THE OLD MAN SEEKS AN APPRENTICESHIP
“What in the world?!”
Arriving via Teleport in the Great Elroe Labyrinth, I am greeted by an astonishing sight.
This is the very same place where that great being destroyed my squad.
The large cavern, which the guide said connects to the Middle Stratum, is crawling with an innumerable amount of creatures.
A swarm of white spiders as far as the eye can see.
They vary greatly in size, both large and small.
The smallest could likely fit in the palm of a human’s hand, but even the largest aren’t quite tall enough to reach my waist.
These large ones are just about the same size as a young taratect might be.
Indeed, the monsters bear a strong resemblance to taratects but with one major difference: Their two front legs are shaped like scythes.
They are the spitting image of the master of magic.
But while they may be similar in appearance, the power of these monsters pales in comparison.
Their size appears to directly correspond to their strength; the smallest ones seem so weak that I could likely crush them beneath my foot without resistance.
The large ones, however, are decently strong. The power I sense from them is enough that a greenhorn adventurer would likely struggle to defeat even one.
I can scarcely begin to count how many of them are crowded in here.
There must be hundreds at the very least.
Not only that, but their numbers are still increasing.
Countless small, round objects are scattered on the floor, and it almost seems as if the endless tide of spiders is protecting them.
Eggs.
As I look on, some of the eggs hatch, and a small white spider emerges from each one.
The freshly hatched spiders quickly devour the eggs from which they have just emerged, then scurry off to leave the cavern.
I have hidden myself with the Stealth skill and Illusion Magic, so the small spiders stream right past me.
As they do so, other spiders scuttle back into the room, carrying the corpses of monsters.
I stand there in amazement as the constantly flowing streams of spiders move past me in either direction.
My blood runs cold, though not as much as it did when that great being directed its magic at me.
That I hid myself right away is a lucky thing indeed.
I could take them one at a time quite easily, but taking on all these spiders at once and walking away in one piece is unimaginable.
I have refrained from Appraising any of them lest they notice me, but I would imagine that the large ones have stats that average somewhere in the 300s.
Still, I would probably be able to handle them. It would not be an easy fight by any means, but I would stand a decent chance of emerging victorious.
But I doubt there is any way I could deal with the creatures in the center of this madness.
In the middle of the room stands a group of spiders who look the same as the rest.
However, the similarities end there.
On the inside, they are different beasts entirely.
There are nine of them, no less.
And every one of them is intently focused on laying more eggs.
The nine in the center eat the monster corpses brought back by the other spiders, and they continue to lay eggs.
More tiny spiders emerge from these eggs, set off to hunt, and return with monster corpses.
In the process, no doubt some of those spiders become prey instead of predator, but it matters not, for more spiders are hatching far faster than their kin could possibly die.
And of course, the spiders who survive gain experience for the monsters they’ve killed, and they level up.
That is the spectacle currently unfolding before my eyes.
Terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying.
And yet, it is exhilarating!
Look at them! These tiny, trifling spiders who have only just hatched!
So weak that anyone could easily crush them underfoot!
And yet, if these weakling spiders grow, they can become strong enough to overwhelm a rookie adventurer.
And in a considerably short period of time, too!
When I tasted miserable defeat here at the hands of that great being, I saw nothing like this happening.
At the very least, that means this mass production can only have started at some point after that battle.
In such a short span of time, these larvae have somehow become strong enough to threaten human adventurers!
Just what kind of hellish experience would they have to go through for that to happen?
No, no, no!
It’s not merely hellish.
This cannot be anything but hell itself!
It’s exactly as I theorized before: The rate of eggs being laid simply has to exceed the rate of young spiders dying.
That means these spiders are being put through a literal hell that goes beyond metaphor, where their lives may as well be forfeit.
I see. That must be it!
That’s the cause of this exponential rate of growth!
It’s hell.
They must survive hell in order to grow.
How did that great being acquire its strength?
How did it ascend to a state of mind that no amount of effort has allowed me to reach?
I didn’t realize the answer would be so simple.
I simply wasn’t making enough effort.
Merely training my skills and mind in a safe, secure place was far too tepid an attempt to elevate me to new heights.
Pathetic!
Oh, how my eyes are finally open after seeing all this for myself.
The effort I have put forth until now was wildly insufficient!
Compared to the intense experiences these spiders have packed into their short existences, risking life and limb all the while, my life has been absolutely meaningless!
Overcome by this realization, I begin to weep.
My sobs ring out as the tears start to flow.
But of course, that causes the nearby spiders to notice me.
Several surround me, preparing to attack at any moment.
They’re acting on the command of one of the nine unique spiders in the middle of the cavern.
“Ooooh! P-please wait! I…I mean you no harm! Please have mercy and hear me out!”
I hurriedly wipe away my tears and somehow choke back the sobs.
“You are surely connected in some way to the master, the one they call the Nightmare! Please arrange for me to become the Nightmare’s apprentice! I beg of youuu!”
The moment I finish speaking, my sobbing begins again.
As I prostrate myself before them, still shedding tears, the white spiders stare down at me as if in utter bewilderment.
Alas, my request was not to be granted.
The spiders seem to have decided to leave me alone.
No attacks are forthcoming, but neither is acknowledgment.
They simply act as though I do not exist, in accordance with the orders of the nine in the center.
Yes, orders.
The nine converse with one another via Telepathy.
They communicate not with any human or demon language but a strange one I have never heard before.
Though I was able to hear their conversation, I could not understand the words they used.
Judging by their tone, it seemed as though they were debating something, but I haven’t the faintest idea what was said.
I suppose they must have been discussing how to deal with me and reached the conclusion that they would ignore me.
However, even if they pay no attention to me, I cannot give up.
It is clear these spiders are connected to that great being in some way.
The nine in the center have a presence that feels especially similar to the Nightmare’s.
At a glance, it would be easy to mistake them for the real thing.
Yes, they must be closely linked to the master.
I have no doubt that they are expanding their forces like this on that master’s orders.
In which case, surely the Nightmare will come to visit this place eventually.
When that happens, I can negotiate with it directly.
For now, I must wait for my chance.
No matter what, I will have that master take me on as an apprentice, that I might someday catch up to its strength!
That being said, I cannot simply stand around and wait.
Instead, I must learn from these spiders and undertake a hellish training of my own.
First to consider are the youngest spiders who venture out to hunt monsters.
Fighting monsters to the death is certainly a form of training in itself, but the spiders I must learn from are in fact the grown spiders who remain here in the cavern.
You see, they are not simply resting here on their laurels.
They have in fact broken up into groups, each tasked with their own training regimen.
This, too, is so intense that they could easily die if they were to err in the process.
A wild gale blows through the cavern.
It builds to a whirling channel of destruction, assailing all the spiders in its path.
Yet the apparent victims take it head-on without attempting to dodge, accumulating wounds on their bodies.
But these injuries close up almost immediately.
One of the spiders is using Wind Magic to attack the group, while a different spider uses Healing Magic to repair the damage.
They repeat this process again and again.
In a different part of the cavern, another group is undergoing a similar process with Earth Magic.
The purpose? It must be to raise their resistance skill levels.
At the same time, the attacking and healing spiders are improving their magic skills.
They repeat the process until they are nearly out of MP, at which point another spider takes over. Then the spider who has relinquished that role joins the ranks of those working on their resistance while waiting for its MP to recover.
Once the rotation is complete, all the spiders will have leveled up their magic and resistance skills.
Not only that, but their automatic recovery skills and the like benefit as well.
Even the time spent waiting for their MP to recover is used to build up other skills.
What incredibly efficient training.
Since the spiders immediately switch to an attacking role the moment they fully regain their MP, all kinds of spells are flying around the cavern.
Any spiders who are not occupied with this are sparring with one another.
Or perhaps the bouts are too intense to be merely called sparring: The trainees assault each other with genuine intent to kill.
However, even the most dire wounds are immediately healed by other spiders with Healing Magic, keeping them alive.
Without that, the battered spiders would surely die.
Sparring matches where every participant fights with the intent to land killing blows… This is scarcely different from a real battle.
This is how they build up combat experience and sharpen their techniques.
When I follow one group of spiders into the rear of the cave, I discover that it leads to a long downward slope, at the end of which is a world of fire and flame.
Simply standing in that heat is enough to sear the skin.
This must be the legendary Middle Stratum!
There in the midst of that incandescent heat, the spiders frantically cast Healing Magic on one another, evidently trying to cancel out the damage from the heat.
They’re training to build up their Fire Resistance skill!
Incredible.
I have no other words for it.
Each and every hellish training exercise undertaken here is likely too dangerous for a human to attempt, not that any would ever think to try.
One wrong step would mean certain death.
And yet they train like this constantly, without rest.
Truly, this is hell.
What else could I possibly call a training regimen that is the stuff of nightmares, bordering on madness, beyond the grasp of any human?
This is it.
This is the path to greater heights that I have longed for my whole life.
I had assumed I was already making my best effort before, but it is clear to me now that I was deeply mistaken. It wasn’t nearly enough.
Training within the realm of sound reason was a foolish error.
If I am not putting my life on the line, it’s as if I was making no effort at all!
I must cast aside all reason, give in to madness, and fling myself into the very abyss if I wish to truly exert myself for the very first time.
Ah, my existence up until now has been such a pathetic thing!
Now that I have borne witness to this training from hell, my feeble attempts seem like naught but a game!
I shall begin following their example at once, committing everything to my training.
To start, I cast Attack Magic on myself and allow the blow to land cleanly. Pain pierces my body.
Then I immediately cast Healing Magic, restoring my HP.
And yet, I am already on my knees.
After only one attack…and I must repeat this continually?
Truly, this is torture beyond belief!
There is only one of me, so I must assume the role of both attacker and healer.
If I fail, I will surely die on the spot.
Physical agony and the fear of death both assail me at once.
Surely no one of ordinary mind and body could imitate this. Even I am terrified of continuing down this path.
But if I can overcome this, then the heights I yearn for await me on the other side.
If I ever wish to reach them, I must not stumble now!
I loose another spell at myself.
This is the magic I have cultivated in my pathetic life thus far.
Though feeble it may have been, I at least have the advantage of many years on my side.
My magic is stronger than these spiders. But I will still use their methods.
If I am stronger than they, then surely I will grow quicker as well!
But alas, I cannot avoid this frustration bubbling up.
If I had been undergoing this sort of training throughout my long life, then I would surely be far closer to the pinnacle of magic by now.
If only I could have met the master sooner.
I wish I had experienced this environment since I was a child…no, perhaps even when I was a babe.
Then I might have strength comparable to the master’s by now.
But no, surely it is not too late!
Abandon all common sense and reason!
The training I thought was testing my limits is child’s play compared to this hell.
Which means the boundaries I’ve struggled against my whole life stand on little more than my own assumptions!
If I can reach a point where the torments of this hell feel like lukewarm bathwater, then surely I will far exceed my own limits!
I will pass through this circle of hell into the next one, where that great being will surely guide me to never-before-seen heights and uncharted depths!
“Heh-heh… Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
A laugh spills from my lips unbidden.
Perhaps I have truly taken leave of my senses.
But if madness is what it takes to survive this hell, then I will happily cast away my sanity.
I devoted myself to this purgatory for several days, but as I did not bring any means of sustenance with me, my stomach is reaching its limits.
I contemplated returning to town temporarily, but I cannot take things so lightly anymore.
Besides, there is no way of telling when the master might return here.
I cannot risk leaving if there is any chance that the Nightmare might visit while I am away.
Thus, I follow the spiders’ suit once again: namely, defeating monsters nearby and consuming their flesh.
I first defeated a frog monster, cooked its meat, and consumed it.
The thought of eating it raw turned my appetite so much that I decided to allow myself that one small compromise.
But the monster was poisonous, and it wreaked havoc on my stomach.
I thought I might truly die.
But in the process, my Poison Resistance level rose.
To think that even the food the spiders consume is part of their training!
In the Great Elroe Labyrinth, simply living from one day to the next is enough to raise one’s skills.
Attempting to see in total darkness raises the Night Vision skill.
Staying vigilant against monsters that might attack from that nigh-impenetrable gloom raises detection-related skills.
Fighting those monsters raises combat skills.
And exposure to their poison raises resistance.
Simply surviving in this unique environment helps to cultivate many skills.
And if one adds hellish training and study on top of that harsh day-to-day existence…
I am beginning to catch a glimpse of the secret behind that great being’s strength.
The master must have constantly faced death in a struggle of life or death here in the Great Elroe Labyrinth, all while ceaselessly striving to grow better, in order to reach such heights.
It is no wonder that one such as me, residing within a mansion in the safety of a town, was no match for its power.
To live in this place, one must cast aside even the most basic human necessities.
My clothes were ripped to shreds by the end of the first day of attacking myself with magic, and now I go about fully in the nude.
This is truly what they call living in the wild.
And it is the only way to cultivate my skills to their greatest potential!
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