041- [Kumo] – Struggling

Editing/Standardisation: kubor04
Formatting/Extras: APM
Original Translation: Blastron
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I waited a good, long while after the Earth Dragon left, constantly keeping an over-watchful eye on my surroundings. There’s no way I can relax, just with that. If I don’t do something, though, it’s no use.

I turn towards the wasp that I left tied up over there and extend a thread towards it with [Thread Control]. Agh, that hurt my back. It doesn’t look like I have any problems spinning thread, though. I carefully maneuver the thread out there, and tie it to the wasp.

The wasp is still struggling, but it really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I need to get this thing pulled in before it attracts the attention of another monster. Every time I pull on the thread, my wound aches. The pain is serious, but my health isn’t going down at all, so I’m telling myself that this is fine.

Finally, I’ve retrieved the wasp. I quickly seize it in my [Poison Fang], and clamp down tightly until it stops moving. Hmm, when I think about how effective [Poison Fang] is on other poison-using monsters, I wonder if I’ve overleveled both it and [Poison Resistance], compared to other monsters? Eh, for now, whatever works is good.

The real problem is what to do next. Frankly, I think exploring this area is basically suicide. If there’s anything else out there that’s as strong as that Earth Dragon, there is literally zero way that I will survive.

This is really bad. I’ve crossed many dangerous bridges before, but nothing like this.

You know, maybe I’ve been a little bit conceited about my combat abilities. Sure, I’ve been successful with my various sneak-attack strategies as I’ve been loitering around this dungeon, but my real strength is fighting defensively from within my nest. Even one of my simple homes was able to take down one of those snakes, so if I were to actually put my full efforts into it, I don’t think there’s a single monster out there that could get through to me. …Probably.

…well, THAT thing can probably break through. While whistling a jaunty tune, even. It is, at the very least, that powerful.

[Spider Thread], [Poison Fang], sneak attacks, and speed. All of my specialties are nothing more than clever tricks in front of that thing, tricks that are kicked aside by its overwhelming power. This is the second completely undefeatable monster that I’ve encountered in my brief life as a spider. The first, by the way, was my mother (father?), the giant spider.

Not being able to win is definitely a problem, but way, way worse is the fact that its speed vastly outpaces mine. Usually, if something can break through my nest, I can run away while it’s doing so. I may seethe with rage, but I will make it out with my life, thanks to my speed. That thing, however, could catch me.

I can’t win if I fight it, and I can’t escape if I run away. If I catch its eye, it’s all over.

Man, what an unreasonable monster. If I’d known about this, I would have tried facing that other snake’s charge instead. At least I’d have a chance then. On top of that, I don’t even know if that thing is the only one of its kind down here!

I’m scared. This is the closest I’ve ever been to death. I’m almost a little surprised that I’m feeling so afraid. I’ve been through so much ridiculous stuff so far, and I never really felt much fear or nervousness. I thought that maybe I’d mastered those feelings already. Now, though, I know. All the dangers so far have merely not been dangerous enough to make me scared. It’s not that I can’t feel fear, it’s that I didn’t need to.

Ha, ha. It’s way too late for me to be realizing this. I wish I’d figured this out sooner. If I had, maybe I’d have been a little more aware of how dangerous things could be.

Okay, I think that’s enough regretting. Let’s figure out how I might survive this.

Step one is securing my safety. It’s not going to be much help against the Earth Dragon, but for now I should set up a nest in these crags. Right now, I don’t think I’m in any condition to move anywhere else. You could even say I just don’t want to leave. So, I’m going to build my home, number three, right here.

Then, if I can, I’m going to lure wasps and other strong monsters in here so that I can kill them. My goal is to level up and get that full heal. Until I fix this wound in my back, there’s not much I can do. If any monster, even a weak one, so much as sneezes on me, I’m dead. I really don’t want to bank on recovering on my own. Man, I wish I’d picked up [HP Auto-Recovery] back when I had the chance. Regrets won’t fix anything, though; I need to accept my mistakes and move on.

For now, let’s focus on getting my base set up. Honestly, this isn’t a very good place for a base. It’s going to stand out a ton and, of course, if I’m noticed by a monster like that Earth Dragon, I’m toast. With these wounds, though, I don’t have much choice. This really comes down to luck. Bad luck.

Okay, my plan is to level up. Once I’ve fixed this wound, I think I’ll be able to get out of this danger zone.

Hmm, do I go up and try to break through the wasp army, or do I stay down here and explore this extremely dangerous area? Either way, it’s hell. Man, now that I’ve fallen down here, I’ve got the ultimate life-or-death choice in front of me. If I’m lucky, I live, if I’m unlucky, I die. The scales are tipped pretty far towards “die” right now, though. Is it going to keep tipping this way, or can I make it recover?

I need to take action to swing the scales my way. Luckily, I’ve got enough stamina left to weave a decent nest. This wasp is pretty big, so it’ll be a solid meal. Let’s extract all the stamina I can from this thing and turn it all into an awesome nest. Everything after that is down to luck and skill.

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