After defeating the eel, I took a breather and began checking the next available evolution options, along with Kumoko-chan.
Kumoko-chan seemed to have quickly decided on her evolution path, but in my case, multiple new evolution paths had appeared again, and I was torn over which one to choose.
《There are multiple evolution options available. Please choose from the following:
Paralyze Kokedama
Sorcery Kokedama
Winged Kokedama
Mari Cocoon 》
*(Here, I think Mari Cocoon is a better name. The original is Mayu Mari (マユ・マリ), where Mayu means Cocoon and Mari probably refers to her nickname, remember her real name is Mari Kokemori)
Last time I had three options—this time, there are four lined up, so I decided to look at them from the top one by one.
《Paralyze Kokedama: Evolution Requirement: Small Paralyze Kokedama LV10.
A mature form of the caterpillar-type monster known as the Kokedama species. A rare variant. Possesses an extremely potent paralytic toxin.》
This one seems like it would fully specialize in paralysis and become a mature form, with increased stats.
However, becoming mature also means becoming larger, which would make it difficult to hide like I’ve done so far. Plus, growing larger in the magma-filled middle layer would carry a high risk of combustion, so I considered it a bit too risky.
《Sorcery Kokedama: Evolution Requirement: Kokedama species with above-average magic capability and possession of magic-related skills.
Description: A rare variant of the caterpillar-type monster known as the Kokedama species that is proficient in magic. Possesses high intelligence and excels in using magic.》
This one's a magic-specialized evolution.
Since my main weapon is magic, this could be a viable option. However, it might also be a mature form, which means I could get bigger again.
Also, the note about high intelligence sounds good, but I have no way of knowing how much that would actually improve, so the end result could still be a lukewarm evolution.
《Winged Kokedama: Evolution Requirement: Small Kokedama species with above-average speed.
Description: A rare variant of the caterpillar-type monster known as the Kokedama species that has acquired the ability to fly. Possesses high mobility and takes to the skies.》
I’d already seen this one in the wild, so I knew what it looked like.
It becomes a bit bigger, with thin wings sprouting from between its moss layers, allowing it to float around like a balloon.
Of course, during combat it was able to zip around at high speed in all directions, so it’s easy to imagine that it greatly improves mobility, which has been my weak point.
Up until now, all the options still had "Kokedama" in their names, so although they have different specialties, it’s clear they all evolve along the Kokedama line.
However, the last option was shrouded in mystery.
《Mari Cocoon : Evolution Requirement: Small Kokedama species with above a certain threshold of stats.
Description: Becomes a cocoon. After enduring hardship and trials, when the time for evolution comes, it shall be reborn anew.》
The only information here is that it becomes a cocoon, with no mention of its abilities or other critical information, which made me feel uneasy.
However, the phrase "After enduring hardship and trials, when the time for evolution comes, it shall be reborn anew" gave me a feeling that this could lead to a very powerful evolution down the line.
Since I couldn’t easily decide, I explained the options and their descriptions to Kumoko-chan and asked for her opinion.
She also had a hard time deciding—especially regarding the final evolution—so we ended up discussing it for about an hour.
—Well, mostly Kumoko-chan doing the thinking, and since she can only communicate by writing, it also took her a while to reply.
We agreed to rule out any evolution that results in significant size growth.
Flight capability was attractive, but if I want to compete with the powerful beings in the lower layers, I need to aim for an even stronger evolution, so the Winged Kokedama—which might lead to a dead end—was also ruled out.
In the end, despite it being full of unknowns, I chose Mari Cocoon, placing my hopes in the potential of further evolution.
I also asked Kumoko-chan in advance to help me if anything happened—and with that, we began our evolution.
We constructed a shelter from the eel's corpse to ensure safety and secure food, then the two of us fell asleep.
And then——
《Individual Small Paralyze Kokedama will evolve into Mari Cocoon.》
︙
《Evolution complete.》
《Species has evolved into Mari Cocoon.》
︙
《Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Desire LV9] has become [Desire LV10].》
《Conditions met. Skill [Desire LV10] has evolved into [Thirst LV1].》
《Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Taboo LV3] has become [Taboo LV4].》
《Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Taboo LV4] has become [Taboo LV5].》
《Skill [Chrysalis] acquired through evolution.》
《Skill points obtained.》
︙
***
When I woke up, I felt as though I was wrapped in something—like the sensation I had the very first time I regained consciousness.
This time, though I was conscious, I couldn’t feel my body move in the slightest.
My vision was melted into darkness, making it impossible to perceive where I was. None of the senses from my physical body were functioning.
Since I couldn’t rely on the normal five senses, I reactivated [Omniscient] and tried to grasp the situation.
And once I understood what was going on, I realized this was a situation far beyond mere hardship. A dried-up emotion welled up in me—something on the verge of laughter for no reason I could explain.
Mari Cocoon (Kokemori Mari) — LV 1
Status
HP: 486/486 (Green)
MP: 1/2745 (Blue)
SP: 1000/1000 (Yellow)
1000/1000 (Red)Average Attack Ability: 10
Average Defense Ability: 636
Average Magic Ability: 2982
Average Resistance Ability: 636
Average Speed Ability: 0Skills
HP Rapid Recovery LV1 / MP Rapid Recovery LV2 / MP Minimized Consumption LV1 / SP Recovery Speed LV8 / SP Lessened Consumption LV8 / Status Condition Enhancement LV6 / Precise Magic Power Operation LV2 / Magical Warfare LV9 / Magic Power Attack LV9 / Magic Power Conferment LV10 / Magic Conferment LV1 / Mental Warfare LV1 / Energy Conferment LV1 / Enhanced Paralysis Attack LV4 / Coma Attack LV1 / Poison Attack LV9 / Acid Attack LV9 / Heretic Attack LV8 / Anesthetic Synthesis LV8 / Hypnotic Drug Synthesis LV6 / Spirit Moss Equipment LV1 / Armor Talent LV7 / Spatial Maneuvering LV6 / Stealth LV8 / Camouflage LV1 / Silence LV1 / Heatless LV1 / Odorless LV1 / Concentration LV10 / Thought Super-Acceleration LV1 / Foresight LV8 / Parallel Minds LV1 / High-Speed Processing LV2 / Memory LV9 / Hit LV10 / Evasion LV4 / Probability Correction LV1 / Appraisal LV10 / Telepathy LV4 / Light Magic LV7 / Water Magic LV9 / Gale Magic LV1 / Terrain Magic LV1 / Heavy Magic LV7 / Healing Magic LV6 / Paralysis Magic LV4 / Sleep Magic LV4 / Heretic Magic LV5 / Physical Resistance LV4 / Light Resistance LV6 / Water Resistance LV8 / Gale Resistance LV1 / Terrain Resistance LV1 / Heavy Resistance LV6 / Fire Resistance LV3 / Status Condition Super-Resistance LV1 / Acid Resistance LV6 / Corrosion Resistance LV4 / Faint Super-Resistance LV4 / Fear Resistance LV8 / Pain Nullification / Pain Mitigation LV6 / Heresy Nullification / Night Vision LV10 / Five Senses Enhancement LV5 / Vision Expansion LV4 / Life LV5 / Ultimate Magic LV10 / Instant Body LV4 / Endurance LV4 / Herculean Strength LV1 / Sturdy LV6 / Deva LV10 / Talisman LV6 / Acceleration LV5 / Thirst LV1 / Overeating LV8 / Chrysalis / Divine Realm Expansion LV4 / Omniscient LV10 / Taboo LV5 / n％l＝WSkill Points: 5800
Titles : Foul Feeder / Ally Killer / Kin Eater / Paralysis Master / Sleep Master / Merciless / Monster Slayer / Monster Slaughterer
Many skills had leveled up, and several new ones had been added. But what stood out the most were the wildly extreme stat values.
My MP and Magic Ability had always been far higher than the others, but now they were nearly twice what they used to be. Even HP, Defense, and Resistance—though still lower compared to MP and Magic—had grown far beyond the 100-ish range they were before evolution.
However, in exchange for that, both Attack Ability and Speed Ability had dropped to nearly nonexistent levels, giving me a status layout with fatal weaknesses.
Setting aside the status for a moment, I turned my attention to my current appearance.
After evolving, I had become a deep green, fluffy cocoon made of fibrous material. Through the finely woven threads, tufts of moss peeked out.
In terms of size, I had shrunk down from my original [Small Paralyzing Kokedama] form to something about the size of Kumoko-chan’s abdomen—maybe a little larger.
However, the inside of that compact cocoon was hollow. Viscous liquid and dense magical energy swirled lazily inside the exoskeletal shell that had turned into a pupa.
My entire body had melted into a liquid state. With no sensory organs left, I was forcibly made to realize why I couldn’t feel any of the five senses.
And since my body was now just a liquid mass within an oval cocoon without limbs, the “Average Speed Capability: 0” value was a brutally honest reflection of my current state.
Having grasped the basics of my body, I now reviewed my new skills—because I suspected one of them was the reason my SP was fully restored despite evolving.
《Spirit Moss Equipment: Moss imbued with magical power. Adds (Skill Level × 10) bonus to MP, Average Defense, and Average Resistance》
Until now, my [Moss Armor] had no special effects, but now it provided bonuses to MP, Defense, and Resistance.
It doesn’t come with growth boosts, but just having a skill that directly buffs stats makes it significantly more valuable.
《Thirst: A skill for one who bears a powerful, thirst-like desire. Increases experience point absorption capability》
Seems like this is an upgraded version of [Desire]—whereas that only slightly boosted XP gain, this one directly increases it.
Still, it seems Kumoko-chan’s [Pride] far outclasses it in terms of performance.
I also gained several new stealth-based skills like [Camouflage], [Silence], [Heatless], and [Odorless], and also combat-type skills that consume SP, such as [Mental Warfare] and [Energy Conferment].
Then, there was the final new skill:
《Chrysalis: Fully restores SP upon acquisition. Greatly reduces SP consumption speed. Prevents eating. This skill disappears upon the next evolution》
So the reason my SP was maxed out even after evolving was due to this [Chrysalis] skill.
Normally, evolution drains both MP and SP, but thanks to this, my SP was fully restored and its consumption drastically slowed down.
However, the downside is that I can’t eat anymore. Until I evolve again, I cannot restore any SP.
In other words, my current state is one where my form is fixed in the middle of rebuilding my body. If I don’t level up fast enough and evolve again before my current SP runs out, I’ll starve to death.
I thought I’d made the best choice by selecting this evolution, but it turns out I’d stepped right into a landmine. Just like the description said, I now had to overcome a path filled with hardships.
While I was checking over my condition, Kumoko-chan, who had already evolved earlier, stood nearby with a piece of eel skewered on her now blade-like foreleg.
She must have appraised me and understood my current predicament.
So, I asked her for a favor.
(Will you carry me and fight... for me?)
Kumoko-chan nodded after a moment of thought. She bound us together with her spider thread to ensure I wouldn’t fall off easily and hoisted me onto her back.
But thread alone would burn up too quickly, so I continuously cycled water magic to keep the threads moist.
Normally, doing that would interfere with spellcasting and multitasking, but for us—the way we are now—it wasn’t impossible.
—Please keep the water flowing.
—Leave it to me. Me.
[Parallel Minds LV1], A skill that adds a second consciousness—another "me"—not in the brain, but in the soul itself.
Thanks to this skill, I can delegate mental-based tasks. In terms of magic, it’s essentially like doubling my casting hands. MP doesn’t increase, but the range of what I can do expands massively.
One of me maintains water flow and applies fire resistance buffs to Kumoko-chan, the threads, and myself through [Magic Conferment].
The other focuses on detection and providing magical support.
As a result, Kumoko-chan—already highly mobile and evasive—now carried me, an automatic long-range artillery unit, on her back. We had effectively become a mobile firepower platform.
—I may not be able to move, but I’ll give it my all with magic and detection.
Huh? You have [Heresy Nullification] now too? Perseverance? That means you can use [Detection]!
Already using it? That sensation really is amazing, huh—
Kumoko-chan had acquired a special skill called [Perseverance], and it seems she got [Heresy Nullification] along with it.
That meant she could now use [Detection] as well. Still, it’s better to have more eyes, so I continued to keep [Omniscient] on alert.
In terms of magic, I can’t let myself fall behind Kumoko-chan, who just recently gained the ability to sense mana. I’ll give it everything I’ve got to support her.
After that, Kumoko-chan ate the rest of the eel—my share included, since I couldn’t eat anymore—and then we continued our journey through the vast, blazing middle layer.
A spider with a cocoon strapped to her back marched forward through the monotonous labyrinth.
Illuminated by magma, her figure seemed somehow cheerful, yet filled with a sense of purpose and determination.
***
And now, swaying on her back, I was about to make a choice I'd avoided until now.
A skill I'd always steered clear of because of its ominous description.
《Greed (500): A fragment of the power of n% intended to reach the gods. When killing another, randomly steals the target’s stats, skills, and skill points. Also surpasses the W system and grants authority to interfere with the MA field.》
A skill of the same kind as [Pride] and [Perseverance], which Kumoko-chan possesses.
A skill with a cryptic explanation and terrifyingly powerful effects.
When I first discovered it, I passed on it due to its suspicious wording, but now—now, it's something I need just to keep from being left behind by Kumoko-chan.
So—
《You have acquired [Greed]. Remaining skill points: 5300.》
《[Thirst LV1] has been integrated into [Greed]》
《Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Taboo LV5] has become [Taboo LV6].》
《Conditions met. Title [Ruler of Greed] acquired.》
《Due to the effects of the title [Ruler of Greed], skills [Appraisal LV10] and [Conquest] have been acquired.》
《[Appraisal LV10] has been integrated with [Appraisal LV10]》
This should be enough.
《Ruler of Greed: Acquired Skills: [Appraisal LV10], [Conquest]
Acquisition Condition: Acquire [Greed]
Effects: Increases HP, MP, and SP. Expands one's divine domain. Grants a proficiency bonus to mental-type skills. Grants a ruler-class privilege.
Description: A title bestowed upon one who has mastered greed.》
《Conquest: Upon activation of [Greed], absorbs the entirety of the target’s soul. Additionally—》
Since I already had [Appraisal LV10], the title's gift of the same skill overflowed and the surplus power dissipated, never taking shape.
In effect, I could only gain one skill from the title’s bonus, and I couldn’t help but feel deeply disappointed inside.
If I was going to get something, I wish it had at least been a new skill... —<bzzt>
No other suspicious skills showed up that I could acquire right now.
Then for now, I have no choice but to master this one.
It's still not enough.
I have to get more power.
If I don’t, if I don’t, if I don’t…………
……Because I have to stay alive.
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