Chapter 10: Cleaning the lower layer

Thoughts in italics

Monologue in normal text

Skills in bold []

System in bold normal text

sounds in bold italics

WARNING:

This fanfiction will contain spoilers from the Light novel, read it at your own risk.

Leave your comments, it would help me a lot

thanks for reading

PD: I just published the story in ao3, this is the link /works/32838763?view_full_work=true in case you are interested.

I survived, somehow.

I let myself be enveloped by the relief that this fact generated for the moment. I am alive. I am glad to be alive.

But also, uncertainty filled my mind.

What am I supposed to do now?

My nest has been destroyed, there is no point in trying to rebuild it. Look at the place where the breath attack had hit.

There is a huge crater in the wall where my nest was.

Wow

How cool

Is it even possible to create on a wall like that?

Craters are usually created by meteorites or things like that, if I remember correctly.

It also looks quite deep.

Hmm, I'm feeling philosophical.

I also find it strange that despite the fact that I am standing in a completely unprotected place, the bees are not trying to attack me.

Most likely it is because Araba scared them, I don't blame them, even now I am afraid. Although I also admire Araba a lot, more than anything his power.

Still, what am I supposed to do now?

Attempting to cross the bee territory and return to the original passage is an option.

But it is also not because there is the danger of Araba coming back again.

I was lucky to have survived this attack, but for whatever reason this happens again, I doubt I will have the same luck.

It seems that Araba found my nest annoying and destroyed it just because.

So, if I make another one, I will probably offend Araba even more.

In that case, any option of trying to go up there again is ruled out. In any case, I wasn't looking forward to going up there again.

My nerves are like stone right now.

I don't want to upset or provoke Araba's anger again.

It is also possible that I have misunderstood everything and that there is no real reason why Araba destroyed my nest.

Considering how powerful Araba is, it is entirely possible that he had some logical reason behind it.

But still, from my perspective, the result was the same. Running in my current state to Araba meant death. It was as simple as that.

And I had already managed to save myself twice from death.

On both occasions, I was extremely lucky. However, I don't think luck was the only factor.

The other factor was that Araba did not consider me his enemy.

Araba is like the 3rd or 4th strongest opponent in the labyrinth as far as I remember, there is still an earth dragon stronger than him and also this mother. Chances are he didn't consider me anything more than a nuisance.

For now, I will have to concentrate on one thing in order to survive and find a way through this place.

Stealth.

This... let's call it the lower "ring" is unknown, I have no idea what enemies are ahead or what kind of route Araba is following at the moment, so I have to stay hidden and not fight recklessly.

Currently the stealth level is 5. If I'm honest, his "low" level so to speak makes me nervous, but I don't have much choice but to trust him.

I look down at the ground. The earth dragon left some magnificent footprints behind. My gaze followed them to where the dragon went.

There is a single large corridor. So, it's somewhere going that way. Just thinking about it makes me excited.

So, I'm heading this way.

What, am I crazy to go the same way Araba went? Yes, yes, I am, but it's also probably the safest way I know, since Araba will have cleared the way for all the monsters that fear him.

Or it is also likely to be full of super strong monsters.

...Meh, 50-50. I'll take it.

Honestly, it would probably be best to ignore my feelings and climb back up the hole, but that's not possible.

There are too many things that could go wrong if I do it again, so it's better to follow logic and not do it.

I proceed carefully, using stealth as I walk. It would be funny to have a cardboard box with me, it's the ultimate concealment device.

Wow. I'm a little calmer now, I think.

Well, let's think about it all calmly now. My Hp had taken a hard hit when I fell, but now it is fully recovered.

Hp auto regeneration is incredibly useful.

In fact, I wonder if...

Number of skill points currently in possession: 250. Number of skill points needed to acquire the skill [Auto regeneration of Mp Lv1]: 50.

Number of skill points currently in possession: 250 Number of skill points needed to acquire the skill [Sp Lv1 Auto Regeneration]: 50

Hmm, they're worth it, so I'll say yes.

[Auto regeneration of Mp Lv1] acquired. Number of skill points remaining: 200

[Auto regeneration of Sp Lv1] acquired. Number of skill points remaining: 150

Fuah, now I have to avoid spending more skill points, although it was worth it.

Hmm, oh I had forgotten that I got a few skill points after I leveled up.

But I don't want to spend more, so I'm not going to try to get another skill.

If only I had not spent many of my skill points on Detection, I could have gotten some skill that reduced Sp and Mp consumption.

What? They exist, I think.

Still, I'm glad I taught myself the Hp one, less expense for me.

I hadn't thought about it before, but I was wondering how quickly I would recover these regenerative abilities.

Sp and Mp are at level 1, obviously, and Hp is at level 2.

So, I can only assume it was relatively low, it probably wasn't that fast, but I got my wounds fixed without any problems.

In addition to that, I also noticed that my red total stamina meter is still full.

Why is that?

This has literally never happened before, so I wonder if maybe something happened to make the red meter consumption stop, but I have no idea why.

Is it another system error?

Hey, that offends

Sorry, but that's all I can think of.

Is it actually decreasing but not adequately demonstrated... or something like that?

I'm sure I'll run out of stamina and end up paralyzed or something.

But I believe in you, Appraisal-chan! I know I can count on you to have my back! I believe in you, even though when I think of your track record so far... no, I still completely believe in you! I believe.

According to my calculations, Appraisal should be close to leveling up.

It's been a while since he last leveled up, after all, and I haven't stopped evaluating in all that time. Considering the huge step, he took when he reached level 6, I have high hopes for the next level.

I hope I start showing off some of my skills and stuff too...

I've lost count of what skills I have; besides the essential ones I use on a daily basis.

Also, not knowing the effects of some skills is a bit inconvenient. And one of the skills I don't understand could help me out of my current situation.

I know it's probably too much to ask, but it's a slight chance to be able to improve things even a little bit,

I am willing to accept anything, any help at this time.

Desperate times call for desperate measures after all.

Maybe a skill that can tell me the location of the enemy, or something like that.

If possible, I could keep tags on the dragon's location while traveling.

It would be great to be able to use Detection, but that is useless.

A map would also be useful.

I have no idea where this path is going, the original kumoko went the opposite way in canon, but I have my hopes up that I didn't open up wrong in doing this.

I just hope I don't die.

Anyway, for now, I'll trust my luck, whether it's bad or whatever.

Walking I go, towards my possible death, I hope I have no dangerous enemies in this place.

The passage I am walking through is quite large.

Large enough for 2-meter-tall bees to fly around without restriction, as well as a 4.5 meter praying mantis.

Elroe Greshigar | Lv7 | Failed status Appraisal

The giant mantis used its scythe to intercept a swarm of bees. Unlike a normal mantis, this thing has 6 arms. It looks like an asura demon.

The bees are trying to attack it from the air, but they cannot get close for fear of getting into scythe range, so the battle seems to be at a stalemate.

I hid in the shadows of some rocks, observing the situation. Neither side noticed my presence.

The Stealth skill is more useful than one might think at first.

I looked at them carefully, evaluating the species.

Elroe Greshigar: A praying mantis-like monster that lives in the Great Elroe Labyrinth, Lower Layer. It excels in physical strength attacks with its scythe.

Oh look, one of the bees was cut in half.

Those things must be really sharp to cut something as well with a single blow as yours. If they are that strong, they might even be able to cut my thread.

Well, they don't seem to have noticed me, so I guess I'll just sneak up on him.

Hmm, wait.

There are some words in that appreciation result that I had not seen before.

Great Elroe Labyrinth, Lower Layer: An area located between the Middle Layer and the Deep Layer. Inhabited by many powerful monsters.

Wow, really? So, this place is called the Lower Layer? No ring? Wait, there's even a layer even lower than this?

There are also a lot of strong monsters here too... I almost wish I didn't think about that. Still, I'm surprised to learn that there's an even lower level than this.

All I can imagine about that place is that it must be a hellhole inhabited by super powerful monsters.

I mean, it's the lowest level of the biggest maze in the world!

Monsters are always stronger the lower you go in a dungeon, and if this Lower Layer already has reasonably strong monsters, the Deep Layer must be worse.

A bunch of enemies just as powerful as Araba... how cool.

Although I have also thought of something else.

It is likely that the area he was in was considered the Upper Layer. There were some humans exploring up there, after all, so it's probably connected to the outside world.

In that case, I might have been closer to the exit than I thought.

But I guess that doesn't matter anymore.

Anyway, I have to escape from this Layer.

And once I get out of here, I still have to go through the Middle Layer, too. Fortunately, this path is connected to the next floor. I certainly don't want to go down to the Deep Layer by mistake.

Hmm, another bee in the sand. They'll probably lose. This praying mantis certainly is strong.

Probably even stronger than the snake.

Funny, considering the snake was like a boss monster to me...

Obviously, it doesn't come close to Araba's power, not even in his wildest dreams could it compare to the strength Araba has, but this Mantis monster is still powerful.

I am currently at the snake level, according to my mental ranking. How about relatively weak by lower Layer standards.

Well, it might still be too early to judge that. It's possible that I can beat the mantis if I play my cards right, after all. At least, that's what I think for now.

Just as the praying mantis cut down the 3rd bee, an unexpected fate befell it.

More specifically, a giant spider appeared out of nowhere and crushed her in its jaws.

Wow... just wow.

Taratect Major | Lv18 | Status Appraisal Failed.

Oh, wow. It's one of my super evolved forms.

How cool.

Taratect Major: Evolved form of the spider-like monster species, Taratect. A carnivore with powerful venom in its fangs.

How amazing! Too bad my goal is not to become like you, otherwise I would see how I could do it to evolve faster.

It is still small compared to the giant mama spider I saw earlier, but it appears to be 9m tall. It dwarfs the praying mantis.

Too bad, I wanted to try the mantis meat.

I also don't use a normal fighting method between spiders, I just bite it and that's it, without using thread.

How much strength will she have now? My strength stat is only 22... How many times do I have to evolve before I become like her?

Not that I'm interested in becoming like her, I just wonder.

Well, anyway, it's time to go before he finds me. I'd like to think he wouldn't kill me for being family, but this is the wild life, every man for himself.

But I have one thing that is quite clear:

The Lower Layer is great.

What? I'm not going to freak out just because of a little power, they don't come close to Araba's power after all.

There's no turning back now anyway, trying to go back now through that bee hell is out of the question.

At least I know I won't run into Araba anytime soon, this place is still full of "weak" monsters, even though Araba passed by a while ago.

It doesn't even seem like Araba showed up here a while ago.

No doubt the mantis and that big fat spider are proof of that, no doubt they are strong.

Will there be more, just as strong, around? Probably not, people and monsters don't get that strong just like that.

If I see any monsters, I can take down, I'll go ahead and eat them. Otherwise, I will proceed with incognito mode.

As for now, the red stamina meter continues unabated.

If I can trust that Appraisal-chan is telling the truth, then there is no need to panic. I can just take my time until I can find some prey and handle it.

Besides, I want to avoid screwing up and attracting the attention of world-class disaster beasts.

I managed to sneak out on the sly

Occasionally, I would stop to watch some monsters fight, but since I didn't want to get involved, I always hurried past them.

Honestly, the Lower Layer is great. I thought the praying mantis was strong, but it seems to be only half ranked here compared to the best down here.

In addition to the big sister that had devoured the mantis, there is a big thing that looks like a winged lion. a bit like the mythological monster chimera itself, a giant snake that seems to be the evolved form of the other snake it killed earlier, and all sorts of crazy monsters.

What madness, and I'm talking about good madness.

To avoid any kind of direct fight with these guys, I've been sneaking around as stealthily as possible, which has worked well for me so far.

I mean, chances are, if I get caught at least once, that would be the end of me.

So, I tried to keep running forward without stopping to sleep, but that will take its toll at some point, and my unflappable red stamina bar has finally started to decrease again.

I still don't know why I hadn't been down before, but anyway, now I'm on a time limit again, I have to eat something before the number drops from 38 to 0, or more.

I'm also a little afraid to grab a rock to eat in order to gluttonously recompose myself, as many things could go right as could go wrong.

Saying that, but I haven't been able to find anything that I feel I can beat 100%, so try to get some sleep for now.

But honestly... I can barely sleep at all.

Until now, I had always managed to sleep in some simple house, but I don't want to risk standing out again, so for the first time since I became a spider, I went to sleep without cover.

I was on alert the whole time, so I didn't have a good rest because of that.

It's not all bad, but if I continue like this without a good night's sleep, I know it will eventually affect me in the future.

At that time, in my 2 previous lives, my average amount of sleep was 4 to 6 hours, so I'll probably be fine for a while.

So, I slept more or less well for now, but the food is what is really becoming a problem.

I have to find a way to find food in this crazy monster house somehow.

That worried me, but it turned out to be easier than I initially imagined.

Suspiciously easy, in fact.

It's weird in a way. The monsters here are devilishly strong. But among them there are still some weak chis of the type you'd see in the Upper Layer.

Snakes are an example.

...wow, I never thought I'd say that so soon.

The point is, I'm very curious about what those puny monsters are eating.

I mean, this is the law of the jungle, the strong prevail and the weak die. Those kids would only serve to become the main course, right?

And that certainly is how my time in this part of the dungeon has been so far. But some of those guys are even on the chubby side. The bees must have targeted them as their main food source.

So, after observing the variety of weak monsters for a while, I came to the conclusion that they all have in common.

All are poisonous.

That came as a revelation from heaven to me. I have Poison Resistance naturally, so I eat that kind of stuff no problem, but most normal creatures wouldn't eat poisonous things.

These guys may be weak, but they are toxic, other monsters can't eat them unless they have Poison Resistance.

By that logic, even if a monster finds me, there is a chance it will ignore me for that very reason.

Still, there's no point in taking any chances as long as I can keep sneaking below deck.

Anyway, I've managed to figure out what those weak monsters have as their main source of food.

The first is some other weak monster. Which seems to be the most common method in this Layer: fight and eat another.

So, I figured I should just wait for the moment when there were no strong monsters around and attack a weak one with a surprise attack.

Then there's the other thing, the food source you turn to if you're really desperate, like me.

Elroe Gastruch | Lv3 | Status Appraisal Failed.

This creature is shaped like a flattened black insect.

Actually, it appears to be insect-like, but the kind that acts like a snail. These things walk around stuck on the wall of the labyrinth and crawl slowly in a snail-like motion. I decided to call them snail insects.

And there are tons of these snail insects throughout the Lower Layer.

Whenever I look at a wall, there's at least one out there. There are too many of them.

Why don't the other monsters eat them? There are so many of them!

I understood it later, though, after I ate one myself.

In itself, one could argue that I was stupid.

But it wasn't that bad, at least for me.

Although I also understood why for the others it is the last option.

I used a Spider Thread to rip one off the wall, and removed it using my Poison Bite, and then took a bite out of it.

I'm not sure if it's from gluttony or some other reason, but it just tasted kind of bitter to me, but it wasn't that bad.

But apparently it was bad for my body, as I lost some Hp from eating it.

It even made my Rot Resistance skill go up a level, so if you can imagine how bad it was supposed to be.

What did I do, you ask? What a normal person would do, eat several of them to increase the Rot Resistance skill.

I know, I'm crazy, even System-chan told me so, but I'm a gamer at heart, I have heal, gluttony which mitigates damage (I think) from rot and an excellent way to raise a skill, also food to fill my red Sp bar which had dropped to a 15/38.

It was worth it.

To give you an idea of how much time I spent eating those things, my Rot Resistance skill was at level 3 and when I finished, I was at level 8, I don't know how I did it, but I made it.

Oh yeah, also heal went up to level 5, so it wasn't too bad.

It was a win-win for me.

Anyway, I got bored after eating so much of the same food, so I went on my way.

The dungeon-like area in the upper area was full of intersections, but here it was just a long corridor.

That in itself is good, since I don't run the risk of getting lost, but if this path connects to the Deep Layer, how am I supposed to get back?

Well, there's no point in thinking about it.

I just hope it really is connected to the Middle Layer. If not, having to go back would be hell.

The good thing is that my red bar is already full again.

I could use another meal, though, one that doesn't try to kill me.

I also keep telling myself that I should have stayed there until I raised the Rot Resistance skill to 10 but I was wasting too much time.

I have to resist the temptation every time I see one crawling on the walls, but it's hard.

Sure, they may be unpalatable to others but I've managed to gain a taste for them and now they only lower my hp if I eat about 10 or 20 of them.

As I said, there are quite a few of them here.

But still, I want a normal meal, or as normal as anything around here can be considered.

I'll try to make it a poisonous monster, to try to up the poison resistance as well, I can't inject my own poison after all.

...or at least I don't think so.

Should I give it a try?

No, you cannot inject your own poison.

Hell, that would have certainly helped raise my poison resistance faster.

Hey look, we see, front clear, back clear. No dangerous monsters in sight.

Good, very good.

Elroe Randanels | Lv8 | Failed state Appraisal.

Elroe Randanels | Lv7 | Failed state Appraisal.

Elroe Randanels | Lv7 | Failed state Appraisal.

In front of me was the same trio of idiots that had allowed me to escape from the humans before, well they were obviously not the same, but they are of the same species. Their levels are quite high, they are already close to evolve, so they must be looking for fights to get to level 10 as soon as possible.

Too bad they ran into me.

I sneak up behind them to catch them off guard. Then, it's time to introduce and debut my new weapon, the casting net!

...what, too normal a name? That's not what's important here!

Besides, even I can't come up with a cool name for everything, ok?

However, I felt quite pleased with myself when I thought of the name kumorningstar.

Yes, I know it's the same name the original kumo gave it and I even did the same thing, but at the time I didn't remember it, ok. It's been over 18 years since I watched the blessed anime or manga, so don't blame me!

Besides, I only did it once, doesn't mean you should expect me to come out with a high quality play every time!

Of all, go, casting net!

Hmpf, now, don't think little of this little casting net. This new equipment... hmm, certainly needs a better name, doesn't it...? Oh yes, the explanation.

As I was saying, so when I throw this thing, it's just a bunch of threads, but as soon as it reaches its target...

Boom!

A spider web opens and wraps around my victim!

The 3 monsters were entangled in my net in almost no time at all.

Moo-ha-ha-ha! Now, that's a catch!

As usual, I finished them off with my Venomous Fangs skill.

Chomp!

Condition satisfied. Acquired title [Poison Master].

Conditions met. The skill [Poison Synthesis Lv1] [Poison Magic Lv1] has been derived from the skill [Poison Master].

Hmm? Oh? A new title! Great! Poison, poison and more poison!

So, let's see, Poison Synthesis and Poison Magic, huh?

As usual, I still have no idea how to properly use magic-related skills, so I will ignore it for now.

More magic is not bad, anyway.

As for Poison Synthesis, hmm, it gives little to the imagination really.

I mean, it makes poison, that's obvious, but in what way, and isn't I supposed to make poison?

Okay, enough of that. I can look into them later.

First, I need to kill the other 2 and eat the trio.

And so: Chomp, Chomp.

Proficiency has reached the required level. The skill [Poison Fangs Lv7] has become [Poison Fangs Lv8].

Hmm? Oh, great. Did today's forecast say something about poison flooding? Well, not that I'm complaining.

If level 10 is the highest, that means level 8 must be almost completely toxic, right?

It sure works well, even on other poisonous users.

This is even better than the new title.

Perfect. Now that I've finished the three monsters, I'll take them to the shade of a nearby rock.

Phew, with my crappy stats, it's hard to carry three monsters at the same time. Maybe I should have carried them loaded 1 to 1.

...Wait, hasn't he done this to me before?

And didn't I regret not charging them 1 to 1, too?

Hmm? Don't ask me, it doesn't ring a bell! I have a great memory, ok?

I've never had anything like this happen... at all! Do you understand?! Right.

Anyway, it's time to try out my new Poison Synthesis skill while I eat.

Except I have no idea how to use it, so it will have to be luck, as with hypnosis and telekinesis.

And so: Synthesis of poison, to me! I thought, pray... and I would love to have a mouth with which I can form words.

And it actually worked, it actually did something.

As with Appraisal-chan, there is a text displayed in my head.

Poison Synthesis Menu

Weak Poison.

Spider Venom Lv8

What is this?

Hmm, Hey. If this is being shown in my mind, it means that Appraisal-chan should work here.

Let's see...

Poison Synthesis menu: Allows the creation of poison.

Weak Poison: A very weak poison.

Spider Venom Lv8: A lethal poison created by spiders. Lv8 is very strong

Today, so spider venom is my original poison.

So, doesn't that mean that by acquiring Poison Synthesis Lv1, you only gain the ability to make Weak Poison?

Select the Weak Poison to test it.

A ball of purple liquid appeared in the air in front of me and formed a puddle.

Hmm, so. do I need a container or something for this? Just to try, I appraisal the puddle.

Pool of Weak Poison.

Yep. It really is Weak Poison. It's all good then.

In other words, Poison Synthesis is an ability that can produce poison without needing any kind of material or anything, right?

This could be useful if she were still human, but being a spider, then her usefulness drops a bit.

At least it is useful to be able to produce poison without spending anything.

No, wait, I forgot.

Poison synthesis is technically magic, so I spend some of my Mp.

Hmm, that makes things a little more difficult, but I need to try something.

Let's see...

Oh yeah, look. My mp refilled after I took the poison puddle, being weak it didn't hurt me at all, so having it may actually be more useful than I imagined.

I can already eat magic, or at least that's the conclusion I just came to, that means gluttony is already being more useful than it seems.

As the skill level went up, the types of poison I can make increased, but since I can make my Spider Poison super strong, well... it's not really something that's very useful for battles.

At least it's good for gluttony.

At least it's better than those magic skills I can't use at all.

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THE END