Chapter Eight, Web Weaving.

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  ”There isn’t time for rest. Nor is there time to mourn.” Arjae spoke, Jess unconscious on his shoulder.

  Clara and Luke peered up at him, tears in their eyes.

  ”Arjae…” Clara muttered.

  ”He’s right.” Luke stood to his feet.

  Fighting the exhaustion, and not caring at all about the damage he had taken, he lifted Ryan’s body up.

  ”Thank you.” Arjae said, “We have to get out of here. We lost a key member, we can no longer take on this Dungeon safely even if we wanted to.” He explained.

  ”More importantly, we have to report the presence of this anomaly to the Guild. A Boss level monster roaming the floor like that isn’t normal at all. There must be a reason for it, and if there is, D-ranks aren’t the type that can handle it.” With a nod, Luke understood Arjae’s words.

  Resolution filled the mans face, Ryan’s body carefully being placed on his shoulder in the same manner.

  His shield had been strapped to his back, his sword at his side.

  Arjae glanced towards the spiders corpse, seeing his cracked weapon.

  He scoffed.

  It was of no use to him anymore… He would let the Dungeon have what bit of mana remained within. He figured this place would soon be stomped through anyway.

  ‘Dad won’t be happy.’ He thought to himself.

  Clara sniffled, wiping away all the snot and tears.

  ”Let’s just go already. I’ll lead the way.” She murmured.

  It was clear, this battle had already had a massive effect on one of their party members.

  Arjae furrowed his brows, regret filling him.

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  The group exited the tunnel, damage clear on each of their bodies. The large one, Luke, was barely at half health. He was a [Guardian], as labeled by his class.

  He had skills that Jora would love to obtain, it was a bonus that his level wasn't high enough to pose any threat.

  Clara, was slightly different. She was almost the same level as Arjae, and she was rather strong as well, with the class of [Wild Hunter]. If she wasn't so damaged physically and mentally, she surely would've posed a threat, but it was clear to him that she wasn't much of a factor with the state she was in.

  The corpse, who he wasn't able to name with his [Analyze] spell—since he was dead—seemed to emanate a decent bit of mana. The feeling he gave was similar to Boreas, just less powerful.

  His clothes matched that aesthetic as well.

  "So a mage..." He noted.

  And then, he observed the cause of it all. The source of the overwhelming smell.

  Her [Talent] and hidden attributes stood out like a sore thumb.

  He needed to eat her.

  So much Luck? Integrating a portion of that would be like skipping countless levels. He'd likely get almost one hundred Luck from her, and that would push it to his highest attribute...

  He couldn't even imagine how it was so high.

  "There are really creatures naturally born with such high attributes?..." He questioned to himself, "I guess I alone am proof of that..." His own power hadn't gone unnoticed.

  Of all the humans he had encountered before, the creatures that shared the same race as he, he was the only with two [Talents]. He could only assume that it was a massive bonus, one that not many, if any, had.

  "But I have no [Class]... How do I get that?" He questioned. From his experiences so far, the fragmented memories that weren't his, he could tell that [Classes] boosted power. He wasn't exactly sure in what way, but they seemed to boost certain attributes, and grant access to different skills.

  It was something that the Dungeon monsters didn't have, so perhaps it was only privy to humans. Considering he seemed to function more like a monster than a human, he could see that he received the best of both worlds.

  Consuming and getting stronger didn't fall in line with his perception of humans.

  But then again he didn't have much of a perception on them... Only that they had tastier skills, and seemed to have more [Talent] than Dungeon monsters.

  With the group of people having entered the dark tunnel on the far end of the clearing, starting to retrace their steps, Jora lurked into the open room.

  He approached the large spider head, frustration still deep within. He had calmed out of his [Fury], but he still felt anger.

  With a large motion, he lunged as his upper body swelled, consuming what was left of the corpse in it's entirety.

  Boom!

  His head reeled back, memories filling his mind, the first time it had happened when consuming a Dungeon monster.

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  He could feel the darkness, the pitch black. It was warm around, but dark. Then there was a burst of light, a glowing sphere.

  Then there was power. Then there was countless warping, many threads.

  He could feel it flooding his mind. Then there was a calling.

  The sphere returned.

  Then he had a bigger purpose.

  Something to capture.

  Then it stopped.

  A small pressure emerged within Jora's mind, causing him to kneel.

  Recalling the memories, it hurt him to try and think of the sphere. The glowing entity was... Too much.

  He didn't understand.

  Discomfort washed over him, but he attempted to shake it away. He put the image of the sphere into the back of his mind, focusing on everything else.

  Something rippled through his body. The recollections blazing through his mind as, his structure changed. He adapted to the skills he had eaten, repurposing both them, and his body, to fit all requirements.

  He glanced down at his palms, observing as nozzles appeared. Growths formed, glands shifting and growing within his body, beneath his skin.

  He even felt one emerge within his throat.

  These skills were unlike spells, but true skills that hovered between [Passive] and [Active].

  He didn't have to cast them with activation words, as it was all natural.

  It was just that using them indeed did consume his mana.

  The spinnerets within his palms pulsated with energy as a silk thread shot out from it, sticking to the other side of the wall. It was violent and uncontrolled, raging with speed and strength.

  He loved that the skills scaled with his attributes.

  He severed the web from his hand, engaging in more experimentation.

  Silk sprouted from his palms, his fingers weaving them into complex structures, as if it was normal.

  Quickly, he had formed a sword of webs. It was not very strong, nor was it stable, but it was a testament of his level 2-

  It was a testament of his level 3 [Web Weaving].

  He smiled.

  He turned back, opening a palm towards where he came from.

  This skill was slightly different. It was like the other two, granting him the ability to make the construct, but also reinforcing it, and allowing the mana to move easier. This one had an activation chant, but it was not necessary, making it more of a.. boost chant. Though, saying it didn't hurt...

  "[Thread Spear]." Mana gathered within his palm, silk shooting out, sticking together, and solidifying. A thick line of string with a jagged tip, shot from his palm, piercing the wall next to where he had emerged from.

  He smiled.

  Then he cast it once more, but this time, he turned both of his hands upwards.

  "[Thread Spear]." He muttered, watching as mana coated silk sprouted from his palms, tangling and weaving into a long 5 foot weapon of almost steel like threads.

  He gripped the spear, swinging it around in his palms. It was lightweight, but sturdy. His first true weapon!

  But he didn't have any spearmanship skills, he knew that wielding it this way would be far harder than he liked.

  He glanced back towards the tunnel the party had stepped into, his [Dark Vision] allowing him to see them just a ways away.

  "I need to follow..." He murmured. He threw the spear to the side, watching as it soundlessly bounced off the ground.

  He noticed something shining near the puddle of blue blood that belonged to the Orbweaver.

  A sword... Something he did have a few skills for.

  But looking at it... He felt something strange.

  'Magic...' He thought, recalling what his new level in [Devour] had mentioned.

  He could smell the remnant power within the damaged weapon.

  It was a magically enhanced item, unlike all the weapons and armor he had encountered so far.

  So...

  Chomp!

  "[Integrate]."

  You have successfully integrated 17 Defense Points!

  A bit of mana surged into his reserves, overfilling him just slightly.

  But this new revelation was far more important.

  "I can eat magic materials for [Defense] Points... Could I eat magic items for [Sensitivity]? [Capacity]?... [Luck] too?..." He questioned, his smile only growing bigger.

  He could tell how sharp and sturdy the sword had once been just by looking at it, and he could feel its weight and sharpness when it melted down his throat.

  Power would find its way to him easier and easier. He was loving each level he gained.

  Already far stronger than he was just a few moments ago...

  "Then... Let's stalk. Figure out how I can capitalize off of this situation." He stepped toward the dark tunnel, melding with the darkness he was so familiar with.

  He hoped he would be lucky today as well...

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