Slowly and with extreme caution, Arthur moved through the forest, carefully surveying his surroundings. His senses were pushed to their limits as he mapped the boundaries of this unfamiliar territory inside his mind.
This new part of the forest was noticeably different from the area he had lived in before. The terrain was harsher and more varied.
Most of the trees were unnaturally tall and dry, while the ground beneath them was pitch black, sparsely covered with vegetation. What truly set this place apart, however, was the overwhelming presence of mushrooms—of all kinds, shapes, and sizes.
They grew everywhere.
On tree trunks, atop rocks and beneath them, even layered over one another, forming bizarre and unsettling shapes. Some were vibrant and beautiful, bursting with strange colors, while others were dark, dull, and deeply oppressive.
Under normal circumstances, Arthur would have stopped for several minutes to observe the scene and examine it closely. This time, however, he didn't bother. He continued forward, maintaining a safe distance between himself and every mushroom in his path.
His instincts warned him that there was something off about them. The unnatural silence of the forest only deepened his suspicion—there were no birds, no monkeys, no signs of life at all.
And more importantly… he simply wasn't in the mood to wander around carelessly.
After a short while, his nose caught a familiar scent, instantly alerting him to the presence of a nearby water source. He licked his dry lips and headed toward it without hesitation.
Moments later, he arrived at a massive lake, filled with clear blue water that reflected the warm sunlight shimmering above its surface.
Despite his searing thirst, Arthur didn't rush. He scanned the perimeter thoroughly, watched the surface of the water for a moment, and then sniffed it to ensure it was pure and free of toxins. Only then did he lean down and begin to drink ravenously.
Once his thirst was finally quenched, he plunged his head and shoulders into the water, washing away the dried blood and sweat clinging to him.
The cold water brought a flicker of refreshment; his muscles relaxed slightly, and he let out a long sigh underwater, sending a cluster of bubbles floating to the surface.
' I survived... again. But this time, the price was steep. What irony. Who could have guessed I'd become a slave—a pet? Controlled by a damn insect.
She's too deep inside me; I can't escape her. At least, not at my current rank.'
He let out another long sigh, sensing the strange state of his body. The spider-woman's webs were everywhere, entwined around his very organs.
It was painfully clear that if he made a single move against her will, she could destroy him from the inside out with nothing more than a flick of her finger.
' That's not all that worries me right now. Her webs are linked to my brain, allowing her to communicate via telepathy.
Who knows what else she can do? Maybe she can read my thoughts, or at the very least, sense my hidden intentions.'
The spider-woman was on a different level entirely. He didn't know the limits of her power or her skills.
He could guess, but intuition wasn't something he could rely on in i shook his body violently, flinging the moisture from his fur. With a serious expression, he thought:
"From now on, I need to hide my intentions and suppress my thoughts whenever I'm near her. I have to act stupid and show absolute obedience. I don't care how pathetic I become, as long as I survive."
His eyes filled with resolve. Even though he had repeated this vow several times before, he renewed it once more within himself. As he did, he felt a faint ripple in the water brush against his front legs.
Without hesitation, he leaped several steps backward. From the spot where he had been standing, the water suddenly exploded outward, and a massive green crocodile burst forth, lunging at him with savage ferocity.
The crocodile was gigantic—more than twice his size—with an extremely long body protected by hard scales. Its wide, gaping maw was packed with rows of razor-sharp teeth.
Arthur didn't panic. Fortunately, he had retreated in time, causing the crocodile to miss him and snap its jaws on empty air. However, the giant reptile didn't stop there.
It landed gracefully on its six legs, then charged at him at an absurd speed. Strangely, its body barely touched the ground, moving more like a flying cannonball than a crawling beast.
"Damn it."
Arthur jumped back again, narrowly evading the attack. Once more, the crocodile missed him, this time crashing into several trees and smashing them apart before landing on the ground again, its eyes overflowing with killing intent.
'Is this a crocodile, or some kind of falcon? Its movements make no sense.'
As an instinctive reaction, the skill "Primal Predator" activated immediately. At the same time, he used "Evaluation" on the crocodile, trying to assess the level of threat it posed.
As usual, the translucent pale-blue system screen appeared before him, but this time, there was no text on it. Only clusters of tiny cracks and distorted static filled the display, like an old television that had lost its signal.
"What?"
His eyes widened as shock washed over him—no, it was more than shock. He was utterly stunned, to the point that his body froze for a brief moment.
If he hadn't noticed the crocodile charging at him again, he would have remained standing there, mouth agape.
He quickly pulled himself together and retreated, putting a wide distance between them.
He glanced at the broken screen once more before dismissing it, then focused all his attention on his enemy. He needed to deal with this first—he could be shocked all he wanted afterward.
Even without "Evaluation", Arthur wasn't incapable of judging the crocodile's rank. His senses alone were enough. After fighting and hunting so many monsters, he had developed a keen instinct for danger.
From what he could tell, the crocodile was of the same Rank as him, but since he hadn't fully recovered his strength yet, he was clearly at a disadvantage in this confrontation.
He bared his fangs and claws and straightened his posture, puffing himself up to appear larger. A low growl rumbled from his throat as he began circling in a slow half-arc, his eyes locked firmly onto the crocodile.
The crocodile mirrored his movements—but instead of pressing forward, it slowly backed away, retreating toward the lake.
'Huh? Is it trying to run? Doesn't it want to eat me?'
Arthur was slightly surprised. His vigilance rose instead of falling, every muscle tense, ready for some underhanded move. Yet nothing happened. It was as if the crocodile had completely lost its will to fight, maintaining only a defensive posture as it continued withdrawing toward the water.
Realization dawned on Arthur, and he muttered in understanding,
"So that's how it is… an amphibious monster. Looks like it's bad at fighting on land, so it chose to retreat after its ambush failed."
A cold expression settled over his face. He released his killing intent—and then moved.
In a sudden burst of speed, he dashed around the crocodile and positioned himself squarely between it and the lake, cutting off its escape route.
"Too bad for you," he said grimly.
"I'm good at fighting on land. And I still need to bring back some meat to that bitch… or she'll eat me instead."