Aaah, that startled me.
When I teleported back to the earth dragon enclosure, there were a whole bunch of people there.
Yeah, that's freaky.
It's not like I have social phobia or anything, but I'm really not good with people, you know?
I was so startled that I ended up making eye random eye contact with this bearded old guy.
Oh, I made sure to turn off my Evil Eye just in case.
Wouldn't want to get hostility directed at me just because we locked eyes.
That old guy was pretty cool, actually — ruggedly handsome, my type, you know?
If he puffed on a cigarette and gave a sly grin, he'd look seriously badass.
Wait, that's actually great.
I might chase after him and ask him to do that.
Then again, I can't even talk, and asking someone who's basically a shut-in to have a conversation? What kind of torture is that?
But what are those people even here for?
They all suddenly started shouting something and took off running — what was that about?
Had they all been holding it in at the toilet or something?
I have no idea.
Well, if they're going to leave me alone, that's more than fine by me. I'm all for it.
I think I could win even if it turned into a fight, but it'd be such a hassle.
They were some kind of group wearing armor and looking all knight-like, but they weren't that strong.
In terms of Status, they were about as strong as the snakes in the Upper Layer — strong for humans, but still snake-level.
After I got back to the Upper Layer, I killed a bunch of snakes, and wow, were they really that weak?
There was a time when I thought those were boss-level enemies too.
I've really gotten stronger, haven't I?
If the strongest humans are only about snake-level...
They had quite a few Skills, but with snake-tier Status, that's still not enough.
Doesn't seem like they'd be any threat to me.
Humans are... actually kinda weak?
They were dressed like knights, so I figured they'd be some kind of combat-capable group, right?
And that's all they've got?
Wow.
Humans are weaker than I expected.
For a while there, I was worried I might not even be able to fight Mother anymore, but turns out that's not the case at all!
Well, maybe that group was just especially weak, though.
Or maybe humans in this world have a huge gap between the strong ones and the weak ones.
Could be some crazy overpowered guy out there.
If even someone like me could get this strong, it wouldn't be surprising if such people existed.
Hmm.
If I followed those people, would I find the exit?
Aaah, but that old guy had Perception, didn't he?
He'd probably notice me tailing him.
I don't want that.
I'd rather not get involved with people.
But if I want to eat delicious food, I have no choice but to deal with people.
Annoying, but this is one thing I can't compromise on.
In my past life, I'd even avoid making eye contact with shop clerks when I went shopping.
I'll have to learn the language of this world too, so it's going to be a rough road ahead.
Oh well, whatever.
Once things calm down, I'll explore the direction those people headed toward.
The area I've been going to lately has been running out of Monsters, so it'd work out nicely.
No need to rush, right?
I can't even become an Arachne yet.
Even if I went outside in my spider form, I wouldn't exactly be welcome in a human town.
Even becoming an Arachne might not be enough to get in, but for now it's my only option.
The illusions from Heterodox Magic only last for a second, so they're useless.
If I could at least get closer to a humanoid form, maybe... but that's just wishful thinking.
But seriously, what are those people even here for?
Knights, so they're some country's military unit?
Did they come here to slay something?
The only Monsters around here worth slaying would be... earth dragons?
Sorry, I already turned those into food.
This is probably a long shot, but they're not here to slay me, are they?
No way.
This is only the second time I've encountered humans since I was born as a spider.
I haven't done anything that would warrant dispatching a slaying party.
Oh, but wait — what if those people had someone with Appraisal?
If someone with Appraisal detected a dangerous spider Monster, that could easily spiral into "let's go slay it."
They ran off so fast I couldn't check everyone, so there might have been an Appraiser among them.
Should I chase after them just to confirm?
Ugh, but I don't want to interact with people.
Hrrm.
No.
Too much hassle.
Why should I have to willingly involve myself with people? What did I do to deserve this?
Let me be a loner in peace.
Besides, if things go south, I can just Teleport away.
If I escape to the Middle Layer, humans without fire resistance won't be able to follow me.
Actually, I could get away the instant I teleport, couldn't I?
And honestly, after seeing how strong those people are, I'm not even sure I'd need to run.
Getting involved with people is annoying, but if they come at me with the intent to kill, I won't show mercy.
Aaah, but if I do that, delicious food will slip further out of reach.
Ugh, all I want is to eat good food. Why does everything have to be so complicated?
Aaah, I hate this, I hate this.
What if I just killed them and took their stuff?
Those people looked like they'd have rations on them.
Ah, but in a labyrinth like this, they probably wouldn't have anything fresh or tasty.
I wouldn't be happy getting some gross preserved food.
And triggering a hostility flag with humans over that? Not worth it.
Maybe I should just go all in and become the Demon King and conquer everything.
Then I could eat whatever I wanted, every day, to my heart's content.
Aaah, that sounds nice.
...Yeah, right. If I could do something like that, I wouldn't have any problems in the first place.
Aaah. I want to eat something good.