Chapter 15: Giant Spider A million units of raw meat! Sophie had sent a million! That was 10 million wood or stone in processing fees!
**[Sophie]:** ( • ?ω•? )? Alex, we're rich! Two million in agent fees for me!
**[Alex]:** Sophie, I can't keep up!
Money was piling up faster than she could collect it. A good problem to have, but still a problem. She had 367 skeletons. 168 were gathering firewood, and she couldn't reduce that number or she'd run out of fuel. The remaining 199 were cooking, at a rate of about 20 units per skeleton every five or six minutes. That was roughly 4000 units every five minutes, or about 40,000 per hour.
It was 9 AM on day two. Nightfall was at 6 PM. She had less than 9 hours to work, which meant she could only process about 360,000 units. She was leaving over 600,000 units of raw meat, and millions in potential profit, on the table!
"Gotta do what I can," she muttered. "Every little bit helps. I'll summon more skeletons when my MP regenerates."
The million units of raw meat formed a small mountain before her castle. She pointed to a level 10 skeleton.
"You're the new squad leader. Manage these 367 skeletons."
"Yes, master."
"Keep cooking, same as before."
"Yes, master."
The skeletons resumed their self-immolation barbeque routine.
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Meanwhile, Arthur and John had good news. After slaughtering a herd of Pink Pigs, Arthur reached level 5, and John was close to level 4. God Tier was powerful, but the experience requirements were steep.
Arthur, at level 5, had 30 in each stat. A Normal Tier creature would need to be level 30 to match that, an Elite Tier creature level 15. Lord and King Tier monsters were rare in her 3000-meter territory.
"Bro, now that you're level 5, let's take on those gray wolves!" John suggested, referring to the wolf pack Alex had spotted on day one. The alpha wolf was level 43, possibly Elite Tier.
Arthur glared at John. "Are you crazy? Master said the alpha is level 43, maybe even Elite! We can't see their stats, remember?"
John puffed out his bony chest. "Who cares? We're undead! We can't die! Over-leveled hunting is the best!"
*WHACK!* Arthur smacked John with his wing. "We're both Skeletal Dragons, but you have the brains of a... well, a skeleton. Over-leveled hunting is good, but not *that* over-leveled. We can't kill a level 43 wolf, even if it's Normal Tier. If we can't kill it, we can't level up! Level 10 is our sweet spot right now. Even Elite Tier level 10s are easy pickings. Focus! Don't screw up master's plans, or you'll answer to me!"
John, suitably chastised, mumbled, "Okay, bro."
They found a new target.
**[Giant Spider]**
**[Race: Native Monster (Large)]**
**[Life Tier: Elite]**
**[Level: Lv10]**
**[HP: 400]**
**[MP: 50]**
**[Strength: 20]**
**[Endurance: 20]**
**[Spirit: 20]**
**[Skill: Web Shot]**
* **Web Shot:** Shoots sticky, poisonous webs.
Giant Spiders, level 10, Elite Tier. And this was their first encounter with a monster that had a skill. Of course, they couldn't see the spider's stats.
"These guys are stronger than the pigs," Arthur assessed, "but still weaker than me!"
The spiders were huge, the size of yaks, with legs spanning twenty square meters. One spider could fill a small bedroom!
But Arthur and John were also large. Arthur was five meters tall and twenty meters long. Skeletal Dragons vs. Giant Spiders. A true clash of titans!
The spiders, being large, were also alert. They spotted Arthur and John approaching.
*HISS!* A spider hissed a warning.
Arthur and John, being predators, ignored the warning and charged.
The spiders retaliated with their **[Web Shot]**.
*SPLAT!* John, running ahead, got a face full of web. The sticky, poisonous strands glued his feet to the ground. He tripped and fell, landing face-first in the dirt.
"What the—?!" Before he could react, more webs covered him, pinning his wings, limbs, and tail. Even his mouth was sealed shut.
Fortunately, Skeletal Dragons spoke through soul fire vibrations, not with their mouths.
"—Bro, help! They're cheating!" Being immobilized was still annoying, even if he could still talk. "So embarrassing!"
Arthur chuckled, then flapped his massive wings, creating a gust of wind that blew the incoming webs off course. The spiders' first attack failed.
They followed up with a melee assault, slashing at Arthur with their razor-sharp legs, while others shot webs to hinder his movement.
Arthur took to the air, using his flight advantage. Air superiority!
"Dragon Flame!" He incinerated the incoming webs and unleashed a torrent of fire upon the spiders.
*WHOOSH!* The spiders' hairy bodies ignited. Spiders feared fire, and Giant Spiders were no exception. Arthur's flames caused massive damage.
He then burned away the webs holding John, freeing him. John immediately took to the air and joined the fiery assault.
With air superiority and fire, they quickly killed a spider.
**[Killed Level 10 Elite Giant Spider, gained 40 experience, 20 Magic Stones, 1 Red Crystal!]**
"Red Crystal!" Alex's eyes lit up. She needed those to upgrade the Undead Altar! She already had the 100 Magic Stones. Now, she had a Red Crystal! Just when she was wondering where to find them!
She was ecstatic!