The spider unleashed more sticky webs, attempting to tangle her into its trap. However, Shai skillfully evaded or neutralised each sticky thread, either shooting them down with [Arcane Shot] or restricting them with [Force Shield]. She didn't remain to battle it out with the Weaver, though.

Shai didn't have a death wish.

As she moved towards the previously slain centipede, deftly evading the spider's attacks, the giant arachnid descended upon her, launching a close-quarter assault.

Shai had no intention of engaging in a futile and hopeless brawl. Sadly, there was no way she could avoid combat and retreat. Even the two levels she gained were barely anything

It appeared that this spider in particular was a skilled stalker. Eventually, its sticky web pinned her down, albeit only trapping her tail. Shai remained arrested on the spot. Without bothering to free herself, she shot [Arcane Shots] into its blaring red eyes. Her aim wasn't perfect, giving the colossal creature just enough time to save its eye, but the darts managed to buy her the little time she needed.

Thoughts of escape flickered in Shai's mind as she quickly freed herself, utilising all her strength. Shai didn't even give the horrifying creature another look and crept into the direction of one narrow tunnel. Only the narrow tunnel would be her saving grace.

The giant spider screeched, finding its meal running away.

Well, pal, see you around, Shai thought to herself. This dungeon certainly wasn't a place a creature of her level should venture. Hell, even with all caution, she fell prey to the spider's attack. Shai clenched her jaw in defeat.

She had become a cold-blooded snake, an evolving predator, and the mere thought of running away made her feel disgusted.

Something inside her screamed, urging her to stand up against this eight-legged insect. It filled her with irrational bravado, fueling the absurd notion that she could overcome this higher-ranked Weaver. Perhaps it was the corruption, the greed—the very thing that had contaminated all the creatures she had encountered thus far—and it was affecting her too.

Gritting her teeth, Shai crawled away, but the spider persisted in its pursuit. Thankfully, it could only attack her by shooting those webs as Shai safely entered the narrow tunnel, where its huge body couldn't enter.

Shai pushed herself to her maximum speed, hurrying the hell out. She couldn't understand why they all wanted to eat her, she was but a little creature. Eating her would barely itch their insatiable hunger.

I’ll remember this, ugly bastard. Shai set her jaw, anger boiling within her as she vowed revenge against the creature that had crossed her. Just wait a few days when I’m strong enough, I’ll—

But her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a disturbing sense of danger that permeated her surroundings. Shai hastened her pace as she steered through the narrow tunnel.

More centipede-like creatures emerged in her path. Dozens of them swarmed the area, yet instead of launching an immediate attack, most of them seemed to be in a strange state, while the deranged remainder of the bunch didn't need the invitation to chase after her.

Shai knew better than to engage in battle amidst this chaotic horde. Alone and outnumbered, her only option was to flee. Centipedes fell around her from every direction, impeding her escape with their relentless pursuit.

Fury surged through her veins, and she lashed out, killing a couple of the frenzied creatures in her attempt to break free. However, instead of quelling their madness, it only seemed to fuel their aggression. Within a matter of minutes, Shai found herself relentlessly pursued by a deranged legion of centipedes.

This is the inferno! The hell! Shai cursed, channelling every ounce of her energy into her escape. Clearly, I have sinned...

She desperately sought out a narrow exit, a crevice where only her tiny form could slither through.

Abruptly, an overwhelming primal fear gripped her, paralysing her mind and wrenching every thought out of her head. Shai couldn't comprehend what was happening as the all-consuming dread took hold of her nerves, eclipsing even the pursuit of the centipedes.

Yet her body continued to move, driven by instinct and survival, pushing forward despite the convulsions and discomfort. Before she could locate an escape or be captured by the relentless horde, the ground vanished beneath her, and she plummeted into a pit once more.

A blaring alarm triggered in her mind, but it was a little too late for the warning.

[Congrautalaitons! You have unveiled the Secret of the Land.]

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Contrary to her belief, the crash was unexpectedly soft, as if she had landed on a wonderous cushion that absorbed the force of impact completely. Relief washed over Shai, momentarily easing the gripping dread.

And then the abyss enveloped her completely.

It was anything but wondrous. She was completely blinded. The air felt stifling and suffocating, devoid of breathable air, making her surroundings the most uncomfortable place she had ever experienced. A cold, burning liquid poured into her body, leaving her no room for escape. It subjected her to a raw, primal power, enticing her to surrender herself to its influence.

Help! Shai cried out desperately, but her plea remained trapped within her mind.

The was no salvation, only an unstoppable force of corruption that sought to invade her very being.

Please, Grandpa! she bellowed, even though it felt foolish to reach out to someone who might not even be able to hear her, or worse, might not exist at all.

In her helplessness, Shai wailed, her struggles gradually subsiding as a hunger for power began to consume her.

Pleeeaaassseeee!

Shai's consciousness faded, and she was thrust into a harrowing vision. It was the most repugnant and degrading environment imaginable, surpassing even the blood and gore she had witnessed before. Everywhere she looked, there were disfigured corpses, torn limbs, twisted creatures, and the incessant buzzing of flies.

A nauseating stench saturated the air, assaulting her senses, sufficient to vomit out everything held in her stomach.

Creatures of various shapes and sizes roamed the scene, most of them monstrous and bearing physical deformities. Limbs uneven. Wings misshapen. Their bodies overweight. Yet they seemed entirely indifferent to their defects. They feasted upon the sea of degrading corpses.

Come, join us! An invisible yet tyrannical power beckoned her, enticing her to succumb to the deranged state in which those dark creatures existed. Shai detected the line here... If she gives up, she'll--

You cannot resist, a voice whispered into her mind. A deranged voice, high-pitched and old. It is inevitable. I am inevitable. Join the feast. Or be feasted upon.

The flies buzzed, prickling over her being. She wasn't in her snake form, but as a scrawny girl of late teenage years. It was her, but she didn't know for how long. The files were devouring her, bit by bit, moment by moment.

Helpless, Shai found herself yielding to the inevitability of the feast, nearly surrendering to the madness and degeneracy. Greed and gluttony overflowed within her as she forced herself to crawl her way out of the sea of the dead. The overwhelming corrupted desires consumed her bit by bit.

They can't hurt you if you don't let them, another voice echoed in her mind. A familiar voice with familiar words.

It wasn't the voice of the System Grandpa.

They can't compel you to anything, the words brought a semblance of clarity to her mind, and Shai jolted awake from her daze.

Father? Shai called out, her voice echoing into the back of her mind, getting no response. Did she just hallucinate?

Doesn't matter! Shai didn't have the luxury of time to discern whether it was some epiphany or her lunacy, for the degeneracy and corruption still held a firm grasp on her being.

I have to resist. I won't let them in! Shai screamed within her mind, forcefully shutting her eyes and attempting to purge the taint that threatened to consume her.

[You have burned 1 point of Fortune]

Shai was too consumed in her struggle to hear or see the notification.

I won't give up my mind! Her thoughts drifted back to the past of the memories of a tall man, who had guided a young girl through the way, clasping her little fingers. When the girl couldn't walk anymore, he held her up in his embrace and led her to the light. Despite being blind in one eye, he illuminated her whole world.

That girl was her—powerless, weak, and dependent on others.

As much as she longed to rely on her father once more, he was no longer there. The girl she was, the girl she couldn't remember, was dead, leaving her shattered and broken.

[You have burned 1 point of Fortune.]

[The user has been introduced to the corrosive power of high concentrated essence of laws. Consuming Evolution points to...]

...

Shai clenched her jaw, mustering all her willpower to resist the corrupting taint that threatened to overtake her mind. A radiant golden aura of power enveloped her frail form, shielding and soothing her deranged state, preventing it from collapsing completely. The power felt familiar, yet elusive, beyond her comprehension.

[The Dormant power of Golden Eyes has awakened.]

Moments passed, and Shai's consciousness faded away from the repugnant feast. She was still within the confines of the vision, but no longer immersed in its disgust and contamination.

The environment had transformed, becoming a swirling maze of intricate webs. The spiralling webs stretched endlessly, guiding her through twisted tunnels, and leading her to somewhere unknown.

The sheer complexity and colossal structure of the webs overwhelmed her senses. It wasn't simply their immense size and complexity that astounded her. There was an underlying grandeur, a subtle majesty that she was too small to fully grasp.

After what felt like an eternity, Shai finally reached the heart of the spiralling webs. It was a vast chasm, swarming with tangled webs in every direction. Within the heart of this intricate webbing hovered a pulsating cocoon, originating pulses of contrasting power.

With each pulsation of the cocoon, Shai's own heart trembled in response. Shai shuddered as she was finally led out of the vision, breaking free from its clutches.