The one-eyed bear’s gaze was fiercely sharp. Whether to overcome the pain or to threaten, the bear swung its arm wildly, snapping a thick tree branch to reveal the flesh beneath. Since the creature was large and threatening, a sword would be more convenient than a bow for close combat.
Where should I cut to take its hide intact? As I pondered and reached for the sword hilt, the bear met my eyes and immediately turned to flee.
“…Damn.”
Tsk, I clicked my tongue. Of course, what could be better than an experienced beast at recognizing the strength of an opponent’s Martial arts? It was only natural that it was clever, having grown so large while being tormented by various creatures roaming the forest.
If it were a wide field, chasing a beast would be as easy as lying down and eating pancakes, but this was a forest with a slippery, rough floor and trees blocking the view in all directions.
On the other hand, that bear was surprisingly nimble for its size.
It suddenly changed direction by clinging to thick tree trunks, and it leaped from rock to rock. If the beast’s footprints hadn’t been deeply imprinted with each step as it hurriedly ran away, I might have missed it.
It was even more difficult because I was deliberately slowing down to avoid getting too far from Rubel, who was following behind me.
I nocked an arrow on the bowstring again. Another quickly shot arrow lodged in the back of its knee. I intended to slow it down to catch it.
Krrroooong. Startled by the beast’s cry, a flock of birds took flight.
I had provoked it enough that it should be willing to turn around and fight again. I aimed my bow again as I watched it desperately climb a rocky mountain.
I was a little late. I stopped for a moment, seeing it suddenly enter a wide-open cave. Was there a place to escape beyond that, or was it the beast’s lair?
I stood there, catching my breath, and waited for Rubel to arrive.
“…Haa, ha, did you, did you catch it…?”
“No, not yet. It just went into that cave…”
At my gesture, Rubel’s gaze went upward.
The claw marks left by the bear as it climbed the steep cliff were clearly visible. And in the middle of that cliff, the entrance to a strangely hollow cave was also clearly visible. It didn’t seem like a cave deliberately dug by a bear, but rather one that was naturally formed and where it lived.
“It would be best for Ruben to wait here.”
“…Here? No, I can climb that much. Is it about… 8 meters?”
“It’s a cave. There’s no knowing how the inside is blocked… And if it’s a mother with cubs, I intend to leave it alone.”
“What if you’re in danger?”
“…Me?”
It wasn’t like facing a strange Monster, but just catching a frightened beast that was only large. I smiled, finding his concern endearing, but Rubel’s face remained serious throughout.
“There are no old bear claw marks on the cliff. That means it just climbed up, and its habitat is somewhere else… The Monster that can occupy a cave of that size is usually a small Monster. Small Monsters aren’t strong individually, but they’re numerous, Mika.”
“…”
“It’s not that I don’t trust your skills, but this forest is connected to the Yuil Mountains ridge. If there’s even a Goblin horde, I’ll definitely be helpful.”
“…Hmm.”
Was I such an arrogant person? Upon closer inspection, Rubel was right.
I was no different from that Jegal fellow who was spouting nonsense in front of Moyong Yeonhwa. It’s ridiculous that I wanted to look good to the child and show off to look big.
I rubbed my embarrassed cheek and nodded.
“Then I’ll carve out part of the cliff, so climb up, stepping on the places I stepped on.”
“Okay. I will.”
It was a height that could be reached in one boost with Internal Energy, but I divided it into six steps to make it easier for the child to climb, creating places to step on as I climbed the cliff. Since the beast had already entered the cave, there was no need to rush unless the other side was open.
I carefully examined the inside from the cave entrance. No sound of breathing could be heard from the dark, deep cave. It seemed deeper than I thought. I thought I should cut its neck in one stroke rather than poking at it with arrows, so I drew my sword and took the lead.
The entrance was large, but the fact that it became wider and higher as I went deeper into the cave was very suspicious.
Yes, this wasn’t a cave with just a few bears. Rubel was right. I spread my Qi sense wide through the dark shadows, groping for traces of life. Perhaps because I had lingered in front of the cave for a while, it felt like it had run far away in the meantime.
I could almost grasp the tension permeating Rubel’s breathing as he walked behind me.
Then.
Swoosh, a strange sound echoed from high above my head.
I hurriedly infused Qi into my sword. Bluish Sword energy illuminated the darkly obscured vision. I was startled by a presence greater than any bear. There were eight eyes looking down at us from up there. Each bluish, eerie eyeball was comparable to a human head.
What is this?
It was a giant centipede with eight eyes on one body. The width of its thick body was as wide as the entrance of this cave.
I thought of grotesque creatures like the Thousand-Year Solitary Horned Monstrous Spirit or the Scarlet Scale Centipede. I seemed to have seen such a creature in the Monster encyclopedia, but its name was not well remembered because it was not on the test scope.
Seeing the monster munching with its mouth as big as a human arm, I hurriedly pushed the child behind me. No, I shoved him.
“Get out of here.”
“No, Mika…!”
“Now!”
I was taken aback and spoke sharply, but the child didn’t listen to me.
I didn’t know what kind of attacks that ominous centipede would make. However, I knew very well that most centipedes carried poison and that Ruben had no poison resistance. I couldn’t take my eyes off the poisonous creature, and I only moved my lips to make a kind voice. I was afraid Rubel would be stubborn.
“Be good, Ruben. If you’re here, it will be my weakness.”
“…I’ll call someone, Mika. Don’t overdo it.”
“Okay.”
The centipede rolled its large eyes, examining the situation. And immediately, it stared directly at Rubel and gathered its breath to exhale. Even a blind person would know that the dark purple breath was harmful.
I swung my sword greatly, creating a wind. I drove the poison into the cave.
The surrounding Mana fluctuated greatly.
As if trying to prevent me from pushing my child back, the poisonous creature pushed its head forward, trying to chase Rubel once again. I raised my sword to block it. I blocked its head from the front, wrestling with it with strength. My feet, firmly planted on the ground, were pushed back a few steps, but I didn’t retreat any further.
The centipede’s gaze finally returned to me, realizing that it couldn’t beat me with strength.
Seeing it rising far above again and inhaling, I unleashed my Internal Energy and created an Aura Barrier. I had never done such a crude thing as blocking off not only my surroundings but an entire space. But I had to do it.
Tap, the sound of Rubel’s footsteps, no longer suppressed, faded far away below the cave entrance.
Saaa….
The vision became blurry with the poison spewed out by the centipede. A stuffy, acrid energy targeted me. It wasn’t just pouring out poison, but shaking the Mana with its clicking mouth, carrying energy in the poison. That was nasty.
I withdrew the Aura Barrier to prevent my internal organs from being shaken. My Dantian (Energy Center) was empty in an instant due to the large amount of Internal Energy used, but it was okay. I had already learned how to use the Mana widely scattered in this land as if it were my own.
I can do it.
I slowed my breathing. I lowered my body and hid in Wilton Roberts’s style. I couldn’t know the location of the poisonous creature right now, so I had no choice but to move forward.
Thud. As soon as a pebble was kicked by my toe and rolled, I heard the sound of wind being cut. I rolled my body to the left to avoid it. The tail that slammed down where I had been was glistening bluishly.
So it’s carrying a poisonous stinger as well. I gripped my sword tightly, watching the light of the beetle-like glossy tail. I stirred up the broken floor and struck the poisonous creature’s tail armor as it was swung again.
Kkaaang!
The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out.
If the poisonous energy dissipated due to excessive vibration, I would face the face of the vermin that was moving its mouth again through the gap. If the armor was this hard, there was no way. Without hesitation, I kicked off the floor.
From the lower left to the upper right, a blue light swirled along the trajectory of the sword wielded by my right arm.
The poisonous creature tried to receive the sword with its head, but it was wrong. The sword that struck its tail armor was only swung with force to check its strength, so it didn’t pierce the creature, but its armor wasn’t strong enough to withstand even the Sword energy-infused sword.
Two of the seven horns on the centipede’s head were blown away at once.
It was a dragon that failed to ascend to the sky. No, it was the appearance of an Imugi. Large chunks of rock fell like hail from the cave ceiling, which collided with the giant body that was shaking like a dragon’s roar. I avoided one, stepped on one, and jumped up.
I held the sword in reverse grip. I strongly struck the cut surface of the horn.
Kkaang!
Not here either. I thought it would be better to aim for the eyes, mouth, or belly, but at that moment, the creature moved its terrible mouth again. I swallowed a gasp as the Mana was shaken once again.
The moment I felt a slight stinging pain in my mouth.
The poisonous creature in front of me doubled. No, no. It was an illusion. There was no way a centipede, not even a Dragon, could use clone techniques. The laws of this land were not so easily twisted. Just as I had learned.
Since I couldn’t recognize it with my eyes, I drew in the insufficient Mana and swallowed it. I made it my own.
Wasn’t wielding a sword with my eyes closed something I had done for a day or two?
The hand holding the sword drooped. I deliberately lowered the sword to the tip and scraped the floor. I waited, counting numbers in my head. One, two, three, four…. And.
Thwack,
Five. The beast, short on patience, bit the sword with its mouth, trying to bite off my head.
I, who had split the horizontally torn mouth vertically, leaped and grabbed the remaining horn of the creature with one hand. The Sword energy imbued in the sword that I was driving in with the momentum to split its head completely did not easily fade.
The upper garment soaked in venom was crackling and burning.
However, my body, wrapped in the aura of a Transcendent Peak warrior, was not so weak. Each time the creature shook its head and slammed my body against the cave wall, a dull impact shook my body. I wasn’t one to whine about being hurt by just this.
The poisonous creature, which had been groaning, finally stopped.
Only after splitting the creature’s head in half and slashing its belly did I realize that this creature was an ordinary beast that didn’t even have a Core.
As I took off my crumpled upper garment and wiped off the poisonous energy, I suddenly had a thought.