Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? (LN) - Volume 6 - Chapter 3.02

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THE OLD MAN CHALLENGES THE EARTH DRAGONS

I am stark naked!

Indeed! I have become accustomed to this stark-naked lifestyle!

My shame has long since gone flying away somewhere beyond the stars.

In fact, even I cannot be sure whether I had such a thing to begin with!

It has been some time since I began living among the spiders.

As the cavernous Great Elroe Labyrinth is untouched by the light of the sun, my sense of time has become rather unclear.

Thus, I know not how long I have been here exactly.

However, it has surely been no small number of days.

I say this with certainty, for all my skills have increased considerably.

Since I came here, my rate of growth has been remarkable.

Truly, I must wonder what I have been doing with my life until now.

As long as I can put this valuable time to good use, being naked matters not to me!

I have cast aside my clothes, consumed monsters, and slept amid nature.

Wonderful.

Truly, this is how creatures are meant to live.

I cannot help but wonder if building houses, donning clothes, and eating cooked food are exactly the kinds of actions that have caused humanity to degenerate.

If possible, I would continue living like this for the rest of my days.

However, there is a dark cloud that hangs over this lifestyle now.

The spiders have noticed, too, and are chattering about it.

It is a problem that affects all of us: a food shortage.

The spiders and I have hunted the monsters in this area so thoroughly that there is nothing left to eat.

The only possible food source in the Great Elroe Labyrinth is monsters.

If the monsters are gone, there is nothing left to eat.

We have nearly hunted the surrounding part of the Upper Stratum dry, and even in the Middle Stratum, one must travel some distance before finding any monsters.

It would be highly dangerous to venture into the heat-filled Middle Stratum.

Thus, the Upper Stratum is the only option, but there are no monsters left within the radius of one or two days’ travel.

If worse comes to worst, I can teleport back to town, but the spiders do not have that option.

The spiders have a considerably large family, too, which means they have many mouths to feed.

On top of that, their numbers have only grown since I first arrived.

There are far too many for me to count at this point.

As the spiders continue to multiply, they have begun to run out of monsters to prey upon.

Even if they travel elsewhere to hunt, they will be hungry again by the time they return.

The situation is essentially a famine, and soon it will reach a breaking point.

It seems to me that the only solution is for the entire swarm of spiders to migrate. What do they plan to do?

Naturally, the nine spiders who serve as their leaders have noticed the same issues I have.

As always, they talk among themselves using Telepathy in a language I still cannot understand.

Finally, they reach some kind of conclusion and address all the spiders with Telepathy.

Then the nine begin preparing a Large-Scale Teleport spell over the spiders.

I recognize it because I have the same spell myself.

What incredible talent.

The speed with which they develop the spell, the perfect scribing of the rune, the efficiency.

All of it is far superior to my own magic.

Amazing.

The spiders stand ready to be teleported, with me mingling among them.

Soon enough, the spell is complete, and all of us are immediately transported to a different place.

We arrive in a dark cavern, similar to the one we just left.

However, the air feels heavy here, filled with far more tension than the previous cavern.

My Danger Perception skill is reacting intensely.

The spiders seem to sense the same thing.

They’ve gone into battle mode, standing on high alert.

But as if in mockery of that, one of the spiders closest to the edge of the group is attacked.

Its body is crushed, killing it instantly.

It’s been pierced by a metallic claw.

The monster’s entire body, shaped like that of an insect, emits a metallic glow.

I quickly Appraise it and learn it is called an Elroe Utoeudo: a monster I have never seen or heard of in my life.

But what truly terrifies me is its status.

Its physical stats, namely attack, defense, and speed, are all over 1,000.

A considerably powerful monster.

The Elroe Utoeudo swings its claws, attacking the spiders.

However, these spiders are no ordinary monsters, either.

They spread out around the Utoeudo, covering it in thread from all directions and rendering it immobile.

Once it’s been trapped, other spiders fire spells at it.

In a matter of moments, the Elroe Utoeudo has been crushed by the spiders’ incredible teamwork.

Then they waste no time digging in to their first prey in some time.

In the outside world, only a seasoned adventurer would have been able to cross swords with that monster, but here it is nothing more than fodder.

One spider was lost in the process, but it can be replaced in no time.

What a terrifying army.

But where in the world are we, that such a strong monster would be casually milling about?

Since it was called an Elroe Utoeudo, we are surely still within the Great Elroe Labyrinth.

But I have never heard of such a monster.

No…perhaps I have.

Its name was certainly new to me, but I do know of one place where strong monsters run rampant.

The Lower Stratum of the Great Elroe Labyrinth.

A place said to be swarming with monsters so strong that no human could ever set foot there.

In the past, adventurers have descended into it through large holes known as shafts, but any who dared were all but wiped out.

The only thing the survivors brought back was the information that the place was swarming with powerful monsters.

Could this place be the Lower Stratum?

That would certainly explain the heavy atmosphere coiling around my skin.

I have come to a truly dangerous place.

And yet, for some reason…there is excitement mixed among my nervousness.

How well will the skills I’ve honed in the Upper Stratum serve me here in the Lower Stratum, which has never been explored by man?

I cannot wait to find out.

Some days have passed since my enthusiastic arrival.

I do not have such energy anymore.

For I am surely going to die here.

The Lower Stratum of the Great Elroe Labyrinth surpasses my imagination.

Monsters as strong as the Elroe Utoeudo or stronger attack us without end.

Just one of these monsters would cause widespread panic in the outside world, but here they are but a dime a dozen.

Truly terrifying.

Equally terrifying are the spiders who effortlessly drive those monsters back.

I, too, participate a bit in these battles to secure my own share of food, but my confidence falters each time I do so.

The monsters fend off my magic easily, to the point where I cannot even tell if I have truly hit them.

Often I have not, for my magic takes far too long to prepare.

And even if I do hit my target, it has little effect, for I am able to do so only with weaker spells that I can cast rapidly and in great number.

If I want to cause damage, I would have to land a more powerful spell.

But this takes time, which lets the enemy easily read my intentions and dodge it.

Yet, the spells that do not take long to prepare are too weak and cause little damage even if they hit.

I long for magic that can be cast easily yet still deals a great amount of damage.

But as much as I rack my brain, a solution does not come easily.

Increasing the speed at which I construct runes for spells would be a lengthy process.

What am I to do?

I have no time to worry about such things any longer.

The spiders sense it, too, and tensions are high.

They are coming.

Monsters beyond compare to any we have seen thus far.

Yes, the monsters we have encountered have been strong.

But even they would tremble in fear before what is now approaching.

<Earth Dragon Kagna

LV 26

Status:

HP: 4,199/4,199 (green)

SP: 2,798/2,798 (yellow)

Average Offensive Ability: 3,990 (details)

Average Magical Ability: 1,837 (details)

Average Speed Ability: 1,225 (details)

MP: 3,339/3,654 (blue)

: 2,995/3,112 (red)

Average Defensive Ability: 4,334 (details)

Average Resistance Ability: 4,006 (details)

Skills:

[Earth Dragon LV 2]

[Imperial Scales LV 9]

[Hard Armor LV 8]

[Steel Body LV 8]

[HP Rapid Recovery LV 6]

[MP Recovery Speed LV 2]

[MP Lessened Consumption LV 2]

[Magic Power Perception LV 3]

[Magic Power Operation LV 3]

[SP Recovery Speed LV 1]

[SP Lessened Consumption LV 1]

[Terrain Enhancement LV 8]

[Destruction Enhancement LV 8]

[Piercing Enhancement LV 6]

[Impact Super-Enhancement LV 5]

[Magic Power Attack LV 1]

[Terrain Attack LV 9]

[Cooperation LV 1]

[Hit LV 3]

[Danger Perception LV 10]

[Heat Perception LV 6]

[Earth Magic LV 2]

[Destruction Resistance LV 9]

[Cutting Super-Resistance LV 2]

[Piercing Super-Resistance LV 3]

[Impact Super-Resistance LV 6]

[Shock Super-Resistance LV 4]

[Terrain Nullification]

[Fire Resistance LV 3]

[Lightning Resistance LV 7]

[Water Resistance LV 3]

[Wind Resistance LV 5]

[Heavy Resistance LV 2]

[Status Condition Super-Resistance LV 8]

[Rot Resistance LV 3]

[Pain Nullification]

[Pain Super-Mitigation LV 3]

[Vision Enhancement LV 3]

[Night Vision LV 10]

[Vision Expansion LV 4]

[Auditory Enhancement LV 1]

[Ultimate Life LV 2]

[Magic Hoard LV 3]

[Instant Body LV 1]

[Endurance LV 1]

[Herculean Strength LV 9]

[Stronghold LV 2]

[Monk LV 2]

[Sanctum LV 1]

[Acceleration LV 1]

Skill Points: 31,200

Titles:

[Monster Slayer]

[Monster Slaughterer]

[Dragon]

[Champion]

<Earth Dragon Gehre

LV 24

Status:

HP: 3,556/3,556 (green)

SP: 4,067/4,067 (yellow)

Average Offensive Ability: 3,434 (details)

Average Magical Ability: 1,343 (details)

Average Speed Ability: 4,123 (details)

MP: 2,991/2,991 (blue)

: 3,562/3,845 (red)

Average Defensive Ability: 3,875 (details)

Average Resistance Ability: 3,396 (details)

Skills:

[Earth Dragon LV 2]

[Imperial Scales LV 6]

[Hard Armor LV 2]

[Steel Body LV 2]

[HP Rapid Recovery LV 3]

[MP Recovery Speed LV 1]

[MP Lessened Consumption LV 1]

[Magic Power Perception LV 3]

[Magic Power Operation LV 3]

[SP Rapid Recovery LV 3]

[SP Minimized Consumption LV 3]

[Terrain Enhancement LV 8]

[Destruction Enhancement LV 9]

[Cutting Super-Enhancement LV 8]

[Piercing Super-Enhancement LV 4]

[Impact Super-Enhancement LV 8]

[Magic Attack LV 1]

[Terrain Attack LV 8]

[Dimensional Maneuvering LV 5]

[Cooperation LV 1]

[Hit LV 10]

[Evasion LV 10]

[Probability Correction LV 7]

[Danger Perception LV 10]

[Presence Perception LV 8]

[Heat Perception LV 7]

[Motion Perception LV 8]

[Earth Magic LV 2]

[Destruction Resistance LV 4]

[Cutting Resistance LV 8]

[Piercing Resistance LV 8]

[Impact Resistance LV 9]

[Shock Resistance LV 5]

[Terrain Nullification]

[Lightning Resistance LV 3]

[Status Condition Super-Resistance LV 3]

[Rot Resistance LV 1]

[Pain Nullification]

[Pain Mitigation LV 7]

[Vision Enhancement LV 7]

[Night Vision LV 10]

[Vision Expansion LV 5]

[Auditory Enhancement LV 5]

[Olfactory Enhancement LV 4]

[Taste Enhancement LV 3]

[Longevity LV 9]

[Magic Hoard LV 1]

[Ultimate Movement LV 2]

[Fortune LV 1]

[Herculean Strength LV 8]

[Sturdy LV 9]

[Monk LV 1]

[Talisman LV 8]

[Skanda LV 3]

Skill Points: 31,000

Titles:

[Monster Slayer]

[Monster Slaughterer]

[Dragon]

[Champion]

<Earth Dragon Fuit

LV 11

Status:

HP: 2,965/2,965 (green)

SP: 2,943/2,943 (yellow)

Average Offensive Ability: 2,938 (details)

Average Magical Ability: 2,899 (details)

Average Speed Ability: 3,000 (details)

MP: 2,912/2,912 (blue)

: 2,877/2,944 (red)

Average Defensive Ability: 2,941 (details)

Average Resistance Ability: 2,907 (details)

Skills:

[Earth Dragon LV 1]

[Imperial Scales LV 4]

[Hard Armor LV 1]

[Steel Body LV 1]

[HP Rapid Recovery LV 1]

[MP Rapid Recovery LV 1]

[MP Minimized Consumption LV 1]

[Magic Power Perception LV 8]

[Magic Power Operation LV 8]

[SP Rapid Recovery LV 1]

[SP Minimized Consumption LV 1]

[Terrain Enhancement LV 4]

[Destruction Enhancement LV 3]

[Cutting Super-Enhancement LV 3]

[Piercing Enhancement LV 3]

[Impact Enhancement LV 5]

[Magic Attack LV 5]

[Terrain Attack LV 5]

[Dimensional Maneuvering LV 3]

[Cooperation LV 1]

[Hit LV 10]

[Evasion LV 10]

[Probability Correction LV 6]

[Danger Perception LV 5]

[Presence Perception LV 5]

[Heat Perception LV 4]

[Motion Perception LV 4]

[Earth Magic LV 10]

[Terrain Magic LV 6]

[Destruction Resistance LV 2]

[Cutting Resistance LV 2]

[Piercing Resistance LV 2]

[Impact Resistance LV 3]

[Shock Resistance LV 2]

[Terrain Nullification]

[Status Condition Super-Resistance LV 1]

[Pain Nullification]

[Pain Mitigation LV 3]

[Vision Enhancement LV 5]

[Night Vision LV 10]

[Vision Expansion LV 2]

[Auditory Enhancement LV 3]

[Olfactory Enhancement LV 2]

[Taste Enhancement LV 2]

[Longevity LV 5]

[Magic Hoard LV 5]

[Instant Body LV 5]

[Endurance LV 5]

[Herculean Strength LV 5]

[Sturdy LV 5]

[Monk LV 5]

[Talisman LV 5]

[Acceleration LV 5]

Skill Points: 21,000

Titles:

[Monster Slayer]

[Monster Slaughterer]

[Dragon]

[Champion]

Earth dragons.

Three of them, no less.

Earth Dragon Kagna, Earth Dragon Gehre, Earth Dragon Fuit.

Dragons are a unique existence even among monsters.

They are the evolved form a wyrm can take after many years.

Dragons are said to live deep in nature, far from human influence, and they punish any fool who dares to set foot in their land.

Guardians of nature.

S-rank monsters who wield absolute power.

And there are three of them here.

Even I feel fear in the face of three dragons.

In fact, this is my first time seeing one.

There have been occasions where dragons have appeared in human territory, but these are usually young individuals who have only recently evolved.

S-rank though it may be, an immature dragon that is overconfident in its abilities can possibly be defeated by humans.

Although even then, victory is likely to come at a significant cost.

However, the three dragons currently before my eyes are no such novices.

Fuit’s level is slightly low, but the other two, Kagna and Gehre, are high-enough level that it has likely been some time since they evolved.

These are true guardians, with a presence that would put any young whelp who appears near a human settlement to shame.

And now, these dragons are baring their fangs at us.

It would be impossible not to be frightened.

The spiders seem to feel the same way.

Even the nine in the center are in a panic, frantically shouting at one another via Telepathy.

But the dragons will not wait.

Gehre leaps forward.

The lithe and slender dragon is as fast as its appearance would suggest; it closes in on the spiders in an instant and swings its swordlike claws.

The spiders on the front lines are simply sliced in half, without even a moment to react.

Other spiders fire back with thread, but the dragon dodges it with ease.

What incredible speed.

I knew this from the moment I saw its stats, but seeing it in action is all the more stunning.

Gehre is a high-speed physical fighter.

It uses its speed to continue attacking and then dodging back, making short work of the spiders.

Then, as Gehre drives them into a corner, the spiders are assaulted by an explosion.

It’s Kagna’s breath attack, loosed from some distance away.

Kagna’s majestic appearance is akin to a living fortress.

Standing motionless, it launches another breath.

Its destructive force is such that any spiders who take a direct hit from the attack disintegrate without a trace.

The spiders retaliate with magic of their own, but it isn’t causing even the slightest amount of damage.

Kagna’s defense is flawless.

Its enormous body means that its speed is slow, but in exchange, it excels in defense.

The spiders’ magic, which has buried countless Lower Stratum monsters, cannot make even a scratch on Kagna’s scales.

Gehre tosses the spiders around with speed, and Kagna strikes with powerful breath attacks while they’re distracted.

Even if the spiders try to fight back, attacks simply don’t work on Kagna, and Gehre is too fast to hit.

Just one earth dragon would be dangerous, but now there are two of them working together.

This horrifying combination is inflicting huge losses on the spiders, who have thus far defeated Lower Stratum monsters without a problem.

And on top of that, these two are not the only opponents.

Whenever the other two pause for even a moment, Fuit keeps the spiders in check with perfectly timed attacks.

Fuit uses magic to block the spiders trying to flee from Kagna’s breath attack, cuts the thread that attempts to capture Gehre, and circles around the battlefield whenever possible.

Kagna’s and Gehre’s movements are difficult to follow in the shadows, but Fuit may well be causing the most casualties.

Though its level and stats are lower than the other two, Fuit might well become the most powerful of them all soon enough.

Its instincts are simply remarkable. It knows exactly what to do and when to do it.

This is not good.

At this rate, the spiders may be wiped out entirely.

There are still many of them, but if their attacks are ineffective, their numbers are all but meaningless. They may well lose this battle.

As I keep an eye on the fighting, I quickly construct magic runes.

I cannot simply stand here watching the spiders and the earth dragons fight.

No, I have been constructing runes all this time.

I am preparing to use the most powerful attack spell out of all the magic available to me.

The problem is whether it will hit its mark.

I can barely follow Gehre’s movements with my eyes, so I doubt I can hit it with magic.

And while Fuit is not as fast as Gehre, it is flitting about the battlefield so much that it would be difficult to aim.

By process of elimination, that leaves Kagna as my only choice.

But even Kagna is faster than the other monsters of the Lower Stratum.

Its speed pales in comparison to its other stats, but it is still in the thousands.

I must catch it while it is distracted somehow, or it will dodge my spell.

Just then, a group of spiders charges at Kagna in a suicide attack.

Did they know what I needed, or was it simple coincidence?

More than half of them are blown away by Kagna’s breath, but the few survivors manage to wrap thread around Kagna.

The enormous dragon writhes. Even an earth dragon cannot escape the spiders’ thread so easily, it seems.

As Kagna struggles, more thread is wrapped around it, constricting its movements.

At that exact moment, my spell is complete.

“Get back!” I call out to the spiders, though I know not whether they will understand.

The spiders scuttle away from Kagna, and I unleash the spell at the dragon with all my might.

Inferno Magic level 2: Inferno Spear.

An enormous spear of flame assaults Kagna’s body.

Fire is my best element of magic, and Inferno Magic is its most powerful form, so this spell is the highest-level magic I can use.

It manifests the most destructive power of any of my spells.

The spiders’ thread wrapped around Kagna is engulfed in flames, and Kagna’s enormous body disappears into the hellfire.

The Great Elroe Labyrinth, normally cloaked in darkness, is lit up by the blaze.

But that is only for an instant.

Then the fire disperses just as quickly.

Kagna reappears, shaking off the flames.

Completely unharmed.

But how? I cannot believe it.

Certainly, I suspected my spell would not be enough to defeat Kagna. The difference in our stats is simply too vast.

Even then, I thought I would at least inflict a wound.

But it had no effect at all.

So this is the might of a dragon.

The rumors are true, then, that magic does not work on them.

If this spell will not work on Kagna, then I have no way of harming it at all.

As I stand painfully aware of my own worthlessness, Kagna’s eyes turn toward me.

Its mouth opens, the sparks of a breath attack gathering.

No!

I fling myself aside just in time, avoiding a direct hit from the breath.

Nevertheless, it grazes my body.

Drenched in cold sweat, I crawl along the floor, fleeing as fast as I can.

I must escape, or I will die!

The world is far wider than I realized.

When I think how other beasts like this might well exist outside of my knowledge, it proves to me all over again how little I know.

I am aware of the existence of legendary-class monsters, but now I realize that I had never truly conceived of how frightening a thing that must be.

These dragons are S-class, a step below legendary, and already they are fearful beyond measure.

I do not stand a chance against them.

Returning to the front lines, Kagna assails the spiders with its breath.

Gehre aims for the gaps this creates in the spiders’ ranks, disrupting their formation further.

As Gehre digs deep into their ranks, the spiders attempt to surround it, but Fuit keeps them too preoccupied.

There are still plenty of spiders left.

But they have no way of fighting back against the overwhelming power of the earth dragons.

At this rate, it is only a matter of time until the spiders are all wiped out.

Determined that I at least should survive, I begin to prepare a Teleport spell, when suddenly a spear of darkness pierces Gehre’s body.

My Inferno Spear was unable to break Kagna’s hide, but this spear has undoubtedly gone straight through Gehre.

The dragon lets out an anguished roar that echoes through the cavern.

With Gehre’s body pinned down by the spear of darkness, the spiders swarm to attack.

For all that Gehre was able to nimbly dodge attacks until now, it has no way of doing so while wounded and trapped in place. Its giant body is all but swallowed up by a wave of countless spiders.

Given Gehre’s high defense, it might still survive but for the fact that the spiders are aiming at the wound the black spear created.

No matter how high one’s defense might be, it is of little use if one’s open wound is under attack.

The wound begins to expand, with more gashes opening up around it.

Not even a dragon could survive this unharmed.

Fuit attempts to free Gehre, only to suddenly sink into the ground.

Fuit’s body produces a horrible sound as it’s crushed downward, as if being pushed down by an unseen force.

A Heavy-attribute attack!

I remember the master using the same kind of technique.

But to be able to pin even an earth dragon to the ground would take incredible power.

As Fuit is pressed into the earth, the surrounding spiders cover the dragon in thread, rendering it utterly immobile.

The heavy attack stops soon enough, but by now, Fuit is already bound by thread and being swarmed by spiders.

Soon it will meet the same fate as Gehre.

The spiders attempt to flock around the remaining dragon, but Kagna is like a moving fortress, brushing them off easily.

However, that’s only until one particular spider arrives on the scene at a far faster speed than the others—indeed, even faster than Gehre.

Speeding up to Kagna, it swiftly slices deep into Kagna’s leg with its scythe-like front legs.

Naturally, Kagna cannot remain standing after sustaining a wound like that.

Dragged down by its own immense weight, Kagna crashes to the ground with a resounding thud.

And again, the spiders swarm over the fallen dragon.

Right before my eyes, Kagna, Gehre, and Fuit have all been buried by a mountain of spiders.

Each of them tries to escape, but their movements are restricted by thread, and soon they cannot struggle any longer.

I never imagined that such immensely powerful earth dragons would meet this sort of fate.

I look at the nine spiders, the leading players in this victory.

They are the ones who pierced Gehre with the black spear, who crushed Fuit with a Heavy-attribute attack, and who cut down Kagna’s leg.

These nine spiders are truly on a different level from the others.

In some ways, they may even match that great being in strength.

I do feel fear in the face of that power, of course. But even more so, I feel excitement.

The spear that first pierced Gehre was likely Black Spear, a Black Magic spell.

Which puts it on the same grade of magic as the Inferno Spear I produced.

And yet, it was far more powerful than mine.

Perhaps the difference is due to my lower stats.

Still, I believe that the true secret behind that spear’s strength was the sheer amount of magic power it contained.

Instead of simply using the spell in accordance with the skill, they added extra magic into it.

It’s simple enough to describe, but I know how difficult a feat that truly is.

It would be akin to guiding a tumultuous stream through a tiny canal.

Usually, the canal would simply break.

Once that happened, the excess magic power one attempted to use would be released in a misfire as the rune fell apart. In the worst case, it could even cause a backfire.

But they used such a technique with utmost ease.

It must be possible.

If these pioneering spiders were able to do so before me, there is no reason I cannot do the same.

After I learn this technique, I’ll be a step closer to the pinnacle of magical prowess!

As long as I can find a way to acquire this skill, I’ll be able to increase the power of my spells while perhaps even learning of a quicker way to produce runes, as I had hoped!

Might I even learn to give lesser spells the same degree of power as advanced spells like Inferno Magic?!

And if that speed of construction becomes the standard, it will revolutionize magic!

Can I really do such a thing?

I certainly shall!

< Experience has reached the required level. Ronandt Orozoi has increased from LV 68 to LV 69.>

< Acquires skills [Lifeblood LV 1] [Dragon Power LV 1] as a result of Title [Dragon Slayer].>

Hmm?

So the three dragons buried beneath the spiders have breathed their last.

Somehow, it seems that I have been counted as part of the battle, and I have acquired the title Dragon Slayer.

In spite of the fact that I was of such little help.

Though I truly thought I would die, in the end, it was a valuable experience.

…Yes, it really was meaningful.