When Arthur finished speaking, he smiled warmly and waited for her response. Inside, he prayed with all his heart that she wouldn't blow him up and turn him into shreds of flesh.

  He knew he had acted far too casually and treated her with great disrespect—or rather, he had treated her naturally. Not as a sadistic mistress and her slave, but as a regular lady and her follower.

  In reality, he hated every word he said. His feelings hadn't flipped overnight, suddenly giving her respect and admiration.

  He still hated and loathed her, considering her a danger that had to be eliminated.

  Anyway, although his hasty plan involved showing her the location of the Mana Stone ore cave, he felt a pang of pain in his heart at the thought of giving up his precious treasure to his arch-nemesis like this.

  On the other side, the spider woman didn't answer him immediately. She froze in place, confused, unable to fully grasp his intent.

  His tone, his posture, and the suspicious aura radiating from him made her realize clearly that he was deceiving her in some way, as he always did.

  Nevertheless, even though she was angry and resentful, she didn't dare harm him this time.

  If he was telling the truth and truly knew the location of more Mana Stone ore, that was reason enough to overlook his insolence—and perhaps even reward him.

  Of course, that was only if he was cooperative, which seemed unlikely given his provocative personality. She furrowed her brows in clear irritation.

  'This cunning scoundrel is plotting something as usual. I don't know what it is, but he seems far too confident. Wait, does he know why I need the Mana Stones? No, no, that’s impossible.

  He’s just playing with my nerves. Maybe I should take it simply—threaten him, or give him a beating until he talks.’

  Her eyes flashed with malice, but she quickly shook her head, dismissing the idea, and let out a disappointed sigh.

  'No, that won't work. This bastard might feign weakness and obedience, yet he is a solid monster with an Unbreakable Will.

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  As long as it doesn't serve his own interest, he will never tell me where the Mana Stones are, and torturing him might just backfire.'

  She had lived with him and watched him closely for a considerable time. Because of this, she knew he possessed a literally suicidal personality; if he felt backed into a corner and left with no other options, he would likely do something insane, like fighting her with the intent to die.

  In truth, she wasn't stupid enough to miss the hidden message in his words. He was blackmailing her, or more accurately, negotiating.

  He hadn't stated his terms yet, but she could guess what he wanted and where their conversation was leading.

  "Humph!" She huffed loudly and thought,

  'What a fool. Does he think I'll let him look down on me just because he knows the location of a few Mana Stones? I'll play along for a bit, and then I'll teach him a harsh lesson he'll never forget.'

  Ultimately, she could no longer endure her curiosity or the suspicious, expectant look he was giving her. She finally replied coldly,

  "So there is more. How much? And where?"

  Hearing her calm response, Arthur felt relieved; he had successfully taken the first step in his plan. Frankly, he also had a clear idea of what was going through her mind.

  'Heh, does she think she’s exposed my intentions? She wants to play with me for a bit and then punish me.

  What a fool; she doesn't realize she fell into my webs the moment she showed how much she craved that Mana Stone ore.'

  And to avoid rushing and ruining the steps of his plan, he didn’t answer immediately. First, he put on a hesitant expression, then said,

  “Actually, my lady, the amount I’m talking about is very large. As for its location… Well, there’s a problem. I don’t remember it clearly.”

  ‘A very large amount?!’ The Spider Woman’s frown deepened. She realized she had seriously underestimated his previous words.

  Apparently, he had truly found a huge stock of Mana Stone Ore. And the part about not remembering the exact location was clearly meant to leave room for negotiation in the deal he was trying to make.

  Though her doubts hadn’t vanished completely, her eyes flashed with greed. Without suppressing her murderous intent, she stepped toward him, reached him, grabbed him by the throat, and lifted him off the ground.

  “Exactly how much? And enough games—tell me what you want in exchange for the location of the Mana Ore.”

  Arthur regained his composure and replied without hesitation, “I want my freedom… and half of the Ore we extract.”

  “Your freedom?!” The Spider Woman felt extreme anger. She tightened her grip around his throat so he could barely breathe and continued,

  “Don’t you see you’re asking too much? You belong to me, and nothing will ever change that fact.”

  Ignoring the pain, Arthur stared directly into her eyes. He opened his mouth and, with difficulty, spoke in a raspy, barely audible voice,

  "I belong to no one, and I never will. Before you take any unwise step, let me clarify something first.

  I am not offering you my release for nothing. In exchange, you will get a massive cave filled to the brim with Mid-Rank Mana Stone ore."

  Upon hearing his words, the spider woman gasped sharply, her mouth hanging slightly open in shock. Her grip involuntarily loosened a bit, but her cold expression quickly returned, and she said:

  "An entire cave? You think I’ll believe that?! Even if your words are true, you despicable creature, it seems you underestimate me greatly. Do you think I am unable to make you talk?"

  Arthur let out a choked laugh and coughed, "Try your luck."

  His insolence and blatant defiance made her even angrier. "Fine then."

  Her face contorted fiercely, revealing some of her monstrous features. She then activated her Seduction skill at its maximum power; her red eyes glowed slightly as she looked directly into his.

  The moment their gazes met, Arthur felt an incredible mental force invade his mind. He tried to resist as he had done before, but this time, the invading mental power was much stronger.

  The spider woman’s lips curled into a wicked, savage smile, and she mocked, "What were you saying?"

  — — — — — — — — —

  An extra chapter this week

  ?If you’re enjoying the story and would like to support me—or read a few extra chapters—consider joining my Patreon.

  ?https://patreon.com/Umbryth

  ?Your support means a lot!