"Eat this."
The skeleton looked at me, tilting its head slightly to the side. It was a strangely human gesture, almost as if it were confused by my command.
I waved my hand with the heart and repeated, "Come on, eat this."
The skeleton, without much hesitation, picked up the dark spider heart, brought it to its mouth, and sank its teeth into the red, dark flesh before pulling.
A notification appeared before my eyes:
[1 Soul Fragment has been granted and consumed by a summoning.]
It happened exactly as I had imagined.
"Wait..." I muttered, watching as the skeleton chewed fiercely and swallowed everything as if it had a stomach.
I hadn't stopped to think yet, but... where was that food going? It didn't make any sense.
[0.5 Soul Fragment was granted and consumed by a summon.]
With each new bite, I received another notification, and it made me so happy that I quickly gave up trying to find any logic in it.
[0.8 Soul Fragment was granted and consumed by a summon.]
[0.3 Soul Fragment was granted and consumed by a summon.]
[1 Soul Fragment was granted and consumed by a summon.]
The skeleton quickly finished devouring the heart, leaving dark stains of blood on the floor.
It stood upright, waiting for the next instruction.
I assessed my options.
Since my summons were able to evolve from the remains of the monsters they ate, that meant I didn't need to use the Soul Fragments I received per kill to evolve my summons. Although it wasn't a strict rule, it provided a framework for making future decisions.
"Hmmm... That changes things."
My other skeleton watched intently, as if waiting for its turn. I took a deep breath, grabbed one of the hind legs of a Dark Spider, and threw it to it.
"You too, eat this."
The skeleton grabbed the leg and ate half of it in just one bite.
[0.2 Soul Fragment was granted and consumed by a summon.]
[0.3 Soul Fragment was granted and consumed by a summon.]
"Hah... this is really interesting. I think I just discovered a very effective way to strengthen my soldiers..."
After they ate most of the remains of those ten Dark Spiders we killed, they gained a total of 12 Soul Fragments. Unfortunately, since I didn't consume any myself, those fragments were immediately absorbed by the summons and converted into EXP for them.
[The "Summoning" skill consumed 12 Soul Fragments on its own.]
[12 Fragments -> 120 EXP.]
[120/2500 EXP to level up "Summoning."]
I couldn't complain about what I got. Gaining 120 experience points just by feeding my skeletons was a fantastic outcome.
Besides, this library was probably full of Dark Spiders. So maybe it was time to take advantage of this opportunity to farm a large number of Soul Fragments.
"Find more of those spiders," I ordered, and one of my little skeletons stepped forward—sniffing the air like a hunting dog.
Again, it was strange to see an almost humanoid skeleton mimicking animal instincts, but it seemed to be working well enough that I didn't question it.
My other skeleton soldier and I began to follow the first one through narrow corridors between colossal bookshelves. However, we climbed stairs and crossed several rooms without finding anyone — or even anything.
"This place is emptier than I imagined it would be."
Five minutes passed before the skeleton scout stopped abruptly next to a large wooden double door, slightly ajar. Something on the other side made the little skeleton tremble.
Still, my summon was about to rush into the room when I grabbed him to hold him back.
"Hey, not so fast," I whispered, holding him by the top of his head with one hand.
His little legs kicked in the air, eager for the fight ahead.
"Wait here for a moment. Both of you. I'll take a look inside."
If one of the little skeletons brought me here, there was definitely something of interest.
I looked through the small crack in the door and saw a gigantic room. It looked like a reading room or an open archive. There were chandeliers hanging from chains, all covered in cobwebs, and long wooden tables. But it wasn't those that caught my attention.
In the center of the room, surrounded by hundreds of small dark spheres that covered the floor, I could clearly see, even in the darkness, the silhouette of a monster.
Squinting my eyes, which had adjusted to the darkness of the library, I realized that this monster was a larger, more terrifying version of the Shadow Spiders I had faced.
Its eight eyes were closed, but a viscous purple liquid dripped from its chelicerae, similar to the substance that had seeped from my arm earlier.
'This thing is easily the size of a car, maybe bigger.'
I looked at the small skeleton that had led us there and muttered:
"If you had run in there, you would have been crushed in less than a second. We can't take that thing on at our current level."
Despite all the elements that gamified everything around me, I was fully aware that if I was careless, one mistake could mean my death. That was the cruel reality of the universe of The Journey Beyond, where even the original protagonist had died dozens of times.
"I'll leave this for later..." I thought, but a system window appeared in front of me as I turned to leave.
[You have received a new mission!]
+
[Mission Details!]
Mission Name: Mother of All.
Description: By chance, you have found the nest of the Mother of the Shadow Spiders that infest the alternate version of the Lovikalen Public Library. If you defeat her, in addition to earning great rewards, you will be able to enjoy a feast of dozens of not-quite-fully-developed Shadow Spider eggs.
Type: Dungeon Closing Mission.
Difficulty Level: E
Success: You will close the Shadow Spider Dungeon.
Failure: You will awaken the wrath of the Queen of Shadow Spiders.
Rewards: Unknown.
+
I glanced at my skeletons after reading everything on the screen. They were waiting for my order, fearless, while I was the only one hesitating there.
Of course, they were just summonings, soldiers that I could simply recreate if they were destroyed, and I was a human. However, I shouldn't show cowardice either.
I shook my head to dispel the negative thoughts. I had become stronger. My body, my speed, and now I had two skeletons instead of one. Everything seemed better than when I entered this library. I was on a path of growth.
However, it was certain that I needed a plan to defeat the Queen of the Dark Spiders.
'If I just go in there and try to face her head-on, I'll be dead in seconds...'
I needed to divide this fight. Find a way to attack first without exposing myself too much.
I thought for a few moments.
"Right... I'm going to need bait."
I looked around and found remnants of spider webs and small bones from creatures that had succumbed in this library. I picked up a piece of web and wrapped it around one of the larger bones.
Tap. Tap.
I tapped the bone against the floor a few times, testing its strength. It was strong enough to be used as a weapon by one of the skeletons, from whom I would take the knife so that I wouldn't be left unarmed.
"Hey, listen up," I said to my two companions. "You two run inside, make as much noise as possible, and then run towards that staircase over there."
I pointed to a flight of wooden stairs in the corner of the hallway where I was standing.
"When she comes after you, I'll attack her from behind."
The skeletons looked at me. They were expressionless, but I could sense their readiness to obey.
Luring the Dark Spider Queen out of her room was ideal for me, so I wouldn't have to deal with any surprises that might appear inside her domain.
If this plan had any chance of working, I would also have to act precisely. The slightest mistake could cost me my life.
The moment I opened the door just a crack, the sound of the hinges creaking was enough to cause a slight stir in the Queen. Her dark hairs bristled for a moment, but she didn't open her eyes and simply took a deep breath.
This meant that, just as I had imagined, she wasn't asleep, but resting.
"Okay, it's time."
I signaled to my skeletons. They moved forward, entering through the crack that was now large enough for them to pass through.
The first skeleton stamped its feet on the floor, making a sharp, rhythmic sound.
The second, more idiotic one, picked up the improvised weapon I had created for him and threw it — not at the monster, but at a table.
When I saw him do this, I had to resist the urge to slap my forehead.
The sound of the piece of bone hitting the table was enough to finally catch the Queen's attention.
The creature's eyes — eight red orbs — opened all at once, and a low, vibrating noise escaped her throat as she saw the pair of skeletons at the door.
"Run," I ordered mentally, but they probably couldn't hear me.
Fortunately, my skeletons needed no further encouragement than the Dark Spider Queen's piercing scream. They spun on their heels and sprinted back through the crack in the door.
The Queen, as I had expected, reacted to the provocation. She rose to her feet and lunged forward, knocking over tables in her path.
By the time my skeletons exited the front door and began heading toward the marble staircase, I was already slinking down a side hallway, keeping myself out of the Queen's line of sight.
Soon, I heard the Dark Spider Queen leaving her room and throwing the double doors open.
BANG!
The skeletons were literally a few steps ahead, so they reached the stairs and jumped aside at the last moment when the Queen, furious, almost caught them.
It was a fast monster, but her huge body made her more awkward than her cubs.
I gritted my teeth and ran when I saw her squeeze through the passage. Even though this wasn't a creature I had read about in The Journey to the Beyond, it was easy to imagine that its weak point was the area above its abdomen—its blind spot.
Jumping from the top of the stairs, I raised the knife I was holding high and plunged it into the back of the Dark Spider Queen.
Squelch!
The Queen let out a deafening scream of pain, and her legs thrashed violently. Still, the attack wasn't enough to kill her.
When this creature began to move faster in desperation because of the blow she had suffered, she accidentally threw me backward with such force that I hit my back on the part of the staircase I had just jumped over.
The impact against the staircase made me feel a sharp pain radiating from my back to the nape of my neck. Despite being a Blessed One and wanting to become a climber to ascend the Tower of Babel, I was not yet adapted to fighting.
My mind screamed at me to move, but I was stunned by the pain and shock.
It was at that moment that, with an abrupt movement, the monstrous spider spun its body and looked at me. As soon as her eyes locked onto me, she opened her jaws and let out a scream that seemed to tear through my eardrums.
SKREEEEEEEEEEECH!
The shrill sound pierced my ears like sharp blades, making my skull vibrate. Perhaps I had entered a battle I couldn't win, but the advantage of being a Summoner was that I wasn't alone.