Chapter 77: The Miserable Fate of the Male Spider

After listening to Wang Chen’s explanation, Lin Lehan asked in confusion, “You encountered a male Heavenly Silkworm Spider? How is that possible?”

“Doesn’t the female always devour the male after laying eggs?”

Wang Chen nodded. “That’s generally the case, but this male spider was somewhat unusual.”

“Faced with the fate of being eaten, it chose to save itself.”

Wang Chen described to Lin Lehan the traces he’d found in the various tunnels and explained, “I suspect the male spider dug a small passage in advance and hid there before the female could eat it.”

“The female’s size prevented her from entering, so she tried to widen the tunnel. Yet before she could dig for more than a few days, we came and killed her.”

Lin Lehan thought for a moment and said, “That doesn’t add up. In the small cavern you checked, there was no stored food. Even if the male spider tried to escape by digging, how would it survive during that time?”

“That’s exactly why it took the egg sac into the escape tunnel with it,” Wang Chen replied with a smile. “The clever Shadow Valkyrie—can you guess the answer?”

After a brief moment of thought, Lin Lehan’s expression cleared. “You mean, the male spider brought the eggs into the small cavern to force the female to deliver food. Otherwise, it would eat the eggs itself?”

“Precisely. I think that’s exactly what happened. The remnants of cocoons I saw in the small cavern—some were the food sent by the female, the others were likely eggs that had been consumed.”

Wang Chen took out a short, dull gray strand of spider silk. “Look at this.”

Lin Lehan took it and examined it closely. “This doesn’t look like the silk that protects the eggs,” she said, comparing it to the egg sac.

“I believe the Heavenly Silkworm Spider has its own way to break open the protective silk. After doing so, the silk becomes like this—decayed,” Wang Chen explained.

“See, although the color is different from the egg sac, it’s tougher than ordinary silk. I don’t think my guess is wrong.”

Lin Lehan nodded slowly. “It’s a pity we’ll never know the method they use. If we could find out, we might even publish a paper in the field of beast research.”

Wang Chen laughed. “Isn’t the fact that the male spider tries to avoid being eaten by the female already valuable for scientific inquiry?”

“You’re suggesting I should compare the Heavenly Silkworm Spider’s behavior to human nature, analyzing the psychology of beasts versus humans, to prove the selfishness of males?” Lin Lehan mused.

“Ahem, don’t overinterpret!” Wang Chen said quickly. “It’s not necessarily selfishness—this species’ rule that the male is naturally destined to be eaten by the female is simply too bizarre.”

“The male I killed was only a Silver-tier beast, while the female was Gold-tier. I imagine the female chose him as her mate precisely because she could easily eat him.”

“Maybe that’s how the species works—the female chooses a mate as she would choose food. Other species that eat their mates probably do the same.”

Lin Lehan nodded in agreement. “I’ll write all this up after we return.” She patted Wang Chen on the shoulder, but she was so petite that it looked as if she had to jump to reach him. “Don’t worry, you’ll be listed as the first author.”

“Thanks in advance,” Wang Chen said, rolling his eyes. He didn’t care much about such things anyway.

Besides, if they really wanted to publish a paper, they’d have to study enough pairs of Heavenly Silkworm Spiders to make any solid claims. Whether that was feasible was the real issue.

“It’s a shame about that spider fellow. If I hadn’t crushed him with one blow, he might have become the lucky one who escaped from the female’s jaws,” Wang Chen lamented.

“Oh, come on. If that rotten spider didn’t die now, some other female would have eaten him sooner or later,” Lin Lehan dismissed.

“Rotten spider? So you’re siding with the female?” Wang Chen pointed at the female’s corpse nearby.

“Of course. Girls help girls,” Lin Lehan replied cheerfully.

At that, Wang Chen deliberately stepped back and looked Lin Lehan up and down.

She shifted awkwardly. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Wang Chen clicked his tongue. “If you became a Heavenly Silkworm Spider, I doubt you’d find a male weaker than you to eat. You’d probably have to turn your attention to the newly hatched spiderlings.”

Lin Lehan froze for a moment. “That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

“What else? Boys bully girls, don’t they?” Wang Chen quipped, and before Lin Lehan could react, he ran off.

“Hey! Stop! Don’t make me use my skills!” Lin Lehan shouted after him, chasing in hot pursuit.

...

After a bout of playful chasing, the two began to discuss their next steps.

Wang Chen still needed to hunt a Gold-tier beast, but Lin Lehan’s task was already complete, so he asked for her opinion.

“Do you plan to head straight back, or do you want to team up with me a bit longer?” Wang Chen asked. “If you’re heading back now, just give me an account for the transfer. Once I sell the equipment from the Gold-tier Heavenly Silkworm Spider, I’ll send you your share.”

He was referring to the equipment dropped by the slain spider—the Silkworm Armor.

Since only one piece of equipment had dropped, he’d have to sell it and split the proceeds with Lin Lehan.

Lin Lehan considered for a moment. “I’ll stick with you a while longer. It wouldn’t feel right to just leave now. We heroes of the martial world don’t act that way.”

“Who would’ve thought the Shadow Valkyrie was so loyal and righteous?” Wang Chen laughed. “That works. Maybe we’ll get another drop and I can just give it to you directly, without bothering to sell it.”

“That would be nice, but have you decided which Gold-tier beast to hunt?” she asked.

Earlier, Wang Chen had explained that his purpose on Misty Island was to hunt a Gold-tier beast, though he’d disguised the system quest as an attempt to level up quickly.

Lin Lehan looked worried. “Taking on that Heavenly Silkworm Spider nearly cost me my life. Facing another Gold-tier beast, even with the two of us, won’t be easy.”

Wang Chen smiled mysteriously. “Don’t worry. I have a plan. This time will be much simpler.”

...

The two retraced their steps, gradually approaching the forest where ghouls were known to appear.

Lin Lehan went ahead to scout while Wang Chen stayed hidden, waiting for news.

As he waited, he took out some items from his storage ring and busied himself with preparations.

Before long, Lin Lehan returned and reported her findings.

“The group of ghouls just finished a hunt and are resting together. This is the perfect time for a surprise attack.”

“What about the giant ghoul? Is it there?” Wang Chen asked.

Lin Lehan shook her head. “That’s the strange part—I didn’t see any sign of it at all.”