37. Struggle

After the earth dragon had departed, sufficient time elapsed. I heightened vigilance beyond necessity, scanning the surroundings with excessive caution.

Even so, I could not feel secure.

I cannot remain idle. Action must begin.

I extend a thread from my control, directing it toward the immobilized bee.

Ugh... My back hurts.

Yet, emitting the thread presents no issue.

The thread extends slowly, carefully, finally connecting to the bee.

The bee still struggled, but that no longer mattered.

Before attracting another monster, I must retrieve it swiftly.

Each pull sends pain through my wounds.

The pain is severe, yet HP does not decrease further. I will assume it is manageable.

Finally, the bee is retrieved.

I immediately drive in the venomous fang, extinguishing its life.

Considering that my venomous fang remains effective against creatures that employ poison, my Venomous Fang and Poison Resistance skill levels must be significantly higher than those of other creatures.

Regardless, such details are irrelevant now.

The issue is what comes next.

Honestly, exploring this area would be suicide.

If monsters like that earth dragon exist elsewhere, my chances of survival are nonexistent.

That is unacceptable.

I’ve crossed many dangerous bridges before, but this is on an entirely different scale.

Regardless, I hold a reasonable confidence in my combat capability.

Though I currently wander dungeons and employ ambush tactics, my true combat style is defensive fortification.

Given that even a makeshift lair allowed me to defeat a serpent, if I construct a lair with full defensive intent, few creatures would be able to breach it.

She should not have been there.

It will surely break through even that.

Moreover, a sense tinged with humming.

Such power existed within it.

Thread, venom fang, ambush, speed.

My strengths are negligible in comparison to that one.

Such petty tricks are scattered by overwhelming force.

The form was easily imagined.

That was the second time since I was born as a spider that I witnessed a monster utterly beyond victory—no matter how desperately I struggled.

Incidentally, the first time was a colossal spider—my mother (father?).

The lack of victory is an issue—but more pressing is the fact that they are faster than me.

Escape is possible even if the nest is breached.

Perhaps my insides were boiling at that moment, but ultimately, it would take my life and flee.

With my speed, I can accomplish that.

But that could not surpass my speed.

There is no chance of victory through combat.

Escape is impossible.

Once targeted, there is nothing that can be done.

What an arbitrary existence.

Had I known such a thing would exist, it would have been better to charge straight through the serpent, even at great risk.

Moreover, there is no guarantee that only those entities are present within this area.

Fear.

Death has never been so close.

She was surprised to realize even she had once known the emotion of fear.

Even after countless chaotic experiences, she had not felt tension or fear. She had assumed such emotions had long been left behind somewhere.

It became clear from this point forward.

The danger thus far had been nothing more than this—level enough that fear had not even been warranted.

Not that her feelings had dried up—only that there was no need to feel them.

Ha ha.

It's too late to realize that now.

I should have realized this situation was inevitable sooner.

Perhaps then I might have developed some sense of urgency.

Enough with regret.

Focus on what must be done to survive.

First, secure safety.

The earth dragon will be useless here, but I’ll establish a nest centered on these rocks.

Currently, my condition does not permit movement.

Given this state, no reserves will be kept.

This will be my third home.

Ideally, I’ll lure weaker monsters like bees and eliminate them.

Aim for healing through level progression.

Without healing this wound, there’s no solution.

In this state, a minor hit from a common monster could be fatal.

Do not rely on natural healing.

I should have taken a skill for automatic HP recovery.

It’s too late to regret now.

Must accept this cleanly. Must shift mindset.

For now, establish base here as immediate objective.

Honestly, setting up base here is not advisable.

Establishing base increases visibility. If detected by a dragon-class monster, it is fatal.

But with my current condition, no other option remains.

Only choice now is to gamble on fortune.

Focus on leveling up for now.

After healing through level gain, consider escaping this hazardous zone.

Either push through the bee legion upward, or explore downward despite the risk.

Either way, hell awaits.

But now that I've fallen this far, ultimately, only two outcomes remain: live or die.

Luck favors life. Or misfortune favors death.

Right now, the scale leans heavily toward death.

Fall as is, or reverse the tide.

Action is necessary to turn things around.

Fortunately, stamina sources for nest construction are available.

The bee, even singular, is quite large—valuable as sustenance.

I will channel all stamina gained from this single specimen into nest construction.

From here, it depends solely on my skill and fortune.