Arthur furrowed his brow in confusion; her answer had only tangled him further instead of clearing things up.
He had hunted and devoured multiple beasts since arriving in this world, literally tearing apart their bodies with his fangs and claws. Yet, despite the strange construction of their organs, he had never seen anything that could be called a Primal Core.
'What is she talking about? Does this Primal Core even exist, or is she feeding me false information on purpose to scare and mislead me? No… wait. What she's saying actually makes some sense.
This is a fantasy world, full of magic and skills. It's not impossible for beasts to have something similar to the magical cores I've read about in novels.'
In truth, he wasn't so much afraid of his growth being halted as he was of the system failing to work again.
The Primal Core seemed crucial, but he wasn't even certain it existed, and even if it did, the spider woman's tone didn't make it seem like she was fully sure his core had been damaged.
He pondered for a moment, then decided, without holding anything back, to tell her what was on his mind. He gave her an uncertain look, opened his mouth, then closed it again hesitantly. Taking a deep breath, he mustered his courage and said:
"Please forgive my ignorance… I've eaten several beasts before, and I've never seen this special organ called the Primal Core. What does it look like?"
"Tsk," the spider woman hissed with clear annoyance, arranging her words in her mind before replying in a subdued tone.
"The Primal Core isn't just an ordinary organ. It's far stranger and more complex, following its own set of rules. You could say it's like a tree—it starts as a tiny, almost invisible seed hidden underground, slowly growing its roots. It doesn't show itself above ground until it's strong enough."
She paused, thinking for a moment, then added,
"What I'm trying to say is that the Primal Core isn't noticeable during its growth. That's why you never saw it. In your case, and for weak beasts like you, it's just a tiny solid mass, located somewhere in the chest."
"I see…" Arthur nodded slowly, a spark of understanding lighting up his face. A flicker of excitement stirred within him, and his curiosity fully awakened. Without holding back, he asked all his questions at once.
"So, when does the Primal Core fully mature, and what does that mean? Will any major changes occur in my body? Will I gain new abilities? And what if my cores are damaged—what will happen then?"
When he finally fell silent, the webs inside him trembled, and he felt a slight pain. Then the cold voice of the spider woman echoed in his mind.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. And where is your respect, you insolent fool?"
Even though she hadn't shown any intention to kill him, he immediately understood that he had crossed a line. Tensing up, he quickly adjusted his posture and apologized.
"Forgive me… your knowledge and great wisdom shocked me, and I lost myself in my curiosity."
The spider woman didn't answer him. Instead, all the webs in the corridor moved, encircling the buffaloes carcasses, then carried them from in front of him to her location.
Arthur didn't feel annoyed; he relaxed his body. Just as he thought everything was settled, the webs in the corridor trembled again. Half of a small F-Rank calf emerged from the wall, and her voice echoed in his mind.
"All you need to know for now is that you are using your Bloodline incorrectly. Don't suppress it—keep it active at all times. It will help you greatly when you awaken your core. Now, rest well… tomorrow will be a full day of hunting."
Her presence vanished, and the corridor fell silent. Arthur stayed standing, pondering their strange conversation. After a few minutes, he activated his Bloodline, and his form shifted slightly, becoming more imposing.
He wasn't about to ignore her advice. She was a far more experienced beast than him, and it was clear she wasn't deceived. He let out a short sigh, dragged the half-calf to an empty space resembling a room, devoured it, and then slept.
…
The next morning, Arthur woke up very early. He took the remains of the calf from the nest and left, heading toward the lake. When he arrived, he stopped and observed, wide-eyed.
He surveyed the area where the buffalo herd had passed the day before, then furrowed his brows in confusion and muttered,
'Something's not right. I'm sure the buffaloes destroyed everything in their path yesterday, so why does everything look normal? The mushrooms scattered on the ground are completely intact, and the trees aren't even scratched.
This is impossible… there's no way everything could grow back overnight.'
His body shivered involuntarily as he sensed the place around him was deeply unnatural, especially the mushrooms. The more he looked, the more certain he became that there was something dangerous, something malevolent here.
'Tsk… this is a problem. Whatever threat exists here, I can't detect it. Let's just hope that spider knows what she's doing and didn't build her nest in some trap that could kill both of us.'
Without dwelling on it further, he searched for a good spot by the lake to hide and waited silently for a suitable prey, all the while examining the vast lake before him.
On the horizon, the lake stretched endlessly, covering the land in blue like a massive sea. It was beautiful yet mysterious, hiding countless dangers within.
This sparked Arthur's curiosity—he wanted to explore it and see where it led—but given the limited distance he could travel, he couldn't stray too far.
After about two tedious hours, his first prey finally appeared: a herd of E-Rank tree deer. This time, Arthur didn't wait for the crocodiles to strike first. The deer were fast, and if given the chance, they would flee.
He watched carefully, waiting until they let their guard down and focused on the lake. Then, he silently and cautiously crept up from behind. The moment he got close, he struck swiftly.