Beast miracle.

The old man had used a miracle on the bear. Judging by the glowing pattern, it was a beast miracle.

According to Safin's teachings, beast miracles fell into two categories: intelligence and strength.

Beast intelligence was a rare, inverse miracle—one that transferred human intellect to a beast. This could elevate a beast’s mind to the level of human thought.

No doubt, this bear was under the influence of such a beast intelligence miracle.

As for the healing miracle, Mithra didn’t know. Safin had never taught that.

Locked in her struggle with the bear, Mithra had to keep replenishing Stabilize and extending Reinforce Body. Without it, her blows were mere ticks against the creature’s thick hide.

She’d fired the musket several times, but soon enough, the bear had swatted it away, bending the barrel like straw.

In the chaos, Mithra found herself near the cave entrance. She could turn and retreat inside; it was the safe option.

But she had little interest in running.

Test—

The tips of her left fingers tingled, a faint burning sensation prickling them.

"Fire can suppress wild beasts."

Safin’s teaching came to mind. Covering her left hand, she used the amplified sensitivity from her wounds to channel her power.

Heat gathered in her palm, igniting into flame.

Ignite.

["Ignite”: In ancient times, it was called "Blazing Appendage." A basic fire miracle. It lets one attack with flames conjured in the hand, or transfer fire to external objects for burning.]

[—Wild beasts fear fire.]

The flames brushed her sledgehammer, and it flared to life with fire, illuminating the weapon like a torch.

As this flame-born miracle stemmed from her own sense, it didn’t burn her; she felt only warmth.

“Thank you, Lebaance,” she murmured. The heightened sense from her wounds had driven her miracle mastery forward.

Just as she finished, the bear’s paw came crashing down on her head. Half her scalp was torn open, but Mithra’s eyes remained fierce. Her black, unlit pupils darted, calculating the bear’s movements.

Her body shuddered, but she didn’t fall.

The strength of Reinforce Body now extended beyond her arms, enhancing her entire form. Her physical power had reached a new threshold.

The bear swung again, and this time, Mithra met it with the blazing sledgehammer.

Bang!

Mithra hit the ground, tasting mud, as the hammer connected with the bear’s side. The bear staggered, its wound bursting into flames!

It let out a howl of agony. Its injuries hadn’t fully healed, and the fire stirred a primal terror, threatening to overwhelm its granted intelligence.

Mithra struggled to her feet.

Stabilize.

Ding.

Then, lifting the sledgehammer with purpose, she swung it into the bear’s hind leg with all her might.

The bear, thrown off-balance, crashed to the ground with a heavy thud. Mithra reached up and pressed the torn skin on her scalp back into place. Her fingers glided down from her forehead, smearing away the chilling blood on her face, and her grotesque smile tightened through the pain.

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"Roar!"

"Noisy," she muttered with a disdainful glance at the bear’s dying cry, then brought the hammer down again.

Bang!

The bear’s jaw twisted with the force of the blow, releasing only a feeble whimper. This time, no one would save it.

The hammer's rhythm created a grim melody in the silence of the forest, a tune only Mithra could enjoy. When the bear’s body finally stilled, she released a breath, the Ignite miracle's duration having expired. She’d kept swinging even after the creature had died, half-fearing its body might rise again. She’d seen enough today to expect surprises.

As she panted, she activated Stabilize once more, not bothering to calculate the miracle’s duration. She cast a final look at the bear's corpse, black spots already forming on its fur. Intrigued, Mithra leaned closer.

[Bear of Gross Mountain: Wild beast dwelling in Gross Mountain. After devouring an old hunter's beloved dog, it was captured and granted beast intelligence to guard the mountain. The crazed hunter treated it as if it were his lost pet.]

[—Good boy, good boy. Come home to town tonight. Beware the bears in the mountains.]

Mithra recoiled. Just as she considered how to handle the bear’s massive corpse, her vision blurred, and black and white script appeared before her.

[Event —— “Valiant Fight Against a Wild Beast"]

[You may choose one of the following.]

[One, Gift from Bicester: Through the absorption of beast blood, you may manifest their power.]

[Price: Those who pursue beast blood will gradually begin to resemble the beasts they pursue.]

[Two, Gift from Phaselos: The crafting method of god-killing weapons, usage, and experience with various types of arms.]

[Price: A master weaponsmith often incorporates their body into their weapon storehouse, becoming one with their weapons, intimately intertwined.]

[Signed by Phaselos: Pursue intelligence and skill. Your hands are the proof.]

The activation was different this time. Two gifts, but she could only choose one.

Mithra studied the choices and frowned. Both came with prices that were as ominous as they were vague.

The first price implied that absorbing beast blood would make her gradually more beastlike. The second—what did it mean to make her body a "weapon storehouse"? The words “god-killing weapon” in Phaselos’s gift certainly caught her eye, and there was even a message signed by him.

Repeating "Signed by Phaselos" in her mind, Mithra pondered a moment longer before selecting the second option.

No real reason—Phaselos’s style just sounded a bit too cool to pass up.

After choosing her gift, the black and white text swirled into a dense mass before plunging into Mithra's mind. A deluge of knowledge and experience struck her, freezing her in place. It was only after what felt like ages that she blinked back into focus, rubbing her eyes as fatigue settled deep in her bones.

With newfound clarity, Mithra inspected the broken stone sledgehammer in her hand. Understanding the cost of her selection, she took a steadying breath, activated Stabilize, and drove the sledgehammer straight into her stomach.

Splat.

The hammer sank into her abdomen, not piercing through, but disappearing as if her body had swallowed it whole. No blood, no gore—just the unsettling sensation of cold metal nestled within her flesh. This was her new ability, a flesh storehouse for weapons. Her body could contain them, call on them at will, and bind them to her with a kind of invisible contract.

The hammer rested within her, unnoticed by weight but unignorable by feel. She could sense its mass pressing within, cold and alien, despite the natural warmth of her flesh regenerating around it.

“Damn…” she muttered as the pain radiated through her abdomen. The regenerative gift from Lebaance worked in tandem with this new ability, making the otherwise unbearable process feasible. Yet with each future weapon she stored, she’d feel the constant ache of flesh under pressure, her heightened sensitivity always reminding her of her new role.

'Convenient,' she thought, 'but with a price.'

Deciding the sledgehammer would stay, she activated Stabilize once more, allowing her body to adjust to its presence, then began the task of dragging the bear's corpse to the mine. She strengthened herself repeatedly with Reinforce Body, letting the repeated activations sharpen her control over the miracle.

Finally, with the bear’s carcass deposited, she called for Safin. Together, they carved and stored the meat, a tedious process that dragged on.

Safin, wiping his brow, chuckled as he surveyed the massive pile of bear meat. "Why is it every time you go out alone, you stumble upon ‘good things’?”

"Wouldn’t call them good.” Mithra shook her head. “There was an old hunter too—nearly shot me down.”

Safin raised a brow. “Two enemies: a musket-wielding hunter and a bear with intelligence? And yet you survived and even took them down?”

“Just practical luck, I guess.” Mithra shrugged, summoning a flicker of flame to her palm. Her grasp of the Ignite miracle had grown.

“Not bad for a warrior with night eyes,” Safin remarked with approval.

Mithra’s eyes narrowed. “Are these eyes really that special?”

“During the uprising against the Forty-Four Pillars, human heroes emerged—one of them a warrior with night eyes, like yours. Many legends were born from that line, but the eyes bring attention. Some still cling to the remnants of the Pillars, bearing malice toward those with night eyes,” Safin warned. “When you wander Dreamland, be cautious. The eyes attract more than allies.”

The mention of the Pillars shifted something in Mithra. Her earlier suspicions about the Forty-Four Pillars being connected to her now felt misplaced, twisted by misjudgment or mere paranoia.