Chapter 2: Tree Spider

Ryth paced down the path towards town, just imagining the laughs of all those level 15's and their level 17 leader, remembering their words...

"Oh sorry thought you were a guy, but I guess I was wrong with that as your class!"

"Ha, do you suppose he even knows how to hold a sword?"

"Forget a sword, this little girl couldn't hold that knife on their hip!"

"The oversized rabbit feeder? You call that a knife?"

"Ha haha ha!"

"Gah! I didn't ask to be a healer-type! I didn't even ask to be awakened as a spell casting type, much less a healer!"

Ryth wasn't exactly overjoyed at his current circumstance, but you live with what you get right? He was doing his best to do his job as an Adventurer and clear out the areas around town to be safe but... it's just too dang difficult! What else could anyone expect?

(Sure a healer is great, and while not exactly a macho profession, it is an important member of a team. But a healer on their own? Could he ask for anything more annoying and dangerous? Actually wait... not even having my knife would be worse.)

"Well... I could always go back, and try to find a mob on its own...?"

Ryth considered the possibility. He'd tried earlier only to get noticed, but maybe this time...?

(Getting to Level 2 would give me an increase in physical stats, however slight... my mana amount would increase as well, and likely recovery too. Plus it might make it easier to figure out how to use this dang healing energy properly.)

(If I knew more about the Sun Arcane in terms of healing I'd be a lot better off... Though practice is probably the only way to do those last two properly... it wouldn't take a lot to level up, just about 10 kills at this point... even less if I continue healing practice, slowly grinding that EXP... Alright let's do this!)

Filled with newfound resolve, Ryth turn right off the path, heading through the trees, and after finding a suitable one, went to climb it. As he reached about 2 meters up the trunk, he hooked his fingers on the edge of a hole in the trunk.

A flash of his instincts screaming a warning is all that saved those fingers as he lurched back, a large spider leaped at where his hand had been, with a body the size of a man's head, and legs as long as a human arm if straightened.

He caught himself against a lower branch, staring at this spider that raised its front two legs up like claws, and Ryth swiftly drew the knife he was most familiar with.

As it scuttled down the trunk towards him, his attention and focus slammed into high gear as fear flooded through him.

He tried to lurch down the trunk, but the spider was easily out-pacing him. As it began to draw even, he found his attention focusing on its strange fang structures, dripping a blue liquid he could easily guess was venom. The blue-black hairs on its grey body bristled as it moved at him.

(It's fine just set your foot down and-OH DEAR KETAIR PLEASE-)

*Slips*

-MOTHER FU-)

"GAH!"

Ryth grunted as he hit the ground on his back after slipping from his foothold. He gathered his focus right as he saw the damned blue-black arachnid flying off the trunk towards him.

Before fear could even cross his mind, his arm flew up, knife in hand, and batted at this falling ball of grisly death.

The knife sank into the not-so tough exoskeleton, and lodged there as it flew off to the side, with those venomous fangs having no chance to strike his chest, which is where it would've fallen.

Ryth rolled himself up onto his side and threw himself away from the spider, as he looked for it.

He found it on its back, waving its legs about madly as his knife could be seen coming out of the side of its body, green-blue fluid flying out of the wound as it hissed and cried.

Over the next 40 seconds it slowly started to become weaker and weaker as Ryth drew himself to his feet and watched it guardedly.

Finally, the spider drew still, and it's legs curled into itself, making it appear as any dead spider should.

Ryth slowly approached the terrifying venomous monster, and picked up a stick from the mossy ground to poke it. Seeing no reaction, he grabbed another stick and, using one to hold it steady, hooked the second stick under the protruding edge of the knife handle, and pulled it out.

As the knife was removed, the legs twitched, and Ryth jumped pack with a start!

His breathing jackknifed as he watched, finally determining the movement to be just a physical reaction, and the spider to be truly dead.

He crept forward again, and used the cloth in his satchel to clean off his knife. He then proceeded to cut the legs off one by one, knowing that perhaps he could sell what little meat there was on them, as monster flesh made into food could provide weird unexpected benefits on the rare occasion.

Then he looked closer at the fangs, and the still-glistening venom. No matter how you felt, potions and substances of magic origin were invaluable to an adventurer. So he steeled himself for this task, and proceeded to slowly{using the sticks like chopsticks now} massage the venom out of the fangs, and held a glass vial from the potion kit in his satchel to catch all he could.

After emptying both of all he could, he had about 3 full vials worth.

(That spider wasn't exactly strong... it was fast, and could jump, but was physically weak. Such a creature probably relies very heavily on its venom, meaning this is probably really potent stuff huh?)

Ryth smiles. (I am totally gonna keep this, but perhaps I could mix it with water? It would reduce the potency, but I'd have more to use, which since I'd be coating my blades with it, is kinda invaluable. Hm, I'll ask Fion at the Adventurers Association.)

He smiled, as realization finally clicked.

"WHOO-HOO! HA! I GOT A KILL!"

Immediately after spouting this at the top of his lungs, Ryth slapped his hands over his mouth as he crouched in fear of what may have heard his celebrations. He ran away from the spot, back to the path, and bolted off to town.