After continuing down the dangerous straight path in the Lower Layer, I finally, *finally* arrived!
A fork in the road!
A path?
Yeah.
Before my eyes, a vast, open space stretched out.
Well, this wasn't so much a fork as it was the path widening… or maybe even disappearing altogether. It was impossible to tell just how far it extended—so much so that even my eyes, which shouldn't have been bothered by darkness thanks to Dark Vision, couldn't see to the end.
Ugh.
Which way am I supposed to go from here?
On a straight path, there's no way to get lost, but this kind of empty, expansive area is a real problem. It's like charging into a pathless desert. Not knowing which direction to head is genuinely terrifying, isn't it?
You know how they say that if you walk for a long time in a place where the scenery never changes, you'll unconsciously start moving in a large arc and end up right back where you started?
As a spider, I doubt that would happen, but I truly have no idea which way to go.
The only things that could serve as landmarks are the rock pillars standing here and there. But they all look pretty much the same, so they lack the distinctive features needed for navigation.
There are Tunnel Worms everywhere, so I probably won't starve even in the worst-case scenario, but if I get lost, I might not even realize it.
Well, let's fall back on the basics of dungeon crawling: stick to the wall. I'll follow the right-hand wall, just like before.
Wow, it's really wide.
The horizontal expanse is incredible.
And it's tall, too.
The ceiling, supported by those rock pillars, must be around a hundred meters high.
High enough to look up at.
Thanks to that, even though I'm inside a dungeon, there's no sense of claustrophobia.
It's strange—despite being all rock, it has the grandeur of the great outdoors.
Being in here really puts into perspective how small I am.
In my previous life, there was a TV show that covered the world's hidden wonders.
Honestly, I never felt much of anything watching it back then.
Those beautiful landscapes on screen were, in the end, just stories from a distant world that had nothing to do with me.
I felt no awe—only indifference.
I'm even puzzled now why I used to watch it.
But I'm here now.
This is the world I inhabit.
It's not unrelated.
I can't be indifferent.
Being moved by the place you're in… that's something I never would have imagined back when I was human.
I don't think I could have done it even if I'd stayed cooped up in my nest, the one named My Home.
In that sense, I might have to be grateful to that arsonist who dragged me out into the world.
…Ah, remembering that just pisses me off again.
Forget it.
How could I ever be grateful to someone like that?
Next time I see them, I'll wrap them up in silk, drag them through the dungeon, and then give them a nice little parting bite with my Poison Fang.
Phew.
Had an unpleasant thought.
Let's take a moment to appreciate the majesty of the dungeon instead and heal.
『Baguragratchi LV14. Failed to appraise Status.』
A massive Monster appeared, slowly.
It had a sloth-like vibe, kind of sluggish overall, but its mouth completely ruined that impression.
A huge, crocodilian maw, packed with countless jagged teeth.
Having that ferocious mouth attached to a primate-like torso made it look incredibly unbalanced and, frankly, terrifying.
Not soothing at all.
Right.
This is a dungeon.
Not the great outdoors.
This place is dangerous.
Okay?
Yes, understood.
So, I silently extinguished my presence and began my escape.
I managed to get away without being spotted.
But then, a truly unpleasant thought crept into my mind.
This vast, open area… it couldn't possibly be the very bottom layer, could it?
I don't know exactly how the layers change, but having such a huge space right after a long straight path… it wouldn't be strange to call that a layer transition.
The straight path was flat—I don't remember feeling like I was descending much. But maybe it was a gradual slope, too subtle to notice.
When you think about it that way, you know…?
No, no, no.
It can't be, right?
I just happened to walk out into a wider area.
Yeah.
Or maybe, conversely, I ascended to the Middle Layer?
Ah, that works.
Yes, this must be the Middle Layer.
So that's it—I finally escaped the dangerous Lower Layer!
『Baguragratchi LV8. Failed to appraise Status.』
『Baguragratchi LV4. Failed to appraise Status.』
『Baguragratchi LV11. Failed to appraise Status.』
Monsters like *this* are supposed to be in the Middle Layer?!
I'm an invisible person.
Oh, right. I'm a spider.
Well, first thing's first: eliminate my presence.
Then, I'll slip past quietly.
Once I've put some distance between us, I suddenly remember—I never did appraise that monster.
『Baguragratchi: A grotesque Monster with a gigantic jaw. They act in packs and attack prey as a group.』
Oh, great.
So they look that strong *and* they hunt in groups.
No chance of winning.
Yeah.
Let's just pretend the Middle Layer theory never happened.
This is way too hard for a Middle Layer!
Sigh. Now all I can do is hope this really isn't the very bottom.