Chapter 78: Legends and Anomalies

"It is said that in ancient times, there was a spider so immense it could devour dragons, known as the Scarlet Spider Queen."

"She is the mother of all spider monsters, though no one knows her true rank. All that is certain is that she could fully transform into a human form—a beauty who could captivate even dragons—and her name was Adela."

"In her true form, she was vast as a mountain, so that even a dragon appeared as a mere puppy before her."

"After the great war between gods and demons, the dragon race gradually vanished, and the Scarlet Spider Queen, Adela, disappeared as well..."

On their way back, the elven lady explained to Luo Yong some of the ancient mythic legends of this otherworld.

In truth, Luo Yong was eager to ask what role the elves had played in that cataclysmic war, what part they had performed, and why their people had fallen into such decline.

And another question—

How did humankind rise to power?

All of these things were mysteries to Luo Yong.

He hesitated to ask, though, afraid the elven lady would simply roll her eyes at him and retort, "Illiterate! Ignorant and unlearned!"

To forget history is to betray it!

That was absolutely forbidden, an unforgivable crime!

At this thought, Luo Yong summarized the main points to himself—

Scarlet Spider Queen. Human form. Capable of devouring dragons. Has... vanished?

A sudden chill ran through Luo Yong.

Then who—or what—was the humanoid, slumbering monster he had encountered on the lower level of the catacomb?

By all common sense, and according to what Luo Yong knew, that monster should have been a spider creature like Catherine.

But who said the monster beneath the catacomb had to be a spider?

It could be something else entirely.

If it was a spider, it was likely the hidden variant depicted on the card he sought.

But here was the problem:

If there were no other spider monsters besides Adela, and the one below the catacomb was indeed a spider, then it could only be her—the Scarlet Spider Queen herself!

But—

"That's impossible!" Luo Yong cried out, startling the elven lady with his sudden outburst.

"What's impossible? Luo Yong? What's wrong with you—why are you sweating so much all of a sudden?"

The elven lady, ever considerate, pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped his brow, just like a devoted wife.

"Bao'er!"

Luo Yong seized her hand, his expression grave, and revealed his suspicions.

"Ha?"

After hearing him out, the elven lady was greatly shocked. She had not expected another level beneath the catacomb, and if matters were truly as Luo Yong described...

The Scarlet Spider Queen had vanished for so long, eras had passed, dragons had faded into extinction—yet she might still be alive?

"What was the level of magical fluctuation when you encountered her?" the elven lady asked.

"I don't know... No, I couldn't sense anything at all," Luo Yong recalled carefully. "It's possible I was just too nervous, but even if there was any, it wasn't powerful."

"Were there any other noteworthy things in that place?" the elven lady pressed, determined not to overlook a single detail.

"There was a treasure chest, and inside it, a wishing sprite..." As he spoke, Luo Yong handed her his Holy Light Angel and brought out his cherished summoning scroll with the Empress’s sigil.

"All of these I obtained from the wishing sprite."

"A... a wishing sprite?!"

The elven lady repeated the words, her face drawn with astonishment, her voice trembling. "A golden treasure chest, and a wishing sprite—something that only appeared in the ancient ages?! Such a being really exists?! You actually encountered one?!"

"I did," Luo Yong replied earnestly.

He then recounted all that had occurred, omitting not a single detail.

"If that's truly the case... it may well be Adela..." the elven lady murmured.

Now it was Luo Yong’s turn to draw in a sharp breath.

Was this not terrifying enough?

"No way! I was just grinding monsters, and in an area mostly for common level 8 creatures, and there’s a boss like that hidden away? How is anyone supposed to survive?" Luo Yong felt a wave of despair.

If that really was the case, he could forget ever collecting a complete set of spider cards!

"Just one card short..."

He nearly ground the words out between clenched teeth.

The elven lady did not press further about what the last card might be.

Her thoughts were wholly occupied by the implications.

The elves had declined, the dragons vanished—if the Scarlet Spider Queen Adela still lived...

At this realization, the elven lady’s composure wavered.

She glanced at the delicate, lovely Holy Light Angel in her hand, who, while appearing sweet, clearly embodied a great beauty, and then narrowed her eyes at Luo Yong.

But seeing how deeply affected he seemed, she let the matter rest.

Her gaze then fell upon the magical formation on the summoning scroll, and the image of the Empress.

"So, in the end, are all men no good?" the elven lady recited dispassionately.

"Eh?" Luo Yong, lost in thought, was caught off-guard as the elven lady suddenly shoved the Holy Light Angel and summoning scroll back at him, saying something that sounded a little annoyed. He was left baffled, not knowing what had offended her.

"I want to take my hairband back," she said softly.

"What? This?" Luo Yong produced the hairband she had gifted him from his storage space, waved it before her, and then carefully put it away again.

The elven lady’s cheeks flushed scarlet.

Among the elves, reclaiming a token of affection signified breaking off an engagement.

But Luo Yong was utterly unaware of this.

He had no idea he had just narrowly escaped being dismissed by the elven lady...

Ahem.

"Enough, stop scaring yourself," Luo Yong said, unconcerned, putting away his things and taking her hand as they walked. "If that truly is Adela, and if we ever must face her, we’ll face her together."

"Mm." The elven lady, her hand in his, became as meek as a shy young bride, and followed quietly.

Fortunately, they encountered few others on their way, and both wore cloaks, hiding their real appearance.

If not, rumors about the elven lady would surely have swept the camp once more.

"So, let’s just pray that the monster below the catacomb isn’t really the legendary Scarlet Spider Queen, Adela!" Luo Yong said as they passed a wishing stone pillar in the wilds near the mines.

As the elven lady began her own earnest prayer, Luo Yong silently added, "If there really are gods in this world..."

Hand in hand, the two walked slowly back.

Partly because the company of a beautiful woman was so sweet and tender that he was loath to hurry such precious moments.

Partly because Luo Yong was busy checking his collection, searching for the next card he was close to completing.

Collecting cards—perhaps this was to be Luo Yong’s life’s work.

But after searching a while, he found that except for the tactical scrolls, all the other cards were still far from complete.

Collecting them would require a great deal of time.

As for the tactical scrolls, those were a matter of luck. Even though Luo Yong had a high drop rate for monsters, it was overall chance, and the scrolls themselves were random—no guarantee which series would appear.

He might get ten fire series scrolls in a row before a single ice one.

Some series might never drop at all.

The camp’s supplies were meager; even the magic shop lacked many necessities.

There wasn’t even a place to spend resources if one wanted to.

"Bao’er, are there really no other giant spider monsters?" Luo Yong, still a bit unwilling to give up as they neared the camp, asked again.

Then another thought occurred to him: that last hidden card might not be a giant boss at all—it could be a rare small spider monster!

Just like the little green spider before, which he had naïvely assumed was weak...

Ahem.

Still, in this world, monsters generally followed a pattern: the larger the body, the greater the strength.

Of course, that was only a general rule.

Monsters that evolved toward a humanoid form did not fit this pattern.

They were in a class of their own.

Before encountering that green spider, no one would have guessed it was anything special.

Who would have thought it had hidden itself in a low-level dungeon, but was actually a level 16 monster?

Absolutely abnormal—no, mutated!

"Right, the hidden variant might also be a mutant spider!"

Luo Yong muttered to himself again, as if possessed, oblivious to the elven lady’s expression.

She simply stopped asking; for now, Luo Yong wasn’t going to elaborate.

At this point, whatever she heard, she pretended not to.

"Where else might there be lots of spider monsters?" Luo Yong wondered aloud.

"In the Spider Sanctuary," the elven lady replied coolly.

"Uh... Actually, I meant, under what circumstances would those spiders—or other monsters—mutate?"

Saying this, Luo Yong realized that in the future, when grinding for other monsters, he might also encounter mutant variants, so he might as well ask now.

"Are you writing a dissertation on the circumstances under which spider monsters mutate?" The elven lady shot Luo Yong a strange look. "Are you planning to do academic research now?"

"Uh..." Luo Yong just shrugged. Either way, he was committed to dealing with spiders.

Until he finished collecting those cards, he wouldn't be able to level up!

...

Highgarde Camp.

Here, members of the elf clan had a permanent, though extremely secret, presence.

All so they could quietly mine the green crystal ore in the Spider Sanctuary without attracting attention, and fully exploit the Spider Sanctuary.

After returning, Luo Yong and the elven lady waited here a while. When the appointed time came and the sanctuary reopened, they entered the Spider Sanctuary once more.