As we approached the pile of weapons Bass had painstakingly extracted from the top layer of the webs, my heart sank at the meager spoils. Only four rings and two potions lay scattered on the ground, a scant reward for our perilous journey through the spider’s lair.

  “Sana, can you analyze the rings and see if any of the weapons are magical?” I asked, unable to conceal my excitement over the new loot.

  "I'm not exactly at a high level, so I can't say for sure. But I could teach you if you really can learn any skill now," she said with some skepticism.

  “Sure, that would be even better,” I said with glee.

  As she drew near, I expected her to touch me and pass on the skill. Instead, she raised her hand and delivered a startling slap to my face. The force of it caught me off guard, sending a sharp sting through my cheek and jaw.

  I stepped back, stunned. “What was that for?”

  “Check your prompts,” she replied.

  I pulled up the most recent prompts.

  Sana has hit you for 1 point of blunt damage.

  Congratulations, you have learned Analysis Level 1. “You can’t have ANALysis without being ANAL.”

  At level 1, you can analyze yourself.

  Rabbit added, “I guess that’s how Sana knew those were Carbinium Spiders. You only got the prompt because your resistance changed, but she probably got hers from her analysis skill. Maybe you should let Sana smack you all day to level up that skill.”

  “I’ll pass on getting slapped to level up, but if she gives me a good offer, I might consider it. For now, I’ll try the rings instead,” I replied.

  “Thanks for the skill, I guess,” I said to Sana as I touched my cheek. For only one point of damage, it still stung quite a bit. I bent down, grabbed the rings, and tried them on one by one.

  You have equipped the Minor Ring of Health. Your health has increased by 10 points.

  You have equipped the Minor Ring of Health. Your health has increased by 8 points.

  You have equipped the Minor Ring of Mana. Your mana has increased by 7 points.

  You have equipped an unknown ring. You have an unknown spell effect.

  “So the first two are health rings with 10 and 8 points each,” I read out loud. “The third is a Mana Ring with 7 points. I have no clue what the fourth does. It says it has an unknown spell effect. Do you think you can check it out, Sana?”

  “Well, usually, I wouldn’t test a magical effect on myself, and neither should you. That is dangerous, but I’m glad you did it rather than me. But since you’ve already tested it and seem fine, I’ll give it a go.” She slipped the ring onto her finger, pausing to sense its effects. After a moment, she shook her head. “No clue, sorry. I think it's best if we avoid wearing it until we know what it does.”

  “Well, I call first on the Mana ring,” Kaylie chimed in quickly.

  “I can take the crappy health ring,” Jack added. “I think Alf should get the ten points of health.”

  “You know, I'm drawn to the mystery. I'll take the unknown ring,” I declared.

  “It’s not really the wisest move,” Sana said. “But I guess you have to learn somehow. And it’s better to learn through something that doesn’t seem that dangerous. I’ll take the weak-health ring. Jack is our main fighter anyway, and it will help him more than me.”

  We split up the rings, and I equipped mine, instead of putting it in my Bag of Holding. I then started to grab all the weapons one at a time to see if they gave me a prompt, but nothing came up. “Either none of these is enchanted, or I don’t know how to tell if they are.”

  “You can’t detect the details on weapons unless they have an active effect on the user. Armament usually has an effect on the target rather than the user, so we can use the weapons on you one at a time to see their effects,” Sana explained, her voice tinged with mischief.

  Her eagerness seemed a bit excessive, perhaps emboldened since she’d had the chance to slap me earlier. It was particularly disturbing that she hadn’t warned me about the risks of equipping unknown magical items. Did she actually want me to get hurt, or did she enjoy messing with me?

  Bass chimed in before things could escalate, “As much fun as testing on you sounds, we’ve only got one health potion left. Let’s not waste it on experiments when I can handle weapon testing.”

  I assumed Bass didn’t know my Ability to heal fast, and no one else pointed it out, so I kept quiet. He had also probably seen them feed a potion into me after the battle, so he must have assumed I recovered like everyone else.

  Bass scrutinized each weapon before speaking. “Three of these have enchantments. The first,” he pointed to a sword, “is a finely crafted blade with a Mana Drain enchantment. Its effectiveness, though, you'll need to test in combat.” He moved on to an ax, adding, “This one is enchanted for increased durability.” Then, pointing to a Gladius, he continued, “And this one carries a standard Union enchantment, boosting attack by three points.” He then handed me a short sword that lay nearby. “For you, I’d recommend this short sword.”

  As I took the weapon from his grasp, I noted its distinctive features. It was about two feet long, falling on the longer end of the typical range for short swords, which usually measure slightly over a foot and a half to two feet. The blade was thin, much like that of a Gladius, tailored for swift and precise strikes. Its most striking feature was its entirely white blade, a vivid contrast to the usual metal of a standard blade. The unique appearance made it not only a potent weapon but also a visually captivating one.

  Bass admired the sword. “This one is finely made and is easily the best of the bunch. It is made out of moonstone, and since you’re so dainty, the lightweight will make it easy to wield.”

  I took the moonstone short sword from him and swung it, testing its feel. It was much lighter than any sword I had used before, especially with such a thin blade. "Are you sure about this? It feels like it could break on the first solid contact with another weapon," I said, expressing my concern.

  Bass nodded confidently, giving his chest a tap. " Don’t worry about its durability. It’s like these old dwarf muscles of mine. Even under pressure, it won’t tire out or snap," he said with a grin. Then, winking at Sana, he added, "And despite its smaller size, it's better in many ways. Quicker, sharper, and far more precise."

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  I tried to ignore the subtext and replied, “I’ll take this one. Anyone else interested?”

  “Not interested in the slightest,” Sana replied.

  “I’ll take the ax until I can see if my war hammer is still where I was taken,” Bass said, hoisting the ax with ease. With a cheeky smirk, he added, “Always good to have options, right? While the length might be modest, it's the girth and heft that really count.”

  Sana rolled her eyes at the remark. Meanwhile, Kaylie and I couldn't help but be amused, while Jack looked visibly uncertain, clearly not sure how to react to Bass's playful banter.

  I stowed all of the weapons in my bag, much happier that I wasn’t down to my last sword. Despite the weight-reducing enchantment on my bag, the metal items made it significantly heavier. The additional ten pounds wasn’t that bad, and we moved on to the collection of armor.

  The Dwarf went to the next pile, efficiently handing various armors to me to place in my bag without any questions. His expertise allowed him to sort through the pile and provide me necessary items quickly.

  He handed me two suits. At first glance, they appeared simply brilliant white, almost blinding in their radiance. However, as my fingertips brushed against the fabric, a remarkable transformation occurred. The material around my hand shifted, changing to a light gray. It was as if the suit responded directly to my touch, and I watched in fascination as only the areas I contacted changed color.

  At first glance, I mistook the garment for some type of luxurious attire, perhaps due to its brilliant white sheen. However, as it was handed to me, the unexpected heft immediately dispelled that notion as it was far too heavy for ordinary apparel. The material was intriguing, an amalgamation that felt like a synthetic blend or perhaps metal. The fibers were tightly woven, giving them the appearance of fabric while possessing an unusual stiffness and significant weight.

  As I hoisted the garment, its substantial weight and awkwardness struck me. It was as heavy as traditional armor yet resembled large swaths of cloth in its construction. The material flowed like liquid, draping over my hand and cascading with a life of its own, challenging to manage in one grasp. Donning it, I imagined, would feel akin to wearing a second skin, moving fluidly with me, unlike the restrictive nature of heavier armor. Holding the garment loosely presented a challenge. It was unwieldy due to its heft, making it unlike any clothing I had ever encountered.

  Upon closer inspection, I realized the garment was comprised of three separate pieces. The first covered the lower body, the second extended up to the neck, and the third, a hood, featured a specific design that left the entire face exposed while providing complete coverage for the hair. Each piece was designed to integrate seamlessly with the others, creating a full-body armor that was both protective and flexible, ensuring ease of movement while maintaining a high level of protection.

  There were two of them, and they seemed smaller than I was, so they wouldn’t be of as much use. Curiously, I asked, “What are these?”

  "Those are Biodium chainmail, extremely expensive and rarely used," Bass said, piquing my interest.

  "Is there more of these?" I asked excitedly.

  "No," Bass responded simply.

  Jack then added, "It's rarely used because of its cost and its limitations. Standard armor performs better and costs much less, so why bother with this stuff?"

  Sana countered Jack's point, "That's not entirely accurate. It has unique properties. As you can see, the metal adapts to the wearer's biology. That means it would fit both Jack and me perfectly, but not someone as short as our Dwarf here. It changes color and molds so seamlessly that it feels like an extension of your own skin."

  She wasn’t kidding. The chainmail’s ability to mimic skin color and transmit sensations intrigued me.

  Sana continued, “The cost alone is prohibitive. Although it's as strong as metal and can flex, it's not effective against blunt force trauma. This chainmail is resistant to certain magical attacks, which is a significant advantage. However, this resistance comes with a considerable downside of interfering with any magical enhancements your armor might have. If you wear enchanted armor over it, the chainmail's properties block those magical effects, neutralizing any benefits.”

  “So you are saying, I should wear it under my armor because it has no enchantments?” I asked.

  Jack shook his head, "Not at your level. Remember, it's heavy. Adding your armor on top would only slow you down significantly."

  He was right. I had been considering the relationship between strength and weight linearly, but I'd neglected the square-cube law. In simpler terms, if my weight were to double, my strength would need to quadruple to maintain the same level of mobility. Fortunately, my Strength attribute had recently risen to 22, effectively doubling my physical power. Even with the armor adding an extra 50% to my weight, I'd still be mobile, albeit less agile. This reduction in mobility could be somewhat offset by my increased agility score, though the exact impact on my speed was uncertain.

  However, managing movement was only one aspect of the challenge. In combat, proximity to an opponent introduced another layer of complexity due to magical resistance. When close to an enemy, their aura could suppress my enhanced attributes, including Strength and Agility. With the added weight of the armor, if an opponent's resistance diminished my magical enhancements, my ability to move and defend myself could be severely compromised. This meant that in a fight, the extra weight could effectively immobilize me.

  “Why is something valuable like that here?” Jack asked.

  “I suspect it was used for spider hunting because of its tactile sensitivity. You'd be able to detect a spider’s web much more effectively than with regular armor. Though considering they didn’t survive, I doubt it was a good idea.” Sana replied.

  “Aye, that fits. I found a potion of Animal Attraction on one of the bodies. They were likely hunting the spiders or trying to lure ‘em away.” Bass added.

  “A potion of Animal Attraction isn't as universal as its name suggests,” Kaylie explained, which surprised me. “It’s mostly effective on creatures with lower intelligence or those that operate on instinctive behaviors, like pack animals or hive-minded species such as bees or, in this case, spiders.”

  “Don’t try it. They rarely work as promised,” Jack added cautiously.

  Before I could respond, Sana chimed in, “The potion itself works. It’s just difficult to create the right conditions for it. If you took the potion yourself, you'd be swarmed and killed. If you fed it to something like a wolf, it would run fast enough not to get caught, but it would quickly move beyond the potion's effective range. The ideal use would require either something extremely strong that can withstand an onslaught or something that can slowly outpace your enemy.”

  Jack retorted, “Which is why it's useless. If you can capture something strong enough to handle a swarm, you wouldn’t need the potion in the first place.”

  I hesitated, considering leaving both the potion and the suits of armor behind due to their drawbacks. The potion seemed unreliable, and the armor was heavy. Ultimately, I decided to stash both in my bag. Despite the downsides, their potential value made the burden worth bearing, at least for the time being. As my bag grew heavier, I became concerned that it would slow me down. Moving forward, I would have to be more selective about what I added to it.

  After Bass handed over his expertly chosen items, he gestured toward a literal hole in the wall, beckoning us to follow. Though I was excited to explore the web-filled depths beyond in search of more treasures, I knew it would have to wait. Bass was eager to rescue his people, and he was the only one who knew the way out.

  According to Bass, the passage was part of a tunnel system that the Dwarves had spent ages excavating. They had created a maze of underground channels and sealed off this particular passage due to the creatures that inhabited it. Bass had reopened it during the recent attack on the settlement, leading two guards in pursuit, only for their lives to be claimed by the spiders.

  Bass confidently led our group, capitalizing on his innate ability to see in the dark. The rest of us had to rely heavily on light sticks to illuminate the path. The tunnel itself was a nightmare for anyone taller than a Dwarf. It forced the rest of us to stoop uncomfortably low, causing our necks to cramp and our backs to ache within minutes. We shuffled awkwardly forward, heads ducked to avoid the rough, uneven ceiling. Every step was a battle against the cramped space, our movements slow and labored.

  “This is odd,” Rabbit remarked.

  “What is?”

  “The tunnel is not what I expected,” he said, his tone tinged with confusion.

  “You’re right, I expected it to be taller too. How’s a Dwarf even supposed to swing a pickaxe in here?”

  “No, I’m not talking about that. They probably used magic if they couldn’t swing a pickaxe,” Rabbit responded, surprisingly without insulting my intelligence. “I was expecting at least some wider areas. Typically, when you find a vein, they excavate the space to extract the metals. But this tunnel looks like it was made for something specific.”

  “Maybe they didn’t find anything,” I replied.

  "I don’t think so," Rabbit said slowly. "I’ve already seen at least one vein of metal around here. They were probably searching for something else. Let’s keep our eyes open. If we come across more tunnels like this, we’ll need to ask questions."