(Damn it, even though I'm much stronger than my old self, that guy could kill me before I even realized it) Klaus thought as he walked into the guild hall.
Walking up to the front desk, the young woman from before came out from the back, this time holding a small card.
"Here you are, Klaus, congratulations on becoming a D-rank adventurer. Because of that, you can take quest one above you and two above you if you are in a party that meets the right requirements." Amilia explained as he handed Klaus a card.
"Thank you. I would also like to sell monster parts. Is that possible?" Klaus asked
"Yes, you can sell them here," Amilia replied
"Thats good, also could you recommend me to a weapons shop?"
After getting some directions from Amilia, Klaus left the adventurers' guild and made his way to the blacksmith.
Reaching a small smithy, Klaus opened the door and walked inside to find an older man, perhaps in his fifties, striking steel.
"What can I do for you?" the man asked without turning around
"I would like to commission weapons from you," Klaus replied
"A comission havn't had one in a while, alright, what are you looking for?" the man asked as he soasked the hot steel in water
"String, an item that can hold miles of very thin abut strong string, second is needles around 200 long and very thin, the last one is a dagger," Klaus said
"Hmm...this is the first time someone has ever asked for something that strange," the man said as he turned around to face Klaus
"Is it not possible?" Klaus asked
"No, I can, but I don't have the webbing or string to make that first item since no one has ever asked for something like that. I can make the needles and dagger, but you need to bring the webbing. I recommend the venom weaver webbing at least."
"Don't worry, I will provide the webbing and the metal I want the weapons made from. I just wish to know how much it will cost," Klaus replied
"Well...given the speciality of it and the three completely different weapons, I can do it for 2 gold," the man replied after a moment
"Alright, thank you. I will return soon," Klaus said as he walked out of the store
(Two gold...that won't be easy to get, but with my storage and dismalte funtions I can sell all parts of the monster without having to make multiple trips) Klaus thought as he began walking towards the tailor shop given to him earlier.
Walking inside, Klaus did not waste any time, purchasing a few pairs of shirts and pants, along with a jacket for three silver coins.
Getting changed and palcing the rest in his inventory, Klaus made his way towards the town entrance, and this time moving towards some woods known for housing dozens of spiders.
[Are you so about your weapon choice?] Echo asked after being silent all day
"Yes, since I have never trained with a sword or any other weapon, I chose a string as a way to contain enemies. The darts will be coated in poison, then the dagger, if it comes to it," Klaus replied.
Walking down the dirt path leading out of Eldermire, Klaus kept his eyes forward as the sounds of the town slowly faded behind him. The wooden gate guards gave him a quick glance but said nothing as he passed through.
Soon enough, the stone road turned into a narrow trail surrounded by tall grass and scattered trees. The deeper he walked, the thicker the forest became.
The air felt cooler here.
The sounds of birds slowly faded, replaced by the distant rustling of leaves and the occasional snapping of twigs beneath his boots.
Klaus kept a steady pace.
"So, Echo, how strong are these venom weavers?" Klaus asked.
[Venom Weavers typically range between Level 20 and Level 30.]
[They are considered mid-tier monsters for new adventurers.]
[Their webs are extremely durable and possess mild magical conductivity.]
"I see… that explains why the blacksmith mentioned them," Klaus muttered.
Continuing forward, Klaus walked deeper into the woods as the sunlight slowly dimmed beneath the thick canopy overhead.
A faint smell began to linger in the air.
Something damp.
Something rotten.
Stopping for a moment, Klaus crouched down and looked at the ground.
Large tracks.
Not wolf tracks.
Eight-pointed marks pressed into the soil.
"So this is their territory," Klaus said quietly.
Standing back up, Klaus coated his body lightly in mana before continuing forward.
The trees began to thin out as the forest floor slowly changed from grass to hardened dirt and scattered stone.
The air grew still.
Too still.
Even the insects had gone quiet.
Klaus stopped again as something caught his eye.
A strand of silk stretched between two trees.
Thin.
Almost invisible.
Walking closer, Klaus reached out carefully and touched the thread.
The moment his fingers brushed it, the thread trembled slightly.
[Host.]
[You have entered a web detection line.]
"Yeah… I figured," Klaus replied quietly.
Looking around, Klaus now noticed them everywhere.
Thin strands of webbing stretched between branches, rocks, and tree trunks.
Some were broken.
Some were freshly spun.
And all of them pointed in one direction.
Forward.
Following the direction of the web lines, Klaus slowly moved deeper into the forest until the ground began to slope downward.
Soon, the trees gave way to a rocky hillside.
At the base of the hill was a large dark opening.
A cave.
Thick layers of webbing stretched across the entrance like curtains, gently swaying in the wind.
Several old bones were scattered near the entrance.
Deer.
Small animals.
And what looked disturbingly like pieces of armor.
Klaus stopped a few meters away from the cave entrance.
"So this must be it…" he said quietly.
The spider cave.
A faint scratching sound echoed from somewhere deep inside the darkness.
Klaus slowly exhaled.
His eyes narrowed as he stared into the cave.
"Alright… let's see how strong these venom weavers really are."
He stepped forward, stopping just before the thick webbing at the entrance.
The cave before him was dark.
Silent.
Waiting.
And somewhere inside, something moved.