[Sophon Network Under Construction...]
[Scanning Star System. Target Confirmed and Locked.]
Deploying Sophons was an essential step in conquering any world. After picking up the spider, the Trailblaze team immediately contacted the Astral Express and requested a Sophon deployment.
The three-dimensional particle unfolded at the planet's pole, enveloped the entire world from a higher dimension, then contracted back into a single point suspended above the North Pole.
At the same time, all information concerning the planet was scanned and transmitted back. After being processed by the Sophon, it was presented to everyone.
"Ahem. We're currently inside the labyrinth located in the central region between the Daztrudia Continent and the Kasanagara Continent, otherwise known as the Great Elroe Labyrinth."
"This is both the largest and most difficult labyrinth in the world. The monsters in the Upper Stratum are relatively weak, making it a hunting ground for human adventurers. The Middle Stratum is covered in magma and serves as the territory of fire dragons."
"As for the Lower Stratum, that's where the Queen Taratect and other spider-type monsters reside. The earth dragon population also lives there."
Whoosh—
Every detail of the Great Elroe Labyrinth appeared clearly on the holographic structural map.
It was so precise that even the species and movements of every monster inside were displayed, with their every action placed under surveillance.
What is this? Detection magic?! That's amazing!
The spider raised her head and stared at the holographic map projected by the Sophon.
She had originally planned to explore the Great Labyrinth little by little, but now every detail and piece of information had been laid out before her.
(Wait, the Middle Stratum is filled with magma and fire dragons?! I was planning to go take a look there!)
(Ah, so meeting powerful veterans really can save you thirty years of detours?!)
(Wait, the earth dragons' average ability scores are nearly five thousand?! Mom's stats are even more ridiculous... Are those really enemies I can defeat?!)
The spider flailed her legs around. After performing an entire solo comedy routine inside her head, she fell silent for a moment and managed to squeeze out only one sentence.
"Amazing."
"Can't you say a little more?"
Jibril poked her.
(How could I possibly do that?! Staying around a bunch of question-mark monsters like you is insanely stressful, okay?!)
(I'm already using all my strength just to breathe normally! How could I possibly have enough energy left to joke around with you?! And who exactly is this Commander you keep talking about?! Is he the mastermind behind everything?! Aaaaaah?!—)
(A guy who stays up in the sky and refuses to show himself is terrifying no matter how you look at it! He might be even scarier than this world's evil god!)
(What if I say something wrong and you get upset, then kill me like those humans earlier?! Aaaaaah?!—)
The spider rolled back and forth on the ground as her inner monologue switched into rap mode.
Then she nodded her round head and uttered two words.
"All right."
"..."
Jibril was almost certain this creature suffered from severe social withdrawal.
"Miss Herta, do you know how to cure an antisocial spider monster?"
"...What?"
"Then we'll begin conquering this world with the Great Elroe Labyrinth. I suppose this place counts as the beginner village?"
Silver Wolf stretched her body and tapped the little spider.
"We can share some experience with you while we're at it. No matter what, you'll need a humanoid form if you're going to live in the Starsea Empire."
Every world possessed countless methods of becoming stronger. Here, leveling up worked exactly as it did in a game. Fight monsters, grind enemies, gain experience, and grow stronger.
Silver Wolf had encountered this kind of system countless times before. She had even carried low-level players with a maxed-out account more times than she could count.
As she spoke, perhaps guided by a veteran gamer's intuition, she raised her head and called out to Setsuna.
"Commander, could you ask how experience is divided between party members?!"
"Do you only gain experience by fighting personally or landing the finishing blow? Or can some of it be shared with teammates? How does carrying a beginner with a max-level account work?"
"Pfft—"
Wakaba Hiiro, who was sitting opposite Setsuna, laughed.
She found the silver-haired girl extremely amusing. Like herself, Silver Wolf regarded the entire world as one enormous gaming arena.
"Otherworlders forming a party with the little spider? Interesting. Let's see how well you perform."
She tapped several options on the screen and added a small rule to the world.
[Beep—]
A notification appeared before the spider and the others.
[System Notification: You Have Entered a Party.]
[While in a Party, Experience Earned by Party Members Will Be Distributed According to Their Contribution. Every Member Is Guaranteed a Minimum Share.]
[Should Any Member Voluntarily Forfeit Their Experience, It Will Be Redistributed Among the Remaining Members.]
Directly raising the spider's level would not have been difficult for her, but that would have been boring. She wanted to see what these "otherworlders" could do.
"Huh? A god who can make up rules on the spot?! Not bad!"
Silver Wolf and the others were startled.
After thinking about it, however, they realized the rule was not bad.
Experience was completely useless to them anyway, so there was no harm in giving all of it to the spider.
"Would you like systems of your own?"
Wakaba Hiiro asked them.
"I can incorporate you into the system's database according to your individual characteristics, then calculate your ability scores, traits, and so on."
"Although I'd have to write some of the content on the spot. It would make the game more immersive."
As visitors from another world, Jibril, Silver Wolf, and the others did not exist in the system she had programmed.
Naturally, it could not measure their attributes, skills, traits, or anything else. Every appraisal result was simply a collection of question marks.
However, for an existence approaching godhood, modifying the system to make it compatible with them would not be difficult.
"Are you handing out cheats?!"
Silver Wolf considered it briefly, then decisively shook her head.
"No. Just display my name and species at most. I want my entire status screen to be question marks. It looks much cooler that way."
"Besides, I don't want to be bound by the rules of a system you created."
"...That makes sense."
Seeing a level-one-hundred or level-two-hundred monster was certainly terrifying, but at least its strength could still be estimated.
However, when every field above an enemy's head was filled with question marks, there was no need to think about it. They were almost certainly a hidden-boss-class enemy, which made them seem several levels more impressive.
"Ahem. We now possess complete intelligence on this place."
"Since experience can be shared while we're in a party, let's begin conquering the Great Elroe Labyrinth."
Jibril cleared her throat.
"Ooooooh—"
The spider was beside herself with excitement.
(Are we going to start from the highest stratum and work our way down little by little? You really don't want any experience at all? You're such good people!!!)
(I'll do my best to help with anything you need. Uh, but please don't use me as a tank or bait to lure out Mom and the earth dragons...)
After another storm of thoughts, she still managed to utter only a few words.
"...Okay. What... do we do?"
"That's easy. I'll handle it."
Jibril visually estimated the Great Labyrinth's scale, spread her wings, and flew into the sky.
A tremendous quantity of magical power poured from her body. Her beautiful rainbow-colored hair danced wildly behind her in the raging wind.
"It's been so long since I last fought. How nostalgic."
"Thanks to Master, it feels like I've grown much stronger again."
Crack—
A colossal mass of magical power gathered in her hand. In the sky beyond the Great Labyrinth, heaven and earth abruptly changed color as the clouds converged into a vast spiral.
Lightning flashed through the clouds as thunder boomed and violent winds howled.
[Heavenly Smite]
Boom—
A dark-purple pillar of light descended from the heavens. Every monster in the Upper Stratum of the Great Elroe Labyrinth was annihilated down to the molecular level within a single second.
The torrent of energy surged downward, continuing through the Middle and Lower Strata.
At the very bottom of the labyrinth, a gigantic spider monster as enormous as a mountain sensed the approaching danger and began scuttling around in agitation.
It was the spider's biological mother and one of the strongest monsters in the entire Great Labyrinth—the Queen Taratect.
The Queen Taratect and her offspring raised their heads, only to see a wave of destructive energy crashing directly down upon them.
Rumble!!!—
Like the detonation of an impossibly powerful nuclear warhead, a blinding light blossomed across the horizon. Even the people in the distant Analeit Kingdom witnessed the extraordinary phenomenon.
The labyrinth's monsters, its structure, the magma of the Middle Stratum, and the caverns of the Lower Stratum were indiscriminately crushed into ash by the impact.
Boom!—
After a single strike, only an enormous crater remained in the ground. Nearly every monster inside the labyrinth had been annihilated.
[Lösen—Imperial Armament Database]
[False Epigraphy: Klein Field Deployed]
Schwi deployed her armaments and surrounded the spider and everyone else with a protective barrier.
"All done!"
Jibril clapped her hands. After her physical enhancement, using Heavenly Smite no longer caused her to revert to a little girl's form. Both her stamina and magical power remained abundant.
She even waved toward the sky.
"Master, Master! Wasn't I amazing?!"
"...You're awfully proud of yourself for beating up a bunch of small fry..."
Setsuna could not help laughing.
"Abababa..."
"The Great Labyrinth... was destroyed?!"
The spider had been immersed in shock at the tremendous destructive power of Heavenly Smite when the system notifications suddenly began ringing one after another.
[Accumulated Experience Has Reached the Required Threshold. Level Increased to LV3.]
[Accumulated Experience Has Reached the Required Threshold. Level Increased to LV4.]
[Accumulated Experience...]
Nearly every monster in the Great Elroe Labyrinth had been wiped out, transforming into an astronomical quantity of experience.
The continuous announcements and reports alone were already more than the spider's brain could process.
For a time, her mind was filled entirely with notifications such as [Level Increased] and [Level Increased].
At the same time, because every level-up completely restored her condition, her body was refreshed countless times in the span of an instant.
"Ah—"
"Gulp, gulp, gulp—"
Unable to withstand the overwhelming bombardment of information, the spider felt as though her head were about to burst. Her body flipped over, and foam spilled from her mouth.
"I can't take it anymore... My body feels so strange..."
"It's... it's going to overflow..."