I know. I know. It was an amazing feat that even the system acknowledged. Just how great am I? Anyway, with all the free food right in front of me, no matter how icky it all was, I can be particularly picky—alright, one millipede and one bat comin' right up to my nest. I wasn't eating any roach. No way.
Chow chow time! Blergh. It was as abhorrent and bad-tasting as I expected. I had to vomit four times just to eat a sizable part. With that out of the way, I checked my status.
[ MoPako System – Monster and Companion; destined ones to change the world's fate.
{ Skill Tree Chart} { Evolution Path} {Store} { Title Traits} {???} {???} {???} {??? }
Name: Aoi Nagase
Race: Misumena Dumu (Flower Crab Spider Infant)
Level: 07 (Evo 1)
Strength: 19
Agility: 16
Constitution: 10
Intelligence: 15
HP: 40/40
Skills:
Core Abilities:
General: Spider Bite lvl 4, Prey Grasp lvl 1, Webbing lvl 2, Evasion lvl 2, Stealth lvl 5
Auxiliary Abilities: Resource Identification
Titles: Nascent Horror
Skill points: 4
Stat Points: 12 ]
Ohhh. Four levels up in a row! Rubbing my legs together, I'd already knew what I wanted—a balanced 21, 21, 15 ratio. As for the skill, I wanted to put more points into spider bite but I couldn't. The reason why.
* Spider Bite lvl 5 upgrade costs 2 skill points.*
Huh uh. That was a bummer indeed. I could already see how the system is going to be such a cheapskate by increasing more skill point cost later on. Oh well, depending on how much I could level up, it may be just a classic balancing feature. Before deciding where to put my skill points, I took a look into the skill tree chart—maybe I could use something new.
The skill chart was in the form of a spider constellations, the star nodes were as labeled: Head, Right Side Legs, Left Side Legs, Cephalothorax, and Spinneret. With five or six abilities per each star node for a specific purpose—biting, gripping, evasion, senses/reflexes, silk. There were some passives too, like improving my wall climbing, increasing my venom potency, increasing my silk production etc. but most are basic active ones.
I had taken 10 minutes to get a read over each of their description when I'd locked my gaze on three essential abilities: Vibration Sensitivity, Chemoreceptors, Venom Potency (Passive). It did not leave me that the way I perceive the world was now completely different.
Maybe with the life and death scenarios, my mind was forced to adapt quickly with this new body. I am not sure either how I did that so easily. In any case, I can sense the earth, the air vibrate. And I can smell and taste it too, with my legs and the two short ones on my mouth. I am not sure about all this chemoreceptor business, but I believe it should help me detect chemical signals better—which may or may not be lifesaving. Vibration Sensitivity is the same case, but its more guaranteed to have a use at least. That's one.
Venom Potency is obvious—I need a means to defend myself, and by that, since I am a monster with a game-like system presumably have an easier time to get stronger than other monsters, a way to kill more effectively and get stronger faster (later on, I found out it was not exactly the case—the system was more like a helpful organizer with a relative aid). These two skills then would help me greatly
*Confirm to learn Venom Potency (Passive) and Vibration Sensitivity (Passive)? *
Yes. And then upgrade them to level two respectively, using up all of my skill points. Ah that feeling again. Alright! As for the store, I am not really sure about what to buy over there. That's when I noticed the details. 50% Points Reduction. And I got how many feats? Seven… So I wasted half of around 400 potential points. I can't accept this. What the hell is up with that!? Damn it, upgrade the store right away!
*Upgrade Tier 1 Store to Tier 2 Store?*
*Upgrade Tier 2 Store to Tier 3 Store?*
*Error. You have to Evo 2 to upgrade to Tier 3 Store*
Say what??? So I have to be stuck at 35% points reduction? I was about to fume in anger when I noticed—compared to how much store points I have and the store items purchase points, I still have significantly more even if I indulge. That kind of offset my peeve a little. But my gamer sense tells me this is a trap. Che, I'll think about that later. For now, let's bring more corpses to bring here then I can think whether I should hunt or not. It won't be long until I encounter an impossibly strong monster and I'll just be squished like a bug—so I need strength to be free.
With that in mind, I returned to the cavern expanse. And when I did, I almost spat out profanities. A giant yellow lizard was devouring large clumps of the corpses. Munching and crunching, reaching with its thick muscled hands and sending its tongue to coil around a corpse back into its mouth, as if it was an all-you-can-eat buffet. Except it immediately turned towards my direction when I gazed at it for five seconds. Even though I was hidden in darkness, I knew it found me—but how? I didn't even do anything but land sight upon it. That question was irrelevant, I had to get away, I could tell that monster is above Evo 1, at least. since it just… ignored me.
Instead of killing one pathetic spider, it just continued to eat. Phew. I scurried back to return to my nest. It kinda feels belittling, you know, insulting even. To be ignored to such degree. Of course, my vanity didn't matter and I was thankful otherwise.
I'll just let it eat its fill and come back. Even that monster shouldn't be able to finish thousands. But I was wrong.
The ground shaking. The grumbling of some creature, heavy footsteps thudding through the tunnel as my web nest shook along the ground. Once it passed through the corner, I could see it. The damn lizard chased me back. It had a malicious glint in its glowing slits. Hatred. It's belly, which was supposed to be brown leather lizard skin, was glowing red. Was this karma for what I just felt earlier? No, that's, this is- why? You've got thousands to fill your belly over there, why chase after me?
Within one second—I chose to run away. Abandon my nest. I knew I had no chance against it. Fear was one thing, but it was just different. The magnitude in our auras. I felt it was simply playing around with me when it was striding like a goddamn horror-movie monster.
It was hot behind me. I could feel the crackling roar of the fire as it burned my own nest. Remember this lizard, I'll remember this for sure. Whatever the case, it didn't give chase—at least I thought so. I couldn't be sure.
Thinking back now, I didn't know if it was coincidence or not. I continued to just wander aimlessly, cursing the lizard and perhaps finding a new spot when the solid floor beneath me caved in—no, it disappeared. As if it was made up of an illusion or something, my legs just passed through it.
Ow, ow, ow! I kept hitting rocks as I fell, it was quite long too. Around a full minute give or take. I suspect I was deep below underground by the time I landed at the bottom—suffering light injuries on my part. Why was there even a glitching disappearing floor on one of the tunnels? The game is bugged, jeez.
Once I recognized where I was, my breath stopped. Right in front me, before where I stood, was a gigantic purple crystal in the contours of a heart. It was unmoving, still, the world may have forgotten this thing even existed judging by how ancient the crystal looked. What was more eye-catching, however—was that the center of the heart was carved out meticulously into the shape of a gate opening, where a swirling spark of dark-red strands spun in a wheel inside. Gate of Mystery. The word came to my mind.
But it had nothing to do me. I could already tell it's something ominous so I tried to climbed back up. Except when I got to the top, there was no hole nor opening. Huh? D-don't tell me I am stuck here, right? Right? I searched about and there was no illusionary rock. Just all solid mineral.
That was when the world shook again. How many times am I going to experience an earthquake? But this time was the worst of all, intense to the point that the ending of a world could apply to this shaking. The minerals in this vertical prison lit up gradually, additionally. Shards of minerals were falling down in a downpour rain.
Then I felt the crystal heart pulse. It drummed. I took a look and it was indeed shimmering. What the hell is happening!? Ah! My legs felt a loosening then I fall for the hundredth time as the walls I was sticking to broke off.
With desperation coloring my mind, I shot out a web silk strand to pull myself in. With clumsily efforts and a few failures, I managed to just catch myself on an intact piece. The situation rapidly turned from neutral to worst case in an instant—how bad was my luck? I just had a successful adventure now I am on. Now, I'm trapped in here and the mineral hill is imploding.
That was when I noticed it; a symbol or a rune lighting up on the whole flooring of this chamber. It all lead to the crystal heart gate.
Gate: "Hey hey, just come inside me and it'll lead you too somewhere safe!"
Me: "No, sir, thank you! And mind your language, please."
Gate: "But you're going to die in here, crushed by rubble, don't you wanna come inside me?"
I told you to mind your language! Why do you keep using that term, oh my god. Alright, alright! Fine, this is unreal. It's like I'm in a game or manga, where's my plot armor instead? With trembling legs and thoughts of doom dreading my spider heart, I came right before the gate as the chamber continued to break down. Ahhh let's just screw it all!
Then the gate sucked me in.
*SWOOSH*
When I came to, I could hear water. And rocks. Ruin rocks around. Hah, who goes there!? Nothing. Just ruins, and the ocean in the distance. I found myself in a broken-down ruin on a steep broad precipice, overlooking a wide river and a waterfall on the side. This was probably a pyramid structure ruin. Where the hell am I?
I stepped out and saw the same jungle right behind the ruins. But what was different was that there was a large clearing of felled-down trees and a wreckage of what appeared to be… the bone remains of a dinosaur-like monster. Infested with red squirming veins. Better stay away from it.
I had two choices then, no matter how confused I was: Stay here and build my nest again. Or find another similar hunting spot. That's when I saw the coastal shore underneath the cliffs, a river branch leading to a grotto cave, on the opposite side of where I am. I knew then that's where I should go. It was such a convenient spot to reach as well, since there's a humongous tree here bent over to that side which made it near enough for me to just web swing to another branch.
When I did arrive near the cave, a notification jumpscared me.
*Another user of the MoPako System is nearby.*
...….
Archived History: The Nightmare and the Devil
The Flower of Nightmare, The Devil of the Labyrinth.
Hunting parties happened to encounter them are extremely advised to stay far away and disengage as fast as possible. It is estimated that even while they're Crescent Core 4th Stage Monsters, their prowess and danger level reaches the Low-Apocalyptic Rank.
It is also proven that they will not attack you if you don't threaten them. The last platinum-rank Hunter Circle that attempted to fight them were annihilated. Their last reported sighting is in the Brutalist Layer in the third strata.
....
Aoi Nagase Status:
[ MoPako System – Monster and Companion; destined ones to change the world's fate.
{ Skill Tree Chart} { Evolution Path} {Store} { Title Traits} {???} {???} {???} {??? }
Name: Aoi Nagase
Race: Misumena Dumu (Flower Crab Spider Infant)
Level: 07 (Evo 1)
Strength: 21
Agility: 21
Constitution: 15
Intelligence: 15
HP: 60/60
Skills:
Core Abilities:
General: Spider Bite lvl 4, Prey Grasp lvl 1, Webbing lvl 3, Evasion lvl 6, Stealth lvl 8
Abdomen Constellation: Venom Potency lvl 2
Cephalothorax Constellation: Vibration Sensitivity lvl 4
Auxiliary Abilities: Resource Identification
Titles: Nascent Horror
Skill points: 0
Stat Points: 0 ]