The nest had many branching tunnels, but there seemed to be only one main passage. Yang Yi had no intention of venturing into the side tunnels. Those passages were usually narrow — barely one or two meters wide — some even ran along the ceiling. If danger appeared inside, retreating would be difficult. He followed the main path forward. After walking roughly a thousand meters, the ground began to change. A layer of spider silk covered the floor, but it had long dried. It wasn’t sticky; stepping on it felt like walking on carpet. The space here was unusually large — over ten meters wide. Yang Yi couldn’t understand why these spiders dug out such a vast chamber. It was pitch-black ahead. The faint bioluminescent glow from the ceiling mushrooms wasn’t enough to illuminate that far. Yang Yi pressed onward. What he didn’t know was that the moment his right foot stepped onto the silk-covered ground, the vibration spread through the web, carrying all the way to the depths of the cave. There, an enormous spider — more than twice the size of the giant spiders he had seen — stirred. On its head was grafted a human body. But unlike the other giant spiders, this human body was not shriveled. It was plump with flesh and blood, its skin glossy with a reddish-gray hue. This human torso even had arms and legs attached to its sides — though they were asymmetrical, mismatched in length, disturbingly out of proportion. The body also had a head — seemingly added last — shriveled and slanted to one side. As the vibrations reached her through the web, the eyelids of that head trembled faintly... Yang Yi, unaware of all this, continued walking several hundred more meters. He hadn’t encountered a single living spider, so his vigilance eased a little. It seemed the Dead Spider Elixir was even stronger than he’d expected. Not one of these spiders survived. Along the way, he collected eight samples of giant {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} spider tissue. Counting the one already aboard the Nyxstar, that made nine in total. If nothing went wrong, the Nyxstar would soon reach Level 3! As he walked on, Yang Yi suddenly tensed and raised his gun. Before him stood a colossal spider, even larger than the giant ones. Its body was covered in thick red bristles, its shell and limbs lined with backward-facing spines like thorns. The creature exuded an overwhelming pressure. [You have seen an unknown entity. Sanity -10.] This spider must have been the “Mother” the giant spiders spoke of — a half-human, half-spider monstrosity with a full human torso attached onto her head. She remained motionless. Her body wasn’t decayed — maybe she had just died. Or maybe... she was pretending. Whatever the case, better to shoot first. Yang Yi initially aimed for the human head but changed his mind at the last second. The body’s research value was enormous. If he damaged it too much, Suna would definitely complain later. To confirm if she was dead, breaking a leg would be enough. If she was alive, he could always shoot again — a creature this big wouldn’t die easily. Yang Yi fired at one of her legs. Bang! The shot echoed through the cave. The giant spider’s leg was blown clean off, thick dark-red ichor oozing out — but she didn’t move. “Dead for sure?” Yang Yi waited a moment, then fired again — another leg shattered. Still, the spider didn’t stir. At last, Yang Yi slowly approached, gun still trained on her. He kicked aside the severed limbs and bent down to check her attributes. [Name: Firefloss Spider Queen (Evolving)][Description: Queen of the Firefloss Spiders. Responsible for laying eggs and continuing the species. Possesses high intelligence and serves as the leader of the swarm.] “Evolving…” Yang Yi looked at the human body fused to her head. “So drying a human body and grafting it onto yourself — that’s what they call evolution…” He took a photo with his journal device and sent it to Suna. “Hey, you want this freaky giant spider? If not, I’ll just turn her into a capsule!” Yang Yi asked. Less than ten seconds later, Suna replied: “I want her! I’ve already finished dissecting the Glutton. The only valuable organ was its stomach — I’ll use its gastric fluids to brew a potion for you later. You’ll have the appetite of a beast!” “…That’s… really not necessary. My appetite’s fine. Maybe try making something else?” Yang Yi swallowed hard. “I’m coming over. Send me your coordinates!” Yang Yi checked the crystal orb to ensure no other players were nearby and replied: “I’m inside the nest. I’ll send you the entrance coordinates. Just follow the main path — all the spiders are dead, but stay cautious. If you see any alive, contact me immediately!” After sending her the coordinates, Yang Yi suddenly felt something crawling on his boot. He looked down sharply. A fist-sized Firefloss spider, still slick with fluid — freshly hatched. Yang Yi flicked it off and stomped it flat without hesitation. He hated spiders crawling on him — all those eyes, all those legs… he just couldn’t stand them. More tiny spiders scurried toward him — a dozen in total — all about fist-sized. He crushed them one by one underfoot. The Spider Queen’s eyelids twitched again, but in the dim light, the movement was too small for Yang Yi to notice. He continued forward. After about ten meters, he exited through a tunnel — and the view opened up before him. Rows of glowing red eggs illuminated the entire chamber. This must be the Firefloss Spider’s egg chamber — the place where those small spiders had just hatched. But Yang Yi’s attention wasn’t on the eggs. He was drawn to a cluster of massive rocks ahead. The stones were enormous — the largest over a hundred meters long — seemingly stacked naturally, yet something about them caught his eye. Eight long slabs of stone were propped against an oval boulder, resembling a spider’s body and its eight legs. Dry vines and weeds hung from the stone columns like bristly hairs. The more he looked, the more it resembled a colossal stone spider. Amazed by nature’s eerie craftsmanship, Yang Yi examined it closely — and made another discovery. At the front of the oval boulder stood an upright stone formation. It bore no marks of carving, shaped purely by erosion — yet it resembled a humanoid figure, with six arms and four legs, like a beautiful, dignified woman seated atop the stone. Yang Yi immediately lowered his gaze, face tingling, cold sweat breaking out. He dared not look again. [You have discovered an Unfathomable Idol. Sanity -20.] At the same time, whispers crept into his ears — like murmuring in dreams, indistinct yet understandable. They said… “Offerrr… it… up…” A sharp pain pierced his skull, as if silver needles were driven into his brain. His eyes watered uncontrollably. Then, his activity log flickered to life, projecting text before his vision: [Oath Prerequisite Quest Triggered — Offer Your Loyalty to the Mother of Myriad Limbs.]1. Offer one-third of your flesh. The Spider’s Kiss will mend your wounds and remake your body…2. Offer the flesh of ten kin. Lure them to the island — the Spider’s Kiss shall grant you strength…3. ...[Upon completion, you will become a follower of the Mother of Myriad Limbs. In the next sea, you may forge a Sacred Oath and undergo metamorphosis — to gain transcendent power.] “Transcendent power… metamorphosis… Mother of Myriad Limbs.” Yang Yi muttered the words, and everything suddenly made sense. These Firefloss Spiders were the followers — the brood — of the Mother of Myriad Limbs. They were the guardians of this temple. And the Mother herself… was a divine being. At times, she would bestow her favor — implanting her offspring inside chosen vessels to guide their fate... The whispers grew stronger, invading his consciousness.“Offerrr… it… up…”“Offerrr… it… up…”“Offerrr… it… up…”

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