This is enough to fill my stomach, so I don’t have to worry about starvation for a while.

Whew. Thanks for the meal, I guess.

<Condition satisfied. Acquired title [Kin Eater].>

<Acquired skills [Taboo LV 1] [Heretic Magic LV 1] as a result of title [Kin Eater].>

Uh, what?

It’s the same voice I heard back when I gained the Appraisal skill.

Let’s just call this announcer the “Divine Voice” for now.

So what’s up with this “title” business?

Is this what I think it is? The kind of achievement reward you get after meeting certain conditions?

Probably, but either way, the one I just got is kinda bizarre and disgraceful…

I mean, just the phrase “Kin Eater” sounds terrible!

Other people can’t see this, right? No, I bet they could if their Appraisal skill was high enough.

Ugh…

If someone sees that, they’re gonna judge me so hard.

Although, seeing as I’m a monster and all, they’re bound to dislike me whether or not they can see my title.

But, aside from the unfortunate wording, this is kind of a big deal, isn’t it?

I mean, I even gained two skills at once.

So if you get a title, you can get a skill without using any points. Yeah, this is huge.

I’d assumed there was no way for me to acquire new skills with 0 skill points, so this discovery of other methods is pretty great.

So, my newly acquired skills are Taboo and Heretic Magic.

“Taboo” is a cool-sounding name, but I have no idea what it’ll actually do. I can’t even come up with any wild guesses.

Uh, excuse me, could I get an explanation, please? I can’t use this if I don’t know what effect it has.

Wait… By that logic, I won’t be able to use Heretic Magic, either.

What now? Am I supposed to utter the spell or something? Wait, I’m a spider, so I can’t even say anything…

All I can produce is some kind of…croak? More like a teeth-grinding sound, really…

Well, even if I could talk, it’s not like I know any spells, so I’m out of luck either way.

Just for fun, I try thinking [Heretic Magic] really hard.

………Yeah, nothing’s happening. Can’t use that.

I was excited about the chance to cast some real fantasy magic, aside from the worrying implications of the “Heretic” part, but this sure nips that excitement in the bud.

Maybe it isn’t possible to use magic skills right after getting them?

Is it just because I have no idea how, or do I have to study magic first or something?

I don’t even know the basics, here.

Huh?

I thought I’d struck gold getting these skills and the title, but what’s the point if I can’t use it?

Is Kin Eater totally useless or what?

Ahh, now that I think about it…if all you have to do to get the Kin Eater title is make a meal of your own kind, tons of my spider siblings probably have it, too.

It doesn’t change the fact that humans can easily kill us, then.

In other words, gaining the Kin Eater title had exactly zero effect on my battle capabilities.

So it’s ACTUALLY useless.

I see. No wonder the condition was so easy to meet. So the easier the title is to acquire, the lower its effect, basically.

Still, it’s good I learned about the existence of titles at all.

If I can score a bunch more, maybe I’ll be able to efficiently build up some skills. Maybe I should try a few things to see if I can rack up a couple more.

Although I don’t know what kinds of titles are out there…

And I don’t have any tools or anything, so there’s only so much I can do.

Maybe if I dance for a while, I’ll get a “Dancer” title or something?

Let me try for a second.

Within a few moments, a huge tremor runs through the thread I’m standing on and knocks me flat on my face.

Ouch. That hurt.

I didn’t get a title for my efforts, either. Just a painful new memory. So much for that.

Composing myself, I bring my attention to the still-vibrating thread. The other end is attached to the bottom of the web in the passageway to my left. Something must be caught there. My first prey.

I approach with caution.

When I get close enough to see the web, I notice something stuck in it with eye-searingly bright, rainbow-colored spots.

<Frog>

Okay. This actually is shaped like a frog.

It’s around the same size as me and shining with all the colors of the rainbow, but at least it still resembles a frog.

This is the first time my Appraisal skill assessed a monster other than myself with an acceptable result.

People always say that frog tastes like chicken, so this should be easy enough to eat.

At the very least, it won’t be nearly as awful as eating my sibling.

If I have one complaint, though, it would be that the color of this frog pretty much screams “poisonous.”

I mean, there’s no way something this obnoxiously colored won’t be toxic.

Besides, since I ate earlier, I’m not as hungry as I could be…

What should I do?

But, right as I’m taking it easy and mulling things over, the frog suddenly launches a desperate counterattack!

That’s right, it just spit some super-poisonous-looking liquid right at me!

Crap! Since my guard is totally down, I don’t have any time to dodge, so all I can do is mentally curse as the fluid splatters all over me.

Ngyaaaaah?! Hey, what the—?! Ow, ow!

Poison? Is this poison?! Man, it really hurts where that stuff hit me!

Wha—?!

A second shot?! Wait, seriously?! Gyaah! It got me again!!

Ow, hey! This isn’t funny! Retreat, retreat!

I force my tangled legs to move and somehow manage to get out of the frog’s range.

Wow. That really hurt. Is that what it feels like to have acid dumped over you? I’m not melting, am I?

I’m worried, but of course I don’t have a mirror, so it’s not like I can check.

Damn. This is embarrassing.

Even if it is stuck in a trap, my opponent is still a monster. I shouldn’t have let my guard down.

A cornered rat bites back. Even a frog caught by a snake won’t just roll over and let itself be eaten.

Man, that hurt, but it doesn’t seem like I’m gonna die, at least. The poison mostly just hit my left side and my back.

A little bit must have gotten into my left eye, too, since part of my field of vision is black now.

Hmm? If my eye isn’t working, why is only a small part of my vision missing?

Ah! Maybe I have a lot of eyes, since I’m a spider? That’s probably it. A new discovery!

But I have bigger issues to worry about at the moment. The pain isn’t going away.

<Proficiency has reached the required level. Acquired skill [Acid Resistance LV 1].>

What?

Inexplicably, the pain is now abating. Is it that easy to earn skills without spending skill points?

Huh?

Wait, what’s up with the points I spent to get Appraisal, then?

…Better not think about that too deeply.

Anyway, I’m now the proud owner of an acid-resisting skill. Presumably, this is the result of taking a hit from that frog’s poison attack. Oh, but… It didn’t happen right afterward, so there must have been other conditions.

It said something about proficiency, so maybe the prolonged acid damage is what did it?

Well, I can think about that later.

Thanks to my new resistance, the ache has mostly died down. In its place, rage toward that frog is bubbling up inside me.

That stupid amphibian thought it could pick a fight with me when it was nothing more than a snack?! Unforgivable!

I’ve made up my mind. I don’t care whether it’s poisonous or not. I’m gonna eat it if it’s the last thing I do!

With that decided, it’s time to charge!

As long as I don’t let my guard down, this thing is nothing more than pathetic prey caught in my trap!

The frog spits venom at me three times. Hmph, now that I know it’s coming, dodging is no problem at all!

I avoid the missiles brilliantly, then attack directly.

Eat my ultimate technique! Chomp! Bite down!

Bwa-ha-ha! You think this is just an ordinary bite?! I’m a spider! My fangs are venomous!

Just like when I produced thread before, this information somehow comes to me naturally.

Ha! Suffer and die at the hands of my venom!

But just as I’m thinking that— Splat! Another shot of poison at point-blank range.

Guhh?! Ow, ow, OW! Even with resistance, it still hurts!

And now I’ve even let go!

<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Poison Resistance LV 1] has become [Poison Resistance LV 2].>

Oh, so that’s how it works. Wait, now’s not the time for that!

Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me three times, I’m gonna kill you!

Stupid frog! Now I’ll never forgive you! Not that I had any intention of doing that in the first place, but still! No mercy!

Letting my anger take its course, I bite down a second time. The frog starts writhing in agony.

Bwa-ha-ha! That’s right, suffer! Now that I’m getting into this, I give it a few more chomps for good measure.

The frog struggles for a little while longer, but its movements gradually weaken, and eventually it runs out of strength.

Whew. I finally beat it. Considering how much I struggled with my first prey, my future is looking grim. But still, I did it! Sweet!

Might as well chow down! Munch, munch, munch. Schlurp, schlurp. Mmm…bitter. Ow.

Is the bitterness poison? And the pain is probably acid, I guess? Well, thanks to my resistances, it isn’t too much for me to bear. It isn’t exactly delicious, though.

<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Acid Resistance LV 1] has become [Acid Resistance LV 2].>

Well, the taste may not be to my liking, but the skill increase certainly is.

Besides, this is a special occasion: my first catch in my new home.

Thanks to this fellow, I’m confident my spider thread is strong enough to hold up against monsters.

This level of creature, at least, won’t be able to escape.

Plus, now I know that prey will get caught in the web the way I hoped.

That information makes the whole ordeal worth it.

Thanks a bunch, frog!

I’m still holding a grudge over the acid-spitting thing, though.