Upon seeing the familiar System screen, Arthur felt a wave of happiness. A heavy burden was lifted from his shoulders, and all the fears that had been accumulating inside him vanished.
A small smile appeared on his face as if he were seeing an old friend, and he said in a low voice:
"You're finally back."
He had waited for this moment impatiently for the past month, but he didn't let his excitement carry him away.
He regained his seriousness and sternness, directing his full focus toward the centipede monsters, which suddenly lunged at him all at once.
He didn't stand still waiting for them to tear him to pieces. He quickly leaped left and right, rolling with great agility to dodge as many attacks as possible.
Despite sustaining several injuries, he didn't flinch and continued to evade them.
When he broke out of their suffocating encirclement, he turned, leaped onto the nearest one, and bit it through the abdomen. Then, he shook his head violently, tearing the long insect in half.
[+6 XP]
'This is disgusting.'
He opened his mouth in disgust and spat out the remains of its sticky yellow flesh, then leaped aside to dodge a centipede that streaked past him like a high-speed train.
Before his paws could touch the ground, another centipede attacked him. He was forced to twist his body, turning in mid-air with great difficulty to block the attack, and bit the centipede's mandible, which was as hard as metal.
Sparks flew from his fangs, and blood splattered everywhere. Realizing he couldn't break the centipede's mandible, he dug his claws into its chest, tearing out all its entrails. Then he released its mandible and pushed himself back.
The centipede fell to the ground, writhing in pain, sending water splashing in all directions.
But it didn't end there—another centipede attacked, then another, and the assaults rained down on him, which he handled with remarkable skill.
Within a few minutes, he had wounded and killed more than ten centipedes. The others began to hesitate and retreat.
Unlike them, he became fiercer and more savage; his eyes gradually turned red, his body grew larger, and the regeneration of his injuries accelerated.
At that moment, Arthur felt his consciousness blur. Immediately, he realized what was happening, and he let out a resigned sigh:
'I've focused all my attention on the fight and forgotten about the full moon frenzy. It's begun… let's just hope I survive the night.'
Like the first full-moon frenzy he had experienced, his form changed slightly, becoming bulkier and more monstrous.
However, this time, not all of his rationality disappeared. He retained a fragment of his intelligence—enough to be aware, but not enough to prevent the beast's instincts from acting freely.
Ding!
[Warning]
[Frenzy Mode has been activated. All basic Attributes have increased by 30%.]
He stared at the system screen for a moment, then bared his teeth in a terrifying grin. Without a second thought, he lunged at the nearest centipede, tearing it apart, then attacked the next, doing the same.
The centipede monsters had already reached their limit. Seeing Arthur grow more savage and powerful like that completely shattered their will to fight.
They retreated cautiously, then fled through groups of narrow holes embedded in the cave walls.
When everything was over, Arthur stood imposingly amid the remains of the corpses. He puffed out his chest, lifted his head, and let out a powerful howl before bursting forward at full speed, searching for better prey to devour.
Awooooooo!
The sound of his howl echoed through the vast network of tunnels and caves, traveling a great distance until it reached a massive cavern deep underground, where thousands of glowing plant roots converged—many of them infected by the parasitic fungus.
Water poured heavily from the cavern walls, forming dozens of small waterfalls. There, at the center of this breathtaking scene, stood a colossal tree with dense branches and broad leaves. Its right half pulsed with life, releasing beautiful, radiant green sparks.
Its left side, however, was dark, emitting a gloomy aura. Countless black and blood-red fungi grew over it, draining the life from everything nearby, spreading death and despair, creating a sharp and incomprehensible contrast.
Atop that corrupted part of the tree, connected to many pulsing red roots, lay a massive black dragon.
Its form was grotesquely distorted, hideous to behold, its body riddled with wounds and festering—looking to any observer like a corpse already in the process of decay.
Suddenly, the dragon opened its eyes, revealing vertical yellow pupils. It lifted one enormous dark wing, causing the tree to tremble. All the fungi pulsed with excitement, and the lake of water gathered around the tree rippled violently.
Then the dragon shifted slightly, rolled over, and returned to its slumber.
Silence once again reclaimed the cavern.
…
Above, near the surface, the Spider Woman stood before the three branching passages, a conflicted expression on her face as she seriously considered which path to take.
'That cunning wolf is definitely here. There are faint traces of his scent and aura… yet I can't pinpoint where they lead. Tsk. This fungus is interfering with my senses. No—it's not just that. There's something else here… and it's very powerful.'
While she was lost in thought, a massive ant silently crept toward her. The moment it got close, it opened its mouth, preparing to spit its venom.
But in that instant, hundreds of silk threads appeared around it, wrapping it tightly into a dense cocoon that stuck to the cave ceiling, alongside several other cocoons that were gently trembling.
The Spider Woman hesitated. She didn't dare advance any further.
She didn't know what kind of danger awaited her in the depths of this place—especially since she felt something watching her. On top of that, it simply wasn't worth the trouble.
Deep inside, she questioned herself.
'Why am I even looking for that wolf in the first place? His life or death doesn't really matter to me. It wouldn't change anything… so why do I feel this sense of loss? I'm truly acting strange.'
Her emotions became tangled, and she couldn't bring herself to leave. She remained standing there, trying to understand these unfamiliar feelings.
Deep down, she was merely a monster with a simple purpose in life—to feed, to evolve, and to dominate.
The only being she had ever truly cared about was her mother, who had been killed by humans when she was still a small monster. Even that had happened long ago, to the point that she barely remembered it.
Awooooooo!
Suddenly, a very faint howl reached her ears, coming from the third passage.
Her eyes widened, and a slight sense of relief rose from deep within her.
Without further hesitation, she followed the sound.