Tremor!
At first, Arthur thought the buffalo herd consisted of only twenty beasts, but he was wrong. Before long, the ground beneath him began to shake violently. His nose picked up hundreds of different scents, and he heard the thunderous sound of thousands of hooves charging in his direction.
'What the hell is all this?'
His eyes widened as shock and confusion washed over him. He quickly retreated a short distance, concealing himself even further. Silent and alert, he focused on the section of the forest where everything seemed to be coming from.
Moooo!
Seconds later, hundreds of buffalo of varying sizes and ranks emerged. Wherever they passed, a massive cloud of dust rose into the air, flattening everything in their path—except for the tall, thick-trunked trees.
Most of the buffalo were enormous, some reaching dozens of feet in height. They had broad shoulders and thick fur.
Their horns were short and flattened, while their foreheads and cheeks were protected by a solid bony layer, like metal armor. Strangest of all, the rear halves of their bodies resembled those of horses.
Even without possessing the "Evaluation" skill, Arthur was certain that many of them were D-Rank. He didn't rush. Instead, he carefully selected targets he could realistically handle and waited patiently for the perfect opportunity to present itself.
All the buffalo charged toward the lake, but they stopped at the shoreline, staring at the water with caution and tension.
The surroundings fell silent, the dust slowly settled, and after a full minute, one buffalo finally gathered its courage and lowered its head to drink. The rest followed.
Splash!
Roar!
At that moment, dozens of crocodiles burst out of the lake and lunged viciously at the terrified buffalo. With so many prey crowded into such a narrow space, most of the crocodiles managed to latch onto something, dragging their screaming, living catches into the water. They tore them apart alive beneath the surface, staining the lake crimson.
As for the crocodiles that failed to catch anything, they quickly retreated, only to surge forward again toward weaker targets.
Panic spread through the buffalo herd, and chaos erupted. The weaker buffalo fled in random directions, crashing into one another, while the powerful D-Rank males were overcome with fury.
A dangerously intense aura burst from their bodies, and strangely enough, they charged ferociously at the few crocodiles still lurking nearby.
As if they themselves had become the predators, they rushed toward the lake with overwhelming force, ramming the water with heads like the front of a speeding train.
From their armored foreheads, a violent shockwave erupted—like the explosion of an incendiary bomb.
Woosh!
The water at the shoreline exploded, spraying violently in every direction and giving rise to several large, chaotic waves. The nearby crocodiles were caught in the shockwave— their insides rattled, blood spilling from their mouths and nostrils. Panicked, they fled as far away as they could.
Seeing this, Arthur's shock deepened, a trace of genuine surprise flashing across his face. The buffalo were absurdly powerful, and it was obvious that the shockwave released from their heads was a unique skill.
'I must not let them ram me. I don't think I could survive an attack like that.'
He took a deep breath, his eyes filling with resolve. Despite how dangerous his prey was this time, he had no intention of retreating.
Before the situation fully settled down, he locked onto his target, an E-Rank buffalo, panicked and separated from the herd, fleeing straight toward him.
He bared his fangs and extended his claws. The moment his target drew close, he struck from its blind spot.
Bursting out of the bushes at full speed, he leapt onto the buffalo's back, drove his sharp claws deep into its flesh, and restricted its movement. Then he bit down hard from behind, right where its spine was located.
Moo!
The buffalo screamed and began thrashing violently, crashing into trees in a desperate attempt to shake him off. But Arthur had no intention of letting go. He dug his claws and fangs in even deeper and clung to it tightly.
After a few more seconds of struggle, he managed to snap the buffalo's spine. It instantly lost most of its strength, stumbled, and collapsed to the ground.
Without giving it a single chance to recover, Arthur bit into its throat, tearing apart its windpipe and main arteries.
[ +? ]
The moment the buffalo died, he quickly dragged its corpse into the bushes, then immediately began searching for another prey.
His eyes swept across the area, and soon he spotted a plump F-Rank calf that had been separated from its mother amid the chaos. Without the slightest hesitation, he silently crept toward it, careful not to draw any unwanted attention. Then he struck by surprise and, with absurd ease, successfully hunted it.
Once again, he dragged the corpse away and hid it, then returned to look for a third prey. Unfortunately, this time he found nothing suitable.
The panicked herd had calmed down, and the buffalo had returned to drinking from the lake under the protection of the powerful D-Rank males.
'Alright, I think this is enough. I got two fat prey without much trouble. There's no point risking my life for more… especially when it's not like I'm the one who'll enjoy the fruits of my labor.'
He shook his head in disappointment, then headed toward the place where he had hidden his catches.
With great difficulty, he dragged both corpses at the same time and started making his way back to the spider's nest. He couldn't afford to leave either of them behind—chances were, he wouldn't find them again if he came back later.
He walked slowly and carelessly through the forest, making no effort to hide his tracks or his presence. He left a long trail of blood on the ground behind him. By the time he finally reached the nest, the sun was setting.
Adopting an expression of fear and submission, he entered with a bowed head.
He placed the two carcasses in the webbed corridor and said politely, "This is all I could bring."
The webs inside him vibrated, and he felt the spider-woman's presence. However, she said nothing at first, remaining silent for a short while before speaking with a hint of surprise and confusion.
"Good. You are better than you look. But why aren't you using that storage skill of yours?"
Her overwhelming aura weighed down on him, and her tone turned cold. "Are you hiding something?"
Upon hearing her question, Arthur's entire body tensed, and his heart hammered against his ribs. He quickly replied with the words he had prepared beforehand.
"Ah, that... I—I don't know why. When I woke up earlier, I could no longer feel the skill's presence. It just won't work anymore. I truly don't understand what happened."
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