The Spider

In the dead of night, two figures darted into an alley, followed by a series of metallic clashes.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

"Pfft!"

Dina stood her ground, soft sword in hand, her expression stern. A trickle of blood slowly dripped from the blade onto the ground.

She gazed at the figure ahead, her voice icy:

"Are you the ones stealing people's life force, refining it into potions, and then selling them at high prices to noblewomen in the city?"

She had been investigating the "Mummy Case" for some time. Although she lacked support from her colleagues, her relentless pursuit had uncovered that the life force theft wasn't the work of a single individual, but an organized and premeditated group.

They disguised themselves as "Vampires," killed people to steal their life force, and then refined it into pure potions that could maintain youthfulness or even restore it.

From this, they reaped enormous profits.

Today, she had finally received word that someone was going to secretly trade potions here. She had almost lost her target because she didn't have a ticket to the opera house.

Fortunately, Everything ended without further incident, and she finally caught them.

"Ugh..." The figure clutched their injured arm, their face pale:

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Don't know?" Dina snorted coldly:

"You won't talk, huh? I have plenty of ways to make you talk."

Before her voice faded, she charged forward with her sword.

Dina, whose body had been honed for years, charged like a swift female leopard. The soft sword in her hand was the fangs hunting prey, and her movements were sharp and fierce.

Sword light flashed across the scene, forcing her opponent to retreat repeatedly, dodging frantically. Yet, blood still spurted from their body from time to time.

The disparity in strength between the two was clear.

"Swish!"

Just as she was about to subdue her opponent, two curved beams of light suddenly appeared, twisting towards Dina's waist.

"Clink..."

Dina parried with her sword and retreated, a look of shock on her face:

"What is this?"

"Heh heh..." The figure lowered their head and chuckled.

Then, they suddenly pulled their hands apart, tearing off their outer jacket and revealing the horrifying sight beneath.

The shadows on the person's back writhed, revealing two extra pairs of arms, six arms in total, spread out like a grotesque and terrifying human spider.

Six arms, each holding a dagger, were not only bizarre but also dangerous.

"Monster!"

Dina's face turned pale, and she instinctively took a step back. An ancient legend surfaced in her mind:

"You are a follower of Elise!"

"How dare you!" Hearing the name "Elise," the monster suddenly flew into a rage. Its eyes instantly turned blood-red, and the surging anger directly destroyed its reason:

"You dare to blaspheme the Deity, you deserve to die!"

"Swish!"

Along with its furious roar, six cold glints stabbed towards Dina, their speed as rapid as a torrential downpour.

However, it was as fast coming as it was going.

The strength of a peak Knight Squire was comparable to a ferocious beast, and Dina, unleashing her full power, was even more terrifying.

The six-armed monster was bizarre and horrifying, but its strength was merely that of an ordinary Knight Squire. The extra two arms made it more troublesome to deal with, but it was far from enough to bridge the gap between them.

"Nothing more than this."

After repelling her opponent, Dina felt a sense of relief:

"It seems the Spider Goddess hasn't bestowed any blessings upon you."

The Spider Goddess, Elise, was a legendary evil deity, a monster who attempted to steal the authority of the true gods but was cursed. She was said to have the body of a spider and the head of a human.

Descriptions of Her often depicted Her as cruel and bloodthirsty, particularly fond of stealing others' life force.

"Heh heh..."

The monster slowly pushed itself up from the ground, looked up, and grinned:

"One person like me isn't enough, but... what if I add them?"

As the words fell.

Dina's expression changed drastically.

"Swish!"

"Swish, swish!"

Three figures dropped from above in succession, surrounding Dina.

Each of them had two extra arms growing from their backs, their six hands gripping the ground, hissing like spiders as they puffed out their bellies and sprayed streams of silk.

The silk intertwined into a net, instantly covering the entire alley.

Damn it!

Dina's grip tightened.

*

*

*

"Make way!"

"Please, make way!"

"..."

Emerging from the opera house, the crowd in front of the entrance was as dense as ever.

Karl tapped his cane lightly and pushed straight through, carving a path with sheer force.

Leaving the crowd, he straightened his somewhat sharp attire. He didn't leave immediately but headed straight for the theater's back door.

"Creak..."

A short while later, the back door opened, and Jenny walked out, still in her stage makeup and performance clothes.

The two had agreed to meet here after the concert.

"Karl."

Smiling sweetly at Karl, Jenny said crisply, "I saw you in the audience."

"You performed well," Karl complimented. "I think your voice is more beautiful than the lead singer's. If it were up to me, I'd definitely choose you as the lead."

"Don't joke," Jenny laughed, shaking her head. "You don't know, my legs were shaking so badly I could barely stand. I'm just glad I managed to get through it."

"I'm telling the truth," Karl said, extending an invitation. "Want to head back together?"

"This..." Jenny glanced back, her expression hesitant.

The opera troupe had a gathering later, but she could refuse if it meant spending time alone with the Baron.

Before Jenny could answer, Karl continued, "Actually, I found a place today and will be moving in the next few days."

"Seeing you perform on a formal stage before I leave would be fulfilling one of my wishes."

"You're leaving?" Jenny's face paled. "Why?"

"Is there something wrong with our place? You can tell me, and we can fix it. We can even negotiate the rent again."

"No," Karl waved his hand. "I just want to move somewhere else."

"..." Jenny's expression stiffened, her lips trembling. "Is that so?"

"I'm very happy to have lived with you all. These days will be wonderful memories in my life," Karl said with a smile. "But people must part ways eventually. As the saying goes, the only constant in life is change. When I've settled into my new place, you're welcome to visit."

"...Okay." Jenny clasped her hands tightly, lowered her head, and said in a muffled voice, "The opera troupe has a gathering later, so I won't be going with you. On your way... be careful."

"A gathering?" Karl nodded. "Alright, I wish you a pleasant gathering. I'll be going now."

With that, he bowed slightly and turned to leave.

Watching Karl's back disappear into the darkness until he was completely out of sight, Jenny slumped to the ground, tears silently streaming down her face.

"Jenny."

Percy from the opera troupe appeared behind her at some point. Seeing her, he sighed softly.

"We meet many people in our lives, but perhaps only God and a lover can accompany us until the end. Even parents and children will leave us."

He continued:

"Separation is the norm."

"Waaah..." Jenny sobbed quietly.

She understood this truth, but the thought of Karl leaving her life, or even never appearing again, made her unable to help but feel heartbroken, a soul-wrenching sadness.

"Don't cry," Percy stepped forward and patted her shoulder.

"I have good news for you. Your performance today attracted a big figure. It might be a great opportunity."

How could Karl not understand Jenny's feelings?

However, he had no intention of taking their relationship further. So, while there was still time, he decided to cut ties and put an end to her feelings.

This move was partly because he wanted a more spacious place, but also for this reason.

"Huh?"

After passing through a small alley, Karl's expression shifted, and he subconsciously stopped.

He then turned and walked towards the dark alley.

"Tap..."

"Forget it!"

Shaking his head at the alley entrance, Karl halted his steps.

Although Signo City was much safer than Black City, there were still terrifying organizations like the Fire Thief lurking in the shadows, so absolute safety could not be guaranteed.

It was better to avoid trouble.

As the thought crossed his mind, he turned to leave.

"Swish!"

Suddenly.

A cold glint flashed.

Karl instinctively ducked, avoiding the thrown dagger, and saw a dark figure pounce at him immediately after.

"What is that?"