Before leaving, there was one more thing I wanted to ask.
"What is it?"
What... are you exactly?
"Just consider me the one who governs this land. I don't have a specific form, so I usually take on the appearance of those who come here to welcome them."
Oh, I see.
Still, looking at myself like this feels kind of weird.
"Before you go, I'll give you a little gift."
Oh, a gift too??
Bring it on, bring it on! I'm ready!
<
Yes.
<
<
Another god again??
Jackpot!
<
Whoa, what a grandiose name. Let's see what it does.
<
Hmm... I don't get it at all.
"This is just a small fragment of the infinite flow that I extracted and gifted to you. The energy generated this way is a form of omnipotent energy."
Omnipotent?
The moment I heard those two words, my eyes sparkled.
"It can substitute and enhance any of your stats, but it's a consumable resource, not a permanent one."
Naiwa!
That's insanely overpowered!
So how do I use it?
"Just go to places with lots of living beings, and the energy will naturally accumulate."
Hmph... Easier said than done. With this spider form, how am I supposed to pull that off...
"Well then, I wish you good luck."
'Me' waved a hand as she said that, and in an instant, my vision went dark. When things came back into focus, I was already back on the 15th floor of the great dungeon.
The difference in atmosphere between the two places was overwhelming. I already missed that fresh air...
"Shiraori, you're back. How did it go?"
Oh, hello, Meradis.
"There you are! Are you okay?" — Seina's voice echoed as well.
Ah right, they had gotten separated when I was taken away.
I'm fine. Let's head inside and talk.
After that, the three of us gathered in the Virtual World, and I began recounting everything that had happened while I was gone.
What I was currently wondering was how to make use of this new skill. In this huge dungeon, where was I supposed to find a lot of emotions and thoughts to generate energy from?
"Don't you still have three unused parallel wills? Maybe let them out to help." Seina reminded me.
Oh, I totally forgot about that... But even if I summoned the three wills, they'd still need physical bodies to act in the outside world, right?
They can't just be stuck inside here forever.
"You're a female spider, aren't you? Can't you reproduce?" Seina threw another unexpected question at me.
Soul-wise, I'm a girl... but who knows!?
You want me to lay spider eggs or something?
No way! No way!!
I'd die of embarrassment.
"Come on, are you seriously acting like a shy maiden now?"
Ugh, stupid Seina!
That topic was completely out of the question, and I firmly rejected all related suggestions. For now, I could only use the three of us as the energy source for the skill.
It still worked, but the efficiency was just... meh.
Well, whatever. Apart from the special floors, I'm pretty much the boss of this whole area, so there's no rush right now.
The matters on the 15th floor were basically settled, so I figured it was time to move on to the deeper levels.
After all, I still had a promise to fulfill with Meradis.
"Shiraori, there's no need to rush. I suggest you go through another evolution before heading toward the 40th floor."
Meradis's suggestion gave me a bad feeling about the enemy we'd face next...
Wait, is the enemy that strong?
"There's one who has already reached the Elite stage, so Shiraori needs to at least get close to that level to have a chance at victory."
Huh...?
Another weird title?
Elite... then there's King…
I realized I didn't fully understand this world's evolution system yet. How many times does one have to evolve to earn those kinds of titles?
"Typically, a creature evolves nine times, divided into three stages. The first stage includes three evolutions, which are just physical adaptations based on the creature's living environment. The second stage involves branching specializations in their abilities. To put it simply, they continue evolving along a chosen path to become a different variant."
"For spirit beings like us, that's when we choose a mutated evolutionary path. Once you've evolved six times, you're considered an Elite. It doesn't mean much aside from a huge stat boost and the acquisition of a unique skill."
"This unique skill is exclusive to your species. And with every evolution after that, your unique skill gains an additional effect. After eight evolutions, you're known as a Half-King. Upon your ninth evolution, you become a true King — ruler of your species."
So that's how it works.
As of now, I've only evolved three times.
Which means my next evolution is going to be a turning point for me. But even so, if what Meradis says is true, I'll still need to evolve at least three more times to stand a chance against that enemy.
Can I make it in time?
"Shiraori, you don't need to feel pressured. Like I said, we have plenty of time."
Why are you not worried at all?
"Because I believe in my father's abilities. He may be struggling, but it won't be something irreversible. That's why I want you to be fully prepared, Shiraori."
Hearing Meradis say that did ease my mind a little.
Still, a promise is a promise — I should fulfill it as soon as I can.
Alright then, my next goal is to grind levels and evolve! From here to the 40th floor, I still have to get through three more special levels, so this will be a good opportunity to level up — although it's also pretty dangerous.
Suddenly, I'm craving donuts...
For now, I'll stay here and focus on training my skills.
Not counting the miscellaneous ones, all my combat skills need to be maxed out before I can feel at ease. Plus, I'll need Meradis's help to obtain the skill [Elemental Magic Resistance] too.
Though... it's a bit different from what I imagined.
Isn't it a bit too... specific?
"That's normal. Magic is divided into two types: elemental magic and abnormal magic."
What's the difference? Isn't it all just magic?
"The names. Abnormal magic refers to spells that don't fall under natural elemental categories. They're harder to use, which is why resistance skills are divided accordingly."
Looks like I'll need to grind a whole lot more.
Setting that aside, the 15th floor isn't bad at all, so I'll just stay here for now.
After that, I used my threads to build a simple house, went out to gather some food supplies, and used my new silk to create a sealed container to preserve the food.
I have to admit, after upgrading, my threads can do all sorts of things. I can even freely adjust the temperature of the threads, so I made a freezer-like storage unit to keep food fresh.
On top of that, I sealed off both entrances with layers of thread, created a complex trap system with hyper-responsive sensors to detect intruders, and dug an emergency escape tunnel using [Drill Leg].
Perfect!
Fighting nonstop gets dull fast.
Sometimes, you just have to enjoy the little comforts in life too.