"Veraaah!"

"Earth Bind!... It's no use; it’s not working at all!"

"Damn, why is there a Titan[B rank in other words] Beast here of all places?!"

"Just run! If it catches up, we're finished!"

A group of three humans was being chased by a magical beast, heading straight in our direction.

Their pursuer was a large bear—the same giant bear I had once fought, or rather, the one that had blown me away with ease.

The bear was incredibly fast. It was only a matter of time before it caught up with the humans.

"I'm going to save them—"

"Wait, wait!"

"Whoa!?"

As the girl tried to leap out, I quickly wrapped my whip around her ankle and hoisted her up. I was surprised when she suddenly started running, but I soon caught up to her, my speed outpacing hers.

"What do you plan to do if you go out there? You'll just get yourself killed."

"But if we don't do something, those people will..."

"That’ll happen whether you go out there or not."

Seeing the girl's hesitation, I realized she wasn’t that strong.

Considering I easily caught her and she’s slower than me, it’s hard to believe she has much power.

I firmly conveyed my intentions again.

"Listen, I’ll handle that bear. You need to run. If you stay close, you might get caught in the fight."

"What?"

I gently lowered her to the ground and then leaped out of the bushes, at same time the desperate humans sprinted past me.

"Whoa, a slime!? And that color—it’s the one from the rumors—"

"Idiot, don't stop! Keep your eyes forward and run!"

“But that slime is something we must get our hands on!”

“Die by yourself, dumbfuck!”

“Ughh-if only not for the titan beast!! Wait, I am coming!”

The humans ran past me blabbering rubbish, the bear seemed to hot in its trial.

Not minding me at all. But I wasn’t going to let it pass.

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"I'll take you on, bear! Challenge, activate!"

"Graaah!"

...

The Aresnal Slime has activated the skill "Challenge"

...

The bear’s red eyes locked onto me. The upgraded "Challenge" skill from “Provocation” increases its effectiveness when used against a stronger opponent.

Thanks to that, it seems to have worked well on the bear too.

The bear stepped forward with even more force than before—

"Leap!"

I instinctively jumped, and with various skill enhancements, I leapt back at bullet speed.

—Boom!

The ground cracked beneath me, a gust of wind rushing past with a delay. The bear’s charge and claw attack were almost too fast to see.

Clinging to a tree trunk, I regained my composure at the sight below.

"Leap!"

The moment the bear’s eyes turned toward me after missing its initial strike, I kicked off the trunk. Almost simultaneously, the bear blurred, and I heard a thunderous sound from behind as it snapped the tree with a single blow.

Watching this through my slime’s 360-degree vision, I felt a chill that slimes shouldn’t be able to feel. Even with the "Instantaneous Movement" skill, I could barely track its movements.

"Crap, I’m not going to make the landing—"

This time, I had jumped in a panic, with nothing to land on. Before I could touch down, the bear had already turned around, lowering its body slightly, ready to charge.

"Mid-Air Jump!"

I quickly jumped to the side. The gust of wind brushing my body told me I had successfully evaded. I had to use one of my limited "Mid-Air Jumps," but it was necessary.

"For now, running away is the best option!"

Using "Leap" and my whip, I moved swiftly from tree to tree. The bear was chasing me, but our speed difference wasn’t that great. I should have a little time to think.

First of all, I had achieved my primary goal of saving the humans. Now, I just needed to deal with this bear.

There are two options: fight and defeat it, or escape and lose it. Based on my previous encounter, fighting this bear that can bypass toughness and deal damage is extremely risky. It would be wiser to lose it.

"But, just running away without doing anything feels wrong..."

Sure, the bear is a dangerous opponent. Fighting it could very well lead to serious consequences. But, is it really okay to just run away?

I’m much stronger now than when I last fought it. I’ve gained enough abilities to keep evading it like this.

Even though the bear is stronger, it's not unbeatable. Yet, if I just run away now, I can’t help but feel like I’ll keep running away from stronger foes forever.

It’s not that I particularly care about pride or honor. If I feel like I’m going to die, I’ll run without hesitation.

But, I also think there are times when running away isn’t an option—determining I would lose without even trying isn’t something that I should get comfortable with.

That’s why I don’t want to run away from something I can handle.

Looking back at the current situation, the bear’s rank is probably just one level above mine. Its level shouldn’t be that high either. After all, it's still in an area with low mana concentration.

If it were a fully evolved Titan Beast, it would’ve gone deeper to find better prey. But since it's still in this shallow area, it must have just recently evolved.

Though its ability to bypass my toughness makes it a big threat, our overall strength is actually quite close. It’s not an opponent I can't beat.

"Yeah, it might be worth taking on this challenge."

If it gets too dangerous, I’ll run away immediately! But I’ll do my best until then.

‘I should do this shit!’

And that Titan Beast’s soul points are really tempting too.

Letting that greedy thought enter my mind helped ease the tension that was beginning to build. Alright! I’m ready!

I had already planned out my counterattack. I gradually slowed down, letting the bear close the distance.

And when it was just the right distance away—I charged headfirst into a large tree.

...

The Aresnal Slime has acquired the skill "Charge."

...

---

My body came to an abrupt stop. The bear saw this as an opportunity and continued charging without caution. The first phase of my plan was a success.

"Change of plan! I’ll run past the bear and escape!"

I thought that in order to maintain my escape route.

And then, I gathered my strength.

Due to the impact of my high-speed, heavy body hitting the tree, it bent slightly. Naturally, the tree would try to return to its original position—

"Leap, Charge, Cross Counter, Slash!"

—Using that force, I launched myself like a cannonball at the bear.