As I walked to the entrance, the wave of spiders surrounding the entire cavern watched me. The sea of fuzzy butts covered not only the grounds, but they gathered on the walls and the ceiling. It reminded me of when I first did a Royal Procession, with the weakest demons cheering me on in the midst of the huge Siege demons and the flying demons in the sky blowing horns. These spiders would make great minions, I thought. They’re even slightly cuter than the Demon underlings too… If I didn’t look at them for too long.
The trio of star patterned furry Spiders that awaited me were more thin and lithe than the Warriors. Their limbs were much longer than the weavers, with hooks on the edges of them. I checked the first one and my legs felt weak for even doing so.
— Spider Caretaker, level 50
— Class: Spider Mage
Female Assistants to the Queen Spider. They tend to her daily needs and heal her wounds.
HP: 2000/2000
Mana: 6666/6666
Stamina: 100%
Forget my Father, I felt my face pale as I closed the window. these creatures were on a whole new scale of strength. I should be the one tending to them! Not that I would tell them. Hi, hello, excuse me, I ducked by the trio and slipped into the tunnel but they followed me in.
“Where are we headed?” I asked them. The middle Caretaker bowed, her voice was a low tone, but comforting. She definitely beat that old hag at Father's place!
“Your Treasure awaits you, My Queen,” she said. The way that address hit me was definitely not good for my ego! Demons loved that power and I was sure humans did too! Treasure? Come to think about it, I pressed on. After defeating a Boss in the Demon Lands treasure usually awaited me at the end of the dungeon or Labyrinth section. This place was the most similar to a Dungeon to me. The chamber opened up into a musty cloud of dust puffing in my face. A light was shining down in the middle of the room. Moonlight? An opening? I realized wherever I was in the Burrows took a hit from something above the surface, because the sky was visible in multiple spots in this chamber.
Gah! Do we have any Spider Janitors that can fix this place up?
A familiar feeling crept along my skin, far more sinister than the spiderweb strings tickling my skin. The Caretaker’s prickly leg pointed to the treasure awaiting me. This oppressive aura! Could it be? I ran over to the source, tripping over whatever mud and sludge. A perfectly round black gem sat in the middle of sparkling dust on an altar. Did they build this whole place surrounding this thing themselves?
“No way…” My hand trembled as I felt the Stone. “It’s my Dark Stone!”
The Dark Stone reacted to my touch, and immediately shot into my chest as if an unknown force hurled it at me. I gasped and collapsed on my knees. Oh no! I forgot this happens!
— Wisdom’s Intervention activated. Dark Stone [Origin] obtained. Updating Status.
My vision blackened for a moment and suddenly the world vanished. I could only see the Dark Stone resting on the altar before me. This truly was my Dark Stone! How did this get here? In order to become the Demon Lord, one must defeat the Primordial Demons and then the current Demon Lord. When a Primordial was defeated, they dropped their essence in a hardened stone of pure condensed energy which would enter one’s soul in its own way. I felt my feet lift and the sky enveloped me. This Stone’s way of granting me its power was expanding its aura into a deep black hole then sucking me into it. I’ve done this before, but the pulse pounding sensation did not let up as I felt my body drag down into the Stone’s void.
The pain stretched throughout my body, but at least my HP was not going down. When I got closer, I gripped onto the stone and absorbed it, wincing as it became a lump roiling beneath my flesh. You know, this process could be a little less painful since this is the second time this has happened! The lump grew smaller as it entered my chest, eventually fading away, but everything around me was still pitch black.
— Wisdom’s Intervention activated. Dark Stone successfully added to the Host.
— Charlotte has gained the following Passive Skills:
Mage Crusher [Legendary]: Spells and attacks pierce wards and magic defense. This Passive Skill grants bonus Resistance against magic. (+100 Magic Defense)
Anti-Mind [Legendary]: Prevents mind reading, appraisal of abilities from weaker creatures.
— Charlotte has gained the Dark Element. View Spellbook to see new spells.
“Your Majesty! Wake up! Wake up!”
I felt a tug on my hair and saw the tiny white spider pulling me. I collapsed during that process, didn’t I. The spider stopped and looked at me. I grinned, since the Stone was mine again. It accepting me must mean my other stones are scattered somewhere in this realm. It would take time to retrieve them all, but this was a start. I pat the spider with my finger and got up.
“Are you alright, My Queen?”
“I’m fine, now,” I told the spider, then I shivered.
“This will not do,” a Caretaker’s voice spoke over me. Gah! This was embarrassing! They all must have seen me topple over! “We must clothe our Queen!”
Something clogged my throat and I spat powder out my mouth. Eh? I looked at my hand. It was coated with some of the sparkling dust that surrounded the Dark Stone’s altar. A Tier 2 label displayed from Brewing over it, calling it Stardust. This sand is from the heavens?
— Brewing: Stardust [Tier 2]: Gain Divination from the Stars.
I should probably upgrade that Skill to use it. I needed all the information I could get in this Realm. I looked up at the starry night then my world spun as something sticky wrapped around me. I sighed. I was going to have to get used to getting dizzy if I am working with these adorable things. I felt prickly arms poke all around my body and the Caretaker’s fuzzy head got a little too close to my face as it studied me. These spiders had no idea what personal space was either.
Whatever, I guessed they would stop eventually. Something was crawling beneath my feet. No, I could not even shudder under the tight wrapping they put me in. Many things. Rows of tiny baby spiders marched under the ground in droves, disappearing and reappearing in the dirt as they traveled through unseen cracks. They were actual babies, I noted. They also had different coloring from each other, ranging from black fur to brown and whites. The white spider who rested on my shoulder the entire time, however, was something else altogether. It still was equally horrifying. A small window hovered over its head, delivering me the bad news.
— Unnamed, level 1
— Class: Body Spider (Epic)
A small and incredibly rare species of Monster Spider. These highly intelligent tiny spiders burrow into a victim’s body and infect them from within, eventually gaining control over their host’s body.
Skills:
— Infect [Class Unique]
Well, that’s slightly disconcerting. I was reminded of the mind eater demons of my Lands, but they did not go as far to control their victims body. I used them to read memories before their hosts eventually expired. A nameless white spider, huh? Maybe I should give it a name if it wants one so it doesn’t decide to take over my body. The little one returned my gaze and cocked its entire body to one side.
“Would you want a name, little one?” I asked it. The tiny spider wiggled for a moment, then rapidly danced in little circlez on my shoulders as it looked at me excitedly. “I will call thee, Blanche.”
Blanche was happy with the name, I think, although we were both still stuck in the web cocoon from the trio of large spiders. The name was also what the Snow Demons called themselves in the Northern Demon Lands. My world spun and I thumped against the Caretaker, but I felt like I could move again. The cocoon stripped off of me, and the webbing left on me was slowly darkening as it fit my form. They gave me clothes!
“Thank you, Caretaker number 1,” I praised it. “This dress is amazing!”
I did not know what it looked like, but I knew it was!
— Clothes Identifier: Spider’s Witch Attire [Epic]. Strong protection against physical attacks, Ice and Thunder elements. Very weak to Fire damage. (+300 Defense)
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— Clothes Identifier: Spider Stalker Shoes [Epic]. Offers no protection, but allows the wearer to travel swiftly over spiderwebs. Very weak to Fire damage.
It was excellent so long as I never touched another Fireshroom again! Wait until Attor hears about this Witch Attire. The Caretaker squealed in delight from my praise. I guessed it did not recieve much attention from the former Queen. Right, I was a Witch! I needed stuff to become one!
“C-Could you make me a hat?” I asked it. The Caretaker nodded enthusiastically and suddenly I was spinning again.
“Weeeee!” Blanche danced as I nearly toppled over again. Why wasn’t there a Dizzy Immunity Passive Skill, Wisdom? Why?!
With this new gear and a matching wide Witch hat, I was one step closer towards my goal. All that I needed for these Spellpages was a wand! The Spider brood largely was missing when I exited the Chamber with a pocket full of Stardust. I guessed they were busy doing whatever Spiders did. They must have some purpose, perhaps like the Labyrinths in the Demon Lands. This Forest, no, these lands could be transformed into a Labyrinth if I keep this brood. Well, that was my theory. Good luck Spiders! I waved to a big guy passing by. It froze and began to make odd noises at me that were indecipherable, yet I could understand its loyalty.
“Wood,” I told it awkwardly. “I need Magic Wood.”
The Warrior Spider wiggled and tapped its foot before it trampled over other smaller Spiders out the burrows, nearly making me lose my balance. As cute as the Fuzzy Butts were, they did not seem as intelligent as my Demon underlings. I love them all the same! I needed to follow it, since I could not spend all night in here. I had work to do! No problem! My Spider Stalker Shoes let me full sprint along the webs and chase after it!
When I started to sprint, a pair of pincers scooped me up. It was another Warrior Spider! He was going to ferry me up to the surface! The creature crawled along the ceiling, but my shoes allowed me to stick to him. Blanche cheered for it along the way, seemingly unbothered and unmoving from where it sat on my shoulder. Spider feet must be useful, I mused. The big moon came into view and I was dropped off at the surface literally.
“Ach! Thank you!” I waved to the big guy. What a jerk! The Warrior Spider shook me off of it, but it probably did not know any better. The hat wobbled as I shook my head at the retreating Warrior. It was rather inconvenient, but if I stretched my arms out I could secure it by the brim. Still, it was quite snug! Amazing work, Caretaker number 1! Next time I see it I’ll ask for a variety of hats in different sizes!
The Spider Queen’s corpse was nothing but a husk now, and most of the smaller spiders were carrying chunks of her towards the holes in the ground. I snagged some off of an unsuspecting worker, who wandered off back to the husk. A Tier 4 item, huh? Its hide had a variety of uses, but one fit in a Leather Bag of Major Holding. I got excited, but there were still unknown materials required to craft it, not to mention my Crafting Skill was rank D. I sighed, I was only capable of creating Tier 2 items at the moment.
The entrance to this Burrow was not the only one, since the crater I created when I landed through the Queen was quite a distance away from where I was. It did not matter since the Magic Wood was directly behind me, which happened to be a Tier 2 material. How convenient, I thought as I felt a Magic Tree’s trunk.
— Crafting: Magic Wood (Tier 2)
Wood that gathers Mana and other nutrients to grow. Often used by apprentices in magic for magical wands and staffs.
[Class Unique]: Craft Basic Wands, Basic Brooms
Brooms? Why would I make one of those? I wondered. I would rather make one of those spider Caretakers a cleaning servant. I scanned the Skill List and my eyes widened.
— Broom Travel [Class Unique] [Fixed Rank]: Flight travel via Magical Broom. (Broom sold separately)
I can fly like Attor! He’s going to be so jealous! A loud crash of tumbling logs made me shriek in surprise, but the brown Warrior Spider standing behind the pile looked at me with its eight eyes expectantly.
“T-Thank you,” I pat its head. “Now go back to doing whatever you were doing.”
He made a squealing sound and tapped his pincers together, but scurried back to the burrow. Gah! They are so cute! I snapped out of it. Cute things are deadly to me! If my enemies learn about my weakness to cute things it’ll be all over for me.
The log pile towering before me was a gathering of various woods, but luckily three of the branches were Magic Wood. He tried his best despite his bulk being bigger than his brain, but I thanked him in my head anyways. Naturally, bulk would be larger anyways! Blanche hopped off my shoulder and skittered along the first branch. Did it know something about this wood?
“This spot is the most mana filled, Your Majesty!” The spider hopped up and down, while I secretly thought its cuteness was going to destroy me.
“Well,” I cracked my knuckles. Blanch hopped on my shoulder then skittered up into my hat. “It’s time to craft a wand! Skill: Martial Arts! First Form: Chop! Skill: Crafting!”
— Crafting: Basic Wand [Uncommon] has been crafted.
My fist easily smashed through each log, though the crater of splinters I left made the Martial Arts skill seem unnecessary. The time to use a wand was right now! This Skill was convenient! Now, I fanned my hand over the Spellbook menu. I waited for Wisdom to say anything, but no chime or sweet voice came to my ears.
Spellbook
5/7 Pages
Tier 1 — 10% mana cost
— Arcane Missile: Launches a pure magic projectile at a target. [Slotted 3 in Spell Pages]
— Elemental Weapon Support: Can infuse the Ice, Fire, or Wind elements to weapon for extra damage.
— Poison Breath: Allows user to use a Poison infused Breath weapon.
— Summon Juicy Berry: Summons succulent berries from another Dimension directly in a person's hands or Leather Bag of Holding.
Tier 2 — 20% mana cost
— Arcane Beam: Shoots a powerful beam of pure magical energy at a target. [Slotted 1 in Spell Pages]
— Elemental Ball: Launches a Ice, Fire, or Wind projectile at an area.
— Disarm Weapon: Cripples a hostile target’s hands, removing access to their weapons.
— Jade Flame: Casts dark and poison imbued flames upon an area.
— Water Conjuring: Conjures Water from the Ocean Realm at a target location.
Tier 3 — 30% mana cost
— Eldritch Beam: Shoots darkness infused beam at a target. [Slotted 1 in Spell Pages]
— Poison Cloud: Releases a cloud of poison in an area.
— Lightning Strike: Launches a lightning bolt at a target that spreads to nearby enemies.
Ah, Spellpages. I remembered I slotted in those spells before, but it appeared I gained two more pages upon leveling up. The two additional Spellpages could only be from Tier 1, and my eyes settled on the Juicy Berry spell after looking at Blanche. Could it see the Statuses?
“Can you see that?” I pointed at the Juicy Berry spell. The spider wiggled on my shoulder and made squeaking noises, but I didn’t know if that meant it could. I decided to slot another Arcane Missiles and the Berry spell. I raised my wand and prepared to cast conjure some berries! I had no idea how to that, so I relied on how I cast my magic when I was a Demon! “First Spell: Juicy Berry!”
I bobbed the wand and pointed it at my open hand. Suddenly, it jolted with mana from my hand to the tip, like blue glowing blood rushing down the veins of a wrist. A notification showed me I lost the Spellpage and 10% of my mana pool, but I felt two heavy berries in my palm. The Spell worked! I gasped in awe.
— Spellbook: Summon Juicy Berry successfully cast. A Bitter and a Sweet Berry have been summoned!
We both stared at the wonderful berries for a moment. One was green and the other was red, and both were the size of Blanche or my palm. That simply means I could hold two Blanches in my hand!
“Do you eat fruit?” I asked Blanche. It should eat it first, though I remember how good the ones in the boxes those servants gave me tasted. Blanche crawled down my arm and inspected the juicy fruit with its front legs, eventually settling on nibbling the red fruit. It likes fruit! Got it. A simple Spellpage used for feeding Blanche was good enough for me! I looked at the green berry and offered it to the spider, but it shyed away from it.
That left only me as the test subject, huh? I inspected the fruit and eventually chomped into it. As soon as I bit down, an explosion of sweetness filled my mouth! It was so good, why did Blanche not like it? Oh well, a meal shared between two will bring them closer! In my case, keep this Body Spider from going into me!
It was starting to become morning, I was used to the day and night cycles now. I had to get back to the tower and I knew exactly how to do it! I started my Crafting Skill up again with a grin. Go broom! Go broom? I held it in my hand, but nothing happened. How do I fly this thing?
By all accounts, it appeared to be a simple broom. What was I missing? I decided I should hire one of the Warriors to take me home and leave it here. As I tried to put it down instead of clattering on the ground with the rest of the piles, it levitated off the ground. Oh, right. It was a Skill, like everything else. I kicked it with my foot, but it wouldn’t budge.
This broom was waiting for me to ride on it, wasn’t it?
“Steady, steady…!” I wobbled a bit on the broom as I prepared the Skill. “Skill: Broom Travel! Waah!”
“Weee!” Blanche copied my scream, but with more enthusiasm.
The broom glowed with beautiful blue light and came to life, dragging me with it. I wasn’t ready! I struggled to hold onto it desperately I take it back, Attor! I screamed You can have your flight and keep it! My stomach lurched as the ride only lifted higher in the air. The trees were below me as we launched. A screech that was not my own accompanied the flight. Blanche was cheering the whole time!
What are you? I looked at the tiny demon on my shoulder. Are you a masochist?
I latched onto the broom and pulled myself on its handle as we soared. The moon was quite large, but I found as long as my lead hand furthest away from the broom’s brisles I could guide the beast where I wanted. The tower caught my eye, so I steered the broom towards it. This would take some getting used to, but it was nice feeling the winds press against me as long as we traveled in a straight line. There was a slight problem, however. How do I turn this off?
— Wisdom’s Intervention activated: You have arrived at your destination.
Eh? We’re here already? How do I slow—
My body met the Tower’s top window frame at full speed. My face ate wood, as I tumbled straight into the other stony side of the room. Well, I guess dying was one way to land. I groaned as I sat up. Wait. I didn’t die! Hah! My tower was the only thing that suffered, while I got to live! A chirping squeak piped up from my shoulder.
“You lived too, Blanche!” I tapped the spider’s little head and received a cheering chatter in response. Looking over to where I crashed, the stupid broom was also completely intact. It was embedded into the floorboards, while the majority of my spire’s east wall was shattered to pieces. I got up and stretched. Despite crashing at an incredible speed, the Spider Witch’s Attire was not even scratched and my hat stayed on. Incredible, I mused as I stepped towards the opening. My boots scrape against shining dust. Oh, right. The Stardust was something I wanted to test out, but I did not have the cauldron ready yet. I scooped up as much Stardust as I could and dumped it into the two spare Leather Bags of Minor Holding I left on my bed.
It was a miracle the bed survived my crash! I collapsed on it. I did not want to see the mess anymore; Attor is going to be so mad! I sat up. I should be able to summon that dragon again and apologize to him for letting him die!
“Come to me, O Familiar!” I called upon the Summoning Skill. A warmth pulled from me, but it was a lot heavier than usual. The green mist pooled out into a much larger form.
There, in the middle of my torn up room, rested a wardrobe sized Dragon curled up and asleep. Is that you, Attor? I scanned his Status.
— Attor, Level 1
— Class: Young Dragon
Young dragon? You evolved? I protested. No! Go back to the smaller and cuter form!