Crack!

  In her intense agitation, the Spider Woman lost control of her strength and accidentally broke one of his shoulders, while the other cracked slightly.

  When she realized she had hurt him, she only loosened her grip a little and repeated her question more sternly, "Answer me. Where did you get this, and is there more?"

  Although Arthur felt real pain, sensing that his massive, heavy body was like a fragile porcelain toy in her hands, he showed no clear reaction. Inside, he thought in astonishment.

  'Wait, wait, what’s going on here? I expected her to be surprised or shocked a little, but not to this extreme. Is this Mana Stone Ore really that important to her?'

  He focused on her and stared at her face. She looked tense and excited in a strange way he had never seen before.

  At that moment, his astonishment disappeared, and his lips twisted into a small, sly smile. 'Gotcha.'

  Deliberately and slowly, he put on a pained expression, staying silent to feign shock. This angered the Spider Woman. She shook his body violently, and, running out of patience, shouted in a tone that allowed no delay,

  "Speak immediately, or I’ll kill you!"

  Hearing her threat, his expression stiffened. He snapped out of his shock, and then spoke, stammering,

  "M-my lady, I… I don’t understand what you mean. Are you talking about this shiny stone?"

  She realized he was just playing with her, yet she restrained the urge to strike him, and quickly repeated her question for the third time,

  "Yes, tell me. Do you have more?”

  "So that’s it." He nodded with understanding, then replied in a calmer tone, "I do indeed have some. Do you want them, my lady? I would be happy to offer them to you."

  To avoid provoking her further, he immediately pulled out a third of his stash from "Dimensional Storage." A small pile of sparkling crystalline stones appeared beside them.

  The spider woman was momentarily stunned. Then she let go of him—or more accurately, tossed him aside. She picked up a small piece of stone, placed it in her mouth, and swallowed it in a very strange sight.

  As soon as she felt the dense mana within the stone spreading through her body, her eyes widened further.

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  She muttered in shock, " A Mid-Rank Mana Stone Ore." To be certain, she ate another piece.

  Once all her doubts vanished, her lips curled into an enchanting smile, unable to hide her joy.

  However, she quickly realized she had let her excitement carry her away. She stole a quick glance at him, then returned her face to a serious expression.

  Arthur said nothing and remained sitting in his spot, watching her with an amused and slightly amazed expression.

  This was the first time he had seen her smile in such a natural way, which made her look even more beautiful.

  'If I didn't know she was a heartless, evil monster, that smile would have truly made me fall for her. Her beauty is a danger to this world.'

  When he recalled what had happened to the humans just moments ago, a shiver ran deep within him. At the same time, a sudden realization crossed his mind.

  ' Thinking about it, what is her Rank? The only time I checked her with the "Evaluation", no information appeared. Now that my Rank has increased, maybe the result will be different.'

  Without any hesitation, he activated the "Evaluation" skill and scanned her. At that moment, contrary to his low expectations, a screen full of information appeared before him.

  [ Race: Calamity Spider

  Rank: B

  Primary Evolution Path: Black Widow (B)

  Secondary Evolution Path: Desolate Devourer (C )

  Potential Main Class: Berserker / Mage (B)

  Potential Sub Classes: Enchantress / Hunter (B-) ]

  'B-Rank?!' Arthur was so utterly shocked that the spider woman noticed the disturbance in his emotions.

  She gave him a strange look, then turned around and gathered the Mana Stone ore into a cocoon of webbing; naturally, she couldn't resist taking a few more and eating them.

  While she was occupied with her meal, he analyzed the Evaluation screen with mixed feelings. Finally, he let out a short, silent sigh.

  'She’s a true monster; there’s no other way to describe her. Even the names of her evolution paths are terrifying, not to mention those potential classes.

  They clearly show the massive gulf between our abilities. Wait, speaking of which, why don't I have potential classes too?'

  He furrowed his brow and thought deeply. Then, he remembered something he had overlooked: he hadn't checked the "Host Account" tab in the System settings after his rank-up.

  It provided important information about him that didn't appear in his personal Status.

  Before he could enter the settings, the spider woman turned toward him, interrupting his thoughts with her cold voice,

  "So, pup, did you think I would forgive you just because you gave me some rocks?"

  Upon hearing that, Arthur frowned. Without getting nervous, he studied her features and noticed she was trying hard to maintain her seriousness.

  Not only that, but from her tone, it seemed like she wanted to blackmail him—taking revenge for his earlier audacity and his attempt to manipulate her.

  Hahaha!

  Suddenly, Arthur let out a soft laugh. Ignoring her scowl, he said with complete bluntness,

  "My lady, you are truly bad at lying, contrary to what you might think. I know the value of what I gave you, and I also know that you want it desperately.

  You almost flew with joy when you found out it was a Mid-Rank Mana Stone ore, and now you call it 'just rocks'."

  In fact, after seeing her secondary evolution path, he gained a tentative understanding of why she wanted that ore so badly.

  He suspected she might have an ability similar to his "Devourer" skill, which allows her to consume raw materials and convert them into her own strength.

  The Spider Woman frowned. Although she felt a strange and unfamiliar sensation from his casual tone, she couldn’t tolerate the idea that he had laughed at her, mocking her in such a disrespectful way.

  A killing intent radiated from her, and she manipulated the web inside him, causing a sharp sting of pain. Then, this time with genuine coldness, she said,

  "It seems that spending some time outside made you forget your place, you wretch. Let’s see if you’ll still laugh after I finish torturing you."

  Arthur felt the gravity of the situation, yet he let out a second, shorter laugh.

  The Spider Woman ground her teeth in anger and raised her hand, ready to unleash one of her wicked spells and make him taste true agony.

  Seeing this, Arthur quickly regained his composure and cut her off before she could act,

  "Wait, don’t be hasty, my lady, and don’t misunderstand me. I’m not laughing at you. I’m just happy for you."

  Her hand froze in place. Although she didn’t fully trust him, she gave him a chance to explain himself, "What do you mean?"

  Without a shred of shame and with full confidence, he looked directly into her eyes and said,

  "You know, my lady, that I respect and value you greatly. Seeing you happy with just a little of the ore made me wonder how you’d react when you see where I got it from.”

  — — — — — — — — —

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