With a burst of speed, the white spider vanished from view—her body slicing through the air like a ghostly arc of light.
Using her silk glands, she fired threads that wove into a web mid-air, casting it over a lizard-like monster that had been gearing up to attack Nagami.
This creature resembled a meter-long gray lizard, highly venomous—far more toxic than Shiraori was at the moment.
But once she evolved again, she'd surpass it easily.
It was adept at earth magic.
On its own, it wasn't a threat to either Nagami or Shiraori.
The real problem? They were pack hunters.
There was no way Shiraori's web could trap all of them.
As expected, a few slipped through the net, their rancid breath carrying a foul stench as they charged.
Nagami lowered his body slightly, his blade gleaming coldly at his side as he took a draw stance.
"Breath of Thunder, First Form—Thunderclap and Flash!"
Yep. Things had gone off the rails.
He was clearly infected by Shiraori's theatrical antics.
Normally, no way he'd do something this cringe-worthy.
Of course, it wasn't real "Breath of Thunder." Just a similar draw technique.
Nagami had never formally trained in swordsmanship—but in this world, they had systems.
With enough skill points, you didn't need a master to train you.
You might not reach legendary swordmaster status, but basic techniques? Easy enough to master.
His body was now coated in a subtle aura of MA energy, even extending to the blade.
He activated Body Reinforcement, Enhanced Senses, and Accelerated Thinking.
No point hoarding skill points like some stingy old dragon—especially when handpicked combat buffs like these made a real difference.
Always a good habit to buff before battle.
As one of the lizards swung its claws at him, a faint screech echoed.
A cold slash of light flickered—and before it even registered pain, the lizard's right arm flew into the air, severed cleanly at the joint.
Nagami dodged another charging lizard, slicing its chest with a deep, bone-cutting wound.
The moment pain kicked in, the creature shrieked and lunged at his head, its tail whipping around to bind him.
But with his dual-soul boost and Accelerated Thinking, Nagami was razor-focused.
Reinforced muscles combined with sword skills made the blade feel like an extension of himself.
The MA energy wrapped around the sword shimmered faintly.
Without even looking, Nagami slashed backward—an elegant half-moon arc flashing through the air and severing the attacking tail.
At that exact moment, C.C. raised her soft white hand, palm slowly pressing forward.
A red magic circle formed in front of it.
"Fireball!"
One of the most basic skills—Nagami didn't even need to spend skill points for C.C. to learn it.
With her Alpha Stigma, once she'd seen a monster use it, she could mimic it on the spot.
No chanting necessary.
Flames burst from her palm, empowered by MA energy.
Thanks to her Accuracy skill, it nailed one of the charging lizards directly.
Red birds shot from her eyes, and in a blink, five of the lizards' eyes turned red under her control.
Even C.C. looked slightly drained after that one.
She frowned as the possessed lizards turned and began tearing into their own kind.
"Shiraori, this is way too many! How about we nigeruda yo—you know, run for it?"
"Easier said than done! How do we break out of this surround, huh?"
Shiraori kept spinning webs to trap as many lizards as possible.
Of course she wanted to bail—she'd just reached Level 10. She was ready to evolve!
She could escape easily on her own with her Swiftfoot skill, but… what about Nagami?
"Ugh." Nagami clicked his tongue.
It wasn't just the sheer number of enemies—his stamina was running low too.
He rolled out of the way of a glob of venom and narrowed his eyes.
Standing apart from the others was a larger lizard—clearly the leader.
It was nearly twice the size of the others, with different-colored eyes. A mini-boss, maybe?
"Shiraori, get me close to that one. If I can use Geass to control it, we can break through!"
"Got it!"
Shiraori's battle instincts were sharp.
As soon as Nagami marked the target, she understood his plan.
She zipped through the air like a pale phantom.
Her silk shot out and wrapped around Nagami and C.C.'s waists, lifting them into the air.
"You two are heavy! Nagami, maybe cut back on snacks, hmm?"
She teased effortlessly while flinging them toward the mini-boss lizard.
"Pretty sure either one of us weighs less than you, individually," Nagami shot back.
He kicked a lunging lizard mid-air and landed neatly. As the mini-boss roared, Nagami smiled—and his eyes glowed crimson.
A clear, birdlike chirp echoed.
The mini-boss's expression shifted instantly—from bloodthirsty monster to a loyal puppy hoping for its master's praise.
"Alright—mission complete!"
Shiraori released the silk, and the two landed securely on either side of the now-controlled mini-boss.
She stuck her little tongue out, winked with her big pink eyes, and gave a double thumbs-up with her front legs.
Now riding the controlled lizard, Nagami and C.C. lobbed a few more fireballs at the pursuers while Shiraori zipped effortlessly ahead.
"Shiraori, take the lead, I've got no clue where we are"
"No prob—leave it to me!"
With her cheerful voice ringing out, the white spider sped up, just a little faster than the boss lizard.
"NIGERUDA YO~!"
———————————————————————
Some time later, deep within the dark maze, C.C. stood cautiously scanning her surroundings.
Once she was sure they'd lost their lizard pursuers, she relaxed and smiled.
"Nagami, looks like they really didn't follow us this time."
Nagami glanced back just in time to see a white blur zip up behind them—Shiraori had taken on the scouting job, thanks to her absurd agility.
"Good. Then it's time."
With a swift motion, Nagami slashed at the mini-boss's neck.
A flash of light, and its head tumbled to the floor.
He'd been holding that in.
Having his Geass used like some twisted love spell on a monster? Disgusting.
"Let's go home. You're ready to evolve, right?"
He flicked the blood from his blade and looked at Shiraori, who was visibly buzzing with excitement.
With her cute face mode activated, she looked especially adorable.
"Yup yup! Time to evolve!"
Her tiny head bobbed enthusiastically, front legs flailing in excitement.
Laughing and chatting, the two humans and one spider made their way carefully back to Shiraori's cozy little den.