So I’m a Spider, So What Vol. 3 — Part 1 of 8

Part 1 of 8

So I’m a Spider, So What?, Vol. 3

Okina Baba

Translation by Jenny McKeon

Cover art by Tsukasa Kiryu

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

KUMO DESUGA, NANIKA? Vol. 3

©Okina Baba, Tsukasa Kiryu 2016

First published in Japan in 2016 by KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo.

English translation rights arranged with KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo, through TUTTLE-MORI AGENCY, INC., Tokyo.

Yen Press, LLC supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact the publisher. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Baba, Okina, author. | Kiryu, Tsukasa, illustrator. | McKeon, Jenny, translator.

Title: So I’m a spider, so what? / Okina Baba ; illustration by Tsukasa Kiryu ; translation by Jenny McKeon.

Other titles: Kumo desuga nanika. English | So I am a spider, so what?

Description: First Yen On edition. | New York, NY : Yen On, 2017–

Identifiers: LCCN 2017034911 | ISBN 9780316412896 (v. 1 : pbk.) | ISBN 9780316442886 (v. 2 : pbk.) | ISBN 9780316442909 (v. 3 : pbk.)

Classification: LCC PZ7.1.O44 So 2017 | DDC [Fic]—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017034911

ISBNs: 978-0-316-44290-9 (paperback)

978-0-316-44294-7 (ebook)

E3-20180712-JV-PC

Contents

Cover

Insert

Title Page

1: I’m Going to Find the Outside!

S1: New Hero

Interlude: The Teacher and the Third Prince

2: Labyrinth’s Zenith, I Call Thee Mother

S2: Omen

3: Spider vs Fire Dragon

S3: Julius

Interlude: The Hero’s Master

4: Dragon Slayer

S4: Fall

5: First Encounter with an Administrator

K: A Man’s Final Stubbornness

6: Middle Stratum Cleared

S5: Escape

Interlude: The Ruler and the Ninja

Special Chapter: The Great Elroe Labyrinth Disaster Investigation Corps

S6: Hiding

7: Encounter with Humans

S7: Battle in the Capital

Interlude: The Elderly Mage and the Ruler

8: The Earth Dragons of the Lower Stratum

S8: Mercy

Interlude: ???

9: Spider vs Spider

Special Chapter: The Nightmare of the Labyrinth

10: I Still Don’t Know the Stupid Nickname of “Nightmare of the Labyrinth” That I Got That Day

S9: To the Home of the Elves

Interlude: The Ruler and the Younger Sister

11: Spider vs Earth Dragon Araba

Interlude: The Demon Lord’s Memories of the Earth Dragon

Final Chapter: I’m Going Outside!

Afterword

Yen Newsletter

I’M GOING TO FIND THE OUTSIDE!

Do we want to eat delicious food?!

Yeaaah!

I’m sick of eating gross monsterrrrs!

Let this proclamation go down in history!

I vow to escape the Great Elroe Labyrinth and eat delicious food in the outside world!

Whoo-hoo!

We’re with you!

Which means that first, we have to escape the Middle Stratum!

There’s a good reason I’ve declared my intent to escape this labyrinth so enthusiastically.

See, the frustration building up inside me has reached a boiling point.

Basically, the food here is god-awful.

A lot of days have passed since I became a spider monster for some unknown reason.

The place I was born is the world’s biggest dungeon, the Great Elroe Labyrinth.

Unable to find a way outside, I’ve been spending all my time living in this labyrinth, but frankly, the food situation in here is unbearable.

I mean, the only things I can eat in this dungeon are other monsters.

Not to mention, they’re all horrendously poisonous.

Now, the place where I’m currently situated, the Middle Stratum, actually has some nonpoisonous, tasty monsters, like catfish and eels.

But it’s precisely because they exist that I’ve hit my limit.

’Cause that fire wyrm I killed, which totally looked like an evolved form of those guys, didn’t taste even half-decent!

After all the work I put in to kill it, too…

Then I had to de-scale it… Well, my body brain had to, at least.

Look, it’s not like it was gross, exactly.

But it was kinda weird. I definitely wouldn’t call it delicious.

It was like a flavorless white fish. It probably would’ve been really good if there were some way to season it.

The moment that thought crossed my mind, though, the appetite I’d been suppressing all this time couldn’t be held back any longer.

Even if the catfish and eel I ate were pretty good, there’s only so much more I can bear.

And it’s obvious they can’t measure up to food that’s actually been prepared to taste good.

I want to eat delicious stuff like that!

If I stay in this stupid labyrinth, all I’ll ever have is more gross monsters.

I’m done with this!

I wanna go outside and eat a proper meal!

With this newfound determination, I’ve been revising my labyrinth escape plan.

Firstly, in order to get out of here, I need to travel from the Middle Stratum to the Upper Stratum.

The Great Elroe Labyrinth is a huge underground structure, so in order of their proximity to the surface, it’s the Upper Stratum, then the Middle Stratum, and finally the Lower Stratum. Also, though I’ve never been there, there’s apparently a Bottom Stratum, too.

I was originally born in the Upper Stratum.

That should be the layer closest to the surface.

Even there, everything was way too big and confusing, so I gave up halfway through on the possibility of escaping.

Then, after a lot of twists and turns, I ended up falling down a huge pit into the Lower Stratum, which was packed with strong monsters.

I somehow managed to get out of there, which is how I wound up in this fiery hellhole known as the Middle Stratum.

I don’t know how expansive the Middle Stratum is, but if I’m not entirely off the mark, I should be steadily approaching the Upper Stratum…hopefully.

If I keep moving forward, I’ll get there eventually.

As long as nothing goes wrong, anyway.

There are strong creatures like fire wyrms roaming around, so I can’t let my guard down.

I mean, if I made one wrong step a little while back, that fire wyrm would’ve actually killed me.

And there’s no guarantee there aren’t even stronger monsters than that lurking around.

Like a straight-up fire dragon.

Dragons…

Just thinking about that word reminds me of the earth dragon Araba I encountered in the Lower Stratum.

That was definitely more terrifying than anything else I’ve seen in this world.

I barely escaped after it almost squashed me like a bug.

At the time, I couldn’t even feel anger or regret.

All I could do was tremble in fear before such overwhelming power.

If I ever run into something that powerful again, I’m gonna run away without a second thought.

My top priority is staying alive. Escaping the labyrinth comes second.

I can’t forget that.

Luckily, it’s gotten a little easier to survive now that my combat ability has increased so much.

As long as I don’t run into anything like that Araba.

But I seriously doubt that many equivalent monsters exist. Plus, the critters in the Middle Stratum are weaker than in the Lower Stratum, so I shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

The fire wyrm I defeated was probably the boss of the Middle Stratum! Right? Gotta be.

Which means that as far as escaping from the labyrinth goes, my chances of reaching the Upper Stratum soon are looking pretty good.

As long as I continue exploring the Middle Stratum, I’m sure I’ll hit the Upper Stratum eventually, and if I can train up some of my new skills like Spatial Magic, I bet stuff like teleporting will be possible sooner or later.

Once that happens, I could theoretically warp right up to the top without having to drag my butt all the way through the Middle Stratum.

But I have no idea how long it’ll take to improve the skill or whether that’s how it even works, so I better keep pushing ahead for now.

So anyway, I think the Middle Stratum will be fine.

The real problem is the step after that.

Escaping from the Upper Stratum to the outside world.

I don’t know how that’s gonna work.

Unlike the Middle Stratum, which has a single main path running through it, the Upper Stratum is more like a complicated maze.

Not to mention, it’s ludicrously massive.

If I could learn Teleport and just pop outside, that’d be great, but I’m guessing there’s a restriction of some sort. Maybe a requirement like you can only jump to places you’ve already physically visited…

That means I’ll have to find an actual exit.

But given the size of the labyrinth, it feels like that could take years…

Great Elroe Labyrinth, you’re breaking my heart here.

But I can worry about all that when I get back to the Upper Stratum.

Plus, even if I do manage to reach the outside world, there’s still another problem.

In fact, that part might be the hardest issue to deal with.

’Cause, like…I’m a spider monster, y’know?

If I roll into a human town searching for some tasty food, I bet you anything they’ll be all like, “A monster’s attacking our homes! Kill it, kill iiiit!”

I mean, if I were a human and a spider monster suddenly appeared on the street, I’d probably react the same way.

Given this predictable outcome, I won’t be able to get tasty cooked food no matter what I do.

Even if I do run into a human, I don’t think I can just go, “Don’t worry, tee-hee! I’m not a bad spider!”

I have two ideas for how to get around this.

One option is to evolve a bunch of times to become an arachne.

I’d still be a monster, but if I at least have a humanoid upper half, maybe I’ll be treated with a little less suspicion than an ordinary monster.

Plus, having that kind of body probably means I’d be able to talk.

However, the evolutionary path to arachne is pretty long, so I’d have to be doggedly persistent.

The second option is to obtain the Telepathy skill.

As the name implies, it’s a skill that allows the user to converse using their thoughts, so even if I can’t physically speak, I’d still be able to communicate my intentions to others.

Getting this skill would be a lot easier than evolving into an arachne.

But I don’t think Telepathy would be any use in combat.

If I ever become involved in a party, it’d be helpful for coordinating with my other party members, but I’m the definition of a loner.

Also, like I mentioned earlier, my top priority is ultimately to survive.

I can’t really justify spending valuable skill points on a skill like Telepathy that isn’t going to be useful in battle.

On top of all that, there’s another very important point that poses a problem whether I go for arachne or Telepathy.

…I don’t know the language of this world.

The Divine Voice (temp.) speaks in Japanese, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the world will be so kind.

I mean, sometimes in stories that have similar settings to my situation, it just so happens everyone speaks Japanese for convenience’s sake, but this is a completely different world, so it’s safer to assume no one understands my language.

If anything, it seems strange that the Divine Voice (temp.) speaks Japanese in the first place.

I get the feeling it’s better not to think too hard about that, so I usually ignore it.

Most of all, even if I do speak whatever language people use, I’m really, really bad at talking to people.

My communication skills are so lacking that I frankly prefer to avoid interacting with others entirely.

I wasn’t ostracized into becoming a loner in my previous life, you know!

I became a loner of my own accord because I prefer being alone!

It’s true, okay? I’m not lying.

So, to sum it up, even if I do make it out of the labyrinth, I’ll still have tons of problems.

Enough worrying about that. Let’s take a look at my current status.

<Zoa Ele LV 15 Nameless

Status: HP: 602/602 (green) +189

SP: 622/622 (yellow)

Average Offensive Ability: 606

Average Magical Ability: 4,001

Average Speed Ability: 2,680

MP: 4,196/4,196 (blue) +437

: 622/622 (red) +971

Average Defensive Ability: 703

Average Resistance Ability: 4,121

Skills:

[HP Auto-Recovery LV 7] [Height of Occultism] [SP Recovery Speed LV 6] [SP Lessened Consumption LV 7]

[Destruction Enhancement LV 3] [Cutting Enhancement LV 3] [Poison Enhancement LV 7] [Magic Warfare LV 2]

[Mental Warfare LV 4] [Energy Conferment LV 2] [Wyrm Power LV 1] [Deadly Poison Attack LV 3]

[Rot Attack LV 1] [Heretic Attack LV 1] [Poison Synthesis LV 8] [Threadsmanship LV 4]

[Utility Thread LV 1] [Thread Control LV 8] [Throw LV 7] [Spatial Maneuvering LV 9]

[Stealth LV 8] [Silence LV 5] [Concentration LV 10] [Thought Acceleration LV 7]

[Foresight LV 7] [Parallel Minds LV 2] [High-Speed Processing LV 3] [Hit LV 9]

[Evasion LV 9] [Intimidation LV 1] [Heretic Magic LV 6] [Shadow Magic LV 7]

[Poison Magic LV 7] [Spatial Magic LV 1] [Abyss Magic LV 10] [Destruction Resistance LV 3]

[Impact Resistance LV 3] [Cutting Resistance LV 3] [Fire Resistance LV 4] [Dark Resistance LV 2]

[Deadly Poison Resistance LV 2] [Paralysis Resistance LV 5] [Petrification Resistance LV 3] [Acid Resistance LV 4]

[Rot Resistance LV 4] [Faint Resistance LV 3] [Fear Resistance LV 7] [Heresy Nullification]

[Pain Nullification] [Pain Mitigation LV 7] [Vision Enhancement LV 10] [Telescopic Sight LV 8]

[Night Vision LV 10] [Vision Expansion LV 3] [Cursed Evil Eye LV 7] [Paralyzing Evil Eye LV 5]

[Auditory Enhancement LV 9] [Olfactory Enhancement LV 7] [Taste Enhancement LV 7] [Tactile Enhancement LV 8]

[Celestial Power] [Longevity LV 1] [Instant Body LV 1] [Endurance LV 1]

[Herculean Strength LV 4] [Sturdy LV 4] [Skanda LV 4] [Demon Lord LV 1]

[Perseverance] [Pride] [Gluttony LV 1] [Wisdom]

[Conviction] [Hades] [Taboo LV 8] [Divinity Expansion LV 4]

[n% I = W]

Skill Points: 0

Titles:

[Foul Feeder] [Kin Eater] [Assassin] [Monster Slayer]

[Poison Technique User] [Thread User] [Merciless] [Monster Slaughterer]

[Ruler of Pride] [Ruler of Perseverance] [Ruler of Wisdom] [Wyrm Slayer]

[Fearbringer] >

Man, I’ve gotten really strong.

My stats are a lot higher now, but I’ve got so many skills that you can barely even tell what’s going on at a glance.

Most of these are pretty useful, so that’s all well and good, but without Parallel Minds, how in the world would I make sure they were all working?

Thinking of it that way, Parallel Minds is nothing short of fantastic.

Even if it can be a teensy bit annoying.

(Hey, I heard that, information brain!)

Oh, hush.

Still, though, it’s crazy how much my magic stats have gone up.

At the very least, it’s the one category where I might have a chance to surpass that earth dragon’s stats I caught a glimpse of once!

That being said, my physical stats are still pretty low. On the whole, I’ve got a long ways to go.

Still, I was able to defeat a wyrm, which is one step away from a dragon, so I think I’m allowed to be a little confident.

I could be on par with a dragon someday.

Maybe I’ll eventually have my revenge on that Araba?

Nope, on second thought, forget that.

Earth dragons are scary. Seriously scary.

NEW HERO

My teacher was quick to inform my father that I had received the Hero title.

Shortly afterward, my father summoned me home, so I left the school to return to the royal castle.

This is my first time coming home in ages.

But my mental state is nowhere near stable enough to spare a thought for that right now.

Trying to calm my swirling thoughts, I meet with my father.

Instead of the audience room, I head toward my father’s office.

It’s a large room with documents scattered everywhere.

Besides the two of us, several others have gathered.

“Schlain. I’m sorry to call you here like this.”

My father speaks gravely when I enter the room.

Even though I’ve actually met him only a handful of times, I can tell that the tone of his voice is heavier than usual.

It’s far more solemn than it was even at the Appraisal ceremony.

“First, please allow me to have you Appraised to confirm you have the Hero title.”

“Of course.”

My father is holding the same Appraisal Stone that was used in the ceremony.

As soon as I agreed, I felt an uncomfortable sensation begin running throughout my body, like I was being licked all over.

This was the same feeling I had when I first met my teacher.

It must be the discomfort of being Appraised.

“…You really do have it.”

My father’s voice grows even heavier.

Then he covers his face with his hands and begins to weep.

“Julius…”

My older brother’s name escapes my father’s lips.

As soon as I hear it, I feel the tears welling in my own eyes.

I try to control myself, to remember where I am, but I can’t stop it. My vision blurs.

I feel a hand on my shoulder.

It’s the third prince, my next-eldest brother, Leston.

He embraces me gently and strokes my hair.

I haven’t seen Leston very often, either.

But he’s a good-hearted person, and the brother I was closest with after Julius.

It’s too much for me to bear: I’ve passed my limit.

I cling to my brother Leston and sob uncontrollably.

For a while, the cries are all that fill the room.

“Father. I know we are all mourning Julius. However, we must think to the future as well. Let’s begin talks, shall we?”

The person who speaks up to dispel the dark atmosphere is the first prince, our eldest brother, Cylis.

To be honest, I’m not super-comfortable with him.

He’s always immersed in his work with a sour look on his face. I’ve never seen him laugh once.

Aside from my older sister, who I’ve never met, since she married into another kingdom, he’s the only sibling I’ve never felt an attachment to.

“Brother Cylis, Father and Shun are clearly in pain. Surely we can give them a little more time to grieve?”

“It’s all right, Leston. What Cylis says is true.”

“But, Father…”

“Restrain yourself, Leston. Father has spoken.”

“Brother Cylis…”

“All right. As a family, the depths of our sorrow know no bounds. But before we are individuals, we are royalty. And as such, we must fulfill our duties to the people. Only once that is done may we grieve.”

My father wipes his tears away with his sleeves.

His eyes are red and swollen from crying, yet they are filled with a powerful light.

Is this what it means to be a king?

Amazing. I wouldn’t be able to even come close to imitating it.

“The fact that Schlain has inherited the title of Hero…must mean Julius is dead.”

Tightening his lips, my father lays out the words that no one had spelled out yet.

Hearing it said aloud, I feel as if I’m being confronted with the reality of Julius’s death all over again.

“It is unthinkable that the next hero after Julius should hail from our kingdom again, never mind being his own brother. Perhaps fate does not smile favorably upon us…”

My father looks far from pleased by the fact that I’ve become the next hero.

It might just be because he’s mourning Julius’s death, but he seems genuinely bewildered that I was chosen.

It’s very rare for the hero to come from a royal family.

The qualifications that determine who’s chosen are unclear, but they have nothing to do with a person’s rank or social status.

It’s said that the title is given to a human with a pure and honest spirit, but no one knows for sure if that’s true.

When Julius was chosen as the hero, there was a lot of dispute over it because of his status as royalty.

A second hero belonging to the exact same royal family might cause unnecessary chaos.

That must be what my father is worried about.

“Schlain, this hasn’t been made public yet, but we received word that the demon army has finally begun its invasion. More likely than not, Julius lost his life fighting against them.”

The demon army.

I have heard lots of talk that the demons were becoming more active, but I guess the time has finally come.

So even Julius couldn’t defeat them…

“No information on the outcome of that battle has arrived yet. We sent a talented Spatial Magic user to investigate, but—”

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

“Thank you.”

I don’t remember the name of this person, but I think it’s one of the generals of our kingdom.

The man slowly walks to the middle of the room and kneels.

“I have come with intelligence regarding…the battle between the human army and the demon army.”

“Perfect timing. What’s the situation?”

“Sir… The battlefield is still in chaos, so I don’t know all the details, but it seems that our side has narrowly managed to drive back the demon army, at the cost of massive casualties.”

“I see. Go on.”

“What we do know now is that several fortresses have fallen. According to our reports, this includes Fort Kusorion.”

“What?! That enormous fortress?!”

“Y-yes, although that has not been confirmed. That area is in chaos, so many baseless rumors are flying about. There is hearsay and speculation afoot claiming that the demon army has summoned a massive monster or that the forts were blown away with the largest spell man has ever seen, but it’s difficult to confirm how much of that is true.”

“I see. But it’s been confirmed that the demon army has withdrawn, correct?”

“Indeed. That I can say without a doubt.”

“Understood. Thank you for your report. Please continue gathering information.”

“Yes, sir! Then, if you’ll excuse me…”

The general leaves the room.

My father closes his eyes and furrows his brow, pondering something deeply.

My brothers and I wait for his next words.

“It seems Julius’s death is not assured.”

“Indeed. There is still a great deal of confusion on the battlefield. What shall we do?”

“For the moment, let us keep Julius’s death and Schlain’s acquisition of the Hero title a secret.”

Not a soul could object to my father’s decision.

I don’t really understand politics myself, so I figured it best not to run my mouth.

“We still don’t know for sure whether the demon army has fully withdrawn. If we were to announce that the hero has died, we could cause needless anxiety among our people. I’m sure word will spread from the battlefield eventually and Julius’s death will become widely known, but until then, let us keep it to ourselves.”

“Father, what of Schlain?”

“Unfortunately, in light of today’s events, Schlain will have to withdraw from school immediately. And, Schlain…please be prepared to announce yourself as the new hero at a moment’s notice.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I know this is all very sudden, but from now on, you are the hero. You must carry on in Julius’s footsteps and take up arms on the front lines of battle as humanity’s greatest hope. Now, you may not be prepared for that just yet. We have little time until word gets out about Julius’s death, but…you will have to steel yourself in that short period.”

Humanity’s greatest hope?

I…I won’t suddenly be ready to shoulder something like that.

“You will need time to sort out your thoughts, I’m sure. Take the remainder of today to rest.”

My father’s voice has become gentle.

I suppose I should take him up on his offer.

“Thank you. Excuse me.”

With a few short words, I leave the room.

My father and Leston look after me with concern. Cylis’s eyes are cold.

I close the door behind me to cut off their gaze.

I feel like I could collapse on the spot, but I manage to keep walking forward.

THE TEACHER AND THE THIRD PRINCE

“So Shun inherited the Hero title.”

“This is terrible.”

“Yeah. And something suspicious seems to be going on around here. I might not be able to handle it on my own.”

“Understood. I will return at once.”

“I’m sorry to bother you while you’re so busy already.”

“A teacher always does her best for her students.”

“I respect that about you.”

“Thank you. Although I don’t remember being such a hot-blooded character, myself.”

“Have you reported to Master Potimas?”

“I have. In the worst-case scenario, we may need to consider having the elves shelter Shun.”

“I see. Yes, that may be for the best.”

“You don’t object?”

“I don’t want to lose another brother after Brother Julius. Of course I want to do whatever will keep him alive, even if it means I can never see him again.”

“Very well. We’ll do our best, then.”

“All right. I’m counting on you.”

LABYRINTH’S ZENITH, I CALL THEE MOTHER

Several days have passed since I made up my mind to reach the outside.

Exploring the Middle Stratum has been going smoothly.

Yep, it’s been all right so far.

Ever since I crossed the sea of magma where I was attacked by the fire wyrm and made it to proper land, things have proceeded uneventfully.

That’s right, uneventfully.

In fact, maybe too uneventfully.

Liiiiiiterally nothing is happening, actually.

What I’m trying to say is that all the monsters around here, like the seahorses that used to attack me at every step, have instead been running away as soon as they lay eyes on me.

Now, that’s surprising.

Aren’t you guys supposed to be an aggressive species?

Shouldn’t you get all fired up when you see a strong opponent worthy of your time?

Fleeing is disgraceful for a species supposedly known for its love of fighting, you see.

I know the reason they’re acting this way, though.

It’s the Fearbringer title I got in the battle with the fire wyrm.

On top of the title applying a “fear” effect to anything within my line of sight, it also comes with a bonus 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 even a monster’s most basic impulses.

And unfortunately, I can’t turn off the effects of the title.

I can switch the skill Intimidation on and off, but even when I deactivate it, the result is the same.

So now all the warlike species of the Middle Stratum have turned into a bunch of cowards.

Because of that, I haven’t had a single monster battle.

Meaning I can’t get any food or experience points.

I’m fine on the EXP side, I guess.

I’d like to keep earning more and raising my level if possible, but since no one in the Middle Stratum would dare oppose me, that’s not as big a deal.

On the other hand, I’m about to find myself in a serious food supply problem.

My only source of nutrition in the 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 land, I could ambush them before they could run into the magma…but apparently, my aura of fear cancels out my Stealth skill or something, ’cause now everyone notices me long before I get near them.

They book it into the magma before I can touch them.

Once they’re in there, I can’t do a damn thing, y’know?

Argh, I wish I had a fishing line that wouldn’t burn up.

Not that I have bait to use as a lure anyway.

Currently, my red stamina gauge that was nice and full after eating the fire wyrm, eels, and so on is now slowly but steadily decreasing.

It won’t be an issue this very instant, but I’ll die of starvation once it runs out. I have to come up with a plan before that happens.

The ideal situation would be to get out of the Middle Stratum and into the Upper Stratum before it reaches a critical point.

There’s no magma in the Upper Stratum, and with my speed, I could easily catch any monster that tries to run away.

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 the whole Middle Stratum is this hot mess.

Well apparently, I spoke too soon.

Ever since I arrived in the Middle Stratum, or maybe around the time I got Pride, I’ve been getting a lot stronger.

That’s how I was able to beat the eels, fire wyrm, etcetera, etcetera.

I might’ve gotten a little too full of myself after I won that battle.

There’s always someone who’s stronger than you.

In my case, it’s someone I already knew existed.

As I was traveling through the Middle Stratum, I found a huge hole.

It was a massive shaft that ran through the Middle Stratum to the other layers, similar to the one I fell through that led to the Lower Stratum.

But the instant I laid eyes on this particular pit, I felt an incredibly strong sense of danger emanating from it.

Since being reborn in this world, I’ve had countless brushes with danger.

However, I’ve felt an extreme sense of crisis and fear on only three occasions.

Two of those were when I sighted the earth dragon Araba, a harbinger of death that I met in the Lower Stratum.

The third time…is slowly coming into view at this very moment.

Eight enormous eyes gleam in the magma’s glow.

Eight legs, so large that they tower like buildings, easily bore holes into the sheer walls.

In terms of shape, it’s not too far from how I looked before I evolved into a Zoa Ele.

But the difference in size and presence can only be described as huge.

For the first time since being reborn in this world, I feel overwhelmed with despair.

Hello, Mother.

Long time, no see.

Looming before me is an enormous spider monster, the one who gave birth to me.

Even if this is the largest labyrinth in the world, I doubt there are many of these creatures hanging around. If there were, I’d already be dead.

This must be the same one I saw shortly after being born.

Unfortunately, I can’t Appraise it because it’s so far away.

If I could, I’m sure its stats would be so horrifying that I’d probably have to laugh.

I am curious, but I definitely don’t want to get any closer.

Despite all the distance between us, my legs are already wobbling.

I don’t need to use Appraise to know in my gut that I should be terrified.

My mother moves slowly down the wall of the pit.

Then another enormous shadow draws near.

This monster is similar to the fire wyrm I defeated earlier, but it’s definitely one size bigger, plus it has wings.

It must be a higher-ranked monster than the fire wyrm.

In which case, maybe it’s a fire dragon?

This possibly-a-fire-dragon flies toward my mother.

A swarm of Middle Stratum monsters follows close behind.

Ohhhh?! What’s going on?! Is this an epic monster battle?! A territorial dispute?!

I gulp, swallowing my spit.

It feels like I’m watching a giant monster movie in the theaters.

But instead of seeing things play out on a screen, it’s happening right before my eyes. This is intense!

My mother and the fire dragon army fiercely stare each other down.

I’m not close enough to Appraise them, so I don’t know their stats, but if this fire dragon is comparable to that Araba, the fight might be evenly matched.

In terms of physique, Mother definitely has the advantage, but the fire dragon has its minions to make up for that.

However, my hopes for a lively monster battle are unexpectedly betrayed in an instant.

Mother matter-of-factly points her fangs toward the fire dragon and its army.

Immediately after, the world trembles.

I’m not using the phrase as a metaphor. The ground is actually shaking.

Even though I’m theoretically far removed from the danger zone, the aftershock is enough to knock me off my feet.

The vibrations run through the ground as if the entire labyrinth itself is screaming.

If I had to describe it with a sound effect, it’d probably be RATTLE-RATTLE! or KABOOM!

I don’t really know what kind of attack it was. It was far beyond the scope of my comprehension.

All I know is, once I get back on my feet, I see a freshly made enormous crater where the fire dragon army once stood.

Between this and Araba, I gotta say, do super-strong monsters have a hobby of making craters or what?

Maybe I’ll understand when I’m old enough to be able to make one myself?

Ha-ha-ha… Okay, enough joking around.

Magma is flowing into the new crater.

Oh, I guess that’s how magma lakes are made?

Huh? Wait. The fire dragon army… There’s not so much as a crumb left behind!

Apparently satisfied with the results of her destructive attack, Mother slowly starts going back down into the pit.

Man, I figured she was crazy strong for an Upper Stratum monster, but this is a whole other level.

I’m sure that species normally makes its home in the Lower Stratum, or even the Bottom Stratum.

If that thing was wandering around the Upper Stratum all the time, it’d be enough to destroy the entire ecosystem there.

Maybe she went to the Upper Stratum to lay eggs or something.

Her offspring consists of taratects that are both “small” and “lesser,” after all.

The fact that such an insanely powerful beast gives birth to such garbage-level small-fry baby spiders could probably be one of the Seven Wonders of the Monster World.

O Great Mother! Why couldst thou not hand that incredible strength down to your children?!

My life in the labyrinth would’ve been so much easier!

Oh, but in that case, I guess the family feuds would get pretty vicious.

Those guys will happily kill and eat their siblings if they’re hungry enough.

If all of them had the same degree of power as Mother… Yeah, that’d probably bring down the whole labyrinth.

All right, maybe it’s better this way after all.

Forget the labyrinth—if a massive swarm of monsters that powerful existed, the whole world could very well collapse.

Aaaand while I was being distracted with these worthless thoughts, Mother vanished into the pit.

Even after she disappears, I stay in the same place for a while.

OMEN

One month has passed since I left school.

In that time, I’ve done nothing but solo training at the castle.

Now that I’m the hero, I need to become stronger.

At least, that was my official reason. Really, it was mostly because I had to do something to keep my thoughts from spiraling out of control.

Exercising makes me feel a tiny bit better.

From what I’ve heard, Julius’s death is being kept a secret from the world at large.

My father probably played a big role in this, but it could also be that the other kingdoms felt it would be dangerous to reveal the hero’s death during a time of such unrest.

It seems word has already made its way around on the battlefield, but in this kingdom, at least, where it’s far away from the front lines, there’s still some time before the rumors spread.

Apparently, the demons haven’t attacked since.

Their army sustained considerable losses in the battle as well, so the assumption is that they won’t be making any moves for a while.

That being said, I can’t let my guard down.

This isn’t someone else’s problem for me anymore.

School is apparently still going on as usual.

I often use Fartalk to communicate with Sue, Katia, and the others about it.

“How are things going over there?”

“Same as ever. Aside from a bit of confusion over why you left school so suddenly.”

“All right. Tell everyone I said hello, okay?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“Hi, Sue. How are you?”

“I’m well.”

“That’s good. How are things going there?”

“Yuri was called back to the Church today.”

“She was?”

“Yes. Most likely, the information about Julius’s death has been relayed to the Church as well.”

“Right, and since she’s supposed to be the next saint…”

“Exactly. What do you think happened to the saint who worked with Julius?”

“From what I’ve heard, his entire party was lost except for Hyrince.”

“…I see.”

“I’ve been told Hyrince will be returning soon. I should be able to talk to him, I think. I have a lot of questions.”

“Of course. Please try to keep a low profile, okay?”

“Hmm? Father did tell me not to talk about being the hero until it’s formally announced, if that’s what you mean. I won’t do anything stupid.”

“I hope not.”

“C’mon, don’t say that. Or are you just worried about me?”

“Of course I am.”

“Oh. Well…thank you.”

“…You’re welcome.”

We had a lot of conversations like that.

Hyrince is a childhood friend of Julius’s, a warrior who’s fought side by side with him.

I’ve met him a few times when he was together with my brother.

Once Hyrince comes back, I’ll definitely be asking him some questions.

How did my older brother die?

To be honest, I have a hard time believing that my brother could have been defeated so easily when he was so strong.

Did he get caught in a cowardly trap? Or did he face an army too numerous even for him to handle?

There’s no way my brother lost in a one-on-one duel.

When Hyrince is back, I’ll finally be able to get some answers.

We’ve gotten a lot more information about the state of things at the battlefield by now, but most of the facts regarding Julius are still unknown.

All I know is that Hyrince is the only member of my older brother’s party who survived.

The only magic user in this kingdom who’s capable of using Teleport is currently flying about gathering information, but in this case, it might be faster to simply wait for Hyrince’s arrival.

What information the mage has brought back from the battlefield has all been crushing.

On the border between human and demon territory, each side has constructed fortresses to prevent the other from invading.

There were eight fortresses on the human side, which fended off demon invasion for a long time.

But in this battle, the demons sent forces to attack all eight forts.

Although the exact number of soldiers is unknown, it’s said that it was the largest army ever gathered.

The Renxandt Empire, which is the kingdom closest to the border, fought back with all its might alongside reinforcements from neighboring kingdoms.

In terms of sheer scale, it would be no exaggeration to say that this is now an all-out war between humans and demons.

And of the eight human fortresses, half of them have fallen.

The hardest loss is Fort Kusorion, our most important point of defense.

Apparently, the battle was going well until an enormous monster appeared out of nowhere, after which the fort was destroyed.

Based on its sudden appearance, many believe the demons summoned it, but apparently, it caused damage to the demon army as well.

The monster that was summoned is known as a legendary-class monster: the incredibly strong spider monster called a queen taratect.

According to reports, it’s a walking calamity that destroyed an entire army spearheaded by a hero.

Since it also attacked its allies on the demon side, it’s generally thought that it was simply summoned to the battlefield without a contract. But either way, the beast is an enormous threat.

This wasn’t the only attack that utilized monsters, either. Fort Okun was apparently brought down by a swarm of creatures.

In this case, it was a species called the anogratch, also known as the “vengeful monkey.”

There are periodic surges in sightings of this monster near the human-demon border. It’s common knowledge that if one of them is killed, the rest of the group will not rest until they’ve annihilated the killer.

Taking advantage of that trait, the demon army somehow released a live anogratch into Fort Okun, where one of the fortress’s soldiers killed it.

This brought a massive horde of anogratches down onto the fortress seeking revenge, charging the defenses until it eventually fell.

If there’s any silver lining, it’s that the anogratches then took up residence in the fort, so the demon army won’t be able to use it, either.

The other two forts were brought down by direct military attacks.

Though the other four forts survived, they didn’t come through unscathed, either.

Three of them just barely escaped complete destruction. None of the enemy commanders was captured, so it’s not like we can really consider these victories.

Only Fort Dazarro—which was under the command of Elder Ronandt, said to be the strongest living human mage—was able to achieve complete victory by bringing down the enemy commander without sustaining heavy losses.

Looking at the situation as a whole, it seems like a stalemate at best.

But given how much our defensive position has deteriorated, you could probably call it a defeat.

The demon army probably took a comparable number of casualties, but with most of our forts damaged or destroyed, they’ve managed to open up a path into human territory proper.

There’s no way of knowing when they’ll reorganize their forces and begin the true invasion.

And when the assault does resume, I’ll be standing on the front lines of the battlefield as the new hero.

To be honest, I’m scared.

I always dreamed of someday fighting at Julius’s side, but I thought that day was still in the distant future.

I never thought I would have to take to the battlefield so quickly, and I certainly never imagined that my brother would die.

…No, I should stop lying to myself.

Even if my brother Julius were still alive, I doubt I would have ever fought by his side.

Fighting frightens me.

I’m reluctant to even kill monsters. If my opponent has a clear will and intelligence, there’s no way I’d be able to do it.

But it’s not because I’m kind and caring like Julius was.

I’m a coward.

And yet, I’m supposed to succeed him as the next hero.

No one knows better than I do that I could never become the incredible hero he was.

Which is why the title of Hero feels like a weight bearing down on me.

On top of that, I’m alone now.

No Sue, who’s been by my side since I was born, or Katia, who I’ve spent time with since our previous lives.

They’re at the academy. I can’t take them with me to the battlefield.

Besides, Sue is a princess, and Katia is the daughter of a duke.

Even if this ends up being a battle to determine the fate of mankind—no, especially if it does—I could never put them in such a dangerous position.

Although, it’s possible Yuri will be with me if she’s appointed as the saint.

And that’s only if she’s chosen from among the other candidates for future sainthood.

The only one who’d be able to come with me without worrying about their position is Fei, who’s contracted to me as a familiar. But even then, I’m not sure if I want to bring her.

Before I was appointed the new hero, Fei and I formally entered a contract as master and familiar.

As a result, I can now call Fei to my side from anywhere in the world with the Summoning skill.

Technically, I can also use that skill to give orders that Fei would be forced to obey, but I have no intention of doing that.

The master-familiar relationship is only a formality; we’re still essentially equals.

The contract is really only so that I can summon her if need be.

Honestly, I wasn’t particularly interested in making the contract at all, but Fei was the one who suggested it.

She said things would be more convenient that way.

But as soon as I became the hero, something strange happened to Fei.

When I saw it tucked away in a remote spot of the castle, I couldn’t hide my shocked gasp.

Enshrined in that corner is something that looks like a huge egg covered in a white shell.

And that “egg” is actually Fei.

I have no idea why she suddenly entered this egg-like state.

But when I became the hero and was summoned to the castle, this was what happened.

When I Appraise it, it simply says “Wyrm Egg.” I don’t even know if Fei is alive in there.

Even so, I’m afraid to break the shell.

The shell is quite hard, so even if I wanted to crack it open, it would take a considerable amount of strength.

But if Fei is in there, I can’t just carelessly attack the shell, or I might hurt her.

A scholar of the castle examined it and told me she’s probably alive inside and I should leave it as is, but that hasn’t eased my anxiety at all.

None of my friends are with me, Fei is in this strange condition, and yet, I’m supposed to somehow prepare myself to be a hero.

I feel like the pressure is going to crush me.

That’s why, for now, I’m concentrating entirely on training.

Exercising my body without thinking, to hold my thoughts at bay.

That’s all that I can do.

I continue to push my body past its limits until my mind goes completely blank.

SPIDER VS FIRE DRAGON

Even after Mother descended into the huge shaft, many minutes passed before I could no longer sense her presence.

I might have even been standing here for more than an hour.

Finally, I start moving again.

First things first. I put as much distance as possible between the hole my mother passed through and me.

If I climb up through that pit, I could probably reach the Upper Stratum, but I have no desire to do that.

I’m scared of Mother. Literally terrified.

Even if my brain can logic out that she won’t find me, my body absolutely refuses.

Slow and steady wins the race. Or stays alive, at least.

Better to plan for the worst-case scenario. I can’t underestimate how low my luck stat really is.

Seriously, how unlucky can I get?

<Fire dragon Rend LV 20

Status: HP: 1,709/3,701 (green) (details)

SP: 3,698/3,698 (yellow) (details)

Average Offensive Ability: 3,281 (details)

Average Magical Ability: 2,645 (details)

Average Speed Ability: 3,175 (details)

MP: 3,122/3,122 (blue) (details)

: 3,665/3,665 (red) +91 (details)

Average Defensive Ability: 3,009 (details)

Average Resistance Ability: 2,601 (details)

Skills:

[Fire Dragon LV 1] [Imperial Scales LV 8] [HP Rapid Recovery LV 3] [MP Auto-Recovery LV 6]

[MP Lessened Consumption LV 6] [Magic Power Perception LV 5] [Magic Power Operation LV 4] [SP Rapid Recovery LV 1]

[SP Minimized Consumption LV 1] [Magic Power Attack LV 4] [Flame Attack LV 9] [Flame Enhancement LV 7]

[Destruction Enhancement LV 6] [Cutting Enhancement LV 2] [Piercing Enhancement LV 2] [Impact Super-Enhancement LV 2]

[Cooperation LV 10] [Command LV 2] [Spatial Maneuvering LV 4] [Hit LV 10]

[Evasion LV 10] [Probability Super-Correction LV 5] [Presence Perception LV 10] [Danger Perception LV 10]

[Heat Perception LV 3] [Flight LV 7] [High-Speed Swimming LV 10] [Fire Magic LV 4]

[Cutting Resistance LV 1] [Piercing Resistance LV 1] [Impact Super-Resistance LV 1] [Heat Nullification]

[Status Condition Resistance LV 1] [Longevity LV 5] [Magic Hoard LV 4] [Instant Body LV 5]

[Endurance LV 5] [Herculean Strength LV 5] [Sturdy LV 5] [Monk LV 4]

[Talisman LV 3] [Rapid Movement LV 5] [Gluttony LV 2] >

Skill Points: 30,050

Titles:

[Monster Slayer] [Monster Slaughterer] [Commander] [Dragon]

[Champion]

This guy suddenly pops out of the magma lake on the other side of the pit.

Yep. It’s the fire dragon that Mother smacked down earlier.

Wait, so you’re alive? That’s crazy.

You got blown all the way over here by Mother’s attack, but you somehow managed to survive?

Unreal! That’s ridiculous!

This is no time to be impressed with the fire dragon’s will to live!

This thing looks really mad that Mother waled on it!

Also, it’s totally locked on to me!

I have nothing to do with her, okay?!

Oh, wait. She is my parent, so technically, I’m not entirely unrelated, huh?

Okay, who cares about that right now?!

Hey, this guy is faster than me!

I’ve been stuck in a few situations now where I haven’t been able to run away for one reason or another, but this is the first time the reason is because I’m outmatched in pure speed.

I can’t escape!

This means I’m gonna have to prepare for the worst.

I kick Parallel Minds up to max synchronization level.

The fire dragon and I face each other down.

To be honest, I don’t know if I stand a chance.

Its stats are definitely higher than mine.

It’s got an attribute advantage over me, too.

Worst of all is that Status Condition Resistance skill.

As the name implies, it increases the dragon’s resistance to my condition-inflicting attacks.

On top of its already high resistance stat, it’s safe to assume that this thing’s defense is insanely high.

I specialize in status conditions, you know.

So that’s another advantage it has over me.

And its skill list is pretty stacked, too.

I’ve fought plenty of monsters with higher stats than me before, but usually, I had the advantage in the skills department.

But while I might still have a higher number of skills, this fire dragon’s skills are as good or even better than mine.

Some are the same as mine, some are higher level, and some are even evolved.

So I lose in terms of stats and skills.

And as a bonus, it’s got the type advantage over me.

Nevertheless, I have to do it.

If I can’t win somehow, this is where I die.

I steel myself.

It’s not like I have no chance of winning at all.

Thanks to Mother’s attack, my opponent’s HP has been reduced.

However, the odds still lean toward my defeat.

I don’t intend to lose, since I’m scared of dying, but I have to accept that it’s a distinct possibility.

So I guess it’s time to put my words into action. I’m gonna shine like a comet until I burn away to nothing.

I don’t intend to die, but if I do, I want to go out in a blaze of glory.

Do you want to kill me, fire dragon?

Then you better be ready to come at me with everything you’ve got.

I’m not so weak that you can take me out without so much as a scratch, you know!

As I steady my resolve, I turn on the Intimidation skill that I’ve been keeping off.

My Evil Eyes are at full throttle.

Part 1 of 8

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