Chapter 31: Shadow-Weaving Nest! Cave Lord!

Just as Luo Yan sat cross-legged to meditate and rest, in a corner on the north side of the first floor of the labyrinth, in a nest like a spider cave, the insect chirping of "chi chi chi" was like a surging wave.

Dense spider webs intertwined in the not-so-spacious space, weaving into bridges that connected to each other in the air.

Tens of thousands of cave spiders traveled here.

Among them were two-meter-long big guys, and hatchlings the size of a palm... that dense insect swarm, just one look would make people's SAN value drop wildly! Even the bravest and most experienced adventurers of the "Pavilion of Swords and Broken Swords," after seeing this scene, would turn around and flee without hesitation...

If they could still escape.

Very obvious.

This place had already gone beyond the scope of the labyrinth and had completely become a monster's nest... this was no longer a problem that adventurers could handle, but should be solved by the local lord.

For adventurers making a living in the labyrinth, they really didn't have the need to worry for the lord and risk their lives for it.

It is worth mentioning that cave spiders belong to the category of monsters and can be summoned by the labyrinth core, and their death will also drop magic crystals... but they also have certain biological attributes, and this does not conflict with their monster attributes.

Not only that.

Powerful cave spiders will also develop intelligence approximating humans, and even overcome the racial talent of being "lonely" to develop into "gregarious tribes" with civilized characteristics.

Especially when monsters in the labyrinth mix with monsters in natural conditions, the latter will naturally bring the "advanced ideas" from the outside into the labyrinth, accelerating the change of these little bugs from "primitive spiders" to "civilized spiders."

Usually, a qualified Demon King will avoid such things from happening.

After all, only obedient monsters are good monsters; monsters that unite are not only useless but will become pests in the labyrinth.

Monsters with the potential to establish their own order are not just cave spiders.

And once these monsters form their own order, they will no longer actively respond to the Demon King's summons, and there may even be signs of separation and partition, establishing independent "nests" in the labyrinth and preying on other monsters in the labyrinth.

In a sense, the slave rats that fled to the Beifeng Mine were victims of this situation.

When Reggie Dragon was still alive, they were living quite comfortably in the labyrinth, not only with a stable food supply, but also stealing grain from farmers every few days, making the latter jump with anger yet helpless.

However, since the Demon King died, this situation had undergone a earth-shaking change.

They, who were originally the lowest-level slaves in the Demon King's territory, directly dropped from "cannon fodder" to "food."

In contrast, as one of the natural enemies of the ratmen, the cave spiders were thriving because of the lack of base order in the labyrinth.

The mother spider named "Arachnos" proclaimed herself "Cave Lord" under the support of thousands of descendants and established a kingdom named "Shadow-Weaving Nest" in the north of the first floor of the labyrinth.

Unlike the "loners" wandering in the labyrinth.

They were not only stronger and more hardworking, but also had a clear social division of labor.

They traveled in groups in the cave, some responsible for taking care of spider eggs, some responsible for packing the prey they caught, and others responsible for feeding the fat dead fly larvae, or digging labyrinth walls, moving mud, and expanding the nest outward... busy just like worker bees in a beehive.

Besides that, under the leadership of the Cave Lord, the cave spiders of the Shadow-Weaving Nest also quickly assimilated the "loners" wandering in the labyrinth and the large and small cave spider tribes that rose during the same period through soft and hard means, and became a powerful force in the underground world of Lei Ming City as a latecomer, creating a miraculous prosperity!

Human ambition will expand, and bugs are the same.

Especially "Arachnos" knew very well how powerful the Demon King's minions were, and how weak the seemingly burly self was in front of them.

Those demons were not as easy to bully as little mice.

Although they were temporarily too busy to take care of the first floor close to the surface, it was only a matter of time before they set their sights here.

And Hell would also send a new Demon King.

That guy wouldn't care who was innocent and who deserved to die.

To gain true freedom, the Shadow-Weaving Nest must expand its territory outward, expand its population scale while expanding its living space, until they establish a huge "Nest Capital" in the depths of the mountains that far exceeds the underground labyrinth and even Lei Ming City—

By that time.

Whether it was Hell or the human kingdom, they would no longer dare to look down on them! However, just as the noble Cave Lord was implementing its great plan, a group of guys emitting a corpse smell stepped into its web...

The panicked footsteps interrupted Arachnos's meditation, and a strong gray-shelled male spider crawled at the entrance of its bedroom.

"Your Majesty, our people sent to the 'Pioneering Land' were slaughtered by adventurers from outside! The outpost was destroyed, and the ground was full of the children's corpses, not a single one survived!"

That "chi chi chi" insect chirping was full of anger and sorrow.

If it weren't for the fear of the invaders' power, it would have rushed up to tear them to pieces immediately.

Like a mountain, Arachnos looked down at its servant, and a glimmer of disbelief and dread flashed in its scarlet pupils.

"How is it possible... why would adventurers set their sights on the northern entrance? That place... haven't they not come for a long time?"

Long before its people arrived in that area, there were already unknown little spiders that had spun thick webs there.

It was precisely because of this that it chose that area as an outpost to open up a new nest.

The gray-shelled male spider crawled, burying its huge head lower.

"I... don't know... but recently, it seems to have become lively again!"

Speaking of this, it seemed to remember something and added.

"The previous 'Big Harvest' seems to have something to do with those adventurers!"

Arachnos's gaze darkened, and the scarlet pupils flashed with looming fierce light.

Adventurers.

This group of guys didn't come early or late, but suddenly killed their way out at this time.

For the Shadow-Weaving Nest, which was actively expanding toward the northern mountains, this was definitely the worst news.

After pondering for a while, it ordered.

"Arachdo, take a few hunters and go over to scout, see what the situation is with that group of adventurers... we have to figure out what they are and what their purpose is."

"As you command."

The black-shelled flower-faced spider crawling in the corner of the bedroom bowed slightly, and walked outside with its thick and flexible eight legs.

As for the burly and magnificent Arachnos, it waved away its servants and turned back to the depths of the nest with a group of shivering male spiders.

Danger is approaching.

As the mother of the Shadow-Weaving Nest, it must give birth to more children...

On the other side, Luo Yan, who had finished meditating and resting, stood up again and started grinding monsters.

Although he said he would let the players grind, he didn't think about really handing over all the trouble to the players and resting on the side himself.

As the BOSS of the necropolis, he must level up more.

He couldn't be caught up by the players.

Hard work pays off.

Before dusk, Luo Yan, whose hands were covered in blood, finally reached level 33! Thanks to him.

Five players also received varying degrees of improvement.

Among them, the Long Xing trio and Brother Hu Wan's experience bars were full, and as soon as their contribution points were enough, they could officially advance to Black Iron! Become skeleton soldiers with extraordinary power like Ye Zhiqiu! As for Ye Zhiqiu, this guy's brain was too flexible, and after figuring out the method of outputting damage to leech experience, he simply leveled up again, and was now LV5.

This time, not only other players, but even Luo Yan felt that it was a huge loss to let this guy play this game for free.

【

ID: Luo Yan

Race: Human

Soul Level: Steel (Level Cap LV50)

Level: LV. 33 Experience: (112/33W)

Constitution: 13 Strength: 13 Agility: 13 Intelligence: 38 (+2)

Spirit: 39 (+1)

】

Glancing at the attribute panel, and then at the spider corpses all over the ground, Luo Yan couldn't help but sigh.

"Truly, one general's success is built on ten thousand bones."

Are the high-level demons on the front line all killed like this?

How many cities must be slaughtered...

At this time, Hearing You You interjected inappropriately in his ear.

"Lord Demon King, arthropods don't have bones, right?"

Luo Yan knew this guy would complain, and laughed. "That's where you're wrong. Chitinous exoskeletons are also a type of bone; I can even summon skeletons from its corpse."

Before Hearing You You could speak, Luo Yan continued.

"And Hearing You You, you won't have friends like this."

Hearing You You: "Hmm!"

Hearing You You: "QAQ"

Maybe because the last sentence broke its defense, the deeply hit Hearing You You transformed into an emoticon probably learned from the official website and floated away from the mirror he took out casually...

"Disaster OL" official website.

Today's excitement is unusual.

The closed beta server has been open for just two days, and when the contribution of most players has just reached three digits, someone has actually gathered 1000 contribution points and broken through the LV3 level cap! If this isn't a dark curtain, what is?!

Pig-headed Knight: "Dark curtain! Definitely a dark curtain!"

Drank a pool of chemicals: "Exactly! Even if it's not a dark curtain, it must be a bug exploit!!! Suggest official strict investigation!"

Drank a pool of chemicals: "Damn?! Dog official, which permission dog changed my ID?!"

Knowledge Explosion: "Pfft hahahahaha... wait, although your matter is very funny, put it aside first, let's talk about the dark curtain!"

Pig-headed Knight: "Exactly! I'm still LV0, how did this guy reach LV4! (Screaming)"

Minotaur Warrior: "You still have the nerve to say... I wanted to take you to level up, but you were either locked in a dark room or on the way to a dark room. (Sweat)"

Dragon-Slaying Warrior: "Nerf it! I don't care! Nerf it! (Crazy)"

Ye Zhiqiu: "It's fine if they play memes, you haven't even entered the game yet. (Sweat)"

Arrogant Life: "Hehe, pretending to be quite like it, made me laugh."

Drank a pool of chemicals: "Dog planner, come out and confront me! Say! Do you have a ghost in your heart! If you don't have a ghost in your heart, why change my name to 'Drank a pool of feces'!"

【Player "Drank a pool of chemicals" has been muted for 24 hours, please speak politely.】

Grandpa at the Village Entrance: "Where did this mad dog come from. (Sweat)"

Pig-headed Knight: "Shivering. jpg"

Ye Zhiqiu: "Calm down, brothers, I've written the leveling method in the guide post, anyone can use it, it's just a test of awareness and micro-operation. Also, to be precise, I'm not LV4, but already LV5."

Grandpa at the Village Entrance: "Damn! So fast?! (Vomiting blood)"

Ye Zhiqiu: "Indeed there are coincidental factors, but that's not the point, let me talk about my experience... Sure enough, mages are the ultimate version answer to this game!"

Knowledge Explosion: "Wait, you can cast spells now?!"

Ye Zhiqiu: "No, but the NPC can."

Without hiding his opportunity, Ye Zhiqiu told the story of the afternoon, especially vividly describing the handsome figure of the Demon King calling the wind and rain.

With just a wave of the Demon King's hand, the cave spiders that they skeleton soldiers had to fight with wits and courage for a long time to kite to death died in piles...

That exaggerated description made even Luo Yan, who was peeking at the screen in secret, blush.

At the very end, Ye Zhiqiu also specifically mentioned the changes when breaking through the LV3 bottleneck.

Especially the changes in spirit and intelligence attributes!

He is no longer a skeleton soldier without a brain, but has transformed into an elite monster with wisdom!

Grandpa at the Village Entrance: "Speaking of which, with an MP bar, you should be able to learn skills, right?!"

Ye Zhiqiu: "If nothing goes wrong, it should be, but for now I haven't figured out how to learn skills."

Looking at the exchanges of players on the forum, Luo Yan's mind also became active.

"Hearing You You, is there any way to let players learn magic?"

Since players have an MP bar, it would be too wasteful not to use it.

And in Luo Yan's impression, there are existences like "Skeleton Mage" in the undead world.

Although they cannot make human sounds, they can still communicate with the elements of the natural world in their own way and call upon their own extraordinary power.

Similar.

Although players don't know the languages of other worlds, language shouldn't be an obstacle to spellcasting.

Hearing You You in the mirror pondered for a while and gave an answer that surprised Luo Yan.

"There is... hmm, although I'm thinking if it's too early, but since your image has already been deeply rooted in the players' hearts, I think it's about time for you to add some settings for your players."

"Settings? What do you mean?" Luo Yan asked, confused.

Hearing You You said as a matter of course.

"It's adding creeds for your believers, whether it's personally descending an oracle or through the mouth of a spokesperson... isn't this kind of thing very common for gods?"

Is it common? Maybe it's common in this world?

Seeing that Luo Yan still didn't fully understand, Hearing You You jumped up and down and continued to explain.

"For example, the followers of Shengxisi say that Shengxisi brought Holy Light, so the world possessed Holy Light... this is the most typical kind of setting!"

Luo Yan was stunned.

"You mean... Holy Light was defined? It didn't exist before?"

Hearing You You pointed its abstract head: "Of course! Where is there such convenient light in the natural light spectrum? People in this world don't know, you should at least know, right?"

"Actually, it's not just Holy Light, most magic in this world is like this; the essence of communicating with elemental spirits is actually praying to elemental spirits, summoning elemental fire, elemental wind, elemental water... you should have noticed it too, right? For example, things like elemental fire are actually different from fire in reality, right?"

Indeed.

Luo Yan nodded with deep feeling; he had been curious about this question for a long time.

Fire in reality is essentially a high-temperature gaseous or ionized substance, and what people see is more of the phenomenon expressed by the substance.

However, the fireball he rubbed out by chanting was different.

That kind of fire doesn't attach to the existence of any substance, but burns in the void, burning an abstract power called "extraordinary power," doesn't attach to a concrete substance, and even oxidation reactions might not be happening.

"I roughly understand what you mean, in other words... the essence of extraordinary power is actually a belief?"

"That's right! Extraordinary power and belief power are actually the same thing! Or to put it more bluntly, so-called gods are the gathering of everyone's power, manifesting what mortals firmly believe into actual existing things!"

When saying this, Hearing You You couldn't help but complain a little bit.

"Speaking of which, Lord Demon King, did you just discover this now? The setting collection of 'Disaster OL' has been hinting at this from the beginning."

Uh...

Is there?

If it's the sentence "People in the First Epoch used extraordinary power to forge godhood," this expression is too abstract.

Luo Yan pressed his eyebrows and went straight to the point.

"So what exactly should I do? Create a set of magic systems like Shengxisi or the Demon God? Will this kind of thing be too difficult for us?"

He only has a hundred or so believers.

Excluding players, there might be the few in the cage, and the signboard girl who is on duty at the convenience store.

If even a god like him can create things from nothing and invent a magic system, wouldn't the species on this planet have long ago stepped on their left foot with their right foot to ascend to the sky, spiritual ascension, and mind over matter? Hearing You You: "It doesn't have to be that troublesome! You see, Lord Demon God didn't actually invent a new magic system, right? You should be the clearest one, right? The magic system used in Hell until now is still the one from the Nether God era, just making some improvements on this basis."

"The Second Epoch is different from the First Epoch; predecessors and former gods have already formulated a large number of rules, which is equivalent to perfecting the underlying code of this world!"

"So, you don't need to re-create a magic that doesn't exist. At least for now, you just need to refer to existing magic or martial arts and set them directly on the players!"

"Even letting your players use Holy Light is possible! It's just that Holy Light contains restraint against the undead in the rules, considering you have already attached to the Nether God's system, Hearing You You doesn't recommend you do this!"

"Set directly?! You mean, just update these things in the setting collection? Just... that simple?"

Luo Yan couldn't believe it.

However, Hearing You You confidently pointed its abstract head.

"That's right, that's right! It's just that simple! After all, players use their own extraordinary power to release skills, consume their own MP, and call upon the 'code' that already exists in this world; strictly speaking, they are not borrowing your power! But you are all borrowing the power that already exists in this world itself!"

"After completing the setting of the creed, you just need to find a master to teach them a few times, let them know what the skill is specifically, and what effect it has. Then, Hearing You You will add a 'UI' for releasing skills to the players' operation interface, or you can personally teach them a 'spell' to focus mental power, and your little players can use skills normally!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 32 =====