Chapter 11: Spiders Are Not Bugs

Making camp as I explored the inside of the forest, I met it.

A black mass around 30 cm.

It has a faint response to Presence Detection and Magic Perception but there was none to Enemy Search.

Thinking it was strange, I approached it cautiously.

「Let’s see… a spider?」

It’s a monster spider curling its legs close to its body. However, there was no feeling of danger.

「You’re dying?」

The monster spider is weakened and about to die. I could also see that one of its legs was torn off, it must have fought with another monster and lost.

Poison Spider Unique Species Lv19

A monster spider possessing paralysis poison and a slow-acting poison

A Unique Species born from the Poison Spiders. As it is a rare specimen, it has the potential to evolve.

Condition: Dying

As a result of Appraisal, I now know what kind of monster it is but……well, finishing it off is not something I want to do. It won’t live even if I leave it alone though……

For some reason, I don’t know why but, I couldn’t take my eyes off it. A strange mood that makes it difficult for me to leave it as it is. I’m not that good with bugs and spiders but, it looked rather cute, does it have Demon Eyes of Charming, I wonder? But there wasn’t any sort of feeling of resistance, so that’s not it.

At that moment, I felt the sensation of a path of magic power from the spider I was watching closely connect to me. It felt as if my Insight skill had brought something up.

「Hm?」

If this spider becomes healthy, it won’t be defeated anymore.

So, I healed this spider several times.

Its missing leg wasn’t restored but Appraisal shows that it was no longer dying so it’s okay now.

「Well then, I’ll be leaving now.」

〈The [Taming] Skill has been obtained〉

〈Tame Poison Spider? Y/N 〉

Eeeh~! What is “Tame”?!

So, insects can be made into a familiar[1]~  No, spiders are not insects. No no no, that’s not the problem here.

While I was being indecisive, the spider watched me with its eight crimson eyes. It looks like it wants to be taken along.

「Haa, you want to come with me?」

〈The [Poison Spider] has been tamed〉

『…………g, o. toge, ther.』

At that moment, I knew that we, the Poison Spider and I, were definitely connected by a path of magic power.

「Not having a name would be inconvenient, right? Let’s see……」

I, who isn’t really confident in my naming sense, pondered over a name for the spider. Then, incidentally, the pattern on the back (?) of the spider came into view.

「That’s it, I see a leaf of the maple tree. I don’t know if this world has maple trees but, do you think the name Kaede[2] is good enough?」

『……ye, ah』

It looks like it’s pleased.

The moment I gave the Poison Spider its name, a large amount of magic power from within me flowed into the Poison Spider.

「Wha?! This must be because of naming it!」

Then Kaede’s body was wrapped in light and started moulting.

Kaede grew one size larger when it finished moulting. Even its leg was healed to how it was before.

「Could it be that you didn’t grow but evolve?」

Killer Spider Unique Species Lv1

A monster spider that possesses paralysis poison and deadly poison.

A rare species that evolved from the Poison Spider.

There was a different species name when I appraised it. It seems like it really did evolve.

『Evolved, Kaede, happy』

「The words sent telepathically have become a bit more fluent.」

『Yeah』

Since I could see the status of a contracted familiar monster, I decided to check it.

Status

Name : Kaede (Takumi Iruma’s Familiar)

Race : Killer Spider

Age : 5

Level : 1

Condition : Healthy

Vitality : 140

Magic Power : 160

Strength : 60

Agility : 80

Stamina : 70

Dexterity : 90

Intelligence : 60

Unique Skills

Spider Thread Creation

Passive Skills

Poison Resistance Lv4

Paralysis Resistance Lv4

Spatial Understanding Lv2

Active Skills

Thread Manipulation Lv6

Poison Creation Lv5

Presence Detection Lv4

Magic Perception Lv5

Stealth Lv5

It seems its level was reset upon evolving.

Even so, this one seems strong, doesn’t it?

Spider Thread Creation

The ability to create strong threads. Its strength can cut even steel.

Thread Manipulation

The art of freely manipulating and fighting with thread.

Looking at the details of the unique skill together with Thread Manipulation, it becomes a formidable weapon.

Spatial Understanding Skill is to make use of thread for nimble three-dimensional movement distinctive to spiders.

Poison Creation

The ability to create poisons such as paralysis poison, neurotoxins, slow-acting poison, to comply to a situation.

It seems that its poison is much stronger than when it was a Poison Spider. This might be tough on my Poison Resistance.

Since the level of the skills Magic Perception, Presence Detection, and Stealth are quite high, it’s like the configuration of an assassin.

「Now then, I’ll be going back to the village soon but, is your body alright? Can you keep up?」

『Am alright, can follow, Master』

Given that its exoskeleton has now settled after moulting, I told Kaede of my return to the village. [1]

On the way back to the village, I had some leeway in returning since Kaede’s legs were back to how they were before.

Kaede would hop around while following me. Sometimes, it would leap from tree to tree with its threads like Tarzan.

It was a long time after I had named Kaede did I realize that I had not asked if it was a boy or a girl.

***

Footnotes: 

1. Kaede in kanji 楓 means Maple (tree) in Japanese, but the name in its status is in Katakana. Also, its speech is all in Katakana.
2.  When something moults, the new exoskeleton is soft for a while before it settles and hardens.