The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Floren Sector)

(Planet Corpeola- Outskirts Of The Capitol City)

Sophie ran towards the light until she finally emerged from the dark underground sewer tunnels.

She found herself standing on the shoreline of a large open sea where the dirty water from the river flowed directly into the ocean.

The hybrid girl wanted nothing more than to take off her helmet and breathe in the relatively fresh air of the outside world but unfortunately her battlesuit was still covered with filth.

And by filth… she really meant it.

Sophie looked down at her battlesuit and saw what could only be described as a mixture of sewage, garbage, and dirt.

Not exactly a pleasant combination.

Plus, there were small holes in her battlesuit from her fight with the skeleton mage, so parts of her exposed skin had gotten dirty.

Eww… gross… gross…

Sophie furrowed her brows and quickly looked around for any nearby stream or rivers. Hell… at this point she would settle for a relatively large puddle.

Maybe she could wash off in the ocean but then she needed to move significantly downwind from where the sewage entered the large body of water.

She walked along the shoreline while taking a moment to appreciate the bright rays of sunlight that illuminated the nearby surroundings.

It was now midday, and the bright sun was hanging high above in the clear blue sky. Sophie\'s lips curved upwards as she heard the sounds of waves crashing against the shoreline.

It was all… so peaceful.

She had survived.

"Hunter goddess… I did it," Sophie whispered quietly as she stretched out her arms and gave a small yawn.

Even though she had slept for over two weeks… for some reason she still felt exhausted and the pain in her body had not ceased.

What was going on?

Sophie made a mental note to herself to get a medical checkup as she continued to venture forth towards a cleaner part of the beach.

She encountered dozens of brightly coloured shells along the way and there were small fleshy creatures hidden inside.

She picked up one out of curiosity and the creature extended a long snake-like tendril with a pincer- like appendage at its end.

Sophie quickly placed the shell back on the ground before the animal got more upset.

She watched as the creature inside the shell retracted its tendril and then remained motionless.

Fascinating…

Maybe in another life instead of being a cultivator she would have become an interplanetary biologist.

Going from planet to planet across the universe documenting the different forms of life, ecosystems, and the complex prey- predator relationships.

Honestly that didn\'t sound too bad.

Cultivators did live for thousands of years so maybe in a few centuries she would go to an ordinary university and complete a zoology degree.

She could picture it now… Dr. Peterlor a renowned biologist and famous author who published several books on new animal species that she encountered on her travels.

Sophie shook her head and snapped herself out of the daydream. Right now, she needed to focus on getting cleaned up.

After an hour of walking, Sophie finally found what she was looking for.

There was a small stream of crystal-clear water that flowed directly into the ocean.

There were no traces of impurities or waste substances but just to be safe, Sophie reached into her storage bag and pulled out a long metalloid tube.

She dipped the end of the tube in the water and captured a small sample. The device analysed the water and then displayed the results on a screen.

Hmm… the pH of the water was a bit low but otherwise it seemed to be perfectly fine.

Sophie peeled off her battlesuit and winced as the strong overpowering scent of raw sewage filled her nostrils.

She tried her best not to gag as she removed the helmet.

Without hesitation the hybrid girl jumped into the water and began to furiously scrub at her skin.

She needed to get this filth off her body… NOW!

Sophie splashed and played in the water and swam a few laps up and down the stream. It was a fun and relaxing way to spend an afternoon.

"Ahh… finally… I can smell…" Sophie exclaimed in relief as she splashed water against her face and rubbed her cheeks.

The worst part of her entire experience underground… well outside of the whole nearly dying thing was definitely the smell.

Sophie spent around thirty minutes soaking in the water and making sure that every inch of her body was clean.

A pack of large wolf-like animal appeared in the distance but the scent coming off Sophie\'s discarded battlesuit soon drove them away.

Apparently even the predators on this planet disliked the smell of raw sewage.

The hybrid girl got out of the water and extended her senses outwards to cover her nearby surroundings.

Okay… now to quickly get changed.

Sophie reached into her storage bag and pulled out a new outfit and a towel.

Even though she was alone, Sophie still rushed behind a nearby clump of bushes while she changed.

She was not a fan of public nudity and was not going to take any chances.

Eventually a beautiful young woman emerged from the bushes wearing a simple black track pants and a blue jacket that was a bit too large for her body.

The blue jacket had four big holes in its back for her blade-like appendages that swayed slightly from side to side.

Now… what should she do about her suit?

Honestly Sophie did not want to touch it for a variety of reasons. Still… it wasn\'t like she could just leave it here.

The hybrid girl thought about what to do for a moment and then finally decided to destroy it.

She cocked back her fist and the qi in her dantian flowed towards the meridians in her arm.

Flame Art- Fire Fist!

Fierce orangish-red flames wrapped around Sophie\'s right hand as she punched forward, and an enormous wave of fire rushed towards the suit.

The intense flames instantly reduced the battlesuit to nothing more than ash in a matter of seconds.

Sophie furrowed her brows since she was a bit surprised at the sight. Wasn\'t her battlesuit supposed to be fireproof?

How did she burn it down so easily?

"Arghhh!" Sophie screamed in pain as the flames wrapped around her hand immediately extinguished.

She fell to the ground and began to convulse as terrible spasms rocked her body. It felt as though thousands of needles were piercing into her flesh all at once.

Fuck… it hurt so bad…

Sophie gritted her teeth and had to fight down the urge to sob as she had never felt such a high level of pain before.

Her fingers trembled as the muscles all over her body cramped up and spasmed. The pain was so bad that Sophie for a moment thought that she was going to die.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity… the pain finally ceased.

Sophie slowly got up from the ground and panted like a dying dog as she pushed herself to stand up properly.

"Hunter goddess… I know this is your fault… explain yourself," Sophie angrily yelled as she fell down once more as her legs gave out.

[Sorry my darling vessel]

A familiar voice entered Sophie\'s mind and she knew that her otherworldly patron had heard her words.

[Your body is still adjusting to your new cultivation level]