Monsters from the 31st floor surged upward in massive numbers, their eyes bloodshot from hunger. Mutated Behemoths, giant goblins, and even strange creatures previously undocumented all charged madly at the hastily erected human defenses.
"Hold your ground!"
Alexander led the charge, his silver sword gleaming under the magic lamps. Warriors formed ranks, combining with mages to create a shield barrier for the front lines. Archers on watchtowers loosed arrows in rapid succession, but the enemy's numbers were overwhelming. Screams and roars blended together as the clashing of metal echoed throughout the battlefield.
A Behemoth broke through the first line of defense and charged directly into the human formation. But before it could act, a giant warrior swung his hammer down on its head, producing a thunderous crash. The Behemoth roared in rage, but before it could retaliate, a flurry of spears pierced its body, ending it completely.
Alexander stood at the very front of the line, his overwhelming strength dealing massive damage to the enemy. But even the strongest falter alone.
After countless clashes, Alexander was caught off guard and wounded—a deep gash on his left shoulder bleeding heavily.
"Your Highness!" Wal and the other warriors rushed in to assist, quickly escorting Alexander back behind the lines.
Nearby, Alden and his team coordinated with the soldiers to hold off the mutated goblins. These goblins stood twice as tall as regular men, their bodies covered in hardened horn-like armor.
They were not only strong, but also showed signs of intelligence—dodging attacks and countering with precision. Eldric unleashed a series of wind blades, slicing through some of them, but it wasn't enough to fully stop their advance.
Lyriana continuously cast spells—effective, but not fast enough to keep up with the goblins' speed alone.
"Sear, focus on healing the others first." Alden said.
Sear nodded and activated wide-area healing magic that also enhanced the combat capabilities of allies. The tide began to shift slightly, but the humans were still outnumbered as more monsters surged forward.
"If this continues, we'll be in the same situation as before." Eldric said.
"Just hold on!" Alden replied.
Even while casting healing magic, Sear silently reached out for help—hoping someone out there might respond. She wasn't sure it would work, but she had to try.
The battle dragged on. More people fell wounded with each passing minute. Cries of pain echoed, and the ground was soaked in blood. But even so, the humans fought on, refusing to give in to the terrifying foes before them.
"Sear-sama, watch out!" Borin rushed forward and pushed a monster away before it could reach Sear.
"Sear-sama, are you okay?" Lyriana also rushed to Sear's side.
"Sorry… I'm trying to contact that creature." Sear confessed.
"You… want to ask it for help?" Lyriana asked, visibly surprised.
"...Yes."
The two fell silent. Lyriana sighed, then said, "Try if you must, but don't push yourself. Your safety matters more."
"Thanks, Ly-chan."
Lyriana turned away with a blush. "I told you not to call me that."
…
I was curled up in my cocoon, quietly observing the battle outside. The monsters were swarming in large numbers, but the humans had the advantage in tactics and coordination.
Still, this wasn't my business.
Sure, those monsters looked delicious. If I wiped them all out, I'd probably gain a ton of experience. But getting involved with humans was annoying. This dungeon had no shortage of prey anyway—no need to rush.
But then… A voice echoed in my head.
"Great holy beast… please help us…!"
I paused for a moment.
That plea… where did it come from? And calling me a holy beast… I'm just a regular spider, you know.
I stayed silent, then used [Heaven Eye] to scan the battlefield.
There, I saw a girl. She was cornered by a massive monster but had someone shielding her. Still, her face was drenched in sweat, and her blue eyes were filled with desperation.
She was searching for something.
…Me?
She found me?
I was genuinely surprised. Despite the distance, she not only located me but also contacted me via telepathy?
Should I intervene?
I didn't want to get involved. I didn't want the hassle of forming complicated relationships with humans. But her eyes…
Damn it!
I burst from my cocoon, the threads shattering into fragments.
Fine.
I'll end this quickly. As long as I kill the monsters and leave right after, those people won't bother me, and I'll still get all the experience.
I dove into the battlefield without making a sound. My threads latched onto the rocky walls, letting me move swiftly through the chaos of screams and clashing steel.
Sear was just ahead. She was being cornered by a massive Steel Troll, over four meters tall with armor-like skin. It raised a giant arm and swung it down toward her.
Others were rushing to help, but… she wouldn't make it in time.
I coiled my legs and sprang forward. My thread latched onto the ceiling, letting me swing down. Just a few meters from the ground, I struck.
Slash!
My bladed leg sliced through the troll's neck like cutting paper. The monster froze, eyes wide, then collapsed with a thunderous crash.
The battlefield fell silent for a moment.
Heh.
The great hero of your people has arrived.
Sear stared at me, her lips parting as if to say something. I stared back but said nothing. I simply shook my head and turned away.
Since I've gotten involved, I might as well take all the experience for myself.
I continued moving, killing monsters as I went. They were strong, sure—but not a threat to me.
Let's go!
I restrained enemies with my silk, then finished them with my sharp leg. When surrounded, I activated [Dark God Gaze] to freeze them before finishing them off.
Too easy.
Looks like that's all of them.
I leaped through the battlefield, slaying more than a hundred monsters.
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Three level-ups, but only two skill upgrades.
It's getting harder and harder.
I sighed. Well, at least it brought me closer to my next evolution. I'm growing fast, but I still need more power to face the deeper floor bosses.
Time to leave before the humans try to talk to me again.
"Wait!"
Knew it. But I'm not stopping this time.
I kept walking, ready to leave the 30th floor.
"I am Alexander Griant Lubberia. Thank you for saving us."
So it was the prince. Still, words of gratitude don't mean much. But since I don't want anything from them either, I'll let it go.
I left and headed for the 31st floor.
I'm curious why the deep-floor monsters are suddenly attacking upward, so I need to descend quickly. But first, there's Meradis's matter on the 40th floor.
Almost there…
Suddenly, I felt a bit uneasy.
…
The sudden end to the battle left everyone stunned. The creature vanished without a trace.
"What's our casualty count?" Alexander asked.
"Thankfully, no deaths. We were lucky it ended quickly…" Wal replied, though his tone lacked any joy.
"Survival is enough. Don't think about anything else for now. Begin cleanup."
"Yes!"
Everyone resumed work—cleaning the battlefield and tending to the wounded.
Alexander returned to his camp, still dwelling on the moment earlier. He felt like the creature was deliberately avoiding contact with humans.
"Is there a reason…?" He wondered.
A short while later, the adventurers and others gathered to discuss the next step.
"Your Highness, while everyone's injuries are under control, most homes have been destroyed and our defenses are severely damaged," Wal reported.
"I'll write for reinforcements. But we must discover the cause behind these sudden attacks to properly prepare. We were lucky this time—next time, who knows?"
Everyone nodded.
"Someone needs to go deeper and investigate."
It was a reasonable proposal, but no one volunteered. The risk of not returning was simply too high.
Sear, sitting beside Lyriana, tugged on her friend's sleeve. "I want to go."
"What?!" Lyriana looked at her in shock.
"I believe that creature can communicate. It responded to my plea. Besides, it's already gone ahead. If we follow behind it, we'll be safer."
Lyriana stared at Sear, eyes filled with suspicion: "You're not hiding it from me, are you? You just want to befriend it, don't you?"
Sear's face turned slightly red. As expected, her intentions had been seen through.
"Sigh... You're always like this, but the excuse you made up isn't entirely unreasonable. Let me try convincing them." Lyriana said, then turned to talk to Alden. After all, he was the group leader, so it was still his decision to make.
Alden ignored the true reason and instead considered Sear's proposal. He found it reasonable, but it was still a matter of risking the entire group's lives, so they needed another discussion.
After the meeting ended, they returned to their camp to talk more about it.
"I object!" Eldric was the first to speak.
"Eldric, are you scared?" Lyriana teased.
"Scared of what! Our mission is already complete, there's no need to take any more risks."
"The reward will be much higher than the delivery job, you know." Lyriana unleashed her strongest attack.
"Let's go!"
Eldric's attitude changed instantly, but no one was surprised. With Eldric's agreement, convincing the others was much easier.
Borin would follow the group anywhere, Lyriana simply indulged her friend, and Alden agreed because he wanted to grow stronger. With everyone in agreement, they went to inform Alexander.
"Are you all certain about this?" Alexander asked again.
Everyone nodded firmly.
"Very well, then. Be careful."
The five-person team quickly departed, aiming to catch up with that creature. If it got too far ahead, it would be harder to follow.
…
After leaving the 30th floor, my pace slowed down a little because I occasionally stumbled upon monsters from the lower floors rampaging in this area, and I took care of them on the spot—along with the native monsters.
After all, it's all experience, so why bother distinguishing them?
Because of that, instead of heading straight to floor 35, I got sidetracked and ended up spending more than a day on floor 31 before moving on to 32.
I think I should pick up the pace a bit.
…
"The tracks are still fresh."
Alden knelt down and touched a large crack on the ground. The marks looked familiar—sharp blade-like cuts and monster corpses shredded into pieces.
"That creature definitely passed through here." Sear spoke up, her eyes lighting up a little.
The group quickly advanced, following the obvious trail left behind by the spider.
Floor 31 was already dangerous, but what worried everyone more was the fact that monsters from deeper layers had surfaced—beasts that were never meant to appear here: Lizard Riders, Lost Souls, Emaciated Behemoths, all showing up abnormally.
Something down below must have triggered this chaos.
But no matter how many monsters surged upward, they had all been slaughtered thoroughly. Sear's group passed through scattered battlefields where powerful creatures had been completely dealt with.
Corpses sliced into pieces, deep gashes everywhere, and ghostly white spider silk blanketing everything like a grotesque signature.
"I think… it's much stronger than we originally thought." Lyriana said, her voice slightly dry.
"Absolutely!" Alden nodded. "It killed all these monsters alone without even leaving signs of a prolonged fight. It did all this like taking a stroll."
A heavy silence fell over the group.
"Let's keep moving." Eldric cut in. "We have to catch up before it goes too deep."
…
This is starting to take too much time.
I didn't expect to stay on floor 31 this long. At first, I just planned to go straight down, but all these monsters kept irritating me. They weren't supposed to be here, and yet they came flooding up like something was driving them away.
The result was I spent over a day cleaning them up.
Hmm… a whole day?
I activated Heaven Eye and scanned floor 31. No more monsters in sight… but there were humans.
Five of them...
It's that girl's group.
I raised an eyebrow slightly. Are they just continuing their exploration, or is there another reason...?
I kept observing them for a while.
They were analyzing the marks I left on the battlefield as they moved forward.
Are they… trying to find me? Why are they looking for me again??
Are they seeking an alliance? Or just plain curiosity?
If they don't cause me trouble, then I won't bother with them.
I left floor 31 and stepped into floor 32, a dark area with winding paths like a labyrinth. The atmosphere here was heavier, as if something was hiding in the shadows, waiting to ambush prey.
I climbed up a tall wall and scanned the area.
There were quite a few tasty targets here too, but this time, I wouldn't clean them all up. If those humans were trying to find me, let's see how persistent they are.
I sped up again, still defeating powerful monsters along the way to gain experience, but I didn't wipe out everything. Consider it a little challenge for them.
Suddenly, I felt like I had too much free time.
…
"Another battlefield," Alden muttered as he knelt down, touching a monster corpse that had been dealt with not long ago. Sharp, clean cuts—no signs of extended battle.
"It passed through here recently."
Sear examined the surroundings closely. She felt more intrigued than worried. The creature was strong, but this time, it didn't wipe everything out like before. Some monsters were left behind, almost as if on purpose.
"Is it testing us?" Lyriana asked.
"Could be…" Eldric shrugged. "If it really wanted to leave us behind, it wouldn't be so sloppy with the trail."
"I think… it's just bored." Sear chuckled softly.
The group continued. The traces the spider left were still clear, but traveling wasn't easy. The remaining powerful monsters cost them a lot of time to get through.
Even so, day after day, they persisted.
…
Three days.
They still haven't given up.
I purposely avoided moving in a straight path to throw off pursuers, yet these people still kept tailing me relentlessly.
Should I stop and ask them what they want? But I don't want to talk to humans.
So annoying…!!
Well, they haven't done anything harmful to me. If they're this determined, let's see how long they can keep it up.
I continued downward, entering floor 34.
The air here was completely different from the previous levels. Thick fog blanketed the entire area, creating a damp, cold, and uncomfortable atmosphere. The monsters here preferred ambush tactics—lurking in the mist and striking when the prey let its guard down.
I could easily dodge such attacks, but what about the humans following me? If they managed to reach this place, they'd be in serious trouble.
I climbed onto a high rock and scanned the surroundings.
Nothing too special here. Just the same old thing.
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Finally leveled up, but not a single skill improved?
Are you kidding me?!
I continued forward when a small sound came from behind.
I turned around. They had arrived.
Pretty fast, I'll give them that...
…
The group of adventurers was panting heavily. This long journey had truly drained them. Chasing the creature while constantly fighting monsters on the way had been no easy feat.
"We finally caught up..." Sear whispered.
Not far ahead, the white spider stood on a boulder, its glowing red eyes staring down at them.
A few seconds of silence passed.
"What do we do now?" Borin asked quietly.
"Let's try negotiating." Alden took a deep breath and stepped forward. "You can understand me, can't you?"
No response.
Sear looked at the white spider, eyes filled with curiosity. She slowly stepped forward and raised her hands to show she had no intention of attacking.
"We mean no harm." She said. "We just want to travel together."
Silence…
The spider made no move.
"The lower floors are more dangerous than we expected." Alden continued. "If we travel together, at least we can support each other."
This time, the spider shifted slightly.
A sign?
Sear held her breath. She felt like it was thinking—like it disliked the idea but wasn't completely rejecting it either. Soon after, a voice echoed in her mind—cold, yet carrying a hint of reluctance.
"Do as you like."
The voice wasn't only in Sear's head. Everyone else heard it too. They looked at each other, surprise flashing in their eyes.
"Telepathy?" Lyriana whispered.
Whatever the case, they had succeeded. The spider had accepted them as temporary companions.
Sear smiled.
…
This is awkward, but don't come crying to me if something happens. I'm not your babysitter!
I turned away. There's nothing much on floor 34, so I'll head straight to 35.
Hopefully, something more interesting awaits.