Chapter 77
－The Giant Spider Boss's Perspective－
One of my children hangs from the ceiling by a thread right in front of me.
That should be so, but... a thread?
There shouldn't be any such species in my clan.
My body is a strengthened form specialized for fire, and I belong to a clan wreathed in hellfire.
We are resistant to heat enough to move freely even through magma, and speed is another weapon we possess.
We move swiftly, and that does not change even when we're atop trees.
Wrapping ourselves in hellfire and stopping enemies with our speed—that is the basic way of our clan... or so it should be.
A thread... What kind of thing is this thread?
So it cannot be cut by heat or fire? That must be due to our clan's power.
Can you shoot threads freely?
I see. How fast can the thread be shot?
Is it as fast as when you run? That's fast indeed.
It is convenient to be able to capture enemies without revealing yourself.
Hm?
You can set traps?
You hook threads onto trees and make them sticky?
Sticky, you say?
Once something sticks, it cannot come loose. How convenient.
How do you make it?
You melt the thread a little with heat?
It is resistant to heat, is it not?
You partially nullify the effect on the thread. I see.
And how effective was the adhesive?
Ah... then the prey in the forest should pose almost no problem.
So you've evolved nicely, then.
...
Half the children have started using threads?
Hm? You succeeded in wrapping a thread in fire?
You've been working hard. Amazing.
The master is at the river again today.
It's pleasant by the river.
Even I, who wield hellfire, find it difficult to leave this place.
The master's magic flows throughout the river.
Thanks to that magic, the river water is purer and gentler than anywhere else.
I watch the water spirit carrying the master.
The clear water has made its entire body vibrant and crystal clear.
I have never seen a spirit like that before.
Hm? It seems the spirits are gathering.
The master often plays with the spirits in the water.
So even if their numbers increase, there is no problem?
The depths of the master's magic are unfathomable.
Oh, today's prey is a Totrag and a Red Death Frog.
Even that Dire Wolf has evolved, before I even noticed.
The difference in strength between it and the other Dire Wolves has become stark... Hm?
Have the other Dire Wolves been growing stronger too?
As expected of a race recognized by the master.
The golems have begun butchering the prey on their own.
How fast.
Has the master given the golems another new power?
Recently, some of them have been running around the forest outside our home.
It seems the master is coming out of the river.
It will soon be time to eat.
Lately, I can hardly wait for the things the master makes.
Hm?
Are the threads tangling?
The trick is to make sure your magic reaches all the way to the tip of the thread.
If you get this part right, you can control the thread however you like.
Watch.
See?
Three threads emerge from my back, and I demonstrate moving each one separately.
I also send one from a foreleg, adding a fourth.
I move each one freely, making shapes to show the children.
Threads are fascinating.
It took a little practice to learn how to use them, but once you get the hang of it, they can be used for both offense and defense without trouble.
They even let you use a new technique called traps. Truly, they are useful.
...?
What is it, Master?
Has something surprising happened?