Alex, with Jewel perched on his head, steps into the Forbidden Forest.


    As Alex and Jewel venture deeper into the forest, Alex briefly summarizes his previous adventure in the Thornback Nest, leaving nothing out.


    Alex feels Jewel leap off his head. He watches as the young spider nearly vanishes right in front of his eyes.


    He then senses the Acromantula slowly descending from the tree.


    “It’s always the same with you… the same predictable move…” Alex mutters, already bored with the one-dimensional attack pattern. Thanks to his Gyo and En, a slow sneak attack like this is completely useless against him.


    Alex pulls out his [Magoroth’s Legacy (Damaged)], waits for the Acromantula to lunge at him, and then skillfully jumps backward with a Nen-enhanced leap. He conjures a Magorian’s Rage Arrowlvl 4, adds a layer of Shu, and fires it straight into the surprised Acromantula.


    The Acromantula reels in pain, but somehow regains its balance and glares at Alex, charging toward him with anger. But its advance is slowed as a net suddenly wraps around it.


    Alex notices Jewel using Thornback Web Shooting to hinder the Acromantula’s movement.


    With a smirk, Alex fires another arrow. The Acromantula, tangled in the web, can’t dodge despite seeing the attack coming.


    Every one of Alex’s arrows hits like a truck, even without magical imbuement. A single shot like this could easily take out a newbie player. His powerful bow, high-quality arrows enhanced by Imbuement Archery lvl 4, Nen Prodigy lvl 4, Genius Conjurer lvl 4, and Shu makes him a deadly threat to any foe unable to block or deflect his attacks.


    Despite the web and its grievous wounds, the Acromantula finally reaches Alex. He quickly switches to his [Shield of Pluto], slamming it into the wounded creature. The impact stuns the Acromantula and even knocks it back, thanks to Alex’s skillful use of Ren and Gyo, turning his shield into a formidable weapon.


    Alex then sees Jewel use Thornback Poison Spit. A dangerous, acidic green ball of poison flies toward the Acromantula, landing directly in its face. The creature screeches in pain, rolling on the ground in a desperate attempt to remove the toxic substance.


    Before Alex can finish his thought, Jewel leaps onto the much larger Acromantula and begins charging up a powerful Thornback Bite. The Acromantula thrashes wildly, trying to shake her off, but Jewel clings tightly using her legs and web. Despite the Acromantula rolling around on the ground, Jewel holds on, her attack charging steadily.


    A few seconds later, she unleashes the bite directly onto the Acromantula’s head. Its skull shatters instantly, and the Acromantula’s life is snuffed out in a single, brutal strike.


    “!!”


    Alex can’t believe what he’s seeing. Jewel, a comparably tiny and cute spider, just crushed an Acromantula’s skull in one attack. The force of it was probably enough to kill even a healthy Acromantula—or at least cripple it permanently.


    Alex concentrates hard and finally gets Telepathic Bond lvl Max under control, now only communicating with Jewel when he wants to.


    A bit embarrassed, Alex takes out a piece of cloth to clean Jewel, especially her mouth, wiping away the nasty Acromantula blood. He pets her gently until she joyfully jumps back onto his head.


    Together, Alex and Jewel take out quite a few Acromantulas. Jewel mostly supports Alex with Thornback Web Shooting and Thornback Poison Spit, occasionally ambushing Acromantulas with Thornback Burrow and Thornback Bite.


    Alex thinks to himself.


    Alex hears the young spider bragging through their connection. She looks incredibly cute despite her lethal combat abilities and earlier ruthlessness. He even senses a hint of smugness, though mostly, Jewel seems happy to be praised by him.


    They press on, and soon Alex spots the Thornback Nest. It now looks like a normal cliff, though the walls are still burned black, giving it an abandoned and lifeless appearance.


    Alex sighs and slowly makes his way toward the same cave, stepping inside with Jewel.


    A few smaller Thornback spiders, and even some mature Thornbacks, spot him. Some initially seem ready to attack, but as soon as they notice Jewel on his head, they immediately throw themselves to the ground, prostrating themselves before her.


    It takes Alex just a few minutes to squeeze through the tight tunnel back to the underground Nest. The Thornback spiders go crazy at the sight of him—some panic, while others quickly build a small wall to defend their mother and leader.


    However, a single, cruel hiss from the giant mutated Matriarch at the back of the cave is enough to silence them. The spiders tremble in fear and instantly move aside, allowing Alex easy passage.


    Alex walks through the cave until he stands in front of the massive Matriarch, easily three to four times his size. He feels her eyes on him, but they quickly shift to Jewel, who stares back in confusion.


    Alex is shocked as a new voice enters his mind, clearly not belonging to Jewel. He immediately realizes it’s the mutated Matriarch in front of him, likely able to communicate with him thanks to his connection with Jewel.


    Alex unleashes his Aura using Ren, and Jewel quickly does the same. Both look mystical and incredibly dangerous to the spiders nearby who are immediately frightened.


    Alex watches as the old Mutated Matriarch focuses herself. Her body shrivels up, as if life itself is draining from her. Using her old but incredibly skillful legs, she weaves the life energy into a silver-colored web crown, attaching it to Jewel. Jewel now looks like a true princess, wearing a crown that doesn’t resemble web at all—it looks like it’s made out of pure silver.


    Jewel walks to her mother and looks into her old but incredibly proud and happy eyes, making a sound Alex can’t quite identify.


    She then quickly jumps back onto Alex’s head. Before Alex can turn around to leave, the old Queen moves one of her left legs and shoves two web sacks toward him. Alex quickly picks them up, feeling the weight of numerous items inside.


    They promptly leave the cave. Alex listens carefully to Jewel’s thoughts, worried her mood might worsen.


    Alex strokes Jewel as they walk through the tunnel, out of the cave, and back up the ravine, leaving the nest behind.


    Only then does he take a closer look at Jewel’s crown.


    [Suppression Crown - Jewel]


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    Alex wipes a drop of sweat from his head, clearly relieved. The thought of the cute Jewel growing into a massive spider abomination maybe five times his size is something he doesn’t want to imagine.


    With Jewel on his head, Alex now heads toward the nearby Centaur camp, determined to make the most of his trip. He takes a quick glance at the two webbed sacks, opening one and immediately realizing the cruel truth.