I Have Tamed a Spider Monster - Chapter 253, Chapter 254, Chapter 255

To the Village of the Taming Monster Candidates
We reached the village designated by Rumaja without encountering any major events along the way.

The destination village truly felt like a rural farming community, not very large in scale.
However, it was notable for its sturdy moat and fences, seemingly built to keep beasts away.
I couldn’t help but wonder—could there really be a potential tameable monster here?

"Oh, you've arrived."

"Oh, hello, Rumaja."

"Mhm. I'm glad you made it while the sun is still high. Without delay, I’d like to head to the cave where the target monster is said to reside. Is that all right?"

While I had simply been swaying along on the Lumite Grand Wing, I wondered how everyone else felt.
After checking, it was decided that it was still too early to take a break, so we agreed to follow Rumaja's suggestion and head straight to the cave.

On the way to the cave, I asked Rumaja what kind of monster was inhabiting the area, but the details were vague.
It seemed even Rumaja only knew it was a spider-type monster.

"There are reports of six monsters in total. They’ve been sneaking into the village late at night for years, eating vegetables and then leaving."

"Eating vegetables and leaving? Not wreaking havoc?"

"Apparently, they neatly take vegetables from designated plants in specific spots. Carrots, radishes, and the like—they don’t devour bits and pieces but dig them up and eat them whole before leaving."

"Interesting. But how did you even find such a village?"

"I heard rumors from travelers and confirmed them via bird courier. While the villagers do suffer some losses in their fields, there have been no other damages. Even the field damage is minimal. Livestock remain untouched, and any monsters that might have posed a threat to the village appear to have been killed. In a way, these creatures are treated as guardian deities of the village."

Guardian deities of the village.

When I probed further, Rumaja explained that the defeated monsters had been crushed by threads, leading her to suspect the presence of spider-type creatures.
After investigating the area, she concluded that the spiders likely inhabited the cave we were heading to. However, her conclusion wasn’t entirely certain, as the investigation was conducted alone, and attempts to provoke the spiders had led to attacks.
It’s true that provoking them too much would make taming them problematic.
That’s why Rumaja had waited for us to arrive before conducting further investigations together.

"Well, for that reason, I’d rather not provoke them unnecessarily. If it looks bad, we’ll retreat immediately."

"That’s fine, but what about Princess Annette’s protection?"

"… That’s the tricky part."

I hope we find them without much trouble this time.
But can things really go so smoothly?

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Inside the Cave
By the time we arrived in front of the cave, evening had fallen.
Thus, we decided to camp for the night and explore the cave further the next day.
Plum's maids were tasked with setting up a campsite at the cave's entrance, which would serve as our main camp.

If we found what we were looking for in a day, all the better.
If not, we'd search for several days.
Our mission was cave exploration, and with prior knowledge of spider-type monsters, we needed to be cautious of traps.

The next morning, after breakfast, it was finally time for the cave exploration.
At the front was Rumaja.
The members of the Wildcat Claws followed, with me placed in between them.
Plum took up the rear.

Using the light created by Rumaja and Plum’s magic as our guide, we advanced deeper into the cave.
But we couldn't sense even a hint of life.
There weren’t even the usual cave-dwellers like geckos, bats, or snakes.
What was going on here?

“Hmm. There’s no doubt some kind of monster has made its home here.”

“Is that so, Plum?”

“In my experience, caves occupied by monsters rarely host wild creatures. They either get eaten or flee.”

“I see. In the case of this cave, which do you think it is?”

“We can’t say for sure until we investigate further. There are hardly any traces of other living beings.”

Even Plum seemed at a loss.
Rumaja was advancing cautiously while scanning the surroundings, suggesting that this might be a highly dangerous cave.

After several hours of wandering through the cave, we hit yet another dead end.
Deciding not to press our luck further, we exited the cave for the day.
Both Rumaja and Plum agreed that the cave wasn’t dungeonized, based on their shared observations.
They had noticed signs that the cave had been deliberately dug out.
Apparently, when a cave becomes dungeonized, any signs of digging quickly disappear.
So, while it wasn’t clear if the cave was naturally formed or painstakingly excavated, it was confirmed that someone had expanded it.
The mystery only deepened.

We spent another night at the campsite outside the cave.
The following morning, upon returning to the cave, we were met with a startling change.
One of the paths at a fork in the cave was now blocked by a spider web.
Comparing this to the map we made the previous day, the path that led to the dead end was the one now blocked.
Was this a sign inviting us to proceed further?
Both Rumaja and Plum decided it was dangerous but worth investigating, so we pressed on.

As we ventured deeper, we found that many of the forked paths were similarly sealed with webs, guiding us down the unobstructed paths.
These led us steadily into the depths of the cave.
Eventually, we reached a spot where light poured in from above.

Before us stretched an incredible scene: sunlight filtering through a collapsed cave ceiling, a massive subterranean lake, and—for some reason—patches of cultivated soil.
What was this place?

(So, you have come, visitors.)

A deep, gravelly male voice echoed in my mind as I stood captivated by the sight.

(If you mean no harm to our land, you are our guests. But if you intend to take it from us, you are our foes. Which are you?)

As the voice faded, spiders descended from the ceiling—more than ten of them.
Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be jumping spiders.
I wasn’t very knowledgeable about spider species, so that was all I could deduce.
Their fur was a light brown, and they were smaller than humans.
They didn’t seem particularly friendly, but as long as we didn’t show hostility, it felt like they might listen to us.
Were these spiders strong?
And, would they be willing to cooperate with us?

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Kiblinki Saltas
When we explained that we had no harmful intentions, all but one of the spiders returned to the ceiling.
But still, wasn’t there a chance we could be lying? Wasn’t that risky for them?

(Worry not. We can use mind-reading magic.)

“Huh?”

(You considered the possibility of lying, didn’t you? Since we confirmed there was no deceit, the others withdrew. Oh, and by the way, we are a species called Kiblinki Saltas.)

“Ah, nice to meet you. My name is Lily, and this is my familiar, Talat. His species is Cocytus Tarachnatos.”

(A Tarachnatos serving a human? Hard to believe, but seeing him follow you, I have no choice but to accept it. So, what brings you to our home? Was there a subjugation request from a nearby village?)

“No, nothing like that. But I did hear that vegetables were occasionally being eaten in a nearby village. Was that your doing?”

(It seems some of our less disciplined members occasionally sneak off to snack on vegetables. Although they’re punished, they don’t seem to stop entirely.)

Wait, these spiders eat vegetables?

The Kiblinki Saltas offered to guide us to their nest, and we accepted.
The cultivated soil we had noticed earlier turned out to be their farmland.
They use nutrient-rich water from the underground lake to grow vegetables that can thrive with minimal sunlight.
However, as it takes time to grow the crops, some of them end up sneaking off to the village for a quicker snack.

I always thought spiders were carnivorous, but it seems this species is herbivorous.

Interestingly, they’re aided by worm-type monsters in tilling the soil.
These worm-like creatures consume the nutrient-rich earth and, in exchange, are protected by the Kiblinki Saltas.
In return, the worms enrich the soil, creating a perfect symbiotic relationship.

Apparently, the lack of other creatures in the cave is intentional.
The Kiblinki Saltas prevent other monsters from entering and preying on the cave’s residents, ensuring safety for all.

(We are strong when it comes to defense, but we are poor fighters in a direct confrontation. If we can avoid fighting, we have no reason to engage.)

“Wait, but how do you sustain yourselves without consuming magic stones? Monsters need to consume magic stones to survive, don’t they?”

Rumaja couldn’t hold back her surprise and posed the question.
Indeed, Talat ate magic stones as part of his diet.
And it’s widely believed that monsters originate from the “Chaos Vortex”. So how did they manage?

(We absorb mana from vegetables, grass, and tree buds. If magic stones are available, we eat those too, but we don’t need them to survive.)

“Then how do you maintain your population? Monsters are constantly born from the Chaos Vortex, aren’t they? Surely you can’t secure enough food for all of them.”

(When our numbers grow too large, we split into smaller groups, and the new group ventures off to find a new home. We are one such group that left our original land.)

This was completely different from what I thought I knew.
A monster species that doesn’t require magic stones? That was a first for me.
I had learned from the Adventurers’ Guild that monsters often fought each other, with the victor consuming the loser’s magic stone.

Could this species be one of historical significance?
Even their behavior—splitting off and moving to new lands—was unusual for monsters.
And since they had avoided detection, they must be adept at staying hidden from human territories and exploration zones.

Their intelligence also seemed remarkably high.
I wonder… could I persuade a few of them to become my tamed monsters?

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