Arachne Chapter 1

Arachne (First Part)

TL note: This series is set in the same world as .

When I reincarnated, I became a half-human half-spider Arachne monster girl!

Yeah, you probably don't understand what I'm saying!

Even I don't (cries).

I'm Arakura Shiori (24). I should have been working at a florist in the city, but…

The last thing I remember is a truck recklessly plowing into the shop.

………So basically.

It's that thing called the "truck reincarnation"!

Because of my hobby of playing RPG games and reading internet novels, I took a few steps into the otaku realm (it's only a few steps! Probably…) Not long after I woke up, I understood my situation.

I see, I died.

I mean, I can't not understand my situation.

My mother and sisters' upper bodies are all silver-haired world-cla.s.s beautiful ladies/girls. But their lower bodies are huge spiders.

Taking my RPG knowledge as reference, they look exactly like the half-human half-spider monsters called 'Arachne'.

There's no way this is Earth, right…

And so, since I didn't have much attachments to my past life, I quickly accepted this situation, but…

The problem is that my sisters are drooling and attacking me.

No, it's not yuri or anything s.e.xual.

It seems that in the Arachne race, there will be nearly a hundred of babies born at the same time. These sisters will have to eat each other, and only the few strong survivors will live on and become the next generation of Arachnes!

In fact, the sisters who survived this struggle for existencecannibalism grew even bigger and stronger, as if they absorbed the power of the defeated.

However, as someone with the consciousness of a j.a.panese person, I can't do something like killing my sisters and eating them… I simply ran and ran.

And, well, speaking of food, I somehow survived by catching caterpillars or rabbits or pheasants.

……Even if I became a monster, I'd rather eat caterpillars than eat my sisters. Also, they're surprisingly tasty.

However, obviously, my food will affect my development.

One month after I regain my previous life's consciousness, the number of my sisters has reduced to only a few people. These beautifully bewitching ladies all look exactly like mother, but my childish body still hasn't grown… For comparison, I look like a 12-13 years old human girl.

I've heard that the nutrition taken during childhood can cause serious problems to a baby's growth later on, but if it's true, then I'll probably have to spend my life as a loli Arachne.

My sisters are all over level 20 too (this world have levels and status, like in RPG games!), while I'm the only one to still be at level 5…

However, probably because I had always been running for my life from my sisters, only my skills in running and escaping reached a higher level than any of them, I think.

Well, I managed to survive until now thanks to that.

But if things continue like this, the level difference will only grow… I can already see myself becoming a crunchy, tasty morsel for my sisters.

Which is why I've decided to run away from the Arachne lair in the forest, in which I had lived in for a month… to run away from my mother and sisters…

"If I'm running away, heading to a human town still seems to be the best choice, I guess…"

I kept on churning out threads from my b.u.t.t, then wind them horizontally between my legs – to be precise, my front spider legs.

Once I have a wide enough sheet, I weave the thread vertically through the gaps between the current horizontal threads.

The arachne thread flowing out of my b.u.t.t moves according to my thoughts to a certain degree, so I can weave a piece of fabric perfectly even without a weaving machine.

…Entering a human town b.u.t.t-naked doesn't seem to be a good idea, and so I decided to make clothes.

My train of thought went from "Well, silk came from silkworms…" to "Then maybe I can make clothes from spider threads too…" And when I tried to do it, I was surprised at how easy it was.

Not only that, I can even adjust how sticky my threads are. They're even stronger than some metal wires, and at the same time smoother than silk, so it's actually the perfect material for street clothes.

While I busied myself with such thoughts, the sheet of cloth is done.

It's about 1 meter long and 0.6 meter wide.

"And this makes, umm… the 4th sheet? That's probably enough."

I take the sheets I made previously in my hands and use one of my knife-like claw to cut them into the correct size, then use some quick-drying sticky threads as an adhesive to glue the sheets together… and with that, an uncolored dress is finished.

Obviously, I don't have any way to dye it, but that's asking for too much in my current situation.

"Yeah, good work, if I do say so myself…"

It's loose from the waist down, like a maternity dress. I made it this way so that I can wear it in both spider form and human form without tearing it apart.

Still, there's a lot of fabric left over, so maybe I'll make a bag.

Maybe a travel backpack… tough, somewhat big, and wearable.

Next is ration. I can't hunt for food after I leave the forest, so I catch three rabbits, bleed them, then wrap them in coc.o.o.ns made from my threads and bring them along.

Arachne threads can also preserve food. Super convenient.

……It's similar to how other arachnes, like my mother, preserve the adventurers who comes to defeat them for later consumption.

Mmm, that's probably enough preparations…

Well then, my mother of this life, thank you for giving birth to me.

My sisters… I'm sorry that I couldn't let you eat me.

I'm going to survive in this world as best I can, even if I have to leave everyone…

After bowing at the direction of my mother and sisters' nest, I put my rations and clothes into my handmade backpack and began to head out of the forest…

※

Back in the nest, four shadowsArachnes watch Shiori with their superhuman eyesight.

"My daughters… has Shiori left?"

"Yes, mother… it seems she's finally gone."

"*sobs* My little cute Shiori… Shiori…"

"Don't cry, big sister…. If she stays here… She'll be in danger."

"Yes, I also don't think I can resist my instinct… Both to eat her and to 'eat' her."

"That soft baby skin! Those twinkling eyes! Lips like a pudding! She's just like an unripe fruit! Even though we're the same age… Aaaah, I really should have tried to have a taste of her!! Mainly s.e.xually!"

As the Arachne race doesn't give birth to males, when they need to reproduce, they capture human males to squeeze out their seeds.

Naturally, when arachnes need to deal with their libidos in other occasions, the only choices left are ones of their own race and gender.

Basically, the whole Arachne race is all lesbians.

Furthermore, since the babies receive pretty much 100% of their mother's genes, everyone looks like clones of each other.

But Shiori obviously looks different from her sisters… Her cherubic young girl appearance awakened her sisters' sleeping lolicon tendencies, and thus led to their extreme displays of love.

However, at the same time, their instinct to eat the weak still exist. If Shiori continues to stay at the nest, sooner or later, someone is going to lose control and take her life.

"If that's the case, we'd rather let her go…" With such thoughts in their mind, the Arachne family quietly sent Shiori off.

※

During that time, I simply continued on my way through the forest in spider form, with nary a thought for my mother and sisters in mind.

My burly eight spider legs, its appearance in direct contrast to my delicate-looking upper body, quickly carries me through the forest while leaving deep scars in the earth.

I don't really feel tired, plus the uncomfortable shaking doesn't really affect my upper body much.

Indeed, if not for an arachne's eight legs, I wouldn't be able to move through this uneven forest so comfortably.

I'm moving my legs at a speed that is 'somewhat fast' according to my senses, but the scenery is pa.s.sing me by quite quickly.

I'm probably going around as fast as a bicycle.

Compared to my sisters, I'm the weakest one out of everyone, yet even I can go this fast… An arachne's physical ability is seriously amazing.

…Oh yeah, I wonder if my human form is still similarly strong.

Hmmm… Let's check out my powers and skills.

If I'm going to live at a human town, I'll need to precisely grasp my own strength, or else something bad's probably going to happen.

My life as an arachne has only begun a month ago, and to be honest I'd always been running for my life from my sisters, so I didn't have much of a chance to check out my abilities.

I put a bit of strength into my right index finger and activate [Tactile Thread]Sensor Web.

And a length of thread, so thin as to be practically invisible to the eyes, quickly grows out of my index finger. I stick the other end of the thread into my own body.

Immediately, info about myself appears in my brain, looking much like a game's status window.

______________________________________________

Name: Shiori Arachne  Age: 24  Female

Total level: 5

Race: Arachne

Cla.s.s:     Dressmaker

HP:     90     (Max 90)

MP:     65     (Max 65)

Basic Stats  (Level Bonus)   (Predation Bonus)

STR     25            (35)                      ()

VIT     25             (35)                      (+1)

DEX    18            (25)                      (+1)

SPD    18             (25)                      (+10)

INT     13             (18)                     ()

MID    13             (18)                     ()

t.i.tle:

Weaver Princess

Personal Skills:

Charm, Thread, Soft Thread, Evasion Rate Up (Large), Escape Rate Up (Large), [Tactile Thread]Sensor Web, Web Shield, Sewing, Weaving, Predation, Human Transformation, Detect Presence, Regeneration, 4 Strikes Combo (Unavailable in Human Form)

Equipment:

Arachne Silk Dress

Arachne Silk Pack

______________________________________________

This is a rare skill that I can use instinctively. Of course, I can also use it on other people or on inorganic substance.

It also tells me if there's poison or not in what I eat, so this is probably the skill that has helped me the most during my one month of wilderness survival.

Seems like the reason the information shows up like a game status window is because the skill tries to match up with my perception. According to my sisters, even when they try to use the same [Tactile Thread]Sensor Web skill, the information they get is a lot rougher and lacking in detail.

…Well, leaving that aside.

What's this [Cla.s.s: Dressmaker] thing? … Ah, was it because I made a dress?

Also, I have this [Sewing] and [Weaving]… With these skills, I can probably make my living in the town somehow.

Oh yeah, if I remember correctly, according to Earth's mythology, Arachne took pride in being able to "weave more skillfully than the G.o.ds", and then was turned into a half-human half-spider monster.

There's probably a relation with my skills.

"[Evasion Rate Up (Large)], [Escape Rate Up (Large)] were probably because I kept running away from my sisters all the time. And what's [Predation]…?"

I don't really understand how it work, so I tried to focus my attention on [Predation], which created a window showing more details. Ooh, convenient.

Oookay, let's see…

[When eating creatures with magic inside their bodies, your status will rise by a certain amount (permanent effect). Furthermore, it's possible to learn new skills. Eating preys with stronger magic will grant a better chance of raising stats.]

Oooh… This ability totally sounds like a cheat.

So that's the reason… This is why my sisters are so much stronger than me…

They ate ones of their own race… Cannibalized those arachnes with bodies filled to the brim with magic. Of course they'll get strong…

Ah, but I also have a little bit of bonus on my stats from predating.

…Which means those animals I ate weren't just normal birds and rabbits like I thought, and they're probably some sort of magical creatures.

Well, if I'm going to live in a human town, then I probably won't have many chances to eat magical creatures anyway, so ignoring this is fine.

And then… [Regeneration], just as it says in the name, is an ability that heals my wounds as time pa.s.ses. Looks like I can grow a new arm given enough time.

Indeed a half-spiderArachne. It's convenient to not have to go to the doctor.

The problem is, how many of my abilities remain when I turn into human form?

"Well, trying it out would be the fastest way… Aaaand there."

As I chant in my mind "Tuuuurn into a human, tuuuurn into a human…", my lower body gradually shrinks and turn into a pair of smooth human legs.

Furthermore, the 6 eyes twinkling like rubies on my forehead (I'm a spider, so in total I have 8 eyes!) also sink and disappear inside my body with a *plop*.

"Whoooooaaaaaa… So narrow! Have humans always had such a narrow field of vision? And the legs… Feel kinda unstable…"

Looks like I got way too used to an Arachne's body after that single month, more than I expected.

"So, my status. [Tactile Thread]Sensor Web… Hmm… So Detect Presence and 4 Strike Combo aren't usable in a human body. These skills probably depend on my spider eyes and legs, so no way around it, I guess. Other than that… STR and VIT drops from 25 to 18… Wow, it goes down by quite a lot… But well, a human female would be like this, I suppose."

I keep on mumbling to myself while checking out my status and continue walking in the forest at the same time.

From the viewpoint of a person in my past life, I'm totally a suspicious person right now.

And so, it would take another 10 minutes for me to hear that sound.

"…This is… swords clanging?"

The sound of steel striking steel rings from afar.

There's not likely to be a blacksmith in the middle of the forest, so it must be a battle between some sort of humanoids.

"Ummm, what do I do… Maybe I should intervene?"

This form of mine doesn't have claws or any sort of weapons, so if I'm going to intervene, the only thing I can do is to use threads to restrict and tie them up… And it's not like I know their situation.

For now, I guess I'll come closer and check out the situation…

"The sound was coming from this direction… Yeaah, it's hard to walk with my human legs when I'm barefoot… I'll need to make shoes with my threads later… Gah?!"

While I was walking with such idle thoughts in my mind, suddenly, a brawny arm reaches out from the thicket and grab my neck.

And like that, the arm's owner pulls me close to their body.

"Boss! There's even one hidin' in this place!"

The man who caught me shouted and waved his hand at the direction of the road.

That's right, a road. I don't know since when, but I've come close to the road pa.s.sing through the forest.

Still, these guys… Deep voices, thick smell of meat wafting from their mouths, tattered leather armor, and the shortsword currently pointing straight at my eyes.

Got it, they're totally some sort of bandits or kidnappers.

And if so, then this 'Boss' guy who this man waved at must be the bandit chief, or someone similar.

"Yeah! Good job! A bit of a brat, but guys with that sort of hobby would prolly fork over a bunch for this cutie!"

"P-Please stop! She's innocent!"

The person who tried to cover for me was a beautiful brown-haired lady wearing some high-quality clothes. She looks to be just over twenty.

Like me, that pretty lady's right hand is being seized by a large, stocky bandit.

A quick look tells me that… there are around 5 bandits.

Around the woman are three armed men lying on the ground. They must have been her escorts.

"Umm… So I'm just confirming the situation here. You're some sort of bandits or kidnappers, and right now you're in the middle of kidnapping that lady over there?"

I need to at least confirm what's going on here. I'm not really the type to judge people just by their faces.

"Haha… Gwahahahaha! Little la.s.s, you sure got some nerve there! Or perhaps you got too scared and went crazy in the head instead?"

"…Please answer. Am I right?"

"Heheheh… That's right! We're the bandit group Doye! Kids wet their pants just from hearing our names! So if you understand who we are, better give up and stay quiet. If you do, I'll do you a favor and kindly sample you myself… Gahahahaha!"

"Tch, Narjin. Your hobby never changes."

"Then, 'dis b.i.t.c.h over here iz mine."

Instead of the so-called 'boss', the guy who captured me generously spilled all the beans, so I got what I wanted to hear.

This means I can retaliate without worries, then.

And so, let's not waste any time. I let out a string of thread from my fingertip and wrap it around the neck of the man who's holding me.

"Ack?!"

It looks like he doesn't understand what just happened. He chokes, his fingers scratching his throat.

In the first place, my threads are so small you can't see them unless you really squint, but at the same time they're even stronger than steel wires.

There's no way you can tear them off with just your bare hands.

Well, if I really want to, I can just slice his head off… But since I don't want this to turn into a splatter film, I made the thread softer and intentionally blunted its cutting edge.

I constrict his airway and carotid artery, and take his consciousness in one go.

"Agghh… Ugghh…"

*thud*.

I throw the man, his face blue and his mouth filled with frothing bubbles, on the ground, and move towards the remaining four bandits.

"Ah, eh? The f.u.c.k are you… Gakh?!"

"*Wheeze, wheeze*"

"I-I khan't brea.s.ss…"

"s.h.i.t! You f.u.c.ker! Eat this!"

Indeed, the boss wasn't so dumb as to not realize that I've done something to take down his men. At the moment I took down the fourth one, the only remaining bandit boss immediately slashed at me from behind with his longsword.

Unsurprisingly, I flew off from the impact of the sword… But it wasn't as painful as I'd thought.

I casually stand up and turn toward the bandit boss. His face transformed from one of a man sure of his victory into an expression of shock.

"Why…Why weren't you hurt?! This sword can cut even iron armor!"

The bandit boss shouted in confusion.

In this world, Arachne monsters are considered quite the high rank monster in the first place.

Those like my mother even retaliate against high level adventurers and turn them into food. They're that strong.

And it looks like clothes made from arachne threads has rather high defense.

But even with that, what I'm wearing is just clothes, so they can't absorb the force of the blow. I still feel pain to a certain extent.

And so, I decisively punish mister bandit boss by constricting his carotid artery and airway with my thread, sending him to meet his partners.

"Eugh."

Oh, he fainted… d.a.m.n, I had wanted to torture him a bit more before letting him faint.

"Umm, excuse me… Thank you very much! Lady Magician!"

Ah, there was a woman who got kidnapped. I forgot.

"No, no, please don't mind it.. Also, I'm not a magician, just a humble dressmaker!"

"Miss dressma…ker? Huh?"

She got confused by my introduction. Well, I guess normally, dressmakers don't go and defeat bandits.

After those bandits, the woman was the next one in line to get dumbfounded.