"Human."
An ancient voice echoed through the massive web-filled cavern.
"You should not be here."
The moment the voice sounded, Sean instantly felt countless eyes lock onto him from every direction.
Cold.
Hungry.
Filled with murderous intent.
Thousands of giant spiders surrounded the area silently within the shadows.
Sean remained completely calm.
"I came looking for you, Aragog."
His voice carried clearly throughout the cavern.
For several seconds, only the sound of skittering legs echoed through the darkness.
Then finally—
"Looking for me?"
The old spider's voice rumbled slowly.
"It has been a very long time since anyone willingly entered my territory."
A gigantic shape began descending from the ceiling atop thick strands of webbing.
"Are you Hagrid's friend?"
The creature lowered itself gradually into view.
"What do you want?"
The surrounding Acromantulas slowly crept closer while speaking.
Their massive bodies scraped against the webs overhead, creating an awful hissing sound.
Sean finally saw Aragog clearly.
The ancient Acromantula was enormous.
Easily the size of a small truck.
His eight cloudy eyes looked almost blind with age, while thick black hair covered his giant body.
Despite the terrifying atmosphere, Sean suddenly smiled.
"Actually," he said politely, "I came to borrow something."
Aragog paused.
"Borrow?"
Sean nodded casually.
"A little Acromantula venom."
Then he added with complete sincerity:
"You wouldn't mind, would you?"
Silence filled the cavern.
Then suddenly—
Aragog burst into loud, ugly laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
The surrounding spiders began clicking their pincers violently.
"Human," Aragog hissed, "do you even understand what you're saying?"
"You dare ask me for venom while standing inside my nest?"
His voice gradually became colder.
"I once promised Hagrid I would never personally hunt humans again."
The giant spider shifted slightly.
"But I never made that promise for my children."
The surrounding Acromantulas immediately began closing in.
"Go on, my children," Aragog sneered. "Give him all the venom he desires."
His massive pincers clicked loudly.
"Although… I doubt the human will survive long enough to carry it away."
Sean scratched his head helplessly.
"This is exactly why I hate negotiating with magical creatures."
He sighed softly.
"I honestly wanted to solve this peacefully."
Then suddenly—
Sean smiled.
A cruel smile.
"But unfortunately…"
He slowly raised King Arthur's wand.
"You refuse to listen."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
"Flame Barrier."
BOOM!
Walls of blazing fire erupted around Sean in an instant.
The flames twisted violently before transforming into a massive fire dragon circling his body.
The entire cavern turned bright orange.
The effect was immediate.
Spider webs ignited everywhere.
Flames spread across the massive silk structures like wildfire while shrill screams echoed throughout the nest.
Countless smaller spiders fled in panic.
The larger Acromantulas recoiled instinctively from the fire.
Sean calmly waved his wand again while walking forward through the flames.
The fire dragon followed him like a living creature.
Finally, he stopped behind a massive dead tree where Aragog's gigantic body crouched low against the ground.
"What have you done?!"
Aragog's voice finally contained genuine panic.
"Human… you will regret this!"
Sean ignored him completely.
The flames around his body suddenly vanished back into the air.
Then Sean raised his wand directly toward Aragog.
"I strongly advise you," he said coldly, "to order your children not to approach me again."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Otherwise your life may become endangered."
Aragog hissed furiously.
"Even if I die—"
"Crucio."
The curse struck instantly.
Aragog's gigantic body convulsed violently.
The enormous spider curled into itself while shrieking in agony.
"WAIT!"
Aragog screamed desperately.
"I agree! I agree!"
His voice trembled with pain.
"Stop using the Cruciatus Curse!"
The surrounding spiders immediately retreated several metres away.
But none of them truly left.
They remained circling nearby, waiting for even the smallest opportunity to tear Sean apart.
Aragog stared at him hatefully.
Then the giant spider suddenly sneered.
"You want venom?"
His voice dripped with malice.
"Then come and collect it yourself."
The situation was obvious.
If Sean focused on guarding against the surrounding spiders, he wouldn't be able to collect the venom.
But if he lowered his guard to gather it—
The spiders would attack instantly.
Aragog was convinced Sean would never risk it.
Unfortunately for him—
"Geminio."
Sean tapped himself lightly with his wand.
The next moment, every spider in the cavern froze.
A second Sean stepped out from the original body.
Even Aragog looked horrified.
The clone carried a large metal tank Sean had prepared beforehand and calmly walked toward the giant spider.
"N-no…"
Aragog's voice suddenly sounded panicked.
"You cannot—"
The clone slapped him hard across the head.
"Spit."
The tank was shoved directly beneath Aragog's mouthparts.
"Don't make me do this manually."
Aragog trembled furiously.
But after seeing Sean slowly raise his wand again, the giant spider finally lowered himself weakly.
A stream of thick black venom poured into the tank.
"Keep going," Sean ordered coldly. "Fill it."
Aragog nearly exploded with rage.
"Do you think venom is limitless?!"
The giant spider tried lifting himself again.
Sean immediately tilted his wand slightly.
"Don't force me to use Crucio again."
Aragog instantly collapsed back down.
At that moment, the ancient spider king regretted everything.
He'd sensed Sean's arrival through the webs long before the boy entered the territory.
He'd even noticed the centaurs escorting him.
Originally, Aragog had assumed Sean was simply another arrogant wizard he could easily threaten and kill.
Now?
Now he felt like he'd invited a demon into his home.
"Faster."
Sean glanced impatiently at the slowly filling tank.
"That's barely anything."
"It's gone…" Aragog whimpered weakly. "There's no more…"
Sean frowned thoughtfully before glancing toward a much larger female Acromantula behind him.
"That your wife?"
The female spider immediately froze.
"Good."
Sean pointed calmly.
"She can contribute too."
Then he looked around at the surrounding giant spiders.
"And the children as well."
The entire nest went silent.
"I'm not leaving today," Sean said pleasantly, "until this tank is full."
Then his smile widened slightly.
"And if anyone makes me angry…"
He slowly looked up at the burning webs overhead.
"I'll tear this entire nest apart."
The surrounding spiders trembled violently.
Soon afterward, Sean began collecting venom one container at a time while the Acromantulas unwillingly lined up.
This was premium material.
Venom from the Acromantula King alone could easily sell for a thousand Galleons per pint.
Even ordinary Acromantula venom sold for around one hundred Galleons.
Sean was practically staring at a moving fortune.
Half an hour later, nearly every larger spider in the cavern looked exhausted and collapsed against the ground.
Meanwhile, Sean finally nodded in satisfaction at the filled metal tank.
"Pleasure doing business with all of you."
He casually stored the venom away.
Then he suddenly paused.
"Oh right."
Sean took out several bags of magical creature feed and tossed them onto the ground.
"Merry Christmas."
After saying that, he turned and left the nest carrying the tank happily.
Sean honestly had no idea what the feed was made from.
But apparently every magical creature loved it.
Buckbeak certainly did.
After Sean disappeared into the tunnel, Aragog stared furiously at the bags on the ground.
The ancient spider king completely lost control.
His giant legs smashed several bags instantly.
But then—
Aragog suddenly froze.
A strange scent drifted through the air.
The smell came from the feed.
At first, he tried ignoring it.
But the scent became stronger and stronger, constantly stimulating his instincts.
Finally, unable to resist any longer, Aragog cautiously tasted a small piece.
The moment he swallowed—
Warmth spread through his entire body.
Then suddenly—
One of his cloudy grey eyes twitched.
A faint image appeared.
Aragog froze completely.
"I… can see?"
The ancient spider trembled violently.
"The human…"
His voice became frantic.
"What did the human leave behind?!"
The blurry image before his eyes slowly became clearer.
For the first time in years, Aragog could actually perceive light again.
Then terror immediately filled him.
"No…"
"The devil might come back…"
Aragog instantly lunged toward the scattered feed.
At this point, the once-proud king of the Acromantulas no longer cared about dignity whatsoever.
He sprawled across the dirt, desperately licking every remaining piece from the ground.
Even mud and ash didn't matter.
Meanwhile, Sean remained completely unaware of what had happened behind him.
Otherwise, he definitely would've returned immediately.
After all—
Acromantula legs were valuable potion ingredients too.
…
Back outside the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid immediately spotted Sean emerging while carrying a huge metal tank.
The half-giant blinked in confusion.
"Sean… what exactly did you bring out of there?"
Sean coughed awkwardly.
"Oh, this?"
He tightened his grip on the tank.
"Just… a little Christmas gift from your friend."
Then Sean immediately turned and walked away quickly.
"Anyway, I've got things to do. See you later!"
Hagrid watched him leave with growing suspicion.
The more he thought about it, the stranger everything felt.
Finally, unable to resist his curiosity, Hagrid grabbed a lantern and headed into the Forbidden Forest with Fang following close behind.
But when he eventually reached Aragog's territory—
Hagrid froze.
The entire nest looked devastated.
Burn marks covered nearly every surface.
.....
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