Part 4 of 8
Basgath glares at me.
I don’t know how to respond.
“If yeh want to die, that’s yer choice, boy. But not if yeh get others involved, too. Die alone if that’s what yeh want.”
“Basgath, that’s going too far.”
Ms. Oka scolds him, but I think he’s right.
I made a selfish choice while dealing with the dangerous Nightmare’s Vestiges simply because I was too curious.
Basgath pushes Hyrince away.
Perhaps judging that he won’t strike me anymore, Hyrince releases him.
Immediately, Basgath staggers over to a rock some ways away, leans against it, and slides to the ground.
Looking closer, I realize that his face is pale.
Basgath did say that he encountered the Nightmare a long time ago.
Maybe that encounter traumatized him.
Looking around at the others, I see that Katia and Anna have dropped to their knees, and Hyrince looks a little pale.
Even Fei’s expression is stiff.
Our teacher is the only one who appears calm.
“Are you all right?”
I address Katia and Anna first.
“I can’t seem to stand at the moment.”
“I’m so ashamed…”
They both look almost on the verge of tears.
Judging by the goose bumps on their skin, they are a little grossed out as well as terrified.
Even if they were comparatively small for monsters, we were still essentially surrounded by giant spiders.
It makes sense that the girls would be distressed. I’m disturbed as well.
“If they’d attacked us, do you think you could’ve handled it, Fei?”
“I…don’t think so.”
Fei responds to my question uncertainly.
“One of them probably would’ve been fine, but with such a huge number of them, I’m not so sure.”
“I figured.”
If there was only one, even I might have been able to handle it.
I didn’t Appraise them, of course, so I don’t know their exact stats, but they certainly seemed at least as strong as that earth dragon, if not stronger.
Since Fei was able to hold her own against the earth dragon, maybe she could’ve fought off a Nightmare’s Vestige, too.
But that’s assuming there was only one of them.
Against a group so large that I couldn’t even count them all, winning would probably be impossible.
Which is why carelessly speaking to the Nightmare’s Vestige in that situation was a reckless act that put everyone’s lives in danger.
I have no right to complain about Basgath hitting me.
As our guide, he’s in charge of keeping all of us safe. There’s no way he could let my selfish decision slide.
“You certainly seem calm, don’t you?”
The color starting to return to her face, Katia raises her eyebrows at Ms. Oka.
“Hmm? I wouldn’t say that. Sure, they were cute on the outside, but I didn’t like their tone one bit.”
“Cute…?”
Wow. So she actually did think that.
Ms. Oka always had unusual tastes, even in our old lives.
At the time, I thought it was just for show, but apparently she really does like spiders and stuff.
Surprising.
“By the way, what do you think of what they were saying?”
The Nightmare’s Vestiges spoke in nothing but repetitive riddles.
“I don’t know. We don’t have enough information.”
First of all, what exactly are those monsters we call the “Nightmare’s Vestiges”?
They seemed to know a thing or two about us, meaning they must have a high-level Appraisal skill.
More importantly, they were intelligent enough to understand human language.
Not to mention stealthy enough to gather in such a large number without our noticing.
They also worked together seamlessly, even going as far as using Telepathy.
How could mere fragments be this powerful?
It doesn’t make sense to consider them ordinary monsters.
What in the world are they?
What is their connection to the monster known as the “Nightmare” that was around when they first appeared?
“The beginning of the end. Everyone will die…”
Those ominous, nightmarish words.
They stay in my mind, repeating over and over.
EVOLUTION
Once the arch taratect has been dealt with, I check to make sure my surroundings are safe before I breathe a sigh of relief.
I survived!
Boy, that was rough.
I thought being chased down by Mother was bad enough, but then I got ambushed as soon as I escaped?
Just how badly does she want to kill me?
I mean, she’s seriously out for blood.
If this were a game, it’d get scathing reviews for being too hard.
It’s like if the final boss spawned just as you were entering the first real area, and when you ran away, you got attacked by a bunch of mini-bosses at once.
Unreal.
At this point, my sheer exhaustion outweighs my excitement about surviving.
Both physically and mentally speaking.
I’ve definitely resigned myself to death quite a few times by now, but this was the closest call yet.
I even used Annihilating Evil Eye, which I’d considered off-limits because of its self-destructive nature, on a gamble where my odds of surviving were far lower.
I’ve had my share of situations where a single hit would kill me, but nothing like what just happened, where death closed in on me from all sides.
I think the closest I’ve come before that was when I fell to the Lower Stratum and got stung by that bee, or when I fought Araba.
Being one hit away from a death that could come at any moment is scary, but being slowly backed into a corner with no way out? Waaay worse.
Seriously, no more of that, please.
Well, that crisis is over, at least for now.
My current location is a magma lake about halfway through the Middle Stratum.
Given their weakness to fire, those other spiders won’t chase me this far. I hope.
I mean, even the arch’s HP decreased just by being here, which means any taratects weaker than that would probably die in a flash.
The biggest problem is that weird new puppet spider.
That thing might actually be able to function in the Middle Stratum.
Man, what was up with that freak?
Since it’s nowhere on my evolution chart from Professor Wisdom, it must be some special evolution that’s not part of the normal taratect line.
Maybe it’s a mutation or something? Either way, that’s one ace I wish they’d kept in the hole.
It might not be quite as horrifying as Mother, but since its stats are above 10,000, I definitely don’t see myself winning that fight.
It was bad enough that it prevented me from fleeing and all, but if it had been that thing actively attacking me instead of the archs, I would’ve been in big trouble.
If the archs had blocked the passage instead, while the puppet spider finished me off…
Oh yeah, I’d be dead.
That’s the only miscalculation Mother made.
And it was that tiny error that saved my ass.
That was still the worst predicament I’ve been in yet, though.
So what should I do now?
First of all, I’d like to know what Mother is up to.
I tried checking in with my Parallel Minds that are totally rocking their spirit battle with Mother, but it seemed like there was some blockage partway through.
Our connection hasn’t been cut, but something is interfering with our communication.
My connection with Mother is fading, too.
My guess is that Mother was able to track my actions perfectly because she was using her Kin Control skill to spy on me.
It was when I first noticed that skill’s influence that I decided to use it to launch a counterattack on Mother. It makes sense that it would still be connecting us.
I had let my guard down about it because she couldn’t control me, but she must have been able to use it to watch me.
And if that connection is weakening now, does that mean Mother can’t see me anymore, either?
If that’s the case, then she might attack again if the connection recovers.
She’d figure out where I am.
But to put it another way, that means she probably doesn’t know where I am right now. Maybe I can relax a little.
This is all just an educated guess, though, so I’d better not put too much faith in it.
Still, maybe this means I shouldn’t use Clairvoyance to check on Mother.
I’m afraid it’d attract her attention.
For now, if I just stay put, it should buy me a few days at least.
If my Parallel Minds can defeat Mother in that time, then it’ll all be over.
Even if not, I don’t stand a chance of beating her in person. Running away is my only option.
Now I know how criminals feel when they’re on the run.
I’m scared of the spider police.
Well, let’s just focus on what I can do for now.
When I defeated the arch earlier, I went up to level 30.
And now the words Evolution Available have appeared in my status.
Heh-heh-heh. That’s right. I can evolve again!
This is the last step I need before my evolutionary goal, arachne.
I have only one option: Zana Horowa.
As far as I can tell from the evolutionary tree, this species is on the same level as Mother.
Still, considering my evolutions so far, I’m guessing my stats aren’t going to suddenly jump way up or anything.
Just evolving won’t suddenly make me Mother’s equal.
For one thing, even if our species are on par with each other, Mother is level 89.
I’d have to evolve and grind my way up to level 89 to compete with that.
Still, if I evolve, my stats will probably go up at least a little, and maybe I’ll get some new skills, too.
Although at this point, the only skills I’ve gotten from evolving are things like Rot Attack and Annihilating Evil Eye, which are super-strong but do tons of damage to me, too!
I’ll be totally unprotected when I evolve, but all the other monsters in the area ran off somewhere while I was beating the crap out of the arch, so that isn’t a problem.
Not so long ago, it was a life-threatening risk to evolve here, but now monsters all run away from me of their own accord.
That kinda sucks, in that it makes it difficult to secure food, but at times like this, I’m grateful for it.
Let’s get evolving!
<Individual Ede Saine will evolve into Zana Horowa.>
Yes.
My consciousness…doesn’t fade like it normally would.
Huh?
What’s up with that?
Oh, maybe it’s Exhaustion Nullification?
That’s a skill I got with my Ruler of Sloth title.
Not only does it cancel out Sleep-attribute attacks; it also prevents the negative effects of not sleeping.
I can stay up twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, with no penalties to show for it.
Plus, I can still sleep normally when I want. It’s a pretty handy skill.
I’m guessing it’s also the reason why I’m not passing out when I evolve now.
So…this is evolution, huh?
It feels pretty weird.
It doesn’t hurt or itch or anything, but it’s kinda like my body is being remodeled from the inside out.
Like I’m turning into something totally different.
But weirdly, it doesn’t feel bad or scary.
<Evolution completed.>
<Species changed to Zana Horowa.>
<All basic attributes have increased.>
<Skill proficiency evolutionary bonus acquired.>
Then a whole bunch of my skills level up.
Ooh.
I knew evolving would improve my skills and all, but hearing them listed off like this really drives home how many there are.
<Acquired skill [Immortality] as a result of evolution.>
<Skill points acquired.>
Hmm?
Hmmmm?
Excuuuuuse me?!
Did I just hear what I think I just heard?
Wait.
What did you say I got?
<Immortality: User will no longer die within the system.>
Whaaaaaaat?!
Are you sure about that?!
How is this even allowed?!
How stupid can that D weirdo get to just give me a skill like this?!
We’re talking about the ultimate cheat skill that people have pursued throughout time and space!
Ohhh man! Now we’re talkin’!
If I can’t die, doesn’t that mean I can just charge on up to Mother if I want to?
We’re talking about immortality here!
I can get stomped on, hit with a breath attack, or blasted to smithereens by magic, and I still won’t die.
I’ll just keep attacking like a zombie.
Even an all-powerful monster like Mother would run out of strength eventually if she fought an enemy who never dies.
Bwa-ha-ha!
Who knew evolving would just casually solve all my problems?!
If just evolving into this race gives you such an overpowered skill, no wonder it said it’s on the same level as Mother.
Whew.
Anyway, I’d better eat to recover the red stamina I lost in evolution.
Munching on the dead arch, I open my status.
<Zana Horowa LV 1 Nameless
Status: HP: 4,293/4,293 (green) +1,800 (details)
SP: 2,873/2,873 (yellow) (details)
Average Offensive Ability: 2,833 (details)
Average Magical Ability: 12,599 (details)
Average Speed Ability: 8,361 (details)
MP: 13,292/13,292 (blue) +1,800 (details)
: 1,445/2,873 (red)
+0 (details)
Average Defensive Ability: 2,904 (details)
Average Resistance Ability: 12,545 (details)
Skills:
[HP Rapid Recovery LV 9] [Height of Occultism] [Magic Divinity LV 3] [Magic Power Conferment LV 8]
[Magic Attack LV 1] [SP Rapid Recovery LV 2] [SP Minimized Consumption LV 2] [Destruction Enhancement LV 7]
[Cutting Enhancement LV 5] [Status Condition Super-Enhancement LV 2] [Battle Divinity LV 1] [Energy Conferment LV 6]
[Dragon Power LV 8] [Deadly Poison Attack LV 7] [Rot Attack LV 5] [Heretic Attack LV 6]
[Poison Synthesis LV 10] [Medicine Synthesis LV 8] [Thread Genius LV 1] [Utility Thread LV 7]
[Thread Control LV 10] [Telekinesis LV 3] [Throw LV 10] [Expel LV 4]
[Dimensional Maneuvering LV 9] [Concentration LV 10] [Thought Acceleration LV 1] [Future Sight LV 1]
[Parallel Minds LV 8] [High-Speed Processing LV 7] [Hit LV 10] [Evasion LV 10]
[Probability Correction LV 7] [Stealth LV 10] [Camouflage LV 3] [Silence LV 9]
[Tyrant LV 2] [Conviction] [Hades] [Corruption]
[Immortality] [Heresy Magic LV 10] [Wind Magic LV 7] [Earth Magic LV 10]
[Terrain Magic LV 3] [Shadow Magic LV 10] [Dark Magic LV 10] [Black Magic LV 5]
[Poison Magic LV 10] [Healing Magic LV 10] [Spatial Magic LV 10] [Dimensional Magic LV 5]
[Abyss Magic LV 10] [Perseverance] [Pride] [Wrath LV 4]
[Satiation LV 8] [Sloth] [Wisdom] [Destruction Resistance LV 6]
[Impact Resistance LV 7] [Cutting Resistance LV 7] [Piercing Resistance LV 2] [Flame Resistance LV 3]
[Wind Resistance LV 4] [Earth Resistance LV 9] [Heavy Super-Resistance LV 2] [Status Condition Nullification]
[Acid Resistance LV 7] [Rot Resistance LV 8] [Faint Resistance LV 6] [Fear Super-Resistance LV 1]
[Heresy Nullification] [Pain Nullification] [Pain Super-Mitigation LV 5] [Vision Enhancement LV 10]
[Clairvoyance LV 8] [Jinx Evil Eye LV 7] [Inert Evil Eye LV 6] [Repellent Evil Eye LV 3]
[Annihilating Evil Eye LV 5] [Five Senses Super-Enhancement LV 2] [Perception Expansion LV 6] [Divinity Expansion LV 7]
[Celestial Power] [Ultimate Life LV 3] [Instant Body LV 8] [Endurance LV 8]
[Fortitude LV 3] [Stronghold LV 3] [Skanda LV 7] [Demon Lord LV 5]
[Taboo LV 10] [n% I = W]
Skill Points: 3,600
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] [Dragon Slayer] [Ruler of Sloth] [Monster Calamity]
[Champion]
>
Hmm.
Yeah, my stats didn’t really go up that drastically.
Just like with my previous evolutions, it’s not much more than a regular level-up.
My magic stats are still the only area that exceeds 10,000, with speed being the next highest.
Aside from Immortality, the most noteworthy new skill is probably Status Condition Nullification.
Also, I was too distracted by Immortality to hear it, but it looks like I got some title called Champion when I evolved.
I got the Status Condition Resistance skill with it, but then I guess all my related skills, like Poison Resistance and Exhaustion Nullification, got merged into it, so it made it all the way to Nullification at once.
<Champion: Acquire skills [Destruction Enhancement LV 1] [Status Condition Resistance LV 1]. Acquisition condition: be recognized as a champion. Effect: inflicts the Heresy-attribute effect “Fear” on anyone who sees the holder. Explanation: a title awarded to those worthy of being champions.>
Good for you, spider! Now you’re even scarier!
At this point, just looking at me would probably be enough to make a fainthearted person (or monster) pass out on the spot.
And what does “recognized as a champion” mean anyway?
Recognized by whom?
“By an administrator, of course.”
The voice is beautiful yet somehow deeply unsettling.
I look around and notice that there’s a smartphone lying right at my feet.
That’s where the voice that answered my inner thoughts is coming from.
This seems familiar. In fact, I’ve seen a smartphone in this world only once, so there’s no mistake.
This must be the self-styled “evil god” D.
Yeah, let’s just pretend I didn’t see it.
Nope. I didn’t see a thing. I’m not listening.
“Hello? This is D.”
La-la-laaa…
I can’t heeear you.
“Oh, that’s odd. Who put this spider self-destruct button in my hand?”
I’m sorry—please forgive me!
Wait, what kind of button is that anyway?!
When did you even make that?!
“I’m joking. I don’t have anything of the sort. I don’t need any help to turn you into a ghastly fireworks display if I feel like it, after all.”
Uhhh…yikes.
That doesn’t exactly make me feel any better.
“Don’t you worry. I would never waste a hilarious up-and-coming talent like you.”
Oh, is that right?
Gosh, what an honor.
Well, good talking to you.
“Activate self-destruct?”
I’m sorry!
“Come on, I’m joking. Lighten up.”
It’s hard to tell when you’re joking if your voice is totally monotone the whole time, y’know.
“Yes, I get that a lot.”
What do you actually want?
“I just wanted to congratulate you. For attaining immortality.”
Oh. Thanks.
Hey, why did you make a skill like that anyway?
“What do you think people ultimately aim for when they’ve been satisfied?”
Huh?
“Wealth, fame, power, authority, and, of course, agelessness or immortality. That’s all people ever want, no matter what world they’re from. And if they learned that they could actually get it, what do you think they would do?”
Whatever it takes to get a hold of it, I guess.
Ohhh, so that’s it.
“Precisely. People love to strive for something, even if they know they’ll never reach it. They’ll sacrifice anything. Then they’ll try, and try, and ultimately expire without ever getting what they want. And we administrators will be happy to accept the delicious fruits of their labors. It’s really quite efficient, don’t you agree?”
Man, are you ever a creep.
“I am an evil god, after all.”
Then why’d you let me actually get my hands on it, then?
“Well, Zana Horowa is supposed to be an undead monster of sorts. I never imagined any individual would actually evolve into it, however.”
Hey, wait a sec.
Does that mean I shouldn’t have picked it?
“No, I certainly wouldn’t say that. It’s simply that the prior step, Zoa Ele, is already quite rare and has also been designed to die before it evolves.”
Huh? What’s that mean?
“The Zoa Ele evolution came with Rot Attack, remember? However, it did not come with Rot Resistance.”
Huh? Really?
“Indeed. Thus, if a normal Zoa Ele was to use Rot Attack, it would immediately die as well. You’re lucky you had Rot Resistance, hmm?”
Yikes!
For real?
I very nearly killed myself, then.
“Thanks to that resistance, you simply lost the ability to use your scythe. Ordinarily, you would have died instantly.”
Talk about a defective product.
“The attack kills both yourself and your opponent. That’s why the Zoa Ele has come to be known as a symbol of bad luck.”
Ahh.
I guess that is pretty unlucky.
Not to mention rude.
“The Ede Saine is the same way, since it gains the even-more-powerful Annihilating Evil Eye. It’s bound to die before evolving.”
Have any of them ever evolved into a Zana Horowa before?
“Not a single one. Congratulations are in order. You’ve become a completely one-of-a-kind monster. Bravo, bravo.”
That’s great and all, but somehow hearing it from you doesn’t make me feel very good about it.
“After I was kind enough to congratulate you?”
I mean, considering your track record so far…y’know?
“Well, I am an evil god.”
Ugh.
Between Taboo and Immortality and all that, you really are the worst.
“I wish you’d phrase that a bit more flatteringly. You could say I’m malice incarnate, for example.”
That’s definitely not gonna happen.
I will say you’re a nasty piece of work, though.
“You don’t think the Taboo system is brilliantly devised?”
Definitely not.
I’m basically an outsider here, so it mostly just makes me uncomfortable, but wouldn’t a normal resident of this world go crazy the second they max out Taboo?
“I suppose the humans who have maxed out Taboo in the past did not meet a particularly pleasant end.”
Yeah, I wouldn’t think so.
“But that’s what makes it Taboo.”
Man, what’s wrong with you?
Well, I guess you reap what you sow.
“You don’t seem to be in any position to be making such observations.”
Oh, right.
I have to deal with Mother somehow, or I’ll never see the light of day again.
By which I mostly mean I literally won’t be able to go outside.
“Since you don’t seem to be very self-aware about it, might I remind you that this attack of yours is not within the system?”
Oh, really?
“At the very least, I have no recollection of implementing a skill that would allow anything like what you’re doing right now.”
Huh.
Well, I guess I did get the feeling that I wasn’t really using a skill to attack Mother with my Parallel Minds.
Wait, does that mean I’m using portions of my divinity field?
“It does indeed.”
Heh-heh-heh.
Looks like I’ll be becoming a god any day now.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Uh, I was expecting you to have a retort for that, not to just totally blow me off…
“No, I mean it. I am hopeful that you’ll manage to reach our field someday.”
Seriously?
“Yes.”
What is your goal exactly?
“I told you before. Amusement.”
Oh yeah.
I guess you did.
“I’m in a good mood today. How would you like me to share some information with you?”
Seriously?!
“Yes. As long as it’s within my ability to tell you, I will be happy to answer any questions you have about this world.”
Wow, for real?
Hmm. What should I ask, then?
Well, first of all, why did I get reincarnated into this world?
“Ah, yes. I’ll give you a detailed explanation, shall I? Let’s start from the beginning. First, you died in Japan on Earth. Are you with me so far?”
Yes.
So I really did die, huh…?
I kinda figured.
“The cause of your death is in fact related to the hero and Demon Lord of the previous age.”
Huh?
Why would heroes and demon lords in this world have any effect on Earth?
“The previous hero and Demon Lord alike were remarkably talented magic users. They altered Dimensional Magic to create a magic that crosses the borders between worlds.”
Is that even possible?
“It certainly is. There’s nothing preventing it. However, the system does not give support for any techniques outside of itself. The inhabitants of this world were too accustomed to having the system’s support and couldn’t control such an advanced rune on their own. As a result, the rune misfired. When it crossed dimensions, it destroyed part of the MA field. Then it broke through the barriers between worlds and unfortunately exploded on Earth, in Japan, in a certain high school classroom.”
Whoa.
Way to cause trouble for other people.
How stupid do you have to be to destroy part of the MA field?
Not to mention getting me killed! Thanks a lot.
“Quite so. I ended up having to reexamine this world’s entire system, which hadn’t been done since it was made.”
Huh?
“I told you, remember? I am an outsider in the world you’re in at present. It’s the other administrators’ jobs to manage it. I did supply the system itself, yes, but I will do nothing more.”
You say that, but you totally interfere all the time.
“I had no choice. Though it was a result of this world’s hero and Demon Lord running rampant, those innocent high school students still got killed and dragged into the system. Being partially responsible myself, I thought it was the least I could do as the system’s creator to help them out a little.”
Hmm?
Partially responsible?
High school students, plural?
“As of now, twenty-five former earthlings have been reincarnated into this world. The entire classroom was brutally destroyed, leaving no survivors. And the souls of the people who were killed by that attack were regurgitated into this world’s system, so they were all reincarnated here. Left to their own devices, their souls would have disintegrated. That’s why I took matters into my own hands and gave them the ‘n% I = W’ skill. With this skill, they would be able to keep the strength, memories, and such of their souls. Then I gave each of them a free skill based on their aptitude and generously ensured that they would be reborn into species with a similar wavelength to their original souls. If you ask me, that was the least I could do.”
Whoa, for real?
So there are others here besides me…
Hmm?
Wait, how many people were in our class again?
There were twenty-five, right?
So if you include our teacher, that makes twenty-six people.
Aren’t we one person short?
“Yes. That would be me.”
Wait, you?!
Whaaaat?
You were in our class?
“Yes. That’s why the magic the hero and Demon Lord created affected that particular classroom.”
Whaaat?
Hey, by the way, what’s your name?
“That’s a secret.”
Aw, whaaat?
C’mon, who are you?
I don’t remember anyone like you in that class…
“Well, let’s not talk about me. The point is, that whole incident occurred because I, the highest administrator of the system, was in that classroom. That is why I take partial responsibility. And so I interfered with this world out of a sense of obligation.”
Uh-huh…
So that’s why I had Skanda this whole time.
But what about Wisdom?
I got the impression that you were done fulfilling your “obligation” as soon as you got us all reincarnated.
“As I said, that was a reward for your hard work.”
Oh, right.
I suppose I owe you one, then.
Thanks.
“You’re quite welcome.”
So you gave me the whole Wisdom thing and let me max out Taboo, and now you want me to save the world?
“I have said nothing of the sort. You are free to do whatever you wish in this world. I will not stop you, nor will I direct you. I am simply an observer.”
I sure hope so…
“You don’t seem to trust me.”
I mean, you’re an “evil god.”
“True enough.”
Oh, I know.
What were the hero and Demon Lord trying to do with that crazy magic anyway?
“I think perhaps they were trying to defeat me.”
Why?
“It seems they were inclined to think of administrators as the enemy. Perhaps someone else was instigating them.”
Doesn’t that mean they were stupid beyond saving, then?
Ugh.
I can’t believe I died because a couple of morons basically just caused a huge traffic accident.
That’s sooo dumb.
“Well, I’ve done my part, so what you do now that you’ve been reincarnated in a different world is up to you.”
Oh, right.
I guess.
You know, that was a pretty nice thing to do for an evil god.
Seriously, thanks for saving my butt.
“Don’t mention it.”
So who do you think was instigating the hero and Demon Lord?
“It wouldn’t be any fun if I told you that part. You’ll just have to see for yourself.”
Sheesh.
That’s what you won’t tell me?
“Things will be more entertaining that way.”
Rude.
By the way, you mentioned earlier that you based our species on what matched our soul’s wavelength or whatever, but…I’m a spider, aren’t I?
“You are indeed.”
So my soul was closest to a spider’s?
“Yes, the wavelength matched quite well, it seems. Most of the others were reincarnated as humans, incidentally.”
Say whaaat?!
Why me?!
Why am I a spider?!
I want to be a human, too!
How come I got stuck playing a survival game from birth?!
“Your frustration is understandable, but it’s because you were born as a spider that you were able to get such a big head start. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, don’t you agree?”
Head start?
“Quite. The others are all still babies.”
…Ohhh.
I get it.
I guess it hasn’t been that long since I was born.
“There is that, but it also happens that you were born much faster than a human would be. In terms of the Earth calendar, you were born about six months earlier than they were.”
Huh.
So I got half a year’s head start, and now I’ve been growing like crazy while they’re still in cribs going “goo-goo ga-ga”?
“Yes, indeed. Do you have any other questions?”
Yeah, why did you make such an annoying system in the first place?
Couldn’t you have fixed things without it somehow, being as powerful as you are and all?
“I wasn’t trying to fix anything. I am an evil god, remember?”
Yeah, I suppose.
“Well, I look forward to seeing what exciting actions you’ll take next.”
Or you could stop watching me.
“Oh, but I will watch. With a bag of chips in one hand and a game in the other, most likely.”
Well, doesn’t that sound nice.
What, are you still in Japan?
“Indeed.”
No fair!
“These chips are delicious. Oh, there’s that new ice cream that just came out, too. Maybe I’ll try it later.”
Die!!!
Ice creeeeam…
“I’ve got chocolate and vanilla. Which do you think I should have first?”
Shut up and die!
Don’t talk to me about delicious desserts!
“Perhaps I ought to indulge a little and eat both at once.”
Gaaah!
“Now, that’s enough joking for today. I’m rooting for you to defeat her, you know. I hope you’ll survive and keep entertaining me.”
Sure. I’m not gonna die until I get to slap you in the face and steal your ice cream!
“I can’t wait. Well, good-bye for now.”
The smartphone poofs away.
That so-called evil god just talked at me for a while and left.
With the cell phone gone, I take some time to release the tension from my body.
I put on a show of having a light conversation, but I was actually pretty nervous.
D claims to be an evil god.
And that thing about having a spider self-destruct button might’ve been a joke, but the part about being able to kill me at any time is for real.
That “evil god” could kill me as easily as switching on a TV with the remote.
For some reason, D seems to like me enough to keep me alive for now, but that could change at any time.
It’s just like D said: The fate of the world, the life and death of others, all of that is just entertainment to them.
As is the choice whether or not to kill.
D doesn’t care, as long as it makes for an enjoyable show.
And I don’t think D actually reincarnated us out of a sense of obligation, like they claimed.
Most likely, D did it because it would be more amusing that way.
That’s my guess, at least.
I am grateful that D reincarnated me after I died.
However, that means we reincarnations are nothing more than D’s playthings, no matter what we do.
And that bothers me.
But there’s nothing I can do.
I’m sure that cruel god knows that I feel this way, too.
I bet that jerk gets a kick out of it.
ESCAPE FROM THE GREAT ELROE LABYRINTH
I’m walking through the hallway.
I reach my classroom, open the door, and enter.
Most of the students are already inside.
A cluster of boys is laughing together.
In the center of the group is Natsume.
Next to him, Sakurazaki smiles wryly.
I don’t know what they’re talking about, but I’m sure it’s nothing good.
As I head to my seat, I see Hasebe sitting at the desk next to mine, deep in conversation with Temarikawa and Furuta.
I put my bag on my desk and head over to Kanata and Kyouya, who are chatting by the window.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of Wakaba quietly sitting at her desk.
Shinohara doesn’t seem to be here yet, so no one is teasing her.
Suddenly, I notice a spiderweb on the window opposite the one where Kanata and Kyouya are standing.
For some reason, I can’t tear my eyes away from it.
When I finally do look away, a girl is standing in front of me.
She looks dark and eerie, almost like a ghost.
Yet her eyes alone are glittering brightly.
This is the girl who’s been secretly nicknamed Rihoko.
Her hand reaches toward me…
“Agh?!”
I jump up without thinking.
Looking around, I know that I’m still in the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
That’s right. This isn’t the high school I went to in my old life back in Japan. It’s a labyrinth in another world, one that’s full of monsters.
So what was the dream I just had?
Did it mean something?
Ever since we entered the Great Elroe Labyrinth, I’ve been having strange dreams.
It’s been a long time since I dreamed about my past life.
At this point, I can barely even remember what everyone looked like then.
If I try to picture Natsume, all I can see is Hugo’s face.
Even my memory of my own face is starting to get hazy.
But I can’t forget Rihoko’s face, even if I want to.
I reach for Julius’s white scarf around my neck, trying to calm my mind.
There’s still a little more time left for resting.
I have to go back to sleep to restore my physical strength.
But even knowing that, I still spend the rest of the night wide awake.
After the encounter with the Nightmare’s Vestiges, the journey has gone surprisingly well.
Thanks in large part to the freshly evolved earth dragon devouring all the monsters in the area, we’ve hardly had to fight at all.
Most likely, the presence of the Nightmare’s Vestiges had something to do with the absence of monsters as well.
But we haven’t seen a single trace of a Nightmare’s Vestige since.
And now, at long last, we’ve almost reached the exit of the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
“A pit?”
I repeat Basgath’s words uncertainly.
“Yep, that’s right.”
Most likely, empire soldiers will be waiting for us at the main exit of the labyrinth.
In order to avoid them, we’re taking a side route to get to a different exit some distance away.
This exit, as it turns out, is a pit.
Basgath explains as we walk.
“There’re a few giant holes in the labyrinth, which we call pits. Rumor has it that if yeh go down into the hole, you’ll reach the Lower Stratum, but hardly anyone’s ever come back. What few survivors there are say there’s an unthinkable amount of monsters down there. And they’re all way stronger than anything here in the Upper Stratum.”
There are still many mysteries surrounding the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
Even Basgath is only familiar with the Upper Stratum.
The Lower Stratum…
I’d definitely rather not experience a danger zone like that.
“Anyway, one of these pits leads to the surface. It’s a hole that was made by a legendary-class monster who could well be called the ruler of this labyrinth: the queen taratect.”
Basgath explains that around the time when we were still babies, the infamous “Nightmare” came out of the labyrinth.
And as if they were acting in concert, the queen taratect destroyed a huge chunk of bedrock to get outside as well.
Then she went on a destructive rampage, demolishing forests and even smashing a mountain.
Fortunately, there were no humans living there, so there were few casualties, but it’s said that even to this day, you can clearly see remnants of the destruction.
It’s a bit hard to believe, but apparently it’s all true.
Imagining that power directed toward a human settlement sends chills down my spine.
I guess it makes sense that even Basgath would be traumatized by his encounter with the Nightmare, since it’s categorized on the same level as the queen taratect.
If I ran into a creature like that, I might freeze up completely.
“Thing is, this pit is also home to monsters called finjicotes. They’re giant bees, and they’ve made their nest there. They’re not much trouble on their own, but their real strength lies in numbers. And you have to fight ’em while climbing up a vertical wall. It’s why it’s rarely used as an exit.”
That makes sense.
Just like the entrance being in the water dragons’ territory, there’s got to be a pretty good reason no one uses it.
Still, we’ve got Fei on our side.
If we ride on her back, we can blast our way through a whole swarm of monsters.
“So we’re countin’ on you.”
“Sure. But first, please face the other way.”
Near the entrance to the pit, we turn our backs on Fei and wait.
Behind us is the rustling sound of Fei taking off her clothes.
Since she’s returning to her dragon form, if she didn’t take her clothes off, they’d get ripped to shreds when she got bigger.
But of course, there are no changing rooms in a labyrinth.
That’s why we have to look away while she strips down to transform.
However, no one said we couldn’t listen.
Catching on to me somehow, Katia promptly blocks my ears.
I’m a healthy young man, you know. You could at least let me hear it…
But I have a feeling I’d get yelled at for saying that, so I keep it to myself.
“Sorry for the wait.”
Fei’s voice reaches my mind through Telepathy.
Turning around, we’re greeted by Fei in her dragon form.
Right away, we get on her back.
Now that I’ve seen her in human form, it occurs to me that Fei is a girl. Which means that I’m on a girl’s back.
It never bothered me before, but now that I’m aware of it, I can’t help feeling awkward.
“Get your mind out of the gutter, will you? Consider our current situation.”
Again reading my thoughts, Katia hits the nail on the head.
I mean…she’s right, of course.
But I wasn’t trying to mess around or anything.
A young man can’t help it if certain things preoccupy his mind at times.
“Could you not have a lovers’ quarrel on my back, please? I will shake you off.”
“I’m sorry.”
Fei sounds particularly disgusted.
I refocus on the matter at hand and let Fei fly.
As soon as we enter the pit, countless bees fly at us.
They really are giant, too.
But as far as I can tell from Appraisal, their stats aren’t all that high.
Fei fends them off easily with just her claws and tail.
The rest of us use magic to shoot down the bees buzzing around us.
They’re certainly not much of a threat.
But the sheer number makes them pretty annoying.
“Oh, enough already!”
Fei seems to feel the same way. With an irritated cry, she opens her mouth wide.
Then a breath attack fires from her mouth.
Reducing all of the bees around us to cinders.
It probably isn’t as powerful as the queen taratect’s attack that broke through the rock ceiling, but by the time the breath is over, the bees’ numbers have very visibly decreased.
“Now let’s get out of here!”
With the bees gone, Fei ascends through the pit.
Before long, the rock surface all around us vanishes, replaced by a big blue sky.
Finally, we’re outside again.
After so many days, the light of the sun is so bright that I have to squint.
We’ve succeeded in getting out of the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
GUERRILLA WARFARE
I’ve been in the Middle Stratum for several days now.
Time to solidify my plans.
First off, I’m definitely not gonna be dumb enough to attack Mother head-on.
Even with my evolution and my new Immortality skill, I simply don’t think I can beat her.
Her stats are so overwhelmingly better than mine that even a zombie attack wouldn’t do much.
In which case, the smart choice would be to wait until my Parallel Minds take care of things.
Besides, I distinctly heard D say this:
“I’m rooting for you to defeat her, you know. I hope you’ll survive and keep entertaining me.”
Survive.
D knew I’d just acquired the Immortality skill but still used the word “survive.”
That means that even with the Immortality skill, it’s not impossible to die.
There must be some kind of loophole to kill someone even if they have the Immortality skill.
Otherwise, I don’t think D would’ve phrased it that way.
For one thing, I could still get sealed away forever.
I’d rather not get trapped in concrete for eternity or something like that.
I should probably just think of Immortality as a last resort.
In which case, the next problem I have to deal with is that puppet spider.
But I don’t think I can beat that thing in a head-to-head battle, either.
Maybe I could try to take advantage of its weaknesses or something, like I did with Araba, but my odds of winning still wouldn’t be very high.
Let’s put that off for now.
I’ll avoid Mother and the puppet spider and set my sights on the rest of the spider army instead.
Specifically, I’ll hide away in the Upper Stratum, wait for my chance, and destroy them one by one.
It’s guerrilla warfare!
I guess it’s possible that there’s more than one of those awful puppet spiders, but as long as I make sure to teleport away the second things get dicey, I’m hoping that I’ll manage somehow.
In the end, I’m really just buying time with half-hearted attacks until my Parallel Minds can beat Mother.
I’m counting on you, Parallel Minds.
I’d better flee from the Middle Stratum now that danger is approaching.
Yep. She’s still pretty far away, but Mother has entered the Middle Stratum.
That means I can’t stay here any longer.
Otherwise, I would’ve just hidden in the Middle Stratum for as long as it took. But Mother won’t let me get away with that.
She’s like a devoted mom, really, forcing her shut-in daughter to get out of the house.
All right, all right, Mother.
I’ll go out for a little bit.
Now I’m up in the Upper Stratum.
Hey, US. It’s been a while.
Is it me, or has this place changed a bit since the last time I was here?
Specifically, the huge number of spider monsters crawling all over the place.
Mother must have laid eggs up here.
She has an Egg-Laying skill, which does exactly what it sounds like it would do.
She can produce children all by herself, with monogenetic reproduction.
I’m sure that’s how I was born, too.
Normally, these baby spiders would go around eating one another or getting eaten by other monsters. This time, however, Mother’s control has united all of them to chase after me.
She probably doesn’t expect them to be able to kill me, but she can use them to figure out where I’ve appeared.
I might as well take her up on that.
You really think you can catch up with me when I can use Teleport?
Let the spider hunt begin!
I’m not afraid of some puny newborn lesser taratects!
In fact, they’ll probably die on their own even if I don’t do anything.
They’re ridiculously weak, just like I used to be.
Way too weak!
So weak that…I almost feel kinda bad.
Part 4 of 8