Natsuyu continued to check the information of the other Drops:
[Poison Gland (99% Freshness, rots in ten days): Material, Low-grade Ingredient.
A spider's poison gland. Can be used for coating weapons in poison, medicine making, and cooking.
After consumption: Enter Poisoned state.
Evaluation: Cannot be eaten even after being boiled!]
[Spider Silk: Material.
Tough spider silk. Can be used for Armament Crafting and weapon production.]
Natsuyu looked around and realized that among the Round-headed Spider's Drops, it seemed only the Spider Silk was relatively useful.
The Monster Meat came with a bunch of negative effects upon consumption.
The Poison Gland could be used for medicine, but the problem was that Natsuyu had not yet unlocked any abilities related to pharmacy.
Better store them for now.
Natsuyu took out the Stone Workbench and crafted a third Simple Backpack. He packed all the materials dropped by the Round-headed Spiders inside and, while he was at it, chopped down the Spider Nest to obtain more Spider Silk.
Simple Backpack: Spider Silk * 5, Monster Meat * 2, Poison Gland * 1.
While collecting the Loot, Natsuyu began to carefully review the rewards granted by the Combat Achievement Tree.
Armament Crafting!
Among the weapon recipes were the swords he had been longing for, as well as shields.
The armor recipes consisted of four components: shoes, pants, clothes, and headwear.
Wooden Sword: 2 Logs, 1 Twig.
Wooden Shield: 6 Logs.
He could also craft a Stone Sword and a Stone Shield by simply replacing the Logs with Stone.
As for the armor:
Shoes: Approx. 5 Logs, 5 Cut Grass.
Pants: Approx. 7 Logs, 7 Cut Grass.
Clothes: Approx. 8 Logs, 8 Cut Grass.
Headwear: Approx. 4 Logs, 4 Cut Grass.
In addition to the wooden armor styles, stone armor styles were unlocked simultaneously, requiring Stone to be used instead of Logs.
The Cut Grass portion could be replaced with materials like cloth or Spider Silk.
This part had nothing to do with defensive performance; it affected warmth and the wearing comfort of the armor.
Natsuyu could also craft armor of different sizes and cup sizes by adding or subtracting materials.
This was a very thoughtful feature. If the crafted armor was fixed to suit Natsuyu's 1.79-meter physique, Yukinoshita Yukino and Kiana—who were around 1.6-something meters—could still manage to wear it.
However, with the 1.55-meter physiques of Sakuraba Ema and Kushida Kikyo, it would be impossible for them to wear.
At the same time, Kiana and Kushida Kikyo had very good figures and couldn't possibly wear men's armor.
Yukinoshita Yukino and Sakuraba Ema, on the other hand, didn't have any troubles in that department; it must be very convenient in their daily lives.
Natsuyu recalled the new recipes but wasn't in a hurry to craft the armor and weapons. He put away the Stone Workbench and, looking at the remaining empty slots in Backpack No. 2, tried to stuff Backpack No. 1 inside.
No effect.
It seemed backpacks couldn't be nested like Russian dolls.
This was within expectations.
"Hiss—!"
Natsuyu and Yukinoshita Yukino looked toward the distant forest simultaneously.
A Round-headed Spider hung upside down from a branch, its crimson insect eyes fixed on them.
Yukinoshita Yukino sighed with a headache. "As expected, there isn't just one Spider Nest in this forest."
Natsuyu, however, thought it was a good thing.
The Round-headed Spider wasn't particularly strong, making it an excellent choice for him to grind monsters and level up.
As long as there were still Round-headed Spiders in the forest, it meant Natsuyu had a steady stream of unacquired Experience waiting for him to claim.
Recalling Tokisaki Kurumi's requirement for a living creature, Natsuyu stared at the Round-headed Spider, lost in thought.
Should I chop off its limbs and take it back?
That didn't seem safe.
After all, the Round-headed Spider was poisonous and could spit silk; who knew if the silk it spat was toxic?
He didn't have to worry about safety when throwing a Flying Axe from a distance, but if it bit Natsuyu or Yukinoshita Yukino while they were moving it, that would be big trouble.
He would need to make a container suitable for holding a Round-headed Spider.
In that case, since there was still some time before dark, he would just kill it to gain Experience for now.
Natsuyu looked at the Combat Achievement Tree.
The Achievement "Lower-level Monster Hunter" required hunting 3 Lower-level Monsters to unlock.
Although he had just killed 3 Round-headed Spiders, the 1st one counted toward the prerequisite Achievement "Time to Move Out," so he was currently at 2/3 completion.
This Round-headed Spider came at just the right time!
Natsuyu smiled, feeling as if the Goddess of Luck had a secret crush on him; knowing he was one prey short, she had thoughtfully arranged for a Round-headed Spider to come his way.
"Yukinoshita, give me another weapon."
Yukinoshita Yukino handed the Stone Pickaxe to Natsuyu while taking out her own Wooden Axe.
Having obtained his second specialized weapon, Natsuyu gave a confident smile:
"I'll attack, you defend."
Yukinoshita Yukino glanced at Natsuyu. Thinking of his terrifying physical stats, she suspected he might be taking advantage of her.
But her pride overcame any baseless speculation. Yukinoshita Yukino didn't want to hide behind Natsuyu and watch him take risks. She put the Wooden Axe back into the backpack at her chest, grabbed his shoulders with both hands, and took a light breath:
"I'm ready."
Activate—Cat Mode!
This was Natsuyu's first time seeing Yukinoshita Yukino's Transformation up close.
Furry cat ears sprouted from within her smooth, jet-black long hair. Vertical slits formed in the center of her eyes, sharp and piercing. A slight rustling sound came from inside her trousers, and a round, black cat tail emerged, wagging behind her back.
"Business first, peeping Natsuyu-kun."
Yukinoshita Yukino remained expressionless, but her tail wagged even more violently, betraying the fact that her mood wasn't as calm as her surface suggested.
Blushing Yukino-nyan is so cute~
Natsuyu withdrew his gaze with a smile and walked confidently toward the Round-headed Spider.
When he and Yukino-nyan combined, they were invincible!
A mere Spider Monster—he would make sure it never returned!
"Hiss hiss—!"
The Round-headed Spider's insect eyes turned vicious as it crawled rapidly toward Natsuyu.
Natsuyu's brow twitched.
It didn't run away upon seeing us, but chose to charge instead?
Admirable courage, but foolish.
Natsuyu flexed his arm, preparing to take it out before the Round-headed Spider could get close.
Rustle, rustle.
Rustle, rustle...
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter—
The dense sound of a heavy downpour striking hard roof beams amplified in his ears.
Natsuyu and Yukinoshita Yukino immediately looked into the distance.
In the lush forest, shadows flickered among the thick foliage, and black spheres grew larger and larger in their field of vision.
It was a large number of Round-headed Spiders weaving through the trees.
Their sharp leg tips stabbed into the bark of the trees. As they rapidly approached, the sound of falling rain turned into the thumping of woodpeckers hitting wood, surrounding them in a fan-shaped formation!
Natsuyu's eyes widened.
Those damn Round-headed Spiders—they have no sense of honor. Since they couldn't win, they called their friends for a group fight.
With just this one glance, Natsuyu saw over 15 Round-headed Spiders, and that wasn't even all of them; even more were streaming in from behind.
"Run!"
Natsuyu and Yukinoshita Yukino instantly lost their will to fight. They turned around without hesitation and made a strategic retreat.
Both of their Physique stats were very strong, allowing them to leap over the small stream with ease. The swarm of Round-headed Spiders couldn't catch them from behind and hissed as they spat out spider silk.
Strand after strand of spider silk shot through the forest; it was quite a spectacular sight.
"Yukinoshita, you lead the way!"
Natsuyu's heart tightened at the sound of the flying spider silk, and he immediately pulled Yukinoshita Yukino to his front for protection.