Kumodesu

Chapter 41: A Stupid Song



If only I could have a donut right now, maybe it would help ease this pain.

But I can't anymore. Loyral's Virtual World has weakened to the point where he can no longer let me in again, because he already consumed a considerable amount of his reserve energy to show me his story.

What a shame.

I'll never forget those delicious donuts. Maybe it'll be a long time before I can eat them again, but next time, I want to eat them in real life—not in a virtual world. Even though it felt very real in there, I still prefer the outside world.

I think human cities must have lots of tasty food, much better than the meat I've been eating lately. I'm not picky, but even I get tired of eating the same thing all the time!

I've been eating nothing but meat since I got here. If it's not snake meat, then it's pork, or some other toxic creature's flesh.

It's honestly a disaster. But luckily, spiders aren't picky eaters, so I can at least manage to eat all this stuff—even raw.

Oh, wait.

Why am I thinking about food again?!

I need to get back to training right now.

But… this pain...

Haizz...

Is there any way to ease it? Even just a little would be fine.

There's no skill that helps me reduce this kind of pain, unless I evolve [Soul Attack Resistance] into [Soul Pain Immunity]. But even doing that means I'll still have to endure the pain.

Maybe I should just spend Skill Points and buy it outright?

Let's see...

Soul Chain... Soul Chain... here it is.

It really is 1400 Skill Points, just like Loyral said. I still feel like that's such a waste. It seems like I only get a small amount of Skill Points every time I level up, so using 1400 in one go feels way too extravagant.

What about upgrading the resistance skill instead?

<>

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I took a deep breath.

That's way more expensive.

Looks like... there's no shortcut after all.

Oh, I suddenly remembered a way to reduce pain that I happened to see on TV back when I was human.

They said that singing can help ease pain, because when people sing, their bodies release adrenaline—which boosts their mood and temporarily makes them forget about the pain.

There are other ways to stimulate adrenaline too, but singing is considered one of the safest methods.

Alright then... let's give it a shot!

Not sure if spiders produce adrenaline like humans, but whatever—let's just do it.

Ahem...

Back in the day, I used to be a legit main vocalist, okay!

Alo alo...

Mic check, mic check.

Good! Everything's fine.

Audience, check!

Sound, check!

Lighting, check!

And last but not least, the star of the show—me—check!

Let's cue the music!!

Here comes the ridiculous song I just came up with:

"For Donuts, I Won't Give Up!"

Let's go!

~ I'm trying to forget all this pain ~

~ Not for justice, not for glory ~

~ But because… of those soft, fragrant donuts ~

~ One bite and all my worries melt away! ~

 

~ My soul cries out every time I tear it apart ~

~ My mind spins from the overwhelming pain ~

~ But I won't stop, I won't back down! ~

~ For donuts, I'll keep on fighting! ~

 

~ Oh, pain—why do you cling to me? ~

~ Every second, every moment, you make me suffer ~

~ But even if I'm just a tiny spider ~

~ I'll never give up!! ~

 

~ I endure, I dance, I sing out loud! ~

~ Even if I look like a total lunatic! ~

~ But I know… as long as I don't give in ~

~ The donuts… will be waiting for me at the end of the road! ~

 

~ I'll keep holding on! I won't fall! ~

~ For a noble, sacred purpose—those delicious donuts! ~

~ Crispy, sweet, soft to the very soul ~

~ One bite brings bliss to every corner of my being! ~

 

~ Oh pain, disappear already! ~

~ Because I—even as a spider—still love this life! ~

~ And I'll sing, I'll fight, I'll crawl forward! ~

~ All for the sake of… my beloved donuts!! ~

 

I gasped for breath after finishing the stupid song I had just made up. Honestly, singing just one round already wore me out.

But… it actually worked.

While singing, I kept probing the water inside my mind, and the pain did feel a bit less intense. I was able to endure for longer.

Looks like those children's TV shows weren't entirely nonsense after all.

Still… I really need a break. Between the pain and the energy I spent dancing and singing, I was completely drained.

After all that hard work... I think I deserve to reward myself with a piece of meat, right?

The water probe progress had reached seventy percent. I figured just one more song, and I'd find the optimal position.

Yeeeee!

The sense of impending success had me absolutely thrilled.

Singing is the best!

"Ahem..."

"What is it, Loyral?"

"I know you have your own hobbies, but please be more cautious."

"Is something wrong?"

I only sang a little bit, so I thought it would be fine... right?

"Your noise attracted several dozen creatures from outside. They're all species with excellent hearing, so they've started approaching this area."

I take back everything I just said.

"A-are they strong...?"

If they're just weaklings, I can handle them—and maybe grab some snacks while I'm at it.

"Not too strong, but among them is one mutated creature. And I'm sure you know what that means."

I take back what I said... again.

"Wh-what should I do?! Are they here already?! Do I still have time to run?! Should I start writing a will?!"

Oh, my foolish self...

"Calm down. Luckily, you stopped just in time, so most of them already left. And besides, no creature in its right mind would dare step into the spirit forest—unless its power is overwhelmingly strong."

Sounds like I'm still safe.

And from what Loyral said, this area is actually pretty secure. Aside from the creepy spirits, there's not much to worry about. And those spirits are all sealed now anyway, so this zone is practically a luxury safehouse for a spider like me.

Still, just to be sure, maybe I should set up some traps at the entrances?

Better safe than sorry...

So off I went, crawling out to set up some traps—hoping to catch something tasty, but not too powerful.

If anything breaks through my traps, I'm outta there. No second thoughts.

It might sound cold, but I'm a spider, alright?!

I don't need human sentiment!

Yeeeee!

After setting up the traps, I returned to my main task.

Despite the warning, this singing method really worked, so I decided to give it another try—this time with lower volume.

Okay, hello again, everyone~

The show will continue, but for safety reasons, I'll sing a bit quieter this time~

Thanks for Insight~

Now then... let's begin!

"...."

And so, I continued to show off my singing talents for my imaginary audience.

Phew~

I really think I was born to be a singer!

The music world will surely regret letting a talent like me slip away.

But now I'm a spider, so what can I do...

With that rare performance behind me, I finally completed the water probing process.

I had found the best position for myself—where the pain would be at its lowest.

It still hurt a lot overall, but it was more bearable now.

With the right spot found, the next step was to open the path.

Until now, I had only made small holes to let a few drops of water leak out before sealing them immediately.

But now, I needed to expand it—and let the flow run continuously.

Aah... time to endure more pain.

Alright! Let's do this!

One... two... three...

Ughhh~ it hurts, it hurts!

Hang in there, me!

I had opened a channel for the energy to flow, and I could clearly feel it pouring out.

My consciousness began to fade, and symptoms like dizziness and a splitting headache hit me all at once.

Whoa, this is too much.

Stop, stop!

I had to stay completely still for a long time to keep myself from passing out.

I knew it would hurt, but that was way beyond the limit—

I nearly lost consciousness.

So… what went wrong?

When in doubt… ask Loyral!

"Mr. Loyraaaal!"

"I'm here."

I told him everything I had just gone through.

"Sigh… Opening the path is only the first step. What really matters is that once you've opened it, you also have to control the flow of energy. You can't just let it gush out however it wants."

Oh… like a faucet, huh?

You have to open and close it to control how much water comes out.

Got it!

...But how?

"All you can do is imagine it. I can't help you much with that part."

Hmph!

Just one line to dodge all responsibility?!

That grumpy old man!

But… for the sake of skills, I'll let it slide.

And just like that—another problem landed squarely in my lap.


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