Editing/Standardisation: kubor04
Formatting/Extras: APM
Original Translation: Blastron
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Haaah. Centipedes are scary. Seriously, what just happened? Man, that swarming mass of violence struck fear into my heart. Ugh. I’m beat. My yellow stamina meter, which shows my short-term energy, ran out, but I kept running and running. My legs are trembling! I should really call it quits for today.
I turn around one more time, just to see if the centipede brigade has caught up to me. Good, all clear, all clear. I string up my threads, and put together another simple home. As soon as I feel like I’m safe within my webs, all of the strength leaves my body.
Ahh, well, that was pretty traumatic. They’re pretty weak one-on-one, but if there’s that many of them? Seriously dangerous. Plus, those things can paralyze me! If one of them managed to bite me just once, I’d fall prey to their paralytic venom. All that’s left after that would be to drag my immobile body back to their nest and slowly devour me. Even just thinking about it is awful.
I really should have been asking myself why there were so many centipedes around here. I mean, not just that, but, why wasn’t I wondering where the other monsters were? Centipedes are weak as hell. These guys make such good prey! Why didn’t I think it was odd that there weren’t any other predators feeding on these guys? Maybe they didn’t want to eat centipedes because of the paralytic poison, but, seriously, this is a dungeon filled with poison-attributed monsters. That’s a pretty flimsy excuse.
So, either all of the other monsters around here know to steer clear of the centipedes, or the centipedes used their numbers to sweep in and murder any intruders. My speed’s at the level where I was just barely able to escape, but that might be way trickier for the other monsters. Getting bit while running away, and then getting set upon by uncountable centipedes? Way. Too. Scary. to think about.
Us weak monsters need to come up with ways to work around our weaknesses, if we want to survive. I, for instance, really suck in a straight-up fight, but I can kill things way stronger than me once I’ve got them trapped in my webs. It’s because I’m so weak that I can’t afford to slip up. I think I’ve learned my lesson, this time.
I’ve somehow been able to live pretty securely as of late, and, really, these centipedes are tasty. Thanks to all that, grinding up my level has been remarkably easy.
Oh, that reminds me! When I accidentally appraised the entire centipede brigade at once, [Appraisal]’s level went up! Talk about a lucky strike, seriously. Well, first off, I should take a closer look at the [Appraisal] results that I’m constantly pulling up on myself. I didn’t really have time to do that while I was being chased by that centipede swarm.
{Small Lesser Taratect – LV 7 – no name}
{Status: Weak}
Are you kidd… “Status: Weak”?! That’s way too harsh! I mean, I know I’m weak, but still… could you maybe try being a little less blunt! Man, if [Appraisal] is calling me weak, then I guess that really does mean that I’m weak in the eyes of the world. Haaaaaah. I slump defeatedly.
Wait, no, wasn’t I just thinking that I couldn’t let myself get careless, even around weak enemies? I have my [Spider Thread]! Sure, I might be physically weak, but my thread is strong! Defeat isn’t in my vocabulary, if I’ve got my thread. So, seriously, why are you calling me weak? I might be a bit biased, but I’m pretty strong if I can gain an advantage! Whether I lure them into a webbed trap or sneak up on them from above, immobilizing my opponent and finishing it off with my [Poison Fang] is painless. Yeah. I fight really dirty. It’s interesting, though, to see just how quickly I go back to being weak once I’m confronted face-to-face.
Really, the problem is figuring out how to keep everyone playing on my terms. If I let my opponents set the pace of the fight, all of my advantages are worthless. Ah, well, it’s not a big problem if I can manage to keep control of things every time, you know.
Well, I’m tired, I’m going to get some sleep.
I’ve woken up. I’m still weighed down by fatigue, but I’ve woken up nonetheless. What is this… sensation? I don’t really know, but I’ve got a bad feeling about it.
I hurriedly get up and run over to start adding additional threads to my simple home. There, the source of my troubles is revealed.
{Elro Baldarad – LV 9 – failed to appraise statistics}
It’s a colossal snake, big enough around to swallow a person whole, and at least ten meters long. By looks alone, it’s strong. Plus, it’s level nine. This is the first time I’ve seen a monster that’s higher level than me. Actually, this is the first time I’ve seen a monster that’s this high-leveled at all! The highest so far has been level four, and in one jump that number’s gone up to nine.
It’s obviously higher up on the food chain than I am, and its level is higher too. I’ve got no chance at all if it comes to a fight. I’m seriously breaking out in a cold sweat.
I’m frozen like a deer in the headlights. Er, like a spider in the headlights. My body is rigid with fear, but I somehow make myself move. I slowly back up, putting some distance between myself and the snake.
The snake doesn’t just let that happen.
Paying no heed to my webs, it thrusts itself forward! It, of course, gets stuck, but it writhes around, tearing my webs from the walls! I turn around and start running as fast as I can. I slip through the gaps in my simple home to the outside, but in an instant the snake is right behind me, tearing at the webs I just passed through.
My instincts are screaming at me to flee. I don’t think I will, though. I saw it. The snake is getting tangled in my webs. It may be able to break them down, but it can’t get them off of it completely. Now, it’s got the remnants of the first set of webs clinging to it, in addition to being caught in my second set.
I can do this! This fight is on my terms.
I leap onto the snake as it writhes. I immediately start biting at it, while simultaneously spewing more threads from my rear. I somehow pierce through its thick scales, and hit it with my [Poison Fang]!
The snake starts thrashing as the poison courses through its body. Even though I’ve bound it with so much thread, it’s able to fling itself about with a ton of force! I’m flung against the walls and the ceiling over and over, but I pull through and keep fighting with raw grit and will!
My yellow stamina meter is draining, and my green health meter goes down every time I’m flung against the wall. My red stamina meter also seems to be decreasing with every thread I release. If that runs out, I probably won’t be able to release any more threads. It’s only a matter of time, then, before the snake will be able to tear itself free. I have to beat it before that happens.
I keep biting and spraying threads with reckless abandon. Gradually, gradually, the snake’s struggles grow weak. I’ve long since exhausted my yellow meter, and my red meter is down to about ten percent, but the snake finally stops moving entirely.
Just because I’m weak, doesn’t mean you can take me lightly!
APM - Translation 