The tree deer noticed his presence and panicked. With the path ahead blocked by water, they hesitated for a very brief moment before fleeing—exactly what he wanted. That instant was enough for him to close the distance and seize an E-Rank tree deer.
He latched onto it tightly and swiftly dragged it away from the lake. The moment he covered a short distance, a massive crocodile surfaced from the water and stared at him with an extremely malicious gaze.
Arthur noticed it, yet paid it no attention. It was far enough to pose no immediate threat. Shifting his focus to the screaming, thrashing deer, he tore open its throat and finished it off.
[ +? ]
As usual, he didn't waste any time. He immediately carried the corpse to the spider-woman's nest. After handing it over, he turned back toward the lake—but stopped midway.
Something was wrong.
He sharply sniffed the air and scanned his surroundings, his expression wary.
'What is this disgusting stench? I passed through here just a few minutes ago, and it wasn't here. Something has changed.'
His body tensed as he realized a danger was lurking nearby. Since he couldn't pinpoint its location despite carefully examining everything around him, he understood it was a type of creature highly skilled in concealment and camouflage.
He activated his Skills and prepared to defend his life. At the same time, he slowly and cautiously retreated, as if he were standing in the middle of a minefield.
Gurgle!
Roar!
Suddenly, a massive pile of mushrooms nearby trembled violently. A horrifying sound of breathing came from within it, making every part of his body shudder.
His heart leapt, and without any hesitation—without even thinking—he fled at full speed.
At that very moment, the pile of mushrooms moved as well, giving chase. With every step it took, the ground shook slightly, and poorly attached mushrooms fell off, causing the strange creature's form to become clearer.
It was a massive bear with a grotesquely deformed body. Mushrooms grew all over it like parasites.
The few visible patches of its skin were covered in festering wounds and writhing maggots, making its appearance utterly repulsive.
Terrified, Arthur stole a quick glance at it, catching a clear look at its unnatural, hideous form, something closer to a walking corpse than a living beast. Worse still, it radiated a powerful aura that clearly surpassed E-Rank.
"Damn it… what is that thing?"
Arthur couldn't suppress his shock. At the same time, he nearly vomited from the sheer grotesqueness of the bear, not to mention the rotten stench pouring off it, which made his enhanced sense of smell scream in agony. This was the first time he had ever seen a creature this revolting.
In a hurry, he deactivated his sense of smell. With difficulty, he calmed his churning stomach and forced himself to run even faster.
He wouldn't let disgust make him forget one crucial fact, his enemy was stronger than he was.
Suddenly, every hair on his body stood on end. He felt the suffocating pressure from the bear behind him intensify.
Quickly, he spun around—and there it was, mouth wide open. Deep in its dark throat, he saw a faint, round green glow growing larger by the second.
'Damn… is that bastard a dragon?'
He swallowed hard, instantly realizing what was about to happen.
As he had expected, just a fraction of a second later, the bear thrust its head forward and spewed a green fireball from its mouth. It shot toward him at a terrifying speed, like a cannonball.
In a rush, Arthur changed direction, narrowly dodging the projectile. He felt it brush against the tips of his fur—but unlike what he had expected, it wasn't hot; it was ice-cold.
The fireball continued its trajectory, smashing into the trunk of a massive tree, creating a large hole. From that hole, twisted red mushrooms began to sprout.
Arthur's pupils contracted. The horrifying sight intensified his shock so much that he almost stumbled and fell.
Realizing this was not the time to show fear, he wiped away all traces of shock, gritted his teeth, and without hesitation, changed course and headed straight for the spider-woman's nest, deciding to let her deal with this threat.
A fearful smile appeared on his face as he muttered sarcastically:
'Hope she likes mush…'
Before he could finish his thought, he noticed the bear launch another fireball. Once again, he dodged it with difficulty.
Throwing all caution to the wind, he strained his body and pushed himself to run at the absolute maximum speed he could reach, maintaining the gap between himself and the bear, which, fortunately, wasn't extremely fast.
With every stride, he covered dozens of feet. The wind whipped through his long fur as he nimbly avoided trees and mushrooms in his path. He evaded the fireballs skillfully, and after about two exhausting minutes, he finally reached the nest.
His eyes widened. Despite his hatred for the place, he felt a flicker of joy upon seeing it, and his body relaxed.
But as soon as he neared the entrance, he felt an imminent danger coming from behind. He realized instantly that the bear had attacked him with another fireball.
Like the previous times, he leaped aside to dodge the strike—or so he thought. The moment the green projectile reached his side, it exploded with violent force.
The blast sent him flying sideways, slamming him into the ground where he tumbled repeatedly, leaving a long, plowed furrow in the earth beneath him. But that wasn't even the worst part.
mushrooms rapidly spread across the rear-left portion of his body, beginning to sprout through his flesh and skin. His face contorted, turning pale, and he screamed:
"Ahh, damn it!"
He gritted through the pain, forcing himself to stand and keep moving, though he was moving painfully slowly. In just a second, the bear reached him and pounced with savage force.
Arthur's fear surged from the depths of his soul, and without thinking, he shouted:
"Lady, save me!"
At that moment, the entire web nest shook violently. Hundreds of threads moved simultaneously, surrounding the bear and forming a massive cocoon that restrained its movements.
Roar!
The bear screamed in furious defiance, thrashing with all its might. Yet, its struggles were useless—more threads wrapped around it, thickening the cocoon and making it stronger.
At the same time, some threads moved around Arthur, lifting him through the nest and placing him in front of the large cocoon where the spider-woman rested.