Chapter 23 — "A Name Woven in Silk"

  The heavy silence in the aftermath of battle settled over the cavern like a woolen shroud. The scent of ash and blood still lingered in the air, but the rhythmic sound of Alicia’s breathing was the only sign of life in the eerie stillness. She knelt on the cold stone floor, one hand resting over the small bulge inside her bck, tattered cloak.

  The tiny spider—barely the size of her palm—was curled up and unmoving, its delicate legs twitching faintly as it slumbered. She had tucked it close to her chest, where her body heat would keep it safe. A strange feeling pulsed within her chest, something warm and unfamiliar.

  Was this... comfort?

  Alicia leaned back against the rocky wall of the spider nest, letting her head tilt toward the high cavern ceiling. Thick strands of webbing clung to the stactites and walls in shimmering yers, catching the soft, eerie blue glow emitted from the veins of mana crystals embedded deep in the rock. It should have looked terrifying.

  But it didn’t.

  It felt... peaceful.

  She closed her eyes briefly, reaching inward. That mana crystal she had absorbed—its presence was still stirring inside her. Dark, Cold, but know web-like threads of energy ran along her core, dancing at the edge of her consciousness. It hadn’t harmed her... . Instead, she felt attuned, as if something in her spirit now resonated with this pce.

  A sudden rustle broke her thoughts. The spider shifted in her cloak and let out a tiny, vibrating chirp. Alicia blinked and slowly opened the fabric. The little one looked up at her with shimmering, intelligent bck eyes, its body trembling weakly.

  "You’re awake," Alicia whispered, a hint of relief creeping into her voice.

  The spider tilted its head—if that was possible for a spider—and waved its front legs as if responding. Alicia reached out a finger. The spider hesitated, then gently bumped its head against it.

  A soft ugh escaped her lips. “So, you’re not scared of me anymore.”

  Another chirp. It was higher-pitched this time. Pyful.

  "...I guess you’re kind of cute."

  The spider wobbled a bit and then climbed up her arm, settling lightly on her shoulder. It curled up there, legs wrapped around her scarf like it was ciming a perch.

  “What should I call you?” Alicia tilted her head and gave a rare, faint smile. “You need a name.”

  The spider perked up again. She could feel its aura—a gentle, curious one—responding to her words.

  “Hmm… what about... Silk?”

  The spider chirped again, this time brighter, louder. The sound echoed oddly in the nest.

  A strange pulse of mana stirred in the air, and Alicia instinctively stiffened. The web around them shimmered—and moved. She stood, watching in guarded silence as dozens... no, hundreds of glowing eyes blinked open within the nest. Spiders, rge and small, slowly emerged from the shadows of their silky realm. Their massive bodies gleamed with bck, red, and white hues, yet none made a move to attack.

  Alicia didn’t raise her sword. She didn’t need to.

  Because the spider on her shoulder was glowing faintly—its mana surging in rhythm with hers. The pact had been made, silently, but powerfully.

  Her naming had bound them.

  The rge spiders lowered their heads. Some made odd, clicking sounds—ritualistic sounds. It was a greeting.

  Alicia felt a strange emotion bubble up from her chest. Not fear. Not pride.

  Acceptance.

  She knelt down again, bowing her head slightly toward the gathering of spiders. “I won’t harm you,” she said softly. “I... thank you for letting me stay in your home.”

  Silk let out a cheerful chirp, brushing its legs against her neck.

  And so, Alicia Tsukihana, a girl cast into this world alone and cold, made her first true friends in the most unexpected pce—among silk and fangs and shadows.

  Alicia stood up, cradling Silk in one hand.

  She had a long way to go. But now, she wouldn’t walk it alone.

  A home of webs.

  That’s what this pce had become.

  Tucked within the heart of the nest, surrounded by walls woven from thick, silky threads that shimmered faintly with mana, I finally allowed myself to breathe. Silk and his family—no, his colony—had welcomed me like one of their own. After that brutal fight with the spider monster, I was sore in pces I didn’t even know could ache.

  I gathered the softest of their webs and made myself a little corner to sleep in. Surprisingly warm. Unnaturally soft. I sank into it like a feather on clouds.

  My stomach rumbled lightly, but not from hunger.

  That strange mana crystal… the one dropped by the giant spider... I absorbed it without thinking. It felt like instinct. It pulsed like it belonged to me.

  And then, there was that—the bck fog that had slithered out from my palm when I touched it.

  I still don’t know what that was. Something... dark. Ancient. But it didn’t hurt me. So for now, I’ll just shove that mystery into the mental drawer beled “deal with ter.”

  Right now, there’s a much bigger matter to consider: Silk.

  Apparently, he was bullied by that spider monster. Ran away from this nest. That’s why he ended up in that summoning room where we first met. He was alone, small, and terrified—but he still came back. To fight.

  To protect his family.

  That monster spider wasn’t one of them. It came from above—some higher floor—and took over this space like a tyrant. Silk and his kin never dared to go up. They just survived, hidden here in the lower floor of the dungeon.

  Until today.

  And now… Silk and I are in a pact. When I named him, the magic responded.

  A glowing circle etched itself onto the back of my hand—bck with threads of silver like web-strands forming a rune. A matching sigil appeared on Silk’s forehead, surrounding the red crystal embedded between his eyes.

  I can feel him now. His thoughts. His emotions.

  And he can feel mine.

  There’s a warmth in that connection. Like I’m no longer truly alone.

  His family—the entire colony of snow-white spiders with crimson eyes—watch me with reverence. It's a little unnerving, honestly. They’ve practically decred me their queen. Every time I sit up, one of them scurries to offer me food—usually chunks of monster meat still sizzling with mana. I don’t even have to lift a finger. They insist on feeding me, tending to my wounds, and fluffing my bed.

  Even Silk is strutting around like some prince now, giving off confident energy like he owns the pce. He chirps orders at his siblings, keeps things organised, and always checks on me first.

  I’m starting to think… this is dangerous.

  Not because they might turn on me.

  No.

  Because I could get used to this.

  Lazing around, surrounded by obedient spider servants, being hand-fed monster meat while lounging in a royal bed of silk...

  "Hmm... maybe I’ll just stay here a little longer," I muttered with a smirk. "Become the Spider Queen or something. Hehehe..."

  And with that wicked little thought, the exhaustion finally dragged me under.

  Wrapped in warmth, with Silk curled beside me like a guardian spirit, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, surrounded by silk, shadows, and strange, newfound peace.

  It’s been… what, two or three days now?

  Time’s kind of hard to track down here. There’s no sun, no moon, just the eternal twilight of dungeon glow stones and the faint bioluminescence of spider silk swaying gently overhead.

  But I’ve settled into a strange rhythm with my spider retinue. Silk—my familiar, my adorable round menace—and his kin have taken it upon themselves to keep me fed, sheltered, and mildly pampered. Every few hours, they haul over chunks of monster meat—usually still twitching—and drop them at my feet like proud hunters.

  The meat itself is… well. Not ideal.

  Chewy, stringy, kind of smells like wet socks mixed with blood.

  But thankfully, I remembered the spell scroll I picked up from that treasure stash in the summoning room—Fireball. After some trial and error (and a minor web fire incident we do not speak of), I got the hang of it. Now I can at least cook the meat enough to make it taste like something approaching jerky.

  Edible is a win in my book.

  Speaking of the summoning room...

  Silk and I tried to go back. I thought maybe I missed something. Maybe there were more items, more clues about why I was summoned separately from the others. But—surprise, surprise—the door leading to the room was just… gone.

  No trace. Not even a seam in the wall. Like it had never existed in the first pce.

  We scoured the corridor. The whole spider gang joined in, skittering through cracks and crawling into every dark corner. Nothing. Not even a single speck of the door’s aura remained. Just a long, empty hallway with a staircase leading up into the next floor.

  So... mystery unresolved. Again.

  Which is why I made a decision: If I want answers, I need to move forward. And that means I need to get stronger.

  Silk has been helping me train. Or maybe I'm helping him train? It’s sort of mutual at this point. He’s a little round ball of fluff and murder, with needle-sharp legs and the agility of a certain comic book hero. Watching him sling web lines from wall to wall is both terrifying and kind of cool. The other spiders are impressive too—some are scouts, some are builders, some have venom sacs and can spit like snipers. They’re not just monsters. They’re... organized. Intelligent. Efficient.

  Honestly, it’s kind of inspiring.

  During training, I’ve started to notice something else: they learn. Fast. Scary fast. Like, I’ll use Fireball once, and suddenly half the colony’s dodging in sync like they’ve been doing it for years. Silk in particur seems to enjoy the challenge of baiting out my spells just to flex on me by dodging them at the st second.

  I’ve also improved. A lot.

  My mana pool has deepened—probably thanks to that strange bck mana crystal I absorbed. It's grown a little. Barely. But the difference is noticeable. Where I could only cast Thunder twice before colpsing like a ragdoll, now I can cast it seven times. Fireball? Twelve. Before I feel slightly winded. Not bad.

  Progress. Tangible, sweet progress.

  Today, though… we tried something new.

  Silk, in all his smug little glory, decided to teach me how to make webs. Apparently, spiders produce them through mana conversion—shaping elemental energy into silk through a natural internal spell. Theoretically, I should be able to replicate it.

  Key word: theoretically.

  In reality? It was a disaster. I ended up with sticky globs of half-formed threads stuck to my arms. Silk watched the whole thing like a disappointed sensei watching their student fil through basic katas.

  But… after a lot of trial, error, deep breathing, and one or two burnt eyebrows (don’t ask), I finally managed it.

  A single thread.

  One clean line of shimmering spider silk stretched from my palm to the opposite wall. It sparkled faintly with mana, humming with stability. My first successful thread.

  “Yesssss!” I pumped my fist.

  Silk chirped approvingly, doing a celebratory flip across the room like some acrobatic lunatic.

  It wasn’t much. But it was mine.

  And it was just the beginning.

  It’s been a few more days.

  Down here, in the endless dark, days bleed together—but I’ve felt the change. Not just in the spiders… but in myself.

  We’re ready.

  The upper floor—the unknown—waits above. None of us know what lies there. Not even the spider kin who’ve lived in this part of the dungeon for who knows how many years. But they’ve made their decision. Every single one of them is coming with me.

  It’s strange. Watching them pack. You’d think spiders wouldn’t need to prepare. But these aren’t ordinary monsters. No. These are fighters. Tacticians. Some of them were weaving silk satchels to carry things—tools, eggs, small bones sharpened into needles. Others were spinning extra armor-like webbing around their limbs.

  They’re geniuses when it comes to battle.

  We ran drills. Every day. Sometimes twice. The hardest one? A full 270-degree assault.

  I stood in the center, and they attacked from every angle—above, below, the sides. At first, they hesitated. Afraid to hurt me. But I ordered them to take the limiters off. And once they did… hell began.

  They’re fast. Too fast.

  Faster than me, at first. They started to learn my dodges, track my spell-casting motion, even anticipate where I’d fire my next shot. And then… they started using magic.

  Tiny flickers of fire. Lightning sparks to boost their speed. Paralysing jolts ced in their webs.

  One hit me straight in the ribs. I couldn’t move for almost a minute.

  But I learned. I adapted.

  After all, I’m not just Alicia Tsukihana. I’m the girl who was summoned alone, dropped into a dungeon, and killed a giant spider. I’m the genius of my generation. And if they’re levelling up… so am I.

  I learned to predict them, too.

  To read the subtle twitches before a leap. To trace the angle of their legs before they spin silk or spark lightning. I trained my body to respond faster than thought, using tiny bursts of lightning as reaction triggers. Not spells. Just sparks. A flick in my nerves to push myself faster.

  And the webs?

  They’re mine now.

  At first, it was difficult. Sticky, clumsy strands. But now? I understand the trick.

  It’s all about mana control. Density. Flow. Intent.

  If I want it strong, I pour in more mana, compact it, twist it into threads that shimmer like steel wires. If I want reach, I thin it out. Make it stretch. I can shape it any way I want now—webs, threads, spears, nets.

  But my masterpiece?

  Fire Web.

  Delicate strands, yered with fire magic, burning with crimson light. It clings to anything it touches and burns. Not just sizzles—burns to a crisp. I tested it on stone.

  The stone melted.

  So yeah. I’m feeling good.

  We’re all packed. Silk practically vibrates with excitement, his legs twitching and spinning small celebratory webs. The others are lined up—silent, patient, ready.

  The stairs to the upper floor loom ahead, wrapped in age and mystery.

  I clench my fist. Fire hums in my veins. Lightning crackles at my fingertips. Threads of burning silk stretch from my wrists, dancing in the dim light.

  “Let’s go.”

  Another world awaits.

  Alicia Tsukihana is coming.

  Be ready.

  The stone spiral staircase coiled upward like a serpent, narrow and endless. Moss clung to the walls in scattered patches, glowing faintly green in the dim light. Vines—dry, brittle, yet clinging stubbornly—hung like whispers of nature in this dead pce. My boots, worn but sturdy, clicked softly against the stone. The brown leather had scuffed, but they’d held up better than expected. Found them in the summoning room. A lucky gift.

  Silk sat on my shoulder as always—my silent little general. His red eyes scanned every shadow ahead while his brethren skittered behind me, crawling across the walls and ceiling. Their many limbs echoed against the stone, a steady rhythm of krh krh krh that reverberated through the stillness.

  I moved like a queen at the head of her army.

  The cloak I wore shimmered in the weak light—woven from threads of silver spider silk gifted by my companions. It wasn’t just beautiful. It was strong. Flexible. Resistant to tearing and even fire. I’d shaped it with care, and now it fluttered behind me like wings as we ascended.

  My long bck hair flowed freely down my back like a dark river, whispering across the silk.

  Finally, after countless steps, the staircase ended—spilling us into a hallway unlike the dungeon below.

  It was long. Narrow. The air was stale, and the lighting came only from strange, pulsing veins in the stone walls. The corridor stretched into complete darkness, where the light couldn't reach. And then I heard it—crack... crack... crunch...

  Bones.

  And movement.

  I stopped, raising my hand slightly. Silk tensed on my shoulder.

  "Silk," I said, my voice calm. "Get ready. We’re not alone."

  He gave a low click in response, already crouched and alert. The rest of the spiders froze, positioning themselves in practiced formation—some on the walls, others behind me, waiting for the signal.

  From the shadows ahead, they emerged.

  Skeletons.

  Gaunt. Tall. Humanoid. Their bones glowed faintly with corrupted mana. Crude swords, rusted spears, and broken shields cttered in their bony grips as they ran toward us with unnatural speed.

  I reached for my sword.

  But before I could draw it—thwip!

  A net of webbing shot past me, sticky and shimmering, pinning the first few skeletons mid-lunge. In a fsh, Silk and the others leapt forward, their sharp legs sshing through femurs and skulls. Some spiders unleashed small fireballs, bsting the enemy with pinpoint fmes. Others crackled with lightning, moving so fast they became blurs of blue light.

  The skeletons stood no chance.

  Shattered bones scattered across the stone floor, charred bck or glowing faintly with mana. They disintegrated into golden ash, leaving behind faint, glittering crystal shards.

  "Impressive," I whispered.

  Silk stood at the front, victorious. He didn’t wait—he picked up a crystal and crunched it between his mandibles. One by one, the other spiders followed, devouring the crystals like snacks. Some paused to bring a few to me, offering them with such earnestness it almost made me ugh.

  I declined with a shake of my head. "Thank you, but I’m not about to start eating monster cores."

  I'm not one of them.

  But the moment they consumed the crystals, something changed. I could see it—auras fring. Mana swelling. Their power increased, like a candle suddenly fanned into fme. Silk gnced back at me and gave a curt nod.

  So that’s how they grow.

  I nodded back. “Good. Then let’s keep moving.”

  We advanced slowly. Room by room. Skeleton after skeleton fell before I even lifted my sword. My companions fought like a true army—quick, efficient, precise.

  And me?

  I watched.

  Finally.

  After what felt like hours of climbing and crushing waves of brittle skeletons, we stood before it—the door.

  A massive sb of quartz, gleaming faintly under the soft glow of embedded mana crystals, towered at the end of the corridor like a final judgment. It was majestic and cold, veins of pale blue light running through the stone like trapped lightning. The air around it thrummed with power.

  Every fantasy tale had something like this.

  A boss room.

  I could feel it. Even Silk, who had been cocky after slicing through the st dozen skeletons, now stood still. His legs clicked nervously. The other spiders took formation without a word, their bodies rigid. This wasn’t like the skirmishes before. Something was waiting behind that door.

  Something powerful.

  The corridor behind us had gone silent, like the dungeon itself was holding its breath.

  I stepped forward slowly, my boots echoing on the polished stone floor. My hand reached out and touched the cool surface of the quartz door. A soft vibration pulsed beneath my fingers—mana. Ancient and angry. Like something sealed for a very long time.

  I gnced back at my companions.

  "Ready yourselves," I said calmly.

  Silk nodded from my shoulder. His eyes narrowed. Firelight flickered in the eyes of the spiders lining the ceiling and walls.

  I exhaled.

  “Then let’s see what’s inside