Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? Volume Chapter 3

I wanna use magiiiic!

If a little white demon came up to me right now and said, “Make a contract with me and become a magical girl,” I’d totally say yes at this point.

But then I’d have to get rid of him afterward, of course.

Actually, if something like that really did rear its head, I’d kill it first and ask questions never!

All right, enough messing around. I have to seriously think about what to do for a long-range attack.

Being able to use magic would of course be ideal, but there are several problems with that.

First of all, there’s the reason I can’t use magic in the first place—which is I don’t know how.

It’s like I have a game but don’t know how to turn on the power. This is a pretty fundamental problem.

Aside from that, I’m also starting to suspect that there are skill requirements to enable magic usage.

Why? Because I just found one that seems to indicate precisely that.

It’s called Magic Power Perception.

I mean, magic exists, and so does MP, so I guess it makes sense that “magic power” would exist, too. Actually, that might be what “MP” stands for.

But does that mean that without this skill, you can’t properly sense magic power or something?

That could very well be the case. In fact, I can’t think of any other explanation.

So is this “magic power” required to use magic?

Inquiring with the Divine Voice (temp.), I discovered a skill that seems to fit the bill.

It’s called Magic Power Operation.

So I need to perceive magical power and manipulate it. Then I can invoke magic.

That’s what it looks like to me, anyway.

In other words, without these skills, maybe it’s not possible to use any spells?

I’m guessing that’s the case.

Then basically, I’ve been trying to play a game without a power source or a controller.

Luckily, as it happens, I have 200 skill points.

I need two skills, and 200 is the exact number I’d need to acquire them both.

This is basically like God telling me to get those skills, right?

Hold your horses for a second, though.

Remember all the hardships I’ve endured so far.

Has God ever been that kind to me? No. Absolutely not!

I can’t underestimate just how bad my luck is. There’s definitely a catch.

And this time, I know exactly what that is.

It’s called Detection.

I got the Detection skill at the same time as Thread Control.

After defeating that snake and evolving for the first time.

Since I always relied on surprise attacks, I couldn’t afford to fall prey to one myself.

Hoping for a skill that would alert me to enemy presences right away, I opted for Detection.

As it turns out, that was a big mistake.

Basically, Detection is too powerful.

Isn’t that wild?

All the perception-based skills in one go.

And it only cost me 100 points. Unfortunately.

The problem with this skill is it invokes all those sensory skills at once.

You can’t pick and choose or employ them individually.

So what happens when they all kick in at once? Well, I get a really horrible headache.

It doesn’t feel like my head’s going to crack open so much as just violently explode.

My guess is that Detection is simply too high in regard to performance, and my brain’s processing speed can’t keep up.

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And unlike other skills, there isn’t much improvement after leveling up.

I mean, since it’s already too damn overwhelming to begin with, making the skill stronger only worsens my headaches. That makes it even more useless than before.

Though as a bonus, since it perceives so many things simultaneously, Detection advances really easily.

The only times I’ve ever used it are when I first got it and once more after that, when I got a headache and went “What the hell was that?!” before cautiously testing it again.

Then there was the time when Appraisal gained the ability to display skills, so I decided to try it again after checking its description.

With just three uses, it leveled up three times.

Seriously, I wish I could apply that growth rate to some of my other skills instead.

And of course, each time Detection levels up, it gets even harder for me to use.

There’s no saving it at this point.

Which is why I decided to semipermanently seal off the skill.

But here’s the big problem.

To use magic, I probably need to use Magic Power Perception.

And Magic Power Perception is tied to Detection.

Strength and Herculean Strength, Solidity and Sturdy: They’re both pairs of upwardly compatible skills.

I got Strength and Solidity when I gained the Monster Slayer title, while Herculean Strength and Sturdy appeared when I got the Monster Slaughterer title.

Strength and Solidity raise my attack and defense power, respectively, by their number of skill levels, while the improved counterparts raise the skills by ten times the number of skill levels. On top of that, they also increase my level-up stat increases.

They basically seem to be lesser versions of the Skanda skill, which I seem to have had since I was first reincarnated here.

Anyway, when I acquired these skills, Strength merged into Herculean Strength and Solidity into Sturdy.

It seems to me that once I acquire a superior skill, the lesser versions get incorporated into it.

In which case, I get the feeling that if I acquire Magic Power Perception, it’ll wind up merged into Detection, since the latter is clearly higher ranked.

Meaning it’s impossible for me to use any parts of Detection individually.

Aggghhh, does this mean that if I don’t do something about Detection, I’ll never be able to use magic for the rest of my life?

Noooooo!

After coming this far, a skill I semipermanently sealed off is going to stand in my way?!

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Hmm. Isn’t there anything I can do here?

Since my brain’s processing power can’t keep up, I guess it’d be good if I had some kind of skill to compensate for that.

That doesn’t mean I’m stupid, though. It doesn’t, okay?

Detection simply goes overboard.

But it seems like I just discovered a new feature of Appraisal.

I already knew that skill points are displayed when I level up now, but it turns out that if I double-Appraise that, I can see a catalog of all the skills I can acquire with my current skill points.

Man, Appraisal is no joke.

Now I don’t need to check in with the Divine Voice (temp.) every time I want to know if a specific skill exists or not.

And since the list is displayed in Appraisal, that means I can double-Appraise the skills, too.

So I can investigate the effects of a skill before I acquire it.

Now I’ll never take a useless skill by accident again…I hope.

So I immediately look over the skill list, hoping to find one that will let me do something about Detection.

But along the way, I am distracted by the discovery of a truly insane skill.

I’m so shocked that I do a double take, close the Appraisal, then Appraise it again for good measure.

That’s how massive the difference is.

In more ways than one.

I don’t really get it.

Neither the meaning of the summary nor the reason a skill like this can be acquired for a mere 100 points.

I try Appraising all the vocabulary I don’t recognize, like “n%,” “W,” and “MA field,” but the result for all of them is just .

All I can really glean from the description is that this skill will grant me more experience points and proficiency, and that it will have some kind of effect on growth.

That alone sounds pretty extraordinary.

“Pride” is a word you hear often as one of the seven deadly sins.

It’s said to be the gravest sin of all—even the root of all other sins.

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When it shows up in a game, it’s usually the name of a last boss-level enemy or a strong but cursed weapon. You know, that sort of thing.

Judging by the name, this skill can’t be a good thing.

The fact that I can’t find anything else that increases experience or proficiency only heightens my skepticism.

If this were a game, it wouldn’t be too unusual for there to be a few skills like that, but no. Pride is the only one.

So instead of a bunch of minor skills like that, there’s nothing but a single super-advanced skill with a sketchy-sounding name.

If I learned anything from Detection, it’s that being technically superior doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good.

Aside from the fact that it’s basically preventing me from using magic, Detection can’t hurt me again unless I activate it.

But something that increases EXP and proficiency is probably the kind of skill that’s constantly in effect, right?

What if it’s another trap like Detection, but this time I can’t switch it on and off?

I can’t shake the feeling that that’s exactly what’ll happen.

However, its known effects are certainly attractive.

Even knowing that it’s probably a trap, there’s still this temptation to jump right in. Legit, it’s like a deal with the devil.

The description of the Pride skill reminds me a bit of my “n% I = W.”

They’re similar enough that it’s probably no coincidence.

I still don’t know what the mystery skill does.

At least it doesn’t seem to have any negative or positive effects.

So it’s possible that this one has no downsides, too, yeah?

…It’d be better if I don’t jump to conclusions like that.

But in my heart, I’ve already decided. Honestly, I probably decided as soon as I first saw it.

I have a funny feeling about this.

Like, I almost have to take it.

For better or worse, I think I’ve gotta have this skill.

There’s this sense like it’s not really up to me.

I don’t know why I’m so drawn to Pride.

Sometimes fate works in mysterious ways, though, so I want to trust my intuition here.

Anyway, I really don’t have a choice.

The instant I laid eyes on it, my intuition told me, “Grab!”

Yes.

All right.

I did it!

Uh-oh!

Now I’ve done it!

Hoooo, boy.

How did it come to this?

I mean, come on. Is this really happening?!

What the hell? What the hell? I’m gonna say it one last time, okay? What the hell?

My Taboo skill level rose. By two levels, no less. What’d I do?

And some crazy title popped up. Yay?

And I mean, Abyss Magic definitely sounds like a superior kind of magic to me. And it’s level 10!

This is weird, right?

Anyway, I guess I’ll start by Appraising the effects of Abyss Magic and Hades.

Wait. Something weird is going on in my status.

My MP, average magical ability, and average resistance ability.

Wait a sec, aren’t these way higher than they were a minute ago?

Why? Is this another effect of Pride?

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I mean, well, it’s not like getting better stats is a bad thing…

Yeah. Better not overthink it.

Okay, Appraisal time.

Uh…yikes. What should I even say?

Unreal. This sounds all kinds of dangerous.

What’s the deal with this “hell” series? I mean, clearly “manifesting Hades” sounds pretty dicey, but what about the rest of it?

What kind of Appraisal results are these?

I mean, it’s got nothing to do with the effects of the spells. Who wrote these results? That’s what I’d like to know.

Just out of curiosity, I try to see if I can use Hades, but not a single thing happens.

I’m not sure whether I feel disappointed or relieved.

Man… I seriously feel like I did something messed up.

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What kind of terrible, hidden side effects is this freaky skill hiding?

Just as I feared, it doesn’t seem like I can switch it on and off.

And it’s pretty weird that I got a title just for acquiring it, right?

It doesn’t exactly sound like a good one, either.

And leveling up the Taboo skill is supposed to be bad, too…

The Appraisal description even talked about not raising it.

I’ve definitely seen numerical values that you’re not supposed to raise in games before.

Like karma meters and that sort of thing.

The kind of stuff where, as it rises, the story heads toward a bad ending or villagers start acting afraid of you and the like.

I mean, not that there’s any story, in this case, or people for me to meet, but still…

Thinking about it, the only two skills I’ve seen with Appraisals that don’t clearly explain their effects are Taboo and n% I = W.

And Taboo is something I’m not supposed to raise.

There’s definitely something going on here.

If I keep pushing it, I just know something horrible will happen.

Maybe if I max out Taboo, the wrath of God will kill me on the spot or something.

Ahhhhh! That’s too scary!

A-all right, there’s no need to panic just yet.

It’s still only level 4. And it’s not as though I know for sure that’ll happen.

Hmm. The fact that this new skill has no immediately obvious downside is scary in itself.

Taboo doesn’t seem to have any effect right now, and it looks like Pride isn’t doing anything bad, either, but…

…the last thing I need is suddenly realizing I’m being strangled little by little with silk floss or something.

On the other hand, that most likely means nothing’s gonna happen anytime soon.

Well, there’s no helping it now, so I may as well save my panic for when the time comes.

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Though, hopefully, I won’t panic too much then, either…

Anyway, I should probably save the rest of my skill points for now.

Since I just learned this crazy magic and all, I definitely want to try it, but I don’t think I’m going to get anywhere until I figure out what to do with Detection.

The Magic Power Operation skill is probably necessary, too, in which case I need two skills: Magic Power Operation and something to deal with Detection.

Since I only have 100 points left at the moment, I’d have to choose between one or the other.

So for the time being, I may as well wait until I have 200 points to spend again.

Boy, it sure is quiet.

Usually, I can hear all kinds of sounds in the distance, but right now, I don’t hear much of anything.

I don’t see any monsters around, either, which is peculiar in itself.

Maybe it’s because of the monkeys?

I’m sure a huge mob on the move would chase away other monsters.

So that’s probably why it’s so quiet.

Hmm? I got a skill?

Let’s see.

Huh. Well, I certainly don’t mind having it, but it doesn’t seem super-useful, either.

I mean, it’s not like it lets me automatically know the answer to things or anything.

It just means the gears in my head turn a little faster—and only in specific circumstances.

Wait, I think this was on the list of skills I can get with 100 points, too.

So this is worth the same number of points as Pride…?

Doesn’t that seem strange?

Anyway, there really isn’t a single monster around here, huh?

I’m not sensing any danger, so I don’t think it’s because there’s a really strong monster scaring the others off or anything.

Even squinting, I don’t see a thing.

Oh? Another skill?

Let’s see.

Thanks a lot!

I mean, I guess that’s fair.

But I don’t think I really need this, either. Spiders’ eyes are already pretty good, y’know?

And this was on the 100-point skill list, too…

Come to think of it, there were some for enhancing the other senses, too.

If squinting really hard was the only condition for acquiring Vision Enhancement, maybe I could increase the proficiency of the other ones by focusing on them one at a time, too?

Well, let’s give it a try.

First, ears.

What sort of ears do spiders have anyway? I should probably know this, but I have no idea.

Oh, hey, it totally worked.

All right, let’s try the rest of them, too.

I’ll do the taste one next time I eat something, I guess.

Man, though, I can’t believe skills come this easily.

I guess I hadn’t really thought about it, since a spider’s five senses seem solid to begin with.

The key to gaining proficiency is consciously focusing on the action, I guess.

Otherwise, I probably would’ve gotten these skills a long time ago.

That was fast! Didn’t I just get this skill a minute or two ago?!

How did it go up already?

I mean, I guess that’s fine. I totally knew that would happen anyway.

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Wait, again?!

This is one of the skills I thought might be able to help with Detection, too!

Awesome! Doesn’t that mean my brain’s processing power’s improved?

How exactly did I get this, though?

I don’t think I was really thinking about multiple things at once…

Ah, it must’ve been my old friend Appraisal.

I always have Appraisal on.

The Appraisal results of whatever’s around me are constantly flowing into my head.

I usually just ignore it, so I barely even notice anymore, but I guess you could call that thinking about multiple things.

And I can’t think of any other explanation, so that’s gotta be it.

Still, kinda weird, right?

I’m getting an awful lot of skills at once.

You have to admit, it’s pretty unusual to suddenly start getting skills one after another, yeah?

I mean, not that I don’t know why.

Pride.

A skill that greatly increases the amount of proficiency you gain.

Yep. Gotta be it.

Still, though, it’s gone up by a pretty crazy amount…

I don’t know the specific numbers, so I can’t say for sure, but this definitely seems like a lot.

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See what I mean?

Well, since I got this new skill that might help with Detection and all, I may as well give it a shot right away.

Huff… Whew. Okay.

Detection on.

GAHHH! It’s too much! Off, offfff!

Wheeze… Owww. My head hurts.

Right, right. My Parallel Thinking skill was only level 1.

Based on my experiences so far, I shouldn’t have expected much from a level-1 skill.

Nothing really feels any different this go-around.

That raised Parallel Thinking, but it raised Detection, too.

Detection leveling up doesn’t help me at all!

All that’ll do is add to the amount of information and make things even worse!

If both of them level up at the same time, it’s like taking one step forward and two steps back.

And my stupid Detection seems to have an insane growth rate that raises its level every single time I activate it, so really, it’s more like three steps back.

Plus, it’ll grow even faster now because of Pride.

Seriously, what’s up with this damn Detection skill?

What a monstrous foe. I can’t believe it’s outsmarted even me!

Who knew there was an enemy as strong as that earth dragon lurking so close by?

I don’t think I’m gonna win this one.

Anyway, maybe I should just wait for my Parallel Thinking skill to level up for now.

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It certainly doesn’t seem like I can use it to partition my thoughts or anything at the moment, so the only way I can think of to earn more proficiency is by thinking about something else while looking at Appraisal results.

Apparently, activating Detection raises it, too, but I really don’t want to mess with that anymore.

Hmph. Still, I don’t think the idea itself was a bad one…

If my thinking ability improves, then I should be able to use Detection eventually…probably.

Man, when I looked at the skill list before, I thought the Parallel Thinking skill was my best bet, though…

Hmm. Let me look at the list again.

Since I have fewer points now, there aren’t as many on it as before.

But there are still quite a few.

It seems like most skills can be acquired with 100 points.

Aside from certain high-performance and totally broken skills.

Although I was able to get one broken skill, Pride, for 100 points.

Anyway, the only skills that seem like they might help with Detection are:

I think that’s about it.

Not a lot of options. And I don’t think the Memory one is quite right, either.

In which case, Arithmetic Processing is the most likely candidate, but would taking that really be enough to let me use Detection?

Hmm, hmm, hmm. I mean, I thought Parallel Thinking was the best option, and that hasn’t helped much so far…

Arithmetic Processing would probably be pretty useless at a low level, too.

Oh, wait a sec.

“Arithmetic” is basically math, right?

If I do some mental math, maybe I’ll get the skill for free?

Yeah. That’s probably worth a try.

Okay, maybe I’ll think about powers of 2 for a while…

2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64……

……8,192; 16,384; um…32,768 maybe?

This is getting pretty tough.

What’s next? Hmm…

Oh! Nice, nice. My plan worked perfectly.

Hmm. Should I give it a shot?

It’s probably not gonna work, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

Huff… Whew. Okay.

Detection on.

GYAAAH! Still too much! Off, off!

Wheeze… Owww. My head hurts. Again.

This isn’t gonna work, huh? It’s just too much. My head feels like it’s gonna burst. I don’t like pain.

Ugh… Unreal.

Wait, what happened to my Pain Mitigation?

I’ve gone through a bunch of near-death experiences, so why is this pain too much for me to handle?

And hey, why did my Heresy Resistance skill level up anyway?

What does that mean? Is it because Mr. Detection’s assault on my head is so demonic?

There’s nothing weird about calling it an “attack,” right?

I mean, my resistance even became better.

Let me think about this.

The heresy attribute is something about attacking the soul directly, right?

So if my Heresy Resistance improved, that means the results of Detection aren’t affecting just my brain, but my soul itself.

Does that mean that half of this headache is actually my soul aching?

That’s scary!

My soul’s not gonna wear out if I keep doing this, right? I don’t wanna suddenly go brain-dead, okay?

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Oh, okay. Good thing the effect of Prediction isn’t based on correct answers!

It’s fine. That was just a prediction, nothing to worry about. Let’s go with that.

Hmm. But in that case, doesn’t that mean a soul-related skill would help me withstand Detection?

I don’t see anything like that on the list, though.

All there is, is Heresy Resistance.

So I’ll just have to keep leveling up Heresy Resistance, then?

…How do I do that?

Ahh… It’s no use.

I should just stick to the original plan: Keep raising Parallel Thought and Arithmetic Processing.

After all, they both advanced when I activated Detection, which means they must be involved in the process somehow. Until then, I’m putting Detection back off-limits. I’m a little scared of using it.

Okay, so now that I sort of have a plan for Detection, what am I going to do about the heat in the Middle Stratum?

Maybe it’d help a little if I had Fire Resistance or something?

But I think my whole body might be weak to fire, not just my thread…

I didn’t see Fire Resistance when I looked at the list before.

Does that mean it’s not something I can obtain with 200 skill points?

There were other resistances on the list, but no fire.

This is just a guess, but I think maybe since I’m weak to fire, it’s harder for me to obtain Fire Resistance.

Oh, hello there again. You sure level up fast, huh? It’s probably the effect of Pride in action again.

Well anyway, since I know it won’t be easy, let’s aim to acquire Fire Resistance while training my HP Auto-Recovery skill.

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To that end, I’ll go to the Middle Stratum a couple times a day, then come back when my HP goes down.

Taking damage probably means I’m gaining proficiency for Fire Resistance, or maybe Heat Resistance, if that’s a thing.

I don’t know how long it’ll take, but sooner or later, I think I’ll probably get a Fire or Heat Resistance skill.

And when my HP goes down, HP Auto-Recovery will kick in, so that’s two birds with one stone.

If my defense and recovery exceed the passive damage I take, I should be able to walk around, at least.

In the meantime, I’ll work on my other skills.

Parallel Thinking and Arithmetic Processing for the Detection plan, for starters.

I may try to improve my stat-increasing skills while I’m at it, too.

In particular, Skanda, Herculean Strength, and Sturdy all improve the growth rate of my stats, so I should give them top priority.

But… I know running around should increase my Skanda skill, and doing push-ups or leg-ups or whatever should increase Herculean Strength, but what about Sturdy?

Since it’s for defense, does that mean I have to get hit with attacks?

Hmm. Maybe if I do some Thread Control practice and use it to whip my own body or something?

I hate pain, but I guess it might be worth a try…

Also, if I’m going to be staying here for a while, I should probably secure some food.

My stamina isn’t decreasing right now thanks to Overeating, but sooner or later, I’ll have to eat.

Probably a good idea to look around a little and make some preparations for hunting.

It may even be worth setting up a few webs for capturing prey.

I can lay some traps with thread that’s as close to invisible as I can manage.

Yeah, there’s an idea. Let’s go with that.

Even if a strong monster capable of breaking through my thread gets caught by mistake, I won’t be there, so no harm done.

All right, then, let’s put this plan in action.

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My HP’s recovered, so I guess I’ll go back to the Middle Stratum and work on reducing my HP again.

…Man, when I put it that way, it sure doesn’t sound fun.

So… Hello from the Middle Stratum!

It’s hot, folks! I’d tell you how hot, but it’s impossible to measure! Mostly because I don’t have a thermometer!

Today’s forecast predicts magma spewing around all day!

It’ll be much too hot for even this intrepid weather reporter to venture outside!

This has been a live on-site report from the Middle Stratum! Back to you in the studio!

Whew. It’s reeeally hot.

Neither of my skills has gone up yet, either. Guess I might as well take my time.

I mean, it’s not like I’m being chased or anything.