Chapter 17: The Monkey Army, Leveling Frenzy
Shiro's heart skipped a beat, and an inexplicable chill ran down her spine, as if something terrible was about to happen.[Proficiency reached.
"Could you please not give me notifications like that at a time like this..." Shiro's lip twitched, her face darkening. She swallowed hard. "Um, Sh-Shirazawa, is there something... special about this monster?"
"Nothing special, except... it has one very particular ability," Shirazawa said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Before an **Anogratch** dies, it lets out a mournful cry to transmit the news of its death to the troop and leaves a mark on you."
"This species doesn't have many skills, but they are incredibly stubborn. Once you're marked, they will hunt you to the ends of the earth, exhausting everything they have to kill you. It's a fight to the death."
"There are probably around ten thousand of them in the Elroe Labyrinth," Shirazawa sighed. "Unless we wipe out the whole species... well, you get the idea."
Shiro: (⊙o⊙)?
She blinked a few times, finally realizing Shirazawa was being dead serious. "...Then we better run, fast!" Without another word, she grabbed Shirazawa and prepared to bolt.
"Wait." Shirazawa reached out and stopped her, grinning. "As the saying goes, 'with great risk comes great reward.' Maybe this massive wave of XP packs can propel us to an extremely high level?"
Shiro rolled her eyes. "Are you crazy?"
"How am I crazy?" Shirazawa shrugged. "Don't you want to get stronger?"
Shiro was momentarily speechless. It was true; they had struggled in the Elroe Labyrinth for so long precisely to become powerful enough to escape this nightmare.
"You have a plan?" Shiro asked suspiciously.
Shirazawa bared his teeth in a smile. "We are monsters with human minds—vile 'outlanders.' Why do we have to fight fair and square?"
Shiro froze. That's right. They could win through strategy. They weren't stupid, so why headbutt a wall?
Shirazawa's smile grew even wider. "Besides, we're spiders! Setting traps is our innate talent, right Shiro-chan~?"
"Hehe... I see, I see... hehehe..."
"Hmph hmph hmph... Gahahaha!"
Inside the cave, their sinister, eerie laughter echoed. The sound grew more reckless and wild, eventually turning into hearty, triumphant roars.
*Rumble!*
The sound of footsteps drew closer. Pairs of eerie, glowing eyes flickered with bloodthirsty malice in the dim cavern, a truly hair-raising sight.
"They're here!" Shirazawa stood up excitedly and looked at Shiro. "Act according to plan."
"Mm-hm!" Shiro nodded obediently, staring seriously at the end of the stone corridor.
They hadn't chosen an open area for the fight. This narrow, elongated space was actually easier to manage. Even if there were ten thousand of them, they would have to come one by one—just like a classic "save the grandpa" conga line where they die one after the other.
Soon, the silhouettes of the Anogratch began to emerge in their field of vision. The two remained unnervingly calm, waiting for the prey to enter the snare. They had prepared countless traps and mechanisms; once the monkeys fell in, there would be no escape. Shirazawa and Shiro were already imagining their enemies' tragic fate, however...
The monkeys bypassed every single trap!!!
The two spiders stared with all sixteen eyes wide open, looking as if they'd been struck by lightning. *Crap! This isn't scientific at all!!!*
Tons of boulders suddenly fell from the ceiling, crashing toward the monkey army. But the three massive, white-furred monkeys leading the pack dodged them with ease. One white monkey even caught a falling boulder and hurled it forward, smashing the other traps laid out in the tunnel.
"..."
A heavy silence fell. Shiro's expression was stiff as she looked at Shirazawa beside her, asking weakly, "I feel like my human intelligence has just been insulted. What do we do?"
Shirazawa shook his head, his eyes solemn but devoid of panic. "All fear stems from a lack of firepower. This time, our firepower is definitely enough."
"Those three are the evolved form, the Bagragratch. They have decent intelligence, so basic traps won't work on them. To catch the bandits, catch the leader first—kill those three!" Shirazawa took a deep breath and made the call.
"I'm with you," Shiro nodded.
The two vanished from their hiding spots simultaneously, launching a pincer attack from the left and right on the three Bagragratch. The monkeys' attack style was simple and brutal; they swung their fists like normal apes, trying to crush their targets' heads.
Shiro dodged and weaved, taking the opportunity to sling her webbing. She entangled one Bagragratch and yanked hard, instantly subduing it. On the other side, Shirazawa subdued another at almost the same time and took a moment to pour a massive dose of venom into its mouth.
*Drink up, big brother, it's time for your medicine.*
The two locked eyes—no words were needed. In perfect sync, they lunged toward the final Bagragratch.
"ROAR—!" The Bagragratch bellowed in fury, swinging its arm to swat them. But the blow didn't even graze them; they evaded with feline agility. Immediately after, a thin thread wrapped around the monkey's waist, constricting and pinning it firmly in place.
"And away you go!"
A thick globule of violet-black venom erupted, landing squarely in the Bagragratch's mouth.
"Hooo-wugh-wugh~"
The Bagragratch howled in pain, its body convulsing violently. Soon, it fell silent.
"Mission accomplished. Retiring!" The two quickly pulled back from the front line.
[Experience points have reached the threshold. Individual: Small Taratect, Lv7→Lv8.]
[Basic stats increased.]
[Proficiency reached.
[Proficiency reached. Obtained skills:
"Yahoo~!"
As the pleasant notification rang out, the two shared a victorious high-five.
"Let's keep going!" Shirazawa said with a grin.
"You got it~!" Without their leaders to direct them, the remaining monkey army began a chaotic, suicidal charge. Their eyes were fixed only on Shiro, their sworn enemy. They had no time to notice their surroundings as they sprinted deeper into the cave, desperate to tear her apart and eat her.
However, in the eyes of Shirazawa and Shiro, these guys were nothing more than XP packs delivered to their doorstep.
Inside the cavern:
Massive boulders continued to drop, crushing monkey after monkey. Spiked pits on the floor gave them a "deadly foot massage." Hair-thin
"Awoo~!" Shiro hopped around happily. This kind of battle was amazing! Her heart was filled with adrenaline and excitement. This was a feeling she had never experienced since reincarnating as a spider—it was like having a cheat code. It felt incredible.
Before long, their experience threshold was reached once again.
[Experience points have reached the threshold. Individual: Small Taratect, Lv8→Lv9.]
[Basic stats increased.]
[Proficiency reached.
[...]
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LanLi: Mortals, rejoice! For this Great Love Immortal Venerable has bestowed upon you a bonus chapter.
Your efforts were commendable and thus I shall waive the Spirit Stone fees of the sect membership by half. (50% discounts on my patreon *dogeza*)