Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? Volume Chapter 1

You know, I just realized I’m pretty unlucky.

In fact, it probably goes beyond just “unlucky.” My life as a spider has been such a crazy ride that I have to assume that God must hate me.

I mean, wouldn’t most normal people go crazy if they were suddenly reborn as an eight-legged monster for no apparent reason?

Not to mention that my second place of birth is this place, the “Great Elroe Labyrinth”—the largest dungeon in this other world.

All the monsters here are crazy strong, too.

It’s definitely an awful eat-or-be-eaten world.

I was doing all right for a while, since I’d managed to use my new spider skills to make a little home for myself, but then a bunch of humans suddenly burned it down.

After that, I wandered around the labyrinth before accidentally falling into the Lower Stratum, which has a much higher difficulty level than my original haunt in the Upper Stratum.

Down there, this ridiculous monster called an earth dragon assaulted me, and I barely managed to escape in one piece.

Then I had to somehow make my way through an area packed with monsters that could kill me without breaking a sweat if I even thought about fighting them.

And then…that monkey army.

A mob of monkeys attacked me like I was their worst enemy, for whatever strange reason.

They’re relatively weak compared with the other monsters in the Lower Stratum, but even individually, they’re still way stronger than me.

And a whole horde charged me all at once!

I was like, Is this some kind of joke?

I was literally fighting for my life.

If my counterattack failed, I seriously would have died.

Really, I think I deserve some praise for surviving that crisis, if I do say so myself.

Good job, me. Yeah. I worked really hard.

So how could I possibly deserve this kind of treatment?!

I don’t know if God exists or not, but if so, I’d like to lodge one complaint:

Isn’t this a bit much?

A sea of red-hot magma is bubbling in front of me.

But let’s turn back the clock a little. I had just finished wiping out all those monkeys when I noticed something.

It was a little hot.

At first, I wondered if my body temperature had risen following my battle, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Is that a thing that happens to spiders, even?

Okay, not important. The real problem was the sudden change in temperature, which I’d never experienced before.

It didn’t seem particularly dangerous.

The only monsters in sight were the corpses of all those monkeys.

It didn’t seem like a fire dragon had appeared as a sequel to the earth dragon or anything.

So why was it blazing hot?

Then, as I looked around, I spotted something.

An area sloping upward.

Yes, upward. I’ll say it again: Upward!

After that long fall from the Upper Stratum, I had spent a while in the Lower Stratum.

And now there was a path leading straight back up.

That could only mean this was the path out of the Lower Stratum and into the Middle Stratum!

Yahoo! It was my chance to escape the extreme danger zone!

With that thought in mind, I excitedly scaled the incline. At the top, I encountered a vast red vista.

And that brings us back to the present.

Whaaaaaaaat?!

What’s going on here?

I don’t get it.

No, no, no. It can’t be!

Why is there magma here?

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How can there be magma underground like this?

Well, I guess this is a dungeon beneath the surface, so maybe it makes sense, but…

Unreeeeal.

Wait, it’s so hot my HP is actually dropping.

The temperature isn’t just a little warm. It’s scorching!

Hmm? Something feels hot near my rear.

Gah?! The thread coming out of my butt is on fire?!

Put it out! Put it out! Or at least cut it off!

Whew, that was close. My behind came this close to combusting.

I guess that’s on me for not realizing I had silk trailing from my butt again, but still, I can’t believe it ignited!

It’s not like the whole place is covered in magma, either—there seems to be patches of solid ground I can walk on—but how am I supposed to navigate a place like this when it’s already boiling at the entrance?

Someone bring me a cold drink, please!

Huh? There’s a monster in the magma.

It looks like a sea horse with arms and legs, just swimming in the stuff. Uhhh, okay.

I’m a bit scared to look, but I’d better Appraise it.

LV 7Status:HP: 167/167 (green)MP: 145/158 (blue)SP: 155/155 (yellow): 156/165 (red)Status Appraisal Failed>

Oh, I got to see its status on the first try. Lucky me.

Hmm. Going by these numbers, it isn’t really all that strong. Still, it’s stronger than me!

Guess I might as well investigate further with a double Appraisal.

There it is! Great Elroe Labyrinth, Middle Stratum! So this really is the Middle Stratum!

…For real?

Wow, there’s noooo way.

The whole Middle Stratum is like this?

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And I have to go through this to get to the Upper Stratum?

How the hell am I supposed to do that?

Terrain that hurts me just by stepping on it. Rivers and ponds of magma that would incinerate me if I fell in.

And if the monsters that live here are resistant to fire, doesn’t that mean they might very well be able to make fire, too?

Do you know my spider silk’s primary weakness? You do, since it just burned up a little while ago, right?

It’s FIRE!!

Seriously, what am I gonna do?

Me without my thread is like natto without the Bacillus subtilis natto bacterium!

That wouldn’t even be fermented beans anymore, just rotten trash!

That’s how useless I am if I can’t use my silk.

It’s not much of an exaggeration to say my spider thread is the only reason I’ve survived this long.

Without it, I can’t make webs, can’t trap enemies—I can’t do aaanything!

Ah, the sea horse noticed me while I was lost in thought. Our eyes totally met just now.

Well, I’m still pretty far away, so it’s no big deal… Wait, what?!

It just took a deep breath and spit something at me?!

Ah, a fireball.

Yaaaaghhhh!!!

I have to dodge. If that hits my body, cinders and ash will be all that’s left.

Arrrgh, you gotta be kidding me! How does a fireball even fly through the air like that, huh? What are the physics behind it?

It’s the most stereotypical fantasy move I’ve seen since the earth dragon’s breath attack.

Though this doesn’t seem as insanely powerful in comparison.

Anyway, how unfair is it that this sea horse guy can use long-distance attacks from the middle of all the magma?

A second fireball shot rockets toward me, but I avoid that, too.

It’s not like I can’t dodge them. But still, this is not good.

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I mean, my only long-distance attack is throwing my spider silk.

Just for kicks, I make some thread and give it a try.

Unfortunately, it catches fire in midair as soon as I throw it.

Ugh, this isn’t going to work. I hurry and separate the thread.

While I’m busy with that, the sea horse fires a third shot at me.

I dodge it. Even without taking a direct hit, though, my HP’s still going down from all this heat.

Ugh, I hate to admit it, but running away is my only option.

I turn my back on the sea horse, hurrying back down the slope I climbed earlier.

Pulling way back, I don’t stop until I’m once more surrounded by monkey corpses.

Phew, now my HP won’t keep dropping due to heat.

I have HP Auto-Recovery, so a little break should replenish me.

But man, this is garbage!

Based on numbers alone, I probably could’ve taken that guy.

The sea horse’s stats were technically higher, sure, but that’s nothing new.

But this time, I couldn’t lay a finger—or a leg, or a thread—on it.

I gotta say, this is pretty serious.

I’ve fought stronger enemies by making webs before, but never when they had a territorial AND a healthy stat advantage.

This enemy could render everything I’ve accomplished so far moot.

On top of that, my thread—my strongest weapon—won’t work here.

Is it just me, or am I totally screwed?

To get to the Upper Stratum, I have to conquer the Middle Stratum.

But I don’t think that’s going to be possible.

Should I look for another way, then?

The only other route I know is through that bee-infested pit.

Plus, wouldn’t that mean going back to where that earth dragon hangs out?

Nope. No thank you. Not gonna happen.

So should I find another opening? Are there any other convenient shafts like that?

It’s not out of the question.

I caught bees in my web when I was still in the Upper Stratum and saw a similar hole somewhere else, so maybe the bees have a nest there, too.

But there’s no way of knowing for sure.

So should I try to push through the Middle Stratum?

Or should I explore the Lower Stratum some more, searching for another tunnel that may or may not exist?

What should I do…?

Well, I guess I’ll put that aside for now and focus on evolving first.

Thanks to the huge amount of EXP I gained from defeating the monkey swarm, my level instantaneously went waaay up.

It’s not like it completely slipped my mind when I found that uphill slope and got ridiculously excited, okay?

I definitely did not forget.

Evolving entails an involuntarily loss of consciousness, so attempting it in the Lower Stratum, where so many dangerous monsters lurk, requires some bravery. But it’s not like I won’t even try.

For one thing, I’m concerned my ability to level up may be capped.

Despite killing all those monkeys, my level didn’t go higher than 10.

It’d be one thing if I simply hadn’t gained enough EXP to boost it, but what if my species has level restrictions that won’t let me advance further unless I evolve?

If this were just a game, I could test it by trying to level up once before evolving, but my life is on the line here.

I don’t really wanna risk dying for the sake of an experiment.

Anyway, I have two options for evolution: taratect and small poison taratect.

Hmm, which should I choose?

Since the “small” part of my current name is missing from the “taratect” evolution, I’m guessing that choice will make me bigger.

The first time I evolved, I had the option of going from “small lesser taratect” to “lesser taratect,” so it’s probably safe to assume that I’d just grow if I picked this one.

The real problem is the “small poison taratect” option.

Since it adds the word “poison,” it must strengthen my poison specialty, right?

Man, it’s times like this I really wish I could Appraise my species options…

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Wait… Appraisal?

Glancing at my status, I noticed something strange.

At the bottom of the stat list, the words “Evolution Available” were displayed in blinking letters.

What’s this?

I’ll try double-Appraising it.

Whoa! Appraisal, are you for real?!

Holy crap! Since it’s being displayed in letter format, that means I can double-Appraise it!

Now I can Appraise the species I can evolve into!

Appraisal is getting so useful that it’s starting to scare me.

Anyway, I’ll investigate my choices right now.

Yep. I’ve made up my mind. It’s gotta be the Poison one.

I mean, it’s a rare species! Rare!

Who would choose a “standard” species over a “rare” one, am I right?

And with that, I hurriedly construct a simple little home on the wall.

Time to evolve! Good night.

And good morning.

Hmm. Looks like I woke up all right.

I survey the area from my humble home.

All I can see are the corpses of the monkeys, no other monsters. Nice, nice.

Since I seem to be safe, let’s have a look at my postevolution status, shall we?

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LV 1NamelessStatus:HP: 56/56 (green) 2UPMP: 1/56 (blue) 2UPSP: 56/56 (yellow) 2UP: 1/56 (red) 2UPAverage Offensive Ability: 38 2UPAverage Defensive Ability: 38 2UPAverage Magical Ability: 27 1UPAverage Resistance Ability: 27 1UPAverage Speed Ability: 537 21UPSkills:[HP Auto-Recovery LV 3][Poison Attack LV 9 NEW][Poison Synthesis LV 3][Spider Thread LV 9 1UP][Cutting Thread LV 4][Thread Control LV 8 1UP][Throw LV 3][Concentration LV 5 1UP][Hit LV 4][Evasion LV 2][Appraisal LV 8 1UP][Detection LV 4][Stealth LV 6][Heretic Magic LV 3 1UP][Shadow Magic LV 2][Poison Magic LV 2 1UP][Overeating LV 4][Night Vision LV 10][Vision Expansion LV 2][Poison Resistance LV 8 1UP][Paralysis Resistance LV 3][Petrification Resistance LV 3 1UP][Acid Resistance LV 4][Rot Resistance LV 3][Faint Resistance LV 2 1UP][Fear Resistance LV 6][Heresy Resistance LV 2 1UP][Pain Nullification][Pain Mitigation LV 6][Life LV 2][Magic Mass LV 2][Instantaneous LV 2][Persistent LV 2][Herculean Strength LV 1][Sturdy LV 1][Skanda LV 2][Taboo LV 2][n% I = W]Skill Points: 200>

Ooh. There’s some kind of new “UP” display.

This must be because my Appraisal level went up, right?

There’s a skill point display now, too, and Appraisal seems to be working happily.

Does the UP thing compare it with before evolution, maybe?

Awesome! My stats got better! Just a little bit…

I thought they might rise a bit more dramatically, since I evolved into a rare species, but I guess not.

Although my speed is stupidly high as usual.

Well, that’s fine. My status hasn’t changed that much in all this time.

My skills certainly have, though.

Those improved while I was fighting the monkeys, too, so I got a bunch of new ones.

Poison Fang turned into Poison Attack somehow?

Thanks to Appraisal, I know what changed at a glance, but it’s still pretty inconvenient.

Whoops, my SP went down from evolving and all, so I better eat some of my monkey stash and refuel.

I’ll keep checking my status while I eat.

I knew my SP would go down, but it looks like my MP did, too.

That didn’t happen last time I evolved, so I almost didn’t notice.

Since I need it for Poison Synthesis and Thread Control and stuff now, I’ll have to start paying more attention to my MP now.

Man, Poison Synthesis really saved my hide in the monkey battle before.

When I first picked it up, I thought it was kind of strange, but it’s surprisingly useful. I’ll probably rely on it more from now on.

Speaking of Poison Synthesis, since it leveled up, the fields Amount of Damage and Duration have been added.

Apparently, I can now control how strong my poison is and how long it lasts.

So if I want the enemy to suffer for a long time, I can extend the duration, and if I want to do a lot of damage all at once, I can add to the power.

Basically, I can customize my poison as much as I like.

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However, the degree to which it can be customized is apparently dependent on the skill level.

When I tried customizing my spider venom, the power and duration wouldn’t go past 9.

Boy, that spider venom is strong.

Speaking of poison, let’s Appraise that Poison Attack thing now.

Since Poison Fang is gone and now I have this, it must be a variation of Poison Fang, right?

Huh? That’s the whole explanation?

Hmm? Wait, isn’t that kind of a crazy effect?

Does that mean I can add poison to all my attacks now?

In that case, can I also poison my threads?

What a scary skill. I’ll have to try it as soon as my SP recovers.

Aah! But my silk burns in the Middle Stratum, so I can’t use it!

Noooo! I got such a wonderful skill, but it’s useless!

Ugh, all right, let’s put that aside for the moment.

The last poison-related skill is Poison Magic, right?

I’m sure I can’t use it anyway, but its skill level went up, too.

Now I have the Poison Shot spell. It’s a magic spell that lets you fire a ball of poison.

This is a long-range attack, isn’t it?

I think back to the sea horse in the Middle Stratum.

To defeat it, I’d have to either drag it out of the magma or shoot it with a long-range attack.

Dragging it from the magma would be pretty much impossible with the means currently at my disposal.

As for long-range attacks, since I can’t use my thread there, all I’d be able to do is throw whatever rocks I could find.

Even with the Throw skill, tossing a rock with my low stats definitely wouldn’t be enough to put a dent in a monster.

Given that, coming up with a new long-range attack is my only option.

All things being equal, this new long-range ability seems very attractive indeed.

Yep. I don’t really want to go roaming around the Lower Stratum rubbing elbows with monsters like that earth dragon, looking for an exit that might not even exist.

That settles it, then. I’ll push on through the Middle Stratum.

Besides, having proven so ineffective against that magma sea horse still irks me.

My pride won’t allow me to just ignore the Middle Stratum and search for another route now.

I’m totally getting my revenge.

But first, I’ll spend some time here strategizing countermeasures.

I have to find some way to avoid taking damage from the heat of the Middle Stratum.

Then I’ll acquire a long-range attack.

Once I clear those hurdles, my conquest of the Middle Stratum will commence!