Spider 32:
I want to sleep.
Ideally evolving at the same time as I have hit LV10 from killing all the monkeys.
I will then eat the monkeys to refill my EP.
But I need to make sure I am safe here, so I decided to scout around for threats.
I somehow manage to explore the entirety of the huge chamber I am in.
And much to my relief, there are no more dangers around here.
The war with the monkeys probably scared off everyone else.
And what do you know?
I found a path that leads upward nearby.
Despite the mental exhaustion, I am super energetic from the excitement.
Finally, I am free from the hellhole that is the Lower Stratum!
Things should get easier from this point on, right?
In fact, I can see light at the end of the tunnel.
A new colour too, must be thanks to [Vision Expansion].
Glowing crystals and mushrooms?
The Middle Stratum must be a beautiful place to explore then!
Man, I am so excited my body is actually heating up.
...Eh?
In the back of my mind, I notice I have been pretty unlucky.
I mean, reincarnating as a spider is unlucky enough.
But being thrown into such a dangerous place to survive?
I seriously think god must hate me or something.
To be fair, I more or less wasted my previous life, so I wouldn't be surprised if this is divine punishment or something for my sloth and what not.
But now? I really do actually believe that.
Why, you ask?
In front of me is an open space filled with seas of magma!
Nani the hell!?
This ain't beautiful! This is terrifying! Nai wa!
Is the new colour infrared light from the heat?!
And hold up!
My HP is actually dropping!?
How did I not even register the fact that I am burning up?!
Am I that airheaded?!
And the second I notice it...
Hot! Hot! Hot!
Isn't this a little too harsh?!
Then something emerges from the nearby magma!?
What now?!
It's a big seahorse called ????? ????????, and since I can't read the actual name, I am just gonna call it a lavahorse.
It shoots a fireball at me and I barely dodge it!
Nai wa! Fighting from inside that magma is cheap!
No wait, I have plenty of ranged attacks now!
So I launch a thread at the lavahorse, the thread starts burning before it even reaches it!
Seriously!? This place is that hot!?
The fire on my thread is trailing its way to my butt!
Someone call the firefighters, please!
I detach myself from my thread and make a mad dash back to the Lower Stratum, dodging fireballs all the while.
A spider without its webs is like natto without the bacteria that makes natto!
Which is really just rotten beans!
Oh, this is bad, this is seriously bad! Nai wa!
HEGbobh08vhr13faf4t!
Some time later...
I managed to escape back to the pile of dead monkeys in the Lower Stratum.
Doesn't seem like the lavahorse chased me down here, so I should be in the clear.
There is no way I can make my way to the Upper Stratum through the middle.
Losing access to my webs, my main weapon, makes me practically a sitting duck.
Maybe I can find another vertical shaft?
It's not likely for me to find another one though.
What about the one I fell down here in?
Nope! No going there! That is there! Nai wa!
But seriously, what do I even do here?!
...
I guess I can evolve first, and then somehow get strong enough to tackle the Middle Stratum?
No idea how that is gonna pan out, but it's better than doing nothing.
...Um, I forgot what I can evolve into, hehe, awkward lol.
Inner Critic: You are so useless, Hiiro. It's a miracle you still haven't bit the dust.
Yeah, I can't agree more, Inner Critic.
Oh, at the bottom of my appraisal status are the blinking words 'Evolution available'.
Problem solved, thanks Appraisal-san.
Glad to know you have my back.
Now, let's try double appraising that.
Appraisal-san: < Available Evolutions:
????????
Small Poison ???????? >
Perfect! I can double now appraise my Evolution options for much needed info.
Appraisal-san: < ????????
Description: A standard adult of the spider type Monster species, ????????.
A carnivore with poisonous fangs. >
Small Poison ????????
Description: A rare young species of the spider type Monster species, ????????.
Has extremely powerful Poison. >
It's not even a contest, I know I want the latter.
It's bloody rare for crying out loud!
With that in mind, I made a simple nest up on the wall again.
I got a new Skill while working on it, [Spatial Manoeuvring], which supposedly helps with things like wall running and landing from a fall.
Kind of pointless for a spider since I can already do those things easily already.
But no, wouldn't this Skill make me even better at parkour?
Guess it isn't as useless as I first thought.
Inner Critic: Anyway, good night, Hiiro.
Divine Voice: "Individual Small ???????? will now evolve into Small Poison ????????."
Zzzzzzz...