She did not know why she did this. It was almost like someone was pulling the strings and forced her to do it, but this was no time for second thoughts anymore. She had already done it, and there’s no going back anymore. Never. She could already feel the changes settling in, her rear contorting and expanding, her legs splitting and diverging, she felt her very metabolism change, twisting and turning. She had created a freak of nature, and abnormality amidst a world of abnormals: herself. She had stepped in and dabbled in arts unknown to even the most talented of mages, too full of hatred and despair to even care, and threw her very soul into the arms of this dark magic.

As the changes finally slowed to a standstill, the girl looked down at her new body. Her empty eyes swept over the eight spindly legs and her large arachnid abdomen, both covered in a chitin so black it seemed as though it sucked the light straight out of the room. Her hands and arms were also covered in this material, with her fingers ending in pointed claws. She grabbed her front legs, dropping her forehead on her new knees, her two new pairs of eyes closing in sync with her original eyes as she sat there, sobbing.

Today is the 12th day of the 6th month, 1397 years since the Great War ended in a victory for the Alliance. A rumour had been floating around the bustling town of Ulstaza. Apparently some sort of creature was terrorizing the eastern side of the shopping district. Chad Sadante checked his Detection Crystal once more. This was only his first week as an official Hunter, but already he was promoted up to a Junior Hunter. He was a very talented rookie, and quickly rose through the trainee ranks, but talent can only take you so far. He took a deep breath and entered the creature’s supposed lair: an old, crumbling, abandoned inn.

Climbing up the steps, Chad went over the case once more. From what the City Guard has dug up, the creature had made its first appearance two months ago, and had been making regular appearances each week since. Witnesses say that the creature had long, spindly legs, and was exceptionally agile for a creature its size. Most of the time, the creature only stole food, but occasionally, it also took some raw materials. These incidences caused a lot of complaints, but alone wouldn’t have been enough to get the Hunter’s Association to step in and raise its Hazard Ranking from D to a C+. Apparently, these appearances have been mostly non-violent, but there had been a few incidents where the creature had led pursuers into traps which could have potentially ended in serious injuries or even death.

Chad was alone for this mission, as he already had a Hunter’s rank of light green, which in creature’s rankings would be a solid B. He needed the experience going solo on missions in order to grow as a Hunter.

More recent reports have indicated that the creature had been spotted entering this building on multiple occasions, thus this building was flagged as its potential nest. Chad’s job was not to kill the creature, but to drive the creature away from this sector, although it’d be better if he did manage to kill it. The City Guard has enough on their plates already with all of the street gangs that have popped up recently, while the Hunter’s Association was preparing for the yearly Hunter’s Tournament.

As Chad reached the third floor, he felt the Detection Crystal emit a faint pulse. A strong presence was sensed somewhere deep within this floor. Exhaling slowly, he drew his sword and cautiously approached the floor’s entrance.

Opening the door, Chad immediately examined the doorway, checking for any potential traps. Finding none, he cautiously entered the third floor. Now, the building he was in was mostly boarded up, and some sunlight always manages to get through; but on this floor, it was pitch black, as though someone had covered up every last crack and crevice. Grumbling in annoyance, Chad cast the third-tier spell “Nightstalker’s Vision”, granting him perfect night vision and the ability to sense nearby life forces.

Looking around, Chad was taken aback at the unnaturally large volume of what seemed like spider webs covering the floor. The walls and the ceiling were completely covered by a thick layer of hard web, and most of the doorways were also missing doors, and were replaced instead by long soft strands of thread, similar to drapes. It was as if he was inside a giant cocoon.

Sensing that the presence was not near this section of the floor, Chad ventured deeper into the building.

At the end of the hallway was a larger doorway, but this one seemed...off. For one the amount of webbing surrounding this doorway was astoundingly large compared to the other ones. The presence Chad felt was stronger than ever before, and was coming from straight behind this doorway. After checking for traps once more, Chad pushed open the doors and proceeded slowly onwards.

Taking a couple steps into the new room, Chad suddenly felt the presence momentarily disappear. Panicking, Chad cursed out loud and immediately jumped back towards the doorway, snapping his head around in an attempt to catch the creature within his sight...only to be grabbed roughly from the behind. His unknown assailant wrapped one arm across his arms and chest while its other found its way around his neck. Chad thrashed around like a fish out of water, but his assailant was much stronger than him, stronger than what he’d expect a mere C rank monster to be.

Chad’s movements gradually became sluggish as his vision faded into nothingness. Darkness engulfed him as he let one cuss word slip from his mouth...