The torches the others had were still lit, King then bent over and stuck his into the ground, Claire followed him and placed hers down as well and readied her rapier. Angela had already dropped hers and it was beginning to flicker as it was about to sniff out.

  Lance pulled out the hatchet. He had deliberately left behind his shield bracelet in hopes that he would seem rather plain. His demeanor betrayed that, which was hard for him to hide. He wished then that he'd just have a second set of gear for queuing without friends. He kept his knife on his hip and just readied himself. King pulled his warhammer off of his back. The pair stood in front of the ladies a good distance away from one another. Lance looked back and then threw his hand up and began a countdown. At the end of it he took a deep breath and yelled into the cave.

  A few moments passed and everyone stood in silence as Lance's yell echoed into the cave. The silence had an eerie calm to it and then Lance began to see the glint of eyes in the shadows moving. Lance activated his Discern Ingredients, he noticed from where he stood a wall of red which created a sense of little depth. The red moved in some areas but as for finding any specific targets it was of no use. The group began to hear skittering and the sounds of stones turning over or falling. Claire and Angela began to look left and right slowly stepping closer to one another. Lance tried to pinpoint the sounds but the volume began to grow, it started slow but now it was certain.

  " They're surrounding us!" Lance yelled out.

  " Chiten - Armor"

  Lance looked over at the elder male gentleman who activated a skill. A moment afterwards a swarm of small beetles seemed to crawl out of his clothes and cover every inch of his skin. After a few seconds he was clad in a complete sheen black suit of beetle like armor. His head grew a set of horns on both sides that stuck out like antlers and two beetles flew from his chest up to his cheeks and spread their wings over his eyes. Lance watched the man's transformation with a child like glee. " Sooo cool! He's like a Beetle Ranger"

  King looked over at him and then called out to everyone. " Back to back, Ladies, Please watch above!" The women and Lance all looked up and they saw a few sets of shimmering eyes stare down at them. Lance pulled the snuffed torch from the side of his boot. The baton stick sized torch quickly became lit by the one at their feet. Lance threw the stick up in the air catching it when it came back down.However as it neared the ceiling they all saw the spiders that had clung above. Just above them were at least five spiders the size of basketballs with legs that were long and stretched out clinging to a webbing. A few of them began to slide down on webs they began to spin.

  As they descended, spiders began to swarm from the sides, the quick skitters on the stone and the hissing all became one large swarm of sounds coming from all directions. Angela threw out a yo-yo in front of her only for it to bounce off the side of a spider coming backwards in a slow roll towards her. The yoyo now needed to be rewound. She quickly began to wrap it back up. Claire held her Rapier out waving it between targets to keep them at bay. The spiders came closer, barely in the torch light, but coming closer seemed difficult to them. Lance waved out the torch in front of him, the spiders in front of him hissed and backed away.

  " They don't like the fire, Stay in the torchlight" Lance yelled out, a moment later the sound of wind being broken and a splatter of juice sprayed above the heads of the group. King swung his warhammer bursting a spider like a balloon. As the spider's guts hit the ground the rest of the spiders began to stir into a frenzy jumping and spraying web at the ground around the group. Lance stepped forward and began to chop overhand at the spiders, Angela had nearly become neutered, her yoyo skills were poor and she had already had to try and wind her yoyo a few times. Claire started to wave around her rapier wildly, essentially slapping the spiders. Fortunately for her the legs of the creatures were rather thin and she accidentally cut quite a few off. Angela picked up her torch which had gone out and lit it again on the torch in the ground. She quickly became a bystander.

  King grew pretty brazen; He rushed forward with Lance but didn't stop at the edge of the light. He swung his hammer low and heavy, killing a few with each swing. There were a few that grabbed a hold of his legs and tried to bite down, only it seemed they couldn't break his armor open. He kicked his legs out sending them flying before proceeding to cleave into a few more. Eventually most of the spiders began to attack him because he was out of the torch light's lit center. Lance chopped downward over and over but didn't get too far out, without a shirt he felt very vulnerable.

  After a few minutes of attrition eventually the swarm of spiders were killed, the few that remained began to flee, jumping over and into the more rocky sections or climbing up and away into the cave. The girls were all pretty heavily panting. King came back to the group, covered in a green blood with bits of spider flesh covering him. A second later he dismissed his armor which began to return into his robes. Some of the bugs that had been held in place by others had fallen to the floor dead. He then placed his sledgehammer on his back. Lance looked at the old man. He was shorter than Lance, probably around six foot tall but he was brawny and had scruffy facial hair with a salt and pepper color to it. Angela and Claire both looked at the old man happily and bowed. Lance just put out his hand for a fist bump. They bumped fists and then the old man spoke.

  " I'm an Entomancer. What are your classes?"

  Lance's eyes opened wide " I'm a Scarecrow class." King looked at him a grumbled a deep "Hmm"

  " Fencer! "

  " String Artist.."

  King nodded with each reply. Lance began to search over the corpses of the spiders for materials and then King spoke out. " It's not in the guts it's in their fangs"

  Lance looked up at him confused, he then opened the mouth of the closet spider corpse. After yanking out a large fang he looked closer. Sure enough there was a small gem inside of the fangs, about the size of a few week grown long finger nail that curved into the fang. Lance squinted in confusion. " Interesting. Have you fought them before? " Lance asked as he went around and began to harvest them. Looking around Lance noticed that while he had only killed around 7, while King had easily killed over ten. The girls stood in front of a pile of no more than five but the severed legs easily made it confusing to count.

  King also went around grabbing the entire faces off the spider's carcasses. He plucked the fangs and threw them away. Most of his kills were left in a splattered state. The girls stood around watching and then Lance came over to help them. After everyone harvested their gems Lance began to look closer at the corpses for ingredients. Upon closer inspection he noticed that these spiders were of the same kind he used in his dishes. He looked around and gathered a bunch of web and wrapped it around his now unlit torch like a giant ball of cotton candy. He noticed that the legs and eyes of the spiders were the more vibrant colored materials, but the blood of them all shimmered a violent purple.

  Lance gathered a bunch of the parts into a pile and then holding the gems in his hand he checked to see what it's worth was.

  Dull Experience gem Fragment 1/4

  He smiled they weren't hard to kill realistically but he had an idea. " I'll make a deal with you guys. I can give us dark vision so we don't have to use these torches, if you give me your small spider gems."

  King and the girls all looked at Lance surprised.

  " How would you do that? And do you mean all of my gems? " King asked, clutching far more than the rest of the group had.

  The ladies both seemed to just pause and listen. " Yes, all of these spider gems. The other thing you're paying for is the understanding. I know it is unfair to ask for generosity, but think of it as buying a meal for the ladies as well, and feast on the knowledge."

  King raised his brow and looked over at the girls. " Hmmm... Alright I'll bite." He stepped forwards and handed over the gems then Claire then did the same. Lance looked at his hand now full with approximately 5 gems worth of experience. He did well to hide his emotions.

  " Okay help me find a green grass like herb here. It looks like a weed and is usually around places that are wet, we also need to find a sponge like moss, it should be near a pond somewhere here. Once we have those we can make something to eat."

  Angela grew rosy cheeks. " No way. I am not eating moss, weeds, or spider's. You are crazy" Claire nodded in unison " Yea seriously give my gems back."

  Lance clenched his fist tight around the gems. " No, like I said you're paying for the knowledge as well, I don't care if you don't want to eat."

  Claire was about to start arguing with him when King put his hand out in front of her.

  " Let's be patient. Don't worry he can't leave with the gem's, and if he's wrong I'm sure he wouldn't be brazen enough to try and fool us with a... strange meal. Okay let's find this moss and weeds."

  Claire looked at King and although she was still against it she agreed afterwards the group began to look around. Lance knew that if they continued along the main path they would eventually reach the pond area. Lance laid out his cooking materials across a sheet of webbing and then rolled it up like a carpet. It held barely. After a few minutes of not finding really anything the group pushed on keeping their eyes open along the way. After a while keeping a normal pace the group ended up finding a few of the weeds. Lance's mouth salivated. The spice of the cave weeds filled him with excitement.

  Soon after walking for close to a half hour the group was down to their second to last torch. One that Angela had put out earlier. The other was Lance's large cotton candy stick of webbing. They quickly pushed on until they came upon a small pond where Lance immediately tensed up. He dropped the web roll of spider parts and then drew his axe. Everyone else followed in his footsteps. King activated his Chiten Armor skill and became the dark beetle armored fellow once again. Looking at him closer Lance noticed that the armor was made of small clicking beetles that interlocked with one another. It gave him an idea. Claire and Angela also pulled out their weapons however this time Claire held the torch in her second hand, freeing Angela to rewind her yoyo if necessary.

  King looked over at Lance noticing the pond that he had mentioned earlier. " Hey kid. How many times have you done this level?"

  " This is my third. There's usually a sort of mini boss here. And it seems there's always a pond. It's similar."

  King shook his head at the girls. In a gentle way it meant that he believed Lance, Claire nodded back as if to acknowledge King.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Lance looked around the pond. The more he stared and tried to find the target for combat, he couldn't. Nothing seemed to be here. He took a mental note trying to decipher the difference of enemies and how the difficulty with a group of Hard mode players would affect the dungeon. After a moment he had an epiphany. He looked over at the group and then put away his hatchet. He stepped forward to the pond's edge the whole while looking around. He bent over and scraped some moss off of a stone spire at its edge. He gave it a sniff and then waved everyone over.

  " Come on, it's safe."

  Lance had realized a critical piece of information. As far as he could tell everyone other than he and Rob had entered the level with basic gear. When Lance and Reilly joined with the siblings, they had a lot of gear on them, increasing their possibilities. Not only that but Lance and Reilly had leveled up. Reilly to level three, Lance still at level two, barely. Lance couldn't tell if the ornate looking warhammer was a drop or perhaps just associated with his class, either way the demeanor of the old man and the fact that he pointed out that there were spiders ahead proved he had done this before. Lance surmised that the group's gear and level came into account in conjunction to the difficulty they played on. Normally a swarm of spiders amounting above twenty would overwhelm any group. Lance didn't have a way to deal AOE style damage, and who knew the actual skills of the rest of the teammates. However, King had the ability to fight them unscathed, allowing the team to pick spiders off slowly, while using their weakness of fire against them. His abilities mattered as well. Making everything come to a head. The level's difficulty came from a combination of factors, but it focused on one specific aspect. Teamwork. It seemed that going into a level with a team, capable of cohesive teamwork via class skills, capabilities, gear, and level of its members, created the therein scope of hardships. In a way going into a level blindly to fight was risky because some factors would be skewed based on what you're capable of. " Does that mean I have to be friends with every random but strong person I meet? It would screw things if they are just some asshole or self-centered to the point where I wouldn't give a rats ass about them. The game is asking so much of everyone. What about those who are sinister? Doesn't this play people into their hands?" Lance's mind raced a bit as he gathered the moss. He looked around and found the pond mushrooms as well.

  " Sack, how do you know it's safe?" King said as he approached, still clad in beetles.

  " It's because the pond is still. Look, this water is stagnant. There's no sign of life." Lance pointed at the wall where a crack was. The same crack in the wall had been here each time just in different locations around the pond, but each of them flowed loudly enough to hinder the hearing of any group that would approach. On top of that no fish were in the pond. No footprints at the water's edge. No webbing above, no bat droppings. This area was void of any cave life Lance had encountered. Even a troll couldn't hide behind any rocks nearby. All of those things Lance looked for, and with his new ideas of the party make up there wasn't much else the level could throw at them that he knew of. This was still level one after all, Lance reminded himself of that.

  "Interesting deduction. Well. Then how about we take a quick rest. Show us the meal." King recalled his bugs back into his clothing. The girls stepped forward and sat down at the water's edge. Everyone sat down as Lance went and grabbed his webbing roll and webbed torch.

  Lance grabbed a few handfuls of the webbing and flipped it in the dirt until it became a sheet of sand. Once it was sufficiently covered on the surfaces Lance began to shape it into a large bowl. He then took a section of it and rolled it flat and attached it to one side. He picked up his child's 'dough' like creation and approached a stone spire. Holding it against the stone he tried something he had thought about earlier when doing his homework.

  " Enstone!"

  The rock of the spire cracked, small pieces of the stone began to tumble end over end coating the entire surface of the sand web sheets shaped form. The cracking continued for a while as the stones clung like magnets to the object rolling end over end until it was completely covered. A moment later the crack began to smooth as if the broken pieces of stone came together like a perfect puzzle. Lance received a notification.

  " Item Created - Stone Pan"

  "Stone Pan"

  Created by: Sammich

  Shame Tier

  One time use

  Description: Created through the intricate weaving of spider silk and stone.

  Value: N/A

  " Achievement unlocked - Craftsmanship -

  Create your first crafted item. -

  Reward : +1 stat point available.

  " Holy shit yes! It worked!!" Lance yelled in his head in excitement, trying to keep calm on the surface. While doing his homework he came across a section about ancient civilizations and their earliest crafts and technology. Similar to what Lance did they would take pieces of clay and mold them in straw and then fire the materials to create simple objects like plates and pans. Lance thought about making some things and although his first attempt was crude it seemed to work. He walked back to the group and placed his pan down. He threw in the spider eyes and cracked open some of the legs for a bit of meat. Lance went and washed the cooking ingredients and his knife in the pond. Tossing it all in together he then chopped it up finely. The scent of it all began to combine and the fine mincing made it all the more aromatic.

  King and the girls could smell the hint of spice. The girls had a rather scrunched in disgust look on their face. From what they could tell Lance seemed to be a kid playing with bugs, dirt, moss and fungus. They couldn't deny that somehow the food looked rather decent, and smelled good considering the ingredients. After tossing the ingredients around a bit Lance finally had a large mound of Cave Spider Salad. “Cook.” he whispered

  Cave Spider Salad

  Grade: Novice Chef

  +2 Health + 2 Hours of Dark Vision

  Description: A crunchy and hearty spider bite filled salad with the sprinkle of Cave Weed spice. The natural juices of the moss and spider eyes combine to create an aromatic brine, accompanied by the Pond film Mushroom's that give a nutty undertone, the combination creates a wet coating of dressing over the salad perfect to a cave dweller's taste.

  Value: 1 Dull Exp gem

  Before anyone else could say otherwise Lance grabbed a nice handful and began to eat. The three of them watched him eat it. The ladies could see in the torchlight Lance shoved a mouthful of spider bits Angela gagged. Claire turned a bit green and when Lance bit into an eye and the juices sprayed out she began to dry heave next to the group. The ladies stood up and looked away grumbling obscenities under their gagging. King looked at Lance who just kept eating, seemingly happy to do so. After believing that it at least served a purpose he grabbed a small pinch between his fingers and gave it a chance. For a moment the texture and the image in his head threw him for a loop. Then the flavor came through and he opened his eyes and looked at Lance. He began to chew more vigorously and gave Lance a thumbs up. All King could think was "Damn. That's good"

  The girls eventually stopped gagging while Lance and King ate. Lance let out a loud burp and then sat back and stretched. He could certainly eat more but he took it upon himself to invite the girls to eat their portions.

  " You guys gonna eat or what? That torch is getting low." He said pointing to the torch next to the group.

  " Uhm I think Claire and I are gonna pass. Sorry we're not that desperate." Angela said avoiding looking at them and the food.

  " I promise ladies. This is actually some of the best salad I have ever had. Remember the fruit tree, this doesn't taste like it looks." King said, reaching behind him to rinse his finger tips. " I've yet to see any effects but it's amazing."

  The girls both looked at him. Something about the way he has carried himself earned their respect. Perhaps it was his age, he seemed wise. He was a fit older man, probably mid forties, many would believe him to be a very attractive person. They looked at him inquisitively, puzzled that he would agree with Lance on the food. King then made a suggestion that pushed them further into temptation.

  " Why don't we put out the torch. You can eat without looking at it. I believe you are in for a surprise. And we can wait for the effects in the darkness." He then looked at Lance and gave him a wink. Lance nodded in agreement.

  The two ladies looked at one another and sighed. The torch was getting low, and unless they wanted to get off the game they would have to continue in the darkness, Lance was the bearer of the last torch. Hesitantly they paused and then rolled the torch in the dirt. After a few seconds of silence the girls grabbed a small pinch of the salad and pinched their noses. They then put a bite in their mouth and for a second they held it there waiting for the foulness to permeate their mouth. Soon after all they could taste was the hot mustard like spice of the weed followed by the nutty mushroom flavor. Then the spider meat and moss combined into a wondercrunch of umami. Their mouths began to salivate and they swallowed. They both began to dig in unhindered, forgetting their complexes. King and Lance were now both done eating. They looked on at the girls who had begun to eat ravenously. Lance wanted to laugh very hard but held back. King watched on with raised brows. The seemingly princess-like valley girls turned into hungry hogs stuffing their cheeks and coating their faces in salad "dressing".

  As the last bit of food was clawed from the pan the ladies' eyes began to adjust and then they looked at one another and at the guys. By this point Lance couldn't hold back laughter, King chuckled a bit as well. The ladies looked at one another and grew bashfully aware of their appearance. Neither of them wanted to think back to what they ate but looking at the results they were both happy.

  " Well I'm glad you ended up trying it, I hope my food made you happy. It's hard to imagine raw ingredients can be this good right?" Lance said, standing up. He looked at his timer noticing it had been about two hours. They had made amazing progress considering. By him pushing the group to move without fear of the darkness, being out front, he shaved off a good portion of time. The next bit was the struggle. Just like his previous attempts there was a wall to climb to reach the first checkpoint. He truly wanted to use this attempt to clear the dungeon, and as much as he wanted to look at the group's current situation, Angela was the weakest link. She had zero grasp on how to use her yoyo and he hadn't seen her use any skills. Claire either for that matter.

  The two ladies both looked at him waving their hands in his face. He didn't realize he completely disregarded their response and fell into thought.

  " We saaaid thank you? Hello? Sack?" Claire said, bending down into his gaze.

  " Oh sorry I spaced out my bad haha. Well Ahem* Hey how come you guys haven't used any skills? "

  They looked at each other and then to the two gentlemen.

  " I don't know how. " They said in unison.

  Lance palmed his forehead. " Okay. So look at your class menu, read them and then activate them when you think it would work. Simply say the ability. Also have you guys talked to your.. Space keeper? They can help you learn. Just conversate with them, ask lots of questions." Lance coughed coarsely. He felt the strings of the cursed sack on his head tighten. He bent over and then fell to his knees next to the water. He started scooping water into his mouth quickly to try and swallow.

  King and the girls looked at him in confusion. King patted Lance's back who then waved his hand like he was good. King paused but then continued to explain how to use their menu to the girls. After the water calmed Lance stared into his reflection. His sack face had pulled tighter, his eye glowing a bit more bright and the torn mouth portion was sharp with fangs.

  The sac on his head deafened his surroundings. He saw himself as pure terror, dark eyes with red pupils glowing. His mouth in jagged ripples of burlap. His ears began to ring and he put his hands to his head.

  " ack.. Sack!... SACk!" Lance was pulled from a huddled position by the water by King. Now looking at him his hearing came back fully. " Are you okay kid? Maybe you ought to log off?"

  " What? What happened?" Lance asked looking at everyone.

  " You have been huddled by the waters edge for a few minutes now. Mumbling.." King said, standing up. " Well if you're not getting off let's get moving."

  Everyone began to move towards the rock wall. Angela standing up last was a few paces behind. From her perspective Lance was staring at her as they began to walk. As they got further it became to the point that his head seemed unnaturally backwards on his torso. She wanted to scream but felt it hard to speak, Claire and King were talking while pointing to the wall in front of them. Staring at everyone from behind she quickly logged off.

  At that same moment everyone got a notification. “Dammit” Lance said as he turned around.

  " Player has left - You may leave the instance without penalty."