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