I am a green basilisk.

A lizard that’s 3 days old.

Since it’s been 3 days since I came to this place, it’s fair to say I’m 3 days old. In fact, it’s only been 3 days since I hatched from my egg.

That means the spiders hugging each other and sobbing in front of me are older than me.

They’re smaller, sure, but that doesn’t mean they’re younger.

How in the world have they managed to survive in this tough world?

Even I’ve narrowly escaped death several times.

Slap!

I finished off the still-breathing water beetle with a smack from my tail.

The spiders, seemingly startled, backed away quietly.

“Kek kek.”

I dug my claws into the flattened shell of the water beetle.

Riiip.

I carefully tore the beetle meat apart piece by piece with my claws.

Sigh, shouldn’t I get a martial arts skill for this level of work?

It would be nice to gain something like the Guum Baekgoljo (Numbing Bone Manipulation Technique).

“Kieee…”

The trembling spiders, seemingly enticed by the smell of meat, began tilting their heads curiously.

I picked up a piece of the beetle's meat, but instead of giving it to them, I dropped it into the water.

“Hieeek!”

The smaller spider immediately played dead, while the larger one jumped in fright.

It seems they think I’m teasing them.

The reason I dropped the beetle into the water was simple: its meat had a strong, unpleasant odor.

If you tolerate the smell, it’s not entirely inedible. Humans wouldn’t be able to handle it, but I’ve somewhat adjusted to a lizard’s sense of taste by now.

However, the meat also had elements that were almost poisonous, which could negatively affect the spiders.

The reason I didn’t wash it off before eating was because I was hoping to acquire a poison-related skill.

“Kioong…!”

At some point, one of the spiders, who had stopped pretending to be dead, started clapping its thick forelegs.

Hmm, it knows how to flatter.

I handed over the neatly cleaned beetle meat.

Tus and Pus immediately buried their heads in the food and began devouring the beetle meat.

“Kieee!”

They kept letting out cries of delight as if it were delicious.

The sight felt so unfamiliar.

Even though I’m only 3 days old, my life has been a continuous struggle.

Chased by Oviraptors, stealing food from a giant spider.

Fighting an ant army and hunting piranhas.

Getting battered by a toad and then by a turtle.

Compared to that life of constant urgency, the reaction of these small spiders felt refreshingly new.

“Gek gek.” “Kioon?”

I wasn’t saying they looked lively—just that it’s been a while since I’ve seen something like this.

…Not that they could understand me.

I quietly watched as the spiders ate the beetle.

These spiders, Tus and Pus, are actually kind of cute, to be honest.

They’re spiders, but their appearance is a little different from the ones I used to know.

Their overall structure, their eyes—they looked almost gentle.

Even the way they sometimes swayed their bodies in a rhythmical way seemed harmless.

Compared to the giant spider I saw up in the tree, these two are like goddesses.

I wonder how that one’s doing.

The bond I formed with Nephila Jurassica might have lowered my psychological barriers, too.

The spiders had already finished eating the beetle and were now staring at me with bright, eager eyes.

“Kieeng!”

This refreshing feeling.

It was similar to how I felt when I massacred the aphids.

“Gek gek.” “Keeek!”

When I made the chirping sound I used to make as a gecko, they practically lost their minds with joy.

The way they looked at me was like how fans look at an idol.

…Not that I’ve ever been looked at that way before.

But even if it’s from spiders, it feels nice to experience it.

I guess I’ve become something of an idol to the spiders.

Since even the prideful Nephila Jurassica acknowledged me, these small spiders can’t help but adore me.

I’ve become a charming lizard. The kind of guy that spiders flock to, even without doing anything.

……

Is that a good thing?

While watching the spiders’ antics, I started forming a plan.

There aren’t many friendly creatures around.

Even if I don’t travel with these spiders, it’d be smart to make use of them.

In other words, maybe a temporary symbiosis would be a good idea.

Tus and Pus.

These two spiders were from different species.

Pus produced web, while Tus used venom like a tarantula.

Their roles didn’t overlap.

“Kekek!”

I wiggled my hand to call the spiders over.

At first, they tilted their heads in confusion, but soon they seemed to understand what I was doing and crawled toward me.

Good.

1. I picked up Pus.

“Keeeek?”

Splat!

I immediately pulled out a web from Pus.

“Kieeeek!”

Startled, Pus began struggling.

Tus covered his face with both hands.

As if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.

Ignoring them, I continued extracting the high-quality web from Pus.

“Kiiiik…”

100. I put Pus down.

“Kekek.”

Hey, guys.

I’ll show you something amazing.

I swung my front arm.

Pus turned its head and began trembling.

Something feels a bit off.

Did I touch something I shouldn’t have?

I only pulled out web, right?

…And you two are males, right?

Pus’s web had a waterproof effect.

And like other spider webs, it was strong enough to use as a fishing line.

I made a very primitive fishing rod.

Well, it wasn’t really a rod—it was more like just a string and a hook.

I made the hook by sharpening one of the beetle’s legs.

The waterproof web served as the line.

The bait was the leftover beetle remains.

After a moment of silence for the beetle that had given so much, I tested the fishing rod’s effectiveness.

The results were highly satisfying.

【Black Piranha LV2】

【Black Piranha LV3】

They were smaller than the one I encountered yesterday, but they were the same species.

Which means, their taste would be the same.

“Kioooong!”

The spiders circled around me, waving their hands.

I had long since surpassed the status of their idol.

Worship.

They were worshipping me now.

For spiders who couldn’t even hunt a single beetle, piranhas were like the bullies of this area.

And when a very handsome green lizard caught two piranhas in a miraculous way, this was the natural result.

While worshipping me for a while, the spiders began nudging each other as if they had something to say.

Drooling, it was clear they were curious about the taste of the fish.

Alright, since you worship me, I should reward you.

I’ll fill you up with five beetles and two fish.

I quickly processed the beetles and the fish.

Thus, the swamp’s special meal was complete.

Tus and Pus devoured the food with abandon.

They must have been very hungry.

Just watching them eat is enough to… leave me some piranha!

【Arthrocopus LV4】 and 【Anthracomartus LV3】 are worshipping you.

Huh?

Is the status window telling me this now?

Whenever the status window tells me something like this, it usually means I’ll gain something in return.

Like a skill or a title.

[A weak divinity dwells within you.]

…Weak divinity!

What does that mean?

Tell me more.

I stared at the status window, but nothing changed.

That’s it?

Didn’t I miss something?

Seriously?

Maybe because it’s weak divinity, there don’t seem to be any noticeable changes.

It feels like something might happen if more creatures start worshipping me, but… It’s not easy.

There aren’t many creatures like humans that worship something collectively.

But I see the potential.

If these spiders pass on my story to their offspring, maybe my weak divinity will evolve into a small divinity.

Tus and Pus had finished all the food at some point.

【Anthracomartus LV4】 【Status】 「Worship」「Full」

【Arthrocopus LV5】 【Status】 「Worship」「Full」

I thought I might have caught too much, but they ended up eating everything.

And they leveled up.

The spiders patted their round bellies and approached me, bowing their heads.

“Kieeng.”

Nice to meet you.

Thanks for the food.

We’ll pass your story on to future generations.

I’m just guessing, but that’s probably what they’re saying.

Seeing them quickly scuttle off somewhere, it seems I’m not too far off.

Clatter!

I quickly ran over and caught Tus and Pus.

“Kieeeek!”

Startled, they trembled once again.

They were cute, but completely shameless.

They don’t actually think I fed them for free, do they?

“Gek gek!”

You’ll pay me back with your bodies.

I’ll make sure you repay what you ate.

Pus’s previously round belly had shrunk.

It was because I had kept extracting web from him.

While pulling more web from Pus, Tus stared at me in terror.

I wish I could extract web from Tus’s round belly too, but he’s not the kind of spider that produces webs.

But that’s alright.

He has his own uses.

During my battle with the ant army, I realized one of my weaknesses.

I am vulnerable to poison.

What creature is immune to poison? But in my case, it’s especially bad.

Other challenges I can overcome in some way.

If a dinosaur bigger than me chases me, I can still escape.

But if I get bitten by a small insect like an ant and get poisoned, there’s no way to cure it.

The best options are waiting for the poison to naturally wear off, or leveling up to remove the status effect. Both of which are difficult.

If the poison damage left is greater than my HP, I’ll die for sure.

And I can’t just control when I level up in the middle of a fight.

I need another solution.

I’ve figured out some of the mechanisms of my skills.

If I get attacked by acid, I gain acid resistance.

If I get stung by paralysis needles, I gain paralysis resistance.

If I get poisoned, I should gain poison resistance.

But despite being poisoned during my fight with the ant army, I didn’t gain any poison-related skill.

I think it’s because I was only bitten once, so I lack enough experience.

If I experience it multiple times, I’m sure I’ll naturally gain poison resistance.

But getting exposed to poison multiple times is dangerous—it could kill me.

The creatures that use poison won’t bite me gently.

In this situation, I’ve found myself with a tiny venomous spider that worships me.

Tus.

“Gek gek.”

Are you ready?

“Hioong…”

Tus’s venomous fangs touched my tail.

In case anything goes wrong, I can always cut off my tail.

“Gek gek.”

Bite me gently.

I took a deep breath and emptied my mind.

It’ll hurt, I’m sure.

But if I want to become stronger, there’s no other way.

There’s a saying that a drop of sweat shed now saves a drop of blood in battle.

I emptied my mind and clenched my teeth.

Even while treating a wound from a poisoned arrow, I was confident I wouldn’t flinch, like a general playing Go during a battle.

Come on, bring it!

Crunch!

“Geeeeeeek!”