Monsters in the Dungeon rarely leave behind any drops.
That's because no matter what kind of monster it is, once it's defeated, its entire body turns to ash and vanishes—likely absorbed back by the Dungeon as energy to respawn more creatures later.
In short, after a monster is slain, aside from a few Magic Stones, nothing remains.
So any item dropped by a monster is both incredibly rare and precious.
But the spider that Alice's puppet army just took out in the blink of an eye was a bit different. Spinning webs is in a spider's nature.
Even monsters born in the Dungeon keep that instinct.
After all, spider silk makes for an excellent trapping tool—sturdy and sticky, perfect for immobilizing prey.
Earlier, two spiders had been clinging to the ceiling.
So when Alice glanced upward, she spotted a massive web hanging overhead.
"Hourai, Wind Blades, please," Alice instructed Hourai.
Following her command, Hourai directed her magic corps to shoot volleys of wind blades at the sticky threads clinging to the walls.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—over a dozen blades sliced through the tough silk.
Finally, the giant web drifted loose and fluttered down toward Alice.
"Wood Sign: Petty Cyclone." Alice crushed a green crystal card in her hand.
Then, in that chamber where the air hung thick and still, a gentle gust arose, blowing toward the slowly drifting web.
If Alice had stood still, the web would've landed right on her.
But now, guided by the breeze, the large net of silk gathered into a loose ball.
Spiderwebs are naturally adhesive, so Alice took extra care not to let the clumped-up silk touch her clothes.
If it stuck to her outfit, cleaning it off would've been a real hassle.
With a casual wave, she stored the webbed mass into her Gap.
"Having a Gap sure is convenient. At least I don't have to carry around a 'soccer ball' everywhere," Alice remarked with satisfaction.
Spider silk was actually pretty fantastic—strong, flexible, sticky, and elastic.
Especially the silk spun by Dungeon spiders. Its quality was outstanding. With a bit of processing, it would make the perfect thread for stitching her puppets together.
The only downside was… well, it was still spider silk. One touch of fire, and poof—gone.
So for now, Alice could only use it as suture material for her dolls. Weaving clothes out of it was out of the question.
Besides, this was only the fourth floor. There were plenty more levels below. Surely better materials awaited deeper down.
And since her method of crafting puppets was completely different from forging weapons…
Well, adventurers and blacksmiths in Orario probably preferred ores and metals over sewing materials like spider silk.
But for Alice, that was actually great news.
She needed mineral resources too, of course, but not nearly as much as textiles and thread.
And sewing materials didn't seem very popular in the Dungeon.
Which, from Alice's perspective, made the Dungeon a treasure trove just overflowing with resources.
Spider silk was definitely a good find. Pleased with her new material, Alice was in high spirits.
She even found herself wanting more.
So she cheerfully continued wandering through the fourth-floor labyrinth. She passed many rooms along the way, and almost every one had two or three spider monsters lying in ambush.
…All of which were promptly dealt with by her miniature army.
Within an hour, Alice had collected over ten balled-up webs, each about the size of a soccer ball.
Even though the webs woven by Dungeon spiders were large, spider silk was still light and fine. Some webs weren't that big to begin with, and after being rolled up, they were barely larger than tennis balls.
So Alice really had gathered quite a haul. She'd also collected a good number of magic stones—probably worth a fair amount of cash.
But thread alone wasn't enough.
She still needed things like monster leather, furs, and other materials.
The problem was, Dungeon monsters disappeared when slain. Drops like those were exceedingly rare.
Even if they didn't vanish, Alice had no desire to take apart a spider herself.
"Guess it's time to head deeper. Besides, I've mostly figured out this floor's layout. I shouldn't get lost on the way back."
Alice retraced her steps mentally, sketching a rough map of the Dungeon's maze in her mind.
She'd heard from Tione that the Dungeon's layout could shift, but the changes were usually minor.
If she memorized all the routes, even if the Dungeon altered slightly, she shouldn't have to worry too much about losing her way.
So Alice headed straight for the entrance to the fifth floor.
Although she'd mentally prepared herself to run into other people in the Dungeon, she was surprised that she hadn't encountered a single soul on the fourth floor.
Every being she'd met so far had been a monster.
And that made Alice very happy.
Not having to deal with people was just… comfortable.
But…
That comfort vanished the moment she stepped into the fifth floor.
There, a little girl carrying a huge backpack was running head-down straight toward her. Chasing after her were three rough-looking adventurers.
The men looked battered, covered in small cuts and bruises.
Alice didn't know what was going on, but one thing was clear: this wasn't her business. Staying out of it was definitely the right move.
So as the girl charged in her direction, Alice shifted slightly to the side, ready to let her pass.
But the moment the fleeing girl saw Alice, her eyes lit up.
She pulled out a small pouch and a dagger from inside her clothes.
"Big sis! I swiped these stuff from those idiots! You take this—let's split up and meet at the usual spot after we shake 'em off!"
With that, the girl tossed both the pouch and the dagger toward Alice.
Alice froze, completely caught off guard.
Then the little girl dashed past her toward the fourth floor and disappeared.
The three adventurers who'd been chasing her immediately surrounded Alice.
Staring at the three large, muscular men, Alice grew nervous.
A single thought crossed her mind:
'Did I just get set up?'
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