NOVEL NEXT WORLD The Strongest Solo Gamer with Terrible Social Skills Reincarnates as a Hated NPC in a VRMMO Chapter 133
133 Floor Master・Magic God Atranata①
――SIDE: Touka――
We transferred to the 20th floor. It was a monster’s nest. Unlike the open area we had just left, this place surrounded by rocky walls was like a cave, giving visitors a sense of unease and claustrophobia. The dim, damp air was filled with the rustling sounds of insects. I hesitated to speak, glancing at Durado beside me, and cautiously proceeded into the cave.
The area was a large hollow. The uneven terrain made it difficult to determine where the enemy was hiding. There were no exits around, and the only way to escape was through the magic crystal terminal (Portal) function’s emergency escape. Even that was impossible for normal humans, which was why many explorers got stuck here.
“！ ……Spider web”
I muttered, staring at the white threads stretched across the wall. Atranata might be nearby. It was a giant spider, 6 meters long. Although it was unlikely to be hiding, we still couldn’t find it.
“Arachne’s web……should we collect it now?”
As Durado approached the web, the predator suddenly attacked him――！
“Na――！？”
The spider’s multiple legs made an unsettling sound as they closed in on Durado――！ The Arachnes, Atranata’s minions, surrounded us from all directions. Thinking this was bad, I reflexively used my area-of-effect magic skill――！！
“Freeze！ Ice Storm――！！”
“ooo――！！”
The generated ice tornado froze the Arachnes’ feet. Durado swung his battle-axe at the immobilized monsters. Although we were outnumbered, our individual strength was not inferior！
I thought, at that moment.
“――Guh――！！”
Atranata’s giant front leg swept across Durado’s torso. His armor was shattered like paper, and he rolled on the ground.
“――Ah, armor summon――！！”
As he shouted, Durado’s shattered armor was restored to its original state. However, the damage he took was not light. I wanted to heal Durado, but with the Arachnes in front of us, I couldn’t take any reckless actions.
“Atlanaata……”
I had prepared myself for the encounter, but the sight before me was overwhelming. The upper body was human, while the lower body had spider legs, a characteristic of Arachne. But this one had a gigantic spider’s head with a woman’s upper limbs attached to it, like a car emblem – it was an absurdly desperate opponent.
Direct confrontation was reckless – but!!
“Look!! Anne!!”
“――ッ, Cielle……!!”
Atlanaata’s back had multiple baby spiders growing on it. Amidst the terrifying scene that would drive people with a fear of crowds crazy, Cielle=Net was right there.
It’s alive――ッ!!
Its eyes were empty, but if I could extract something from it, there might still be――ッ!?
“――Ku, danger!!?”
The thread shot out. While avoiding the sticky thread fired by the spider minions, I launched a series of attack skills in quick succession.
“Daaaku, Javelin!!”
The black spear formed from dark flames pierced towards Arachne. I repeated the attack two, three times, but it only hit the smaller spiders. The demon insect Atlanaata was surprisingly agile, dodging my magic with its quick movements.
It’s almost――ッ!!
“Don’t get flustered, Anne!! You’re getting sloppy!!”
“Shut up!! I know that already――!!”
“Anne――ッ!!”
“――ッ!!?”
Dulard’s warning came too late. The thread that flew in from the side stuck to my left foot.
“Ugh――”
The end of the thread was connected to Atlanaata’s buttocks. My body was being pulled down, and I was about to be dragged away――no way. If I got caught, I’d be eaten alive――! In desperation, I twisted my body and struggled to free myself, but Arachne’s thread kept shooting out, covering my body with a white, sticky substance.
“Anneeeee!! You damn spider, cut this thread――ッ!!”
While chasing away the gathering spiders, Dulard swung his axe towards Atlanaata’s thread. You idiot, doing something so reckless would get you caught too――ッ!?
“Guu, ku……chi, damn it――ッ!!”
Dulard, who had stopped moving, became a perfect target for Arachne. He was wrapped up in thread, just like me, and fell to the ground on his knees――
“Taichi!! Use your demon fire――ッ!!”
“!!”
Following the advice, Dulard used his demon fire to burn away the thread. The blue flames spread to my body as well, releasing me from my restraints.
“――You’re really something, understanding the skill properties and all. I was worried sick watching you!!”
“Y-you――!?”
“Shouma-kun!? Why――!? How did you――!?”
Shouma-kun suddenly appeared, flying in from a rocky pillar. I didn’t understand. Why was he here? Had he come to help us? The demon hybrids――us――?
“Demon God Atlanaata, huh……it’s been a while. Maybe I’ll play with it sometimes……”
“Huh?”
Mumbling something, Shouma-kun sprinkled a liquid from a small bottle in his right hand. What he pulled out from his ring finger was――a ring……?
“Everything’s ready――let’s go?”