Chapter 49

49-1
Kumoko has been trying to figure out more about the Puppet Taratects and has concluded they are made of thread, with a tiny spider at the core. Taking a break on the surface to figure out a counter, she suddenly finds she is under attack by Puppet Taratects, the eighth she has encountered so far. Jumping into a previously prepared panic room, Kumoko teleports back to the Great Elroe Labyrinth.

Kumoko has been chased non stop so she is only still going thanks to [Exhaustion Nullification]. In the course of the game of cat and mouse, Kumoko has concluded there are eleven Puppet Taratects. Taking a moment to plan a course of action, Kumoko reviews her skills and makes some purchases.

Later on, Kumoko is being chased by three of the Puppet Taratects, and another three break though a wall to join the chase. Having set up a range of thread based constructs, such as spring pads and barriers, Kumoko stays ahead of them despite the difference in stats and leads the six Puppet Taratects into a cavern. The Puppet Taratects follow her in and corner Kumoko, but she seals the entrance with Earth Wall and then opens Spatial Storage to flood the room with water she stored in there earlier, using the buoyancy of their Taratect bodies against them.

49-2
Using her new [Swimming] skill, Kumoko can move freely but the Puppet Taratects cannot, despite their stats, due to a race specific trait. Taking aim at one of the immobilised Puppet Taratects, Kumoko unleashes her magic. All six of the Puppet Taratects shoot magic back at her, but Kumoko has the upper hand with her [Swimming] skill and dodges, although returning fire against all six at once is impossible. This is part of Kumoko's strategy, keeping them too distracted to try and escape. While the Puppet Taratects attack, she is using air from her storage to breath. Their attacks eventually slow and all six Puppet Taratects drown and die.

Elsewhere, Ariel senses the deaths of all six Puppet Taratects and is enraged.

Several more days pass as Kumoko whittles down the number of Taratects in the labyrinth, purging all the Arch Taratects and Greater Taratects in the labyrinth, as well as having used teleportation to give the seventh Puppet Taratect a lava bath. Outside, Ariel and the remaining four Puppet Taratects are staying together so their search range is vastly reduced. Checking on Mother, Kumoko sees Mother's stats are now lower than her own. With Ariel so far away, Kumoko decides it is time to take Mother down.

Quick References

 * 1) There are eleven Puppet Taratects.
 * 2) Kumoko traps six of the Puppet Taratects in a cave and floods it, drowning them.
 * 3) Race-specific traits can trump System based stats.
 * 4) Ariel can sense the deaths of her immediate minions.
 * 5) Kumoko eliminates all seven Puppet Taratects in the Great Elroe Labyrinth, leaving only the four outside alive.
 * 6) Kumoko purges all the Arch Taratects and Greater Taratects in the labyrinth.
 * 7) Ariel and the four remining Puppet Taratects are moving together on the surface.
 * 8) Kumoko decides it is time to take on Mother.

Chapter Notes

 * 1) [Swimming] Level 1 acquired.

Characters by Appearance
Kumoko