Chapter Eleven, Dungeon Core. A Lot to Learn.

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  He followed the Orbweaver's tracks, watching intently as it continued to walk forward, undisturbed.

  Every minute it would bend a corner, Jora hurrying to place it back in his life of sight.

  It wasn't until they had walked five minutes, that the spider stopped in it's tracks. In the middle of a random tunnel, in no special place.

  He tilted his head, still confused as to why he was being led.

  Then it turned around.

  It stood there, waiting, as if expecting him to approach. So he did.

  He stepped forward, stopping just three feet away from the monster.

  Then it's leg outstretched. His guard raised, threads spewing from his palms and forming into a spear.

  The spider nodded.

  It's front leg pointed towards the spear, and then pointed back towards its body.

  "Y-You... You want me to kill you?" He questioned.

  It nodded. Slowly, the Orbweaver lowered it's head to the ground, becoming unmoving, waiting for it's demise.

  Jora stood there.

  "[Devour]."

  You have slain [Mystic Dungeon Orbweaver (Evolved), Level 18]! Experience up!

  "[Integrate]."

  Memories surged into his mind.

  Glowing sphere. Orders. Lead him. Feed him yourself.

  He wants your [Talent].

  It rung through his mind as he was sucked back to a grounded state.

  "I-I'm right... It's the core." He whispered.

  And then the elements parted.

  He looked up, an Orbweaver entering his vision.

  "Level 15..." He noted. "They're actively being made and sent to me?" He questioned.

  Seeing that he had noticed it, the Orbweaver scuttled it's legs, turning around and trotting off into the darkness.

  Jora's legs moved, following his new guide.

  Like before, he was taken deep into the Dungeon, bending paths, and travelling distances.

  Patiently, he walked behind the spider, questions blaring in his head. But he figured he would have the answer soon enough.

  Another five minutes had passed, when the spider stopped moving. It turned around, bowing its head down to the ground, and ceasing all movements.

  "[Devour]. [Integrate]."

  More memories, the same orders, nearly the exact same vision.

  This time, he consumed the attribute boosting skills. The Orbweaver's thread skills weren't high enough level to push his to the next level, so he decided to just integrate [Web Weaving], hoping to boost it with the next one.

  And the next one quickly arrived.

  Another Orbweaver emerged from the darkness, gaining his attention, and then spinning around and walking away.

  They navigated the Dungeon for a final five minutes, until this trek showed him something different.

  A wall at the end of the tunnel. And a massive glowing portal.

  The spider turned it's head back, possibly taking note of his awe, but that didn't stop their movement.

  Jora took a deep breath, a smile emerging on his face as the spider led him to the fabled room.

  The Boss Room...

  It stepped through the portal like it was just a wavy film, undisturbed by it's presence. He followed it's lead, and instantly, he could feel the strangeness of it.

  His body seemed to shift in space, and although it felt like he had only taken a step into a new room, he instinctively understood that he was somewhere different.

  A wave of power struck him in the face the moment he entered, his eyes widening. Involuntarily, he ignored the Orbweaver kneeling waiting for it's death, and his eyes locked onto the resting creature within the center of the massive room.

  "Observe, [Analyze]." He whispered.

  His eyes widened even further, surprise filling him. This didn't seem like a creature that was supposed to be here.

  The Broodmother glanced up at him, making him ready his stance.

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  Then it tapped the ground before it, and pointed at it's head.

  "What?" Jora questioned. He glanced down at the Orbweaver before it, still patiently waiting for death. Then he looked at the Boss Monster, carrying out a similar motion.

  "[Devour]." He ate the Orbweaver, integrating it and stepping past where it had been.

  He stumbled, missing a step and falling to the ground.

  He could feel recollections becoming deeply ingrained into his mind. His body.

  His existence, perhaps?

  Instinctively, he understood. It was like the ability had always been with him. The skill to distort space on the smallest level around his spinnerets. With it's current level, he could warp threads anywhere within a ten foot radius. It was up to his control to be able to maintain their speed and power through the spatial tunnels.

  "Does it taste good? Go on, eat the Broodmother."

  His heart skipped a beat.

  The voice rung deep within his soul. It felt... undeniable. It had an authority he was unfamiliar with, even it's voice made his mind stutter.

  It almost angered him, but his brain didn't let him. Nor did the world.

  He feared for what would happened if he reacted wrong.

  Jora glanced upwards, picking his face up off the ground. There was nothing else in the room, only the surrendering Broodmother.

  "Eat the Broodmother first. I have four more of them for you to obtain [Monster Production]. That will be saved for after we talk however. I would like to closely examine how your skill tackles those stronger than you. It doesn't make much sense." The voice rung in his ears once more.

  It came from every direction, and he knew what it was without having to think deeply.

  "Dungeon Core..." He muttered.

  "Obviously. Hurry up. I doubt we have much time left at this point, I wish the Orbweaver's would have ran."

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  Countless groups were strewn about outside the Dungeon, tending to their wounds in their tents, and mourning those they had loss.

  Roughly fifteen adventurer parties had entered the Arachnid Dungeon this morning, and less than half of those that entered, came back.

  The cries, complaints, and chatter of the camp died down.

  A figure had appeared in the middle of it all.

  "Tilmont's party?" She asked, and finger after finger pointed towards a closed tent.

  She stepped towards it, ignoring the slowly rising chatter and lingering gazes.

  "That's Agatha Fent!"

  "Why's the Union Head herself here?"

  "Do-Does this mean the Guildmaster is coming too?"

  Whispers arose, but they didn't hold any weight on the Agatha Fent in question. She approached the tent, ripping it open and peering inside.

  "Adventurers! How are we doing today!" She exclaimed, a smile on her face.

  A party of four... and a corpse? Stared back at her, the solemn atmosphere they were dwelling within creating some awkward tension.

  "Tough crowd right." She held her smile, buttoning up the tent behind her.

  She waved a finger, a pulse of mana exiting and surrounding the tent, muffling all sounds and denying any outsiders from listening in.

  "Auntie. I-I don't even know where to start. So much happened. Too much. Why have you come? We thought we would have to request to see you." Arjae immediately started, concern on his face.

  He could tell there was something deeper to it than he expected.

  "To put it simply, the second Ryan went down, our full attention was on the Dungeon, not to mention the countless other deaths among parties. Yours was just the driving factor considering well... You guys are in it..." She found a wooden chair in nearby corner, grabbing it and reversing it's direction.

  Taking a seat, she started. "Then. Fifteen minutes ago, there were mana fluctuations that could only be created by a B-rank entity. That was when I decided to step in for myself. Less for your safety as I was sure that you would be rescued, but more for my own intrigue." She smiled, her arms crossing over the back of the chair.

  Arjae was sat on the same cot as the unconscious Jess, Clara and Luke on the other.

  "Now tell me, what happened to my niece?" The mood seemed to darken, a small pressure emanating into the surroundings.

  The three young adults glanced back and forth between each other. Luke seemed willing to talk, but hesitated, as if he lacked information. Clara seemed entirely shut off, her gaze landing on Arjae.

  And Arjae... Well he seemed eager.

  "We entered the Dungeon. It was normal. We killed mobs, dozens of Jumping Spiders. There were no problems. Not until we realized that we had killed an absurd amount without attracting a Mother type. Then, an anomaly appeared. An Orbweaver, a [Thread Warper]." Agatha scoffed, knowing her assumption was correct, but she did not stop listening. "But, it wasn't any [Thread Warper], it was an evolved variant, level 35. Boss level.." Arjae finished.

  Her eyes beamed open in delight.

  "A low D-rank Arachnid Dungeon producing an Evolved Orbweaver? Boss level at that? Such a waste of resources in any natural scenario. I was right... Somethings in there." She spoke. Arjae's eyes seemed to light up at her words, and she noted that.

  "With great effort and... sacrifice...." Arjae spoke, his eyes lingering on the covered figure lying on the ground against the tent wall. "We were able to take it down, through combination of Luke distracting it's [Thread Warping], Jess giving a last hoorah with her [Endless Chant], and me shoving my katana deep into it's ass and casting [Explosion]." Agatha laughed at that.

  "As a result of Jess dumping her mana into the spell, and even siphoning from the environment, she experienced mana exhaustion, passing out on the spot and leaving us two members down. In that moment I made the decision to retreat, knowing we couldn't tackle the Dungeon how we wished to any longer. More importantly, to report the presence of the [Thread Warper] to one of you." He pointed out.

  "Right." Agatha nodded.

  "And we did manage to retreat. Nearly half the distance, but that's when it all went to even more hell. We hadn't encountered a single mob on the way, and then in that moment, we seemed to encounter all of them."

  "Mob rush?" Agatha questioned, Arjae nodded. "Hundreds, on top of hundreds of low level Jumping Spiders. All below level ten, but the sheer amount of the them was... terrifying. I set down Jess against the Dungeon wall, Ryan next to her, and alone, me Clara and Luke stood against the horde. At least three hundred spiders we were forced to face. For minutes, we tackled it well. Eliminating over a hundred of them before..." He hiccupped, skipping a breath.

  "Before?..." Agatha leaned in.

  Confusion and wary had built up onto Arjae's face, fear almost becoming perceptible.

  'Scared?' Agatha noted in her mind.

  "It... I don't know what it was. I didn't get a good look, but I felt it before it showed itself." He tapped his head, and Agatha understood. His [Sensitivity]... "I had turned mid battle, focusing on Jess. I knew I was too late, but I had to get a look. I needed to know what to do next. But I didn't even have to." He spoke.

  "Out of the darkness appeared a mouth. A gaping, massive maw of jagged and terrifying teeth. It was so quick. I peered into the darkness of it, the abyssal space, and the primal fear it induced. And then it clamped down on Jess, and there was... An explosion. Mana boomed outwards, and the creature was launched backwards, harmed. It was thrown back into the darkness and I couldn't see it any longer, but I could hear it. At the same time, Jess woke up. Half of her body was consumed by the creature, and... Something within her... I don't know what it was. But it was powerful. She said one word..." He paused. "She asked for, help."

  "Instantly, nearly all of the mana in the air, converged onto her, and exploded outwards. A wave of energy exploded through everything besides me, Clara, Luke, and Ryan's body. In one attack, over one hundred of the Jumping Spiders were eliminated. Reduced to random limbs, and pools of blood. And I could hear the creature tank the attack far off in the darkness. It had gotten away, but it was hurt. Severely... And then, the mana converged onto Jess once more. The whole world worked to... replenish her wounds. So much mana had converged that it turned into a liquid, flowing into her body, feeding her half destroyed organs, and regrowing them anew." All three of the party members breathing had grown slightly haggard.

  Clara and Luke weren't able to get the full picture like Arjae, but they had surely seen Jessica's destroyed body.

  "It was less than two minutes... I had let off an [Explosion] in the remaining horde, letting Luke and Clara handle it while I catered to Jess. It didn't even take two minutes for her to regrow her missing parts. Half her body." He spoke, "I've never seen anything like it. I'm not even sure you could do something like that." He added.

  "And then, we were able to successfully retreat, until we met Randall's group, and we were quickly transported here." Arjae gulped, finishing his telling of the events that had just unfolded.

  The three adventurers waited with baited breaths.

  There was a blank expression on her face, and unease was filling the atmosphere.

  "This has to be put under wraps. Deeply." She spoke.

  "It looks like Jessica's [Talent] might be beyond Legendary." All three of their eyes widened, their jaws hanging agape.

  "I-I thought her [Talent] was unique?" Luke blurted.

  "As did I. But, what you just described would be a mid A-rank feat. To be able to carry out something like that as an E-rank-"

  "We pushed her to D. She was level 21." Arjae cut her off, "It doesn't matter. At that low of a rank, the difference between high E and low D, is minimal. To perform a mid A-rank feat, that would be crossing at least 200 levels. There have been few [Talents] capable of doing something like that, and none of them were Unique. Few of them even Legendary." Agatha rubbed her temples, "With Jessica's demeanor... It's looking like this generation may have a new Saintess." She released a smile.

  "I'm going to assume that the B-rank mana fluctuation I felt, was this act of regeneration, only nullified by the Dungeon's spatial warping. As for the creature that caused this out burst... It must have riled up her [Talent] with it's own, causing a temporary evolution of sorts to protect Jessica's soul. It has to be an anomaly with at least a Unique [Talent]. She likely would have died if not for their traits clashing... A normal death wouldn't awaken anything like that..." She explained.

  "W-Why?" Luke asked, confused.

  Agatha glanced at him.

  "Because [Talents] can always be redistributed to another entity. This monster's [Talent] must have threatened the stability of Jess' [Talent]. The world and her [Talent] must have sensed this and retaliated personally... That's why all the mana so eagerly funneled into her. Her [Talent] and the planet were working in tandem..." Arjae was the one that answered.

  Agatha shot him an approving look.

  "There are lots of things in this world you don't know about Luke... Keep sticking around these two and you'll be sure to learn more. You already know a lot as is..." Agatha sighed, standing up from her seated position.

  "We will get Ryan a proper burial. I will be taking Jess with me. Arjae report to your dad he want's to see you. Clara, report to yours, Zenor is worried for your well being." The Union Head spoke, returning the chair to it's position and approaching Jess.

  Clara scoffed hearing the mention of her father, but she didn't let out any gripes.

  "Let's see if I can get her fully recovered by the end of the hour. I still have to investigate this Dungeon." A smile emerged on her face, pleased with the small afternoon challenge.

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