After witnessing the battle that had just ended, Tris wore an expression of understanding.
He now realized why the Magical Beasts in the area had grown so aggressive and reckless in their hunt for prey.
With the emergence of such a dangerous new group of hunters, it was no surprise that the local ecosystem had been thrown into turmoil, making food sources in winter even scarcer.
As for hunting those spiders and turning them into food?
If Tris were a Magical Beast, he too would never choose them as prey.
The battle just now had made their danger all too clear.
By Tris's estimation, in terms of raw strength alone, the serpent was about rank C+, while each spider was only around rank D+.
Yet three of them together had succeeded in bringing down a stronger foe.
To achieve this, Tris believed the spiders possessed not only high intelligence by Magical Beast standards but also strong discipline and pack cohesion, allowing them to coordinate so effectively.
They were the kind of opponent one would never wish to face if it could be avoided.
Moreover, one point caught Tris's attention: if these spiders were so dangerous, why had there been no reports of them from the guild, even though several weeks had passed since Rose and her team departed?
If a new, dangerous group of Magical Beasts had appeared in the region, the guild should have quickly spread word to everyone as a warning. Yet until now, Tris had heard nothing of the sort.
Adventurers' guilds usually maintained strong intelligence networks when it came to Magical Beasts, so it was truly unusual that these spiders had been overlooked.
Pondering the reason, Tris began walking toward the white spiders, who were still feasting joyfully not far away.
Though Tris had only recently told himself not to get involved with those spiders, he nevertheless decided to use his own presence to test the suspicions he currently held."
Since he made no effort to conceal himself, the spiders quickly noticed someone approaching them.
Through the eyes of 'Feathers,' hidden not far away, Tris observed the spiders' exact reactions.
They showed clear signs of panic and an urge to flee at once.
Yet, seemingly reluctant to abandon the prey they had just hunted, they hesitated, trying instead to drag it along with their threads.
.·´¯(>_<)´¯·.·´¯(>_<)´¯·..·´¯(>_<)´¯·.
But since the prey was far too large for their bodies, their actions looked both comical and pitiful.
'Rather cute.'
He never expected to feel that way while watching spiders that had once devoured humans.
Tris quickly set aside that strange sentiment and focused on the results of his experiment.
The spiders' behavior confirmed his suspicion: they were deliberately avoiding humans.
This explained why, until now, no reports of their existence had surfaced in the region.
Tris then decided to push his experiment further by confronting the spiders directly to see how they would react.
'Will they abandon their prey and flee at once, or will they attack to silence a witness?' he wondered.
Yet when Tris approached and faced them head‑on, none of the scenarios he had imagined occurred.
Instead, the spiders suddenly paused. They neither tried to escape nor attacked him. It was as if they were confused, communicating among themselves.
Soon after, they began to bounce with enthusiasm, and one even waved a foreleg as though greeting him.
Tris: '??'
As the spiders returned to their feast, this time it was Tris who felt bewildered, uncertain of what their reactions truly meant.
Are they treating me as one of their own?'
Tris was uncertain about his suspicion at that moment.
Yet at the very least, one thing was clear: the spiders showed absolutely no hostility toward him.
He stepped closer and used his knife to cut open the serpent's body, retrieving its magic crystal. The spiders continued their feast, paying no attention to his actions.
Tris: '...'
Thinking further, he used the knife to peel off the serpent's tough scales one by one, valuable materials that could be sold.
Still, the spiders completely ignored him. In fact, they even seemed happier, as if grateful that someone was removing the bothersome scales, making it easier for them to reach the flesh inside.
When he worked near where the spiders stood, they even moved aside to give him space.
'High intelligence. And more importantly, remarkable friendliness, or at the very least, when facing me.'
Tris silently reaffirmed his suspicion.
Though he could not be certain of the reason for such friendliness, he suspected Rose might have done something to influence them.
He resolved that next time, he would bring Rin along to investigate further.
After collecting all the serpent's scales, Tris prepared to leave.
Before departing, he took out a potion to heal the broken legs of the injured spider, offering it as an exchange for the valuable materials he had taken.
Once healed, the spider ran around joyfully.
Given time, its wounds might have healed naturally, but survival in the forest was fraught with danger; instant recovery was a great boon.
As Tris left, that spider eagerly waved its forelegs toward him, as though sending a gesture of thanks.
* * * * * * * * * *
Although it was unfortunate that he did not find the target he sought, Tris was still very satisfied with what he had gained.
The materials from the Magical Beasts he had slain, combined with those from the serpent, brought him a considerable amount of money.
The information about the friendliness of the white spiders was also an unexpected discovery, perhaps no less valuable, and even far greater, than all the money earned from selling the materials combined.
"Heard the news yet? A party has hunted down an Ice Pillars Beast."
"Really? That's enviable."
"Indeed, the group that caught it is…"
The moment Tris stepped into the adventurers' guild, lively chatter reached his ears.
Hearing this, his earlier cheerful mood immediately diminished.
"So someone else stole the kill."
Though he felt a brief pang of disappointment, Tris quickly regained his spirits and eagerly rushed to join the discussion.
Tris: "Are they selling the Ice Stone?"