[The deathbear runs away after the brief conflict, leaving you aggrieved with a minor injury…]

Lem did not know what to think of the encounter. It was not just the aberrant behavior from his simulated self that gave him pause, every part of it was strange.

Even when he considered all angles, the actions of the deathbear did not make sense.

It had roared at him before he had even seen it, which only gave its presence away.

Afterward, it had run away immediately after it was struck, as though it had never wanted to fight in the first place.

Lem remembered that the deathbear that was chasing him in the last simulation did not bat an eye, even when its face was nearly destroyed.

It seemed like this deathbear did not truly want to fight him.

It was trying to chase him away.

He wondered whether it was also guarding a spiritual item, like the tyrant sloth had been.

Lem did not know if his simulated self had come to any of the same conclusions, or if he was spurred on purely by rage, but he was continuing to pursue the deathbear, despite being too slow to catch up.

“Come back here, you bastard! You cut me up and then you want to just run away?”

Lem’s simulated self was growing slightly tired, but he did not let that deter him.

Far ahead in the forest, partially obscured by tree cover, he could still see the deathbear running.

That sight motivated him to keep running.

“Don’t let me get close,” he yelled out.

He readjusted his grip on his spear as he considered throwing it at the deathbear. After a moment, he tucked it back under his arm.

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The deathbear was growing smaller and smaller in the distance, until it was nearly out of sight.

Just as it was about to vanish from view, it stopped.

Lem’s simulated self kept running, but he slowed down when he saw the behavior of the bear.

It was running back and forth, giving low growls at him.

Even in his impaired state, he could sense that something was off. Was there something hidden between the trees?

He approached slowly.

“Bastard, don’t think you can scare me with that display,” he scoffed. “You won’t face me in a fight, but you still posture from a distance. Trying to catch me in a trap? Ha!”

[You think that the deathbear was acting strange, so you approach the area with caution.]

Lem felt embarrassed at the conduct of his simulated self, but he forced himself to ignore his feelings and focus on the rest of the situation.

The deathbear was almost certainly guarding something.

The only question was what.

As Lem’s simulated self drew closer, the deathbear continuously retreated, but it did not run off again.

Instead, it continued to pace back and forth while growling.

[You notice that the deathbear is lingering, but it unwillingly flees when you approach…

As you search through the area, you sense the pleasant sensation of spiritual energy…]

Lem was pleased at the development, but he also thought from the intensity of the feeling that the spiritual object was not as potent as the seed.

This meant it was less dangerous to consume, but also less beneficial to him.

The deathbear continued to growl as Lem's simulated self narrowed down the place where the spiritual energy was most concentrated.

When he reached a particular spot, the deathbear finally ran off, dashing out of view.

“Run off then,” Lem’s simulated self called out after it. “Don’t expect to find anything when you come back.”

He bent over.

He was sure that the feeling of spirituality was coming from beneath a pile of leaves. He swept them away, exposing a chewed stump of a root.

When he touched it, it filled him with a warm, comfortable feeling that was comparable to the mushrooms, only slightly less powerful.

Lem felt disappointed.

He felt certain that there had been an intact spiritual herb in the recent past, and that it had been eaten by the deathbear, leaving him with only a part of a root.

Not only that, but the deathbear had also covered what remained of the root with leaves to prevent him from finding it.

“Bastard bear,” Lem’s simulated self muttered to himself.