You've earned the achievement: First to clear a monster nest

Effect:

1. Slightly enhances any innate supernatural abilities

2. Enhances physical capabilities modestly

Along with the achievement prompt, Ray felt a small amount of strength fill his weary body, only offsetting a small fraction of the accumulated exhaustion, but still having a noticeable impact. Reading over the description, he found that the effects seemed to be fairly generic. One of the achievements was worded almost identically to the first achievement he had received, the one for being the first to kill a monster. These achievements seemed to be available for anyone to claim, so maybe it needed to be a one-size-fits-all approach to rewards.

Finished with scratching his head over the matter, Ray's attention soon turned to the wrapped giftbox lying on the ground next to him. Recalling from yesterday that this should be his mission clear reward, he proceeded by tearing off the paper expectantly.

Inside the small-wrapped box he found something that appeared to be an identical looking ring to the one he was already wearing.

Increases summoner's familiar limit by one.

A small blue pop-up box filled his vision temporarily, staying within his line of vision only so long as he held his focus on the object.

It was honestly a great reward, but the fact that it was another ring was something that raised an eye. Would he need to be wearing dozens of rings on all fingers in the near future?

"Are all of the rewards rings?" Ray asked absentmindedly, not particularly expecting a response but his silkworm familiar acted like it knew the answer. Bobbing up and down then side to side on his shoulder, dancing in its own unique manner.

'Every intelligent species... gets rewards. The reward's shape... is optimized to fit... the species' form."

"So I'd expect a worm like you wouldn't get a ring then? Ahem, that is, your species does receive rewards doesn't it?" Suddenly afraid he had been rude just now. He still didn't know the best way to address his worm familiar.

His worm agreed, bending its body in a swaying motion, but it somehow looked a bit sad while doing so.

"We do get rewards... but I don't... I picked the easy difficulty..." pausing for a lengthy enough period of time that Ray almost thought his worm had gone into a depression. "Our rewards aren't rings like yours."

Rewards weren't for the easy difficulties, that was a new revelation. Nobody from easy had returned yet so Ray considered this a scoop. He was still somewhat curious about what shape a worm's reward would be, but seeing the worm's despondant body language he felt it better not to pry.

Taking the ring from the box, he tried to slide it onto an open finger, but unexpectedly the ring didn't fit. He shifted it to his other hand but the same issue happened again, the ring which should have been self-fitting was shrinking to be too small for any of digits, even his pinky.

Don't tell me I can only wear one of them. That would be the absolute worst if he could only choose one.

"Try the same finger..." His worm pointed out helpfully.

Doing as it said, Ray positioned the ring above his right index finger, sliding it on with ease as it resized itself accordingly. And as he slid it on, an unexpectedly strong force tugged at the ring pulling it roughly and drawing it towards the other ring, as if the two were magnetically attracted. The two rings touched briefly, then began to melt together in a surreal manner, merging as if the two were bodies of liquid rather than solid objects. Settling together until only a single ring remained.

Without his power-altered personality activated, Ray reacted as he normally would to such a sight. Staring dumbfounded at his own hand while he tried to work out what just happened. Physics had apparently flown out the window and magic was now the norm, it was difficult to accept such a radical change within a matter of days but thinking about it only made his head hurt.

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Only his worm's voice brought him back to reality.

"Are you going to summon it?" Waiting a few seconds before continuing on at its usual labored pace. "Your new familiar, that is."

A second familiar, huh. He probably should figure out what it was. Thinking about it logically, that would be his top priority. Even he could already see the writing on the wall. The world was changing and powers would soon be the new currency of the coming era.

Even so, everything was just so overwhelming. His body felt weak, his mind was exhausted. Barely surviving that bullet-explosion had turned him feverish, like he had spent a full month month bed-ridden and was only now starting to recover from an extended illness. The sight of the sheriff's corpse just a short distance away doing nothing to help his mental state. This mission would have been extremely difficult without the man's help, and it was undoubtedly Ray's ability that had drawn him here.

Shaking his head again, Ray returned his attention back to the matter at hand. Ever since the two of his rings had merged, the summoner's symbol on the back of his hand had become significantly more complex. Evolving from a single mark into a web of forked lines and symbols which surrounded the original spot. Apparently due to the effects of an increased familiar limit, or at least that was the only explanation he could think of.

Finally gathering the will to call out his new summon, the runes on his hand lit up brightly. The web of lines looked almost like they were dancing back and force on his hand excitedly, as if rejoicing excitedly over his activation. All of it vanishing just as abruptly as it had begun; apparently the summoning had finished.

Long spindly legs were the first things to fill his vision. Whatever it was, it was big. The legs golden in color, thick shelled and segmented like a crab's but with a polished sheen to them that was very much unlike a crustacean's. The ends were pointed and curved like stilettos, eight in all. Clicking like heels on the waxed floor as they stabbed in for support.

Looking up slowly, Ray's excitement began to turn to dread. He already knew by now, but he still hoped his intuition was wrong.

A dozen purple orbs, socketed like polished jewels into a marble-like carapace, each of the orbs turning their focus on him while two fuzzy mantis-like limbs clacked open to expose a set of massive fangs and cruel mouth of needled teeth. The rest of its body a segmented bulb which trailed behind it like a tarantula, short grey and plainly colored spider-hairs coating the back section other than for a diamond pattern which looped around it like a tiara.

His body seized as an instinctual terror took him. Why did it have to be a spider?

"Spider." Ray hissed between his chattering teeth. Sucking in air that tasted of his own terror, bravely trying to resist the urge to run for his life. It looked no different from an overly large spider, but the intense aura of malevolence contained within its eyes was enough to invoke a far deeper fear than he knew possible.

It wouldn't kill its own summoner would it? Doubt filling his mind.

The golden legged arachnid several times bigger than himself stared back at him with a predatory hunger. His knees felt weak, already exhausted from earlier he felt himself finally overcome. Eyes rolled back into his head, Ray collapsed. Feeling something soft catch him before he reached the floor, he drifted into an unplanned slumber... or rather something of a nightmare.

The world was dark, pitch black in fact, so much so that he couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. reminding him somewhat of what things were like back in the integration, a scary though, but one that soon faded. A light suddenly flickered on, his silkworm dangled from a rainbow thread in front of his eyes while emitting a light that changed its color on a dime. Cycling through every color imaginable and even some which he had never imagined possible, all in the blink of an eye.

"What are you doing here? Is this a dream?" Getting no response only more of the world around him coming into view now that the light expanded.

Discovering that the ground he sat on was not really ground at all, but rather a giant web, made from the same silk the worm was hanging by.

"I made this for you," his worm finally spoke. Swinging its body to gesture about the encompassing web around them.

"For me?" Ray didn't quite understand. "What's it for?"

"For the coming days."

It seemed like an ominous reply, but before he could ask further, a set of golden legs stepped out from the darkness and onto their web. Ray suddenly remembered this creature, his instinctive fear towards it turning the blood in his veins to ice.

"Now this sure looks interesting, care if I join in too? What's a web without a spider after all" Clacking its mandibles together mirthfully, as if trying to giggle.

Ray's eyes shot open, sweat pouring down his face as his chest rose heavily. A dream. Thank God it was just a dream.

His neck felt oddly comfortably, finding it supported by something soft... and hairy. Someone had been rocking him as he slept, his eyes wandering up naturally as he tilted his head back to get a better look. A face fit for nightmare-fuel smiled back at him.

"Did you have a nice nap, Ray?"