— Skill: Message activated. Active Memory Fragment Recording:::
Eight eyes remained. Through all of the world falling down upon this land— it had lived. Its limbs have seen better days and what little capacity it had for thought relied on scavenging for food. It must have been a long way from its station with no hope of ever returning back there. Sweet Queen, it prayed that She survived this ordeal. Some time later, it had discovered that it suddenly felt a lot better. Its form began to shed, useless flesh transformed into tough metal and it had much deadlier pincers. Even more importantly, its limbs were restored. Glory to Her Majesty, She had leveled up in that strange space.
It decided that it should journey back to its previous station, but on the way it discovered a trampled note from the Humans — their enemy and Her most hated people to exist in this Realm. Soon, Queen, it thought as it scanned the paper. This World shall belong to You. The Caretakers and their magics shall soon see that.
The note was made of symbols it could not read, but it decided it was worth sending to the Queen. If there were invaders in this land, then the Messenger Spider determined She should know it exists and plan perfectly accordingly as She always did.
— Skill: Image Web activated. The following image is a transcript of a letter, written in the primitive, inferior language of Humans.
Gods. It was horrifying! The bloody Starfall — It came during the early rise of the Mourning Song, the third day of the week. Our party’s Gazer didn’t even pick it up! I’d shake the bastard of all his worth, but he was the least of my problems!
After the heavenly bombardment stopped its downpour — they appeared! The whole damn forest had lost its mind! I kept Koldhardt’s Tracking Skill in the back of my head. He’s always been alert, but I’m a stubborn beast. He had warned the party that even though the goblins and orcs are missing, we’ve got the remnants of the Spider Queen’s minions lurking everywhere. And lo and behold, they came! The head of a behemoth Spider Monster blotted out the sky, far above the trees. It was not just a regular weakened Monster, as stated in the reports. No, this Spider had steel fangs and vicious eyes. It was a Steel Spider Warrior!
Gods, if that wasn’t bad enough, its friends arrived with it. Dozens of Spider Warriors were mobilizing all over the place. Jaina tried to launch her most powerful spell, Starfire Lance, at it to help us get away but it did nothing! How can this be? The Spider Monsters were notoriously weak against the Fire Element! The Spider Warrior hissed and prepared to attack her, but I swore as the Tank of this party I will protect her! Before I could block its strike, something even larger smashed it into pieces. The leg of a mountain sized Arch Spider crushed it without a thought like we do to grass underfoot, with many more Spider Warriors clinging to its abdomen’s underside.
We could only hug each other in desperation, but it stepped over us and headed away. We were lucky to survive!
It wasn’t until after the ordeal I discovered reports from the other adventurer parties that they’ve encountered even more Arch Spiders on the march. Six in total. They must’ve emerged from the burrows. What were such powerful and legendary creatures doing here? As our luck would have it, the Arch Spider also ignored the other parties exploring the forest. It wasn’t like we could do anything against such high leveled creatures anyways. We lost only our supplies and our Gazer in their march.
Those Arch Spiders seemed to react to the Starfall, as if something was calling them to it. This is something the Church must know. Somewhere in here was the arrival of an unknown Dungeon with a threat level even the Guild requires cooperation with. No, the Spider Monsters could even be from a new Labyrinth.
— The Recorded Memory Fragment has ended.
Thank Geer’Sha one survived! I read over that Adventurer’s note. I supposed a level 10 Arch Spider would be too tough for a run of the mill Adventurer. I have seen their kind amidst the Human Armies invading my Realm and found them wanting. Attor and I sat in the Dungeon after the Caretakers fashioned me a new dress. I have forgotten how much they loved to dote on me. Seriously, why does everyone not take me for a threat? I pouted and fussed, but after the visit I walked out with 5 new beautiful dresses.
I then grew hungry, so I decided to try out my newly gained Tier 2 Travelers’ Feast Spell. The food was way more for just me, but satisfied Attor’s hunger and it was tasty! Despite it claiming to restore all Spellpages, it did not restore the Tier 2 or Tier 3 Spellpages. Talk about false advertising! Tch! After I shoveled all the Tier 2 food into Attor’s maw, I shuddered to think what a Tier 3 Heroes’ Feast provided. If it was for that Hero that beat me, he probably had enough food to eat before, during and after our little battle!
Still, I glanced at all the giant Spiders marching along the new halls of this Dungeon. They seemed happy and had plenty of space to roam in now! Most of them were Arch Spiders and high leveled Warriors, so any Adventurer parties entering this place would not be an issue for them. I told the Messenger Spider to leave the note alone out in the open, where a main road still survived the Spiders’ march last night. The letter was free advertising! A mysterious and dangerous dungeon full of unknown treasure! I cackled. How could any of those Humans resist! Aha!
“You speak as if you aren’t one,” Attor scoffed. “But I cannot deny your dedication to these things.”
“I don’t think I am,” I glanced at my Status. “It’s saying I am just a regular ol’ humble Witch now. So I’m not a Human! Ha!”
— Charlotte Bohun, level 13
— Class: Witch
HP: 1360/1360
Buffs: Divine Equalizer, Unstoppable, Horrifyingly Terrifying, Beautiful, Perfectly Ultimate, Ninja, Traveler’s Feast, Powerful Friends, Spider Queen, Darkness Infused Attacks, Human Killer, Goblin Destroyer, Blessing of Geer’Sha, Battle Hardened, Mental Fortitude, Extreme Conditioning, Immune to Fire, Ice, Lightning, Dark, Acid, Poison, Blood, Hidden, Evil Eye of Appraisal, Magic Infused, Human Form
“There’s nothing humble or regular about those Stats,” Attor sighed. Eh? When did I get all these buffs? My eyes scrolled through the long list. Could I get an explanation on any of them? “The Humans are used to being the strongest in this Realm and a disruption like this shall surely bring their strongest here.”
“Then that just means we must get even more stronger. All my Strength doesn’t matter if a Hero is as powerful as I am. I need an equally strong army,” I cracked my knuckles. He gave me a questioning look. “Our might must increase both on the surface and in here.”
Speaking of increasing might, the Dungeon was much more spacious now! We had five floors. The Core, the generator of all the mana flowing through this Dungeon, was guarded by the Pink Fuzzy Butt. He was a Queen, but still! It was below in the depths of this place and we were already quite deep, located somewhere on Floor 4 of the dungeon. Apparently, constructing 10 total floors will transform this Dungeon into a Labyrinth, which will allow my forces to leave this place once again. The Dungeon Core required magical energy from fallen foes, a mysterious force that was released by every entity in this Realm that died, according to Wisdom. It consumed the bodies of dead invaders for materials and left their trinkets behind.
Yet those trinkets would serve as another perfect lure for the unsuspecting Humans. I worked on my crafting Skill and left my rejected weapons all over the first floor! Who could resist such a powerful Tier 3 Rare Magical Sword? I know I couldn’t. When I tried to use it, however, my Class wouldn’t let me. I was limited to Daggers and Wands. I might as well have just hit the Spider Worker I was testing my swordsmanship on with a blade of grass.
When I inserted the Star Core into the Dungeon Core, however, a new floor opened that was adjacent to the fourth Boss’s floor which was why I was here in the first place. Familiar red mist began to make this floor stink, but thanks to the Caretakers it was purified. They did not seem to evolve into Arch Spiders or even something like Arch Caretakers, much like the Body and Messenger Spiders. It seemed that the Spider Clan had multiple types of Spiders that evolved into their own newer species.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Still, the floor had a slight problem. The Star Core brought back our old friend, the Celestial Boss Umibōzu, on a newly manifested layer next to the floor. He rudely wreaked havoc on the Worker Spiders before I shut him down again with my new replacement Crystal Wand. The adjacent floor became a training ground of sorts, to the point where the Celestial Boss could not even harm the average Spider Worker. His spare energy made a dent in the Dungeon Core’s massive energy requirement, but it was still little. It appeared in this Realm that Monsters did not feed other Monsters effectively, so therefore other sources were needed. Eventually, through some coercion, the Celestial Boss and his squishy friends were allowed to wander the Fourth Floor since they couldn’t hurt anything anyways.
The other thing, living next to the Dungeon Core’s room and Mister Pink Fuzzy Butt’s neighbor, was the goddess Geer’Sha, who went dormant inside there. I could not enter the room she took over, but I hoped she was having a nice nap! According to her Status, she was a System Fledgling Goddess. I did not really know what meant, but given her power could easily crush Mister Pink Fuzzy Butt I believed her Class: System Fledgling Goddess was gravely mistaken. Fledgling was an insult to what her Magical Attack was capable of. I couldn’t see anything else on her Status.
— Geer’Sha, level ?????
— Class: System Fledgling Goddess
Health: ???%
Her influence overloaded the Dungeon for a moment the second she entered, but a majority of the Surface and the dungeon became transformed into lush forest once again. I wondered how the Human might react to such rapid changes, but I wasn’t worried. The new Forest also was quite the maze, forcing invaders into working quite hard to get here. It was all coming together now, I grinned. It was time to check on the Fey.
Their Mountains were a great distance away from the Starfall, but I still wanted to try out my newly formed Crystal Broom using the last of the magic crystals I borrowed from the Fey! I summoned it through my Quick Slot and beheld its pure blue form. Its bristles could also sweep the floor like the old model! It is the perfect cleaning tool… for now! Thrice the speed and thrice the power! I sat on the broom and regretted it almost instantly. This thing was fast and the winds nearly tore my skin apart! Despite this, the trails left behind by the Arch Spiders were quickly covered by massive trees from Geer’Sha. Her influence was spreading despite her body remaining dormant, but its radius was cut off along a major river. There was still much more of this Forbidden Land I’ve yet to explore.
This Forest shall be mine!
I cackled, but choked on a spittle as the wind caught my breath and began to cough. My broom spiraled through the air and just barely landed at the edge of the Fey’s Mountain Cave. Thank goodness for my Reflexes Stat! I did not laugh triumphantly because I was coughing violently, but I would have if I could! As I recovered, I noticed a ghostly white figure observing me from the cave’s entrance.
“Whoa!” I hopped off the broom and tossed it in the Quick Slot. “Is that you, Blanche?”
The ghostly girl silently walked towards me, but even as she approached she looked graceful. Her new shoes did not even touch the ground, instead gliding a little bit above the dirt pathway. Blanche looked regal and must have been doing a lot of training with the Fey while I was away!
“My Queen,” she spoke, but her lips did not move. “Are you well?”
“I’m doing just— Whoa! You can speak better now!” I examined her Status.
— Blanche, level 13
— Class: Spider Queen’s Spy [Unique]
Stats
Attack: F (100/120)
Magic Attack: F (2800/2820) (Master Rank)
Defense: S (1200/1200)
Magic Defense: S (1200/1200)
Skill: Queen’s Doppelgänger [Unique] - Can transform into the Queen’s appearance.
Inherits the Magic Attack Stat of the Spider Queen’s Stats in addition to its own original Stats, which it utilizes for advanced infiltration and information gathering to serve Her. Despite having full control over its new body and powerful Healing Magic, it prefers to use the Spider Queen’s [Levitate] Skill to move around.
Does this mean that it’s me? It’s me, but stronger?! My heart sank when I saw its F Magic Attack, but that huge number next to it and Master Ranks must mean there’s an even higher rank than Prestige?
I collapsed to my knees in shock and despair, but I felt her gentle hands lift me up. Why is everyone so much better than me? By this rate, I won’t even be able to defeat one of my Spider Workers!
I supposed I wouldn’t have to worry about setting her loose in the Forest, but I wanted her to feel free to act and learn being herself! For now, she can act as yet another General in my army of fuzzy butts. She bowed as soon as I thought that. Come to think of it, the Fey must have helped Blanche out a lot. Time did not seem to move at all while I was inside that Starfall’s fog. I smiled at her.
“You must be working hard!”
“Thank you, my Queen,” Blanche smiled back, instantly making me regret my decision. How horrifying! I think I understood what that Terrifying buff was. It should be a debuff! A pink light flew out of the cave and swirled around us in a fit.
“You!” Pink yelled at me. “I’ve been waiting for your return here.”
“Nice to see you, too, Pink,” I grumbled. A jingle of annoyance bounced from the orb.
“Don’t call me that… Nevermind!” She scoffed, but directed a finger towards the entrance. Blanche and I looked over towards it. “It’s your… fuzzy butts! They keep getting bigger!”
“Well,” I shuffled my feet on the ground. “I do have to feed them, I guess.”
“I can’t hold more than five of them in here! We’re running outta room!”
“I see…”
I found myself standing in the mountain’s huge cavern, but the Arch Spiders nearly touched the ceilings. The massive pit in its center still had the beautiful architecture I saw the last time I was here, but all of them definitely did not seem to fit here. Well, I clapped and got their attention. It was time to expand the Burrows or maybe into the other mountains! The Arch Spiders and their smaller friends immediately began to file out of the Cavern. I did not really need to order those guys around since they seemed to know what they wanted in order to accommodate their own need. I only set the order for them to build what they need and remain hidden. That seemed fine enough! I stood triumphantly. The ground began to shake violently, making me lean on something for support. It was Blanche! She stood there, unblinking and unmoving.
“Anything else, Pink?” I dusted myself off. To my surprise, Blanche helped me. Another angry chime came from the Fey.
“Of course there’s one more thing!” Worry painted Pink’s face. “Because of YOUR antics, clearing out most of those goblins and bandits, there’s even more of those dirty… humans! Crawling around the forest. W-Why are you grinning!?”
“Well, they’re simply food for the Dungeon, of course!” I explained my masterful scheme. “They invade the dungeon, get eaten by the spiders, and it grows! I know, I’ll even have Blanche lure them over to its entrance! Why are you losing your pink, Pink?”
“I feel sickened by your schemes,” the Pink Fey bobbed faintly in the dimly lit cavern. “You’re much more ambitious than even the Former Mistress…”
“I fail to see how that’s my problem,” I groaned. “Are humans really that dangerous? Aside from the Hero, that is.”
“I just don’t like company!” Pink complained. “Do what you must, but keep them away from here! If you see a cutie you can form a Pact with, do it!”
“I will!” I lied, but I stopped. Blanche also looked like she was ready to go. “I will be going away soon, Pink and Blanche. My Father will come for me for the Awakening Ceremony in a few days.”
“I shall guard this sacred place in your stead, my Queen,” Blanche bowed. I nodded in approval and she vanished into the shadows. Wait, how can she do that? Before I could get distracted, the Pink Fey tugged my sleeve.
“If I were you, I would hide your strength from the Humans,” she warned me. Her eyes seemed like they were hinting something, but my own eyes widened. They would send Heroes after me if I’m too conspicuous! “Now you understand me, child.”
I decided I should fly back to the Tower, and unsurprisingly, no one showed up to check on me. Frampton had been slacking off in here, but I currently had no plans for him just yet. I questioned who the old Charlotte was before and why she deserved to be locked away in a Tower to begin with. A brat, huh? That man, my Father’s insults rang in my head. I’ll show you what this brat can do. Oh, you just—
“Is something the matter, Charlotte?” Attor interrupted my thoughts. “You’ve been staring off for quite some time, now.”
“I was just thinking about how I need a new throne,” I muttered, casting my eyes on the shattered remains of the ornate wooden chair. Attor let out a puff of ethereal smoke and before he could say anything I noticed something shifting within my shadow. An ambush? White hair started to emerge from it.
— Friendly Skill: Shadow Corridor has been activated.
“Oh, Blanche! It’s you!” I exclaimed. She was dressed in a beautiful black dress, presumably enchanted by the Fey and made by a Caretaker. She bowed, but her eyes looked like they had something urgent.
“My Queen,” She bowed, but her feet never touched the ground after she fully emerged. “I bring urgent news: Orcs have appeared at the Burrows.”
“Eh? Orcs?” I turned to Attor.
“Do you not have those in the Demon Realm?” Attor asked. “The Humans call them Pigmen and some are very powerful. Tasty, too.”
“Well, of course you’re interested in them,” I muttered. “Frampton!”
“Y-Yes, Master?” The bat fell to the floor as he sprang awake.
“Go scout the Orc Village,” I shrieked.
“Yes, Master!”
I heard a thump as his furry body slammed into the glass window that the Worker Spiders repaired and groaned. Frampton looked like he flew into it pretty hard. I turned to see Attor and Blanche looking at him with hungry eyes.
“W-Wait! Frampton?” I stopped them. Are they both food motivated? Gah! I shook him, but it was clear that he was unconscious. I made a note to myself to keep that window open next time before I order the bat around. “Ah, forget about it, let’s go to the Burrows!”
Since we still had time, it was time to clear out one last threat in the Forest. My Forest, I grinned as I summoned my broom.