So I’m a Spider, So What Vol 2 — Part 4 of 8

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Part 4 of 8

Flames swirl around the spot where the targets once stood.

If no one does anything, the fire might spread and engulf the entire class.

I pour all my magical power into the staff in my hand and unleash it toward the flames.

The staff absorbs my magic, activates the Water Magic spell enchanted into it, and launches a water ball.

The projectile lands directly in the flames and bursts open with a huge splash.

…Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.

The water ball created by my magic power was massive. Enough to make a column of water when it exploded.

The flames are completely swallowed by the resulting deluge and disappear.

I just gained the Water Magic skill.

Maybe my extremely high aptitude is why I was able to get it with a single spell.

Or was it because the magnitude of that spell was so large? Or a little bit of both, I suppose.

“That’s my elder brother for you! Who else could cancel a level-5 Fire Magic spell with level-1 Water Magic?”

As if to pull me back to reality, Sue praises me in a particularly loud voice.

So that was level-5 Fire Magic?

Wait, Sue, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? You usually don’t speak so loudly.

Sure enough, Hugo glares at me for stealing his thunder.

Before he can do anything, however, Professor Oriza suddenly looms up behind him.

“May I have a word, Hugo?”

“What? Why should I have to talk to you?”

“Just come with me for a moment, please.”

Professor Oriza more or less drags Hugo away, leaving behind only the charred remains of the targets and the group of very confused students.

“Yikes, Natsume’s lame.”

Fei’s murmur echoes in my ear.

At the edge of my vision, I see Katia reining in the noisy students. Thanks as usual, Katia!

This is the day Hugo begins regarding me as his enemy.

THE DUKE’S DAUGHTER AND THE PRINCE’S SISTER

“Katia, why did you quell everyone’s excitement about my brother’s success?”

“Sue, do you really think Shun wants that?”

“Well…no, I suppose not… You’re a crafty one, Katia. What is your relationship with my brother, exactly?”

“What do you mean? We’re friends, of course. What’s wrong with that, I wonder?”

“Liar. You’re not just regular friends, are you? It’s the same with that elf you all call ‘ma’am.’ And the future saint and sword-king, too. What’s going on with all of you?”

“Should I really be the one to answer that for you, do you think?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, do you honestly want to hear it from me, or is there someone else, perhaps?”

“Well, I—”

“You should ask Shun directly about that sort of thing.”

“But—”

“I certainly don’t mind explaining, if you wish. But would it truly satisfy you, hearing it from me?”

“It would.”

“I think not. Or do you really view Shun so lightly that you don’t care what his answer is?”

“It’s not like that at all!”

“Well then, you ought to ask Shun, not me. It’s better that way for the both of you, no?”

“…Maybe so.”

“I believe I do understand your feelings right now, if only a little. And that’s precisely why I think it’s best you confront the source of those feelings.”

“…All right. I’m sorry. And…thank you.”

“You’re quite welcome. Ah, incidentally, we do indeed have a special relationship, but there are no romantic feelings there whatsoever. So please don’t concern yourself with that.”

“R-riiight…”

“What is it? Why the halfhearted reply?”

“Oh, nothing. You don’t seem to realize it yet, so I don’t think I’m the one who should say it.”

“? What on earth…?”

“After all, why should I encourage someone who might end up being my rival?”

“Huh? What did you just say?”

“Nothing at all.”

“I guess all I’m really doing is shoving it off on someone else, but so what? I mean, this is between the two of them as siblings. I don’t want to get dragged into something that’s got nothing to do with me. Yep, it’s not my problem. Not at all… I should probably say something to Shun tomorrow, just in case.”

SPIDER VS FIRE WYRM

That catfish was delicious. What a feast.

My Taste Enhancement skill even rose to level 7.

I guess I was really focused on eating, huh?

But you can’t blame me!

Everything I’ve eaten until now has been disgusting!

Obviously, I want to savor it when I get to eat something good!

In addition, Overeating rose to level 8.

I still have plenty of stock left, but since it probably increases the amount I can conserve, there’s certainly no disadvantage to raising that.

Plus, I’m curious to reach level 10 and find out what the derivative or evolved version of Overeating might be.

It’s a very convenient skill as it is, so my hopes are high.

There’s something else I’m concerned about, though.

That would be the Pride skill.

Pride is one of the seven deadly sins.

And there’s also a deadly sin called Gluttony.

Overeating. Gluttony. They’re rather close in meaning.

I can’t help but be leery.

What if the evolved form of Overeating is Gluttony?

The effects of Pride are almost disturbingly powerful, and if Overeating evolves into Gluttony, it’s possible it would have similar effects as another skill from the “deadly sins” series.

In that case, I’d feel as anxious about it as I do about Pride.

Well, it’s still only level 8. No point in worrying about that yet.

Besides, it’s gonna level up whether I want it to or not, so it’s not like worrying will do me any good anyway.

Well then, guess it’s time to keep exploring and search for more catfish.

Catfiiiish!

I wander around the Middle Stratum on the lookout for catfish.

However, I don’t see a single one.

Hmm. I guess if they’re submerged in the magma, I wouldn’t notice them.

The first time I ran into one, it just so happened to be peeking out of the flow, after all.

If they normally run deep, they’ll be hard to find.

If you ask me, I should have a useful skill for enemy detection by now.

Thinking back, it does seem like I’ve been able to pick things up more accurately than you’d expect with mere intuition.

I mean, I’ve never once been caught off guard by a surprise attack, and whenever I feel like I’m in danger, I’m usually right.

This is just a guess, but I think it’s probably just my natural instincts as a spider.

I’m probably detecting stuff like the flow of air without even realizing it.

In that case, it makes sense that I didn’t notice there was a catfish so close before.

If my senses rely on the flow of air, then of course I can’t detect threats that are underneath magma.

I may not be able to sense surprise attacks coming from underwater or underground, either.

In which case, being near the magma is dangerous.

If something suddenly jumps out and drags me in, that’ll be the end of the story right there.

Plus, it’s risky being near magma in general anyway, so I’ve been trying to avoid it.

From now on, I’ll have to stand far enough away that I’ll be safe even if a monster appears.

You know, like right now.

If I had to sum up the creature that just leaped out of the magma, I’d call it… Hmm, an eel?

Yeah. An eel-like monster with scales and limbs.

<Elroe gunerave LV 2

Status: HP: 1,001/1,001 (green) MP: 511/511 (blue)

SP: 899/899 (yellow) : 971/971 (red) +57

Average Offensive Ability: 893 Average Defensive Ability: 821

Average Magical Ability: 454 Average Resistance Ability: 433

Average Speed Ability: 582

Skills:

[Fire Wyrm LV 4] [Dragon Scales LV 5] [Fire Enhancement LV 1] [Hit LV 10]

[Evasion LV 1] [Probability Correction LV 1] [High-Speed Swimming LV 2] [Heat Nullification]

[Life LV 3] [Instantaneous LV 1] [Persistent LV 3] [Strength LV 1]

[Solidity LV 1] [Overeating LV 5]

Uh-oh. This eel is really strong.

It’s this strong, and it’s only “average”?

Actually, judging by its skills, I wonder if this eel is also part of the catfish’s evolutionary line?

No, now’s not the time to worry about that sort of thing.

The eel is about fifty feet away.

It’s already noticed me and has totally locked on.

I have the higher speed stat, but its other stats totally leave mine in the dust.

Worst of all, its red stamina gauge completely outweighs mine, even considering my Overeating stocks.

Even if I can outrun it, there’s a good chance it’d catch up to me when my stamina runs out.

Hopefully, it loses interest before that happens, but…

My yellow stamina is low anyway, so I can only maintain my top speed for short bursts.

Once my instantaneous stamina runs out, I’ll get short of breath, so I might get caught that way, too.

Can I get away?

Just as the question occurs to me, my vision of the eel splits in two.

Foresight must be activating.

The blurred version of the eel looks like it’s about to spit something out.

Moments later, the real thing does the same, expelling a fireball.

So the basic tactics are the same.

But this blast is even faster and larger than the ones the sea horse and catfish made!

I move out of the way in a hurry.

Thought Acceleration is working, but the missile’s velocity is so high I can barely tell.

It lands right where I’d been standing a moment before with a boom.

Even with the help of Foresight and Thought Acceleration, I was just barely able to avoid it.

What the heck? I thought I’d gotten away more quickly than that.

So it’s this skill’s fault. Maybe it increases the eel’s accuracy rate.

In which case, it could be hard to keep evading even for me.

I may be in serious trouble here.

I dodge another fireball.

The next one flies at me, though, before I can recover.

At this rate, escaping won’t even be an option.

The aftershock of the explosion shaves off a little HP.

If I move at top speed, I can definitely dodge these, but my yellow gauge will drain rapidly.

If I’m constantly sprinting, my yellow stamina bar will deplete before I can blink, leaving me short of breath.

Then I’ll be finished.

Foresight and Thought Acceleration help me predict the path of the flaming missiles and avoid them.

But the eel can anticipate my movements, too, and corrects the trajectory of its shots.

Who will outwit who? It’s like a high-speed, high-stakes game of chess.

The big difference is that while the eel doesn’t lose much if it misses, I’ll die if I make a single misstep.

I’m extremely grateful for my skills leveling up at a time like this.

The velocity of the incoming fireballs seems to slow down just a tad.

That said, my perception of my own movement speed slows down, too, so I have to be careful.

I evade more fireballs.

Then, thanks to Foresight, I see the eel try something different.

It still looks like it’s going to exhale something, but it’s sucking down way more air than before.

Time to let loose that peak speed I’ve been holding back.

I dash past the monster at a clip that blurs the scenery around me.

Behind me, powerful flames burn everything to a crisp.

This is a move that can be used when the Fire Wyrm skill reaches level 4.

I didn’t get hit directly, but my back feels scorched by convection alone.

My HP decreases bit by bit.

At this rate, things’ll only get worse, and if I take a direct hit even once, I’m done for.

But I can’t come up with a single plan.

All I can do right now is keep bobbing and weaving and wait for my chance.

The feeling that my life is being slowly taken from me has me hot under the collar, no pun intended.

Another fireball flies toward me.

Between the eel’s level-10 Hit skill and Probability Correction, its aim is incredibly accurate.

If I didn’t have Evasion, Thought Acceleration, and Foresight on my side, I doubt I could dodge it.

All right! It’s not enough to turn the whole situation around, but I’ll take whatever advantage I can get.

I check the eel’s remaining MP as I avoid the fireball.

It’s definitely gone down, but it still has over half remaining.

Since Flame Breath has such a wide range, it seems to use a lot more MP than Fireball.

That’s great and all, since it means it can’t shoot that one after the other, but I kinda hope it tries to preserve its MP by not using it at all.

There’s no guarantee that Foresight will save me every time, so I’m not sure if I can keep avoiding it.

I’ll have to keep as close an eye as possible on the eel.

Before I finish that thought, Foresight shows me the image of the eel charging another Flame Breath.

I dash off at top speed once again.

But this time, instead of firing it straight forward, the eel swings its head sideways and sweeps the ground with fire!

Flame Breath already has a huge attack range, so now it’s spreading ridiculously far.

Crap! It grazed me a little.

Even though it barely touched me, my HP goes down by 10.

Part of my back and one of my hind legs got hit.

The leg is in a bit of pain, but I can still move it fine, I think.

Still, this might slow me down a little bit. Shoot.

At this point, my stubborn Fire Resistance skill level finally goes up.

Great timing.

With higher Fire Resistance, my HP Auto-Recovery rate should exceed the rate of heat damage.

The amount of recovery will probably be minuscule, but it’s a world of difference from having none at all.

I check the eel’s MP.

Good. It’s less than half now.

The rate of MP consumption seems to be about 10 for Fireball and 50 for Flame Breath.

But even with half its MP gone, I’d guess the eel could still use Flame Breath about four more times if it wants to.

That’s not good.

I move to put some distance between myself and the monster.

Trying to prevent that, the eel launches a fireball as it follows me.

Just as I intended.

I doubt it can charge that Flame Breath while moving.

If I keep juking around and goad it into spitting more fireballs, it’ll eventually run out of MP.

If I can hold out until then, I should get a chance to strike back, hopefully.

For now, I keep evading.

I’m constantly doing my best to get as far away as I can, but avoiding getting hit takes top priority.

I carefully choose my escape routes so I won’t get cornered by the magma.

One wrong step, and I’m toast.

It’s like I’m on a tightrope.

YES!

My skills keep leveling up, probably because I’m so concentrated on this battle.

Fire Resistance and HP Auto-Recovery are the two skills I’ve been hoping to level up, and now it’s happening!

I celebrate for only an instant. But that instant is nearly fatal.

The eel initiates Flame Breath.

This is completely unexpected. Foresight didn’t even warn me.

There’s no way I can dodge this.

The breath erupts from the eel’s mouth.

Immediately, I kick off the ground with all my might, jumping into the air.

The stream of fire scorches my legs.

Fighting back the pain, I use Energy Conferment while extending a thread toward the ceiling.

Energy Conferment consumes red SP to strengthen things.

With this skill, I can spin some thread capable of withstanding the heat of the Middle Stratum for a short period.

Still, it’ll only last a limited time, so I quickly pull on the thread to raise myself to the ceiling.

Then I cut the silk before it burns.

I stare down at the eel from the ceiling.

It glares at me from the magma.

It’s great I escaped to the ceiling and all, but overall, this situation is still untenable.

When I’m sticking to the ceiling, I inevitably move more slowly than when I’m on the ground.

I already had my hands full avoiding the eel’s attacks on terra firma. There’s no way I can keep it up on the ceiling.

I have to get back down ASAP, or I’ll get shot down instead.

However, the eel isn’t in such great shape, either.

Its MP has gone down considerably.

Looks like it could summon three more Flame Breaths or sixteen more Fireballs.

Compared with when we started, that’s pretty low.

But it’s still more than enough to knock me off my perch.

Will I make it back down to the floor, or will it nail me first?

This is no time to be stingy with my skills.

Mental Warfare, activate!

Mental Warfare is a skill that consumes red SP to temporarily increase physical stats.

Red stamina is my lifeline, so I’ve never activated this before. But in this situation, I can’t be reluctant about spending SP.

I set off right away, aiming for the nearest wall.

But apparently, the eel anticipated this.

It launches a fireball as if to hedge me in, seemingly knowing exactly where I wanted to go.

This would be tough to dodge while clinging to the ceiling.

I’ll have to stop worrying about my red stamina bar for now.

I avoid the approaching fireball with the highest speed I can muster.

My best option is to push through Mental Warfare and hope that SP Reduced Consumption and SP Recovery Speed will offset the loss.

I have to get to the wall before my yellow gauge runs out.

It keeps firing, and I keep dodging.

However, this is making it difficult to get close enough to the wall.

While I’m busy with acrobatics, my yellow stamina bar keeps dwindling.

Crap. If I run out, it’ll be even harder to stick to the ceiling.

I have to avoid that outcome at all costs.

But it’s no use. The eel’s flawless aim prevents me from getting anywhere.

Finally, the yellow gauge runs out.

Fatigue immediately assails my body. Before I can think, another fireball homes in on me relentlessly.

Damn! I can tell that I won’t be able to dodge it, so I deliberately release my grip, leaping into empty space.

The fireball explodes in my immediate vicinity, the blast brushing against my body.

I manage to prevent myself from going into a tailspin, drawing on Energy Conferment again.

The reinforced thread shoots out, adhering to the wall, and I instantly scuttle along it.

Another shot passes through the space I’d just evacuated.

Swinging through the air like a pendulum, I narrowly avoid falling in the magma and manage to land on the ground.

Without so much as a beat, another fireball flies at me.

I use the momentum of my landing to roll out of its way.

This is rough. As punishment for continuing to move even after my yellow gauge expired, my breath is ragged and my exhausted body aches.

I force myself to ignore it with the powers of Pain Nullification and Pain Mitigation…

…because I can see the eel is about to unleash another Flame Breath.

Whipping my spent body into action, I take off at maximum velocity.

The edges of my vision fill with red flames. The heat approaching from behind is palpable.

I keep running, trying to shake it off.

Somehow, I’ve avoided the Flame Breath.

I let out the air I was unconsciously holding in my lungs.

My yellow stamina gauge starts to recover.

There’ll be no more fireballs now.

The eel is finally out of MP.

With no more means of attacking from a distance, the eel slithers onto land.

As it turns out, its head is the only eel-like thing about it.

The rest of its body bears an uncanny resemblance to a Chinese dragon.

Even with its MP gone, its eyes are still fixed on me.

This thing has definitely decided I’m its enemy.

At first, it felt like it might’ve just decided to crush me because I was a bit of an eyesore, but somewhere along the way, its fireballs took on a more serious tone.

By the time it started using Flame Breath, it was definitely coming at me for all it was worth.

Seems it didn’t care for having its attacks continuously dodged.

Even if I ran away now, I doubt it’d let me go.

Its MP might be gone, but its SP is still going strong.

My stamina, on the other hand, has been whittled down considerably.

Since I kept moving after my yellow bar ran out, my red stamina bar has gone down too much for comfort, too.

I still have my surplus from Overeating, so it’s not like I’m completely immobile or anything, but if it comes down to a battle of stamina between us, the eel will definitely be the winner.

I can’t run.

That leaves me with one choice. I have to fight and win.

Based solely on the numerical values of our stats, I don’t stand a chance.

But numbers aren’t everything.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my battles here, it’s that skills are the biggest deciding factor, for better or for worse.

I mean, considering the huge difference in our stats, it’s a miracle I’ve survived at all.

And the source of that “miracle” has to be my set of skills.

It’s only because I’ve been exploiting them to their fullest that I’ve been able to compensate for the inherent difference in our strength and even forced the eel onto land.

The gap in our stats is definitely huge, but it’s not enough to decide the battle.

If I play my cards right, I can still traverse the gulf.

Not to mention, I can see all of the eel’s skills, too.

Since it’s out of MP now, the only ones I have to worry about are the combination of Hit, Evasion, and Probability Correction.

That, and the defensive power granted by Dragon Scales, the last level-3 ability granted by Fire Wyrm.

The final threat is the sheer physical size of the eel’s massive body.

That alone is enough to make it a formidable enemy.

But I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. Namely, my strongest means of attack: Deadly Poison.

The target’s defense means precious little in the face of my powerful venom.

It can erode even Dragon Scales, eating away at the flesh beneath.

In the end, my skills are all I can rely on.

That’s the only area where I outperform the eel.

Although, even that’s debatable depending on how well I use them.

Both of us are lacking in the defense department.

This’ll be a sudden-death match, where whoever lands an attack first wins.

Which means my winning move would be…

The ground-based second round begins without a bell.

The eel’s long body coils back and forth.

After our exchanges thus far, it seems quite wary of me.

This eel is pretty smart compared with most other monsters, though not as smart as those monkeys.

Which only makes my job harder.

The eel moves as if in time with the Divine Voice (temp.).

Body unfurling, it lashes at me with its tail.

I dodge it, of course, but the beast’s attack doesn’t end there.

The tail sweeps sideways, zeroing in on me again.

I edge farther back to avoid it.

This time, the eel’s head comes at me instead, swapping places with the tail.

That’s exactly what I was waiting for.

As the world moves around me somewhat slowly thanks to Thought Acceleration, I fix my eyes on the eel’s approaching mouth.

Just as I judge that it’s about to get too close for me to dodge, I activate Poison Synthesis.

Then I immediately evacuate.

It’s the same strategy I used against the catfish. However, it has a huge effect.

The poison goes down the eel’s throat, just as I planned.

Its HP rapidly decreases.

In agony, the eel’s body whips around violently.

I retreat beyond the reach of its writhing.

In the end, if both sides are strong enough to kill the other with a single blow, the winner will be whoever lands an attack first.

Which means the one who comes up with the better strategy to land that blow wins.

That, and my evasive ability surpasses the eel’s accuracy.

Even with level-10 Hit and Probability Correction, it couldn’t outdo my combination of Evasion, Thought Acceleration, and Foresight.

So as soon as the eel was lured ashore, my odds of winning skyrocketed.

Still, it’s not over yet.

Despite all my talk about a single deathblow, that one attack probably won’t be enough to kill it.

Even the catfish didn’t die after one attack, so there’s no way that would work on an even stronger species.

Besides, the eel still has another skill on its side.

Its HP is rapidly recovering right before my eyes.

It’s a level-3 ability from the Fire Wyrm skill.

It consumes SP, and HP is recovered by a corresponding amount.

Although it can’t recover fully because of the amount of SP it has, it’s still enough to resist my Deadly Poison.

On top of that, as I evaluate the eel’s Appraisal results, it gains Poison Resistance level 1 and HP Auto-Recovery level 1.

The poison in its body is still eating away its HP little by little, but the peak of the damage has passed already.

Still, it’s not like I’m just gonna stand here and watch the thing revive itself.

I make the sturdiest thread I can and wrap it around the eel’s body.

It’ll burn up right away, but that doesn’t matter.

All I need is to immobilize it for even a moment.

Luckily, I manage to do exactly that.

In that instant, I target the eel’s face and activate Poison Synthesis in rapid succession.

Globs of poison strike liberally.

The eel tears through the restraints and thrashes wildly.

But the poison has already seeped into its eyes and mouth, draining its HP mercilessly.

The rate of damage is far too high for its new Auto-Recovery skill to counteract.

And it’s far too powerful for its new Poison Resistance skill to combat, either.

A shield whipped up on a moment’s notice can hardly withstand weaponry I’ve been perfecting my entire life as a spider.

Without enough SP left to spend on recovery, the attack proves too much for the eel.

<There are multiple options for evolution. Please choose from the following.

• Poison taratect

• Zoa Ele

Ooh, evolution.

Wait, evolution?! Already?! Isn’t this a little soon?! Last time with the monkeys seemed really fast, too!

Well, I can worry about that later.

For the moment, I want to savor my victory.

I wooon!

Whoo-hoooo! I won, I won! That eel was super-strong, and I beat it!

Amazing, right?! Am I hella strong or what?!

Heh. Heh-heh.

I fought head-on, barely even used my thread, but I still won.

That means I’m not weak anymore, right? I’m sooo strong!

Yahoooo!

That eel was a formidable enemy. It was no joke. A real fight to the death.

But in the end, victory is mine!

I’m number one! Heh-heh-heh-heh.

I did it! The winner is me! Ha-ha-ha!

FEI’S TRAINING DIARY

We have to raise Fei’s level soon. Because she’s a fledgling earth dragon.

Since she’s a kind of monster, if she doesn’t evolve by leveling up, she’ll die before reaching adulthood.

In order to grow, she has to defeat monsters and level up.

She’s reached the point where her life is in jeopardy if she doesn’t evolve soon.

Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to leave the academy.

So instead, I talked to my maid, Anna, and asked her to help raise Fei’s level.

“Very well. We shall return.”

Anna leaves the school grounds with Fei in her arms.

There are several men accompanying her who seem to be soldiers, but since Anna is a half elf, she’s not as young as she looks.

She’s among the most talented magic users in the entire kingdom.

I’m sure she’ll be able to help Fei grow and come back safely.

By the way, Anna doesn’t know Fei is a reincarnation.

As far as I know, she just thinks of her as a somewhat clever baby earth dragon.

The only people who know the truth are me and the other reincarnations.

I haven’t even told Sue about it.

I always thought she was pretty close to Hugo in the past, but when I asked her, she just said, “Natsume? Did anybody actually like him?”

So I guess I was wrong about their relationship.

Hugo burst out laughing when he saw what Fei looked like, too, so they might’ve actually been pretty incompatible from the start.

Within a few days, Fei evolved without a problem and returned.

Leveling up means fighting monsters.

Considering this, I had been a little worried since it seems dangerous, but apparently, my concern was unfounded.

Which is good and all, but the real problem is how Fei looked when she got back.

“You got a lot bigger, huh?”

“It’s called a growth spurt, duh.”

Fei’s body has gotten quite a bit larger.

Initially, she’d been about the size of a chameleon, able to ride on my head or shoulder without a problem, but now her body is about three feet long.

If you include the length of her tail, she might even be almost as long as I am tall.

She went from being the size of my hand to the size of a large dog.

“This is still small for a dragon, you know. Once I evolve again, I’ll get even larger.”

“You probably won’t be able to go indoors anymore when that happens, then.”

She’s able to live in my dorm room with me for now, but if she gets any bigger, she may not fit.

“That is a bit of an issue…”

She might’ve been reincarnated as a monster, but she was still originally a high school girl from Japan.

It’s no surprise that she wouldn’t want to sleep outside like other monsters.

“Well, now that I’ve evolved once, my life expectancy should be significantly longer. No need to worry just yet.”

If she says so, I guess that’s fine.

Hopefully, she’s not just saying it to avoid getting kicked out of my room.

I also got her permission to Appraise her and see how her stats have grown after evolving.

Turns out she’s stronger than me now.

“Well, monsters’ stats grow a lot more rapidly than humans’ do.”

I mean, sure, but still—isn’t this an awfully drastic departure from her stats prior to evolving?

“What’s the big deal? Your stats are pretty broken for a human as it is. I risked my life for this, you know! I don’t see why I shouldn’t be allowed to get a little stronger as a reward. Not that it feels like much of a prize for me anyway.”

“Oh, right. Girls don’t care about being strong anyway, huh?”

“This one certainly doesn’t. I don’t have much of a choice but to get stronger, but don’t think for a second that I enjoy fighting for my life. Besides, you saw my skills, didn’t you? Overeating…”

I know all about it. Overeating is a skill that saves extra SP based on how much you eat.

If a human being gets the Overeating skill, they’ll still gain weight for the extra food they consume, but for whatever reason, this doesn’t apply to monsters.

“Since I have that stupid skill, that Anna keeps feeding me monster meat. She has some ridiculous idea that eating the flesh of strong monsters will make your stats go up more easily. Isn’t that just awful?”

Yikes. I’ll pass on that, thanks.

Monster meat… I guess it depends on what kind, but on the whole, I wouldn’t want to eat it at all.

“I’ll definitely make that maid pay for this someday! She shoved that monster meat down my throat even though I clearly didn’t want it! Disgusting!”

I, uh…my condolences.

Still, when I think about it, monsters have awfully high stats.

Mine were higher than hers before she evolved, but Fei’s have definitely surpassed mine now.

She’s averaging around 700 in each stat at the moment.

As far as I know, only a handful of supremely accomplished humans have obtained that.

And Fei is still a lesser dragon, too.

If she keeps evolving like this, those numbers may even exceed 1,000.

In terms of stats alone, she could even catch up to my brother Julius, the hero.

On top of that, even though her skills are still developing, they’re already quite strong.

The main reason humans are able to fight monsters whose stats outrank theirs is that our skills give us an advantage.

Monsters don’t generally train their skills, after all.

An ordinary monster usually only has a small amount of skills to boot, but that doesn’t apply to Fei.

It’s like she has the advantages of both a monster and a human.

If all the monsters in the world were like Fei, humans and demons would probably be extinct by now.

I mean, she was born much later than I was, and she’s already this strong.

Not to mention, this is all the result of training hard for just a few days.

If she had been born earlier than me and spent more time leveling up…

For example, if she had hatched in the Great Elroe Labyrinth where she was originally found and had been fighting to survive in there all this time, I doubt anybody could have defeated her.

That, or if there was another monster with the intelligence of a human in similar circumstances…

Well, I guess there’s no use worrying about a hypothetical like that. I doubt there are any other exceptional cases like Fei.

THE DUKE’S DAUGHTER AND THE EARTH WYRM

“Boy, you got big.”

“You’re telling me! If I get any bigger, I’ll end up having to live outside.”

“So does that mean you’d rather not evolve any more?”

“You’ve got that right. Why, is that a problem?”

“I wouldn’t say that, but…you live in Shun’s room right now, don’t you? I know you’re a dragon now and all, but are you really okay sleeping in the same room as a boy?”

“Do you really think that matters to me now that I’m in this form? Frankly, I’m a different species now, so that sort of feeling wouldn’t even occur to me. You don’t have some kind of weird thing for reptiles, do you?”

“’Course not!”

“If you do, keep it to yourself. But it’s the same way for me. I’m not really interested in human men anymore.”

“Oh really?”

“Certainly. I can recognize good looks and all, since I used to be human myself, but a normal earth dragon wouldn’t even be able to distinguish between human faces, you know?”

“Ah, I guess I get that. I can’t tell the difference between animals’ faces and stuff, either.”

“Well, I’ve never met any other earth dragons, so I don’t know what would make one attractive or not, but my point still stands.”

“Yeah, I can’t really picture that myself.”

“Although I’ll admit, I got excited for a minute after I was born when I saw that princely Shun.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, he totally looks like a handsome prince in this world. And I still felt a bit like a human being back then.”

“Hey now…”

“What’re you getting worked up about? Well anyway, once I found out who was inside, I changed my mind about that in a hurry.”

“Oh, did you?”

“I mean, it’s Yamada, you know? He never really had much going for him.”

“Hey. Isn’t that a little harsh?”

“Oh, don’t be angry. I respect him now, in a way. I mean, he managed to stay thoroughly average even after being reborn in a new world. That’s got to take some real dedication.”

“Wow, I can’t tell if you’re complimenting or insulting him.”

“It’s a compliment, more or less. Man, aren’t you overprotective, though! Sensitive much?”

“I am not.”

Well, he doesn’t like me living with Shun, got all worked up when I mentioned possibly having feelings for him, and was totally relieved when I said I don’t. It’s obvious what’s going on here, isn’t it? But it’ll be more fun if I don’t say anything about that.

ZOA ELE

Huff… Wheeze…

I’m so excited, I can barely breathe. Guess I got a little carried away celebrating my victory over that tough opponent.

Whew. All right, that’s enough of that. What should I do now?

First of all, I leveled up a whole bunch at once.

Thanks, eel. I guess you aren’t considered a dragon species for nothing.

By stats alone, it was way out of my league. Combine that with the effects of Pride, and it’s no wonder I maxed out my level in one go.

My skills grew quite a bit in this battle, too. What a windfall of experience points.

Although honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was gonna win for a minute there.

If I’d made a single mistake or misstep, I’d probably be cinders by now.

That’s how strong that eel was.

Really, strictly judging by our stats, no one would think I had a chance in hell of winning.

Between that and those monkeys, I think I might get in over my head in battle a little too often…

Anyway, I think the skills I’m happiest about leveling up are HP Auto-Recovery and Fire Resistance.

So far, my recovery rate has been just enough to cancel out the damage from this scorching-hot terrain, but now it should exceed it enough to heal me at least a little.

I can’t check right now, though, since my HP fully recovered when I leveled up.

Hopefully, though, I’ll be able to recover with time if I take a bit of damage from now on.

It was pretty rough avoiding even the tiniest injury this whole time, but now I should be able to relax a little.

Although, I’ll still probably bite the dust if I take a direct hit from a single attack.

Also, I’m level 10.

That means I can evolve again.

But should I? Is it really safe to evolve in a place like this?

I mean, evolving comes with a bit of risk in itself.

For one thing, when I evolve, I totally pass out.

That leaves me completely unprotected for a while, so if another monster attacks me or something, I’ll be screwed.

Last time—and the time before that—I spun myself a web to give myself a safe place to evolve, but that’s not an option this time.

I can’t use my silk here, after all.

If I try to construct a web in this magma-drenched hellscape, it’ll burn up before I can even finish it.

Evolve in the middle of a fire? No thank you.

That’s not all, either.

Since evolution requires a lot of energy, my MP and SP will be totally drained.

MP’s not that big of a deal, but if I run out of SP, I might be too hungry to even move.

Worst-case scenario, I could starve to death.

So far, I’ve always had a big stockpile of food to pig out on after I evolved, but my current situation is a bit different.

Well, there is the eel, but I don’t think even this monstrosity would be enough to fully recover my SP.

I don’t have to worry about starving, but I think I’d have to actively hunt for prey for a while.

Oh, but what happens to my stock from Overeating?

I didn’t have any Overeating stores the first two times I evolved…

I did use some in the battle with the eel, but there’s still a good amount left over.

If I can use that stock to fuel my evolution, maybe I won’t be running on empty afterward.

Hmm. But I probably shouldn’t act based on wishful thinking, huh?

On a purely emotional level, I definitely want to evolve—but from a safety perspective, maybe it’s better not to just yet?

But I’m worried that if I don’t, I won’t level up anymore.

Are small creatures limited to level 10?

If that’s the case, all the experience I gain in this form will go to waste, and I’m pretty sure I still have a ways to go in the Middle Stratum.

Yeah, I really don’t like that.

In which case, maybe I should just evolve after all? Hmm.

At any rate, it looks like I have multiple options for evolution again, so maybe I’ll investigate first.

All right, Appraisal, I’m counting on you.

Hmm? Poison taratect is no surprise, but what’s this Zoa Ele thing?

It’s not even a taratect?

Ooh, Appraisal!

You added evolution requirements, too! For me?

That’s my Appraisal for you! Never misses a beat!

Hmm. So I can evolve into this because my stats exceed the requirements.

Which means they were lower than the requirements until now, probably.

And wait, titles are involved in evolution?

I wonder if I was able to evolve into a small poison taratect because I had the Poison Technique User title?

That definitely seems like a possibility.

So that’s my other option: poison taratect.

But if I’m going to evolve, I’d probably have to go with door number one.

Zoa Ele. The conditions for evolving into that are pretty tough, and as my precious Appraisal informed me, it has high combat capabilities to boot.

The fact that it’s apparently “small” is a big plus, too.

Although I guess I am a little nervous about it, since judging by the name and description, it seems to be a different line from the taratect species.

If I keep evolving as a taratect, I’ll definitely get stronger.

I know this because I witnessed that evolved form with my own however-many eyes.

The gigantic spider presumed to be my mother, the one I saw in the Lower Stratum: the greater taratect.

It’s hard to imagine judging from how weak I’ve been so far, but I know for sure that if I keep evolving, I’ll reach that level eventually.

I know that, but at the same time, it also means I’ll get bigger.

I know bigger is better and all, but in the end, I think all cutting-edge technology aims for miniaturization.

Small size, but high performance. That’s what I desire!

And more importantly, if I get too big, I won’t even be able to move anymore.

I mean, how far can my mother really get around at that size?

I’d rather not suddenly lose the ability to maneuver in passages that never posed an issue before.

Besides, can you imagine being that big here in the Middle Stratum?

It’d be way too easy to miss a step on a narrow passage and stick your foot right into the magma!

It’s not like stepping in a puddle, you know! I’d die!

I don’t know how big I’d get as an adult, but in my case, there are some major downsides to getting too big.

Not only in terms of ability to move, but also with regard to battle.

I mean, dodging is my specialty, here. Being bigger just means being a bigger target.

For someone who relies on evasion, being small is a good thing.

Besides, if I get bigger, I’ll get heavier, too.

Being heavy would only slow me down.

You’re telling me, a speed demon, that I have to slow down? Yeah, right.

All of this adds up to me not wanting to evolve along the taratect line anymore.

So if I have a choice now that looks like a different path, of course I wanna take it.

It’s not that I’m without reservations, of course.

The evolved forms of the taratect line are definitely strong, but I can’t say that for sure about the Zoa Ele.

In the worst-case scenario, Zoa Ele might even be the end of that evolutionary line.

If that’s the case, I’d have been better off sticking with the taratect species.

But if that happens, well, so be it, I suppose.

I can still increase my stats by leveling up and train my other skills and stuff, too.

Even the weakest monsters can be strong if they’re raised with care. Take me, for example.

I mean, really, compared with where I started, I’ve gotten pretty damn strong.

When I remember what it was like to be so weak that anything could kill me with a little shove, most other problems seem a lot more manageable.

So I guess I’ll evolve into a Zoa Ele.

The problem here is how to do so safely, but I think I have an idea.

I can’t quite say for sure it’s totally safe, but it’s better than nothing.

So… C’mere, Mr. Dead Eel!

It’s time for today’s three-minute recipe.

What I have here is the corpse of an eel. Only the highest quality.

First, we’re going to stretch this out.

Next, we’ll coil it around, starting from the tail.

Be sure to make a nice, even coil all the way around.

Now, we’re gonna want to leave some space in the center here.

Once you have a basic circle, pile the eel on top of itself and make another coil.

Instead of from the outside in, we’ll work from the inside of the coil out.

Repeat this process a few more times, then place the head over the middle.

Voilà! Our eel shelter is done.

Wow, this is looking great!

All right. Since the eel has Dragon Scales, it should be pretty sturdy.

It may not be as nice as a web, but I think it’ll do pretty nicely as defense goes.

I should be safe if I evolve in here, I think.

All right, let’s give it a shot.

Yep. And with that, my consciousness slips away.

Good morning.

Although I don’t know if it’s actually morning.

Well, looks like I managed to wake safely again. That’s good, at least.

I think this round of evolution was a record high for riskiness.

I’m glad I didn’t wake up in heaven or anything like that.

Huh? What do you mean, hell?

As if an honest, upstanding citizen like me would ever go to hell! Ha-ha-ha.

Anyway, time for my usual self-Appraisal… Er, after I ensure my own safety, that is.

The eel shelter seems to be intact, but it’s possible that I’ve been surrounded by monsters outside or something.

All right, let’s take a liiiittle peek outside.

Sweet. Looks like we’re all clear. Nice, nice.

All right, let’s just snack on this eel while I… Aw, man, wait.

Just like the time with the snake, I can’t eat the eel until I pull its scales off.

Damn. Oh well.

I’m not so hungry that I can’t move or anything. Maybe Overeating had my back like I hoped?

All right, guess I’ll do some de-scaling while I check my status.

<Zoa Ele LV 1 Nameless

Status: HP: 195/195 (green) 100UP MP: 1/291 (blue) 100UP

SP: 195/195 (yellow) 100UP) : 195/195 (red) +43 100UP

Average Offensive Ability: 251 118UP Average Defensive Ability: 251 118UP

Average Magical Ability: 245 100UP Average Resistance Ability: 280 101UP

Average Speed Ability: 1,272 100UP

Skills:

[HP Auto-Recovery LV 6] [MP Recovery Speed LV 4 1UP] [MP Lessened Consumption LV 3] [SP Recovery Speed LV 3]

[SP Lessened Consumption LV 3] [Destruction Enhancement LV 2 1UP] [Cutting Enhancement LV 2 1UP] [Poison Enhancement LV 4 1UP]

[Mental Warfare LV 2 1UP] [Energy Conferment LV 2] [Deadly Poison Attack LV 3] [Rot Attack LV 1 NEW]

[Poison Synthesis LV 8 1UP] [Threadsmanship LV 3] [Utility Thread LV 1 NEW] [Thread Control LV 8]

[Throw LV 7] [Spatial Maneuvering LV 5] [Stealth LV 7 1UP] [Silence LV 1 NEW]

[Concentration LV 10] [Thought Acceleration LV 3] [Foresight LV 3] [Parallel Thinking LV 5]

[Arithmetic Processing LV 7] [Hit LV 8] [Evasion LV 7] [Appraisal LV 9]

[Detection LV 6] [Heretic Magic LV 3] [Shadow Magic LV 3 1UP] [Poison Magic LV 3 1UP]

[Abyss Magic LV 10] [Destruction Resistance LV 2 1UP] [Impact Resistance LV 2] [Cutting Resistance LV 3]

[Fire Resistance LV 2] [Dark Resistance LV 2 1UP] [Deadly Poison Resistance LV 2] [Paralysis Resistance LV 4 1UP]

[Petrification Resistance LV 3] [Acid Resistance LV 4] [Rot Resistance LV 3] [Faint Resistance LV 3 1UP]

[Fear Resistance LV 7] [Heresy Resistance LV 3] [Pain Nullification] [Pain Mitigation LV 7]

[Vision Enhancement LV 9] [Night Vision LV 10] [Vision Expansion LV 2] [Poison Resistance LV 8]

[Olfactory Enhancement LV 7] [Taste Enhancement LV 7] [Tactile Enhancement LV 7 1UP] [Life LV 9]

[Magic Mass LV 8] [Instantaneous LV 9] [Persistent LV 9] [Herculean Strength LV 4 1UP]

[Sturdy LV 4 1UP] [Protection LV 4 1UP] [Skanda LV 3] [Pride]

[Overeating LV 8] [Hades] [Taboo LV 5 1UP] [n% I = W]

Skill Points: 500

Titles:

Part 4 of 8

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