After a while of skittering around, I found that I could control my legs much better. With it, came increased speed and less focus on moving my limbs properly was required.

I walked up to what I could make out as a cave wall. I hit my head against it because my depth perception turned out to be at an all-time low.

Frigging eyes…

I looked up to the wall.

If I was a spider, I’d have no trouble climbing this.

I planted the ends of my legs against the stone and found that they simply stuck to it. I then started my ascent. I’d probably be much safer up high.

I found an indent in the rocky wall going a couple of inches deep that would fit me quite easily. I entered it to find it unoccupied.

I relaxed slightly but kept my eyes wide open in case anything tried to take me out.

Not that I could see much, but still…

Okay, Elysa. What am I?

Name: Kealyna

Race: Tiny Brown Cave Spider

Level: 2/10

Experience: 2/20

Evolution Points: 0

Skills:

Very Weak Venom

Weak Jaws and Teeth

Very Weak Spider Thread

Very Weak Poison Resistance

With everything laid out before me, things became much clearer. I could easily tell what these skills meant. I was just a bit sad that everything was either weak or very weak. Those gods really did a number on me, didn’t they?

One thing that I noticed was that, apparently, I was a different species from my siblings, although, it didn’t tell me much.

Apparently killing things would give me experience. Once I gathered enough experience, I would increase in level and gain Evolution Points. I had spent my first Evolution Point on getting these jaws and teeth, but what other things could I get with those?

Currently Available Enhancements

Enhancement

Cost in EP

Very Weak Exoskeleton Hardening

1

Bad Spider Vision

3

Very Weak Magic Resistance

5

Hold on a second. Bad spider vision? Just how screwed am I if that’s an improvement?

Does that exoskeleton hardening do what I think it does? Elysa?

Exoskeleton Hardening:

Improves natural armor against physical attacks.

So it would seem…

The magic resistance enhancement caught my eye as well. Hopefully, I would be able to learn some magic of my own. I remembered how to use magic from my previous life, but I noticed I simply did not have the mana reserves to cast any of them.

I wasn’t even close.

I was a tiny spider after all…

A tiny spider with the mind of an elven knight. I guess that did put me at a huge advantage over non-intelligent creatures.

I seemed to fully remember my old life. I didn’t think any of my memories had been stripped away as was the goddess’s intention. It was probably for the better, regarding my current situation.

It was just… quiet…

I would not get to talk to anyone. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. I never talked much to anyone. I simply did my knight duties and training and that was it. I had never loved, and I don’t think I was ever loved, myself. Not after my parents had left my life.

I couldn’t dwell on that now.

If they were awaiting me somewhere in this world, I would find them. Even if I was… this. I wanted to let them know I’d never forgotten them.

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Looking back at the floating blue box that once more displayed what I was I noticed something else. My level was 2 out of 10. Did that mean that I would not be able to get stronger than that?

Elysa?

Level Cap

After hitting the maximum displayed level, you can evolve into a stronger species which then gets reset to level one. Multiple choices are offered for each evolution, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Choose carefully!

So I would be able to get stronger.

I wondered what these possible evolutions would be. Would I be able to talk to elves, or, goddess forbid, humans?

I gritted my new teeth at the thought. I hated humans. They were the reason I found myself here in the first place.

I tried speaking, but I couldn’t produce anything that went beyond simple hissing.

Talking seemed a long way off… for now.

The idea that I had moments before sprung to mind again. It was macabre, perhaps even evil, but I could kill more spiders before they hatched as a means of getting this experience relatively easily.

I mentally marked the location of this nook and skittered down the cave wall. I soon reached the clutch of eggs that were spread out over the floor and walked around a bit to make sure none of them were hatching yet.

Here is to exploiting my sapient brain to the fullest.

I started hacking away at the nearest egg and created an opening soon after. The being inside didn’t appear to be fully formed yet, that much I could see through these crappy eyes.

They were going to be the first thing I would improve.

It didn’t take much effort to kill this spider. I didn’t even have to use my venom. I simply removed its weak head from the rest of its body with my fangs and pedipalps.

You have killed a Tiny Black Cave Spider: EXP+6

I disregarded the window as I was already upon the next egg. The spider inside seemed to be lively and tried to attack back. Unfortunately for it, I was already quite a bit older and better used to my body. I could dodge its attack quite easily before sinking my fangs in its abdomen to inject more venom.

You have killed a Tiny Black Cave Spider: EXP+12

Level Up!

Kealyna has reached level 3!

You have been awarded 2 EP.

I took quick notice of the fact that I got two evolution points, instead of one, but disregarded the message once more as I knew I was going to need another Evolution Point before things got interesting.

I wouldn’t need it for now. I needed to get as much done as I could, given I had no idea when these eggs would hatch. For all I knew, they could hatch any moment and start attacking me.

I went around and kept killing infantile spiders with venom and jaws until I’d exhausted myself.

Knowing I would need to rest. I simply walked away from the massacre that was this nest. I bumped into the wall with my head a second time as I cursed my terrible eyesight. I then made my way up and hid inside the nook where I took a careful look at my progress.

Name: Kealyna

Race: Tiny Brown Cave Spider

Level: 6/10

Experience: 23/50

Evolution Points: 7

Well, I wouldn’t say I did too bad for my first hours of being a spider with this… blessing. Although my actions so far hadn’t been very… knight-like…

Alright, Elysa, I’d like to evolve my eyes and my exoskeleton hardening.

Pain shot through my body once more as I felt every bit of chitin that covered my new body draw power from my core. After that has passed, I could see some of the blur that was my eyesight begin to clear.

I could now see more details on anything that was close by. I looked out of my cranny and cast my gaze at where I’d killed the not-even-born-yet spiders. I could vaguely make out the white of the eggs, but that was it. I couldn’t properly judge distance, either.

I had no idea how big I, or this cave, was. I had a rough idea, but my vision was too blurry to get proper estimates. I thought I was half an inch or so, give or take.

I then started wondering about my future in this world. To make any contact with anyone, I’d first have to get out of this cave. My issues were that I had no idea how strong I, or anything else for that matter, was. Then there were the problems that I might not understand any language besides my own.

Maybe Elysa knew?

I asked my blessing what language I was currently thinking in and whether the language existed in this world.

You are currently thinking and reading in Elven. The language spoken by the Elves of this world is a variant of the language impossible to comprehend at the moment. Language skills become available with later evolutions.

So I’d have to keep killing in order to at least understand my own kind.

My former kind…

No matter, I could do this.

I was too tired to continue for the time being. I decided to do what spiders do and create a web to close off the opening so I’d at least be somewhat safe while I was sleeping.

I placed my rear end on the rocky surface and pushed out threads. I had no idea how I did it. It seemed to come naturally.

After long minutes of work and making sure to seal the area off, I was happy with the web that now separated me from the outside of this small crevice.

I relaxed and let my legs slide off to the sides as I felt unconsciousness take my fatigued body.