Chapter 80: The Lady Spider and the Scales Fox

"Spay?" This was Hao Ren's first reaction. Then he realized—she must be a summoned creature belonging to some player.

A player? Was it the other person here?

Hao Ren immediately drew his tactical force amplifier 2m.

No, probably not. At least, their interactions didn’t seem like it. If their roles were reversed, maybe that could be the case.

If this adorable creature were a player, she wouldn’t entrust her safety to her enemies, right? At least, from what Hao Ren knew, all players cherished their lives above all else.

Of course, it wasn’t impossible that the player was a masochist who enjoyed being bullied by their own summoned creature.

"Ah~ Lord Libra Fox is truly amazing! That soft, smooth skin and plush, toy-like figure—truly irresistible," exclaimed the other girl, who had previously been mistaken for someone with strong limbs. She removed her disguise, revealing a stunningly beautiful face framed by mesmerizing black hair, although her overtly infatuated expression left much to be desired.

Rip! Her spacesuit tore, exposing four powerful limbs previously hidden in her sleeves and pant legs. They looked like the appendages of an arthropod, but the sheer thickness, akin to human arms, was rather terrifying.

"Help me!" The adorable creature was soon captured and smothered in the black-haired girl’s arms, tormented mercilessly.

Maryu's expression was one of extreme awkwardness.

Were they acting? Or was this just their nature? He truly couldn’t fathom the thought processes of these two bizarre individuals.

"Ah, there it is!" Fighting off the black-haired girl pressing close, the little creature, as if making a discovery, pointed excitedly.

"There? What did you find?" The crew members of the Archangel instinctively turned to look in the direction indicated.

Hao Ren, holding a pocket watch, suddenly became the focus of all attention.

"What do you want?" Hao Ren retreated, crossing his arms, his force magic half-activated.

In the blink of an eye, the small creature somehow appeared right before him.

Big eyes met small.

The little creature’s luminous, watery eyes stared intently at Hao Ren, a stark contrast to his own, which had shrunk in anxiety.

Gleaming all over, Hao Ren pushed the frame of his glasses with his left middle finger, already adeptly preparing himself.

Skill: “Diamond Guardian,” consumes 140 EP, creates a diamond barrier granting all allies within a 50-meter radius one-time complete immunity to physical attacks (force magic).

Half an hour earlier, Hao Ren had shamelessly swapped his own Defense 1 and P1 onto his suit from the assault module’s Amber Pearl and Phantom Glow. Defense 1 increased S’s defense by ten percent, while P1 raised S’s maximum P by ten percent—something was better than nothing.

The adorable creature scrutinized Hao Ren from head to toe, then—

“Please take us in!”

With perfect execution, the small creature performed a Tiger Drop, curling into a tiny ball at Hao Ren's feet.

"So fluffy..." The unexpected blow left Hao Ren stunned, his sense of danger evaporating completely.

His throat worked as he swallowed hard, then, discarding his tactical force amplifier, he resolutely gathered the little creature into his arms.

"Help!" Once again, the adorable creature found itself trapped in a hug-hell.

"Let go of the lord! Let me do it!" The black-haired woman instantly joined the fray, eager to snatch the creature away.

"No! I’ll never let go, not even if I die!" For the first time in his life, Hao Ren was unwavering, even with an 88E-cup, fishnet-clad, statuesque woman as his opponent...

Should he reconsider?

"Blackflame!" Maryu and the others cried out, afraid these two strange beings might be dangerous.

"Blackflame, let go of that weirdo! Don’t be fooled by her appearance—this could be a trap!" Kira was anxious; he wasn’t confident he could shoot the stranger without hurting Hao Ren as well.

Damn it! Of course you can’t with the assault rifle’s barrel!

"What nonsense are you spouting? Cuteness is innocent! Cuteness is justice! You mortals just can’t understand!" Hao Ren clung tightly to the adorable creature, unyielding.

Did he think wearing glasses made him some kind of grand sage?

"Hey kid, your expression is getting weird," Mu, who didn’t understand what “cute” meant, noticed Hao Ren’s eyes were now the very definition of seriousness.

"Ha~ Since we can’t separate them, lock Blackflame up with the stranger as well," Maryu finally made the sensible choice.

Clack!

"Hey, so you’re still here, Isaac," Hao Ren greeted the opposite bunk with composure.

"Isn’t it your fault I’m here?!" Isaac hurled his food tray, left at the foot of his bed, as a projectile.

"So, you’re the summoned creatures of that enemy player, Blind Duck. Why did you come to the Archangel, and why ask me to take you in? I really can’t figure you two out." By the logic of factions, Hao Ren and these two oddballs should be on opposing sides—deadly enemies.

"Ahh, right there... yes, that’s perfect..." The adorable creature’s bashful, contented moans made Isaac, who had his back to them, blush furiously.

After enduring for nearly five minutes, Isaac spun around in exasperation.

"Hey! Do you two have any shame, doing this in here... huh?"

The little creature was sprawled across Hao Ren’s lap. Hao Ren, brush in left hand, supported her tail with his right, methodically grooming from base to tip.

Just brushing her fur...

After some conversation, Hao Ren learned the name of the little one in his arms, who was experiencing pleasure from the grooming: Hiiragi. The one with four bladed limbs on her back was called Orihime. Both were summoned creatures preparing to break away from their original master.

Name: Hiiragi (Humanoid, some)
Race: Libra Fox
Attributes: Strength 30, Agility 30, Constitution 30, Intelligence 40, Spirit 87, Charisma 19
Innate Ability: “Demonic Fox Transformation” (No Rank) – Can freely shift between humanoid and demonic fox forms. In demonic fox form, Strength, Agility, and Constitution are doubled.
Skill: “Wish Scales” (No Rank) – Summons the Wish Scales. Anyone may make a wish, which will always be granted, but must pay an equivalent price depending on the circumstances (lost items, temporarily disabled skills, etc.—item currently lost, skill temporarily inactive).
Skill: “Word Spirit” v1 (0/1000) – The Libra Fox’s words carry magical power. When used on sentient beings, the target’s combined Spirit and Intelligence cannot exceed half the Libra Fox’s own. Each use consumes P points accordingly. When used on non-living things, P cost is determined by circumstances; if insufficient P, the fox’s life force is consumed instead. The skill can be upgraded by consuming P points.

Name: Orihime
Race: Lady Spider
Attributes: Strength 35, Agility 35, Constitution 37, Intelligence 25, Spirit 21, Charisma 17
Innate Ability: “Spider Clone” v1 (0/1000) – Temporarily lowers all attribute caps by 1 to summon a Spider Beast. The Spider Beast has half the main body’s attributes and possesses “Web Spit” and “Bladed Limbs” skills. Can be upgraded by consuming P points.
Innate Ability: “Spider Transformation” (No Rank) – Can freely shift between humanoid and Spider Beast forms. In beast form, Strength, Agility, and Constitution are multiplied by 1.5, but loses the ability “Spider Clone.”
Skill: “Vital Web” v1 (0/1000) – Consumes 10 P to spit webs covering a 50-meter radius. The Lady Spider can produce webs that absorb life force from ensnared creatures. As long as there are creatures caught within, the webs continually restore her stamina and energy.
Skill: “Four-Legged Cannon” (No Rank) – In humanoid form, four bladed limbs extend from Orihime’s back, capable of unleashing energy blasts. Can only be used if she has sufficient life force stored within.