*Level Up! x15*
The notifications blazed through my mind like comets streaking across a starless sky—each one a pulse of raw power surging through my veins. My muscles twitched, my bones hummed, my very cells shivered as the system's energy rewrote my limitations.
"Origin…"
The word slipped from my lips in a whisper, heavy with awe. That casual manipulation of the world's threads—had catapulted me forward. No grinding, no slow accumulation. Just pure, unfiltered ascension.
I flexed my fingers, watching as cyan strings danced across my fingers.
"I just skipped fifteen levels."
My entire body surged with raw vigor, pulsing with newfound strength. For the first time in this damned world, this body tasted strength.
I grinned coldly. Time to seize that cave.
I marched towards the cave. Its gaping entrance loomed ahead, hollow and uninviting. But it didn't matter. I was going to claim it.
---
The cave entrance yawned before me, its darkness so thick it seemed to swallow the very light. The air that wafted out was dank, heavy with the scent of wet stone and something sharper—something alive.
I stepped inside, Cil humming in my grip, its blade catching what little light seeped in from behind me.
At first, there was only the sound of distant water and the skittering of tiny legs. Then—
Movement.
Eight luminous threads, each tethered to a pulsing purple flame, raced toward me through the gloom.
"Spiders."
Not the small, harmless kind. These were
monsters—each the size of a dog, their carapaces glossy black their many eyes glinting like polished onyx.
My grip on Cil tightened, and the slaughter began.
The first one lunged, its body uncoiling with terrifying speed.
I moved on instincts.
My blade flashed, and the spider split cleanly down the middle, its innards splattering across the stone floor.
Then the rest came.
Hundreds.
They surged from the shadows, a living tide of chitin and venom. Their weight pressed against me, their fangs piercing my skin.
Poison burned through my veins. My vision blurred. My limbs numbed.
But the Dark Communion ignited, and the world sharpened.
Every spider I killed fuelled me. Their souls surged into my core, pushing back the poison, replacing weakness I felt with strength.
Eventually, I stood alone. The swarm was dead. And I was starving.
I crouched, grabbed one of the corpses, and bit down.
The meat was tough, bitter, laced with toxins—but beneath that, there was a strange, gamey richness. As I devoured them, green blood smeared across my face.
**Level Up!**
*Poison Resistance +5*
*Poison Resistance +5*
*Poison Resistance +5*
*Poison Resistance +5*
*Poison Resistance +5*
*+3 Origin*
[Skill Gained: Web Control]
[Skill Unlocked: Web Production] (Locked)
[Skill Unlocked: Poison Fangs] (Locked)
"I gained Origin… because I ate?"
I gorged on more flesh, but the system remained silent.
"Origin seems to be capped at 100... Interesting."
I examined my wounds—already sealed, scarless.
Another gift of Origin.
---
Further into the cavern, I noticed a strange glow. My eyes adjusted to the dimness and met a surreal sight—a lush tree wrapped in ancient webs, bathed in an eerie green luminescence.
Screeeeech!
*[Abnormal Power Level Detected]*
*[Cave Dweller Queen – Lv. 45]*
*[Power Level: 900]*
"An Arachne..." she stood tall releasing a domineering pressure. Under my gaze I noticed energy from the tree seep into her body.
"You are looking down on me."
In an instant Eight albino spiders, each the size of a horse, emerged from the shadows. Their limbs were blades, their carapaces smooth and bone-white, their eyes glowing like embers.
[Lv. 20 Cave Spider – Power Level: 400]
"This is new."
[Yes, Master. Power Scale System Activated. You can now identify stronger enemies instantly.]
[Dax – Lv. 23 | Power Level: 600]
I smirked.
"This will be fun."
They attacked in perfect sync.
Four lunged, their fangs glistening with venom.
Four burrowed, disappearing into the earth.
Air Step – 5 Mana
Wind surged to my feet. Instantly I launched upward, suspended mid-air.
Too slow.
Webs exploded from beneath me, snagging my legs. I was yanked down violently.
*Boom!*
Blood sprayed from my lips. Cough! Cough!
"They're... intelligent."
Another Air Step. I flickered from view, reappearing before the nearest spider. Then I synced my Mana Core to my Wind Element, doubling my output. In one horizontal sweep— Cil sliced through the spider like butter, severing its limbs.
"Wind Blade."
Six ethereal blades howled into being around me. Then—an idea.
"Touch."
My fingers grazed a green thread, and the blades howled, their edges sharpening into miniature tornadoes.
The cave shuddered, loose stones clattering to the ground.
"Be gone."
The wind roared like a dragon. The moment I released the spell—
**BOOOOM!**
The concussive force of the attack hurled me backward, my body slamming into the cave wall. I dug my fingers into the stone to avoid being obliterated.
*Level Up!*
*Level Up!*
When the storm settled, only devastation remained.
The Cave Dweller Queen wasn't atop the tree—she had hidden within its lush crown, trembling.
In my world, Arachne weren't beasts. They were a cosmic race, intelligent and ancient. Just like humans.
"Cree tri reja."
(Come out.)
I waited.
"Rili trala…"
Please spare me.
A soft, feminine voice echoed from the leaves .
"And why should I?"
"I'll serve you. Use me however you want..."
I stared into the darkness.
"You're worthless to me."
I raised my hand clearly bluffing. But her fear was real.
"Please!"
"Spare me, Lord..."
"Beneath this tree lies a treasure—I'll show it to you."
My eyes gleamed.
"How can I trust your words?"
Without hesitation, she slit her wrist and whispered a chant. Immediately, ominous black chains erupted from the earth, coiling around her limbs.
[The Cave Dweller Queen wishes to submit.]
[Bless her with your blood.]
Something ancient awakened inside me.
A presence burst from my soul, surging like fire beneath my skin. My body moved on its own. I stepped toward her—head bowed low, her body trembling.
Strings of Origin spun around me like celestial silk.
-1 Origin
-1 Origin
-1 Origin
-1 Origin
-1 Origin
-1 Origin
The cave quaked. I created an indentation on my thumb, blood dripped, then I walked to her and placed my thumb in her mouth.
In that moment my vision warped.
Stars... reflected in my eyes. The strange world hummed softly, and the strings of origin enveloped her, forming a cocoon that slowly sank into her flesh. This rewrote her very being.
Then everything faded and darkness consumed my sight.