Bark exploded, sending shrapnel, sharp and sturdy wood whipping toward Alan. He dodged, but one or two pieces nicked his skin, spraying a small amount of blood.
“Shit,” Alan cursed, a horrid roar erupted from a massive beast that exploded out of a bundle of trees. Its form was huge, towering over the canopy, especially as it stood upright. It resembled a brown bear, its dark fur covering the powerful muscles that made up its frame. White stripes of fur wrapped around its arms and down its back. Alan recognized this creature.
“A Frenzy Bear?” He shouted, his eyes swiftly catching something, immediately thanking god. Numerous bloodied scratches bathed its fur red, and a deep gash spurred crimson from its chest. This one looks like an infant. And it’s injured, Alan thought, Maybe I’m not so unlucky after all.
The Frenzy Bear finished its dominating roar, slamming back on all fours, the ground shaking from the impact. The dirt cracked as it began to charge. Its jaw burst open, unleashing another deafening roar. Alan’s body shivered, but his feet stayed planted firmly. Frenzy Bears were around in his time, so he had experience fighting these monsters. They were difficult to deal with for lower core stages. Their thick hide made it difficult to injure, and the wild frenzy of attacks they unleashed after a charge was quite annoying,
“But this one's injured,” Alan said, gritting his teeth, “I can't get cocky though. If I do anything reckless like last time I’ll really be easy prey.” He waited, eyeing the scratches beneath its right arm. It starts with a swipe from its right paw. I can slice it when I dodge. The bear was upon him, and Alan crouched down. He waited and waited. But the paw didn’t pounce. In the corner of his eye, the opposite paw came hurling. Alan cursed as he whipped his body back. The razor-sharp claws, like curved longswords, scratched his chest, tearing through the leather armor, luckily only leaving a shallow wound. He jumped, dirt flying as he landed on a nearby tree branch.
“I should’ve expected that. After 800 years they surely would have evolved,” Alan gritted his teeth, jumping from branch to branch, dodging any shrapnel as the bear exploded through the forest. Thankfully it's already wounded, otherwise, I would have been in a bad spot.
Tree upon tree ripped from the ground and flung into the air. Alan scrutinized the bear, examining it’s new pattern after 800 years,
“Got it,” Alan said, a smile tugging at his lips. He dropped down, the soft moss cushioning his feet as the monstrous bear plowed through thick bark. A massive right paw came hurling down. Although this monster was strong and durable, it was slow. Alan slipped underneath the sword-like claws, feet digging into the dirt as he drew his blade in an arc. The tip of his katana easily pierced the bloodied flesh, no thick coat blocking his strike. Crimson splattered, his body gliding forward as the bear's massive figure tumbled. It let out a pained growl, it’s slashed paw collapsing under it’s bodies weight. The fat lining its muscles jiggled and flapped as it regained balance, spurts of blood flowing from where Alan had just sliced.
The bear, an unrelenting machine of fury, charged forth once more. Malice emanated from its core, the ground shuddering as it plowed toward Alan. He planted his feet, prepared to dodge another strike. Through Alan's careful observations, he noticed that the monotonous, almost robot-like attack tendencies of the bear hadn’t changed. It still followed a set attack for its frenzy, and it didn’t take Alan long to memorize this. He ducked under a swipe from the other paw, attacking it in a similar fashion, slicing at the part of the hide already damaged. The grass was stained as the bear tumbled to the ground.
“Good,” Alan mumbled, relieved that an infant Frenzy Bear, one most likely less than two years old, stumbled upon him, “Even though it’s young and injured. If I get hit even once I’m dead.” Alan focused, eyes locked as he examined the Frenzy Bear, who returned to its assault. This back-and-forth of dodges and slices occurred for only a few more minutes. Alan was determined to end this faster, his body growing weary, muscles it never used before straining in this encounter.
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Alan’s eyes landed on the large wound on it’s chest,
“There!” He said, sprinting toward the Bear, whose eyes and movement portrayed exhaustion and blood loss. The bear's body swung as it began another robotic charge.
Alan ducked the paw swipe, but this time, instead of slashing an arm, he spun around, dirt hugging his ankles, squatting down. He let out a visceral roar as his arms strained, powerful mana coursing through them as he stabbed his katana into the beast's chest. The sword sliced in like butter. The wound exploded with blood, coating Alan’s entire body crimson. He coughed, spitting out a mouthful of red. Even more blood exploded from the wounds that covered its body.
Then, it slumped over, going limp. Alan’s eyes widened as he slipped out from underneath it before he was crushed. A sound, like a large rock slamming into a lake, echoed throughout the forest, the bear's body crashing into a deep pool of blood.
“Finally,” Alan mumbled, his legs collapsing, the world shuddering as his but hit the dirt.
[Congratulations!]
[Souls being absorbed from a successful battle!]
[Sould absorbed reduced]
[Injured opponent killed]
[Total souls acquired: 280]
Alan let out a sigh,
“So if I kill something already injured I get fewer souls, huh?” Blades of grass stabbed into Alan’s back as he lay down, palms resting on stomach, “There goes a few plans.” He clicked his tongue. Although still thankful for this technique, and the 280 souls he acquired from the battle, the revelation still left him disappointed. He had planned on joining powerful adventurer parties, entering dungeons with them, and assassinating the boss monster just before it was killed, “I guess that’d make this technique a little too powerful.”
Alan closed his eyes and began to use healing breath. Due to the minimal damage to his body, the technique only needed a few minutes to fully recover his injuries and exhaustion.
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“Finally,” Alan rested his sheathed katana against the bed, and jumped into its soft embrace, “I’m always coming across powerful opponents. Am I just a magnetic for random shit like that?” Alan let out a soft chuckle, “I guess I’ve found some good people in this life already, too.” His mind flashed to Gherardo, the kind gate guardsmen, and Dariel, who without hesitation turned a blind eye to Alan coming back bathed in blood. And the dozen or so men on the first floor were too drunk to even question it. He let out a satisfied sigh passed a wide smile,
“I’ll take a bath and buy some new clothes tomorrow.” His eyes shut, he steadied his breathing and immediately fell asleep.
—-----------------------------------------------------------
A powerful aura shot through Alan's body, his hairs shooting up, his entire body tingling. His eyes burst open, and he jumped out of bed, an open palm quickly wrapping around his katana,
“Cheering?” Alan's head turned, loud, muffled cheering permeating through his room. His eyes peered through the window. It was day, and hundreds of people stood on the main road outside the inn. They stood on either side of the massive road, leaving the center completely empty.
“What is this feeling…” Alan gritted his teeth, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his katana tightly, “An incredibly powerful person is nearby. But, why are all these people unaffected?-” Alan’s thoughts were interrupted as he noticed a person. This person walked alone in the empty center, loud yells erupting as he walked by. The man was clad in black full plate armor, accented by red, with a powerful greatsword sheathed on his back. He held a helmet against his hip. He had long blonde hair that draped around his sharp features and light skin.
“Who is that-” Alan stopped, his body trembled, and his knees nearly buckled under the pressure. His heart began to race, his head felt dizzy. Sweat streamed down his forehead. The man's piercing eyes met Alan’s.