Well, well.
There's no point staying in the same place forever. I should probably start moving before things get bad.
If there are footprints, that means people are around, and if I run into them, I've got a feeling things won't end well.
For now, let me head in the opposite direction from where the footprints lead.
But seriously, this cave is way too huge!
The ceiling stretches way up high—probably around a hundred meters up—and the width is about the same.
There are lumpy rocks scattered everywhere, which gives the place a cluttered feel, but even so, it's remarkably spacious for a cave.
And that wide passage branches out in multiple directions.
This was a Y-shaped intersection where three paths met: the one I originally came from, the one with the continuing human footprints, and the one I'm heading toward now.
The path I'm taking now is the one branching downward from the base of the Y.
I climb onto a conveniently sized rock and peek ahead.
There's something there...!
Monsters—creatures that look every bit like monsters—are scattered all over the place.
"Deer," "Deer," "Deer," "Deer," "Deer," "Bat," "Bat," "Bat," "Bat," "Bat," "Wolf," "Wolf," "Wolf," "Wolf," "Wolf," "Dinosaur"...
Appraisal went haywire.
Well, now that I look at them, they do kinda resemble deer, but I'm pretty sure the deer I know don't have antlers that gleam like legendary swords.
And those bats fluttering through the air—calling them bats is generous. They look more like grotesque rodents with demonic wings strapped on.
The wolves seem relatively normal at first glance—until you notice they've got six legs.
And the grand finale: a dinosaur lounging in the back...
I guess if you added horns and scales to a Tyrannosaurus, you'd get something like that.
Calling it a dinosaur is generous—it's basically a dragon, right?
I have to get through here?
There's no way...
Seriously, asking a newborn little spider to pull this off? That's just cruel.
The difficulty is set to Lunatic or something absurd like that.
I carefully climb down from the rock.
What should I do...
Ahead: a Monster hazard zone.
Behind: on one side, spider hell; on the other, humans.
Wait a second.
Am I completely trapped?
Hang on. Hold it together.
As it happens, I'd already prepared a solution for this situation.
Well, okay, it's not anything that impressive—I'd just spotted another path, that's all.
The massive Y-shaped corridor was so overwhelming that it went unnoticed, but there was actually a side passage here.
It was like a modestly sized hole in the wall. But it was still about three meters tall and roughly the same width, so there'd be no problem fitting through.
The only issue was that human footprints were coming out of that passage.
If people were emerging from that passage, then maybe the exit to this cave—or rather, this Dungeon—was just beyond it?
Hmm.
The exit, huh...
What would it be like to go outside?
If I were a normal human, I'd head out without a second thought.
After all, this Dungeon is obviously high-level.
I don't know exactly how strong I am as a Monster, but if my first impression is "no way I could survive," then fighting my way out isn't an option.
If this were a game, I might've charged in screaming "Respawn, here I come!" but in real life, dying means game over for good.
I have no intention of risking my life on some suicide mission.
I want to keep a solid safety margin.
Thinking about it that way, escaping from this Dungeon isn't a bad option.
It's not a bad option, but that doesn't necessarily mean going outside is a good idea.
Because I'm a Monster.
At the very least, the fact that people come and go here means there's probably a human settlement not too far from this Dungeon.
If a spider that looks like me showed up in human territory, I'd be hunted down, obviously.
Going outside comes with those kinds of risks.
But then again, leaving and settling somewhere with a lower difficulty level might actually work.
Whether I can avoid human eyes would depend on luck, but then again, even staying in this Dungeon would be a roll of the dice.
Alright, decision made!
For now, I'll aim for the Dungeon exit.
I'll check out the area around the exit, and if possible, I'll make my escape from there.
There might even be humans camping tents at the entrance or something.
Once that's settled, let's go!
I'm lost (´∀｀*) Ugh.
Can I just say it again?
This cave is way too huge!
What even is this massive labyrinth?
The paths have been branching off like crazy this whole time!
How many forks have there been?
I counted ten and then gave up.
I've run into quite a few Monsters too.
Running away from every single one of them has left me completely disoriented—I can't even find the original path anymore.
The footprints?
Lost sight of those ages ago.
Yeah... this is hopeless.
If you wanted to actually conquer this labyrinth, a map would be absolutely essential.
I can't even think about finding the exit.
And honestly, I'm about to reach my limit with this hunger.
Someone, please—food.