Spiders for the win

Ethan stared at the screen in a daze. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. SSS-grade? Hidden class? Did he really reincarnate in another world with an overpowered class?

His lips curled upwards, but then he remembered the first five animals he had bonded with. He could only let out a wry chuckle.

Whatever. There was always time to improve that. For now, he had to focus on more important things. For instance, the damned wolf wanting to have a big juicy bite of him, waiting right outside for him. Quite impatiently, he might add.

Yup. He needed a creature like that as his starting beast. Ethan clicked his tongue. That wolf would be a damn good starter beast. It could viciously kill other wolves, and he could quickly upgrade his summoning list. But all he had were worms and spiders. What could he possibly do with them?

Wait, maybe he could kill more of these insects to get another level up. Wouldn't that put him at level 3? A lot closer to level 5.

Ethan quickly looked for another spider web mess that he could smash and gain more experience. His eyes scanned the dimly lit burrow, the tangled webs hanging around him.

He started pulling some out, and immediately, several small spiders scurried out, instinctively moving to protect their nest. "Sorry, little guys, but I need to get stronger." With a swift motion, he started crushing the spiders under his palm.

[Ding! You have killed a small spider.]

[Ding! You have gained experience points.]

[Ding! The entity small spider has been added to your summoning list.]

The glow of the notifications flashed before him in quick succession as more spiders met the same fate.

[Ding! You have killed a small spider.]

[Ding! You have gained experience points.]

[Ding! The entity small spider has been added to your summoning list.]

This time, he was able to kill about five spiders before the limit reached notification popped up. Unfortunately, he was yet to level up.

"Damn it." Ethan punched the dirt wall in frustration, his fist connecting with a dull thud. 

He needed something stronger, something that could actually give him a boost in both power and experience. His eyes drifted back to the entrance of the burrow where the wolf still continued its hacking and clawing along with threateningly loud snarls.

He then looked at another spider that was skittering past his foot. So tiny. So helpless.

And then it struck him.

Spiders weren't really that helpless now, were they?

It was not for nothing that spiders were one of the most feared insects back home. They were icky. They gave everyone the creeps, but more importantly, there were many, many varieties of poisonous spiders.

Ethan's eyes widened as the idea took root in his mind. Maybe the ones that he had 'tamed' could be one of these deadly poisonous types? Was there any way he could check this information?

He quickly willed for more information about the spider to pop up.

Small Spider Lvl 0

Health: 1

Strength: 0.1

Agility: 0.2

Skill: Paralysing Bite

"Bingo!" Ethan exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as he studied the small spider's stats more closely. Paralyzing Bite— there it was!

After four spiders, the fifth one finally had what he needed.

Ethan did not stop and continued looking. One small spider was probably not going to cut it. He needed two. Or maybe more. At this point, he would take whatever he had.

It looked like his luck wasn't bad after all. The second nest he had taken out was full of venomous spiders, ones that were capable of paralyzing their prey.

Ethan let out a shaky laugh, realizing just how close he had come to being the spider's next victim. He glanced at the dead nest and the small, paralyzing spiders scurrying around him. He quickly moved further away.

Yeah, lucky might not be the right word, he thought to himself, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. These could have easily paralyzed him and left him gift-wrapped for the psycho wolf.

Still, luck or not, he now had a small army of spiders with Paralyzing Bite—the very thing he needed to deal with stronger enemies like the wolf outside.

The only catch was that the venom had to be strong enough to work.

"It will. It should."

Ethan prepared himself just in case. He broke away one of the root projections hanging from the walls of the burrow and fashioned it into a makeshift spear. It wasn't much, but it gave him a sense of control.

Crack. He heard a loud noise outside. It was probably one of the sturdy tree roots finally giving way. He did not have much time.

"Okay, here goes nothing," Ethan muttered. He clutched the spear in his hand and tossed all of his unused stat points in strength. Immediately, a warmth filled his body, and he could feel himself getting stronger. Hopefully, this was enough to escape from that wolf.

"Summon!" He said slowly and waited. The next second, a black sphere appeared in front of him, making Ethan gulp. From the suspicious-looking thing, out walked his five paralyzing spiders. The black sphere then disappeared without a trace.

Ethan's mind wondered what that sphere could possibly be, but he had bigger things to worry about right now. "Guys, it's go time. Go and bite that wolf outside for me." He kept the command simple enough.

For a moment, he wasn't sure if this was even going to work, but the spiders obediently started scurrying toward the entrance of the burrow.

Their tiny bodies moved with eerie precision as they followed Ethan's command, disappearing into the shadows. The sound of the wolf's growls and heavy breathing echoed outside, louder and more agitated.

It was getting impatient, and the noise of the cracking roots meant it was only a matter of time before it broke through completely.

Ethan gripped his makeshift spear tightly. His heart pounded in his chest as he waited, listening closely for any sign that the spiders were doing their job.

He then started moving closer to the mouth of the burrow. What if he only had a second? He needed to act soon. He gripped his spear and waited. Moments passed, and then he heard it. Or rather did not hear it.

The clawing sounds all suddenly stopped, and the forest fell eerily silent.

Ethan's pulse quickened. This was it. He jumped into action. He did not know how many seconds or milliseconds he had, but he was going to make the most of it.

He rushed forward without wasting any time. Right in front of the burrow, the massive wolf was sprawled on the ground, its limbs twitching weakly. Ethan clenched his fists. His little minions had done it.

He immediately scampered out of the burrow. As soon as he stepped out, the beast's head snapped to look at him, and it instantly locked eyes with him. A wave of rage and hatred swept past its face.

It suddenly twitched, trying to get up, and its claws swiped frantically. Ethan staggered back, looking at the wolf and then the small makeshift spear in his hand.

Nope. This was not going to work. He panicked and picked up a big rock lying nearby and threw it at the wolf's head. He then picked up another rock and started smashing it on the wolf's head repeatedly until its body lifelessly slumped on the ground.

[Ding! You have killed a forest wolf]

[Ding! You have gained experience points]

[Ding! Level up!]

[Lvl 2> Lvl 3]

[Ding! The entity forest wolf has been added to your summoning list]