Chapter 57 : The Spider Queen’s Lair

“What, what the—?” 

Startled, Iris quickly ran ahead. 

The winding path widened and revealed a space covered in thick spider webs. 

As she looked around, she spotted a hero tightly wrapped in webbing. 

The hero wore a colorful transformation outfit and a mask, so their face couldn’t be seen. 

Upon noticing Iris, the hero lowered her voice and called out. 

“Excuse me, please help me. The spider queen wants to eat me…!” 

“Calm down. I’ll get you out right away.” 

“Thank you so much.” 

Iris examined the thick web carefully. 

It was strong enough to suspend a person in midair. 

When she tugged at it with her hands, it only grew taut but didn’t budge. 

She’d have to use her pincers to cut it. 

The moment she made up her mind, a pair of pincers popped out from between her legs. 

The hero, seeing pincers suddenly protrude from beneath Iris’s skirt, let out a more intense scream than before. 

“Kyahhh!” 

“P-please calm down! It’s just a skill. I won’t hurt you.” 

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was a skill…” 

The hero stammered an apology. 

Who could possibly keep from screaming at a sight like that? 

Anyone would be shocked to see pincers come out from between someone’s legs. 

Even monsters had widened eyes at the sight. 

Teresa, who managed to endure it with just a bitten lip, was truly impressive. 

‘I get it… but it still hurts.’ 

Those who wear the crown must bear its weight. 

Iris muttered the quote that had long since been carved into her soul. 

She forced a smile, revealing her teeth. 

Deep down, she wanted to smash the cursed chastity belt that caused her all this trouble, but she held back—she couldn’t afford to lose her composure in front of others. 

She then swung her hips to snip the web with her pincers. 

After several snips, the web was cut. 

Iris cleared away the strands and helped the hero stand. 

The hero staggered but managed to express her thanks. 

“Haah… You saved me. Thank you. I’m Rainbow Girl.” 

“Ah, your hero name… I’m… Angel Girl.” 

Rainbow Girl, huh? 

Did she awaken after tripping while staring at a rainbow or something? 

Her colorful outfit did suit the name, though. 

In any case, the inevitable moment had come—she had to reveal a hero name. 

Iris closed her eyes tightly, thought for a moment, then blurted out a made-up name. 

Since she was wearing white, Angel Girl seemed good enough. 

At her response, Rainbow Girl made an awkward expression and opened her mouth. 

“Angel… Girl? But between your legs… Oh, never mind. We have to get out of here right now!” 

“What? Leave? But I haven’t met my monster quota yet…” 

There was still a long way to go to meet her quota. 

Though she’d seen Rainbow Girl stuck in the web, the mission’s difficulty was listed as easy. 

Plus, failing the mission would mean losing access to the Hero App for two weeks. 

She didn’t want to give up. 

But Rainbow Girl shook her head frantically and grabbed Iris’s arm. 

“It’s different today. A Spider Queen has been born here!” 

“A Spider Queen?” 

“Yes, one created when many spiders merge. They’re only born at specific times, and when that happens, the mission’s difficulty changes to medium. But it showed up now! Forget the mission—if we don’t leave now, we’ll be…!” 

Rainbow Girl cut herself off, her voice panicked. 

A skittering sound echoed—the Spider Queen appeared, at least three times the size of a human. 

“Chrrrr…” 

Rainbow Girl’s face turned pale. 

Iris gulped. 

She was just as scared, even if not to the same extent. 

The problem was the Spider Queen was blocking the exit. 

If they didn’t defeat it, they’d definitely end up as spider food. 

“What should we do? It’s blocking the entrance.” 

“Ugh… I shouldn’t have come to the spider den today…!” 

Rainbow Girl trembled and started to tear up. 

Having already been captured and wrapped up once, panic was understandable. 

Iris kept her eyes on the Spider Queen and whispered. 

“Wait, calm down… Let’s take it down together. Alone might be tough, but the two of us might manage.” 

“Whew… but my attack power is low. I only have buff skills. I can’t fight something that big…!” 

“Buffs? Like blessings? Use them on me. I’ll do the attacking.” 

Rainbow Girl nodded and reached out to Iris. 

A white light surrounded Iris’s body. 

Then, a yellow light and a blue light followed in succession. 

“These increase skill effect temporarily, boost strength and stamina. I’ll cast a weakening curse on that thing.” 

“Oh, okay…!” 

Rainbow Girl had a lot of great support skills. 

Her weakness probably meant she had few direct attack skills. 

As she stretched her hand again, a murky black aura covered the Spider Queen, making it stumble. 

Iris didn’t miss the chance and cast her skill. 

Then, something unexpected happened. 

It was as if there was a party system like in an RPG—her shield extended wider than usual and even protected Rainbow Girl. 

“Wow…” 

A voice of pure admiration came from behind. 

Rainbow Girl, now used to the sight, didn’t scream at the chain whip extending from Iris through the shield’s opening. 

‘I’m alone. There’s no one next to me. No—I must save humanity…’ 

To use her skills in front of strangers, Iris had to put herself under deep hypnosis. 

At first, she murmured about being alone, but the rustling sounds made her shift her focus to her grand duty: saving humanity. 

Then, as she dramatically shook her hips, yellow furry chains rushed toward the Spider Queen. 

“Kyaaak!” 

“Wow, a ranged attack too…! Ah, forget what I said. I’m jealous…” 

Rainbow Girl clamped her mouth shut after her comment and gave Iris a pat on the shoulder in encouragement. 

Iris’s lips curled upward. 

That cursed chastity belt had been sapping her confidence, but seeing someone sincerely admire her restored her spirit. 

“Taking down the shield.” 

“Yes, yes. Whoa, this is…!” 

The multiple buffs seemed to have truly enhanced the effect of her skill. 

Her fur projectiles were sharper, longer, and faster than usual, making the Spider Queen scream repeatedly. 

The curse weakened it further, making it more vulnerable to Iris’s attacks. 

After landing several blows with her fur projectile skill, Iris switched tactics. 

Thanks to Rainbow Girl’s encouragement, she regained enough confidence to bring out her pincers again. 

Glancing sideways, she spotted a large rock and picked it up with her pincers. 

She hadn’t expected it to work, but with the buffs, she lifted the heavy stone easily. 

Her body felt light and battle-ready. 

Snorting, she swung her waist and struck the Spider Queen in the face. 

Thwack! 

“Kiiieeek!” 

“Wow, w-wow… That was amazing!” 

“Aww, it was nothing…” 

Praise doesn’t just make whales dance—it made Iris beam too. 

Rainbow Girl, who had once screamed in horror, now showered her with pure admiration. 

Iris’s shoulders lifted with pride. 

Did the caster’s mood affect the skill’s performance? 

Her skills felt stronger now than when the buffs were first applied. 

‘Wait… I want to use Analyze on that Spider Queen… But it’s too dangerous to get close. It could spit poison or something. Isn’t there a way to view its status screen from a distance?’ 

It felt like a waste to kill it without checking. 

If she could just preview its skills… 

She checked her past system messages just in case. 

And there it was—news she had missed. 

[Skill has significantly leveled up. LV.7 → LV.8. Skill “Analyze” now available for use.] 

‘Oh, nice. I wish I’d noticed earlier…’ 

The Spider Queen, having taken damage from the fur projectiles, couldn’t get close. 

Iris stopped the attack, summoned a whip from her bracelet, and activated her skill. 

From between her legs, chains extended and split into multiple tendrils that reached the distant Spider Queen. 

With her skill level greatly increased, the tendrils stretched far enough to examine the creature’s body. 

Soon, the analysis result appeared before her eyes.