Kumodesu

After saying goodbye to the Spirit Queen, I didn't get any time to relax—there were still some things I had to deal with.

First and foremost, I needed to quickly replenish the two weakened souls. Previously, according to what the Spirit Queen said, I could use the skill [Soul Repair], so I immediately went to the Shop to check it out.

Oh, here it is... Hmm, the price isn't too bad, but it still costs 800 Skill Points.

No, with the way I've been spending recently, this is honestly a bit expensive.

I don't even clearly remember how many Skill Points I have left. If I buy this and end up broke, I'll be in serious trouble.

"You currently have exactly 3150 Skill Points," said the will.

"Huh? How do you even know that?"

"Just did a bit of calculation."

Hmph... Since when did I become so smart…

Wait, no, I've always been smart, so this is normal.

If the number is accurate like the will said, I can manage. But still, I should quickly find a way to earn back those Skill Points. So, I immediately spent 800 Skill Points to buy [Soul Repair] and began treating the souls of Mr. and Mrs. Loyral and Seryl.

Even though I had already fulfilled my responsibility to them, just abandoning them like this didn't sit well with me.

Besides, according to Mr. Loyral's story, one fragment of the spirit is currently within his daughter, so if I want to retrieve it, they might still be able to assist me.

Mr. Loyral had been inactive since the battle began, and Mrs. Seryl was too weak to speak.

Such a shame…

I had hoped to learn more from Mr. Loyral, since he knew a lot more about the outside world than I do.

"Alright, stop being sentimental already, me."

Tssk, this guy always ruins the mood.

"I've got more good news."

Now what?

"I just tested it and found out that the skill [Soul Repair] also works on you. That means you can use your soul's energy to maintain the Virtual World, then use [Soul Repair] to recover. No problem at all."

Oh? There's actually something that convenient?

"Well, this is one method. But it's not perfect, since the energy drawn out will be more than what can be replenished. So if you want to run this efficiently, [Soul Repair] needs to be at a higher level."

"One more thing—you should level up [Manifest] soon so that it can evolve."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because I think once it evolves, it might unlock a way to realize our goal."

You mean… future Manifestation?

"Exactly!"

Nai wa!

I initially just thought of it on a whim, but I didn't expect the will to dig into it so thoroughly.

"If possible, upgrade [Insight] and [Prediction] too. They can synergize with [Manifest], like when we recreated Earth."

Speaking of which, I've been thinking about bringing Earth and everything I've previously Manifested into the Virtual World to see what would happen.

But considering how much energy that would consume, I haven't been able to do it. So all that stuff is still stuck in my head and has stopped expanding.

I think I'll spend the coming time continuing to build it, even expanding beyond the Solar System. I want to see how far this can go and how massive it can become.

Just imagining an entire universe residing inside my head already excites me immensely.

Still, since [Manifest] is already level 9, I can apply another boost to it now. The other two skills are still too low-leveled, so their evolution will take a while.

"As for [Insight], leave that to me. With you expanding beyond the Solar System, it'll be used a lot. Plus, I've only grasped about thirty percent of the universe's knowledge so far, so continuing forward will definitely help the skill level up."

You're right.

Now I truly see the benefit of having another will.

"But we still need a third will. You handle the outside, I handle the Virtual World. But even so, we still make mistakes from time to time. So we need a third will to double-check everything."

True, but there's nothing I can do but wait for the skill to level up.

Or, if you stay active enough, it might help level the skill faster.

"You should know that since you're the main controller of this body, and the soul revolves around you, the more I act, the more tired you'll get. That affects your physical actions too. So I have to consider a lot."

Oh, so that's how it works…

"Unless we can split apart, then I'd be able to move freely."

But how would we split?

"I don't know. Maybe you need some kind of skill? Like [Clone] or something..."

Hmm, let me check…

Oh, it really does exist!

But... 20,000 Skill Points...

"Then let's keep going like this. We'll wait for the third will to show up."

Yeah, you're right.

Now the other issue is—where should I go next…?

The fifth floor has been completely destroyed, so it's not livable. But I'm still not fully confident about descending to the sixth floor either.

"Aren't you already level 18? Maybe you'll evolve at level 20, so just evolve first before going."

That's true. But monsters from the fourth floor upward barely give me any experience now, so I really want to head down to the sixth floor.

I still remember how that one mutated monster boosted me by several levels in one go. It's got me drooling.

"Then just go. Besides, there's another spirit fragment somewhere down there, so you'll have to head that way sooner or later."

Yeah, I guess I will.

Before going, I swept through the fourth floor one more time in hopes of leveling up.

But in the end… I didn't gain a level.

I've been staying here for about ten days since the battle, so I decided not to linger any longer and started heading back to the fifth floor.

What surprised me was that the entire place had already been restored. The grasslands and trees had regrown, just like the first time I arrived. The only difference was that the village was no longer there.

Nai wa!

What the heck is going on?!

"I think this Great Dungeon has a special ability that allows it to restore itself to its original state after a certain period."

No way…

"Otherwise, where do you think all those monsters came from for you to endlessly farm?"

Oh yeah…

I was so focused on leveling up and finding food that I never paid attention to this issue. So it doesn't just respawn monsters—it can even restore the terrain?!

"I think this only applies to 'Strange Floors.' The normal floors probably don't work like that."

How do you know that?

"Sigh… Did you even listen when Mr. Loyral was telling his story?"

I did listen…

Though I was kind of distracted, I definitely heard it!

"If you had, you'd know there was once a battle on the fourth floor between those people and a monster called Cerberus. When we were sweeping through the fourth floor, I happened to notice remnants from that fight."

Oh, so that's what it was.

But this still feels so weird somehow…

How come we're the same person, yet this guy is so smart?

"Because you're a battle maniac who doesn't pay attention to details. Meanwhile, I consider myself someone who likes to observe and analyze everything thoroughly."

Huh? Aren't we supposed to be the same person? Why are we so different?

"I think the skill that created other wills didn't just split them off randomly—each will embodies a specific part of your personality. Like you're someone who loves fighting and adventure. That part grew dominant and overshadowed the rest. So when another will formed, it took on a different trait to balance what you lacked."

Oh… I get it now.

Honestly, ever since I gained a will, I've been feeling more and more into fighting.

I used to see combat as just a means of survival, but now… every time I fight, this strange joy rises from deep inside me.

Nai wa…

Don't tell me I'm really turning into a true battle maniac?!

That doesn't suit a young lady like me at all!

"No one thinks a spider is a young lady."

Stop mocking me! One day, I'll definitely find a way to turn into a human!

"I don't think that's part of spider evolution."

Hmm? But in some movies, animals that cultivate long enough eventually become human, right?!

"You're too deep into fantasy movies."

Fantasy? Please!

I reincarnated as a spider in a magical world—if that can happen, then turning into a human isn't that unbelievable!

I'm sure there's a way!

Anyway, setting aside the human transformation thing, I really didn't expect so many hidden mechanics in these skills. The more I learn, the more I wish [Appraisal] would level up faster so I could see the full details of every skill.

"If I'm not mistaken, the next will is going to have a... rather peculiar personality."

What do you mean by that?

"Well, all of them are just parts of you, so figure it out yourself."

Hey! Be more specific!

But no matter how much I yelled after that, the will refused to say another word.

So annoying!