57 Defense Battle at 100 Meters Above Ground③

Raining threads recklessly.

[Proficiency has reached threshold. Skill 'Concentration LV2' upgraded to 'Concentration LV3'.]

Sufficient focus achieved. Concentration skill level increased.

Irrelevant now.

Reality is no longer manageable.

Below, apes pile atop one another, drenched in threads.

Number of apes does not decrease.

Instead, they multiply steadily.

Number of immobilized apes increases, but reinforcements arrive at a faster rate.

As if all apes in this zone have gathered here.

MP remaining: 2.

Unknown what effects occur when MP reaches zero. Cannot expend further MP.

Thread manipulation becomes fully unavailable.

Current impact remains minimal.

Because the lead ape was already within arm's reach.

The enemy had closed to a distance where thread manipulation was no longer necessary.

Uncoil the thread.

Another ape is ensnared.

Yet the creature performed an unthinkable action.

It leapt down.

A dull impact as the ape struck the ground.

From this height, even a monster cannot survive.

The apes weighed the choice—dying versus becoming an obstacle in the advance—and chose death.

Impossible.

The sheer abnormality of it sends a chill through me.

I had harbored a faint hope that, if I continued the defense, the apes would eventually give up. That hope was shattered completely.

The apes will not stop until they kill me.

This ends only in one of two ways: I kill all the apes, or the apes kill me.

The stones strike me.

But I no longer avoid them.

There is no time to dodge.

The stone impacts my body.

HP decreases.

Even so, I disregard it through the effects of Pain Reduction and Pain Nullification.

The lost HP is left to automatic recovery.

Even at the moment of impact, I continue casting threads.

Otherwise, I cannot survive this crisis.

Somewhere, I had underestimated the apes.

Compared to the Earth Dragon, they were nothing.

Indeed, compared to that, most opponents are insignificant.

But that did not mean I could afford to underestimate them.

Am I foolish?

Did I forget my own weakness?

Compared to my weakness, everyone around me should be considered a formidable enemy.

What delusion did I have, calling them common foes?

Worse still, the enemy—far beneath me in strength—attacks with suicidal determination, unafraid even of death.

A superior monster attacking with life on the line—there was no way I could handle this with idle confidence.

If this is the situation, I must make up my mind and engage properly.

Another stone strikes my body.

A moment.

Truly just a moment—I flinched from the impact.

In that gap, one of the apes finally seized my leg.

With more than half my body trapped in thread, I stretched my remaining free arm.

A sharp, unpleasant sound echoed from my foot—grating, brittle.

I endured the sensation of being crushed, driving my fangs into the hand gripping my leg.

The ape collapsed at the same time my leg was torn nearly in half.

Pain.

Extremely painful.

Even with Pain Reduction active, it hurt.

Loss of limb. HP auto-recovery—maybe it can be managed.

Or perhaps leveling up will restore it.

But now is not the time to worry about the lost leg.

The delay gained from that move was significant.

Another monkey will climb up soon.

Release the thread.

Impatience sets in.

Stamina reserves decrease further.

The monkey that caught the thread immediately launches into the void.

Without watching its fate, release the next thread.

Experience points reached threshold. Individual, Small Talatect, leveled from LV4 to LV5.

Base stats increased.

Skill proficiency level-up bonus acquired.

Proficiency threshold reached. Skill 'Focus LV3' upgraded to 'Focus LV4'.

Proficiency threshold reached. Skill 'Accuracy LV3' upgraded to 'Accuracy LV4'.

Proficiency threshold reached. Skill 'Sturdiness LV2' upgraded to 'Sturdiness LV3'.

Skill points acquired.

The moment the voice was heard, retreat swiftly into the简易 home.

Good timing. But also bad.

Molting.

Peeling off the old skin with impatience.

The torn leg recovered without issue.

Discard the old skin, return to the front line immediately.

Even a brief moment of molting is fatal under these conditions.

As expected, apes had already breached the简易 home.

The threat had finally reached the final defensive line.

MP and SP, nearly depleted from leveling up, both fully restored.

But perhaps the point where this would have been sufficient has long since passed.

No.

There is still one option.

Extend a foot from the edge of the简易 home.

The ape grabs it—irrelevant.

I touch the thread, now scattered and coalesced into a single massive mass.

I activate the thread with every ounce of strength.

My power gradually seeps into the thread.

Skill level has increased. The number of threads I can manipulate has risen significantly.

It is impossible to control the entire mass, but that is acceptable.

The sheer quantity causes MP recovery to diminish at an accelerated rate.

Simultaneously, the grabbed foot emits another unpleasant sound.

At the same time, my entire body is pulled outward from the简易 home.

A monkey’s arm extends from outside.

I barely avoid being seized by the head.

But my torso is gripped.

The monkey applies force without mercy, attempting to crush my torso.

HP decreases rapidly. Intense pain shoots through me.

[Proficiency has reached threshold. Skill 'Life LV1' acquired.]

[Proficiency has reached threshold. Skill 'Mana LV1' acquired.]

At the same instant as the celestial voice, the thread preparation was complete.

I summoned the last of my strength and manipulated the thread.

Obeying my command, the thread detached from the wall.

Naturally, the apes clinging to it fell as well.

With a roar, the mass of thread—now resembling another wall—collapsed toward the group of apes remaining on the ground.

[Experience points have reached threshold. Individual, Small Taratokt, has advanced from LV5 to LV6.]

[Base stats have increased.]

[Skill proficiency level-up bonus acquired.]

[Proficiency has reached threshold. Skill 'Manipulate Thread LV6' upgraded to 'Manipulate Thread LV7'.]

[Proficiency has reached threshold. Skill 'Gluttony LV3' upgraded to 'Gluttony LV4'.]

[Skill points acquired.]

[Experience points have reached threshold. Individual, Small Tarract, has leveled up from LV6 to LV7.]

[Various base stat values have increased.]

[Proficiency level-up bonus acquired.]

[Proficiency has reached threshold. Skill 'Pain Reduction LV5' upgraded to 'Pain Reduction LV6'.]

[Proficiency has reached threshold. Skill 'Stealth LV5' upgraded to 'Stealth LV6'.]

[Proficiency has reached threshold. Skill 'Dodge LV1' upgraded to 'Dodge LV2'.]

[Skill points acquired.]

Success in slaughtering a large number of apes in a single action.