Chapter 6: Web Weaver

Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Web Weaver

Kronor walked back into the left tunnel, since going back out would only mean exposing himself.

​He decided to explore the cavernous mountain to see if he could find something besides rocks to devour and grow stronger.

​He started with the jelly fungi.

​Picking a handful of the sticky fungi off the moist walls, he looked at it and almost vomited.

​It looked absolutely disgusting and had a foul scent.

​No sane or insane person would willingly eat it.

​However, for the sake of survival and growing strong, Kronor decided to eat it.

​Without delay, he shoved all the jelly into his mouth, stuffing it full.

​Then, carefully, he took a single gulp.

​The taste was horrendous, to say the least.

​Blurgh—

​He was about to vomit, but he forcefully held it in.

​He took a few more gulps, forcing all the jelly down into his stomach.

​Finally, the jelly settled. And as soon as he finished swallowing, the disgusting feeling completely disappeared.

​[ Ding! Successfully digested Jelly Fungi. ]

​[ Vitality (VIT) increased by 0.5 ]

[ Vitality (VIT) increased by 0.5 ]

​After the [Absolute Digestion] ability took full effect, Krono’r received a gentle rush of vitality throughout his body.

​Vitality was a combination of stamina, endurance, and defense. It was also a direct indicator of his life force.

​So, this increase in Vitality was incredibly crucial.

​Afterward, he ate more and more until the jelly fungi lost all of their effects.

​His final Vitality rose to 7.5.

​The improvement was more than double his previous amount.

​And that’s why he felt stronger and more energetic.

​His hunger meter also rose to 40%.

​The real question was what his next food would be.

​After walking further in, his eyes landed on a small spider nest.

​Unknowingly, saliva dripped from his mouth just by imagining how a living being would taste and what it would yield.

With that same creepy grin, he stepped forward, making the small spider shiver in fear.

​Normally, no one would dare to eat a subterranean spider since their nature was entirely unknown. They could either be highly poisonous, or their acidic blood could melt a human’s insides.

​But Kronor was no longer a normal human.

​He had his [Absolute Digestion]. If his stomach could effortlessly process rotting fungi and rocks, a little spider venom wouldn’t be an issue. In fact, it might be exactly what he needed to build up his resistances.

​His small seven-year-old hand darted forward with surprising speed, snatching the fist-sized arachnid right off its web.

​The creature thrashed violently as it tried to sink its fangs into Kronor’s fingers.

But before it could strike, Kronor tossed the struggling spider into his mouth and bit down hard.

​Crunch.

The taste was like eating feces, foul and stinging the roof of his mouth like acid.

He felt like dying rather than eating this shit.

But he also knew giving up wasn’t an option. So he quickly ate it whole.

Once again, the disgusting taste disappeared after it settled inside his intestine.

​[ Ding! You have digested a Lesser Spider. All properties assimilated. ]

​[ Your Agility (AGI) increased by 0.7 ]

​[ You have received a Skill Fragment. ]

​After reading the last notification, Krono’r was a little astonished.

​"Oh, a skill fragment? How many do I need to gain a complete skill?" he wondered aloud.

​To find out, he actively began seeking more spiders.

​And to his relief, there were plenty of them inside this underground tunnel.

​He snatched them from their nests and ate them one after another.

​Sometimes they gave Skill Fragments, sometimes they did not.

​But in total, he ate about 20 of them within the span of an hour.

[ Ding! Collected 5/5 Skill Fragments (Lesser Spider). ]

​[ Fusing Skill Fragments... ]

​[ Congratulations! You have acquired the Active Skill: Web Weaver (Lv. 1) ]

​

Kronor wiped a stray droplet of spider hemolymph from his chin as the glowing blue notifications pulsed before his eyes.

​He also felt a strange tingly sensation prickled under the skin of his palms.

"Hmm, web weaver? Could it work like the web-shooter of sp*der man?"

To find it out, he held up his small dirt-caked hands and willed the new skill to activate.

Pichak!

Immediately, thin glands near his wrists secreted a shimmering line of organic silk.

"Wow! Incredible!"

Excited, he flicked his wrist. As a result, a sticky interwoven mesh shot outward, slapping against the damp cave wall with a firm thwip.

​Smiling, he walked over and tugged at the silk strands.

They were surprisingly tough, highly flexible, and coated in a subtle adhesive that required real strength to break.

​"I think I can use it as a crowd-control skill. In a narrow place like this tunnel, being able to immobilize an enemy or setup traps is deadly."

​He took a moment to review his total gains from the past hour’s feeding spree.

[ ULTIMATE DEVOURER SYSTEM (STATUS) ]

Name: Kronor De Volcan

Age: 7 (39)

Race: Human (Base)

Title: None

​HP (Health): 35 / 35

​Miasma (Mana): 10 / 10

​Satiation (Hunger): 65% (Good)

Strength (STR): 6.5

Agility (AGI): 4 →8

Vitality (VIT): 7.5

Intelligence (INT): 22

Willpower (WIL): 18

[ SKILLS ]

• Web Weaver (F)

​[ INNATE SKILLS ]

​• Adult Soul (Passive),

• Photographic Comprehension (Passive).

[ SYSTEM SKILLS ]

• Absolute Digestion (Passive)

In summary, his Agility attribute doubled, just like the other two.

​He still might not be on par with adult men, but he was faster than most children his age.

​The muscles in his legs and arms strengthened even further, just like an experienced athlete.

​Just as he was about to test it, a creepy laugh echoed from his right.

​"Got you, vile creature!"

​Swooosh!

​All of his hairs stood on end as a gleaming light flashed in his right retina. Alongside it, brought a feeling of imminent death.

​He instantly used his [ Web Weaver ] skill to shoot at the left-side wall, then pulled himself toward it after it stuck like glue.

​Swiiiiiish!

​The blade passed just above his right ear, though a few strands of hair were cut cleanly.

​"Heh, you dodged? How cute."