The tiger had a massive body, and very thick red hide patterned with white and black stripes. On its head, two long spiraled horns protruded, and the strangest part of all— it had three thin, sharply pointed tails.
Despite seeing the danger rushing toward him, Arthur didn't flee or retreat. He stood in place, pretending ignorance, while in reality, he was analyzing the tiger, trying to predict its attack pattern.
The calm lasted about thirty seconds. Then suddenly, the tiger lunged at him. Naturally, he was ready. As it reached him, he leapt to the side, dodging with agility.
But it wasn't over yet. Before his feet touched the ground, the tiger's pointed tails shot forward at an impossible speed, aiming straight for his chest.
Arthur furrowed his brow in clear annoyance—there was no escape from this surprise attack. Yet he didn't panic. Quickly, he adjusted his stance and let the tails pierce his shoulder until they hit bone.
He was pushed back slightly, immediately activated "Regeneration," and tensed his muscles so the three tails became embedded in his body.
Without giving the tiger a moment to react, he swung his dagger-like claws and slashed through all three tails. Blood sprayed everywhere.
The tiger's eyes widened in shock. Before it could process what was happening, the black wolf suddenly leapt at it. Instinctively, the tiger defended itself, lowering its head slightly, horns twisted, and rammed with all its force, like a raging bull.
Arthur tensed his body, hesitated for a moment, briefly considered retreating—but it only took a fraction of a second for him to make up his mind. He pressed the attack.
As soon as he reached the tiger, with only a few centimeters separating them, he leapt over it and landed on its back.
He dug his claws into its thick hide, holding on tightly, then bit the back of its neck and began tearing at its flesh with savage force.
The tiger screamed in pain, jumping and thrashing its head wildly to shake him off. Its long horns and violent movements managed to scratch Arthur lightly across the forehead.
When it realized he was within the range of its horns, it stopped thrashing randomly and thrust its head backward with full force, trying to pierce him.
'Damn it.'
The moment Arthur sensed this, he quickly released his grip, leapt off its back, and stood ready at a distance. A wicked smile spread across his face—he had torn a major artery in its neck and damaged its spine and nerves.
Bloodied, he opened his mouth and mocked:
"So, what will you do now, mighty one? Seems you don't have 'Regeneration' after all."
Even after escaping, the tiger didn't feel relief. Its fear and panic only grew. Its body weakened gradually, and with its neck still bleeding profusely, it realized in the harshest way possible that the prey it had chosen this time… was the predator.
He assumed a defensive stance, growling fiercely while swiping his front claws as a warning. Slowly, he stepped back, trying to put distance between them—but Arthur continued advancing.
The tiger ground its teeth, realizing that its efforts were futile. Without further hesitation, it turned and fled at full speed.
Of course, Arthur wasn't about to let such a valuable prey escape, especially in its weakened state. He gave chase, running at his maximum speed to catch up.
Thus, the two beasts ran through the forest, one behind the other, separated by only a few meters.
At first, Arthur thought he would quickly close the gap and seize it, but he was mistaken this time. Unexpectedly, the tiger was slightly faster.
Gradually, it widened the distance between them, moving further away. This made Arthur frown in annoyance—he couldn't accept it. It struck at his pride as a hunter who rarely failed, and anger rose within him.
'This bastard thinks he can escape after trying to kill me? He's dreaming. All I need to do is stay on his tail. I doubt he'll last long anyway, considering his injuries.'
This time, his prediction proved correct. After running continuously for over twenty miles, the tiger began to slow down. Bleeding heavily, its color paled, and the light in its eyes dimmed.
Arthur chuckled softly, feeling a small spark of satisfaction. But his smile quickly froze—he felt the webs inside his body shifting, signaling that he was nearing the boundary of the area he could freely move within.
"No… not yet, just a little further."
He gritted his teeth, letting go of all restraint, and forced his body to accelerate even more. Within mere fractions of a second, he closed in on the exhausted tiger, striking its hind leg. The impact made it stumble and fall to the ground.
The tiger tumbled several times, smashing through piles of accumulated fungi. Before it could recover, Arthur pounced and finished it off swiftly.
When it was over, he took a deep, relieved breath. As usual, he grabbed the tiger by its leg and headed toward the Spider-Woman's nest—but he stopped suddenly after a few steps.
Not because of any danger, but because the fungus sphere inside him, which had remained stable for a long time, began shaking violently, stretching in a certain direction.
"What the hell… why is the fungus sphere reacting like this all of a sudden?"
Panic and fear surged through Arthur. He hadn't forgotten the agony he endured when the fungus previously spread through his body.
That alone was enough to make him hesitate before approaching it again. Yet curiosity gnawed at him—clearly, the sphere was moving for a reason, and that reason had to be external; nothing in his body had changed.
'Something in this area is triggering the fungus inside me… but what could it be?'
He scanned his surroundings carefully. After a brief hesitation, he left the tiger aside and followed the direction in which the fungus was stretching.
After traveling roughly three hundred meters, he discovered a small cave, hidden beneath piles of fungus and tangled vegetation.
Once again, he examined the area meticulously, pondering the situation. Finally, swallowing his apprehension, he entered the cave.