Return to the Island

Lucas Hall only explored about a third of the island during the day, collecting 20 adult spider corpses and 327 units of fur.

If he explored the entire island, these numbers could multiply several times.

Moreover, there were certainly spider nests on the island, likely with many spiders inside.

If he could gather all the spider fur, make sweaters, and sell them, he could make a fortune!

As night fell, Lucas drove the boat away from the island, planning to return tomorrow.

It wasn't wise to stay too close to the island at night, just in case there were unknown creatures there, especially since he hadn't fully explored it yet.

Tomorrow, he planned to wake up early, arriving before dawn to ensure he had enough time to explore during the day.

"Seraphina, go rest in your room!" Lucas called as he entered the cabin.

This woman didn't understand moderation, often getting so caught up in her research that she forgot to sleep.

He glanced at her and saw her sanity was only 53.

He had to push her several times before she finally left the lab, muttering something under her breath.

"He only has one organ inside, an enormous stomach. The other organs seem to have been digested. The fluids are all stomach acid, even the brain seems directly connected to the stomach. If this keeps up, he might not even need a brain..."

"Enough, check your sanity!" Lucas nudged her and pushed her onto the deck. "There are two more capsule chances. Try spinning one!"

Seraphina showed no enthusiasm for the capsules. She spun it with no energy and walked away, not even bothering to pick up the capsule that fell on the ground.

Lucas reluctantly picked it up.

[You have received Wood5]

[You have received Crystal1]

Basic resources.

This meant the capsule chances were shared among the crew of the same ship. After the first two spins, the rewards were getting worse.

After finishing this, Lucas returned to the captain's quarters. He opened the world chat channel as usual.

There were still many people looking for fire-starting tools.

So far, no one had figured out a way to create a fire-starting tool.

Lucas left a message: "Willing to pay a high price for a fire-starting tool."

Soon, people started repeating his message like a broken record.

It was clear it was going to be hard to get one.

But Lucas wasn't in a rush. After all, there was still time before the extreme winter seas arrived.

He drank a bottle of Vitality Coconut Juice, locked the door, and went to bed.

The next day, before dawn, Lucas woke up.

He checked his status. His energy was still low at 93, but everything else was full.

After breakfast, he packed up his supplies: 2 liters of fresh water, several long-legged sardines (to open his stomach), two sausages, a crystal ball, potions, a bottle of coconut juice, weapons, and the newly acquired Heartguard Mirror.

He also packed some spare items in his stomach pouch, including silk bags and a backup regeneration potion.

After finishing the preparations, Lucas checked his stats again. His Strength and Constitution had both increased to 5, now at the average level for an adult human.

He piloted the Nightmare Star toward the island.

Seraphina wasn't coming this time. She was still completely absorbed in studying the corpse of the Gluttonous Guest.

Ten minutes before dawn, Lucas arrived at the island.

His goal this time was to find the spider nests and eliminate any potential dangers on the island, ensuring a safer environment for future operations.

Also, the "Spider's Kiss" state should have an answer in the spider nests!

As soon as dawn broke, Lucas went ashore and walked toward the center of the island.

He remembered that the density of spider corpses was higher near the center, and the nest was likely in that area.

As he walked, he picked up some Fire Silk Spider corpses along the way.

His insatiable stomach pouch devoured the bodies, consuming the flesh and leaving only the exoskeleton and fur behind.

The stench of the corpses didn't deter it.

As he walked, Lucas started to wonder.

"What do these spiders eat to survive? There are no small animals on the island, only spiders..."

"They can't possibly fish in the water..."

Something felt off.

After a while, he finally found a hole in the ground.

It was a vertical hole, about two meters deep, with a tunnel slanting downward, pitch black.

The hole was wide enough for large creatures to enter, and there were no weeds nearby, suggesting frequent comings and goings.

Lucas approached the hole. A few small dead spiders, about the size of a palm, lay at his feet, their bodies dry and stiff.

If there were no surprises, this should be the nest.

He tried sniffing the air and detected a foul odor, indicating the presence of many corpses. The spiders had suffered heavy casualties, and perhaps all of them were dead.

That was good news!

Lucas picked up a dead spider from the ground and fed it to his stomach pouch. He then took out the crystal ball from his pouch.

The crystal ball not only showed the sea map but also emitted a faint glow. While it wasn't as bright as a candle, it was better than nothing.

Holding his gun in one hand and the crystal ball in the other, Lucas jumped into the hole.

Inside, there was no immediate danger. The ground was littered with spider corpses.

Lucas proceeded cautiously, and the tunnel began to widen. It was about five meters wide, and over three meters high, allowing even giant spiders to pass freely without curling up.

He remained on high alert, continuing deeper for about 100 meters before he made a discovery.

The ceiling was covered with a dense arrangement of mushrooms that emitted red bioluminescence. Each mushroom was nearly the same size.

[Name: Firefly Mushroom]

[Description: A special mushroom that emits red bioluminescence in the dark and grows quickly. Its juice is toxic and should not be consumed. Some ants and spiders use this mushroom as a primary food source.]

After reading the information, Lucas immediately understood.

These mushrooms were likely cultivated by the Fire Silk Spiders. They could even grow crops!

Under the red glow, the light from the crystal ball became redundant.

He stashed the crystal ball in his pouch and replaced it with the Sea Serpent's Tooth, continuing his exploration.

After walking another hundred meters, the tunnel widened even more to about seven or eight meters. Along the way, he found more dead adult Fire Silk Spiders.

He also noticed that there was a slight breeze in the cave, though he couldn't tell where it came from.

Lucas wasn't in a rush to collect the corpses yet; securing the area was the priority.

He moved deeper, and the density of corpses increased.

He found two giant Fire Silk Spiders, each with human body parts grafted onto them. One of them even had a human arm attached, no longer just a bare torso.

Both were dead, and their bodies had rotted, posing no threat.

Lucas harvested their tissues.

Unlike regular adult Fire Silk Spiders, these giant spiders could be used to upgrade the Nightmare Star. He decided to take them along.

As he passed by another cave entrance, Lucas witnessed a horrific scene.

Dissected human corpses were suspended by spider silk from the ceiling, like dried meat, awaiting air-drying.

Some of the bodies were relatively fresh, perhaps only recently strung up.

"Drying the corpses, then grafting them onto themselves?"

Lucas couldn't understand the spiders' behavior. He had no idea how they managed it.

If Seraphina were here, she'd probably be thrilled and dive into the research, but Lucas... he just wanted to kill these disgusting spiders.