ParodyGirl

  POV: Third Person

  In the northern region of the Kasanagara continent, Ariel was sitting in a room while looking over several reports. Beside her were Balto and Agner, and Shiraori was standing near the window.

  She was gazing outside, thinking about random things. She wasn't very interested in the matter being discussed there.

  Ariel looked at Shiro and then asked, "What are you thinking about?"

  "Nothing much."

  "…" Ariel smiled.

  After finishing her discussion with Balto and Agner, the two of them left the room after showing their respect. Ariel then approached Shiro.

  As soon as she got closer, Shiro turned and looked at her coldly.

  "What happened?" Shiro asked.

  She had noticed that Ariel had been acting strangely for some time.

  "It's just a guess, but I think something unusual is happening inside the byrinth."

  "Inside the byrinth?" Shiro recalled the past, when she had reincarnated as a spider years ago. "Did you sense something strange? I can't feel anything different," she said.

  "Hmm… Want to go there and take a look?" Ariel asked.

  Shiro sighed. "You can go if you want. Don't count on me."

  "Alright, alright." Ariel ughed and stepped away from Shiro.

  After that, she sat down again and looked at the documents. "The war will reach its peak soon."

  Shiro heard that but said nothing.

  She looked out the window and simply sighed.

  "Aren't you nervous?" Ariel asked.

  Shiro just shrugged. "No, not at all."

  Ariel smiled and fell silent.

  She leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling, thinking about the strange sensation she had felt. It was simir to what she had felt when Shiraori was born and evolving out of control.

  It wasn't something as terrifying as what Kumoko had done—like killing Mother—but it was enough to draw attention.

  She could only feel that something was wrong.

  ####

  POV: First Person (Protagonist)

  I continued staring at the man for a few seconds, but he didn't respond. He began crying uncontrolbly as he tried to accept the reality that he was already as good as dead. There was no way he was getting out of here alive.

  He didn't even care about the fact that a spider was speaking his nguage and communicating with him.

  This guy is already dead inside, I thought.

  I edited my strength to 5,000 and moved a little closer to him. The man looked at me and opened his mouth.

  "Are you sure I won't feel any pain?" he asked. I could hear the pain in his voice.

  He doesn't want to die. That's obvious.

  If I were strong enough, maybe I'd help you get out of here. But unfortunately, I'm not capable of that right now.

  I have a map that shows the exit—but how would I carry you there? It would be too exhausting and too risky.

  After hearing his question, I wrote on the ground:

  [ I promise you won't feel anything. ]

  The man took a few deep breaths and then said, "Can you wait a little?"

  I stepped back and continued watching him from a distance.

  While he was thinking things over, I opened the system to look for useful skills. That's when I found the skill [ SP Recovery Speed ] being sold for an impressive 300 points. I don't know its original value, but it seemed like a fair price.

  [ Proficiency achieved. ][ The skill "SP Recovery Speed LV1" has been learned ]

  I smiled, satisfied with my purchase.

  After that, I heard the man's voice again.

  "I'm ready."

  The tone of his voice sent chills down my spine.

  It was the voice of someone who had accepted his death.

  Well, I should do my job.

  I approached him and, with one of my legs, wrote on the ground:

  [ I hope you rest in peace. ]

  "Me too, hahaha. I had a very painful life, you know? I—"

  Before he could finish speaking, I jumped and struck him with my two front legs. I caught him off guard to end it quickly. His head burst into pieces, and he died instantly.

  Yes, he definitely didn't feel any pain.

  [ "Small Lesser Taratect LV8" became "Small Lesser Taratect LV9" ][ "Small Lesser Taratect LV9" became "Small Lesser Taratect LV10" ][ "Small Lesser Taratect" can evolve ]

  Besides leveling up, many of my skills also increased in level.

  But most importantly—I can evolve!

  'Thanks for that, human.' I walked away, leaving his body behind as I hummed to myself.

  ####

  As soon as I returned to my resting pce, I started wondering whether I should evolve or not. If I remember correctly, once I choose to evolve, I'll fall asleep for a while and won't be able to defend myself from anything that attacks me.

  Is this pce good enough? I was inside a hole in the byrinth wall, sealed off with webbing.

  If a human shows up, I'm dead.

  They could burn the web and then kill me.

  I think that's the biggest issue. I'm not too worried about monsters.

  Hmm… But I don't really feel like searching for another hiding spot. It should be fine, right?

  After thinking a bit more, I decided to stay where I was.

  And of course, for now, I chose the same evolution path as Kumoko.

  I decided to evolve into a "Small Taratect."

  The first basic evolution.

  As soon as I selected my evolution path, I started feeling extremely sleepy and was about to pass out.

  But before I "fell asleep," I managed to see one st system message:

  [ The skill "Editing LV1" became "Editing LV2" ]

  ParodyGirl