Chapter 58: The Primal Core
Her exaggerated reaction made him immediately realize that he had made a serious mistake by asking about something he was supposed to know.
Despite that, he did not try to correct his position, for he was genuinely ignorant, and would also be foolish if he wasted this precious opportunity he had obtained, and did not gather a little information about this world he had been transferred to.
He maintained his full composure, took a brief moment to analyze the situation and weigh his words, and without hiding his confusion, began flattering her, wanting to please her vanity and dominance.
"No, no, that is impossible, how could I ever dare mock someone as esteemed as you, I am truly just an ignorant creature who knows nothing, my very limited knowledge cannot be compared to your great wisdom."
His flattering words and his submissive yet sincere attitude left the spider woman speechless. She found his actions amusing and somewhat funny, and at the same time very provocative, yet, that usual urge to discipline him did not surface.
Without realizing it, her lips twisted into a small smile, and after a little thought, she decided to answer his question this one time only, but she first had to confirm a certain matter.
She maintained her cold tone, and asked, "’Tell me, do you not possess any instinctive knowledge about the Primal Core? You are already E-Rank, your bloodline is supposed to have started preparing you for D-Rank’"
"Hah?" Arthur was greatly surprised. ’Is my bloodline supposed to do that? Well, this seems somewhat logical.’
This information was not entirely new, for since he had transformed into a wolf, his bloodline had provided him with some basic knowledge, such as the steps he should follow when hunting, or how licking wounds helps them heal faster.
Even though he knew she was trying to learn more about him, he did not hide anything, and answered honestly, "No, my bloodline has not provided me with any knowledge in this regard, I mean, it generally does not provide me with information, is this a problem?"
As usual she did not reply directly, she maintained her silence for a brief moment, then replied, "’Not really, for the majority of ordinary monsters do not receive knowledge about the Primal Core until they are on the verge of ascending to D-Rank, and in some cases during the Ascension.’"
Upon hearing her reply, he did not feel relief, quite the contrary, it increased his suspicions, especially since her unusually strange tone implied something was amiss.
’If the majority of monsters do not know about the Primal Core until they are about to ascend to D-Rank, then why were you surprised when I said I do not know what it is? She is hiding something, and I think it is related to my bloodline.’
In truth he was not wrong, and was not right either, for, without realizing it, he had overlooked something very important, which was that she had spoken about ordinary monsters, while he was not ordinary in the least.
So that the spider woman could not read his thoughts, he quickly distracted himself, and focused on other less important matters, despite that, she still managed to catch a few glimpses of his suspicions.
’He truly does not know anything, this is illogical, no, after everything I have come to know about him, there is no need to be surprised.’ She let out a short sigh, and her certainty grew that his mysterious bloodline was abnormal.
When she had said earlier that a large number of monsters do not receive knowledge about the Primal Core early, she was referring only to monsters with weak bloodlines, as for him it was quite the opposite, his bloodline was powerful and rare, and he was supposed to have received a fair amount of knowledge from it by now.
Suddenly, a frightening thought occurred to her. ’Wait, if his bloodline does not provide him with knowledge? Then how did he obtain all this intelligence? What is he, is he truly a monster?’
She gasped loudly, unable to hide her shock. This information was so heavy and confusing that she felt her mental strength depleting at an astonishing speed, causing her a slight headache.
’Tsk, the more I know about him the more I realize I truly know nothing, this is annoying.’ Once again, she found herself sighing helplessly, something quite unusual for her.
Basically, even if his bloodline were working normally, and taking into account many possible factors, it was near impossible for a monster to develop such extraordinary intelligence at only E-Rank. She herself did not start developing great intelligence until she had spent several years at C-Rank.
Realizing that thinking about him would only cause her more headaches, she decided definitively this time to ignore him, and not give him any more attention, and to end this conversation before it dragged her into more questions, she answered his previous question quickly.
"’Listen carefully, for I will not repeat myself. All monsters like us possess a special organ inside them called the Primal Core. This core is considered the essence of life for us, and is no less important than the heart or brain. When it fully matures, the essence of our bloodline settles within it, along with a part of our vitality, and all our Mana energy is gathered within it.’"
She paused for a brief moment, to give him an opportunity to comprehend her words, then added.
"’In short, the Primal Core, alongside the bloodline, are what determine our potential and the path of our evolution as monsters, and most Arcane Skills stem from them, if either of them is severely damaged, especially in the case where the Primal Core is not fully mature like yours, this may cause your Ascension to stop entirely, and in some cases you may lose all your strength, and return to being just an ordinary creature.’"
When she finished the explanation, a slight frown appeared on Arthur’s face, for instead of his confusion disappearing, his bewilderment only increased.
Since he came to this world he had hunted and eaten dozens of monsters, and had literally dissected their bodies with his fangs and claws, even though he was not a veterinarian, he was certain he had never before seen an organ that could be called the Primal Core.
After a little hesitation he told her what was going through his mind. "Please forgive my ignorance, but I have eaten several monsters before, and I have never seen this special organ called the Primal Core. What does it look like?"
"’Tsk.’" The spider woman clicked her tongue in annoyance. She organized her words in her head, then answered him in a resigned tone.
"’The Primal Core is not just an ordinary organ, it is stranger and more mysterious, and follows different rules. You can think of it as a tree, in the beginning, it is merely a tiny, indistinct seed hidden beneath the ground, quietly growing its roots, and does not appear on the surface until it becomes powerful enough.’"