Editing/Standardisation: kubor04
Formatting/Extras: APM
Original Translation: Blastron
Additional thanks goes out to mae and Legit-rikk. Join our discord

---

Well then, I’ve got a bunch of skill points, so I’d really like to pick up a new skill. I can’t really do so carelessly, though. I picked up [Appraisal] on a whim and basically immediately regretted it.

While I’ve got my safety secured, let’s spend some time thinking about this. I throw together a temporary home, ignoring the bones of the frog that I’ve finished eating. Man, I’m getting pretty good at putting basic homes like these together.

All right. Time to focus.

What skills shouldn’t I take? [Heresy Magic] has taught me that I should, well, just straight-up avoid anything that has to do with magic. I have no idea how to actually use it! Really, I should steer clear of any skills that I can’t figure out how to use from the name alone.

I should also really avoid buying any skills that I might earn myself. From what I’ve seen so far, each skill has some sort of skill proficiency associated with it. When I’ve accumulated enough proficiency in the skill, the level of the skill goes up. Even if I don’t have a single level in the skill, it looks like proficiency still accumulates, and when I finally get enough proficiency, I get the skill. Granted, the only skills I’ve acquired this way were resistances, so maybe that sort of thing is unique to resistance skills. Still, if there’s a chance that I might be able to learn it by myself, I shouldn’t be spending any skill points on it.

When I look at it that way, maybe spending skill points on [Appraisal] wasn’t actually a terrible idea. How could I have possibly worked to acquire [Appraisal] if I were starting from scratch? It’s also ridiculously fortunate that I figured out how to use [Appraisal] immediately, unlike magic. Man, I’ve been complaining about how worthless and unusable this skill is, but this might be one of the rare few skills that are actually usable out of the box.

Okay, so, if I pick a skill, it not only has to be a skill that I can figure out how to use, but also needs to be one that I wouldn’t pick up on my own. That’s actually a pretty harsh restriction, you know! Seriously, all I have to go on is a skill’s name, with no clue about what it actually does, which is, quite frankly, terrifying. On top of that, I have to keep checking with the, uh, “Voice of Heaven” to see if there’s even a skill that matches the name I’m looking for.

From what I’ve seen so far, if I want to spend skill points to acquire a skill, I need to tell the “Voice of Heaven” that I’d like to purchase it. If I ask her about a skill that exists, she responds; if it doesn’t exist, though, she remains silent. So, in order to find out what skills exist, I’ve been constantly spamming the “Voice of Heaven” with requests.

Since I’ve been sending enquiries whenever I’ve got any downtime, I’ve started to put together a list of skills that I might want to pick up. Of those skills, there’s five that meet my criteria: [Poison Claw], [Thread Control], [HP Auto-Recovery], [SP Lessened Consumption], and [Detection].

[Poison Claw] and [Thread Control] are skills that will, hopefully, make me stronger. [Poison Claw] is, well, [Poison Fang], but in claw form, and [Thread Control] is a support skill to help me use my threads more effectively. There’s a couple of problems, though: if I pick up [Poison Claw], it’s probably going to be way weaker than [Poison Fang] at the beginning, and I’m not one hundred percent certain that I’ll be able to figure out how to use [Thread Manipulation].

[HP Auto-Recovery] and [SP Lessened Consumption] are totally background support skills. If they work just like their names imply, they’re going to be extremely handy to have around.

Last but not least is the riskiest choice: [Detection]. In this dungeon, I have a serious need for a way to detect surprise attacks. I think [Detection] is the right skill for the job, but I’m not really sure what its effect will be… or, again, how to even use it. If I pick this skill, it’s a serious gamble.

I’ve found plenty of other skills, but this is the lineup that I’m really interested in. My life is on the line here, so I can’t really afford to be too sentimental here. There’s definitely other skills that I wanted, but didn’t have enough skill points to obtain. Like, you know, [Immortality]. I’m probably off by an entire order of magnitude, on that one.

Hmmmm. I’m torn. I mean, with these skills, I’m not really working to come up with any new strategies, I’m just figuring out how to strengthen my existing ones. Well, this is really what I’m reduced to if I’m trying to avoid picking up any more awful skills. For now, I guess I should pull [HP Auto-Recovery] from the list. If my HP hits zero, I’m probably going to die, right? If I’m an assassin, I should be avoiding any sort of situation where my HP could go down to begin with.

Four more to pick from, hmm… what should I doooo? I mean, there’s [SP Lessened Consumption], which doesn’t really have any downsides I can think of. It’s my safest choice. Picking up [Poison Claw] would probably let me broaden my combat tactics, but getting its level up to a usable point is going to be super slow! If I can figure out how to use [Thread Control], it’ll be a serious boost to my combat ability… but, of course, if I can’t figure it out, then it’s yet another useless skill I’m hobbled with. [Detection], as I mentioned earlier, is a gamble.

Mmmmmmm.

Umf. Alright, I’ve decided.

<Number of skill points currently in possession: 200. Number of skill points required to acquire skill [Thread Control – LV1]: 100. Acquire skill?>

Yes.

<[Thread Control – LV1] acquired. Remaining skill points: 100>

<Number of skill points currently in possession: 100. Number of skill points required to acquire skill [Detection – LV1]: 100. Acquire skill?>

Yes!

<[Detection – LV1] acquired. Remaining skill points: 0>

I’ve picked up [Thread Control] and [Detection]. I know I was just saying things about putting my life on the line, but I’ve seriously just picked up the two biggest gambles from my list. Ahahaaaa… I’m really not cut out for gambling. Well, it’s not like there’s any going back now. I’ve picked up these two skills, and if I can’t use them, I’ll cry.

…I don’t know if spiders can cry, though.

Editing/Standardisation: kubor04
Formatting/Extras: APM
Original Translation: Blastron
Additional thanks goes out to mae and Legit-rikk. Join our discord

---

I found my first target.

{Elro Ferekt – LV 5 – failed to appraise status}

Another one of these frogs that I’ve kept running into. Its level’s way higher than the other ones, though.

Hmmmm. I have no idea how my stats changed after evolving, and I’m kinda wanting to test them out. I’m betting that evolving made them stronger, though.

Though… my level did get set back down to one. Until now, whenever it went up, my stats were increased. If they got dropped back down when my level got reset, that would be seriously dangerous. Well, I don’t quite think that’s the case, but there are definitely games with leveling systems like that, where you get weak immediately after you evolve but then get way stronger after you recover from that. Kind of like a “New Game +” sort of thing, but if that were to happen in reality the results might be disastrous.

Yeah. I’m probably worrying about nothing, but, still, let’s proceed with caution. Since I’m still a little bit concerned, I’m not going to charge in and do anything reckless. My life is on the line, after all, and discretion is the better part of valor.

I stealthily creep up the wall, take my position on the ceiling, and start to creep forward, upside-down. When I arrive just above the frog, I string one line between me and the ceiling, then use a separate thread to weave a mini-web around my forelegs. Preparations complete! I get ready to lower myself down.

Three… two… one… GO!!

I plunge from above, mini-web stretched out before me. Before the frog can even flinch, it’s been wrapped in my web, and I cling to its back as I continue to spray more thread. When it’s tied too tightly to struggle, I bite at it through my webs! CHOMP!

Hmm! Not bad, if I do say so myself. Perhaps I should start calling myself Assassin? Ehehehe. Who could possibly win against my thread and my fangs?!

Ahh, well, first off, I’ve got a frog to eat.

Hmm, but seriously, though. I evolved, but I’m still doing basically the same things. I originally set out with the goal of gaining some more practical combat experience, but lately I think I’ve not really been keeping up with that. The monsters here are way stronger than me, you know? If it’s a straight up fight, my life will be on the line, you know? I’m seriously not finding any monsters of a suitable level for me to practice against. I’m getting really good at my sneak attack assassination combo, though, but I’m not always guaranteed a sneak attack. If I’ve built a nest, then there’s no way I’ll have the element of surprise against anything that tries to break through it! And wasn’t the entire reason why I set out on this quest to get strong enough to defend my home?

No, no! I’ve evolved! My level’s gone up! Even my base stats have gone up, and that alone is huge! My actions until now have not at all been for naught! Think of it like that!

Hooooohf. I nearly wrote off all of my progress as meaningless. That’s bad, that’s bad.

Ummmf. Still, out here in reality, relying one hundred percent on sneak attacks is actually really dangerous. When I lost my home, that was because I was relying too heavily on the power of my webs. What I need is to come up with a new weapon, any weapon! …Hah, if I could just come up with one that easily though, life would be great…

Just off the top of my head what about my currently-unusable [Heresy Magic]? If I could figure out how to use this thing, a whole new world of tactics would open up to me. Of course, I don’t have the manual. Grr.

If I was a human, I’d be able to learn how to use this from another human, right? Ah well, even if I wonder about that it’s not like it’s going to make a difference. Being forced to do everything myself is both kind of nice and a huge pain. It’s nice because I don’t have to subject myself to the rest of humanity, but having to tackle every problem on my own is a ton of effort! Either way, it’s not like I could get any information out of humans. I can’t talk.

Hmm, I could do it if I was telepathic, couldn’t I? Oh, right, haven’t I been earning more skill points? If I’ve been getting ten points per level, by the time I hit level ten I should have saved up a hundred. It cost me a hundred points to learn [Appraisal], so I should be able to pick up a new skill with what I’ve got now.

Hey, Ms. “Voice of Heaven”! What do you think, can I get it?

<Number of skill points currently in possession: 200. Number of skill points required to acquire skill [Telepathy – LV1]: 100. Acquire skill?>

Ohhhh! I can!

Hmmmm. Is telepathy even useful to me at the moment, though, with nobody around? Nah, bzzt, rejected.

Although, I have two hundred points! Maybe I’ve been gaining twenty points per level. Ah! That means that by the time I’ve hit level six, I’ll be able to afford another skill! I bought Appraisal right when I started, and although it was pretty useless when I got it, I’ve been able to slowly grind it up into something useful. I still think I might have done something wasteful.

Hmm? Ah, wait, wait. Let’s think back a little harder. Didn’t I try, back when I was level six, to buy another skill, and… fail, because I didn’t have enough skill points, right? Hmmmm?

Well, it could be that skill points are increased both by leveling up and evolving. I have no real way to determine what it really is, though! Let’s put aside the problem of skill point increases for now.

Editing/Standardisation: kubor04
Formatting/Extras: APM
Original Translation: Blastron
Additional thanks goes out to mae and Legit-rikk. Join our discord

---

In order to restore the stamina that nearly ran out while I was evolving, I’ve been doing nothing but eating. First to go was the rest of the snake. All of that meat that I was having so much trouble eating before now rests within my belly.

<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Poison Resistance – LV6] has become [Poison Resistance – LV7]>

Just as I finished eating the snake, [Poison Resistance]’s level went up. I got two skill levels out of that thing. Tasty, tasty!

Man, before I evolved, eating this much would have caused my stomach to swell up like a balloon. It’s not really doing that anymore, though… where is it going, some kind of pocket dimension? It’s like whatever I’m eating is disappearing. While my food stocks are diminishing, though, my red stamina meter is steadily refilling. Hmmmm. I’ve seen a ton of really strange phenomena since I came to this world, but I think my stomach is the strangest of them all. What the heck is up with this thing?

Well, I shouldn’t put too much effort into thinking about this. “It’s just that kind of world” is a good enough explanation. I’ll leave explaining the rest of these phenomena to the academics.

Anyhow, even after finishing off that snake, my stomach isn’t even swelling a little bit, and if it’s not swollen, there’s no way it’s full yet. Plus, my red stamina meter isn’t full yet.

Luckily, I’ve got this huge mound of monster corpses stacked up in my home, stacked tall enough that, before I evolved, I had no idea how I could possibly get through all of it. I should be able to get even this enormous pile inside my new pocket-dimension belly, hmm…

Well, let’s dig in. I eat, and eat, and eat, I do nothing but eat. Umf, in my past life I had such a tiny appetite, but I’ve become a pretty serious gourmand! I could dominate the competitive eating scene like this.

Ahh, maaan, what is up with my stomach?! I have clearly shoved more food down my throat than the entire volume of my body, yet I can still eat more! It totally, seriously looks like my stomach is connected to a pocket dimension. I know I just said that I was going to leave the thinking to the academics but seriously this is my own body! I have a right to be curious! No matter how curious I am, though, it’s not like I can get an answer, so maybe I’m just being impatient… Stop! No thinking! Without thinking about anything, eat in stoic silence!

I eat, and eat, and eat, and… oh? I’m out. …Whuh? Did I seriously eat all of that food? …I did. Nothing’s left. Seriouslyyy? I’m not even full yet! My stamina meter isn’t full yet either. Even after all of this food, I’m still not full? Maaan.

Please don’t tell me it’s going to be like this forever. Please tell me I’m only extra-hungry because I used up all of my energy evolving! I’m going to starve to death otherwise, there’s no way I can find that much food. That would suck. That would reeeeally suck. Seriously, you know, that’s… impossible, right? Seriously, it’s impossible, right? If it’s true then I just stepped on a really big evolutionary land mine.

Ahh! Now that I’m thinking about it, evolution really is a land mine, isn’t it? I passed out, lost all of my energy, and was left defenseless for who knows how long. I was okay because I was in my home, but how do other monsters manage it? Man, I got really, really lucky with this one.

Even though I managed to get through evolving in one piece, running out of energy is a serious problem! Anything that didn’t have piles of food stored up like I did would have to drag themselves around, with no energy, hoping to find prey. They’d totally be at a huge disadvantage in a fight, right? Maaaaan, I got lucky. Is this the bonus I get for being the main character, or was it just coincidence? Ehhh, well, it’s not like they’d ever make a spider the protagonist, anyway. My life has been sufficiently awful so far that I can’t really say I’ve been lucky overall.

There’s a definite chance that this is going to happen again when I hit level ten, so I need to make sure that I’m prepared for it, starting from when I hit level nine. I happened to stumble on the perfect combination of circumstances for a flawless evolution, but if I’m not set up for it next time, then there’s no chance it’s going to go anywhere near as smoothly as this. Ahh, seriously, bringing down that snake was the best thing that could have happened! If I hadn’t been forced to sit still and eat through its corpse, I wouldn’t have made a home, and wouldn’t have accidentally stockpiled all of this food. Sir Snake, I thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

Now then! While I’ve certainly recovered a bit, my belly is still not full. And, since I’ve cleaned out my larder, there’s no need for me to stick around here any more. Let’s anti-shut-in-ify! And so, as I set off on my aimless journey, I bid farewell to the home that has taken care of me.

Thank you, my second home! Though I may have arrived thinking that my stay would be brief, you kept me safe for as long as I needed to stay. Farewell!

I depart triumphantly. My first order of business is to fill up my stomach, which means finding prey to hunt. Once that’s done… I guess I’m going back to wandering the dungeon, looking for the exit if I can.

My next evolution is probably going to require me to get bigger. My size didn’t change as a result of this evolution, so the possibility is still out there that evolving will make me get way bigger all at once. I’m a little bit uneasy with how small these passages are, then. I’d really like to try to find someplace bigger, if at all possible. Really, my best option is to go outside. Worst case scenario is that I get really big while in the dungeon, only to find that the only exit is really tiny, making it impossible to leave. Yeahhhh, and I don’t think I could take it if I had to live out the rest of my life here…

Yeah. Well, for now, let’s find something to eat. We’ll worry about what comes next once we get there.

Editing/Standardisation: kubor04
Formatting/Extras: APM
Original Translation: Blastron
Additional thanks goes out to mae and Legit-rikk. Join our discord

---

As I leveled up, I was informed of something completely unexpected. “Evolution”, was it? Is that… what I think it is…? Like in that one game, where you catch and raise, uh, pocket monsters, right?

<There are multiple options for evolution. Please choose from the following.

Lesser taratect

Small taratect

>

Oh… oh! Ummm, hang on, one sec. Uno momento, por favor.

Okay, let’s think this through. This kind of thing is a huge turning point in a person’s life. I’m not a person, though, I’m a spider. There’s no way I’m going to just pick one randomly.

I’m going to evolve. Well, that’s okay. This world’s basically a game, right? It’s totally not unthinkable for video game evolution to be a thing here. Man, once we start digging, there’s no end to the similarities, is there.

Well, when you say “evolution”, it really makes me think of a powerup. I’m given the option to evolve, but I really don’t have a choice, right? Right. Although… I do remember that there were some games where not evolving was advantageous sometimes. Eh, but those were seriously in the minority of games, so I think evolving is a pretty safe choice.

The problem is, there are two different forms that I have to choose between. [Lesser Taratect] and [Small Taratect]. Going by the names alone, there’s really not that much difference. I’m getting rid of either “Lesser” or “Small” from my species. Aaaaargh, why can’t I use [Appraisal] on what the “Voice of Heaven” says?! I’d be able to find out these differences immediately!

Hmmmmm. Well, let’s just take a stab at it. A [Lesser Taratect] is… probably the adult form of my current species, since I’m just dropping “small” from the name. A [Small Taratect], though, is dropping “lesser”. Does that mean that I’d no longer be an “inferior breed” of Taratect? I’d still be small, though, so I’d still be just a hatchling.

If I’m thinking along the right lines here, and I think I am, my choice is obvious.

It’s gotta be [Small Taratect].

I really don’t think staying as an “inferior breed” is a good idea. Think about it. If I pick [Small Taratect], I’m guaranteed to have at least one more evolution, from [Small Taratect] to a regular Taratect. I don’t know what exactly will change when I evolve, but I know that it’s going to be a good power boost, so I should really pick the option that seems like it will give me the most options down the road. Sure, you might want to think that a [Lesser Taratect] might also have evolution options, but there’s no way I’m going to make such an important decision off of such an unfounded hope.

On top of that, if I become a [Lesser Taratect], I’m probably going to grow larger. This is, quite frankly, terrifying. Adults are, of course, bigger than children, but usually a creature gets bigger gradually. In this ridiculous fantasy world, though, growing up via evolution may work in a “POOF! You’re big now!!” kind of fashion. And, really, since I can’t guarantee that isn’t actually the case, I really, really shouldn’t pick that option. I don’t think I’d get quite as large as that enormous spider from earlier, but there’s a definite possibility that I’d grow too big to fit through these tunnels.

I remember seeing a huge monster, a [Finjegoat], a while ago. It was so big that it had trouble fitting down these passageways, even if they’re three meters wide. Trying to move around while being that large would seriously suck. [Finjegoat]’s probably normally live in a much more spacious part of the cave so, I’d bet that one had gotten lost and wound up in these smaller tunnels.

Since getting big would make it hard for me to move, I’d really rather remain the size I’m at now. So, that’s another point in the [Small Taratect]’s favor.

Right. I’ve decided. I shall evolve… into a [Small Taratect]!!

<Individual Small Lesser Taratect will evolve into Small Taratect.>

Ah, yep. This started really quickly. The Voice of Heaven(???) blasted its way into my head as unceremoniously as usual, even though this is such a momentous occasion! Please, be a little more respectful! I’m trying very hard to ev…o…l…….v………..e………………..

<Evolution Completed.>

<Individual race has become small taratect.>

<All basic attributes have increased.>

<Skill proficiency evolutionary bonus acquired.>

<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Taboo – LV1] has become [Taboo – LV2]>

<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Heresy Magic – LV1] has become [Heresy Magic – LV2]>

<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Rot Resistance – LV1] has become [Rot Resistance – LV2]>

<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Idaten – LV1] has become [Idaten – LV2]>

<Skill points acquired.>

Whoa!? Eh? Heh? Did… did I fall asleep?! Wait, no, that really felt more like my consciousness was shattered apart, with how quickly it faded. Did evolving cause this? Hey! Voice of Heaven!! It would have been just a tiny little bit nice to know that evolution causes sudden unconsciousness!!

Hmm? Wait, am I done evolving? I can’t really see any differences, physically… ah! [Appraisal] got turned off. Let me turn it back on real quick, so that I can confirm things for myself…

{>Small Taratect – LV 1 – no name}

{Status: Weak}

Oh! Ohhh… ohh? Hmmmmmm? The species name changed! Does that mean evolution was successful? …Level one, though? Like, does evolving decrease my level? …Oh no, does it reduce my stats as well?! I have no way to compare! [Appraisal] still only says I’m weak! …Ugh, it still only says I’m weak…

Ah, but, now that I’m looking, I can see that my red general-stamina meter has somehow completely emptied itself. Plus, the sluggishness I was feeling from overeating is gone. …I’m really hungry now. Did evolving seriously burn through all of the food that I had eaten? Well, uh, it’s a good thing that I’d been stockpiling so much.

You know, I’m actually really glad this evolution happened safely, because it’s risky as hell. I lose consciousness and wake up starving. Next time this happens, I’m going to need to make sure I’m well-prepared.

Editing/Standardisation: kubor04
Formatting/Extras: APM
Original Translation: Blastron
Additional thanks goes out to mae and Legit-rikk. Join our discord

---

It’s been a while since I defeated the snake. There’s no real way for me to measure time here in the dungeon, so I don’t really know how long it’s been. In the meantime, all I’ve really been doing is eating and sleeping. I’m still not done eating the snake, and new food keeps getting itself caught up in my webs, so I can’t really leave. I started out by thinking this was a nice little vacation, but I’m starting to get a little worried. If this keeps up, I’m going to become a shut-in again!

I’ve accidentally amassed quite a mound of monster corpses. Seriously, yeah, a mound of bodies. …heh, Yamada’s body.(TL.1) Y’know, Yamada, a dude from my class? Back in my previous life? Ah, nah, well, it’s not like that matters anymore.

What’s important is that this pile of meat just won’t stop getting taller. I have been diligently killing every single thing that gets stuck in my webs, then onto the pile it goes. Back when I was still living in my real home, I’d eat everything as soon as I caught it. Now, though, I’ve got this snake to go through, and I don’t want to start anything else until I’m done with that, so… yeah, I’m building up quite a pile.

There haven’t been any ridiculous bodybuilders who can rip through my webs like that snake did, so for the most part killing everything has been super easy. At some point, a level six monster showed up, and it certainly was strong! …It’s in the pile now, though. Well, just because you’ve got a high level doesn’t mean you’re actually strong.

I’m level nine. Going by level alone, I’m on even footing with where that snake was. But the difference in raw battle power is straight-up overwhelming. I wouldn’t even trust myself to fight some of these lower-level monsters outside of my webs!

I really think that there’s some kind of species factor that weighs much more heavily into strength than level. If I fought against a foe of a superior species, I’d be at a serious disadvantage, even if we were the same level. You’d think that the difference in level would be a good indicator of relative strength, but it really looks like it only works like that when it’s two members of the same species. To give a really extreme example, imagine if that enormous spider from back then was only level one. There’s absolutely no way I could win that fight. No matter how hard I tried, a fight against something that huge would end in a flash. I really should be thinking of the difference in level as more of a suggestion.

Now that I think about it, though, when I was fighting that snake, it might have even had a level advantage! Through sheer chance, I only encountered it after I’d put together this simple home to rest in, which is basically the only reason I was able to win. If I were to have come across it unprepared, that would have been it.

So far, three quarters of this snake have vanished into my belly. Man, should I be thinking that I got through three quarters of that enormous thing, or that I still have one more quarter to go? Hm, with the flow of monsters steadily accumulating on top of my pile, I should probably think of it as still having a quarter left.

With this much stored up, there’s a serious risk that this stuff is going to start rotting before I can get to it. I mean, I have [Rot Resistance], so eating spoiled food might not be the worst thing I could do to my stomach. Even better, if it’s just a little bit rotten, I might be able to grind up [Rot Resistance]’s level while I eat! The taste? Man, I’ve been forcing myself to choke down all this disgustingly bitter poisonous food, I’m sure I can handle a little bit of rot.

Umf. Really, I can’t leave until I’ve gone through all of this food. I think that, if I can somehow finally finish off the rest of this snake, I’ll be able to get through the rest of my stores faster than they can accumulate. Assuming, of course, that another huge monster doesn’t show up before then. Seriously, if I don’t finish this up soon, I’m going to revert back into a crazy shut-in. I may have designed this home as a temporary one, but I’ve been stuck here long enough that it’s been getting built-up almost as my previous full-scale home.

Hm? Wait, you say? Why would I strengthen my home when all that’s going to do is make it catch more monsters, you ask? Hmmmmm?

Nah. Any monster who dares lay eyes upon this fortress will almost certainly flee. My previous home had been designed to lure and catch prey, so my webs had been built out of extremely fine silk, almost impossible to see. This home, though, is built out of thick, tough threads.

Oh, what a coincidence, my webs are vibrating again. Seems like yet another thing has blundered into them. Oof. My food supplies are still increasing, aren’t they. I really didn’t think gluttony would be so troublesome.

To start with, I walk over to where my prey have been ensnared. It sure seems to be struggling a ton; have I caught another huge monster? If that’s the case then there’s no way I’m going to be finishing up my food stores anytime soon, which will lead me even further down the path of the shut-in. I was really hoping for a small one! Ugh, too much food. First world problems.

{Elro Randanel – LV 3 – failed to appraise statistics}

{Elro Randanel – LV 3 – failed to appraise statistics}

{Elro Randanel – LV 4 – failed to appraise statistics}

I caught three things this time, in one go. Ahhhhh, are these the same three that I dealt with back at my original home? Don’t tell me these all come as a set. Getting three things at the same time is definitely way more than one big thing. …In terms of meat, that is.

I tie them all up more securely, pull them out of my web, then wrap all three of them together. This kind of releasable web is a new technique I came up with over the last few days. It’s super convenient, I don’t have to painstakingly cut through each thread to get things out.

I fix up the hole real quick, then make my way back inside while dragging my bundle. Ugh, this is seriously heavy, dragging all three of them. It would have been a huge pain, but I really should have carried these things one by one.

HrrrrRRRAGH! Whew, that was heavy to the point where I’m seriously hurting. Did I strain something? My HP certainly went down. Damn it. I’m going to take it out on these jerks! Sure, this might be extremely unfair, but they’re in no position to complain!

So, then, chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

<Experience has reached the required level. Individual Small Lesser Taratect has increased from LV1 to LV2.>

<All basic attributes have increased.>

<Skill proficiency level-up bonus acquired.>

<Skill points acquired.>

<Condition satisfied. Individual Small Lesser Taratect can now evolve.>

Uh, what?

Editing/Standardisation: kubor04
Formatting/Extras: APM
Original Translation: Blastron
Additional thanks goes out to mae and Legit-rikk. Join our discord

---

Thank you for all of your impressions.

Because there were a lot of questions, I will try to answer the questions without spoiling the story.

Q: Though I think that most people might be creeped out about it, I am concerned that there’s too little description of the MC’s figure for a spider lover like me.

A: This is because it’s from the viewpoint of the MC.

The MC doesn’t have a mirror so she can’t see her own figure. So I intentionally did not write that part.

I thought about describing it when the other spider appeared but I didn’t do that because I want the readers to imagine her figure.

Q: Is the Thread Control Technique included in the [Spider Thread] skill?

A: Barely.

It can only be moved a little after being detached from the body.

Q: I am concerned about whether “Appraisal” can appraise “Poison Resistance” or not.

A: I inserted the explanations in chapter 25.

Please see that for details.

Q: (When being chased by the centipedes) It seemed easier to escape if she scattered adhesion threads in the passage…..

A: Even if it can stop some of them, it wouldn’t help much because there are too many of them.

The next centipede will climb over the centipede that got caught in the thread.

—–

I intend to put efforts to explain doubtful points in the work as much as possible.

Will be in your care from now on.

Editing/Standardisation: kubor04
Formatting/Extras: APM
Original Translation: Blastron
Additional thanks goes out to mae and Legit-rikk. Join our discord

---

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!

Editing/Standardisation: kubor04
Formatting/Extras: APM
Original Translation: Blastron
Additional thanks goes out to mae and Legit-rikk. Join our discord

---

Today, like every other day, I’m hunting centipedes. Maaan. It’s Centipede Heaven, here! They look pretty gross, but they’re really pretty awesome prey if you don’t look at them too closely. Well, my sensibilities really aren’t so delicate. I think their rustly little legs are actually kind of charming. Centipedes are the best!

My [Paralysis Resistance] skill is up to level three, and I’m going to hit level eight soon, right? Seriously, thank you, little buddies.

Just now, I tried to see if I could take two of them on at once, and I did remarkably well, considering. The first one I did in with a sneak attack, but the second I had a pretty tense battle with. In a straight-up fight, centipedes seem to be remarkably quick! Hah, well, not as quick as me. It looks like their attacks are largely limited to biting. Their paralytic venom would probably do me in if I were to get bitten… but, y’know, if I don’t get hit, there’s no problem at all. As long as I’m wary of the bite, everything else is easy. I’ve finally found an entire race of beings weaker than me!

It looks like it’s not just sneak attacks that are effective against these guys. I can hit them straight-on too! MwahahaHA! I’m so STROOOONG! I almost can’t stop laughing.

They’re also super-easy to eat, which is awesome. They may look huge when they’re still rustling around, but the actual volume of meat inside is surprisingly small. One of them is enough to sate my appetite in the short term, but is nowhere near enough to fill me up entirely. Thus, I’ve been eating every scrap of every centipede I’ve encountered, leaving nothing behind. Waste not, want not. I’m a pretty frugal person, so I understand well that waste is the greatest of sins. These centipedes are great, though, since I can eat the entire thing and not need to worry about wasting anything.

It’s really quite nice of the centipedes, to be born solely for the purpose of filling my belly! Eheheheheh. I’ve been living my life super-cautiously until now, so it really can’t hurt me to have some fun once in a while?

Humming and exploring, humming and exploring~! Well, I don’t really have any way to hum for real, so I was just humming in my head. …Vocal cords aside, do I even have a nose to begin with? Ah, well, doesn’t matter.

Oh? Looks like the path forks here. Neither of them look much like a dead end though.

It’s a little weird. This labyrinth is enormous, and I haven’t seen a single dead end! While I’ve been exploring the labyrinth, I haven’t hit any parts of a path where I needed to think about turning around. It’s great to know that I’m not going to run out of corridor if I’m being chased by something, but thinking about how huge this dungeon must be just makes me sigh.

What if this world, this entire world, is just one big underground dungeon? I don’t think that’s the case, but I’ve certainly not been able to find an exit, much less leave and take a look at the outside myself. It really could be true.

I’m sure that the outside world exists, but even so, there’s a chance that my ineptitude could wind up making me live out my entire life in this dungeon. If that’s the case, I’d really like to die of old age while searching for the exit, but it’s way more likely that I’ll end up dying prematurely. Hm, I was just thinking about old age, but I have no idea what my natural lifespan actually is. Just based solely on size, might I live only about as long as a large dog? At the very least, I’d like to live longer than I did in my previous life.

Well, let’s put these useless thoughts aside.

The path forks at the top of a huge cliff. Before me, an enormous cavern yawns. Has my journey through these maze-like tunnels finally come to an end? I wonder what’s next! I really hope it’s not a super-dangerous zone like the one I was born in, with all of the cannibalism and the giant spiders and the huge crowds of monsters. It doesn’t matter how long my lifespan is, it’s not enough to deal with all of that.

Ah, anyhow, what should I do now? I quickly glance down into the pit.

{Elro Ferekt – LV 2 – failed to appraise statistics}

{Elro Ferekt – LV 2 – failed to appraise statistics}

{Elro Ferekt – LV 2 – failed to appraise statistics}

{Elro Ferekt – LV 2 – failed to appraise statistics}

{Elro Ferekt – LV 2 – failed to appraise statistics}

{Elro Ferekt – LV 2 – failed to appraise statistics} and so on, and so on.

<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Appraisal – LV4] has become [Appraisal – LV5]>

Grrk! My… head… HURTS! Information from [Appraisal] blasts into my brain like a punch to the face. Whoa, I almost passed out. That was bad, that was bad. If I overdo it with [Appraisal], I’ll get too much information for my brain to handle, leaving me with a monstrous headache. Well this is useful information to have, now isn’t it! Fainting would have only been natural.

……Hang on, I was too busy not passing out, what did [Appraisal] tell me?

I deliberately look over the edge of the cliff. Yeah, it’s a cliff, but it really only looks like it’s one meter deep. The cavern before me is pretty huge, but it really doesn’t feel like a vast, empty space. After all, it’s completely covered in centipedes.

Whaa?!

What what what what what what?!?! Centipedes! Centipedes!!!! All I see are centipeeeeeeedes!!!! This is disgusting! This goes beyond just gross, this is straight-up disgusting.

Hmm? Centipedes, might I ask what you are looking at? Me? I can’t imagine why you’d all be looking at…

I need to get out of here. I must become the wind! Quickly, from whence I came!

Rumble Rumble Rumble Rumble Rumble!!

Eeeeeeek! They’re chasing me! They’re chasing me! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!! I got carried away!!! Forgive me! Seriously, please!! Forgive meee!

My yellow stamina meter is empty. Ugh, it hurts to keep going, but if I stop, I die!! I don’t care if it hurts as bad as dying, I must! Keep! Going!! In place of my yellow meter, the red one starts to slowly decrease.

In the end, although it cost me about half of my red stamina bar, I escaped the army of centipedes.

Man, I seriously thought I was going to die.

Editing/Standardisation: kubor04
Formatting/Extras: APM
Original Translation: Blastron
Additional thanks goes out to mae and Legit-rikk. Join our discord

---

My explorations of this labyrinth are going fairly well. In fact, everything’s going so well that I’d be laughing out loud if I had lungs. This part of the labyrinth seems to be the territory of the centipedes, so there’s a lot of them here. They’ve been super accommodating in helping me gather XP! Their reaction times are extremely slow, so I’ve had no problems at all catching them with my sneak attacks. Whether it’s from behind or above, my victory is almost always assured. Thanks to that, defeating them is easy!

I’ve killed a ton of these so far, and my level has gone all the way up to seven. Unfortunately I didn’t receive any level-up bonuses to my skills, but constantly eating this paralytic meat has brought my [Paralysis Resistance] up to level 2. This place is great! I can farm up XP, and I can even work on leveling my ever-useful [Paralysis Resistance]. What an excellent hunting ground.

Of course, it hasn’t been 100% perfectly easy. I’m still diligently trying to gain more practical combat experience, so I’ve been experimenting with variations on my sneak attack.

The biggest weakness of my threads is that I can only release it from my bottom. As such, if I want to stick any web onto my opponents, I have to point my butt at them. I have to pose propped up on my two hind legs and stick my butt way out, or otherwise face directly away from my opponent. This is, of course, a very vulnerable position to be in, so in order to compensate I’ve been either attaching my thread while I’m already on top of my enemy, or I bombard them with it while I jump overhead.

Even still, those are still pretty dangerous methods. Sure, if my threads hit, then my victory is basically set in stone. However, if I miss… there’s a huge chance it will seriously backfire. If I’m on top of my opponent, dodging their counterattacks is extremely difficult; likewise, if I’m soaring through the air, I’m at serious risk of being shot down like my idiot brother did back then. It’s not quite what you’d call a “high-risk, high-reward” strategy.

Well, once I’d acknowledged the problem, the next step was to come up with some new strategies to keep myself safe against enemies I can’t get my threads attached to. The solution is this, my new weapon: the portable web! Basically, I’ve got a tiny little web stretched between my forelegs. It gets rid of the vulnerable-pose problem, since I can easily hit with it while charging forward. Now that I no longer need to stick my butt out in that unbelievable stance to get my opponent stuck, this is going to be way easier.

Of course, there are drawbacks. While I’ve got one of these webs on standby, my forelegs are otherwise useless. Yeah, I’ve still got six more legs, but it’s still pretty inconvenient. The other problem is that I have to make these well in advance. Well, luckily for me, I’m a pro at building nets, so it wouldn’t be that bad.

This is quite a magnificent low-risk, high-reward tactic!

I tried a bunch of other things, but all of them ended in failure.

I wanted to come up with a strategy to protect me against the sneak attacks of others, so I dug up my old idea of an enemy-detecting thread. The basic idea is to have a whole bunch of invisibly-fine threads floating in the air. If they were to catch on something, like, say, an enemy, I’d feel the vibration and be able to react. This is a similar idea to how I had a bunch of fine threads strung up in and around my home, but, in practice… there’s a few differences between stringing something up and letting it float around.

My unattended seeker-threads had the unfortunate tendency to bump into either themselves or the wall. Of course, this caused them to constantly vibrate, one after another, which wound up being a huge distraction. I could probably sort it out in my head if I were to concentrate hard enough, but then I wouldn’t be paying attention to anything else, which is really putting the cart before the horse. For now, I have to put my plans for an enemy-seeking thread aside.

Next, I wanted to try making myself some silken armor to try to shore up my terrible defenses. The results, I have to say, were awful. It’s not like I can’t make any clothing, but wearing it is basically impossible. I’m a spider, you know? I don’t have usable hands like I did when I was a human, and my body’s got a really weird shape to it, so no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t figure out how to get anything on.

How about just wrapping myself in thread, you ask? That’s also no good. I can certainly get a bunch of thread wrapped around me, but unless I do it perfectly, it’s probably just going to wind up getting tangled around me and restricting my movements. My speed is my greatest asset, you know? If I were to do it, I’d have to wrap myself up super carefully… which doesn’t work for the same reasons that make it impossible to wear normal clothes in the first place.

Even still, if I somehow managed to get some sort of armor on, it’s useless if it’s not something I can take off easily. When I eat, for instance, my body tends to inflate. If I’m wearing any sort of restrictive clothing when I start swelling up like a ball, wouldn’t that be extremely painful?

Things might be a little bit different if I could borrow someone’s time to help me get in and out of my armor, but without human hands or even the ability to see most of my body, I’m going to have to abandon this idea.

Ummf. Now that I’m thinking about it, being a spider has its pluses and minuses. I can leap through the air and cling to the walls, but not having hands seriously puts a huge damper on my abilities. Human hands are superbly useful. I now understand this from the bottom of my heart.

Incidentally, all of this experimentation didn’t get my [Spider Thread] skill level up at all. Yeah, as I thought, a high-level skill has much higher proficiency requirements for advancement. Well, it’s not like I can really spend a bunch of time meaninglessly spewing out thread, like I was doing back in my home. Running around outside is way more dangerous than the safety of my home, so I want to make sure I’m in top form at all times. I could only really experiment as much as I did because there’s plenty of food around here in the form of centipedes.

This round of experiments was fraught with failure, but quite a few valuable things. In the future, I’ll keep an eye out for even more opportunities to try some new things out.

Editing/Standardisation: kubor04
Formatting/Extras: APM
Original Translation: Blastron
Additional thanks goes out to mae and Legit-rikk. Join our discord

---

<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Appraisal – LV3] has become [Appraisal – LV4]>

Oh, finally! [Appraisal]’s level went up! The information barrage hasn’t really been making me woozy lately, so this is great timing. Now, what will you show me this time, [Appraisal]? 

{>Small Lesser Taratekt – LV 6 – no name}

Huh? There’s… no change? No, wait, underneath my species name, there’s a few horizontal colored lines. What are these…?

{HP Gauge}

I unintentionally Appraised the green line on top, so now it’s quite obvious what it represents. “HP” is an abbreviation that shows up in so many video games, after all. It stands for “hit points”, but what’s important is that it’s a representation of my physical health. When I take damage, they’re depleted, and when I run out, well, game over. This new meter has appeared in my Appraisal results!

This is a pleasant surprise! Until now, I’ve had to estimate how much damage I’d taken in my head, and didn’t really have any other good way to check. Now, I’ve got a health bar, so I can tell at a glance what my condition is like!

Right now, my health bar is just about full. It looks like it might be a little bit decreased: at the very right of the bar, there’s a short little black section. Ummmm… I really would like to figure out how to get actual numbers out of this, but even still, this is a real luxury.

Now, under my health bar are three more bars. Let’s start by checking out this blue one, immediately below my HP.

{MP Gauge}

Ah, that’s to be expected. If there’s HP, there’s got to be MP. This must be showing how much magic power I have available! Of course, since I have no idea how to cast any of my magic, it’s not like I really care… It probably only goes down when you cast a spell, and since I have no spells to cast, this is probably never going to drop.

The real puzzle is the identity of these last two bars. One’s yellow and the other’s red, and they’re arranged so closely together that they almost look like one bar. I have no clue what these could possibly represent! Welp… Appraise.

{SP Gauge}

Hm? SP? Skill Points? Hmmm? Why would I need a bar for those? Wait, I’m jumping to conclusions again. This probably isn’t for skill points. SP is an abbreviation, but I have no good ideas of what it could stand for. Well, let’s go ahead and Appraise “SP”.

{SP: Stamina points.}

Oh? Aaaah! It really isn’t skill points, but a different word with the same first letter! That’s way too confusing.

Hoofh. Even so, “stamina”, huh. Is this the physical equivalent of my mana bar? Is it going to go down when I exercise? Hmmm? Wait, why are there two meters for it, and why is the yellow bar on top full up while the red one on bottom already has a third of it missing? What’s the difference? Let’s try running “stamina points” through [Appraisal].

{Stamina points: points that are consumed through exercise.}

Ah, yep. I still don’t get it. Ohh, well, if I keep an eye on it, I’ll be able to figure it out eventually, right? If I can, I should try to figure out how to keep this [Appraisal] notification open so that I can always see my health bar. Maybe I can set [Appraisal] to continuously cast on myself… like… this? Ah, yeah! Not bad, if I do say so myself. Now I can always look to see how much health I have, unless I take it down voluntarily. This is seriously convenient!

Although… it really is convenient to see my own meters… but isn’t seeing my enemy’s HP and MP going to give me a ridiculous advantage? I can look at its health to figure out how many more hits it’s got left in it, and if it’s a magic user I can keep an eye on its MP so that I can figure out when it’s my turn to strike. It’s not like I’ve found any magic-specialized monsters so far, though. Regardless, being able to know even a tiny bit of the opponent’s stats is a huge advantage in combat! Ah, [Appraisal], how could I have doubted how god-tier OP you were? Heheheh. I saw this coming! I deliberately picked up such a useless skill because I knew it was going to grow into something wonderful. Of course I knew it was going to be useless from the start! You can’t prove otherwise!

Well now, eyes forward, marching, marching. Oh! Found a monster.

{Elro Ferekt – LV 3 – failed to appraise statistics}

I would like to retract my previous statement. This is useless after all! How did I make such a serious mistake…? Ugh, I’m such an idiot for getting my hopes up.

Regardless, here’s another centipede. What to do? Hmm. A sneak attack might not really work. It hasn’t spotted me yet, but it’s facing this way, so I’m not going to be able to get behind it.

Wait, I just had a brilliant idea!

I stealthily creep up the wall and make my way towards the ceiling. Having a spider’s body sure is convenient sometimes! Oop, hanging upside down on a ceiling is actually pretty tricky. It’s not that bad, though, if I brace myself well I’m in no danger of falling.

Like this, I slowly creep along the ceiling. You can do it, legs! …Hm? Oh, my stamina bar is going down! No time for that now, though, I have a plan to concentrate on.

I arrive over the unsuspecting centipede. All right! I’m so close, yet he doesn’t see me. I stick a thread to the ceiling, and slowly descend until I’m right behind him.

Then I leap! The centipede tenses up in fear, but it’s far too late! I spin it around and around, rolling it up in my silk, and then I go in for the kill! Chomp! Ahahaha! How do you like my new strategy, codenamed “look out, I’m right above you”?! I’d say it’s a pretty overwhelming success!

Well, once again, time to eat.

Umf. As I eat, I go back to contemplating my stamina bar. While I was clinging to the ceiling, the yellow bar was steadily decreasing. When I braced myself, the rate of change went down a little bit. Now, though, it’s completely back up to full. Hm?

<Proficiency has reached the required level. Acquired skill [Paralysis Resistance – LV1]>

Oh… oh!! Centipede, you were hiding a paralysis attack from me?! Man, if my sneak attacks hadn’t worked, these fights would have been way tougher. I’m going to have to be more careful next time.

Hm? Hmmmm? Doesn’t it look like the lower red part of my stamina bar is increasing? I remember it being about a third of the way empty, but it’s slowly been creeping back up. It’s only a quarter empty now. Why, I wonder? Why would my stamina start increasing…?

…Oh, yeah, I ate something. Aha! That’s it! I see, I see! I think I understand a little bit.

To summarize, it looks like the red bottom bar represents how much overall energy I can muster in the long term. That means the yellow one on top represents my short-term stamina?

To test it out, I took off running at full speed, causing the yellow bar to start draining very quickly. It soon ran out completely, perfectly coinciding with me exhausting my last bit of strength.

Wheeze, wheeze.

Ugh, going for a run immediately after eating, I must be some kind of idiot. My stomach really hurts. Seriously.

This clinches it, though. The yellow bar is my instantaneous energy reserves. If that runs out, I’ll be left here trying to catch my breath. It seems to recover just as quickly as it’s depleted, though. After I got my breathing under control, it started filling right back up.

So, the red bar on the bottom must be my overall endurance. After all that running, it went down just a little bit. Man, I don’t know what would happen if my endurance meter hit zero, but it can’t be good. Maybe I won’t be able to move at all, and that’s one of the least punishing things that come to mind. It looks like it’s recovered via eating, but I’m definitely going to need to keep an eye on this.