—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Spider silk, strictly speaking, wasn’t a particularly effective weapon.
‘It’s good for the early game, that’s it.’
Not only was it unusable without a high Will stat, but acquiring it in the first place required defeating the Warden in Lee Seok-hyun’s prologue.
In short, both its usage and acquisition conditions were incredibly demanding.
Even if one overcame these hurdles, whether its effects justified the effort was debatable.
‘The biggest issue was that the spider silk itself couldn’t be strengthened.’
When fighting Uberak, for example, any normal weapon user would have prepared a stronger weapon to improve their specs.
But spider silk was different. It was a supplementary effect tied to equipment, with few ways to increase its power.
One of those ways was acquiring the Spider title. Even with that, spider silk remained a rather underwhelming weapon.
‘Well, it was the only option I had.’
Or rather, it was more accurate to say there were no other options.
The weapons provided by the Academy for first-years were inferior to spider silk, and buying better weapons would inevitably draw suspicion.
[Spider silk generation limit reached.]
[To generate more spider silk, all existing strands must be consumed.]
Therefore, the only way to immediately improve my specs was to prepare special measures, like when I acquired the Spider title.
‘I needed a stat to support spider silk usage.’
The most inconvenient aspect of using spider silk was the need to visualize its form from start to finish.
For example, to weave spider silk into a rope and then solidify it into a grappling hook, every step of the process had to be mentally simulated in slow motion.
This was why I’d only been able to use spider silk in simple ways so far.
During combat, trying to gain an advantage by creating complex shapes overloaded my mind.
But what if I could skip those intermediate steps and directly create the desired result?
That would completely change the dynamics of combat.
‘This was different from the Will stat.’
Will was just the foundation, determining how well I could control the spider silk.
‘This is where Weaving comes in.’
Weaving.
A skill ranked among the top three worst hidden skills in Final Destiny, its description simply stating that it allowed for more skillful manipulation of threads.
This was understandable, since there were few opportunities to use weapons like wires or spider silk outside of Lee Seok-hyun’s prologue.
Even if such opportunities arose later, without the Spider title or having missed the timing to acquire Arachne’s Breath, it became a useless skill.
[Spider silk deployed at maximum capacity.]
[Excessive usage may sever all strands, exercise caution.]
However, Lee Seok-hyun could actively utilize this hidden skill.
Spider silk, high Will, and Weaving—these three elements created incredible synergy.
Moreover, since he could use multiple hidden skills, simply acquiring Weaving was a huge boost in itself.
‘A character who defies the concept of “too much of a good thing.”‘
In any case, acquiring Weaving required three conditions: Will above a certain threshold, operating spider silk at maximum capacity, and achieving surprising results with it.
– Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.
Spider silk began spreading from the spot where I’d hung from the cliff to get honey, gradually taking the shape of a spider web.
Thin strands connected the cliffs, their fragility offset by their density, layered several times over.
I visualized the optimal connections for maximum efficiency, then immediately linked them.
[Warning! Imminent thread breakage.]
As soon as the warning appeared, I stopped and carefully examined my creation.
‘Good, this is as far as I can go for now.’
With a higher Will stat, I could have created a web capable of withstanding even falling boulders, but this would have to do.
There was no point in dwelling on what could be better, so I carefully stepped onto the spider web.
While hanging from the cliff had been unsettling because my feet weren’t on solid ground, walking on these thick threads brought a different kind of tension.
– Sway, sway.
Each step I took on the web made it tremble violently, as if about to snap, like walking on a trampoline.
It felt like precariously balancing on a swaying wave.
[So what are you going to do with that?]
Pephais, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, sensing I’d achieved something.
To quietly observe while I was focused, then choose the perfect moment to ask a question—truly a perceptive spirit, befitting my companion.
“Achieving surprising results while using spider silk at maximum capacity—that’s the condition.”
[And that will make you stronger?]
“Yes.”
[Simple.]
“Easier said than done.”
That last condition was deceptively difficult.
What constituted “surprising results,” and who judged them? It was incredibly vague.
But there’s always a solution.
I had experimented countless times and found the only way to easily acquire Weaving.
‘It was tough.’
The frustration of having to figure everything out myself since no one bothered creating guides for such an unpopular character.
Recalling those past struggles, I climbed the cliff.
Since the gloves were connected to the spider silk, I couldn’t move far, and sudden movements risked breaking the threads.
In this situation, there was only one way to lure the monsters.
“Pephais, detonate it.”
[Understood.]
– Whoosh.
– Boom!
A loud explosion, like fireworks, resonated through the dark night, drawing attention.
‘Come.’
The upcoming fight wasn’t against monsters.
They were just experience points for my hidden skill.
‘I’ll squeeze every last drop of experience from this.’
To prepare for the impending disaster at Mirinae Academy.
I had to become even stronger.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Inside the Jungle Fortress command center…
“What a mess.”
The Jungle Fortress’s boss monster, General Beodeukto, was receiving a briefing on the recent…unpleasant incidents.
The Jungle Orcs were annihilated, most of the lower-ranked soldiers had lost their fighting spirit, and some had even deserted.
In just a few hours, the very foundation of the Jungle Fortress had been shaken by a single human.
“How weak we were.”
What was the point of harboring world domination ambitions?
The reality was they’d been toyed with by a single human, losing their explosives and failing to even extinguish the fires engulfing their fortress.
And had they even managed to capture that human and deliver proper punishment? No.
– Whoosh. Boom!
They hadn’t even caught him, and now he was provoking them with more explosions.
A mere human, the weakest and most incompetent being, daring to taunt the fortress.
“I must respond in kind. He shall pay dearly for his disrespect. I will flay him alive, heal him continuously, and then slowly sever every nerve, one by one.”
Despite his rage, Beodeukto maintained a calm demeanor, speaking softly.
The soldier before him trembled, bowing deeply before the chilling aura.
“Deploy all Monkey Goblins and Banana Kobolds. Surely he won’t survive against such numbers.”
And I’m going too.
With those final words, Beodeukto dramatically flung his crudely made cloak, dismissing his subordinate.
No matter how much he tried to appear charismatic, he was just a mid-game boss, needing stepping stones for growth.
To ascend, to break his limits, he had to hunt humans.
Not just any humans, but those with strength or potential.
‘Finally, my chance has come.’
Like a signal for his rebirth.
When the human arrived and caused chaos, Beodeukto had inwardly rejoiced.
His subordinates dying? They were useless anyway.
He didn’t care if they all died, as long as he survived.
“Let’s see your limits, human.”
Beodeukto focused solely on the future.
He abandoned the fortress’s advantage and deployed all his forces outside.
For a better future, to rule over all and stand at the apex.
He had made an irreversible mistake.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
