— Dungeon: You have now entered Pagoda of Dreams (Basement Floor 5), S Ranked Dungeon.

A pounding sensation struck my head as I woke up. My stomach lurched. Was I sick? Was that even possible inside a dungeon? Tugging my arms sent a jolt of pain through my wrists. Okay… Charlotte, wake up! I opened my eyes, but finally processed what that notification meant. I was no longer in the Manor, but it appeared that this stupid crucifix came with me wherever I was.

I groaned when I noticed Wisdom’s Dungeon window again. When I said I was interested in dungeons, I didn’t mean it right now! How do I escape this cross of Light? Golden needles were jammed through my wrists, holding me in place. They were painful, I guessed, but it’s the least of my problems. The lurching in my stomach compounded when I felt the whole entire floor slam against something, ending in a sharp clinking sound that reverberated throughout the dungeon. I swayed with it and prepared the lurching again since it was going to swing away.

I hate puzzles! I whined. Wisdom, help me out!

— Wisdom’s Intervention activated. Your current form is struck by Light’s Immobilization, a Status Effect that ignores Unstoppable, since you are not immune to the Light Element.

Well, that seems unfair. Even I could have told you that I’m stuck, Wisdom! Any more hints?

The screen stayed there after I queried for support again. Bah! It was almost like I could hear her laughing at my predicament. Wait a minute, I squinted at the Status window. Current form, eh? I get why she had to speak through me this way, however, it would still be nice to see her face again.

— Skill: Metamorphosis activated. Form: Charlotte deselected.

The pressure on my wrists disappeared as the alien feeling of becoming a pile of melted flesh washed over me. It worked! I slipped off the cross and gathered in a blob beneath its light. Becoming a slime was useful in dire situations! The hostile cross exploded into a shower of sparks, but it couldn’t damage me enough in this state to kill me! Thanks, Wisdom! I reformed into my Charlotte form, but I realized I was still trapped inside a glass jar, suspended in pure darkness. Was this dungeon really inside a bottle? I smacked the transparent wall, but suddenly the place lurched again. The glass smeared across my face and it tasted gross! Blegh!

How do I get out of here?

— Skill: Portal failed. No valid points are in range.

— Skill: Darkness Portal failed. No valid targets are in range.

Well, that’s odd. I pulled a healing potion out of my bag and took a sip as I sat on the glass floor. I was on the fifth basement floor of this place, which means I had to ascend to the top floor and find the exit somehow. This cage was an arm’s length all around, making me feel uneasy. My Mage Link showed a heavy concentration of Darkness Mana above me, but I couldn’t reach it. What about a Web Skill? Shooting an enhanced web at the top of my cage did not pierce it! They uselessly slipped off the glass and fell back on me! On second thought, I sighed as I wiped the webs off my face. Beneath my feet was a bottomless void, so blowing this jar up might not be a good idea after all. Why am I swinging like I’m on a pendulum? What is this place, Wisdom?

— Wisdom’s Intervention activated. Analysis completed.

— Crafting: Soul Jar [T10] discovered. Crafted from a Human Heart and Solidified Experience Points, the Soul Jar contains the essence of a person trapped within its prison.

I sat down as the jar began to sway through the void again. So that’s why Blanche is taking people’s hearts. They must be creating Soul Jars to collect experience points like the Man Harvesters, right? I felt like it was a good idea, but it made me feel less original. The Humans figured out how to do that before me! That still doesn’t explain how I get out of here, Wisdom. Do you have any bright ideas?

— Wisdom’s Intervention activated. Charlotte can self-destruct, consuming all of her own Experience Points to create and restore her vessel outside of the Soul Jar. The owner can also release the ensnared entity within via a certain Skill.

Ensnared entity? As if! I scoffed. I would self-destruct and take the slim chance against my captor outside of this bottle I’m in, but Attor would be furious! There were two things I could do to solve this problem. The first one was waiting until something happened and the second was a little embarrassing. Calling for help would definitely make the Spiders think less of me, right? A chill suddenly brushed across my skin and a booming hum rattled the glass. Hey! I’m busy sitting and plotting my escape here! A ghostly light glowed in the reflection of the glass, making me glare at its source. Mist? The humming sounded melodic, like the music from the Ballroom.

“Seven skulls, turned into seven idols for seven nights,” a booming voice spoke from above. I’m not alone here? The voice chuckled, though it seemed like it was amusing itself. “Once a failed Auctioneer had nothing to offer, so We came to his ailing House with an offer: We give him more trinkets and money than his tiny Mortal heart could ever dream of, in exchange for each of his seven family members. Haha! Don’t be shy, don’t be mad. Little culvers, his children’s brains were delicious. His sister’s screams were wondrous, We took our time burning her during the Seventh Night with Our curse. His wife, too, simply gave us delicious memories to consume. Seven Nights of pain and suffering, all that for trinkets…”

The enormous face of a creature made out of mist hovered above me, glinting slightly in the reflection of the glass. The jar shuddered, clinking as it rattled. I sat up, recognizing its horns and goat-like face. Its lower half was unlike anything I had seen before, however. Instead of a torso, its neck had dozens of massive ghost-like tentacles with hooves the size of automobiles protruding from their ends.

“You’re a Demon, right?” I asked it. “Never seen your kind before.”

“It speaks?” The goat head swirled around the glass, threatening to engulf the entire thing. I stood defiantly, but noticed it did not recognize me as its Queen. There were some corners of the Demon Realm that did not see me as their ruler, but this was different. Every Demon knew I existed, since the Realm’s voice declared me to all life within it. What was happening here? “A mere Mortal, awake within the Dream Realm and fully lucid without an appointment?”

“I am no mortal, fool,” I scoffed at the giant goat's face. “I am the Demon Queen, duh.”

I used my Metamorphosis Skill and revealed my Demon Queen’s arm. It studied me, but it didn’t know that I was studying it back! The goatman did not have a Status which must mean that we were somewhere outside of the Realm’s influence. That couldn’t be right, I still had all my notifications and my Skills here. Could it be that we were out in the Celestial somewhere? Is this where the Dream Realm lies? The creature laughed and howled at the same time, while more voices murmured underneath it in the cacophony. You’re one to laugh, I scoffed. You’re just a floating head!

“That is precious,” it let out an even higher pitched laugh. “No mortal has ever come up with that one so far! A Demon Queen, awake in the clutch of Dreams. Such an archaic way of thinking! Tell me more, do you possess billions of gold Illums without Our permission too? Ahaha!”

“Well, I used to be the Demon Queen. Things kind of,” I sighed, waving off the Metamorphisis Skill. “What are you? Some kind of Stray Demon?”

“A Demon?” More laughter boomed from the face. “I am not a Demon. I am the God of this Realm, the Creator of your Nightmares.”

The goatman’s head began to swirl, and the flesh of his forehead melted over his eyes. It was impressive, but I could come up with a better illusion. Can you analyze this thing for me, Wisdom?

“Well, it’s fun here and all,” I sighed. “You got a way out of here? Or shall I make a way out?”

“There’s no escape, you make believe Queen,” the demon howled. “Your little body and Soul shall be swallowed by the Auction, forever to be lost in my follower’s whims!”

— Wisdom’s Intervention activated. Analysis incomplete. Target is identified as a Demon, though its origins are currently unknown. It has been labeled as a Deceiver by a previous target, known as Storr.

“Followers?” I questioned the giant head. A Deceiver. Someone who lies? Once again, the demon reared back, causing an ocean of mist to burst all around my glass chamber. He was as large as a moon, but nowhere near as pretty! I feared no demons and have faced much larger Primordials than you, O Goat Face! “What if I destroy all your little worshippers as soon as I get out?”

“My followers are my precious playthings and under my powerful protection!” He boasted. “You will not live to tell the tale. They paid a high price to strike the deal in their delicious brains and you are the delivery. Now I am too busy to set a meeting up with poor scum like you. I have another meeting with a client — who takes offense at the sight of Humans, even if you are just merchandise! Go to sleep! Sleep!”

— Hostile Skills “Sleep Paralysis” and “Astral Ejection” incoming.

— Dungeon: You are now being transported to an unknown Dungeon layer.

A nauseous feeling sank upon me like a boulder. Astral Ejection must be the Skill that sent me here in the first place. The Sleep Status effect was a pain, however. I clicked my tongue, but ended up biting it instead. Curses, I didn’t find any Sleep Gas Mushrooms in the forest to get a Sleep Resistance Passive Skill. The goatman laughed as he continued channeling the Skill, but his arrogant jeering mixed in with the pounding in my head. It all faded to black, but something pricked my mind.

— Skill: Royal Summons activated. An ally has connected to User “Charlotte” via a Royal Skill.

“Oh, Mother,” A female’s voice called for me. Huh? Of all the centuries I’ve known you, Wisdom, I groaned. My body might be feeling light and my head might be groggy and heavy, but you’ve never called me that! “I have finally found you, in the depths of the Nightmare. Let me pluck you out. There, there— “ I felt like no time had passed, but I couldn’t move! Something suddenly pulled me up with powerful limbs. “Into my arms you go, Mother.”

I cracked an eye open, only to have a bright white atmosphere invade my vision with a stinging light. Something soft covered my eyes. Was I in another bottle? Who was calling me mother? I shook out of the person’s arms, flinching from the brightness.

“For something called a Nightmare Realm, it sure is too bright here,” I groaned. My head buzzed, but yellow fabric broke the pure white room’s ground. A dress, made of Spider Silk. “And who are you supposed to be?”

“Mother! So you're finally awake!” The woman cried out, leaping up to embrace me again. Her eyes were pink, with eight tiny pupils within her irises. Despite that, she seemed like she resembled me in an odd kind of way. “I am your beloved Daughter, Mother!”

“Eh? But you’re not blue— Oh, yeah!” I almost forgot about that golden egg. “I’m glad you survived! My, how tall you’ve grown!”

I tried to keep my voice straight as the rest of the Arachne emerged from a Darkness Portal on the ground, easily four times taller than I am and who knows how much longer. This brightness was annoying, but this Spider alone could kill me in an instant! What in the Human Realm are those Stats?

— Nameless, level 10

— Class: Shining Arachne [Unique]

— All Stats are Master Rank S (S++)

Buffs: Spider Queen’s Presence, Immune to Charlotte, Immune to Physical Damage, Magic Resistant V, Unstoppable, Immune to Basic Elements, Immune to Body Elements, Perfectly Ultimate, Unyielding, Superior Healing, Death Aura

A Part of Charlotte’s Brood

A Herald of the Forbidden One, Her Avatar who will bring Death to all of Her enemies in the Realm wielding devastating spells capable of annihilating countries if it is allowed to grow.

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Why were all my children so strong? I felt myself lifted into the air by her human’s half and struggled in her embrace. Pounding her back was useless! Immune to Charlotte? How dare you inherit my greatest weakness!

“C-Can’t breathe!” I heaved. “Put me down!”

“Oh, forgive me, Mother!” the Golden Arachne placed me down like a toy and her spider form skittered back several paces away from me. Each of those limbs had thousands of Health points! The fact that I wasn’t crushed to death was a good sign of my own strength compared to hers, I supposed. Yet she was only level 10? Oh Wisdom, what have I done? You should have warned me about Spider Spawning!

“It’s okay,” I supposed. “Now how did you even reach me here? Wherever here is.”

“I followed your scent, Mother,” the Golden Arachne transformed into her human form, losing her Spider half. “I am here because I want you to name me!”

“Name you?” I wondered. She chased me down to a completely different Realm just for a name? The Golden Arachne nodded excitedly, to the point where her speeds were causing slices in the white space’s reality. I could see the starry darkness swirling in between her rapid slices, but the space healed itself before I could reach through. “Hmm, you look like my Hannah Avatar, but I can’t just name you that. Ha… Han, Hey… Hailey? You’re Hailey now.”

“Hailey,” she repeated to me. The Status floating above her confirmed my name change. Therefore Hailey, the Herald of the Forbidden One, was born! Wait, was I the Forbidden One? That sounds like an awesome and fearsome nickname! I’ll take it!

“Now, help me out of here,” I commanded her. “Hailey!”

It felt weird commanding something taller than I was, but I was banking on the fact that I was technically her Mother to leverage any help I could get out of her. The Spider stood up to her full height, not helping my case. Hailey didn’t look down upon me, instead seeing something above our heads that I couldn’t. There was only pure whiteness above us.

“I smell food above us!” she stared upwards, and her magic revealed the chain that we were suspended on stretching to the heavens and then the reverberating Soul Jar. I held onto something, catching a glimpse of her arms becoming engulfed with Celestial light. Her powers were increasing, but she had her eyes closed!

If you’re going to blow this area up, I think we’ll all have a bad time! I thought furiously, but it was too late. Her Mana surged as she opened her eyes as she activated a Skill.

“I shall help you find the food, O Mother!”

You just want it for yourself! I nearly muttered, but her eyes opened and unleashed an incredible beam of energy skyward. She even stole my line!

— Skill: Divine Spider Eyes activated by an ally.

The place suddenly became bright and hot as whatever magic she threw out reflected its energy back towards us. I shielded my eyes and did my best to ignore the churning in my stomach. Suddenly a massive banner of golden Light magic formed in the pattern of a translucent Spider’s head above us. The eight magical red eyes of the aura each zoomed deeper into the bright space, revealing more of the chaotic darkness behind the reality we were trapped in. A telescope? How wonderful! Any color added to this blank white canvas was a welcome change.

Hailey clasped her hands together above her head and the eight eyes converged to a single point. A wooden ceiling lit up by candlelight revealed itself to us, but it seemed larger than life. Perhaps that was outside of this bottle and everything was big because of that. No, I took that theory back. I was smaller than everything else. Shadows flickered across the panels, drawing our attention. She shifted the eight eyes and looked further out. There were many people, richly dressed, sitting on chairs surrounding us as she rotated outside in an auditorium, though it seemed like they were unconscious. Perhaps they were brought here in secrecy? A familiar fat Noble wearing a rich Blue Suit was asleep on one of the chairs next to us, with drool draining out from the corner of his lips as his fat chins pointed upward.

“So that’s outside of this bottle,” I guessed. “But we have to find a way back into the world. Can’t I just use your Portal?”

I stuck my hand in the Darkness Portal, but instead of the alien and twisting feeling I got when I normally tried to use it an intense burning sensation seared my wrist. I nearly shrieked as I withdrew my hand, but black and burning mist clogged my nostril. Well, I looked at the black smoldering stump that used to be my hand. I guess I should’ve seen that coming.

Hailey’s right hand glowed with even more Light Mana bubbles, which traveled along my arm and restored my hand back into my being. She can even cast multiple spells at the same time? Of course she can, I sighed. Something suddenly covered the eye’s vision in a shadow. A piece of cloth? A loud voice boomed all around us, immediately causing Hailey to put up a Defensive Ward around us. Something was surging out into this strange space, but the voice boomed again before I could reach back to its call. It was the oaf Borr’s! He was commanding people!

“Fuahaha! It’s almost set up, the auction is upon us! Put the girl in the cage and line it with the others! Hurry, hurry!”

A loud metal scraping noise was all I needed to know. They were bringing me to the rest of the Humans participating in the auction. As for that fat Noble, Count Mos, I assumed he was not here voluntarily since the Leonreims were involved with this ritual and they were battling each other. I didn’t get a good glimpse of his state on the chair beyond his ugly mug. Hailey collapsed the Divine Spider Eyes and bowed.

“I’ll wake you up out there,” she said excitedly. “When the time comes, summon Us. We feast!”

“You can’t come with me?” I asked her. Hailey shook her head.

“This is only my Shadow body,” she told me. “Auntie Blanche showed me how to do this!”

Of course, Blanche was the true mastermind behind this Spider’s monstrous strength. I should have known! Play it cool, Charlotte! I simply crossed my arms, but suddenly my world went straight into the sky as powerful limbs lifted me up. Gah! She was hugging me again!

“Okay, okay!” I shouted, punching her back using Martial Arts. A high powered First Form punch should have sent her flying but it only hurt my fist! Put me down! Hailey noticed it even though it did no damage, but she finally let me go after some reluctance. “I’ll summon a lot of you guys, since it seems like a lot of those Nobles are down here. Now wake me up!”

“Fine,” She pouted.

I watched her body sink back down into the Portal which also vanished, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Was I too harsh on her? She was only a few days old, but she seemed like she was strong enough to slay a Labyrinth or two! Her chanting echoed above me like the laughing Borr, except it was a lot more gentle. My head suddenly felt light and my body was getting lifted again as the white room I was in began to tear apart. I could see the chain leading down to the glass jar I was trapped in beneath me. I’ll return to this Dungeon, this Pagoda of Dreams one day, I clenched my fist greedily. And I’ll feed the Deceiver and whoever else inside here to my Spiders!

I woke up to the sound of wheels scraping against a rocky surface. The smell of dirt and something more nefarious clenched my nostrils. Waste, it seemed. I think the Humans called wherever this bumpy ride was taking me in the sewers. I saw dirty Commoner shoes trudging along beneath the cloak covering the cage I was placed in, but whoever was wearing them did not seem to notice I was awake. How shall I surprise attack these Nobles wishing to purchase me? Should I destroy this cage now or later? The possibilities were endless! The cage rocked to a stop, but suddenly veered around a corner and slammed against several other cages. The Statuses of other humans and beast folk poked through the curtain. Sleep Status Effects plagued each one. Heh, I bet they wished they could have an annoying and all powerful Daughter to wake them up!

The curtain suddenly jerked upward, so I slumped against the bars as an ugly fellow checked on me.

— Jimmy, level 20

— Class: Human Warrior [Common]

Can be killed instantly via Death Touch.

Well, Jimmy, you’re in luck since I was undercover! You and your twisted face are going to be spared until the main event!

“Hey, this one’s got her eyes open–”

“Quit gawking and hurry up,” Borr commanded Jimmy.

The curtain immediately flopped back down as fear marred the man’s face, leaving me alone again. There was still a feeling tugging me towards a certain direction, behind a locked door. Could it be my Pride Stone? I’ll have to investigate it after I’m done here. There was a loud announcer trying to auction off the goods, followed by a chorus of people shouting numbers over each other. When was it my turn to be sold? One by one, the sleepy heads’ cages were being dragged in. I waited, taking off my forms out of boredom when I suddenly got a new idea. What if the humans were scared of this blob-like form? It would be perfect to buy me time to summon a Portal! After all, even in this formlessness I could still see Portal runes forming in my Spider Labyrinth all the way over here. The second to the last one got dragged out towards the auditorium out there. I presumed those sleeping people were awake now. It was going to be my turn next! I’m the only one here!

“This young one’s from Cerulean Island! Two hundred thousand Illums starting! A true bargain for the rarity!” The auctioneer thundered. A wave of impressed gasps spread beyond him, then the chorus of numbers followed afterwards. Cerulean Island, huh? I’m more special than whatever that is! Hmph! The cage wobbled as I saw a pair of hands grasp the bars. I jiggled, but the Status belonging to the man pushing me was level 30. Experience points, if I could laugh in this lack of form, I would! “Sold! Last and certainly the least! A Noble Lady, the Daughter of Master Bohun himself! She’s a cursed and mysterious one but she’s still a child! Starting at only 1— What in the Goddess’s Name is that?”

“Hey!” I gurgled as the curtain pulled off my cage. “I’m definitely worth more than 1 measly coin!”

“Kill it!” Someone screamed and I noticed a Noble Lady fainted at the sight of me. Having terror and fainting at the sight of the star of your little Auction was quite rude, I wanted to shout. Unfortunately for everyone I also was feeling mean too! Guards were approaching me with their spells, but I could still use my Webs in this form. They shot out of me sporadically, piercing through multiple people to lock the doors shut and destroying the guard’s weapons with ease along with the cage..

— Skill: Metamorphosis activated. Form: Charlotte selected.

“You heretic!” The auctioneer screamed. I didn’t hear the rest of his ramblings, since using my webs to fend off the small fry and trying to decide how many of the Spiders I should let in here were keeping me busy! Several Skills and spells were launching towards me as pandemonium raced through the auditorium, but I began my channeling. “The Bohuns were right to excommunicate you, fiend!”

I stopped my concentration and lanced a Steel web through his neck, retracting it closer to me until he was dangling in front of me.

“Don’t go religious on me now,” I laughed, raising my arms. If my Daughter could cast multiple Spells and Skills at once, surely I can too, right Wisdom? I could almost hear her sigh, but what for? The webs immediately disappeared when I went into Mage Link, proving me wrong. Curses! “Your fault for pricing me at only one gold coin! First Spell: Portal! Come to me, O Fuzzy Butts!”

A Portal tore into the sky, blasting cold air into the room. Its presence stopped everyone in their tracks as the crowd gasped in awe at its screaming Light. It covered the whole ceiling as it should, yet did not come even close to the size of the ones that invaded my Realm. Despite this, I was proud of my powerful Portal! It will only get far worse than this for you fools!

“It was only fair,” I laughed out loud to myself as I saw my Mana drain. “The taste of the pain I felt long ago can be shared with you foolish humans!”

“H-Heretic,” the auctioneer’s eyes bulged as blood gushed out of his mouth.

I cackled. It felt good to cackle and watch the crowd panic once more! Revenge was worth this feeling! A shout charging towards me pulled my attention suddenly. It was Jimmy, brandishing a broken stool against me! The sight of the pathetic man made me laugh even harder. He ceased his charge after he noticed me and definitely not anything else. What now, Jimmy? Are you afraid of me?

“Fool! A chair cannot stop me!” I taunted the stool wielder. The lights suddenly went out which was a welcome boon for sparing me from seeing his ugly face. “ Wait, why is it so dark?”

Something impossibly huge fell through the disk of Light, causing my world to instantly turn dark before I could recognize the threat.

— HP: 0%. You have died!

— Slayer: Arch Spider’s Front Right Leg, Level 50

— Skill: Divine Equalizer activated. A new vessel is being built, standby…

What? Wait! How? I fumed as the red bubbles of Divine Equalizer revived me. As the blood red liquid sloshed off of me, I sputtered. A familiar chittering noise reverberated the room from above me. Huh? I stared up at the Portal, only to see the face of a massive Arch Spider looking down at me. Its fangs nearly reached the ground I was standing on as its red eyes narrowed in on me. I think they were looking at me, but I didn't care. I was quite upset with him!

“That hurt, you know! You can’t fit through this!” I chastised it, waving at the Portal. “Don’t you understand size differences? You? Too big! This Portal? Too small!”

I shouted at the Arch Spider, but it seemed happy to crush its Queen’s enemies, including the Queen herself. I sighed, looking at my level. It was back down to level 1, but something seemed wrong about my Status. I was rapidly leveling up! My vision became clouded by shining blue and green orbs! Experience points? The relentless swirling continued until my level was 20, with a flood of notifications following me. Drool from the Arch Spider suddenly lit a table on fire, before reducing it to ash, making me see the carnage it caused. The auditorium that I was in was no longer around, replaced by a crater! And the people inside of it? Reduced to bone powder and guts, I guessed! I stared up at the shaking Arch Spider. This was the big boom of Experience Points I was thinking about awhile ago!

“Sorry I got mad at you,” I patted its fang. “You did your job well! Now go away!”

I pushed his head back out the Portal and closed it. There was one notification I was paying attention to above all the others.

Evolution

— Charlotte can evolve into the Greater Witch [Ancient] Class.

It’s been some time since I’ve seen that screen! Greater Witch sounded amazing, but as I surveyed the wreckage beneath me, I noticed beyond the stream of blood and Spider hairs that the sewer’s sludge was leaking down into the crater I was in. Looks like the evolution can wait! I used a strand of my web conjuration to pull myself back to the remnants of the stage my cage was placed on. The string was useful to climb up and dangle on, letting me see the Arch Spider’s work more clearly. This was big as a battleground and stretched into the earth, making me feel faint yet sickeningly proud of him. His foot caused all of this! I saw Borr’s upper half lying on the stage, but the rest of him was missing. Someone was sniveling in the corner, leaning against the wall. A survivor? I landed and groaned. It was Jimmy! Was this guy secretly powerful? A brilliant green light was shining through the crack of the stage’s back door, calling to me.

“Excuse me,” I decided not to mess with him. If that energy was what I think it was, I had to go chase it! Jimmy did not acknowledge me, instead opting to rock back and forth with wide eyes.

“Someone out there?” A man shouted. “What in the Hell is happening out there!? Unhand me, don’t you know who I am?”

I veered around the corner, only to see that they left Count Mos struggling against the restraints tying him to the now shattered chair they squeezed him into. I had no time, because beyond him the source of the light hovered from the shattered steel door. It was my Pride Stone! I breathed in. No need to make this complicated, you hear me you dumb rock?

“Come to me!” I commanded it.

“What? Who’s there? Free me a-and I”ll reward–” The fat Noble did not have enough time to finish his sentence, since the floating Pride Stone bolted through his head and replaced it with red jelly as it attempted to escape me.

“No you don’t!” I shouted. “Web Conjuring! Go!”

The Stone was eager to escape my grasp quickly, but my Webs were vastly improved! The strings wrapped around its polished edge, causing it to slow but still dragged my heels in the stone as it struggled. You’re not getting away from me! I pulled the string closer inside of me. I haven’t evolved yet, but my Stats have improved from my massive level up! The wrapped Pride gem’s shining green aura still pierced through every crack in my web’s grasp, but it was giving up!

“Get inside of me!” I heaved a final burst of strength, finally pulling the Stone completely inside of my chest. I gasped, out of breath and collapsed. I was ready for the shining world of Green Pride, but instead of its normal annoying aura my world went black after a moment. “Did I get hit by another Sleep Skill?”

I pondered over my pitch black surroundings, but the glorious notification still played in my head. Glorious? The window was an ominous red!

— Charlotte… You have obtained the… Pride… Stone… Charlotte.

The notification flickered off and I was left in a void of darkness again.