Find a Troubled Girl after leaving the Guild-Chapter 345 - 200: Spider Breeder (Part 2)

[Species: Mutated Insect Species]

[Combat Wisdom: 3[Cluster], 1[Individual]]

[Servant: None]

[Energy Source: None]

[Physical Strength: Powerful Spider Claw, Tier 1]

[Special Attack: Spirit Catching Net]

[Skills: Cluster Action[Larval Stage], High-speed Growth]

[Combat Power Amplification: 41%]

"Ahhh!"

The young girls immediately let out blood-curdling screams. Even Zoe, usually loud and carefree, jumped back as if electrified, while Dorothy had already summoned the Demon-Born Flower but was too frightened to use the Flower Vine to cast Magic.

Li Ang immediately used Material Manipulation to raise the ground, blocking the wave of little spiders.

As for Andasu, Li Ang could only see her large tail puffed up into a fluffy white ball; she was the most terrified among them, being a tomboyish girl who was obviously bold yet afraid of ghosts and insects.

The little spiders climbed over the earth wall, rushing towards Andasu. She shuddered violently and then froze, while ALulu dashed forward with a Shield Strike, causing juice to splatter everywhere.

Her Shield Strike carried a surge of Divine Energy, and the spreading golden light instantly incinerated the little spiders.

Xiaoniu nonchalantly looked back, "Everyone, it’s safe now."

Dorothy clutched a nearby withered flower stand, gasping for air, taking several breaths before she could speak.

"Phew, Lulu, you’re amazing, why aren’t you afraid?"

"Back at Thunder Mountain Church, I was the one dealing with insects."

ALulu replied matter-of-factly, "They’re really weak; one hit and they’re done, just a bit numerous."

"That’s not the issue."

Dorothy shook her head, seeing Zoe looking pale as she stared at the liquid-saturated spider corpses, the chestnut-haired girl full of regret, now realizing the consequences of recklessly touching things during adventures.

"Why does the Holy City still have places like this?"

The Half Elf said while patting nearby Andasu.

The Beast eared Maiden collapsed in the direction she was patting.

"Hey, hey—" the Half Elf called out.

Li Ang reacted swiftly, catching the White Wolf, preventing her from hitting the ground.

"She’s completely rigid," Dorothy said, regaining her composure.

"Honestly."

Once the girls recovered, Li Ang explained the analyzed situation to them.

Firstly, since there are Soul devouring Spiders here, it makes sense why the homeowner was labeled a murderer and why people moved away from this place.

Because of their nature of devouring souls, these creatures do consume humans.

Adult Soul devouring Spiders are demons of the Transcendent Realm, and when clustered, their combat strength can rival demons of the Excellence Realm. They love devouring any matter rich in spirituality, not just limited to flesh and blood.

But in their larval stage, since their weak claws cannot chew through minerals or demon bodies, they resort to selecting intelligent races with complex spirituality.

Being a cluster demon also means that for the entire group, their appetite is huge, which might explain why people keep disappearing from this street.

"So you’re saying this homeowner is a breeder of Soul devouring Spiders?" Dorothy said.

"It’s most likely so."

Li Ang explained, cities aren’t environments favored by these demons; if they are present, it’s because someone brought them in.

"The disturbance earlier was from a group of juvenile spiders."

Li Ang used the wind to pull a patch of spiderweb into view.

"This is clearly silk from an adult spider, and its presence suggests there are other passages within this house, likely leading to an abundance of adult Soul devouring Spiders. This is quite fitting, just right for you to practice."

"I, I, master, may I retreat this one time?"

Andasu, who had just woken up, quivered as she spoke.

Knowing that some people have an intense fear of certain insects, Li Ang didn’t force her.

"Lulu will definitely come with me; what about you two, are you coming? If not, you can stay outside and rest with An if you’re uncomfortable."

Andasu reluctantly stood up, "I, I just request to stay in the back and provide support. I can do it."

Seeing White Wolf like this, Zoe gritted her teeth, made up her mind, and said, "What’s there to fear; I’ll chop them all to pieces when they come!"

Dorothy glanced at Xiaoniu, saying, "I’ll go too, with the Dragon Flower, I’ll just unleash Dragon Power Lightning without holding back, you won’t mind, right?"

"Just take a bit of care, that’s all."

Li Ang led the way, bringing them inside.

"Hmm?"

Once inside, Li Ang noticed that the wall and ceiling at the back of the small house were damaged, with carefully made holes clearly cut by some creature.

The young girls noticed this too.

"Was this done by the spiders?" Zoe jumped onto a table, craning her neck to look outside the hole, trying to see where it led.

Li Ang gestured with his hand; the hole leading upward had no spiderwebs around it, and it cut linearly through a corner of the house, where the basement door also had a neat opening, with scattered little spiders, which must have come out from there earlier.

"Something’s off."

He couldn’t put his finger on it; this wasn’t like a typical Soul devouring Spider’s nest.

Using Pure Magic Wind, he formed a shield around the girls to prevent accidents and led them down the basement stairs.

At the doorway, he pondered about whom this so-called "high-risk location" was meant to deter. If it were him alone, he would never have brought them in.

But being at the edge of Flower City, he figured there wouldn’t be anything too formidable, and upon seeing the Soul devouring Spiders, he was relieved; even if there was a cluster of adult spiders below, the Star Flower Travel Corps would be capable of handling it.

As they descended further, Li Ang saw the somewhat crystalline webbing of the Soul devouring Spiders; this was indeed a spider nest.

The basement stairs were very deep, eventually leading to an underground cavern.

The cavern was dimly lit, so Li Ang controlled a light orb to fly inside, illuminating most of the cavern.

By subterranean standards, this place was rather spacious, yet along the way there weren’t many little spiders, let alone adult ones.

Many of the webs appeared old, previously used by larger spiders.

"How odd, this doesn’t seem like the natural habitat of Soul devouring Spiders. In this light, the little spiders earlier seemed to be driven out; perhaps the original homeowner lives in this nest?"

As Li Ang spoke, he saw the girls get goosebumps, except for ALulu.

"Live here? What a joke. He hasn’t turned into a spider himself, has he?" Dorothy chuckled dryly.

The web above in the cavern quivered slightly, and an adult Soul devouring Spider poked its head out.

"The enemy is here," Li Ang alerted them.

The girls braced themselves, and at that moment, a huge shadow, mottled black and white, flitted behind the webs and quickly vanished into the darkness.

"What was that?" Andasu raised her firearms in that direction.

Li Ang replied, "Be cautious, the Soul devouring Spiders aren’t the true masters here; they’re being raised by something."