What would she do if they encountered a monster that even the Earth Dragon couldn't beat?
Could she really just keep running forever?
At the rate they were going, they were bound to run into monsters they couldn't beat sooner or later. Was she supposed to just watch the Earth Dragon fight for his life while she hid in a corner, trembling?
She didn't want that! She didn't want to just run away anymore!
She had to get stronger! As strong as the Earth Dragon!
Kumoko made a silent vow deep inside. She didn't want to always rely on the Earth Dragon's protection. She wanted to fight too, to live with dignity!
….
The fight raged on.
Soon, the downside of being low level became apparent.
Elliot ran out of mana. His blue bar was empty. Since he hadn't learned any skills like [Potion Synthesis], his MP could only recover slowly over time. Now, his remaining SP was only enough for one more skill cast.
Fortunately, after several rounds of attacks, the Iron Pincer Spider's health was critically low. He could probably finish it off with just basic attacks.
So, Elliot cast [Earth Core] one last time to refresh his shield and charged straight in for a direct confrontation.
The clash between the two massive monsters shook the ground with every move. As an Earth Dragon, Elliot recalled that even their eggs were bigger than adult humans. Plus, before they evolved into a human-like form, Earth Dragons grew larger with every level. Now at Level 3, while not quite as big as the Elite Spider, he wasn't far off.
Since both were large monsters, dodging was about as useful as the air in a bag of Lay's potato chips completely pointless. This was purely a contest of raw power, no room for fancy maneuvers. It all came down to strength and HP!
And that was Elliot's strong suit!
The Iron Pincer Spider's poison was potent; dragging the fight out wouldn't be good for Elliot. He needed to end this quickly.
Every attack now was a simple, straightforward basic attack. No fancy stuff. In games like this, basic attacks had a much lower chance of being dodged than skills. When casting a single skill could decide the battle, sticking to reliable basic attacks was the safest bet.
-129! (Elliot's damage)
-45, -38! (Elite Spider's damage + Poison tick)
The Iron Pincer Spider's basic attack inflicted poison, dealing two instances of damage. But even combined, the total damage was less than Elliot's single hit.
Finally, after trading blows back and forth, the Elite monster's HP hit zero. With a final, pained cry, it collapsed unwillingly at Elliot's feet.
Elliot himself wasn't unscathed; his own HP was down to just 100 points.
[Defeated Level 8 Elite Monster (Higher Level Kill), EXP +18000]
[You have Leveled Up!]
[You have Leveled Up!]
"Defeated an Elite Monster above your level. Achievement Unlocked: Elite Slayer! Obtained Title: [Elite Slayer]! Choose 1 Skill Reward!"
[Elite Slayer]: Deal 10% extra damage to Elite Monsters. Receive 10% less damage from Elite Monsters.
System notifications chimed one after another. Elliot nodded, satisfied. Not only did he gain two levels instantly, but he also got the [Elite Slayer] title.
This world had all sorts of achievements. Completing them gave rewards from the game system, and title rewards like this were among the best. Titles stacked infinitely; once you earned one, you permanently gained its stat bonuses or effects. It reminded him of how Kumoko got [Kin Eater] and later titles like [Ruler of Pride].
These kinds of title skills could be ridiculously overpowered. Think Seven Deadly Sins titles like [Wrath] boosting attack tenfold, or Seven Heavenly Virtues titles like [Charity] being able to straight-up resurrect allies. So, the more titles, the better.
The [Elite Slayer] title would be very useful for Elliot. This world was crawling with Elite monsters, and given his Earth Dragon's incredible defenses, Elites were probably the only things capable of actually hurting him significantly.
He'd gained two levels, 500 skill points (assuming 250 per level now?), and a free skill choice! Not a bad haul at all.
"Big Guy! Are you okay, Big Guy?!"
Seeing Elliot victorious, Kumoko quickly jumped down from the wall. She felt a little guilty for not being able to help at all. She'd held back because she was worried that randomly jumping in might mess up Elliot's rhythm and end up causing more harm than good.
Elliot didn't say anything. He just patted the dead spider's corpse, then glanced meaningfully at Kumoko.
He had gotten the [Elite Slayer] title. If Kumoko ate this Iron Pincer Spider... she should get the [Kin Eater] title. Win-win.
Kumoko tilted her head, confused. "But... I'm not hungry right now."
Elliot patted the spider corpse again, a hopeful look in his eyes.
"Okay, okay. Can't let such a big monster go to waste, I guess."
"Time to eat!"
Foodie instincts kicking in. With the noble spirit of not wasting a single crumb, Kumoko dove right in.
"Ugh... tastes awful..." Kumoko forced herself to keep eating despite the unpleasant taste. Luckily, having reincarnated as a spider gave her an incredibly robust digestive system. Even eating a venomous spider didn't seem to affect her negatively.
Just as Kumoko finished consuming the entire Elite monster, the system chimed with a timely notification.
"Condition Met. Title Acquired: [Kin Eater]!"
"Based on Title Effect, Skills Acquired: [Taboo], [Heresy Magic]!"
The title name pretty much spelled it out you only got it by eating your own kind! Kumoko looked at Elliot, completely shocked. She remembered him saying he wanted to hunt another Earth Dragon earlier. It all clicked into place now. The Earth Dragon already knew how to get the [Kin Eater] skill!
Wow, Big Guy really was amazing!
Seeing Kumoko's surprised expression, Elliot knew she'd gotten the title. Time to leave this area and move on.
Ssss...
Another strange sound echoed through the cave. Then, flames erupted nearby, licking tongues of fire incinerating the surrounding spiderwebs. The fire spread rapidly along the strands. Right now, Kumoko's threads didn't have [Fire Resistance] yet, making them highly flammable.
"Fire!"
"What? What's going on?"
Peeking through a gap in her burning web, Kumoko saw... humans. Humans holding torches.
In this world, humans weren't to be underestimated. Their base stats might not be high, but they were highly intelligent and almost always fought in coordinated groups, not alone.
"Adventurers' Guild people?" Kumoko gasped. She never expected to encounter humans down here in the labyrinth.
The Adventurers' Guild was a staple organization in any RPG world they posted quests, and adventurers from all over took those quests for rewards. And they'd often do anything for that reward money.
"We need to go, now!" Elliot thought urgently. He remembered from the story that these adventurers were here looking for an Earth Dragon egg. And the dragon inside that egg... was one of Kumoko's former classmates. Another reincarnator!
….
Elliot's expression darkened. Humans were faster than him. Trying to outrun them wouldn't be easy.
These humans had come seeking a specific Earth Dragon egg. That egg was important. The dragon gestating inside was Mirei Shinohara, one of Kumoko's classmates from her previous life. Like Kumoko, she had been reincarnated, but as an Earth Dragon.
However, unlike Elliot or Kumoko's rough start, Mirei got lucky. Using the Earth Dragon's [Heavy Rock Nirvana] ability, she managed to gain a human form relatively early, around Level 15. Kumoko, on the other hand, didn't get her human form until much later, past Level 50.
Mirei, later known as the "Earth Dragon Girl," was basically the luckiest one among all the reincarnators.
Also born in the Great Elroe Labyrinth like Kumoko, she was fortunate enough to be found by human adventurers who then presented her as a gift to the royal palace. She reunited with other reincarnated classmates with almost no effort.
Furthermore... she later evolved from an Earth Dragon into a Light Dragon, a cross-species evolution.
She kept her human form, gained ridiculously high stats, and because it was a special evolution, she possessed skills from both the Earth Dragon and Light Dragon lines.
Her power became comparable to the legendary Earth Dragon Araba. Eventually, she became one of the strongest figures on the human side, even stronger than their reincarnated teacher, who became a pure elf.
Elliot definitely didn't want a character like that falling into human hands. Even if eating her egg gave him the [Kin Eater] title and skills, he wouldn't let the humans have her.
Those not of my race cannot be trusted!
….
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