It became evident that the best course of action for her was to get the hell out of the harrowing dungeon. Dangerous creatures and horrors lurked within the dungeon, the spiders were horrifying enough, but then there was the colossal Lvl 119 basilisk, not to mention the horror of the corrupting hunger.

Yup, getting the hell out of this treacherous dungeon is the only way to go, Shai resolved firmly.

Unfortunately, there was a simple problem. Ever since encountering the Golden-tailed Eagle, Shai had been fleeing from one location to another, paying little attention to her surroundings. Before she knew it, she had ventured deep into a dungeon that even System Grandpa lacked any information about.

Needless to say, Shai was utterly lost and alone, surrounded by creatures that only wanted to eat her.

No, I cannot give in, Shai clenched her jaw. I am more powerful than ever, which will undoubtedly help. However, I must devise a foolproof plan to safely navigate my way out of this dungeon.

After contemplating for a few minutes, Shai realised that her weakness was her greatest strength in this predicament. Her diminutive form had always been a disadvantage, which appeared more cute than threatening. Despite her slit eyes, forked tongue, and menacing fangs capable of injecting deadly poison, she paled in comparison to the massive eight-legged abominations or even the Twisted Chilopods.

Honestly, her appearance was more disconcerting to her than to the abominations that roamed this world. To those colossal creatures, she was nothing more than a harmless-looking little snake.

However, there were certain things a small snake could do that those colossal creatures could not. For instance, she could slither into narrow holes and hide, utilising her small form to conceal herself more effectively.

With that in mind, Shai got to work, putting her ideas into a plan.

Shai's Tunnelling System, she called it. She intended to dig her way through the dungeon wherever she ventured, constructing an intricate and elaborate network of narrow tunnels. This tunnelling system would provide her with an escape route even if she encountered horrors like the Basilisk.

While the plan seemed grand and sound in her mind, she soon discovered the difficulties a little snake faced in carving through the thick walls of the dungeon. Digging became almost an impossible task for her without the aid of primal essence.

Shai refused to give up. One thing about her was that once she set her mind to something, she'd either break or complete the task.

Two days later, after tirelessly working for hours on end, Shai had completed... a significant part of her plan. She had managed to create enough tunnels to navigate freely within a couple of square miles of the surrounding area.

Now, she decided it was time to meditate, both to rest and satiate the hunger that gnawed at her stomach.

Shai was running low on sustenance. In the end, she had fed upon the corpse of the python. But it had been more of a tactical decision than a desperate one. The hunger was constant, but Shai didn't just stuff her little form with everything. She devoured less than what she could digest. It turns out the B-grade in [Essence Eater (B)] was just not for show.

Shai had noticed after acquiring the concept of Hunger and the aspect that whatever she consumed, seemed to be digested at a much faster rate. Even her energy and stamina were rejuvenated at a tremendous speed. Which in retrospect increased the time she could use her skills as well. Her power grew by leaps and bounds, even if there weren't any changes in her attributes. [Empower] rose the most, standing at 53%, because digging was nearly impossible without this skill.

But what surprised her more was how easy it was to manipulate the primal essence now. With [Golden Eyes] passively boosting her perception, Shai's essence weaving skills reached a new height. But it was a whole other story altogether when she used the A-grade skill actively.

Eventually, Shai ran out of sustenance. Thankfully, by that point, she had her escape route fixed.

For the first time, she actively partook in the hunt, initiating the ambush first. And what better opponent was she there than those hateful eight-legged weavers?

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Shai's snake body twisted and turned, swiftly evading the Weaver Lvl 19's attacks and skillfully manoeuvring around its legs. She didn't forget to unleash [Arcane Shots] on her opponent, wearing it down.

Shai had already injured two of the spider's legs, weakening it to some extent. She hadn't landed any critical blows yet. Not that she couldn't, she was simply getting used to battling as a snake. So far in most of her challenging battles, she came through using her wit, however, it wouldn't be possible to outwit all the creatures she faced. That was why she was putting in all the effort.

The spider was alone and wasn't particularly strong compared to the other one she had encountered. She had been engaged in combat for fifteen minutes, constantly evading its attacks or blocking it with [Force Shield]. Shai sustained minimal damage with her defensive skills and quick thinking. She even managed to figure out the coordination of the spider's attacks.

Without the enhanced strength and perception provided by [Empower] and [Golden Eyes], it would have been impossible for her to keep up with the spider's speed, endurance, and strength. Even with all the bonuses, the spider's physical attributes surpassed her own.

Thankfully, twisted creatures or insectoids generally lacked mental capabilities, and this spider was no exception. Its intelligence was severely lacking, even when compared to the dumb snake she had killed before. Even though it was pretty clear it wasn't getting through Shai in this conflict, it didn't back down.

One of the spider's legs struck the rocky ground behind her, and another leg emerged from behind, catching Shai off guard. She tried to dodge, but could only deflect the blow, and ended up being tossed into the air. Shai cursed under her breath and poured more energy into [Empower], reinforcing her defence.

Throughout the battle, Shai had conserved her use of primal essence, employing it only when necessary to evade fatal strikes. In contrast, her opponent seemed to recklessly exhaust its innate skills, acting as if it still had an unlimited reserve.

That clearly wasn't the truth, and the spider would pay for it soon enough.

The spider made another attempt to capture Shai by shooting its sticky webs, but she managed to avoid it, retaliating with another [Force Shield]. Unwittingly, Shai opened her mouth wide and hissed at the spider ferociously as if baiting the eight-legged adversary.

The spider gave in to taunt and shot another round of webs at her. Shai had enough time and room to dodge, yet something clicked into her mind as she stuck to her spot, eyeing the incoming sticky webs. She opened her mouth wider than it was supposed to be possible.

A sudden suction force emanated from her mouth, pulling the cobweb towards it. She engulfed the cobweb in a single gulp, as realisation dawned on her. Essence eater.

What the hell is this ability? Shai didn't have time to ponder, feeling a strange sense of disgust in herself for not feeling disgusted at eating the cobweb. Had she lost her mind already?

Her stomach bloated, undulating uncomfortably as the eaten cobweb compressed inside her in mere seconds.

[Essence Eater] was one of the most extreme powers; considering how she got the aspect, it made sense. But that didn't mean she liked it. She could faintly feel that Hunger had the power to place one at the top of the food chain or reduce her to a mindless hungry beast.

It was a double-edged sword, Shai thought, recalling. Power often, her father had described to her once, lacks ingenuity and overflows with insatiable greed. It's a sword that cuts both ends.

If given a choice, Shai would have never chosen such an incredulous power, but circumstances had left her with no other option. Oddly enough, she could sense that her energy reserve was recovering since she had eaten the sticky web. Disgusting it might seem, but it was damn useful too.

The webs were composed of mostly primal essences, proteins and acids. Digesting it wouldn't pose any issues, although she couldn't say she enjoyed the experience.

With a swift lurch of her body, Shai coiled her tail and charged at the spider once again, shooting for its glowing red eyes. She nearly toppled the massive arachnid, biting its eyes out, but it managed to regain balance using its remaining legs. It had too many legs even after she damaged two of them.

In a world where some beings were born without limbs (Shai herself), here was this vile creature flaunting all eight of them. Hissing in frustration at the injustice, Shai retaliated, shoving a [Force Shield] into its remaining legs, off-balancing the creature. She followed up by shooting [Arcane shots] at its eyes.

I can't believe I'm jealous of a freaking spider.

The spider emitted a high-pitched squeak, a couple of its eyes rendered blind.

Jesus, why are you screaming? Shai hissed. You have many to spare.

Getting the chance, Shai didn't wait ceremoniously. She leapt onto its head and bit off another of its eyes. She unleashed a barrage of [Arcane Shots] into its head, they dug in, enough to make them count.

Eventually, Shai managed to pierce through its head. The spider thrashed about in a frenzy, crashing into the sidewall and toppling over, yet it continued to struggle, flailing its legs in all directions. It struggled for a while, but exhausted and wounded, it couldn't fight its fate anymore.

[You have slain Empathic Weaver Lvl 19.]