Chapter 20: Arrival in the Middle Stratum
The two spiders made their way to the entrance of the second layer with ease, resolving a multitude of short-sighted monsters along the way. The outcome was predictable: total annihilation for their foes.
"Big catfish, big catfish, big catfish..."
Shiro muttered the words like a mantra the entire way. Shirazawa could only press a palm to his forehead, wondering if the "big catfish" themselves were feeling a sudden, soul-crushing sense of dread...
Soon, they passed through a long, narrow tunnel and stepped into the domain of the Middle Stratum.
As they crossed the threshold, the pungent scent of sulfur made Shirazawa frown. The air was so scorching it felt as if it could bake them dry. Rolling heatwaves crashed against them, making every breath a suffocating struggle.
Stretching out before them was a massive lava lake, churning with crimson flames and radiating a lethal aura.
"Hiss—! Hot! So hot!" Shiro yelped, clutching her nose and hopping from foot to foot. "Why is the lava layer in the middle? Shouldn't it be at the very bottom?"
Shirazawa couldn't answer that; it fell squarely into his knowledge blind spot.
The fire damage radiating from the magma continuously scorched their bodies, and their HP began to tick downward. However, they remained unfazed, looking completely calm. They had come prepared, and their HP recovery skills were now high enough to sustain them in the Middle Stratum for a reasonable amount of time.
And besides...
[Proficiency reached. Obtained skill
Ah, that familiar feeling.
With the acquisition of Fire Resistance, their health bars began to stabilize and slowly rise. Except for the inability to use spider silk—which would ignite the moment it was tossed—life in the Middle Stratum was virtually no different from the Lower Stratum for them. In fact, it was significantly safer, as there weren't many monsters here capable of threatening them at their current level.
"Shirazawa, Shirazawa, where's the big catfish?" Shiro looked around anxiously, unable to find her prize.
"Patience... just wait a bit."
The moment he spoke, a subtle sound echoed from their flank. The two spun around in unison, only to see a massive fireball hurtling toward them.
"Eeeek!!!"
Startled, Shiro let out a shriek and instinctively performed a backstep, narrowly dodging the projectile. Her daily training hadn't been in vain; she had developed a primal reaction to danger, allowing her to evade attacks at the critical moment. Perhaps this was the legendary "Spider-Sense."
[Proficiency reached. Skill
Alright, so it was actually the work of the Prescience skill. The image she had seen was a vision in her mind; the actual fireball didn't appear until three or four seconds later.
Then, they saw a monster that looked remarkably like a seahorse poke its head out of the magma.
[Monster]: Elroe Gunerush
[HP]: 132 / 132
[MP]: 106 / 106
[SP]: 128 / 128 (128 / 128)
[Average Ability]: 116
[Skills]:
[Description]: Commonly known as the Seahorse. A seahorse-like creature with arms and legs. A low-rank Fire Wyrm species that swims in magma searching for prey.
Shiro executed a triple-and-a-half somersault, landing smoothly beside Shirazawa. "A seahorse? Why isn't it a catfish? Does this thing taste good?" She tilted her head, looking at Shirazawa curiously.
Shirazawa was speechless. *Aside from eating, can't you think about anything else?*
"...It's a lower-tier monster compared to the catfish. It doesn't taste good. Let's just kill it so it stops wasting our time."
Shiro pouted, looking disappointed, but she nodded in agreement.
Dealing with Middle Stratum monsters was a bit of a hassle. They loved hiding in the magma, and the duo's long-range options were pitifully limited. Their silk was useless here; aside from Poison Synthesis, they had almost no way to touch them.
The only good news was that the intelligence of these Fire Wyrms was lackluster. Once they ran out of MP, they would usually crawl onto the shore and try to fight with their sluggish bodies. Against two spiders with maxed-out speed stats, that was essentially a suicide mission.
And so, the battle plan commenced.
"Hehe, can't hit me! I'm just that fast..."
Countless fireballs rained down like a storm of needles, but two white silhouettes blurred through the barrage, weaving left and right with ease.
[Proficiency reached.
"Shirazawa, this is too slow."
"Yeah... agreed." Shirazawa narrowed his eyes, locking onto a target. "When it opens its mouth to spit a fireball, pump it full of poison."
"Copy that!"
Shiro bared her fangs in a brilliant—and not at all cute, rather terrifying—grin.
*Bam! Bam! Bam!*
Fireballs continued to erupt from the Seahorse's mouth, but there was always a recovery window after the skill. Shirazawa took point, drawing the monster's attention to create an opening for Shiro.
Finally, during one of the Seahorse's cooldowns...
"Die!" Shiro hissed. She spat a concentrated glob of black "phlegm"—lethal poison—right into the Seahorse's wide-open maw.
"ROAR!"
The Seahorse let out a pained howl, thrashing violently in the magma and splashing fire everywhere. Within moments, it fell silent.
Just as the two were about to walk over to confirm the kill, a sudden heatwave swept past. The calm surface of the lava lake began to ripple. A gargantuan mouth erupted from the water, snapping shut around the Seahorse's corpse.
"Holy crap!"
Shiro was stunned by the sight. What on earth was that?
*CRASH!*
*SPLASH...*
The red sea churned, sending massive waves of molten rock flying.
[Monster]: Elroe Guneseven
[Level]: 7
[HP]: 470 / 470
[MP]: 230 / 230
[SP]: 228 / 228 (428 / 428)
[Average Ability]: 256
[Skills]:
[Description]: Commonly known as the Catfish. Looks like a catfish with limbs, similar to a giant salamander. A mid-rank Wyrm species that swims in magma. Its massive mouth can swallow anything.
"Whoa—!"
"BIG CATFISH!"
A glint flashed in Shiro's eyes as she vibrated with excitement, drool escaping the corner of her mouth uncontrollably.
The Guneseven in the magma felt a sudden chill down its spine. Even though it was surrounded by boiling molten rock, it felt a bone-chilling cold as if it were in the dead of winter.
*No. I cannot stay here!*
Gripped by fear, the catfish retreated into the depths of the lava lake, leaving only its head exposed as it stared nervously at the two tiny spiders standing on the shore.
"Hey, Shirazawa, it's actually scared of us~"
"...Please try to contain yourself," Shirazawa muttered, rubbing his temples in resignation.