Grand Voyage : Surviving on a Ghost Ship

The cave had a big main road and many side paths that stemmed from it — one of which Yang Yi was prepared to venture into.

The paths were usually narrower, only one or two metres wide, and some went high up.

If danger arose inside, it was best to retreat.

He proceeded along the main road, walking about a kilometre, when the terrain began to change.

The ground was covered with a layer of cobwebs, dry and not sticky, like a carpet.

The space around him was surprisingly large, with a width of several metres, and he understood why the spiders had dug such big holes.

It was very dark, so he had to rely on the faint glow emitted by the mushrooms up above him, which made it difficult to see far.

Yang Yi continued to move onwards.

What he was in the dark about was that right when his right foot stepped on the ground covered with spider silk, the movements travelled along the silk deep into the cave.

There lay a great big spider, twice the size of a giant one, with its head connected to its body.

But unlike other giant spiders, its shrivelled head was tilted to a side and filled with blood and flesh, its skin a sheen reddish-grey.

Its limbs connected to the sides of the torso, not quite symmetrical to each other; the hands and feet were of varying lengths and didn't match the body, adding to the eerieness.

After sensing the movements transmitted through the web, the eyelids of its head trembled ever so slightly...

With no living spiders in sight, the more Yang Yi walked, the more his vigilance lessened. 

While he hadn't found a single living creature within the cave, he did manage to collect eight samples of giant spider tissue, bringing the total to 9.

The Nightmare Star could reach level 3. 

Suddenly, Yang Yi became tense, reaching for his gun and aiming it ahead.

A great spider appeared before him, larger than any other spider he had seen. Its body was covered in a mass of red fur, with thorns like barbs on its exoskeleton and legs!

It started exerting great pressure on Yang Yi.

【Seeing this living creature, your sanity decreases by 10】

If his intuition served him right, the spider was the "mother" of all other spiders. 

It wasn't rotting, and perhaps it hadn't been dead for long, but the possibility of it merely pretending to be so rang clearly in Yang Yi’s mind. 

He decided to shoot her. 

He initially wanted to shoot its head; however, he changed his mind.

The research value of the carcass was high; if he were to damage it too much, Suna wouldn't let him hear the end of it. 

He reckoned it would be enough to verify its state by breaking its legs.

Even if it were alive, so what! With its legs broken, it wouldn't pose much of a threat to him anyway. 

One powerful shot and it would be dead for real. 

Yang Yi aimed at the spider’s leg.

Bang!

The gunshot echoed in the cave.

The leg of the great spider snapped clean off at the root, oozing thick, dark red fluid.

“Is it really dead?”

Yang Yi stood still for a moment before firing another shot, breaking two of its legs.

The spider still didn't move.

At that point, Yang Yi cautiously approached, bringing the gun close to the spider and kicking away its severed limbs before daring to inspect its attributes.

【Name: Silk Spider Queen (Evolved)】

【Description: The queen of the silk spiders, responsible for laying eggs and continuing the lineage, possesses considerable intelligence, and is the leader of the group.】

“Evolved...” Yang Yi looked at the body of the spider queen.

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He took a photo for his journal and sent it to Suna.

“Do you want this creepy spider? If you do, I’ll take it to the vending machine!” Yang Yi asked.

Moments later, he received a reply from Suna.

“I want it! I’ve already dissected the Gluttonous Giant; the only valuable part was its stomach. I’ll be using its stomach fluid to make a potion for you to try; I guarantee it will whet your appetite!”

“Uh...no need to worry. Do you want to try making something else?” Yang Yi swallowed.

“I’ll come over now; send me your coordinates!” Yang Yi glanced at the crystal ball, confirming there were no other players nearby before replying, “I’m in the nest right now. I’ll send you the entrance coordinates, and you can come in along the main road. All the spiders are dead, but you still need to be careful. If you find a living one, notify me immediately!”

After giving his instructions, Yang Yi sent the coordinates.

Out of the blue, he felt an unusual sensation by his feet: something was crawling towards him.

Yang Yi immediately became alert and looked down.

There was a fist-sized silk spider, its body still glistening with slime, as if it had just hatched from its shell.

Yang Yi flicked it away and stepped on it without mercy.

He hated having spiders crawl on him, with all those eyes and legs...he just couldn’t stand it.

More little spiders crawled to him from the front, each of the same size, and met with the same fate of being crushed.

The eyelids of the spider queen moved again; the light was dim, and the movement was subtle so Yang Yi didn’t notice.

Yang Yi continued walking forwards until he came out from a hole, and most of his vision was suddenly taken over by a row of glowing red eggs, illuminating the entire space.

The little spiders had probably hatched and crawled out of there.

However, Yang Yi’s attention wasn’t on the spider eggs; instead, it was attracted by a pile of stones in front of him.

Each stone was enormous, with the largest boulder being over a hundred metres long. They were all seemingly piled up naturally, but upon closer inspection, new discoveries were made.

Eight long stones propped against an oval boulder, resembling a spider’s body and its eight legs, were all covered with dry vines and weeds, like the hairs on a spider’s body.

Once the idea took hold, the resemblance became uncanny.

Yang Yi couldn’t help but be drawn in by the sight, observing closely and making new discoveries.

At the front of the oval boulder stood a stone formation.

It bore no signs of being carved; it seemed to have been shaped by natural erosion, and the more he looked at it, the more it resembled a female figure, complete with arms and legs, sitting on the stone.

Yang Yi immediately lowered his head, his cheeks tingling and cold sweat forming; he didn’t dare to look again.

【You have discovered a mysterious statue, sanity -20】

At the same time, whispering began to fill his ears, like a soft murmur, vague yet understandable.

That...

“Offer... your...”

Yang Yi’s brain felt as if it had been pierced by silver needles, the pain penetrating deep into his marrow.

Tears started swelling up uncontrollably.

At that moment, an activity log notification popped up, projecting onto Yang Yi’s retina.

【Oath Pre-Mission Triggered: Please offer your loyalty to the Mother of Ten-Limbed Spiders】

【1. Offer one-third of your flesh; the Spider’s Kiss will stitch your wounds and reconstruct your body...】

【2. Offer the flesh of your kindred; lure them to the island, and the Spider’s Kiss will grant you power...】

【3. ...】

【This is a pre-mission. Upon completion, you will become a follower of the Mother of Ten-Limbed Spiders. You may formally establish an oath at a specific sea and undergo metamorphosis, gaining extraordinary power...】

“Extraordinary power...metamorphosis...Mother of Ten-Limbed Spiders.”

Yang Yi repeated this information to himself, realising everything.

The silk spiders were followers or kin of the Mother of Ten-Limbed Spiders, and they were also the guardians of this temple.

The Mother of Ten-Limbed Spiders was a great being, a goddess!

She bestowed her favour at times, implanting her offspring within the bodies of the fortunate, guiding their destinies...

More whispers flooded into Yang Yi’s mind, persuading him.

“Offer...your...,”

“Offer...your...,”

“Offer...your...”

Editor’s note: see, if had conqueror’s haki this wouldn’t happen