Since the status window doesn't display the amount of experience required, I could only guess that it must be a massive amount—but just how massive does it have to be for me to hunt for days and still not level up?
I even went back to the special floors to kill bosses, yet still didn't level up.
Aaa!!!
Is the system bugged or what??
I'm not sure, but I'll ask someone more experienced than me—Meradis. Lately, because I've been busy moving between floors, I haven't had much time to meet her.
I teleport back to the 20th floor and search for Meradis in the Ice Elemental Zone. She's still in her meditative state.
What should I do...
Maybe I shouldn't bother her?
Then I'll just wait here.
While waiting, I took the opportunity to practice some skills like [Multi-form Silk], [Blade Leg],… bla bla… but couldn't do much else. This is so boring.
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Naiwa?
Why did that skill level up?
Is it because I was just sitting still?
Seriously?
The skills I actually practiced didn't level up, and yet this random one did.
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Oh, I just said that...
I'm starting to think this system is messing with me on purpose.
...
Two days later, Meradis finally woke up.
"Something wrong, Shiraori?"
"What were you doing?"
"Meditating. It's a skill that helps me clear away mental distractions and recover my strength."
"There's something that convenient?"
"Yes, but not all species can use it."
Ah, looks like she caught on to my intentions already. Oh well, I've got more important things to ask her.
"Meradis, why haven't I leveled up even after killing so many monsters?"
Meradis looked at me in surprise and asked, "What level are you?"
"38," I replied.
She shook her head and sighed.
Something's definitely off...
"I forgot to mention to you, Shiraori—there's a special condition that occurs during leveling. At higher levels, the experience required increases exponentially. If you let it reach that point, the required experience becomes absurd. The way to avoid this situation is to level up rapidly while your level is still low."
There's something like that?!
So according to Meradis, going from level 38 to 40 takes more experience than going from level 30 to 40? But no matter how I look at it, jumping ten levels at once just isn't realistic.
"Heh, this usually only happens during the last two levels, so you're just unlucky this time, Shiraori."
Ack!
Is this karma?
But I didn't do anything wrong!
"Isn't there any way to fix this?" I asked desperately.
"You'll just have to gather as much experience as possible. It's a matter of time."
Hearing her say that, I could only groan internally. "A matter of time" really doesn't help at all right now. But I didn't dare complain further, since clearly this wasn't her fault.
"Is there any way to gain experience faster? I've already taken out all the strongest monsters I know from the lower floors." I pressed further.
Meradis fell silent for a moment before replying, "The best way is to seek out higher sources of experience. There are places where powerful monsters or rare creatures gather—killing them gives large amounts of experience. Also, if you participate in large battles or face off against much stronger enemies, you'll earn significantly more experience."
"But I've already hunted everything strong that I know of!" I protested, unable to hide my frustration.
Meradis chuckled softly. "I have a suggestion. In the higher floors, there are still monsters and creatures whose strength far surpasses anything you've faced so far. If you have the courage, try venturing upward. But I must warn you—the risk of death is very high."
I went silent. Climbing to the upper floors… that's one option, but the risk is frightening. I'm not afraid of fighting, but if I die before reaching my goal, then all the effort so far will be for nothing.
"There's another option," Meradis added, as if reading my mind.
What, what is it?
"If you can find a creature called a 'Experience Mouse'—a rare monster that appears randomly across the floors—it could give you an enormous amount of experience. But whether you find one depends entirely on your luck."
"Huh? What kind of name is that?" I repeated, intrigued.
I don't think I've ever seen one before.
"Yes. They usually appear in places with unusual magical energy, or in areas near high-level beings. You could try checking the strong elemental zones on the 20th floor, or test your luck on other special floors."
"As for its use—just like the name suggests, the Experience Mouse doesn't give you anything except experience. Killing one will give you just enough experience to gain one level. Then you'll just need to hunt to get the next."
"You really get a full level from it?" I asked, a bit skeptical.
"Yes, the amount of experience isn't fixed—it's fixed in the sense that whoever kills it will level up once, no matter how much experience is required."
Naiwa!
A gift from the heavens!
I want to go find one right now!
"Then good luck," Meradis said before returning to her position and meditating again.
I nodded. This might be my best shot. If I can find one mutant and take it down, I'll have enough experience to level up without wasting any more time.
After saying goodbye to Meradis, I immediately returned to check the strong elemental zones on the 20th floor. I chose the Thunder Spirit Zone, where magical energy is abundant and strange phenomena occur frequently. Using [Heaven Eye] and [Sensing], I began searching for signs of the mouse.
According to Meradis, the chance of it appearing is less than 1%, so this is entirely a luck-based mission.
Since I've never seen one before, I'm not sure what it looks like or what traits it has. It's possible I've walked past them before without even knowing it.
Time passed with no results. The monsters I encountered were all the usual types—not worth wasting energy on. So I decided to head back temporarily and gather monsters from the teleport points I had set earlier.
I ended up with quite a lot...
I just casually grabbed some and ended up with over 300 monsters. My army was working very well. I nodded in satisfaction and wiped them all out, then treated myself to a nice meal.
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A random skill level-up isn't bad either.
Let's keep going.
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Finally, I leveled up again!
Fantastic!
I was starting to feel hopeful again.
Brimming with energy, I resumed my search for the mouse, but it didn't go well. I teleported back and forth between special floors and even ran around the regular ones. Still, I found nothing. Just when I was about to give up, a massive tremor shook the area in the distance. The ground rumbled, and I sensed an immense magical presence approaching.
There it is!
I whispered, my blood boiling with excitement. A mouse had appeared!
I quickly hid. Not far ahead, a creature suddenly burst from the ground. It had a small frame, clearly a mouse—and it was glowing!
This is... the Experience Mouse...
I used [Appraisal] on it—no special skills, but its speed stat was ridiculously high. Looks like its only ability is to run.
No problem! I'm confident I can do this!
I used [Stealth] to slowly approach, but just as I got close, the mouse suddenly noticed me, forcing me to charge in. It darted away like a flash of lightning, leaping over rocks and diving into crevices with insane speed. My [Teleport] shortened the distance instantly, but even so, I had to push myself to keep up.
The Experience Mouse wasn't just fast—it was agile. It constantly changed directions, but thanks to [Enhanced Vision] and [Sensing], I could still track its movements.
I also used [Prediction] to anticipate where it would go. When it slipped through a gap, I quickly cast out [Multi-form Silk], setting up a web to intercept it. The Experience Mouse collided with the silk, and in that split second, I activated [Blade Leg], cutting off all its chances of escape.
Success!
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There it is!
The moment I had been waiting for all this time!
…
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Evolution options… I need to think carefully.
I'll read their details later, but for now, there are two things I need to do. First, prepare a large stockpile of food for after the evolution. Second, find a secure location to hide while evolving.
As for the location, I think I'll hide beneath the Soul Lake—this is the place I trust the most. The food issue also isn't a problem, since I've always had a whole army ready to serve me.
I guess both problems are solved. I should proceed with the evolution now.
Now then, time to review the information on these two species.
Appraisal!
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…
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Hmph…
These two species are basically opposites, and both have their own strengths. But… is it because I've become too strong that I already possess most of their advantages?
My highest stat right now is speed, and I don't lack control-type skills either. On the other hand, I have enhancement skills that make close-range combat not a problem. My silk may not have the same function as theirs, but it's good enough for now.
So, whichever species I choose doesn't seem to make much difference. The real question is—
Which one will bring me closer to evolving into a human?
That's what truly worries me.
Is there no other clue…?
If only Exc were here…
In the end, still unsure of what to choose, I went to ask Meradis for advice.
"Spider… humanoid… huh?" Meradis seemed thoughtful.
I remained silent, waiting for her answer. I hadn't felt this nervous in a long time.
"If I remember correctly, the only case ever recorded by the Queen was the Progenitor of the spider species. It was an incredibly powerful spider, but its whereabouts have long been unknown."
The Progenitor of all spiders…? Then that doesn't really help at all…
"Don't be sad, Shiraori. You're cute no matter what form you take." Meradis said while patting my head.
It didn't solve the issue, but I did feel a bit better.
I thanked Meradis for the information, then entered the Virtual World again to meet with the other Wills.
"So, what do you two think?"
"We can use the Inference System to check." Seina said.
Oh, really?
"We can, but I suspect the result would be set far into the future, meaning the energy cost would be enormous. Once we use it, we must be absolutely sure." Seina added.
Hmph… that's one way, but I'd prefer something easier first. If that fails, we'll go with that.
"I can do it," Suzu said.
You can what?
"I can use the 'Inner Enlightenment' space to search for fragments of the future. They won't be complete, but they could give us some helpful clues."
Oh, then let's give that a try.
Suzu nodded and began meditating on the spot. All I could do was sit still and wait.
Two days passed, and Suzu finally awoke. In her hands were several glowing shards that looked like fragments of something. For some reason, I've developed a strange reaction—whenever I see something glowing, I instinctively shiver.
"These are the fragments I found. They're connected to you, so they were easy to identify, but very few. They don't carry much value on their own, but if we combine them with the Inference System, we might get results."
"Give them to me."
Seina took the fragments from Suzu and placed them into the Inference System.
"Soul Link, all three of us. That'll make things easier."
I nodded and followed her instructions.
Seina activated the Inference System. The fragments were placed in the center and surrounded by an enormous energy field. They glowed and shot straight toward me.
An image slowly started to form, but it was still too blurry.
"Not enough…" Seina whispered.
"Use everything you've got!" she shouted.
All the energy in my body surged into the Inference System. I felt like my very soul was being stretched thin. The fragments blazed brighter than ever before, and the space around us began to twist violently.
Seina grit her teeth and focused completely, her eyes glowing brilliantly. "Almost there! Just a little more!"
I roared, pushing in all my remaining mana. Suddenly, the light from the fragments converged into a vortex and shot straight into my mind.
A series of hazy images flashed rapidly—too fast to comprehend. My head throbbed with intense pain, but I clung to the images, desperately trying to capture them. Slowly, they began to slow down and coalesce into a clearer scene.
In front of me stood a massive creature—half-human, half-spider.
Its upper half resembled a human, with pure white skin and glowing red eyes like twin suns. The lower half was that of a colossal spider, armored legs clanking with thunderous footsteps.
The creature stood in the midst of a fierce battle, its body radiating an overwhelming pressure that seemed to crush the space around it. Then suddenly, it rose into the air. A beam of light descended from above, answering its ascent and engulfing it entirely.
Everything was swallowed by that light. When I next saw the scene, the half-spider being had vanished—
In its place was a lone figure floating in the sky.
A distant voice echoed through my mind, as if from deep within my memories: "The heir… Fate has chosen you…"
I couldn't grasp the full meaning of it, but the image vanished abruptly, yanking me back to reality.
I opened my eyes, my body aching all over as if I'd just survived an epic battle. Seina and Suzu were both staring at me with worried expressions.
"What did you see?" Seina asked, her voice hoarse.
I calmed myself and recounted everything I had just seen.
"That might be your final evolution form," Suzu said, deep in thought. "But it also means it's not just an evolution—it's probably your destined turning point."
I nodded, both excited and anxious.
Evolving into that being could give me power far beyond imagination, but at the same time, I had a feeling it would come with some immense responsibility.
"Then I'll have to prepare for everything," I murmured, gazing into the distant sky. "If this is my fate, I'll face it."
According to Suzu's later analysis, becoming human would likely involve external factors and not just my evolutionary path. So the choice I make now may not matter much.
In that case, I'll pick the first option. After all, speed is still my greatest advantage.
Everything's decided now—time to evolve!