Editing/Standardisation: kubor04
Formatting/Extras: APM
Original Translation: Blastron
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Another day after another day of sneakily, sneakily scuttling along. The labyrinthine zone from the upper area had a billion twisty little passages, but this has just been one long, unbroken passage. I mean, it’s great that I can’t get lost, but… if this passage happens to connect to the Bottom Stratum, I’d be stuck, right…? Aaagh, let’s not start imagining the worst. This road leads to the Middle Stratum! Yes! I believe this completely!
Well then, my red meter’s about to run out. I… did eat one of those snail-bugs earlier, but that is really, really an absolute last resort. Even now, I can see a few of them crawling around on the walls, but I can’t really imagine myself willingly eating any of them. That’s right! These things are atrociously awful to eat.
So, while I’ve still got a few points left in this meter, I should try to find a more normal meal. …Let’s not worry about whether highly poisonous monsters are “normal” or not. Ah, well, it’s not like I haven’t eaten a bunch of them alreadyyy… Ugh, and now there’s these guyyys… Why can’t I find something tasty for ooonce! I really miss instant ramen.
Right, right! Front: clear! Rear: clear! Perimeter is clear of external threats! Perfect, perfect.
{Elroe Randanel – LV 8 – failed to appraise status}
{Elroe Randanel – LV 7 – failed to appraise status}
{Elroe Randanel – LV 7 – failed to appraise status}
Look at that, they’re in a group of three, just like last time! What a friendly bunch. Their levels are way higher than the last group, though, as expected for things down in the Lower Stratum. That level eight one might even evolve soon, if level ten’s their evolution threshold. Ah, what a bright future… that they will never see, heh.
I circle around behind them, hidden in the gloom. And then I deploy my brand-new weapon: Casting Net!! …Huh? The name’s kind of boring? Haha, it’s fine, it’s fine. Sometimes nothing really clever comes to mind, you know! “Ku-morning star” made me grin as soon as I thought of it, but coming up with names of that caliber every single time would be a huge pain!
So, without further ado, Casting Net: GO!
Please do not be mistaken: this is no ordinary throwing net. This new weapon… argh, this really does need a name, hm… oh, what? An explanation? Right, right! This net collapses into a ball as I throw it, then springs open wide as soon as it reaches its target! This is my amazing new combination attack, mixing the precise craftsmanship of my [Spider Thread] and the dextrous control of my [Thread Control].
All three of them are wrapped up tightly in an instant! Ha ha hah! A great catch, a great catch! Now, as usual, let’s end things with a little [Poison Fang]… chomp!
<Condition satisfied. Acquired Title [Poison Technique User].>
<Acquired skills [Poison Synthesis – LV1] [Poison Magic – LV1] as a result of Title [Poison Technique User]>
Oh? Ohhhh?! I got another tiiiiitllllllle!! It’s a poison one? It’s a poison one!! Man, I have been using nothing but poison since I was born, and this is only finally showing up? These must be some strict requirements! Hm, now that I think about it, though, all of my titles have had some pretty harsh entry conditions… maybe they’re just hard to earn in general? Ah, well, I’ve got this one now so it’s not a problem.
Now, the skills, [Poison Synthesis] and [Poison Magic], huh… Well, I’m going to just ignore [Poison Magic] because I still have absolutely no idea how to use it at all. Throw it on the magical garbage heap I’m accumulating. [Poison Synthesis], hmm, might share the same fate. How do I use this thing? “Synthesis” huh, so, do I use this to make poison? I’m a spider, though, I can make my own poison already.
Ah, no, no, let’s not waste time messing with my skills. I still have work to do! There are still two more of these things that need to be disposed of. So, with my [Poison Fangs]… chomp!
<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Poison Fang – LV 7] has become [Poison Fang – LV 8]>
Oh? Ohhh?! OHHHHH?! What’s today’s forecast, poison with a chance of more poison? This is great, this is great! If level ten is the maximum skill level, my poison should be getting way stronger now that it’s at level eight. It already could take down those wasps, who I assume were venomous themselves. This is way easier than getting titles, hah.
Right. Let’s take these three dead things and hide amongst the crags. Ergh, man, with my terrible physical stats, carrying three of these at once is extremely difficult! Man, if I’d carried these things one at a time, I might have had an easier time but… huh? Didn’t I complain about this exact same problem a while ago, you ask? Didn’t I come up with exactly the same solution the last time, you ask? Hmmmmm? I know nothing about anything like that! I don’t remember that at all, and my memory is nowhere close to bad, so it can’t have happened. You got that? Good.
Well, while I’m stuck here eating, I might as well play around with [Poison Synthesis] some. Of course, I have no real clues about how to begin, so, uh… I’m basically just going to take a wild guess. So, deep in my heart, I silently whisper, [Poison Synthesis].
Huh, and something actually popped into my head. Just like with [Appraisal], I can see a status window floating in my mind’s eye.
Poison Synthesis Menu:
| Weak Poison | |
| Spider Poison | Lv8 |
What the heck? Oh, well, if it’s displayed like this, let’s try using [Appraisal] to read up on it…
{Poison Synthesis Menu: From here, you may synthesize poison.}
{Weak Poison: An extremely weak poison.}
{Spider Poison – LV 8: A lethal venom secreted by spiders. At level 8, it is extremely potent.}
Umf. [Spider Poison] is undoubtedly my own poison. This [Weak Poison], is it what a level one [Poison Synthesis] can normally make? To try it out, I select [Weak Poison]. As I watch, a ball of liquid bubbles into being in mid-air, then suddenly drops to the ground with a splash. Whoops. I really should find a container for this, shouldn’t I? Just to be sure, I appraise the puddle.
{Puddle of Weak Poison}
Yeah, that’s weak poison, all right. I see… it looks like [Poison Synthesis] is a skill that can conjure up poison without needing any materials at all. If I was a human, this would be super useful, but I’m a spider, you know. Well, I might be able to come up with a use for it anyway. Yeah, a no-cost way of generating poison is pretty awesome, after all.
Ah, no, wait, my mana’s gone down a bit. Looks like it’s not completely free, after all. That’s another big strike against it. I guess that if I keep leveling it up I might gain access to a larger variety of poisons, but I’ve already got my super-powerful spider venom! This isn’t very appealing at all. I’m glad that I figured out how to use it, though. This is, at the very least, way more useful than the completely incomprehensible magic system.
APM - Translation 