Rustle, rustle, rustle

Boom, boom, boom

Basil dodged the magic attacks from one of the three bears and retaliated by throwing rocks at them.

“Damn it, I’ve been going at this for two days without making any progress. If I didn’t already know when the bear was going to attack with its magic, I’d be dead. I never realized this before because I’ve only ever faced one bear at a time, but their teamwork is seamless,” Basil thought as he ducked and weaved to escape.

“Hahaha, you may have reached a level where you can defeat a Deep Bear on your own or even a pack of shattered wolves, but a group of Deep Bears is still beyond you. Unlike those wolves that rely solely on numbers, the bears know how to harness each other’s strengths,” his teacher informed him.

Basil had managed to defeat the three bears on the first day, but when his teacher ordered one of them to use magic, the fight became far more challenging.

Rustle A sharp stone pillar emerged, grazing Basil’s left side. As he winced in pain, another bear charged at him. He dodged with difficulty, only to be rammed by a third bear.

Basil raised his knee and lowered his arm to form a shield along his right side, managing to block most of the impact. However, the bear’s horns still left him with minor injuries.

He was pushed back several meters by the force of the blow. Just as he tried to catch his breath, another bear charged at him, using magic this time. Boom It rammed him directly, sending him flying into a nearby wall. Boom Basil hit the wall and lost consciousness.

Some time later, Basil woke up, feeling his body rejuvenated. He punched the ground in frustration. “Damn it, again. That’s the fifth time.”

"Sigh... Calm down,” his teacher said. “Remember how long it took you just to defeat the Giant Blue Ape? Compared to that, your progress now is much faster.”

Basil took a deep breath, stood up quickly, and returned to face the bears. He tried to avoid the range of the bear’s magic as best as he could, but every time he did, the other two bears forced him back, leaving him vulnerable to the stone pillar. He dodged and defended against the bears as best he could, but had no time to catch his breath.

The struggle continued into another day. Then, unexpectedly, a fourth bear materialized. Energy gathered in the surrounding space, forming a small storm, and when the dust cleared, a new Deep Bear appeared.

Panting "Damn it, they’re going to keep coming one by one, and I still don’t know how to handle them,” Basil muttered, his face pale and his breathing labored.

For the last three days, Basil had done nothing but dodge, defend, and escape. His endurance had increased; initially, he had only lasted fifteen minutes before being defeated, but now he could hold his own for three hours. Just as he was beginning to see hope in facing three bears, a fourth one arrived.

Basil turned to his teacher and asked, “Master, when will these bears stop regenerating, aside from the ones I defeat?”

The teacher chuckled. “Hahaha, in about five more days.”

Basil’s eyes widened. “Master, I need to rest and think up a strategy. Each time, my rest periods have been short, and I’ve had no time to think properly.”

His teacher stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and then finally said, “Very well, I’ll give you five hours.”

Basil sighed in relief, grateful for the time his teacher had granted him. He leaned against the wall, sat cross-legged, placed his hands on his knees, and slipped into a deep meditative state, reviewing every fight he had experienced, from the Giant Blue Ape to the Deep Bear.

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As memories replayed in his mind, Basil reflected, “If there’s one thing I’m confident about, it’s my strong memory.”

Basil remained in that state for the entire time his teacher had given him, who watched him with a mixture of amazement and interest.

“That state… it’s exactly the beginning of the first stage of ‘mental and spiritual clarity.’ To enter it without being taught… this young man is truly remarkable. I can’t wait to see what his future holds,” his teacher thought.

The allotted time ended, and Basil opened his eyes without his teacher having to prompt him. He stood up and approached the four bears.

Clenching his fist, he said, “Alright, let’s do this.”

Basil advanced slowly toward the bears, step by step. The first bear charged at him, but Basil dodged it with ease, leaping over it and moving forward. A stone pillar emerged behind him, but Basil saw the bear stomp its foot, preparing its magic. He waited calmly, and as soon as the stone pillar appeared, he leaped forward, creating a four-meter gap between himself and the stone spike. As he landed, the second bear rushed him from the front while the first bear approached from behind. Basil found himself trapped.

With a sly smile, Basil remained calm and unmoving.

Thud, thud, thud

The two bears charged at him with increased speed, and just as they were about three centimeters from him, Basil leaped into the air, leaving the two bears to collide with each other.

Boom

The two bears rammed into each other, injuring one another. Basil, falling from above, twisted and landed on their heads, making sure not to kill them. “Two down. Two more to go.”

Basil turned and found the third bear already closing in. He jumped backward, barely avoiding the bear’s charge. When it lunged again, Basil jumped forward, letting the bear crash into the stone pillar behind it.

Boom

The bear was wounded but still conscious, so Basil moved in to finish it. Just then, a stone pillar shot up, grazing his left shoulder.

Luckily, Basil dodged just in time, or he might have lost his arm. Recovering quickly, he rushed forward and kicked the wounded bear, knocking it unconscious.

Basil turned to face the last bear, which had stayed back, grinding its teeth. Basil smirked and said, “Looks like your surprise attack didn’t work, and your magic is temporarily depleted. You’re in bad shape.” He lunged at the bear, tightened his fist, and struck. The bear tried to block with its head, but it was no match for Basil’s punch.

The bear staggered, weakened by the blow. Basil approached and delivered a powerful kick, knocking it out.

Clap, clap, clap

His teacher applauded. “It seems the extra time I gave you paid off.”

“Yes, Master. I consolidated everything I learned from my battles, especially against the Deep Bears, and formed a plan. The strategy was to stop running and move forward, stay alert to Earth magic, and turn the bears’ teamwork against them. That tactic worked when I had to overcome the Deep Bear’s ability to make repeated moves in front of it useless.”

“Hahaha, well done, boy,” his teacher laughed, then added, “You’re learning to harness your experience in battle. Keep it up. We’ve been here almost a month, and your abilities have grown remarkably. But remember, never underestimate your enemy. Always stay on guard, no matter how weak they appear, for one day, you’ll face foes who’ll use every dirty trick to win.”

“Yes, Master,” Basil replied, clenching his fist in respect.

His teacher said, “Let’s go eat and wait for the bears to recover.”

“Master, why do the bears heal after a while if I leave them alive?” Basil asked as they ate.

“It’s due to the ‘Heavenly Protection Barrier’ energy. Instead of regenerating, it heals them.”

Basil continued talking with his teacher until the bears healed, then resumed training. This time, his teacher ordered a second bear to use magic.

Two weeks passed.

Boom, boom, boom

Basil moved swiftly from one bear to another, kicking and dodging Earth magic attacks. After evading each magical attack, he destroyed the stone pillars, hurling rocks at the bears and charging them with kicks and punches.

By this point, he had reached a level where he could fight all nine bears, each using magic. Once he figured out how to counter them, their numbers no longer mattered. Although their magic was a nuisance, it only sharpened his senses and battle instincts.

After three more days, the tenth bear regenerated, and his current training finally came to an end.

Basil stood in the center, surrounded by the bears, with no gap for escape. The bears slowly closed in, trapping him in their range of magic.

All ten bears stomped their feet at once, launching ten sharp stone pillars toward him.

Whoosh

Basil vanished from his spot in an instant, reappearing in front of one of the bears.

Boom, boom, boom

“One, two, three... ten.”

As Basil stood in front of the first bear, he kicked it and began counting, then swiftly moved to kick each one in rapid succession, never giving them a chance to pinpoint his location. He finished off all the bears in one fell swoop.