Boom!

  About two minutes earlier—right after Arthur struck her with the Mana Beam—the Spider Woman stood frozen in place, her head bent sharply backward in an unnatural position.

  Thick smoke rose from her burned face. Chaos spread through her thoughts as she struggled to comprehend what had just happened.

  ‘He attacked me?! That ungrateful wretch hurt me? How dare he do such a thing? That’s enough. I’ll kill him. Yes… I’ll kill him.’

  Her heart boiled with fury and indignation. Slowly, she lifted her head and activated her “Hyper Regeneration” skill. Within mere seconds, her injuries healed, and her face returned to normal.

  Then she opened her red eyes, released her killing intent, and screamed, “I will kill you!”

  As usual, she saw him open his mouth, trying to justify himself with carefully chosen words—but she didn’t care.

  She activated “Burst Steps” and took a powerful stride forward, launching herself at him with insane speed. Soil and gravel blasted into the air behind her.

  In the blink of an eye, she was standing before him. She locked eyes with his—now widened in shock—and felt a strange, unfamiliar sensation. She hesitated for a split second.

  During that brief moment she unknowingly granted him, he defended himself using a new skill she had never seen before—and counterattacked.

  ‘Why?!’ The question flashed through her mind.

  She suppressed her overwhelming power, then punched him in the stomach and sent him flying dozens of meters away.

  She watched him fly away, a little lost, and the strange feeling inside her grew stronger. As he landed, she surged toward him again.

  The moment she reached him, she heard his heart—that heart she had never been able to understand—pounding violently with terror, his body tense, and all he could do was scream, "No!"

  Once more, she clenched her fist, stepped to his side, and struck him in the stomach. This time, the blow hit him directly.

  His mouth opened wide as he vomited a large amount of blood and stomach fluids, then he was hurled backward, smashing trees along the way, finally landing beside a fainted human woman.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  ‘Why?!’ she repeated, her eyes locked on her blood-covered fist, filled with even more confusion. Despite her disorientation, her anger and resentment remained, and her face stayed scowling.

  Suddenly, she sensed the Mana around him shifting. She snapped out of her daze and noticed that, inexplicably, he had grown stronger, his body enlarged, and most of his injuries healed.

  She was shocked. She realized that she still didn’t know much about him, and inwardly thought with a mix of irritation and vexation,

  'This cunning wolf… what else is he hiding from me?'

  Gradually, her anger faded. For the third time, she moved toward him. As she approached, the wind she brought rustled his long black fur. She punched him in the same spot as before, as if that was all she could do.

  But this time, he dodged her attack. Before she could fully understand what had happened, he lunged at her.

  Her eyes widened. Slowly, she saw his sharp fangs clamp down on her neck, tearing her flesh. She also felt his tongue, coated in thick saliva, lick her blood.

  "You bastard!"

  At that moment, all her mixed emotions vanished in an instant, exploding into pure rage.

  She felt disgusted and repulsed by the sensation of being touched by another being. She threw a weak, random punch at him, sending him flying into a large tree.

  This time, without holding anything back, she surged toward him and grabbed him tightly by the shoulder, making him groan in pain. Then she raised her hand, ready to slap him.

  But the moment she saw his pitiful face, an inexplicable hesitation washed over her, stronger than before. Unconsciously, she eased the force of her slap.

  Even so, a single random blow from her was enough to easily crush half of his face. Her hand trembled, and she felt a slight pang in her heart.

  Then she repeated the question that had been troubling her: 'Why? Why can’t I kill him? Why do I keep softening my blows? Why?

  Why is my heart beating like this?'

  No matter how much she thought, she couldn’t find the answer. She was confused and lost, unable to understand these new feelings.

  For the first time in her life, she was afraid—not for herself, but for someone else.

  She was afraid of killing him. Yes, she wanted to strike and punish him, but at the same time, she ached seeing him in such a pitiful state.

  That made her even angrier at him for forcing her into this situation. In short, she was in chaos.

  Her memories of him flashed through her head—his deceptive words, his strange actions, his flattery, his artificial smile, and his mysterious, incomprehensible personality. For some reason, she could no longer suppress her resentment.

  She opened her mouth and screamed out everything that bothered her, yet his blurred eye paid her no attention, as if she didn't even exist. Finally, he spoke in a faint voice and said:

  "Go on... do it. Kill me. Why the delay?"

  "Ah—" All the words froze in her throat, as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning; her mind went blank for a moment.

  'This cursed bastard... hasn't he had enough of his games? Hasn't he had enough of annoying me? Why does he keep pushing me like this?

  Why does hearing him say this make me even angrier? Didn't I want to kill him?

  And for that matter, why did I search for him all this time? Why did I feel relieved when I finally found him?'

  Her questions multiplied, and a sudden thought crossed her mind, but she refused to accept it. She responded with deadly coldness,

  “You damned wretch… are you tired of living? Don’t test my patience any further.”

  But his weary and sincere response shocked her even more. Yes, she knew she treated him in a domineering and condescending manner.

  To her, however, this was perfectly normal—and she still saw it that way. She was a powerful being of a superior bloodline, feared by all; why would she lower herself to treat him as an equal?

  She gritted her teeth and clenched her fist, trying desperately to force herself to kill him and rid herself of these chaotic emotions. Yet, her body refused to move. Finally, she muttered,

  "I... I can’t do it. What did you do to me? Why do I feel this way?"

  Unaware of what she was saying, he screamed again, "Then kill me!"

  In that moment, she made her decision and sighed silently,

  'You’ve truly defeated me. You are the winner this time.'

  She punched the tree trunk beside his head, her face twisting into a strange expression before she let out a long sigh.

  “Fine. Show me the cave… and I’ll give you your freedom.”