The crocodile opened its jaws and released a cold hiss filled with killing intent. Its eyes locked onto Arthur, fully aware that it had to get past him first if it wanted to return to the lake.
On land, its movements were extremely sluggish—but it possessed a special skill that compensated for this weakness.
It paused for a brief moment, then gathered all its strength into its six legs and launched itself forward. The ground beneath it cracked and caved slightly as it pushed off.
Like a living projectile, it shot ahead at a very low altitude in a straight line, jaws wide open, every sharp tooth aimed directly at its target.
'So this is your trick, huh.'
Arthur didn't panic. With swift, fluid movements, he dropped to the ground and lay flat on his back, pressing his body as close to the earth as possible. Then he raised his four legs slightly and bared all his claws.
The crocodile was shocked. It couldn't comprehend the wolf's insane, illogical maneuver.
Suspended midair and lacking the time—or ability—to react properly, it failed to adjust its trajectory even slightly. Its long body streaked straight over Arthur, like a high-speed train rushing past.
Arthur, positioned beneath it, moved the instant the crocodile passed overhead. He thrust all four legs upward and drove his claws into its belly, the weakest part of its body.
Propelled by the creature's own tremendous speed, the claws sank in effortlessly, ripping through flesh and entrails like a hot knife slicing through butter.
The crocodile's expression twisted violently as blood and chunks of its entrails rained down over Arthur and the ground below, painting a straight crimson trail along the path it had flown through.
Severely injured, it failed to land smoothly. Instead, it crashed heavily into the earth, rolling several times before finally coming to a halt. With immense effort, it forced itself back onto its legs, its torn organs dangling beneath its body.
Arthur, drenched in blood, rose to his paws and stared at it in stunned disbelief. After a brief moment of silence, he muttered with grim sarcasm:
'That actually worked. It's not dead—but it's badly hurt.'
In truth, his bizarre attack had been nothing more than a spur-of-the-moment gamble.
When the crocodile had charged him earlier, Arthur had noticed that its massive body lifted nearly a meter off the ground during its dash—more than enough space to evade beneath it if he pressed himself low enough.
Fortunately, his emaciated frame and lack of excess flesh had allowed him to pull it off.
A spark of excitement ignited within him, and a sudden thirst for blood surged through his veins. His sharp eyes quickly scanned the crocodile, searching for flaws in its defense.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he sprinted forward and lunged at it with all his strength.
Roar!
The wounded crocodile panicked. In desperation, it activated its defensive skill. Its scales rapidly thickened and expanded, covering its upper body, head, and legs in an incredibly dense layer, like a heavily armored, anti-projectile shell.
At the same time, its tail elongated, sprouting multiple sharp, jagged spikes along its length.
The instant Arthur closed the distance, it counterattacked as well. The crocodile whipped its massive tail like a steel whip. Trees in the vicinity were instantly shattered, and the air itself screamed as if in pain.
Arthur didn't even try to block the attack. He immediately understood that he wouldn't survive a hit like that. With fluid agility, he leapt sideways, narrowly evading the tail as it slammed into the ground, tearing through soil and rock and leaving behind a massive crater.
The crocodile swung its tail again, then again, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks. Arthur darted from spot to spot, the tail chasing him relentlessly and crushing everything in its path. Trees fell one after another, and the ground trembled with every impact.
Slowly, the crocodile began retreating toward the nearby water, like a turtle hiding within its shell.
Its movements were painfully heavy—its thick, reinforced scales weighed it down. One major drawback of its defensive skill was how severely it restricted its mobility.
Arthur was drenched in sweat, his already exhausted body being pushed to its limits. His mind worked at full speed, desperately searching for a solution. The longer the fight dragged on, the higher the chance he would fail to bring the crocodile down.
'Tsk, damn it… this bastard won't even give me a moment to breathe. I can't let it escape like this. Who knows when I'll find another worthy prey?'
He had no useful skills that could turn the situation around, and his offensive power wasn't enough to break through the crocodile's defense. Even so, he showed no intention of retreating or giving up.
Without holding anything back, Arthur decided to go for one final, decisive attack. He gracefully avoided the long tail and charged forward.
The tail twisted around and struck again, forcing him to slow down and leap aside. While still in midair, just before landing, he slashed at the hardened tail with his front claws, leaving behind a shallow crack in the armored hide.
'Not enough.'
He furrowed his brow in frustration, realizing there was no way to get rid of the annoying tail.
Without hesitation, the moment his paws touched the ground, he lunged toward the crocodile's head. This time, he wouldn't let the tail stop him, and in a split second, he reached his target.
Instinctively, the crocodile opened its mouth, trying to block him, but that alone wasn't enough to deter Arthur.
True to his unpredictable nature, he pulled off a wild, impossible move: he leapt high over the snapping jaws and landed squarely on its back.
But he didn't stop there. With fluid precision, he slid across its back and landed beside its belly. In the next instant, he wriggled into the narrow gap beneath the unprotected, wounded chest of the crocodile.
Right then, the tail crashed down where he had just stood, obliterating the ground beneath it.
Sigh!
Arthur exhaled with satisfaction and grinned fiercely.
"Let's see how tough you really are."
With savage determination, he plunged his head into the gaping wound, tearing into the crocodile's insides, literally devouring it from within.
Roar!
The crocodile screamed in pain and thrashed desperately, but it was useless. Its massive body was slow and cumbersome, and Arthur had positioned himself in its only blind spot. No matter how it struggled, it couldn't reach him, shaking violently in vain.
After a few tense minutes, it finally collapsed to the ground, a lifeless heap, blood seeping from every wound.
Inside its belly, Arthur devoured the meat ravenously, his hunger overwhelming all else. He completely forgot that he was supposed to bring it back for the spider-woman.
[ ? ]
As usual, the system screen appeared in front of him after his prey's death—but once again, it was empty.