Chapter 12 - Chapter 12: Evolution and Level Up

Chapter 12: Evolution and Level Up

Screams of agony echoed through the labyrinth. Shirazawa and Shiro were like Shura descended to the world, ruthlessly slaughtering the powerful monster before them. They possessed an unyielding resolve to win.

To survive. To grow stronger.

They were determined to hold their destinies in their own hands.

*Thud!*

Finally, through their combined efforts, the Basilisk slumped to the ground, completely devoid of life.

"Ha—!"

"Even the weak can defeat the strong, see that?!"

"Haha! Shirazawa, we won!"

Shiro excitedly kicked the Basilisk's corpse, stomping on it as a form of release, completely forgetting the moments she spent struggling on the brink of death just minutes ago.

"Yeah, we won. And we'll keep on winning."

Shirazawa stood at a distance watching the jubilant little spider, his heart filled with emotion.

[Experience threshold reached. Level increased to Lv10.]

[Proficiency reached. Skills increased to: , , , .]

[Condition met. has derived the skill .]

[Skill points distributed...]

[Individual: Small Lesser Taratect. Conditions met. Evolution possible.]

[Please select from the following options:]

[Lesser Taratect / Small Taratect]

A flood of system notifications rang out, finally presenting the evolution interface before them.

"Shirazawa, which evolution path should we choose?" Shiro turned to ask.

Shirazawa pondered for a moment before speaking slowly.

"The former increases the level cap so you can sprint toward Lv11, but the species remains a 'Lesser' spider—it lacks potential. The latter increases the species rank; although our level resets to 1, we keep our abilities and stats. It's definitely the path to becoming invincible in the long run."

"Hmm..." Shiro thought about it and agreed with his logic.

Furthermore, the first option would increase their physical size. For two spiders who relied on speed and agility, a larger body would only be a hindrance. They both chose the latter: Small Taratect.

After deciding, Shirazawa knew that every evolution was followed by a period of forced hibernation. He didn't intend to evolve immediately; he wanted to stand guard while Shiro evolved first.

However, to his surprise, a wave of dizziness suddenly assaulted his brain.

*How... I haven't even clicked 'confirm' yet...*

*Thud, thud...*

Shirazawa's legs gave out, and he collapsed. Both of them fell beside the Basilisk's corpse and drifted into a deep sleep.

Shirazawa dreamed many dreams. Strange fragments of his past life—his parents, his sister—flickered through his mind like film frames. He saw jumbled text and even caught a glimpse of a stunningly beautiful woman smiling at him sinisterly.

After an unknown amount of time, Shirazawa's eyes snapped open.

He was greeted by unfamiliar bed curtains—or rather, a spiderweb.

"Are you awake?"

Shiro had woken up before him and was leaning over the edge of the web, staring at him. Seeing him open his eyes, she beamed, revealing a radiant smile.

Shirazawa froze for a moment.

*Spiders are actually pretty terrifying when they smile...*

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Shiro leaned in closer.

"Were you just thinking about something rude?" she whispered threateningly, narrowing her eyes.

Shirazawa jumped and waved his legs frantically. "No! You're overthinking it."

Shiro arched an "eyebrow." "Oh? Is that so?"

Seeing her drop the subject, Shirazawa breathed a sigh of relief. *Is this a woman's sixth sense? Terrifying.* He immediately used Appraisal on himself to see the results of the evolution.

[Monster]: Small Taratect

[Level]: Lv1

[Status]

HP: 36 / 36

MP: 36 / 36

SP: 36 / 36 (36 / 36)

[Ability]: Weak

"No way... why so weak?!" Shirazawa wailed, finding it hard to accept the reality. Even though he knew he'd eventually become a god, this "pitiful" start was hard to stomach.

"Shirazawa-kun, don't be discouraged."

Shiro reached out and patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Even if we're this weak, didn't we just beat that thing?"

She blinked and gave the dead snake a little kick, her face full of encouragement.

"Ugh... I'm actually being comforted by Shiro-chan... what has the world come to?"

Shirazawa was caught between tears and laughter. He was supposed to be the one saving her, yet here he was, being cheered up by his "damsel in distress."

*No, no, I have to pull myself together.*

"Mm-hm!" Shiro nodded heavily. "We're close partners. If you're having a hard time, of course I'll help you!"

Shirazawa froze. He felt like he was being successfully "charmed." Her charisma was truly off the charts.

"Alright, alright. I was just venting. I'm fine."

He took a deep breath, calmed the ripples in his heart, and returned to his usual cool-headed state.

"Oh, right."

Shirazawa remembered he could learn new skills post-evolution. He eagerly opened the skill menu. Two options were available:

[ / ]

Without hesitation, he clicked both.

[Obtained Skills: , .]

was a game-changer. It meant he could control his silk at will—have you ever seen spider silk that can turn corners? Later, he could even imbue the silk with poison. It was a god-tier skill that stayed relevant into the late game.

As for ... well, it was currently useless. Without the soul protection, his brain couldn't handle the massive influx of information. He decided to seal it for now.

However, he apparently forgot to mention this to Shiro.

"AHHHHH!!"

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts...!!"

By the time he turned around, a white spider was clutching her head and rolling on the ground. Clearly, she had just suffered the side effects of .

Fortunately, the skill was only Level 1, so the data stream wasn't fatal. Otherwise, with her current soul strength, she might have mentally collapsed. After a long while, Shiro finally endured the agony and lifted her head.

"Are you okay?" Shirazawa asked worriedly.

Shiro shook her head, looking like a survivor of a natural disaster.

When he finally explained the drawbacks of , all he got back was a look of pure resentment from her.

"Why didn't you tell me something that important sooner?!"

"Dammit!" Shiro glared at him, gritting her teeth.

"Er... you didn't ask me..." Shirazawa shrugged helplessly. *Curiosity killed the cat.*

Shiro: "..."

She literally had no comeback.

*Gurgle—*

A sound came from her stomach. Shiro rubbed her belly, looking embarrassed. Her SP was in the red; if she didn't eat, she'd starve. Luckily, there was a ten-meter-long snake nearby—barely enough for a full meal.

The two stopped bickering and entered "Glutton Mode."

Well, the snake meat still tasted like garbage—specifically, like chewing on a rubber tire—but it was much better than the sour, bitter frog meat.

Eventually, they were about 80% full, but they felt like their stomachs could never truly be satisfied.

"Shirazawa, I'm still hungry..." Shiro sighed, rubbing her belly. It felt like her stomach capacity had increased after evolving.

"Let's go. I'll take you to find more food."

"Heck yeah—!"