Chapter 35: Armored Black Bear
“GRRRAAAAAUUUHHHHHHH!”
It echoed through the trees like thunder rolling across the sky, sending flocks of birds into the air and casting a heavy silence over the woods. The three of us froze. Even Boris, who had just finished storing the last wolf carcass, narrowed his eyes and instinctively turned toward the source.
“That… wasn’t a wolf,” Michelle said quietly and mumbled something under her breath, like activating one of her scouting skills.
“No kidding,” I muttered. “That sounded bigger—and a whole lot meaner.”
The trees swayed ever so slightly, not from wind but from something heavier moving in the distance. Whatever was out there was dangerous. No question.
The most logical move in a situation like this would’ve been to steer clear of the threat and hunt weaker monsters to finish the scenario’s main objective. But that wasn’t our style—especially not mine. If I wanted to reclaim my throne, I had to take risks. And frankly, it was hard to believe anything truly beyond us would show up in a low-level scenario.
Boris grinned, slamming his fists together. “Sounds like something worth punching.”
Michelle shot him a wary glance. “Please be careful. I can already tell it’s stronger than the alpha wolf… We should at least identify it first before charging in.”
“Michelle, can you scout the path ahead?”
She turned to me with a confident smile and gave a firm nod. “Leave it to me.”
We then resumed our advance with added caution. Michelle took the lead this time, her eyes scanning the undergrowth while Boris and I followed closely behind. The forest grew denser as we moved forward, the canopy above thickening and casting elongated shadows over the leaf-covered ground.
Then we found it. Not the beast, but its mark.
A clearing lay ahead, torn apart as if something massive had charged through. Trees were snapped at their bases, deep claw marks scored into their trunks, and the soil was upturned with colossal footprints that disappeared further into the woods.
Michelle crouched beside one of the footprints and pressed her hand against it. Her expression was filled with unease.
“This isn’t a normal beast,” she murmured. “It’s likely a raging monster…”
Interesting… there’s a high chance it’s tied to that “key fragment.”
Not considering retreat, we continued to follow the trail until we stumbled across a small cave that jutted out from the ground like a jagged wound in the earth. The surrounding trees thinned near the entrance, as if even nature wanted no part of whatever lived within. Faint claw marks scratched the stones around the opening, and tufts of fur clung to the bark of a nearby tree, fluttering slightly in the breeze.
“This has to be its lair,” Michelle muttered, drawing an arrow and nocking it on instinct. Her eyes were sharp, scanning every detail. She truly had the making of an expert hunter.
I stepped closer, peering into the darkness beyond the cave mouth. The air drifting out was warm, humid, and carried a faint metallic tang—blood.
“I think it’s waiting for us inside…”
Boris flexed his muscles and stepped forward without hesitation. “So, what’s the plan? We charge in and wrestle it out?”
“Let’s not be that reckless,” I said, shaking my head. “First, we bait it out. Fighting it inside gives it too much of an advantage.”
Michelle nodded. “If it’s raging, it won’t take much provocation.”
“Smart one, kid. That’s what I have in mind, too.” Boris grinned, as if his earlier question had just been a test. “Watch and learn—let me handle this.”
And he wasn’t just boasting. Boris pulled a wolf’s carcass from his inventory and tore open its stomach where I had previously made a cut, splattering the ground with steaming entrails. The stench of blood and offal quickly filled the air. Without missing a beat, he ripped off a chunk of the carcass and hurled it into the cave’s mouth, painting the entrance red.
The reek of fresh blood wafted into the darkness, seeping into every crack like a challenge. In the meantime, we backed off a bit, taking cover behind trees and keeping our weapons at the ready.
Seconds passed, then came a deep, bone-rattling growl that vibrated through the cave. Two glowing eyes appeared in the darkness, low to the ground but unmistakably large. The thudding of heavy steps followed as something stirred from the shadows, then it emerged.
A five-meter-long hulking bear, larger than any bear I’d ever seen, appeared. Its body was covered in thick black fur interlaced with armored scales and crimson scars. Jagged horns curled from either side of its head, and its maw dripped with saliva and the stains of dried blood.
[Armored Black Bear – Lv.45]
An outcast among bears for having scales all over its body, it’s always angry and horny because it’s unable to look for a mate. Its armor deflects blades, and its rage fuels every strike with monstrous force. A single swipe of its paw is all it takes to kill an armored knight.
Threat Level: Very High
My grip on the sword tightened as I stared at the creature. No matter how I looked at it, this was the strongest monster I’d encountered so far in the scenario. And without a doubt, it was stronger than most monsters at the same level. An elite-type, clearly.
“Speak of the devil. I thought it was something unseen before, but it’s just an oversized bear.” Boris watched the bear coming closer with something disturbingly close to admiration. “A perfect chance to test my newly improved ability.”
Newly improved ability?
Before I could fully process what he meant, the bear let out a deafening roar and charged forward like a train.
Boris met it head-on. “Adamant Flesh: Iron Body!” As he shouted, his skin took on a metallic, iron-gray sheen, glinting in the light. Then he hurled himself at the bear like a wrecking ball. For a moment, they seemed evenly matched, with Boris seeming to gain the upper hand.
Is this what he meant by a newly improved ability? I thought in astonishment. His signature skill had clearly evolved, likely after fulfilling certain hidden criteria, like after the fight with the alpha wolf.
Even so, the bear was not a monster that could be taken down easily. It thrashed violently and, with a violent jerk, flung Boris several meters into a tree with a crash that made the trunk shudder.
“Gah! That one had weight!” he shouted, already getting back on his feet.
I quickly seized the opening. In a burst of speed, I activated Wind Rush, propelling myself forward. As I closed the distance in a blink, I gritted my teeth and swung my blade in a wide arc with all my strength. “Heavy Slash!”
The sword connected with its side, but my elation died instantly. Instead of cutting deep, it merely scraped against the scales, leaving behind nothing more than a shallow line. What?!
“GRRAAAAHH!” the bear growled and retaliated with a sweeping strike of its clawed paw. I barely managed to twist away in time, my body moving on instinct thanks to my passive footwork skill—the Predator’s Step. The claw passed close enough to stir the wind against my cheek and leave a graze.
Before it could follow up with another blow, Michelle’s arrows whistled through the air. Two found their mark, striking the softer joints near its neck and underarm. The bear flinched, but only slightly, as if stung by a bee.
“This thing’s defense is no joke,” I muttered, retreating a few steps and putting distance between us. “Aim for the gaps and wear it down!”
I quickly sheathed my sword into my inventory with a mental command and drew out my spear. Although it would be impractical to use Heavy Slash with a spear, its extended reach offered better positioning—and more importantly, time to react. Furthermore, I could try to learn another offensive skill while I was at it.
As Boris clashed with the bear head-on again, I darted in from the side, aiming a precise thrust at its exposed underbelly. The spear struck, but it only glanced off a scale plate before being deflected away with a dull clang. Tch… so damn tough… I gritted my teeth and tried again, this time feinting left before lunging right. The blade-tip slipped into a softer spot near its armpit—deeper than before, but still shallow.
The bear roared again, spinning to face me furiously as rage burned in his eyes. It was very angry now.
While I took a few steps back, Michelle fired off three arrows in rapid succession. One bounced harmlessly off its armored shoulder, another grazed its ear. The third, sharply aimed, buried itself near the base of its horn. A thin line of blood trickled down its hide.
“GRRAAAAHH!” the bear bellowed in pain, shaking its head violently.
“It’s working, but too slowly!” Michelle shouted. “We need to lock it in place!”
Easier said than done. This thing was built like a fortress and fought like a berserker. Still, I wasn’t just swinging blindly. I’d been observing each strike and dodge, and I had figured out its pattern a bit. But if my attack could barely hurt it, how was I supposed to incapacitate it unless I raised my stats or used one of my trump cards?
“Leave it to me!” Boris roared and locked his muscled arms around the bear’s head in a brutal chokehold. The bear thrashed and clawed at him, but Boris’s iron-hardened skin withstood every blow. “Now! Do it! I won’t hold it down forever!”
Michelle was already drawing her bowstring back until it curved into a perfect full moon. An offensive skill—no doubt about it.
Meanwhile, I didn’t hesitate and charged in with my spear poised. Channeling the familiar energy I used with Heavy Slash, I drove the weapon forward with a roar. “Aaaahhh!!” The moment I struck, a ripple of force surged through the shaft of the spear. I felt it—an invisible weight, an overwhelming pressure behind the stab. The tip slipped perfectly into the bear’s scale gap and pierced through.
You have acquired a skill: [Heavy Stab Lv.1].
“GRRRRAAAAAAHH!!”
As I yanked the spear free, a burst of blood sprayed from the wound, but I didn’t stop. I repeated the same motion and drove the spear in again—“Heavy Stab!”—and again, each thrust empowered by the ripple of force that surged through the shaft and into the bear’s flesh.
Blood sprayed with every successful strike, splattering across my arms and face. The bear howled in fury, thrashing in Boris’s iron grip, but it couldn’t break free.
Michelle took advantage of the opening, firing the arrow. This one slammed deep into the bear’s jaw, and it snarled, staggering from the impact.
Another Heavy Stab pierced its flank, the spear biting into flesh with more force than before. I could feel the skill sharpening with each repetition, as if I were forging it through use.
“Just a little more!” I roared.
The bear’s growl turned into a furious, guttural roar that shook the trees. It reared up, lifting Boris off the ground with sheer brute force.
“Ugh, time’s up!” he warned, flung aside like a sack of bricks, but he rolled to absorb the impact and pushed himself up again, coughing. “Finish it—now!”
I steadied my breath and lunged one final time. With all my strength, I drove the spear into its exposed neck. “HEAVY STAB!!”
The weapon sank deep. The bear let out one last shuddering roar as blood gushed from its throat in thick waves. Its legs buckled beneath it, and it collapsed with a heavy thud, shaking the earth beneath our feet.
A long, breathless moment passed.
You have hunted [Armored Black Bear Lv.45].
You have gained 550 EXP.
You have leveled up.
Basic Spearmanship has leveled up.
Heavy Stab has leveled up.