Grrr...A low growl laden with destructive mana vibration slowly came out from behind the density of the ancient trees. A figure of a colossal stone bear, a Rank C anomaly monster, stepped sturdily dividing the mist. Every time its giant claws coated with keratin as hard as iron armor hit the ground surface, a solid vibration ripple felt as if shaking the foundation of the footing around it.Darius instantly froze in the place where he stood. A cold sweat flowed rapidly from his temples, wetting his face which was already dirty from sweat and the remnants of mud. His heart beat so fast, hammering his chest cavity with a wild, irregular rhythm. His pair of hands holding the handle of the standard iron sword trembled violently without him being able to control it.'I... I will die in this place,' Darius's inner mind thought in resignation.For the first time since they took steps out leaving Arkan City's gate, the youth truly felt a death terror located at a completely different tier. T

"Grrrraaaaagh!"The Rock Bear’s devastating roar shook the surrounding tree line, causing dry leaves to rain down onto the muddy ground. The monster’s colossal body trembled violently. The cracks on the thick layer of stone wrapping its body now emitted an eerie, faint red glow, spewing plumes of hot steam from between its scales.Darius stood a dozen meters away. His torso was bent slightly forward, his breath heavily ragged. His hand gripped the hilt of his greatsword tighter, fighting the severe tremors in his exhausted arm muscles. Cold sweat rolled down his temples, dripping from his chin, which was stained with sweat and grime.The pressure radiating from the monster had shifted radically. It was far heavier, far more dangerous."Darius! Don’t just stand there!" Nero’s voice exploded sharply inside his head, shattering his tactical paralysis.Darius’s eyes widened completely. Without a second thought, he stamped his foot and lunged violently to the side.Boom!The ground where D

Darius lunged forward toward his weapon lying on the ground, grasping the hilt of the iron greatsword with both hands, then radically spun his torso. On the other side, the Rock Bear was struggling hard to stop the momentum of its massive body. As a result, the position of the remaining wound on its left hind leg was now wide open without any mana protection.Darius gritted his teeth until they creaked. "Haaa!"The blade of his greatsword was swung vertically from below with the entire accumulation of his pure muscle strength. Not toward the back, nor toward the head. The iron blade struck precisely onto the remaining old wound on the monster's hind leg.Crack!Black blood sprayed heavily, drenching Darius’s face. The Rock Bear roared in pain, its pitch piercing high across the forest interior."GRAAAAGH!"However, before Darius could pull his blade back to maintain a safe distance, the monster's front paw swung horizontally from the side, landing a clean hit against his left ribs.Th

One human, one monster. Both were in a severely wounded condition. Both were now waiting patiently until one of them made the smallest tactical error on the field.However, logical calculations showed that Darius's condition was far worse on paper. A fresh stream of blood flowed continuously from the tears on his back and arm, his breathing rhythm grew heavier, and the vision of his eyes occasionally began to blur gray due to a degraded oxygen supply.'How much longer can this physical body of mine remain standing upright on the ground?' A realistic question suddenly surfaced within Darius’s mind. 'Five minutes? Ten minutes? Or maybe less than that?'Darius shook his head firmly, dispelling the fog of doubt inside his brain. 'No. The structure of that question is entirely wrong. I don't need to waste my mental energy just to calculate how much longer I can survive. My main task right now... I just have to find one absolute scenario to kill that monster before my entire body system sto

The Rock Bear roared loudly one last time, releasing all the remaining supply of earth mana within its core, then lunged forward carrying a massive wave of destructive pressure. Darius stamped his foot as well, running to meet the storm without any intention of pulling back his steps or evading to a safe perimeter.The two silhouettes sped fast, cutting the distance separating them within seconds. Exactly one meter before the fatal frontal collision could occur, Darius dropped his entire body structure low to the ground, rolling tactically through the gap beneath the sweep of the monster's front leg.Slash!The tip of the bear’s sharp claw still managed to tear the remaining skin on his back, splashing fresh red fluid into the air. However, Darius refused to lose his combat momentum. While spinning his body on the muddy ground, he raised his greatsword with a two-handed grip reinforced by all the remnants of his energy circulation, then slashed the iron blade with all his might toward