3. A new race

Bosoms.

As massive as boulders, perched over him like divine offerings. Sirius didn't move. He barely even dared to look up, just enough to glance at them from the corner of his eye.

Had he died again? Was this heaven? Or was this hell, and the devil had simply decided to tempt him one last time?

Either way... not a bad deal.

"I just hope the young king wakes up soon," a voice muttered above him.

Then, the face came into view, black eyes locking onto his, slowly widening in excitement.

"HE'S AWAKE!"

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed, some light and quick, others heavy and skittering. Dozens of legs rushed toward him at once, then suddenly stopped.

Sirius shifted, realizing he was lying on someone's lap. He pushed himself up slightly, his vision adjusting. In front of him, rows of spiderfolk were bowed low, their heads pressed to the ground.

"Our king, we have prayed for your swift recovery," one of them said, voice deep and reverent. "It is a miracle you have awoken so soon. We feared the worst."

Sirius blinked, barely processing their words. He looked down at his chest, no wounds, no scars. His palm, where Horst's whip had torn through him, was completely unmarked.

How? Was it them? Or was it the system?

"Oh..." Sirius muttered. "Thanks... wait." His brow furrowed. "King?" He pointed at himself. "Me?"

"Yes," the spiderfolk replied without hesitation. "You killed our former king. By right of conquest, the mantle of Spider King is now yours."

Sirius opened his mouth to protest, but before he could form the words, a familiar purple light flashed before his eyes.

[System Notification: Title Acquired – Spider King]

[As per the laws of succession, the one who slays the king shall take his throne. You now hold dominion over the spiderfolk. Your word is law.]

His stomach sank.

"...Shit."

STATUS.

[Name: Sirius]

[Age: 18]

[Level: 15]

[Race: Human, Spiderfolk(?)]

[HP: 250/250] (+150)

[MP: 250/250] (+150)

[Strength: 19] (+9)

[Endurance: 14] (+9)

[Agility: 24] (+9)

[Intelligence: 12] (+9)

[Skills: Extract]

[Equipment: Base twin daggers(Lv1) (Durability-)]

[Materials: Spider Kings hide (Craft material), Spider Kings Silk (Enhancement material), Thick goblin hide (Craft material), Medium vitality blood vialx7, High vitality blood vial]

There was too much to process. If he wanted to survive future threats like Horst, he needed to understand everything the system had shown him. But for now—

He was the new Spider King.

"We are grateful for your help, our king," another one of the spiderfolk said. "Cela told us everything, about how you came and saved us from Horst's reign."

As if his words carried divine weight, the others lowered themselves even further, their foreheads tapping against the ground, hands outstretched in front of them in a display of absolute gratitude.

"We cannot express how thankful we are."

Sirius exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Get up."

The moment he spoke, they obeyed instantly, rising in unison, their darkened eyes locked onto him in complete attention.

That was... strange.

He scanned the cavern. Horst's body was nowhere to be found. Had they disposed of it? Most likely. They despised him for his tyranny, so it would only make sense.

And yet, despite their hatred for Horst, they seemed to want him to take his place.

Sirius pushed himself up, stretching his arms as he spoke. "I can't do it," he said. "I mean, I don't even know the first thing about ruling a household, let alone an entire clan. I'd be a terrible fit."

No one protested. He half-expected them to try persuading him, but they remained silent, watching.

Even the system didn't force the role onto him.

But why? It had compelled him to fight Horst, giving him no choice in the matter, so why wasn't it pushing him now? Why did it intervene then but not now?

He shook his head. Maybe it didn't matter.

Sirius took a step forward, and instantly, all eyes were on him, dark, unblinking, piercing into his very soul.

It reminded him of his siblings.

Now that he thought about them, would they even know he was gone? If they found out he had died, would they grieve?

He sighed.

Then he glanced at Cela.

She was staring at him, her darkened eyes shimmering as if on the verge of tears.

Sirius stopped.

Horst had mentioned a barrier—one that prevented humans from entering. But if that was true, then why was he here? The system had classified him as human, so why hadn't he been stopped? And more importantly, what had led to the barrier being enacted in the first place?

There was too much he didn't understand about this world.

And maybe, just maybe, he didn't have to figure it out alone.

"Alright, alright." He muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "I'll be your king, but on one condition!"

Their eyes snapped toward him, bodies stiffening, anticipation rising in their expressions. Some of them even smiled.

"You can't call me 'King' or anything like that," Sirius continued. "It makes me feel weird."

"Of course, Young Master!" someone responded instantly.

Sirius exhaled sharply and dragged a hand down his face. Not exactly what he wanted, but it was a start.

If he was going to lead this clan, there were things that needed to change.

And the first step—names.

He did a quick headcount. Forty in total. Ten males, thirty females. All of them roughly his height, except for Cela and a few others who were smaller. Horst, though, had been an anomaly—taller, stronger, monstrous compared to them. Was it because he had been the king?

"Alright, everyone, line up!" Sirius ordered.

They obeyed without hesitation. Not in any particular order, just moving into line formation.

"I'm going to need to learn all your names. If we're going to be a clan—if I'm going to be your leader—then I need to know who you are."

"The Young Master is so kind!" one of them said, wiping a single tear from his cheek.

"Yeah, yeah." Sirius waved a hand dismissively. "Let's start with you. What's your name?"

The first in line—a burly male with dark, obsidian-like eyes—blinked at him.

"I don't have a name," he said simply. "None of us do. Only Cela, and that's because our former king, Borcust, named her."

Sirius frowned. "Why is that?"

"We are soldiers." The man said. "Cela was meant to be our new queen, so Borcust gave her half of his power. That's why Horst was able to defeat him."

"Power?" Sirius echoed.

"For demi-humans, names hold magic."

The man continued, "Borcust fought countless battles, and in the end, he was named by a mysterious entity. But for the rest of us... we cannot take names. Not unless someone willingly gives us one. And when they do, a portion of their power transfers to us—"

"Your name is Garura," Sirius said quickly not waiting for the end of his sentence.

Garura stiffened. His blackened eyes widened, not with excitement, but with something closer to worry. His breath hitched, his body trembling as if some invisible force had gripped him.

Then, the change began.

[System Notification: New Skill Acquired – Gift]

[Gift: The act of naming grants the recipient a share of the user's mana.]

[System Explanation:]

• When the user names an individual, a portion of their total mana is allocated to the named recipient.

• The allocated mana scales proportionally as the user's mana increases.

• Named individuals cannot be unnamed, and their allocated mana cannot be reclaimed.

• Current Distribution Model: 20% per named individual (subject to change based on system evolution]

[Current Mana(MP): 250]

[Name Granted: Garura]

[Allocating 20% of 250 Mana (50 Mana)]

[Remaining Mana: 200 Mana]

[System Notification: The user may name up to four more individuals before the mana pool is critically low and needs to recharge.]

[Would you like to adjust the allocation percentage?]

"Huh?"

Garura's body convulsed as a deep, raw scream tore from his throat, echoing through the cavern.

His spider legs, once firmly rooted to his back, began to shrink, retracting into his body. His pitch-black eyes flickered, then changed, whites forming where there had been none before, becoming almost human.

The transformation was swift but violent. When the screaming finally stopped, Garura stood there, panting, his hands trembling at his sides.

Sirius blinked. The fangs were gone. The clawed fingers had softened. The extra limbs that once marked him as a spiderfolk had vanished completely. Now, aside from the webbing glands still present in the center of his palms, he looked human.

[Race Change: Spiderfolk → Arachne]

Sirius exhaled, shifting his gaze to the system's notifications. He barely had time to process the details before his eyes darted back to the others.

They were staring at him, wide-eyed, eager, expectant.

Like children waiting for their turn.

Sirius scratched his cheek. The next in line was a female spiderfolk. Just behind her stood another—smaller, with similar features. His brow furrowed. "Are you two related?"

She nodded.

"Okay!" He clapped his hands together. "Your name is Rue!"

The same agonizing process began. Her body twisted, shifting, reforming—until she, too, stood fully changed.

He turned to the younger one, smiling faintly. "And you—you're Rune. Protect your sister, okay?"

His head swam. A wave of dizziness crashed over him, but he pushed forward.

The next individual stood at attention. Sirius forced a grin. "Your name is Alaric, because you remind me of... someone."

The lightheadedness worsened. His vision blurred. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a warning bell rang, but the excitement on their faces kept him moving.

Just one more.

His eyes landed on a girl who stood rigid, her expression laced with motherly worry. Something about her reminded him of his sister. He chuckled softly.

"And you're Elendira,"

The last of his strength left him. His knees buckled.

And Sirius collapsed.