Chapter 22: Spider vs Fire Dragon.
Thoughts in italics
Monologue in normal text
Skills in bold
System in bold normal text
sounds in bold italics
[] Karada-chan
{} Miho chan
Akira-chan
WARNING:
This fanfiction will contain spoilers from the Light novel, read at your own risk.
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thanks for reading
my pat reon: pat reon . com (slash) thenewshinka
Azure Dragon: Honest question here.
Is the fact that the MC is a person who got Isekaid once before ever going to actually have an effect?
So far the story has played out pretty much exactly the same as canon with only really minor differences and the characters backstory has had no real effect so far
R: Who know, maybe.
Guest-chan, i think you didn't read well.
When she was extinguishing the fire, she used Poison Synthesis, no Poison Magic
Do we want delicious food?
[Yeah!]
{I'm sick of eating the same monsters!}
Let's make this proclamation history!
I promise to escape the Great Elroe Maze and eat delicious food in the outside world!
[Whoo-hoo!]
{We are with you}
Which means that first, we have to escape from the Middle Layer!
There is a good reason why I have declared my intention to escape from this labyrinth with such enthusiasm.
You see, the frustration that was building up inside me has reached the boiling point.
While the monsters may be delicious to me, I've had enough of eating the same monsters all the time.
It's been many days since I turned into a spider monster at D's whim.
The place where I was born is the largest dungeon in the world, the Great Elroe Maze.
Unable to find a way out, I have spent all my time living in this maze, but frankly, the food situation here is unbearable.
I mean, the only things I can eat in this dungeon are other monsters.
Each monster tastes different and for some inexplicable reason they are delicious to my palate.
Now, the place where I am currently located, the Middle Layer, actually has some very tasty, spicy monsters, such as catfish and eels.
But it is precisely because these exist that I have reached my limit.
Because this fire wyrm I killed, which looked totally like an evolved form of these guys, didn't even taste halfway decent!
This is the first horrible food I've eaten in this maze!
After all the effort I put into killing him, too...
Then I had to peel it off...
[I did that!]
Right, Karada-chan had to do it, at least.
Look, not that it was exactly gross.
But it was a little weird. I definitely wouldn't call it delicious.
It was like a flavorless white fish. It probably would have been very good if there was some way to season it.
However, the moment that thought crossed my mind, the appetite I had been unconsciously repressing all this time could no longer be contained.
Although the catfish and elver I ate were quite delicious, I needed more variety, my hunger demanded more delicious food.
And it's obvious that they can't measure up to foods that have actually been prepared to taste good.
I want to eat delicious things like that!
If I stay in this stupid labyrinth, all I will have will be monsters that now taste insipid to me.
Enough of this!
I want to go out and eat delicious food!
With this newfound determination, I have been reviewing my escape plan from the labyrinth.
First of all, in order to get out of here, I need to travel from the Middle Layer to the Upper Layer.
The Great Elroe Maze is a huge subway structure, so ordered by proximity to the surface, there is the Upper Layer, then the Middle Layer, and finally the Lower Layer. Also, although I've never been there, apparently there is an Extra Layer below the Lower Layer.
Originally, I was born in the Upper Layer.
That should be the layer closest to the surface.
Even there, everything was too big and confusing, so I gave up halfway to the possibility of escape.
Then, after a lot of back and forth, I ended up falling down a large shaft into the Lower Layer, which was swarming with strong monsters.
Somehow I managed to get out of there, which is how I ended up in this fiery inferno known as the Middle Layer.
I don't know how wide the Middle Layer is, but if I'm not entirely wrong, I should be steadily approaching the Upper Layer... hopefully.
If I keep moving forward, I will get there someday.
As long as nothing goes wrong, anyway.
There are strong creatures like fire wyrm's roaming around, so I can't let my guard down.
I mean, if I had made a misstep a while ago, that fire wyrm would have really killed me.
And there's no guarantee that there aren't monsters even stronger than that lurking around here.
As directly as a fire dragon.
Dragons...
Just thinking about that word reminds me of the Araba-chan Earth Dragon I encountered in the Lower Layer.
That was definitely the most exciting and terrifying thing I have ever seen in this world.
I barely escaped after it almost squashed me like a bug.
At that moment, I couldn't even feel anger or regret.
All I could do was tremble in a mixture of fear and excitement at his overwhelming power.
If I ever come across something that powerful again, I'm going to run away without a second thought.
I am not yet ready to face monsters of that power.
My first priority is to stay alive. Escaping the labyrinth is in second place.
I can't forget that.
Fortunately, it's gotten a little easier now that my combat skill has increased so much.
As long as I don't run into something like Araba-chan.
But I seriously doubt that there are many similar monsters. Also, the creatures in the Middle Layer are weaker than in the Lower Layer, so I shouldn't have anything to worry about.
The fire wyrm I defeated was probably the Middle Layer boss! Right? It has to be.
Which means that as far as escaping the maze is concerned, my chances of getting to the Upper Layer soon are pretty good.
As long as I continue to explore the Middle Layer, I'm sure I'll run into the Upper Layer at some point, and if I can train some of my new skills like Dimensional Magic, I bet things like teleportation will be possible sooner or later.
Once this happens, I could theoretically teleport to the surface without having to drag my ass all the way across the Middle Layer.
But I have no idea how long it will take to improve the skill or if that's how it works.
So anyway, I think Middle Layer will be fine.
The real problem will be the next step after that,
Escape from the Upper Layer to the outside world.
I don't know how it will work.
Unlike the Middle Layer, which has only one main path through it, the Upper Layer is more like a complicated maze.
Not to mention, it's ridiculously huge.
If he could learn teleportation and just appear outside, that would be great, but I guess there will be some restriction of some sort. Maybe the requirement that you can jump it to places you've already physically visited?
That means I have to find a real way out.
But given the size of the maze, it makes me feel like it could take years...
Great Maze Elroe, you are breaking my heart.
But I can worry about all this when I return to the Upper Layer.
Besides, even if I manage to reach the outside world, there is still a problem.
In fact, that part might be the most difficult problem to deal with.
Because, kind of like... I'm an arachnid monster, you know?
If I wander into a population of humans looking for some tasty food, I bet you anything they'll all be like, "A monster is attacking our homes! Kill it, kill it!"
I mean, if I were a human and a spider monster suddenly appeared on the street, I would probably react the same way.
Because of this predictable outcome, I won't be able to get tasty food cooked no matter what I do.
Even if I ran into a human, I don't think I could just go, "Don't worry, hee, hee, hee, I'm not a bad spider!"
I have two ideas on how to solve this.
One option is to evolve a lot of times to become an Arachne.
I would still be a monster, but if I at least have the humanoid upper half, I might be treated with a little less suspicion than any monster.
Plus, having that body type probably means I'll be able to talk.
However, the evolutionary path to Arachne is quite long, so it would have to be quite persistent.
The second option is to use my Telepathy skill.
As the name suggests, it is a skill that allows the user to converse using their thoughts, so even if I cannot physically speak, I could still communicate my intentions to others.
The fact that I have this skill makes it much easier to communicate than evolving into an Arachne.
But one thing could be the language barrier, I don't think this world uses Japanese.
System-chan may speak to me in Japanese, but that doesn't mean the rest of the world will be so kind.
I mean, sometimes in stories that have similar contexts to my situation, it happens that just everyone speaks Japanese for the convenience of fate, but this world is completely different, so it's safer to assume that no one understands my language.
In any case, I find it strange that System-chan speaks Japanese in the first place.
I have a feeling it's best not to think too much about it, so I generally ignore it.
Therefore, I have no idea what might happen if I communicate with any human using Telepathy, they might even want to kill me more.
Also, as I mentioned earlier, my main priority is definitely to survive.
Currently I have the skill blocked or rather deactivated, since it does not give me any benefit in combat.
Also, another problem is that even if I speak whatever language people use here, I am very bad at talking to people.
My communication skills are so poor that I frankly prefer to avoid interacting with others altogether.
It's not that I was disowned and so I became a loner, you know!
I became a loner on my own because I prefer to be alone!
It's true, okay? I'm not lying.
So, to summarize, even if I manage to get out of the maze, I will still have tons of problems.
Enough worrying about that. Let's take a look at my current status.
Zoa Ele | Lv 15 | Kuroko
Stats:
Hp: 636/636 (Green) +150 (Details)
Mp: 5,015/5015 (Blue) +150 (Details)
Sp: 720/720 (Yellow) (Details)
1023/1023 (Network) +1300 (Details)
Attack: 654 (Details)
Defense: 854 (Details)
Magic: 4902 (Details)
Resistance: 5024 (Details)
Speed: 4240 (Details)
Skill points: 900
Skills
Skills:
Deadly poison attack Lv 3
Rot Attack Lv 1
Heretic Attack Lv 1
Poison Synthesis Lv8
Utility Thread Lv 1
Thread Manipulation Lv 8
Silence Lv 5
Threadsmanship Lv 4
Throw Lv 7
Spatial Maneuvering Lv 9
Concentration Lv 10
Destruction Enhancement Lv 3
Cutting Enhancement Lv 3
Poison Enhancement Lv 7
Mental Warfare Lv 4
Magic Warfare Lv 2
Energy Conferment Lv 2
Thought Acceleration Lv 7
Hit Lv 7
Evasion Lv 9
Divinity Expansion Lv 4
Wyrm Power Lv 1
Stealth Lv 8
Gluttony Lv 10
Parallel Minds Lv 2
High-Speed Proccesing Lv 2
Vision Expansion Lv 3
Deadly Poison resistance at Lv 3
Paralysis resistance Lv 5
Petrification resistance Lv 3
Acid resistance lv 4
Rot Super-Resistance Lv 2
Faintness Resistance Lv 3
Fear resistance Lv 7
Heresy Nullification Lv 1
Pain Nullification
Pain Super-Mitigation Lv 2
Destruction Resistance Lv 4
Impact Resistance Lv 3
Cutting Resistance Lv 3
Heat Nullification
Dark Resistance Lv 2
Ice Resistance Lv 9
Light Resistance Lv 1
Water Resistance Lv 1
Longevity Lv 1
Celestial Power
Instant Body Lv 1
Endurance Lv 1
Fortune Lv 4
Taboo Lv 9
Mental Magic Lv 2
HP Rapid Recovery Lv 7
Height Of Occultism
SP Rapid Recovery Lv 1
Sp Lessened Consumption Lv 7
Auditory Enhancement Lv 9
Vision Enhancement Lv 10
Telescopic Sight Lv 8
Olfactory Enhancement Lv 7
Telepathy Lv 5
Hypnosis Lv 6
Tactile Enhancement Lv 7
Taste Enhancement Lv 7
Cursed Evil Eye Lv 7
Paralyzing Evil Eye Lv 7
Heretic Magic lv 6
Shadow Magic Lv 7
Poison Magic Lv 7
Fire Magic Lv 5
Water Magic Lv 5
Earth Magic Lv 5
Electric Magic Lv 4
Ice Magic Lv 4
Wind Magic Lv 4
Abyss Magic Lv 10
Heal lv 8
Cure lv 5
Solidity Lv 4
Dragon Scales Lv 2
Sturdy Lv 4
Herculean Strength Lv 4
Skanda Lv 4
Hades
Conviction
Wisdom
Naming LV 1
Demon Lord Lv 1
High-Speed Flight Lv 1
Swimming Lv 3
Foresight Lv 7
n=W
Titles
| Foul Feeder | Kin Eater | Assassin | Monster Slayer | Monster Slaughterer | Poison Technique User | Thread User | Merciless | Ruler of pride | Ruler of Gluttony | Ruler of Perseverance | Ruler of Wisdom | Fear Bringer | Ruler of Perseverance | Ruler of Wisdom | Fear Bringer | Ruler of Gluttony | Ruler of Perseverance | Ruler of Wisdom | Fear Bringer
Nai wa, I have become really strong.
My stats are much higher now, but I have so many skills that I can hardly tell you what's going on at a glance.
Most of them are quite useful, so it's all well and good, but without Parallel Mind, how on earth could I make sure they all work?
Thinking of it that way, Parallel Mind is nothing short of fantastic.
Even though it can be an annoying movie at times.
{[Hey, we heard that, Akira-chan]}
Oh, shhhh.
Still, it's crazy how much my magic stats have gone up.
At least, it's in the only category where I might have a chance to surpass Araba-chan in stats!
Well, besides speed.
That said, my physical stats are still pretty low. Overall, I have a long way to go.
Still, I was able to defeat a wyrm, which is one step away from a dragon, so I think I can afford to be a little confident.
I could be on par with a dragon someday.
Someday I will defeat Araba-chan.
(A few days later)
It has been several days since I decided to go abroad.
Exploring the Middle Layer went smoothly.
Yes, everything has been fine so far.
Since I crossed the sea of magma, where I was attacked by the fire wyrm and managed to reach the mainland, things have been going smoothly.
That's true, don't worry.
In fact, perhaps too quiet.
Literally nothing is happening, really.
What I'm trying to say is that all the monsters around here, like the seahorses that used to attack me at every turn, have instead been running away as soon as they laid eyes on me.
Now, this is surprising.
Aren't you supposed to be an aggressive species?
Shouldn't you set everything on fire when you see an opponent worthy of his time?
Taking flight is a disgrace for a spice supposedly known for its love of fighting, you see.
I know the reason they are acting this way, however.
It is the title of Fear Bringer that I obtained in the battle with the fire wyrm.
In addition to the fact that the title applies a "fear" effect to anything within my range of vision, it also comes with an additional skill called intimidation that carries a similar effect. It's like I'm the biggest bully in school.
Thanks to that, as soon as other monsters see me, they scatter with their tails between their legs.
Apparently, the fear effect is strong enough to overcome the most basic impulses of a monster.
And unfortunately, I can't disable the title effects.
I can activate and deactivate the intimidation skill, but even when I deactivate it, the result is the same.
So now all the aggressive species of the Middle Layer had become a bunch of cowards.
Because of that, I haven't had a single monster battle.
Which means I can't get food or experience points.
I'm fine as far as EXP is concerned, I guess.
I'd like to keep earning more and keep raising my level if possible, but since no one in the Middle Layer would dare to oppose me, that's not a big problem.
On the other hand, I am about to encounter a serious food supply problem.
My only source of nutrition in this labyrinth is the flesh of other creatures.
I won't have anything to eat if I can't take down some monsters.
If they were on the ground, I could ambush them before they could run into the magma... but apparently, my fear aura cancels out my Stealth skill or something, because now everyone notices that I get there long before I can get close to them.
They take refuge in the magma and flee before it can touch them.
Once they're in there, there's little I can do, you know, especially if they run away.
Argh, I wish I had a baited fishing line to lure these monsters.
Right now, my red stamina indicator which was very nice and full after eating the fire wyrm, eels, and all that is now slowly but steadily decreasing.
It won't be a problem right now, but I'll starve once it runs out. I have to come up with a plan before that happens.
The ideal situation would be to exit the Middle Layer and reach the Upper Layer before it reaches the critical point.
There is no magma in the Upper Layer, and with my speed, I can easily catch any monster that tries to flee.
If it weren't for this stupid magma, I wouldn't be having this problem in the first place.
The most powerful enemy I've faced in all of Middle Layer is this blessed magma lake.
(Later)
Well apparently, I spoke too soon.
Since I came to the Middle Layer, or maybe the moment I got Pride, I have become much stronger.
That's how I was able to defeat the eels, the fire wyrm, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
I may have gotten a little too cocky after winning that battle.
There will always be someone stronger than you.
In my case, it's someone I already knew existed.
While I was traveling through the Middle Layer, I found a huge hole.
It was a huge fact that went through the Middle Layer and reached the other two layers, similar to the other one from which I fell and reached the Lower Layer.
But the instant I laid eyes on this particular well, I felt an extremely powerful presence of danger emanating from it.
Since I was reborn into this world, I have had countless encounters with danger.
However, I have felt an extreme sense of crisis and fear on only 3 occasions.
Two of those were when I sighted the Araba-chan Earth Dragon, a harbinger of death that I met in the Lower Layer, although I was more excited than afraid.
The third time... is slowly coming into view at this very moment.
Eight huge eyes gleam in the magma glow.
Eight legs, so large that they towered like buildings, easily punched into vertical walls.
In terms of form, it's not too far from how I looked before evolving to Zoa Ele.
But the difference in size and presence can only be described as immense.
For the first time since I was reborn into this world, I feel overwhelmed with despair.
Hello, Oka-sama.
Long time no see.
Looming before me is a huge spider monster, the one who gave birth to me.
Even if this is the biggest maze in the world, I doubt there are many of these creatures wandering around. If there were, I'd be dead by now.
This must be the same one I saw shortly after I was born.
Unfortunately, I can't use Appraisal on it because it is too far away.
If I could, I'm sure his stats would be so terrifying that I could probably only laugh.
I'm curious, but I definitely don't want to get any closer.
Despite all the distance between us, my legs are already shaking.
I don't need to use Appraisal-chan to know and be convinced that I must be terrified.
My mother moves slowly along the wall of the well.
Then another huge shadow came over the sidewalk.
This monster is similar to the fire wyrm I defeated earlier, but it is definitely of a larger size, plus it has wings.
Must be a monster of higher rank than the fire wyrm.
In that case, maybe it's a fire dragon?
This possible fire dragon flies toward Oka-sama.
A lot of Middle Layer monsters follow close behind.
Oooh?! What's going on?! Is this an epic monster battle?! A territorial dispute?!
I swallow saliva.
I feel like I'm watching a giant monster movie at the cinema.
But instead of seeing things projected on a screen, it's happening right before my eyes. This is intense!
Oka-sama and the fire dragon army stare at each other fiercely.
I'm not close enough to use Appraisal on them, so I don't know their stats, but if this fire dragon is comparable to Araba-chan, it could be a close battle.
In physical terms, Oka-sama definitely has the advantage, but the fire dragon had his minions to make up for that.
However, my hopes for a lively monster battle are unexpectedly twisted in an instant.
Oka-sama casually pointed his fangs at the fire dragon and its army.
Immediately afterwards, the world began to tremble.
I am not using this phrase as a metaphor. The ground really is shaking.
Even though I am theoretically far away from the danger zone, the tremor is enough to make me collapse upside down.
Vibrations run through the floor as if the entire labyrinth itself were screaming.
If I had to describe it with a sound effect, it would probably be RATTLLE-RATTLE! or KABOOM!
I really don't know what kind of attack that was. It was beyond my comprehension,
All I know is that, once I rejoin, I see a huge, freshly made crater where the fire dragon army once stood.
Between this and Araba, I have to say, is it that super strong monsters have a penchant for making craters or what?
Maybe I'll understand when I get old enough to be able to make one myself?
Ha-ha-ha... okay, enough with the jokes.
Magma is flowing through the new crater.
Oh, I guess that's how magma lakes are created?
Huh? Wait. The dragon army... There's nothing left but a few crumbs!
Seemingly satisfied with the results of her destructive attack, Oka-sama begins to slowly make her way down the shaft.
Man, I thought she was insanely powerful for an Upper Layer monster, but this is completely another level.
I am sure that this type of species has its home in the Lower Layer, or even in the Final Layer.
If that thing were roaming around the Upper Layer all the time, it alone would be enough to destroy the entire ecosystem there.
Maybe she went to the Upper Layer to lay eggs or something.
Their offspring consists of "small" and "minor" Teratects, after all.
The fact that such an incredibly powerful beast gives birth to such insignificant baby spider trash could probably be one of the seven wonders of the monster world.
Oh, great mother, why couldn't you give that incredible strength to your children?
My life in the labyrinth would have been so much easier!
Oh, but in that case, I suppose the family feuds would be pretty egregious.
Those guys would happily kill and eat their brothers if they are hungry enough.
If everyone had the same level of power as Oka-sama... yeah, that could probably bring down the whole maze.
All right, maybe it's better that way after all.
Forget the labyrinth - if there were such a gigantic swarm of powerful monsters, the whole world might well fall apart.
Aaaaaaaaaaaand while I was distracted by these useless thoughts, Oka-sama disappeared down the well.
Even after she disappears, I stay in the same place for a while.
The proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Fear Resistance Lv 7] has become [Fear Resistance Lv 8].
The proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Stealth Lv 8] has become [Stealth Lv 9].
(Later)
Even after Oka-sama descended down the huge shaft, it was many minutes before I stopped feeling his presence.
I could have been standing here for over an hour.
Finally, I start moving again.
First things first. I put as much distance as possible between me and the hole Oka-sama went down.
If I climb through that shaft, I can probably reach the Upper Layer, but I don't feel like it.
I'm afraid of Oka-sama. Literally terrified, even Araba-chan didn't scare me that much.
Even if my brain could rationalize her not finding me, my body denies it.
Slow and steady wins the race. Or at least keep one alive. It's best to plan for the worst-case scenario. I can't underestimate how low my luck status really is.
Seriously, how unlucky can I get?
Fire Dragon | Lv 20 | Rend
Stats:
Hp: 1,709/3701 (Green) (Details)
Mp: 3,122/3,122 (Blue) (Details)
Sp: 3,698/3,698 (Yellow) (Details)
3,665/3,665 (Red) (Details)
Attack: 3,281 (Details)
Defense: 3,009 (Details)
Magic: 2,645 (Details)
Resistance: 2,601 (Details)
Speed: 3,175 (Details)
Skills:
Fire Dragon Lv 1
SP Minimized Consumption Lv 7
Sp Lessened Consumption Lv 1
Destruction Enhancement Lv 3
Cooperation Lv 10
Evasion Lv 10
Heat Perception Lv 3
Cut Resistance Lv 1
Status Condition Resistance Lv 1
Endurance Lv 5
Talisman Lv 3
Imperial Scales Lv 8
Magic Power Perception Lv 4
Cut Enhancement lv 3
Leadership Lv 2
Probability Super-Correction Lv 5
Flight Lv 7
Piercing Resistance Lv 1
Longevity Lv 5
Herculean Strength Lv 5
Acceleration Lv 5
Hp Rapid Recovery Lv 3
Magic Power Operation Lv 4
Flame Attack Lv 9
Piercing Enhancement Lv 2
Dimensional Maneuvering Lv 4
Presence Perception Lv 10
High-Speed Swimming Lv 10
Impact Super-Resistance Lv 1
Magic Warfare Lv 4
Sturdy Lv 5
Gluttony Lv 2
Mp Recovery Speed Lv 6
Sp Rapid Recovery Lv 1
Impact Lv 10
Danger Perception Lv 10
Fire Magic Lv 4
Heat Nullification
Instant Body Lv 5
Monk Lv 4
Skill Points 30,050
Titles:
| Monster Slayer | Monster Slaughterer | Commander | Dragon | Champion |
This guy suddenly emerges from the magma lake on the other side of the shaft.
Yes. It's the fire dragon that Oka-sama crushed earlier.
Wait, so you're alive? This is crazy.
You were blown away all the way here by Oka-sama's attack, but somehow you managed to survive?
Unreal! This is ridiculous!
This is no time to be impressed by the fire dragon's will to live!
This thing looks very angry that Oka-sama humiliated it!
Besides, he is totally focused on me!
I have nothing to do with her, okay?!
Oh, wait. she's my mother, so technically, it's not like I'm not related, huh?
Well, who cares about that now?
Hey, this guy is almost as fast as me!
But he has a lot more Sp than I do, I'd probably get tired before he would if he tried to run away.
I have been stuck in a few situations where I have not been able to escape for some reason or another, but this is the first time the reason is because I am outclassed in Sp and she is almost as fast as I am.
I can't escape!
That means I have to prepare for the worst.
I hit Parallel Mind up to the maximum synchronization level.
The fire dragon and I came face to face.
To be honest, I don't know if I have a chance.
His stats are definitely higher than mine.
The worst of all is that skill called Status Condition Resistance.
As the name implies, it increases the dragon's resistance to my attacks that inflict status alterations.
In addition to its stamina stats already being high, it's safe to assume that the defense of this thing is incredibly high.
I specialize in state alterations, you know.
So that's another advantage this has over me.
I've fought many monsters with higher stats than mine before, but usually, I had the advantage in the skills department.
But while I could still have a greater amount of skills, this fire dragon's skills are as good or even better than mine.
Some are the same as mine, some are one level, a few are lower and some are even evolved.
So, I lose in terms of stats and skills.
But still, I have to do it.
If I can't win somehow, this is where I die.
I pluck up my courage.
It's not that he has no chance of winning.
Thanks to Oka-sama's attack, my opponent's Hp has been reduced.
However, the balance of probabilities is still against me.
I do not intend to lose, as I am afraid of dying, but I have to accept that it is a real possibility.
So, I guess it's time to put my words into action. I'm going to glow like a comet until I'm consumed to nothing.
I have no intention of dying, but if I do, I want to leave this world with a movie ending.
Do you want to kill me, fire dragon?
Then you better be ready to come after me with everything you've got.
I'm not so weak that you can finish me off without a scratch, you know!
While I stabilize my determination, I activate the skill Intimidation that I have been avoiding using too much.
My evil eyes are going full speed ahead.
Activated Magic Warfare, Mental Warfare, Dragon Scales, Wyrm Power and Wyrm Barrier.
I begin to build magic spells.
Apparently getting the message, the fire dragon covers its body in flames.
"Fire dragon" must be the evolved form of "fire wyrm".
So, I guess it makes sense that he can use the fire wyrm skills, too.
One of them is Fire Wrap, which is acquired in Fire Wyrm at level 8.
It is an advanced version of the Heat Wrap skill of the Wyrm of Fire level 2, which literally envelops the user in an intense fire.
In addition, the heat generated increases the user's physical capabilities.
Apparently, the fire dragon recognizes me as a strong enemy not to be trifled with.
Neither of us underestimates the other.
The curtain opens for a fierce battle, where everything is allowed.
The fire dragon spits a fireball.
It seems to be testing the waters rather than making a serious attack.
Still, considering that I am no longer weak to fire in any way, the only thing that would hurt me is the impact of this fireball, which who knows if it could kill me.
Not to mention, even this casual shot is on par with the maximum power fireballs of a fire wyrm.
I avoid it with all my might.
Thanks to the combination of Impact and Probability Super-Correction, it was not easy to dodge.
Even the fire dragon's weakest attacks require every bit of my enhancement and evasion skills to circumvent them.
When the fire dragon spits out another fireball, it begins to close the distance between us.
The fireball is just a distraction - the real attack comes right after.
Flexing its long snake-like body, the monster lashes its huge tail toward me.
This simple physical attack is augmented by the attack power it has, that attack could prove fatal to me.
I avoid that attack with great difficulty.
The fire of its tail brushes my body.
It doesn't hurt me obviously, but that's only because I take care not to be weak to fire anymore, if I didn't have immunity with me...
It was also thanks to Thought Acceleration that is giving me time to analyze the strategy of the fire dragon and Foresight that predicts its movements, this could have been a much worse situation.
For now, my Evasion combo seems to slightly outperform the Impact/Probability Super-Correction combo of the fire dragon.
But things are not looking good.
No matter how long I fix my evil eyes on it, the fire dragon is neither paralyzed nor petrified.
In Cursed Evil Eye he is reducing his Hp and Sp by a minuscule amount, but it is having little effect on his stats.
My 3 skills are likely to have a run-in with the dragon's incredibly high resistance.
Given enough time, I think the evil eyes should have an effect, but it's not like the dragon is going to wait politely until that happens.
I manage with difficulty to avoid the claws that fly towards me shortly after the dragon's tail recoils.
Feeling wary after it avoided all of his attacks, the fire dragon backs off a bit.
I only have 3 things going for me at the moment.
One is that the fire dragon is not starting with full life thanks to Oka-sama's attack.
His Hp has almost halved, and although he has regained both Mp and Sp thanks to Gluttony, those stocks have been reduced quite a bit.
And since my Cursed Evil Eye is reducing its Hp faster than its Hp Rapid Recovery skill can counter, it will no longer heal.
Another thing is that his strongest element, fire, won't hurt me thanks to my heat immunity, so his attacks that don't have some impact damage won't hurt me.
And the last positive thing is that he no longer has his army.
The skills of the fire dragon are mostly improved versions of those of the fire wyrm.
Naturally, it can do anything a fire wyrm can.
Specifically, I'm thinking of the skill that used the fire wyrm to corner me and cause me all kinds of pain.
Command, an advanced version of the Leadership skill that the fire wyrm had.
A skill with which he can control his minions with even greater power.
Fortunately, the dragon soldiers were annihilated by Oka-sama's attack.
This is a purely one-on-one fight.
Thank you, Oka-sama!
However, even after taking all those things into account, the fire dragon still has the advantage.
I release a Poison Shot while dodging the fire dragon's attack, but it disappears before it makes contact with the dragon's body.
The effect of Imperial Scales must have weakened the composition of the magic before it even came into contact with the dragon's flame-covered body.
And once it did, it was weak enough that the Fire Wrap simply evaporated it.
The fire dragon did not need to take any evasive action. Its defenses were sufficient to nullify the Poison Shot in any way.
This monster has an attack power that means instant death for me plus a defense that will not yield to any weak attack.
And their speed is almost as high as mine.
If he wanted to, the fire dragon could probably use his speed plus his Evasion and Probability Super-Correction skills to avoid my Poison Shot, too.
Okay, this officially sucks. Their attacks don't even seem to be weakened by Wyrm Barrier.
Thanks to my Cursed Evil Eye, the dragon's Hp is slowly decreasing.
But honestly, there's no way I can get that huge number down to 0 with Cursed Evil Eye alone.
I would pass out from exhaustion long before that happened.
I don't expect much in the way of decreased stats, either.
I mean, it's working. A little bit.
But the speed with which his statistics are falling, either.
I mean, it's working. A little bit.
But the rate at which his stats are dropping is much slower than when I use him on other monsters.
It will be a long time before the effects of the reduction in their statistics are really noticeable as well.
I'm sure I'd either end up dead before then.
Paralyzing and Petrifying Evil Eye are my best hope for a radical turnaround.
But then again, it would probably be best not to get my hopes up too high.
That's because the fire dragon's Status Condition Resistance skill has just been raised to level 2.
Hopefully, he already had almost all the Proficiency needed and just got lucky. If not, then that would mean that his stamina would increase faster than it could cause him paralysis and petrification.
I don't think the dragon can avoid the effects entirely, but it's probably too much for the fire dragon to be totally paralyzed and it hasn't even given any indication of being somewhat petrified.
There goes another move I can't count on.
As I'm ruling out more possibilities, my remaining options are becoming really slim.
The most effective method possible at this point is to hit the dragon with enough poison to overcome its resistance.
My Deadly Spider Poison is the most lethal attack method of any of my skills.
Even with Status Condition Resistance, I doubt I could get through it without a scratch.
But one hit probably won't be enough to get it.
I can't just throw a lucky punch and hope for the best.
I need to be absolutely sure that my attacks are going to hit the target.
But Fire Wrap poses a problem.
That fire is so fierce it could burn my poison in an instant.
I have to get through it somehow, or I won't be able to hit it with enough firepower.
My attacks will simply burn.
Even as my thoughts are racing, Karada-chan is still desperately avoiding the fire dragon's attacks.
It is so intense that I give up on attacking altogether and concentrate on dodging.
Even when Miho-chan counters with spells, the combo of Imperial Scales and Fire Wrap immediately repels them.
Even Poison Cloud and any of my water spells that were so useful to me against the fire wyrm are useless here.
The fire dragon leaps into the air.
Seeing that, I quickly adjust my Poison Synthesis parameters.
Almost immediately afterwards, flames burst forth from the mouth of the fire dragon.
An immense puff of attack sets the ground on fire.
It is Infernal Breath, a level 10 skill of the fire dragon.
This destructive long-range attack destroys the nearby land, melting it and turning the area into a new magma ocean.
He used High-Speed Flight to avoid it.
Even if it grazes me lightly, it doesn't hurt me at all.
I reach the roof and flee without looking back.
Naturally, the fire dragon is chasing me, but at least avoid that devastating attack, I don't want to have to force myself to fight in a swimming fight.
A ball of fire rushes at me.
Taking momentum with the ceiling, I launch myself into the air just as the fireball hits the spot where I was standing just moments ago.
Thrown into free space, my body is pulled to the ground by gravity.
As if waiting for this moment, the fire dragon rushes forward with its fangs bared.
He threw a thread toward the ceiling, thin enough that the dragon had difficulty seeing it.
At the same time, I synthesize Deadly Spider Poison imbued with the paralysis effect.
The fire dragon passes directly below me.
It then plummets from the air.
The instant the dragon's mouth closes, my enhanced vision sees it twist its body to avoid ingesting the poison.
My bait-and-switch strategy, which has driven so many Middle Layer monsters to their graves, has been thwarted.
At least it gave me enough time to get back on the ground.
But that was a big mistake.
The place where I land is surrounded by magma, although I can escape through the magma, he would reach me without problems and if I fly, he would come after me again.
I am a perfect target for the fire dragon.
It wasn't just attacking me with Infernal Breath. There was a deeper strategy that involved destroying the ground to change the magma flow.
No matter where I turn, there is nowhere I can go but up, where the fire dragon has recovered and is rushing towards me.
I can see in his eyes that he's not going to let me escape.
I am trapped on all sides.
The fire dragon unleashes another Infernal Breath.
Roaring flames envelop my whole body without the slightest resistance.
Then, just like that, my body burns to nothing, evaporating without leaving even the ashes.
The battle over, the fire dragon looks out over the sea of magma it created.
His monster lackeys are present, but no trace of the spider.
The monsters in your army have Heat Nullification, but the spider definitely does not.
There could be no way he could have survived a direct hit from the fire dragon's strongest breath attack.
That's what you think, you idiot!
A giant drop of poison appears on the fire dragon.
This poison is nothing like the Weak Poison I normally use.
It's my lethal Deadly Poison Spider, mixed with the maximum amount of paralysis.
The deadly poison lands directly on the dragon, with its defenses down after glimpsing an apparent victory.
The huge ball of poison pierces Fire Wrap and stings the dragon's body.
This is when I launch a full power scythe attack!
The perfectly timed strike lands right in the gap where the flames have been momentarily extinguished by the deadly poison.
I put all my strength into this one attack.
It's a double combo of Deadly Poison Attack and Rot Attack!
Rot Attack destroys the dragon's tough scales as the poison sinks deep into its body.
My ultimate physical attack is quite surprising, if I may say so.
The fire dragon lets out a roar of pain and falls into the magma.
I quickly fly to the roof.
I'm sure the fire dragon was convinced that he saw me die.
You must be quite confused at the moment.
But the details of how I survived are simple.
To begin with, that attack wouldn't even have hurt me if it had hit me, and it didn't even hit me.
In fact, never come down from the ceiling in the first place.
This move was possible thanks to Heretic Magic's level 6 spell: Illusion.
It's one of the trump cards I've held on to.
Illusion is basically a spell that creates hallucinations.
I used the dragon's momentary panic as it was about to swallow the poison I synthesized to cast the spell on it.
Without such an opportunity, Heretic Magic could have been easily cleared by Imperial Scales combined with the high resistance of the fire dragon.
To the fire dragon, it must have looked like I fell to the ground, but in reality I was still clinging to the ceiling.
Then, when I let my guard down thinking the battle was over, I ventured in with the surprise attack.
Even a fire dragon is bound to take a lot of damage from my strongest physical attack.
For a moment, I consider using Illusion to escape.
But I can't escape again.
True, I've spent a lot of time in my life as a spider on the run.
But if I continue in this plan, it does not open changed from when I fled from the humans who burned down my house.
Living with pride.
That is the goal I vowed to achieve.
But I haven't really recovered my pride, even after all this time.
I can't go on like this.
I am the Ruler of Pride, after all.
I have to live up to that title by living as proudly as I can.
So, I will not run away.
As long as I have the slightest chance of winning, no matter how tiny that chance is, I will never give up.
I will defeat this dragon.
And in doing so, I will say goodbye to the wimp I was before.
That's right. I'm better than an irritating dragon.
¿...?
"Irritating?"
What, what?
I thought he was afraid and wanted to challenge Araba-chan. Since when do I think of him as "irritating"?
Huh?
Where does this feeling come from?
Well, that doesn't matter right now.
I may have achieved great success, but I am still at a disadvantage here.
I mean, my Hp was reduced by one part after that attack.
It's not so much all things considered, but it's still something to take into account.
Rot Attack is very strong, but it comes at a price.
Even with Rot Super-Resistance.
This attribute is really scary.
Well, I still have Hp and Mp anyway, so I'm not going to die anytime soon.
But one attack from the fire dragon will probably be enough to kill me.
I mean, their damage is absurdly high.
My decisive blow definitely annoyed the fire dragon, but it still has some strength left.
Avoiding the magma, I land on the ground for real this time.
Now is my chance.
I activate my second trump card, the one I have been preparing since the battle began.
My Mp is decreasing at an alarming rate.
In my current situation, every point of Mp lost means one step closer to death.
But activating this magic is worth it.
Don't Miho-chan and Miko-chan agree?
{Of course!}
(Count on it!)
Look, my Parallel Mind skill went up a level, so I have a new friend: The mind in charge of magic number two, Miko-chan!
I now have twice the mental power to summon magic.
Miko-chan has been preparing this spell all this time, and now it is ready to use, thanks to Miho-chan's help.
Now open up, Hell's Gate!
Immediately, the entire area darkens.
Even the glow of the magma is swallowed by the intense darkness emanating from the ground.
It is as if the darkness of hell itself is seeping into this world from below.
It envelops the magma, the ground, the huge fire dragon.
The overflowing darkness swallows everything.
Abyss Magic Lv 1: Hell's Gate.
Extremely dark and powerful magic that heralds the opening of hell.
That's what I triggered in this world.
The darkness envelops everything, converges and is abruptly absorbed into the ground and disappears.
As if it had been sealed.
As if the gates of hell had closed once again.
All that's left is battered and bruised fire dragon and me.
Really?
Did you survive that?
But the fire dragon has very little Hp remaining.
And his Mp and Sp are practically missing.
He must have converted them into Hp with the help of his skills.
That's the only way I could have survived Hell's Gate.
My own Mp is quite low after using Hell's Gate, too.
I am not in a good state.
Basically, he's at an impasse and I'm close.
I must not trust myself, after all, it has always been said that an animal when cornered
The next blow will decide the winner.
The attack chosen by the fire dragon is also the most rudimentary.
The call, Body Blow.
Yes, it is a good choice.
With virtually no Mp or Sp, it is the most effective form of attack for the fire dragon.
And given its enormous size and statistics, it should be the winning move.
If it were against any other opponent, that is.
I am a spider.
What is a spider's best weapon?
Poison? Claws? Fangs?
No, none of the above.
The body of the fire dragon stops.
It has hit my Utility Thread, imbued with Heat Nullification.
Thanks to the resistance and that my thread is quite strong, I manage to stop the fire dragon for a short time.
But that's all I need.
With the fire sheath gone, my thread can stop the fire dragon easily.
In that short time, I strike with my scythe.
One of them was unusable when I used Rot Attack, but I still have another one left.
And that is the scythe that strikes the fire dragon with all my might.
Experience has reached the required level. The individual Zoa Ele called Kuroko has risen from Lv 15 to Lv 16
All basic attributes have increased
Skill proficiency bonus for leveling up has been acquired
Proficiency has reached the required level. The Skill [Spatial Maneuvering Lv 9] has become [Spatial Maneuvering Lv 10].
Conditions met. Skill [Dimensional Maneuvering Lv 1] has been derived from Skill [Spatial Maneuvering Lv 10].
skill points acquired
Experience has reached the required level. The individual Zoa Ele called Kuroko has risen from Lv 16 to Lv 17
All basic attributes have increased
Skill proficiency bonus for leveling up has been acquired
Proficiency has reached the required level. The Skill [Rot Attack Lv 1] has become [Rot Attack Lv 2].
skill points acquired
Experience has reached the required level. The individual Zoa Ele called Kuroko has risen from Lv 17 to Lv 18
All basic attributes have increased
Skill proficiency bonus for leveling up has been acquired
Proficiency has reached the required level. The Skill [Evasion Lv 9] has become [Evasion Lv 10].
Conditions met. Skill [Probability Correction Lv 1] has been derived from Skill [Evasion Lv 10].
skill points acquired
Experience has reached the required level. The individual Zoa Ele called Kuroko has risen from Lv 18 to Lv 19
All basic attributes have increased
Skill proficiency bonus for leveling up has been acquired
Proficiency has reached the required level. The Skill [Hit Lv 9] has become [Hit Lv 10].
Conditions met. Skill [Probability Correction Lv 1] has been derived from Skill [Hit Lv 10].
Skill [Probability Correction Lv 1] has been integrated into [Probability Correction Lv 1].
Proficiency has reached the required level. The Skill [Utility Thread Lv 1] has become [Utility Thread Lv 2].
skill points acquired
Condition satisfied: Acquired title [Dragon Slayer].
Skill acquired: [Ultimate Life Lv 1] [Dragon Power Lv 1] as a result of the title [Dragon Slayer].
Skill [Longevity Lv 1] has been integrated into [Ultimate Life Lv 1].
Skill [Wyrm Power Lv 3] has been integrated into [Dragon Power Lv 1].
System-chan resounds, and the stats disappear from the dragon's Appraisal screen, its name changes to "Fire Dragon Corpse."
Only when I see that do I finally exhale.
My condition has completely recovered with the consecutive level ups, but mentally, I am still exhausted.
Once again, it was another tightrope walk the entire battle.
The fact that he won, and with so little damage taken, seems like a miracle.
I mean, any of the fire dragon's physical attacks could have killed me in one hit.
Every attack that passed near me felt like I was going to die if it hit me, you know?
If you hit me head-on, I would be dead, even with Perseverance.
Also, if Parallel Mind hadn't leveled up just before I ran into the fire dragon, I would have been in serious trouble.
I now have two minds in charge of magic, Miho-chan and Mako-chan.
That's the only reason I was able to use Abyss Magic, which I had never been able to put to work before.
Actually, to be honest, that was the first time I tried it.
I mean, I gathered from its structure that it was some sort of wide-ranging annihilation-type magic, but frankly, I'm still a little baffled by how destructive it was.
Checking the area, I can tell that in a three-hundred-foot radius around me it has sunk about fifteen feet downward.
The area where the darkness converged and was absorbed at the end has become a particularly deep hole.
Looking at the opening with Appraisal, I see that it is so deep that it goes out of my detection range.
Will this go through the Middle Layer to the Lower Layer?
I guess I don't even know if the Lower Layer is below this area.
Well, looking at this hole, I wouldn't be surprised if it really does go straight to hell.
I guess it's not called Hell's Gate for nothing.
I still can't believe the fire dragon was able to survive that, but I guess it was just a pretty strong opponent.
Well, thanks to that, my level went up a lot.
Ahhh, but... only up to level 19, eh?
If only I could have gone up one more level, I could evolve now.
So close.
...oh, shit.
[What's wrong, Akira-chan?]
As our Abyss Magic caused the ground to sink, magma is starting to flow into it.
{What? Really?}
Yes, exactly.
Karada-chan, let's take that fire dragon and get out of here, I'm not in the mood to swim in magma right now.
[Should we take that huge thing with us?!]
Of course, we do, tss.
[Yuck. Don't blame me if we get scalded].
And so, he barely escaped with the huge corpse of the fire dragon in tow.
Magma doesn't move particularly fast, but since transporting a dragon takes a lot of time and effort, it ends up being a difficult situation.
Any more, and we both would have had to swim the dragon out, which would have been even more difficult.
He could have left it by accident.
I know, I know - why don't you just let the fire dragon go, then? But after all the trouble to defeat it, it would just be rude not to eat that thing!
Win, eat, and thank you very much!
It's a global agreement, buddy!
Phew.
Anyway, Karada-chan, you know the routine. Time to peel off the skin, please.
[Woooo. Lucky me.]
I guess it's time for my usual skills check.
All right, let me see here.
It is important to be sure to thoroughly research each skill.
Very, very important.
Why, you ask?
Well, I didn't realize I could imbue Utility Thread with resistors until now!
God, I don't even want to talk about this.
What an idiot I am.
Why would you overlook something so vital?
One of the effects of Utility Thread is to grant resistance. As the name implies, it allows me to add the effects of any of my stamina abilities to my thread.
And that includes my immunity to fire.
It wouldn't make much sense to add things like Poison Resistance in my thread, obviously, but Acid Resistance, for example, would make dealing with frogs much easier.
Normally my yarns have the same resistance as I do, or so I thought, but apparently I had been unconsciously adding it to my yarns.
I didn't even notice the resistance grant until one day I randomly checked my skills.
It caught me by surprise.
When I stopped using it in my yarns, my yarns started to catch fire as soon as they came out of my tail.
I was excited to learn about this effect, of course, but I also couldn't believe how careless I had been for not noticing it in the first place.
Phew, if I had known about it earlier, I could have practiced it more easily.
And that's why I'm taking the time to review my new titles and skills.
Man, dragons are really something else.
I can't believe you can get a title like this just by beating one.
So, what exactly does
Dragon Slayer:
Skill Acquisition: [Ultimate Life Lv 1] [Dragon Power Lv 1]
Condition Acquisition: Defeat a dragon-type monster.
Effect: Increase in damage to wyrm and dragon type opponents.
Description: A title awarded to those who bring down a dragon.
Looks like an advanced version of Wyrm Slayer, then.
The skills are also in the same style.
Ultimate Life: A bonus of skill level×100 is added to the HP. And, a growth correction of skill level×10 is added when level up
Dragon Power: Dragon's power is temporarily gained
Great!
Finally, a skill to compensate for my low Hp!
I guess Perseverance helps with that, but really, the ideal situation is to have a lot of Hp in the first place.
For example, there are times like in this last combat where I need all my Mp for its intended purpose.
Aw, but I think I leveled up before I got that skill, so that's four levels of bonus Hp lost.
If only the title acquisition had come before the leveling up, I could have done even better for myself in the growth department...
Oh well, there's nothing I can do about it now.
Dragon Power is probably the advanced version of Wyrm Power, right?
That would make it a simple temporary status enhancement skill, which means I'll have to check how big a difference it makes.
This is important. Very important.
I never had a chance to experiment with Abyss Magic, so it ended up being a bit of a trial by fire, but overall, I really need to make sure what all my skills do.
Ahhh... Abyss Magic.
Really, I should try what the more advanced Abyss Magic spells do, but... it's no joking matter.
I mean, even the level 1 spell was powerful enough to permanently alter the terrain!
So, what the heck would the levels make even higher?
I have to be careful about wasting Mp, too, so it's not the kind of magic I should be casually throwing around.
No matter how huge it may be, this is still a subway labyrinth. The last thing I need is to cause a collapse due to a missed Abyss Magic shot.
At the moment, given how terribly powerful level 1 was, I'm a little scared to try anything above that.
Unless I encounter an enemy so strong that Hell's Gate alone is not enough, I think I will avoid using Abyss Magic level 2 from now on, until I get out of the Great Elroe Maze.
Anyway, apart from that, some skills evolved or derived new ones when I leveled up.
Evasion and Hit together created Probability Correction.
And Spatial Maneuvering evolved into Dimensional Maneuvering.
I've seen Probability Correction before, on eels and stuff.
Actually, I guess I suspected that this is how the derivation might go, based on the eel's skills and evolutionary line.
Both Evasion and Hit reached their maximum level, so now I only have to improve Probability Correction.
That should improve my evasion and hit ratio as well.
Maybe this skill can even improve my overall luck?
Let's take a moment to pray about it.
I would like to have a more peaceful life from now on, please.
Okay, let's go.
Now, I am curious to know what may be the differences between Spatial Maneuvering and its evolved form, Dimensional Maneuvering.
Let's see...
Dimensional Maneuvering: Possible to move freely in every space
Hmm? I don't know - sounds pretty cool, but I don't quite get it.
Any space?
Like air and stuff?
What, can I do a double jump now or something?
I'm going to have to try this later as well.
Many skills become much more useful when they evolve, after all.
Sometimes even a skill that was useless suddenly ends up being super necessary when it evolves, so maybe Dimensional Maneuvering is like that, too.
If I can do double jumps and stuff now, that would really increase my strategic possibilities.
I think that's it, isn't it?
Okay.
In general, my skills increased quite a bit.
I only wish I had gone up just one more level...
Then it could have made even greater strides.
1234
Longer than usual chapter.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Bye-bye.