[You have slain Empathic Weaver Lvl 19.]

Unlike the twisted weaver, this one seemed to be a different variant. "Empathic" seemed to imply a connection with emotions, not that this spider displayed any other emotion apart from their insatiable hunger.

Perhaps if she stayed inside the dungeon for longer or went deeper, she would find out more. However, Shai had no intention of venturing deeper into the dungeon. Without Shai's Tunnelling System (yes, she's still calling it that, don't judge), it was already suicidal to stay in the dungeon.

Her worry soon puffed away with the delightful voice of System Grandpa.

[You have achieved a small breakthrough. Your path has grown to Favoured Hatchling Lvl 10. +1 to all Primary Attributes, +1 Unallocated Point.]

Finally, her level had reached the double digits. Now she just lacked 109 levels more to compete with that corrupt basilisk.

Just as Shai gathered herself, her [Golden Eyes] sensed some disturbance from the rear. Creeping a little closer, she discovered a deep orange rank, faintly weaker than the prey she slew just now. Perhaps it would be an easy kill, but She decided to retreat this time around, being a little nauseous from eating those disgusting slimy webs.

Shai navigated through the familiar tunnels she dug through to escape from the approaching creature. She was supposed to meditate, but the unpleasant taste in her stomach didn't let her.

Before she knew it, her slender serpent body convulsed, her stomach undulating uncomfortably. Shai reeled and drew out from the hole, unable to hold back the sudden urge to vomit.

Reversing the effect of [Essence Eater], Shai expulsed horrid white slimy goo out of her mouth. She coughed and retched for several seconds, expelling the remnants of the cobweb she had consumed. It appeared that not everything was digestible, even if it was mentioned otherwise in the description of [Essence Eater].

Perhaps it was because her level was low. Pushing those disgusting feelings away, she moved into a meditative state.

She imagined the energy flowing inside her body, like water streaming down from a waterfall. It calmed her a lot, but she wasn't at peace. The warm power swirled inside her, giving her a drunken, woozy feeling.

She had two choices ahead of her. Let be consumed by Hunger and let it dictate her life, or become the master of that power. Needless to say, the latter was way harder, but Shai didn't think twice to choose this path.

Nobody... can compel me to anything.

As long as she was diligent and true to herself, nothing could compel her to do anything

***

Shai sang wistfully in her mind as she battled the damned spiders. For all her attempts to keep her mood bright, she was starving. Her hunger made it too hard to keep her bloodlust from bursting out.

Shai slew her fifth in the battle, waiting for a Level-up notification to pop up along with Grandpa's congratulating words. A disgruntled hiss escaped her mouth, as she received nothing of the sort.

Even after killing the remaining two foes, she didn't receive the level-up notification, much to her dismay.

To add to her misery, these spiders taste like horse shit, not that she ever tasted horse shit, but she was damn sure it couldn't be worse than these spiders. Perhaps the corruption played a role in that as well.

Hmm, will I be able to grow my [Mental Corrosion Resistance] if I keep on ingesting these tainted meals?

Come on, Grandpa, Shai whined. After all the horrors I faced, I deserved an answer.

Only a whisper of indignant screech answered her.

No, Grandpa-- Shai started moving without looking where the screech came from. It wasn't her Grandpa.

A humongous spider, easily three metres tall, dropped out of nowhere.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

[Empathic Spider - Corrupt Weaver Level 47]

It attacked her with its sharp appendages, unannounced. Shai's mind reeled back as she slithered away, evading the attacks. She channelled [Golden Eyes], [Empower], and even formed a barrier of [Force Shield] behind her as she shot towards the nearest entry to Shai's Tunnelling System.

The huge spider's presence was ominous, alright, but something about it felt familiar. It was too similar to the one she fled from and dropped into the corrupt pool. An overwhelming urge for vengeance crashed down on her.

Shai had to clench her jaw to see the reasons. Even with her improved stats and abilities, Shai barely felt like she had narrowed the gap between them.

She could have a little contest with it first before fleeing into her tunnels, but she didn't engage in any form of combat other than what was necessary for her escape. She was, after all, famished, prone to bloodlust and the thrill of a challenge at this moment. What if she was unable to keep it under the leash?

Better to bugger off into her hole, than to test her fate.

See you around, Ugly, Shai taunted as her head slipped into the hole which was almost as big as a human head. It grew narrower the more she moved inside. Yeah, dumb ugly spider. Come get me, but beware this one bites.

Well, even if the spider managed to dig through the rugged stone somehow--which was an arduous task, considering Shai's Tunnelling System was pretty complex--all she had to do was move out of the other side. It would take her a few minutes, while for the spider, it would be hours.

Shai went a dozen metres inside until she reached a broader space where she could finally rest safely. Spouting nonsense at the spider, she let it do whatever it pleased.

If it wanted to waste its energy to dig through and become exhausted, perhaps Shai could help its way to eternal rest, but she didn't think she was that lucky.

The monstrous spider tried to dig through the rugged stony earth to reach Shai. It clearly showed no sign of stopping as Shai calmed down, adopting a meditative state.

On second thought, perhaps she could deal with this creature.

Shai fired a couple of [Arcane Shots], each laced with a potent poison that sent a clear message to the creature: any further attempts would come at a cost. The attack seemed to only infuriate the weaver more as it pressed on with newfound power.

Time dragged on, but the spider persisted even under the barrage of Shai's [Arcane Shot]. It managed to make some headway, but its movements were growing sluggish as well. Possibly, the poison taking effect, or it was simply exhausted. Whatever it was, Shai was looking forward to beating this corrupted shit.

Even with its high level, it didn't seem to grasp any nuanced primal essence weaving skill, but its form was as hard as a boulder. Only the basilisk she met near the Tainted pool was stronger than this creature in sheer physical force.

However, even with all that power, it wasn't putting them to good use. The creature lacked a fully functioning brain for that. Alas! The corruption only made it more savage than anything else. If it really persisted for some more time, I may really stand a chance.

However, her moment of triumph quickly turned into a chilling realisation. A sudden and piercing squeak reverberated in her mind, sending shivers down her spine. The spider stopped thumping its leg into the hole, but now it was directly thumping into her mind.

Mental Attack?! Shai cursed, channelling Mental Corrosion Resistance which managed to stand a fragile wall of defence against the attack. It barely left her with a functioning mind under the mental stress of the attack.

Summoning all her mental fortitude, Shai swiftly erected an imaginary wall, hoping to fend off the impending assault on her sanity. The shrill assault on her mind intensified, causing visible cracks to form in Shai's imaginary mental wall.

Despite her efforts, she knew that without proper training, her mental defence was subpar at best, insufficient against this threat.

Shai summoned every ounce of willpower she possessed, fortifying her defence. However, it was a futile struggle against the relentless onslaught of the spider's mental attack.

How the hell did such a dull creature have such mental power? Shai didn't know. She only knew she had to flee right at this moment, or her mind would break. Shai's grip on her sanity grew weaker by the second, and she knew she couldn't endure much longer.

Anger surged within her, mingling with frustration and fear. Shai whizzed a primal scream, her voice echoing through the depths of her mind.

Get the fuck out of my head, you eight-legged pest!

Shai started to slither away, enough though the pain was wrecking her brain, making her body dysfunctional. Her crawl was like that of a snail, each muscle twitched under the torment her nerves were going through.

Shai noticed a significant drop in the intensity of the mental attack after her outburst. Strengthening her mental fortitude with whatever she left, Shai racked her brain, shouting repeated words as if under some strange spell.

My mind is my own! Get the fuck out! Get the hell out! My mind is my own! ... It is nothing compared to the torment of Corruption... you cannot break me!

Once again, the mental shrill struck her mind, but this time it felt like a gentle knock, more like a polite request than an aggressive assault, as if asking her to open the door to her mind.

What?! Confusion gripped Shai as the knock persisted, raising suspicions in her mind. Shai clearly wasn't buying into this convoluted way to get into her head.

Then her suspicions were cleared with a notification from System Grandpa.

[Serenity wants to form a temporary telepathic link with you.]

[Accept | Decline]