【Arakne】: A large monster with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a spider, living in massive webs. It traps prey and habitually wraps them into cocoons for storage, feasting on their brains when hungry.
The description in the Shop and original world’s literature differs somewhat.
Su Yao recalled that “Arakne” should be a woman who challenged the gods’ weaving skills and was transformed into a monster after failing.
However, in this world, it was probably just a monster.
Judging from the “Eye of Truth” appraisal, this monster’s level was about the same as Sofia’s. It would be best to let her face it alone first.
“Sofia, it’s up to you. If you can’t handle it, we’ll go in together.”
“Understood!”
The white-haired, red-eyed beauty swiftly closed the distance with the spider-like monster upon receiving the order.
Although they were the same level, monsters generally had the upper hand against humans in combat.
If it were given time to weave webs, the fight could become more troublesome.
Sofia’s choice to engage in close quarters and finish it quickly was the right call.
The spider-like monster twisted its body, aiming the silk sac at its tail towards Sofia.
It continuously shot out chunks of spider silk, attempting to entangle the charging swordswoman.
Such petty tricks were no match for the agile Sofia.
She effortlessly dodged every single one. If this continued, within ten steps she’d be upon the monster.
Arakne’s upper body was human, so cold weapons would likely injure it easily. For a level thirty-five monster, its strength seemed somewhat low…
This conclusion was premature. The spider-like monster sprayed a large patch of sticky secretion in front of itself.
Sofia had no choice but to skirt around it, taking more time to attack from the side.
Seizing the opportunity, Arakne quickly retreated, crawling up the Boss Room wall with its eight spider legs in a grotesque motion. It even began climbing toward the ceiling.
“Vortex Jet!”
A fourth-level water magic summoned a spinning column of water shooting toward the monster’s upper body.
Sofia couldn’t allow it to crawl to the ceiling and spin a web. She chose to advance while trying to knock Arakne down from the wall.
The large monster’s speed could never match flowing water. Unsurprisingly, it was knocked down.
In close combat, the monster’s bulky body was no match for the nimble half-elf.
“Clang.”
The Mithril longsword struck the monster’s human arm. Contrary to expectation, the limb was not severed.
Instead, a crisp ringing sound echoed from the blade’s strike.
Arakne swung the front legs of its spider lower body at Sofia, who could only leap backward to evade.
What had just happened? The legendary Mithril sword couldn’t cut off what appeared to be a human female’s forearm?
The monster twisted its body again, and Sofia instinctively dodged. This time, however, the silk wasn’t shot at her but sprayed at the monster itself.
Its hands moved like a string game no one present understood.
Sofia paused her attack.
In moments, a silver silk long glove appeared on Arakne’s hand.
Even the most skilled tailor in the world wouldn’t have such craftsmanship.
Su Yao clearly saw Arakne put the glove on its right hand. The “Silk Gloves” on its left hand must have blocked Sofia’s sword earlier.
This was an unexpected gain. If Su Yao could command monsters like this at level thirty-five, perhaps she could make every employee in her dungeon a set of “Labyrinth Outfits.”
After all, this was a material even Mithril couldn’t cut, as long as no one minded that it came from the monster’s “rear.”
No, as long as she didn’t say, probably no one would know the source of this “Labyrinth Outfit” material!
Moreover, the glove wasn’t disgusting at all—instead, it had a starry luster and aesthetic appeal.
Selling it on the market might not be a bad idea!
Perfect! After the Labyrinth Tavern, it seemed her ventures might soon include “Labyrinth Clothing.”
Of course, all this depended on her reaching level thirty-five, and she’d need to test whether this spider silk was flammable.
“Need any help, Sofia?”
“No, Miss Su Yao, just watch me perform.”
The white-haired, red-eyed beauty remained confident, but Su Yao now had a rough understanding of the monster’s capabilities.
Though the system was a bit stingy, DP was well worth the cost when buying items. There was definitely a reason Arakne required this amount of DP.
For one thing, even without weaving webs, Sofia was struggling somewhat against it.
If there were traps prepared in this room, it would be difficult for the red-eyed beauty to kill it.
The fight resumed.
This time, after closing in, Sofia no longer attacked Arakne’s upper body.
Instead, she circled near its spider lower half. The monster’s large size became a glaring disadvantage as Sofia easily cut off all eight spider legs with her longsword.
The immobilized monster was helpless.
Finally, the Mithril sword pierced Arakne’s spider abdomen, releasing a splatter of green fluid. It convulsed for a moment, repeatedly trying to turn and strike Sofia with its hands…
DP in the Shop increased by one-tenth of what was required to summon Arakne.
With mastery of the technique, this monster wasn’t difficult to deal with and was suitable for leveling.
Still, its humanoid upper half was… well, somewhat unpleasant.
Better to switch to another monster…
“Good job, Sofia.”
Su Yao stepped forward and removed the pair of “Silk Gloves” from Arakne’s hands.
Thin and smooth, with a slightly cool silk texture, they felt quite comfortable.
They looked like the long white gloves women wear at weddings, reflecting specks of silver under the light.
She placed them on the ground and struck them several times with her sword.
No marks appeared, proving the strength of the “Silk” material—most cold weapons probably couldn’t damage it.
Next came a Fireball, a first-level spell requiring no incantation, detonating directly on the gloves.
Miraculously, they remained intact. The “spider silk” unexpectedly resisted fire magic that should have easily destroyed it.
Su Yao continued testing, finally incinerating the gloves with the fourth-level fire magic “Magma Javelin.”
This result far exceeded her expectations: not only impervious to most cold weapons, but also resistant to low-level fire magic.
No doubt about it, she had to trademark this “Labyrinth Outfit!”
This realization only strengthened her determination to level up quickly.
If Arakne couldn’t be used for leveling, Su Yao browsed the Shop again…
There really wasn’t any monster that could be slain quickly and effortlessly.
But considering elemental resistances and weaknesses, summoning a slightly stronger monster wouldn’t hurt.
“Spend 5500 DP to summon [Flame Demon]?”
“Yes!”
Thus, Su Yao embarked on another “Upgrade Journey.”