Several more System messages flashed across my eyes as I looked down at my arm. Ash was right. Even worse than the green, though, were the bright red lines running through it. That probably meant the venom was deadlier than I’d realized.

  “I’ll be fine, just need to heal up some,” I lied. I had no idea how bad this actually was yet, but I didn’t need her worrying about me. “Come on, let’s get these cocoons opened.” I glanced through the notifications as we went to work.

  __________

  Enemies Defeated

  Funnel Brood Soldier [2 Experience]

  No Further Information Unlocked.

  Funnel Web Weaver [2 Experience]

  The Web Weavers are the weakest of the Funnel Brood. They are not fighters, and will only do so in the most dire circumstances. They instead focus on building the colony. They quickly shore up an area, making it suitable for a stronghold to be established. Once the stronghold is in place, they continue to fortify the location, slowly working to expand the territory.

  Further Information Locked.

  Funnel Broodtank [50 Experience]

  The Broodtank are the largest members of the Funnel Brood. They use their massive form as walls and defensive structures to let the smaller members of the brood strike from cover. While they are much slower due to their bulk, the force of their lumbering strikes can easily make up for it.

  Further Information Locked.

  Funnel Broodling Swarm [50 Experience]

  When first hatched, the Broodlings quickly swarm together as they carpet their surroundings, searching for fresh food. At this stage of their life, they are incredibly weak, but working together, they can slay prey much bigger than any individual could hope to. This same principle applies to their venom. As they grow and develop, they will begin to specialize in different functions.

  Further Information Locked.

  Funnel Blade Dancer [100 Experience]

  The Blade Dancer is one of the elite fighters of the Funnel Brood. They are only one step below the Royal Bodyguards, and are generally always training toward that final step of their advancement. The training starts when one of their legs is mutated, becoming more of a sword than a leg. This will only be the first of many such changes they undergo as they learn to skillfully glide across any battlefield. Their venom, while not any more potent than the others of their kind, is more readily produced, allowing for their blade legs to be coated in it.

  Further Information Locked.

  Stronghold Destroyed

  Rachnia Consortium [500 Experience]

  Title

  Stronghold Smasher

  Rarity

  World

  As the first person on the planet to conquer an enemy’s stronghold, you have shown to be quite capable. Equipping this title will multiply your strength by 2.

  __________

  Surprisingly, despite how many integrations I had participated in, this wasn’t a title I had ever had before. It was likely due to where my focus had lain with each one. I had been there to save the locals and help them as best I could, not crush the other factions, not unless it became necessary.

  Along with that title, I could see several level notifications as well, but I held off checking on those until after we had the people free. It wouldn’t take long, and I wanted them out of their prisons in case we had to make a quick escape. We had no idea where the queen was, and some of the spiders who had retreated were sure to alert her.

  My left arm was of no help, as we tore into the webbing. Altogether, we found seven of them with people inside. And another dozen that were missing a cap, just waiting for someone new to be placed within. The fact that was almost Ash’s fate reassured me I had made the right decision.

  Five of the people we pulled free were Rock Trolls, and judging from the kids’ yells of joy, their parents were among them. The other two were Humans. None of them were doing great. Hopefully, the spiders hadn’t been doing anything similar to what their Earth counterparts did to their prey.

  “None of these people look remotely healthy enough to travel, and we can’t stay here. Any ideas what those cocoons were doing to their bodies?” I asked, looking to Ralph for answers. If I didn’t have them, he was the only one who might.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “No, I agree. It’s probably going to be a couple of days before they are either. And even then, I question if it’s a good idea. That venom was doing some nasty work inside of them,” Ralph answered.

  “But they’re going to be okay, right?” the kid said.

  “Yes, as long as we can keep them safe, and get some liquids into them.” Ralph’s words came with a gentle reassurance.

  “Everyone, grab any broken branches you can find. We can't stay here with these people. We're going to have to move them back to the houses,” I said as I looked around the remains of the battle. It was just far too dangerous to stay here trying to guard them for days, if that was how long it would take them to wake up.

  Plus, considering how many levels I had gained, that meant Ash had progressed as well. We needed to discuss and go through all of that. It had been a surprisingly fruitful day of monster hunting. I certainly hadn't expected to take down a stronghold during it.

  "Yeah, Adam probably has the right idea. We shouldn't hang out here longer than we need to. Lukiss, why don't you collect some of that leftover spider web? We'll need it to tie these branches together to make sleds,” Ralph added.

  So his name was Lukiss, was it? I wasn't the best with names, but I made a mental note to remember that. I couldn't just call him ‘kid’ forever.

  “I think I got something weird after that last big fight when the stronghold was cleared,” Ash whispered quietly into my ear while we were working.

  “How weird is weird? What exactly did the System message say?” I asked in return, raising an eyebrow curiously.

  “It said that I got a title, but the title was hidden until I had reached a sufficient level to reveal it.”

  That was new. I didn't think you could have a delayed title. Generally, when the system told you you received something, you received it then, unless it was literally tied to some sort of quest it gave you.

  “Ralph, can you come here for a second?” I called to the man.

  “We'll get you back to working on these sleds if I do? My body isn't as young as it used to be, you know,” he replied.

  “Uh-huh, because your strength isn't far higher than mine at this point,” I replied sarcastically. “But to the point, can you get a title that is hidden and delayed until you're powerful enough for it?”

  “Not that I've ever heard of. I won't say it's not possible because within the system, who knows what can happen? But that would also mean it's exceedingly rare. Why? Did you get one?” he asked, giving me a once-over, then stopping and turning his head to Ash. “Well, that's more interesting. It was you, was it, Ash?”

  She nodded her head in confirmation.

  “Are you able to see what our titles are just by looking at us?” I didn't like the thought of that if he could. I understood he was an observer, but I didn't think they could just see our entire system profile.

  “No, I can't actually see it, but I can detect certain mana signatures. Different abilities give off different ones, and that title is tied to something I've never actually seen before. Fascinating. Well, I think this proves I made the correct call in joining you all,” he replied, before giving us another one of his giant kooky smiles.

  “Is it similar at all to anything you have seen before?” I asked, concerned. Total unknowns, when it came to the System, were rarely a good thing. Even if it meant more power for Ash, it still meant another new thing we would have to learn to handle.

  “Yes, but you probably won't like that answer, and I think we should discuss that more in private.” He shrugged casually as he said this, but the tone of his voice sounded entirely serious.

  “Fine,” I said, relenting. We needed to get back to work on the sleds anyway. I had no idea how long until any of the spiders found their queen, and I really didn't want to fight her with only one good arm.

  That annoying fact made it slow going to put all of the materials together. It also meant that multiple sleds would be a problem. And since Ash wouldn’t be able to pull a sled, that meant we could only realistically use two: one pulled by me, and another pulled by Floof.

  While Ralph could probably pull one with ease, I doubted the man was willing to go that far in helping us. So far, he had stuck to sneaking in little bits of knowledge, and while those had been very useful, I didn't want to push him, at least, not until I had to. One day, though, we were going to have a conversation on just how far those observer rules extended.

  The spider webbing worked surprisingly well to attach all the tree branches together. It worked less well as a means of pulling them, as everything it made contact with, it stuck to pretty strongly. At least that meant I wouldn't drop it, but it also likely meant we were going to have to cut it free from Floof's fur once we were back.

  I had Ash ride on one of the sleds as well. And while I told her it was so we could move faster on the way back, in truth, it was just because I wanted her to conserve her strength. She had been through a lot with that fight, and even if she was recovering from it, I still wanted her to be as strong as possible.

  Walking close to me for a moment, Ralph leaned in and whispered quietly in my ear. “The only other time I've seen mana signatures like this were from godly sources.”

  I clenched my jaw, biting down on any reply I could have given. He was right. This was something that was much better discussed inside, away from prying ears. Dealing with gods was never something I enjoyed doing.

  Any sort of power they offered always came with strings.

  The day of the auction had finally arrived for the brothers as they both sat around the remnants of a fire from the night before while the sun slowly rose. The fact that they still hadn't found any other survivors, plus that strange orb, had made their desire to go even stronger.

  “I think we have to go,” Alecks said, looking at his brother.

  Adam just nodded in return. He had already come to that conclusion, but had been waiting for Alecks to make his own decision on the matter. His urge to go had been so strong that he might have gone, even if Alecks had decided not to, despite how much the idea of being alone with how dangerous the world had become, was a thought that deeply unsettled him.

  “What do we do if we meet any of the survivors from the village?” Adam asked, looking at his brother with unsure eyes.

  “Probably just tell them the truth. They have to be pretty aware of how horrible everything has been. I just hope Ulrun is there,” he replied.

  “Me too, but I also hope we can find someone who knows what this stone is. I mean, it's still glowing,” Adam added.

  “Honestly, I hope we can find someone who can tell us everything that's happening to us. I'm tired of this unending mystery and the terror that comes with it,” Alecks said. It was rare for him to open up like this. It made Adam worried there was something else on his mind.

  Memories of Adam Miller before he found Earth