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Chapter 28 - Mana Spinners
🕑 Added 2024-10-29 02:16:29 +0000 UTCAlex groaned and shifted his weight. His pack dug into his back as his eyes fluttered open and he saw Val hovering over his face. He’d felt his presence right before opening his eyes, so it wasn’t quite as terrifying as it should be.
“Hey, buddy.”
He blinked several more times and tried to sit up. He kept looking up at Val as he did so, confused by his appearance.
“Since when do you glow? Are you using a skill?”
Val’s normal wyrm-like appearance was the same, with the addition of a small blue halo of light that outlined his entire body. It fit the shape of his body well, and it glowed with a deeper blue than his fins but not as dark as the scales on his belly.
His companion called out in his mind with the eerie sound of a sea creature.
“One day, I’ll figure out what you’re saying.” Alex began to stand and looked down at his feet. He felt a bit of vertigo as he saw that he was standing on the net he’d noticed before. It looked like a finely woven layer of mesh. Alex felt his legs wobble as he saw the endless chasm through the webbed openings.
He made a few uneasy sounds and thought briefly about throwing up before he regained his balance and put one hand against the wall. Alex felt pain in his left eye and used his other hand to reach up and cover the eye.
As soon as he did, the netting beneath his feat disappeared, and he called out. His knees tensed in anticipation, and he waited to fall.
But he didn’t move.
What the hell?
Part of Alex wanted to curl up and just have a quick meltdown, but the thought of his damp trousers made an amount of rage well up within his chest.
This place isn’t going to break me.
Alex realized that this could be because of the eye. As he uncovered it with his hand, the netting came back into view. When he covered it again a moment later, it vanished, and he appeared to be floating in the air.
What is this?
He looked around, deciding to keep his eye uncovered for the moment despite the pain building in his forehead. Several feet above him was the ledge that he’d attempted to jump to. With some effort, he threw his pack up and lifted himself up after it.
His body ached all over and he was certain his body had never taken this much punishment before.
This is the life of adventure you wanted, right?
Partly out of spite, Alex realized that it really was. Even though all of this was terrifying on a level he never quite thought that would be possible, it sure beat Henderson or his parents nagging him. He laughed and laid back on the floor, laughing loud, long, and hard.
After he felt some of the stress and tension from the last day leave his body, he wiped his eyes and sat up… Promptly causing all of that tension and then some to return in full as he screamed and pushed himself back against the tunnel wall. Hovering in front of him was the largest spider he’d ever seen. It was easily the size of a large dog and hung from the ceiling, staring straight at him.
The spider was suspended in the air, and other than two small arms at the front of its body, which seemed to rub together, the spider exhibited no movement.
What the fuck are you?!
Alex screamed in his mind.
A pulsing sensation rushed through his head as if to answer his question, and words floated into existence over the spider’s head.
***
Mana Spinner- Level 41
Class: Ethereal Web Hunter
<Nonhostile Arachnid Creature>
***
Level 41? Nonhostile?
Am I getting all of this from my eye?
Alex was torn between wanting to relax, wet himself again, or try to yell and make the beast leave. All three options held a certain appeal, but before he could make a decision, the spider lowered itself to the ground and scurried over the ledge Alex had climbed over.
Cautiously, Alex followed it and stuck his head over the edge. The spider was moving rapidly back and forth over the net, fixing several areas where Alex had messed with the pattern of the net.
Oh, holy shit. That’s not a net. It’s a web.
He moved back from the edge and sat against the wall, horrifying thoughts of one of his favorite scenes from Lord of the Rings playing back in his head.
Frodo, I feel for you, dude.
Good thing this big-ass spider isn't as aggressive as Shelob.
Ugh, my head hurts.
Alex entertained the idea that he might be losing his mind, but as he peeked over the edge again and saw that the spider monster was still there fixing the web, he decided that the world had just gone crazy instead.
There was chirping noise in his head as he heard Val calling out to him from further down the tunnel.
“Now what?”
He gathered his pack and the broken lantern he dropped. It had stopped burning at some point, so he took a moment to refill its small tank from the container of oil in his pack. He then walked down the tunnel to find his companion. He ducked under a few of the spider webs that were spread across the side and ceiling of the tunnel. Val was a short distance away with his forehead to one of the spider webs.
“What are you doing? Knock it off; we don’t want to get these things angry.” Alex said as he poked the mana wyrm in the side. It chirped at him before returning to stare at the web.
Interested, Alex took a step back and tried to open his left eye a bit wider to look at the web. This one was bigger and covered the whole opening of the tunnel. At the far side of the tunnel, he saw a glowing shape.
He stepped forward only to realize that it was something caught in the web. The beast seemed to be leaking mana, and when it noticed Alex, it thrashed about. It was unable to get itself free and stopped thrashing.
While his left eye could see the mana of the beast, his right could still see the dark outline of its body as its chest rose and fell from the exertion.
From the corner of his right eye, Alex saw a small black blur. He jumped as he noticed that it was one of the spiders, probably the same one that had been at the ledge behind him.
Why can’t I see any mana from it?
Out of curiosity, he tried to focus more intently on the spider and once again saw its information appear.
Weird, maybe it just doesn’t leak any mana?
At the thought, Alex looked down at the bare skin of his lower arms. He could see very faint wisps of deep blue light curling off of his skin. It looked similar to fog or dry ice that barely escaped from beneath his skin.
When he looked up, he saw the spider staring at him. It was standing next to the trapped beast and it waited for a few moments. Then one of its little arms seemed to point at Alex, then to the beast. It repeated this movement more than once.
“You want me… to? What?”
It repeated the motion before skittering away a few steps and continuing to watch him.
Does it want me to kill the thing?
Slowly, Alex drew the rapier from his hip and looked at the spider. The spider looked back with no change, so Alex took a step closer to the trapped monster. Still no change.
Well, alright?
Alex pulled back his arm and empowered it, using a bit of his mana to infuse the blade and drive it forward. The blow seemed to do little to no damage to the monster. It thrashed and Alex noted that it had five gangly limbs and an abnormally long tongue.
He took a step back and decided to try his thrust again while gaining some momentum with [Empowered Step]. He did so, and there was a noticeable reaction from the creature this time. When stepping back again, he noticed that the spider was still watching him patiently.
Alex repeated the step ten more times, giving the thrust the full amount of energy he felt comfortable channeling into his arm before launching forward to stab at the trapped monster. By the end, he was sweating and panting. He’d gained a level in [Mana Infusion], and the headache from low mana was beginning to creep in. He’d been willing to push himself with the spider watching, and his mana had lasted longer than anticipated.
He was preparing for another thrust when the blue window surprised him. He got a notification for killing the monster as well as another title.
***
You have slain Cave Crawler - Level 33
Congratulations, Awakened! You have gained a Title!
You gain: Title - Unbound
***
Wait, what?
Another pair of notifications surprised him even more and he felt his head spin as the blue lights rushed into his body, followed by a shower of golden motes.
***
Congratulations Awakened. You have leveled up!
You have 3 Free Points to distribute.
Congratulations Awakened. You have leveled up!
You have 3 Free Points to distribute.
***
Two level-ups from one monster? Everything is happening too fast. I haven’t even gotten to stop and look at the Hidden Quest reward or anything else.
I need to put these points in and look at what the hell these Titles are.
After distributing his Free Points, he looked over the massive changes his Status Window had undergone in the past day.
***
Status
Name: Alex Moore - Level 7
Class: None
HP: 160/200
MP: 170/370
Traits: (1/3)
{Primordial Will}
Titles: < Please Choose Display Title >
Pathfinder
Unbound
Physical Stats:
Strength: 19
Agility: 20
Constitution: 20
Vitality: 21
Magical Stats:
Intellect: 21
Willpower: 93
Mana: 21 + 16
Wisdom: 21
Bond Skills:
[Mana Siphon] (Novice - Level 2)
Primary Stat Shared - Mana
Active Skills:
[Mana Shaping] (Novice - Level 6)
[Mana Infusion] (Novice - Level 6)
[Empowered Step] (Novice - Level 5)
Passive Skills:
(None)
Bound Items:
Unique E Rank Growth Item - Heavenly Eye of the Celestial Sage
***
Alex’s jaw almost slammed into the floor as he saw his stats.
What is going on?!
He focused his attention on the titles and read Pathfinder first.
***
Title: Pathfinder
You have dared to venture into the unknown, and are rewarded with the title of Pathfinder. This honor reflects your courage, quick wit, and strength as one of the first 100 of your planet to accept a Hidden Quest.
+10 to all stats
***
“Oh my…” The words slipped from Alex’s mouth unbidden.
10 to all stats? My base physical stats were six or lower! That’s an insane jump.
The reality of him accepting an unknown and “Hidden” quest finally began to sink in a bit when he saw how large the reward was for simply accepting the quest. He thought back to the notification that the System had shown him that showed the Rarity and Rank of the Rift.
It jumped up an entire Rank. Meaning that many of the monsters and beings in here went from E to D rank. I guess that makes sense as to why the Spider and Cave Crawler were so high-level.
Fuck. I’m a level 7 and am now stuck deep in a Rift surrounded by monsters at least level 30.
“System, you stingy bastard. You’re only giving me +10 Points in my stats for this?” Alex said to the ceiling. When he thought about how bleak the situation was, he couldn’t help but think that he’d actually been short-changed.
Grumbling, he opened the information panel for the title he’d just received.
***
Title: Unbound
You have defeated a monster ranked above your own, shattering the limits imposed upon you. This victory proves that no barrier can truly bind your potential.
+5 to all stats
***
After seeing the ten to all stats from the last title, this one felt a bit more disappointing, even though he knew it was silly to feel that way.
I didn’t have to struggle for the kill at all. The spider just trapped the thing, and I fought it with zero risk to my life.
Also, what are you being such a baby for? +5 to all stats would have doubled your stats yesterday, and you would have likely sold Val for such a title.
Sharp chittering interrupted his thoughts as Val stopped siphoning mana from the web and ran his head into Alex’s forehead.
“Yeah, okay, probably not.”
Alex looked over to the spider and noticed that it was watching them. It rubbed its front legs together before turning to walk down the tunnel. After a short pause, it reappeared and looked at him before gesturing.
Follow? Sure, why not…
Alex followed the spider for a bit before they arrived at another web, and it made similar motions for him to kill the Cave Crawler. It was easier to do this time around and he couldn’t help but marvel at how fluid his body felt like he was moving. After killing the monster, the trio moved deeper into the tunnels.
As they approached a third web, the monster stopped Alex from approaching. It took rushed steps toward Alex and raised its two shorter front arms. Then, it moved over to the web and wrapped up the creature in a web cocoon. Before it had finished, Alex noted that this was a different creature, almost like a giant insect.
When the Mana Spinner was finished wrapping up its prey, it attached a few of the webs and brought them over to Alex. It set them down and scurried a few steps away.
Ahh, I see what’s happening now. You let me kill the monsters you don’t want to eat, and in return, I act as your pack mule.
He thought about this for a moment before shrugging.
Sure, I’ll carry your food around if you’re willing to power-level me. This is a shitty situation, and the levels should really help me out.
This process continued for the next several hours. Alex killed most of the monsters caught in webs while they wrapped up the insectoid creatures. His increased strength and stamina were immensely helpful in dragging the bodies.
The stat increases must have been how I could run so far after accepting the hidden quest. Not to mention that jump. I didn’t even make it with three times my original physical stats. I wouldn’t have even been close if it weren’t for the title.
Alex promised himself that if he made it out of this scenario, he’d begin working out and doing a better job of maintaining an athletic physique.
Every certain number of tunnels, they’d come to a web pattern that was abnormally thick. The spider would walk up and cut the web in the center. It would then usher Alex and Val through the opening before following through and resealing the wall of webs.
After a time, Alex understood that they acted as checkpoints. Nothing could make it through the thick webs without alerting the spiders. He wondered how far they could detect the webs and wished for the hundredth time that he could communicate with these interesting creatures.
Whenever Alex felt that he needed a break, he’d stop and eat or drink. The spider always seemed to notice and would halt and watch him patiently. Val was in a particularly good mood as the spider didn’t seem to mind him snacking on the webs.
Alex was slightly embarrassed at how long it took him to realize that the webs were made of mana. He might have noticed it sooner, except that Val had trouble actually Siphoning the mana at first. The spider had noticed this and watched him for two stops with interest. When Alex was slaughtering the next trapped monster, the spider approached Val and created a small ball of mana for the mana wyrm.
To Alex’s eye, it appeared to be a wound ball of the mana string. He thought it was adorable as his companion carried it in its mouth from one trapped monster to the next. It took an hour of the mana wyrm continually trying before it finally started to glow brighter.
With his new vision, it was really interesting for Alex to witness the [Mana Siphon] skill in action. It looked like the ball of webbed mana was being unraveled and turned into smoke, while on the other end of the skill, Val was inhaling the smoke.
He’s literally eating the mana. Mana Glutton, indeed.
Hey! Maybe now you can stop eating all of my Mana Stones, I need to sell those!
From that point on, Val had no problems adjusting to consume the web. However, during one particular Crawler, which was level 45, Alex took a while longer to kill it. Val had apparently siphoned enough of the web corner away that the spider felt the need to come over and repair it.
Alex was beginning to tire, and the spider noticed. Soon, it led them to an area that was particularly thick with mana webs and eventually opened up into a gigantic cavern. All around the cavern, small indents in the wall housed spider families.
He and Val were taken to one of those alcoves on the ground level. Several other spiders met them there, exchanging silent communication of some kind. Alex watched with interest as their mandibles moved quickly and their short arms moved about. Sometimes, they would point or turn their bodies to look at Alex and Val before returning to the conversation. One of the other spiders came over and gestured for Alex to step away from the cocoons he’d been dragging along.
In the end, the spider he’d been following gestured for them to enter before sealing up the patterned web door. They looked similar to the thick patterned checkpoints that Alex had noticed in their travels, but they were a bit more uniform. He felt that if he had enough time, he could likely figure out the pattern, but he didn’t feel there would be much use in it.
Level 9 and Level 7. I gained four levels, and Val gained seven in just a few hours of walking around and killing a dozen trapped monsters. Maybe I should look more into some trap rituals. A few basic ones were listed in the book, but this just makes things too easy.
He took a moment to stare at the title he’d gotten shortly after hitting level 8. While the name peeved him a bit, he couldn’t help but thank his trait for skyrocketing him past 100 Willpower at such an early level.
I wonder if there are more of these at different stat levels?
***
Title: Control Freak
Your control over magic and strong will push you to the forefront of your race. You're the first of your planet to reach 100 points in the Willpower stat.
+2% to Willpower
***
Alex hadn’t even known about titles and he felt a bit overwhelmed to get three of them in a single day. It was becoming increasingly clear that his situation was anything but normal, even by fantasy System standards.
Look at that, Val, world first... literally. Mark is going to shit himself.
Also, this kind of growth can’t last forever. The walk between monsters was getting longer toward the end of the day. Not to mention that the gap between myself and the monsters will only grow smaller, meaning less experience per kill.
“Val, I’ve got to get some sleep. I need you to keep watch.” Alex didn’t feel guilty asking his companion to stay up and keep watch. The little wyrm had curled up and slept on his shoulder multiple times during their trip through the tunnels.
While it felt unnerving to be in a spider jail cell in the middle of their colony, Alex felt safer than he had since he stepped into the Rift. He sat down, rested his back against the wall facing the door, and put his pack on his lap to protect his stomach and neck. He rested his chin on the top of the pack and fell asleep within seconds.
Comments
Jed
Thanks for the chapter!
Beeees!
It doesn't seem like he's connected the dots yet of silk made of mana=super ritual material. And that the webs work beyond just the physical vibration normal spiders rely on. Tho that is just my guess. I bet next chapter he smacks himself for not realizing sooner. Though I could definitely have misread/misinterpreted
lenkite
"He felt that if he had enough time, he could likely figure out the pattern, but he didn’t feel there would be much use in it." Why ? It seems rather invaluable - esp as an [Alarm] spell. And a very helpful spider sorcerer recasting it or manipulating it repeatedly.
