"GROOOARRRR~" still in its [Darkness] form and using [Darkness Rush], though it was weakened from EGO devouring some of its powers, the bear king dashed back toward Leon.
But this time, the boy didn't run, and he didn't have a single intention to dodge this attack: he would take it.
He positioned his hands as if he was about to grab something, then waited.
The crimson aura around them was overwhelming, and in addition to that…
"What the…?" Leon noticed in addition to his aura being crimson, there were also some strands of darkness in it, "Is this normal?"
[I mean, I devoured its "dark" aura, so we absorbed it,] EGO explained as the small ball of fire also had strands of darkness in its body too, swirling in the flames, [Don't question it, just use it to your advantage.]
"Alright…" Leon looked back, and he saw the giant bear rushing at him much faster than before, "COME AT ME…"
~THUMP, THUMP~
He braced himself, legs rooted to the earth, hands poised like a predator ready to snatch its prey.
And…
"NOW!" Leon shouted, channeling every ounce of energy into his palms to try and counter the attack that was coming.
The bear lunged, claws gleaming, the air thick with tension as it was ready to kill the human.
~CRUNCH~
But Leon caught the beast's paw mid-strike, feeling the raw power coursing through him as the claws literally pierced his hands, but there was no other solution.
He gritted his teeth from the pain, but he didn't lose motivation, and the ground beneath him cracked as he pushed back, defying the bear's weight.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN OVERPOWER ME?" he roared, eyes blazing.
The bear snarled, trying to break free from Leon's grip, but the boy held the creature firmly, not letting go no matter what as otherwise he would die since his hands now had massive holes/cuts in them.
[You got this!] EGO cheered, his voice echoing in Leon's mind, [Let it flow, don't hold back!]
With a surge of strength, Leon yanked the bear toward him, using its momentum against it.
The creature stumbled, caught off guard, and Leon seized the opportunity.
"Take this!" He unleashed a barrage of punches, each strike fueled by his fury, landing blows that echoed through the clearing.
The bear grunted, its eyes wide with surprise as each of Leon's fists connected, the impact of each sounding like an explosion as trails of aura were left after each attack.
[YES! Keep going!]
Leon felt the thrill of power, every hit sending vibrations through his body, every roar of the bear only fueling his resolve and hunger to devour that thing.
The bear reeled back, momentarily dazed, and Leon wasted no time the exact second he saw this opportunity as he immediately charged forward, ignoring the pain coursing through his side and hands.
"DARKNESS RUSH!" the bear bellowed, its voice filled with rage as it tried to summon its ultimate skill again.
Leon sidestepped, but this time, the bear adapted, twisting mid-charge, its claws slashed at the air, grazing Leon's shoulder, tearing fabric and skin.
"…" but he didn't even feel the pain.
And so, right as the bear was about to try and bite Leon with its mouth, the boy focused all his aura into his right hand, putting all of his energy into a final attack.
And then… he swung.
~SLAM… BOOOOOOM~
Leon's fist connected with the bear's jaw, a resounding crack echoing through the clearing, and the creature's head snapped back, its body twisting from the force of the blow.
But this time, the bear didn't roar or growl, or do anything of the sort.
It did nothing actually, as it just fell backward, its body not moving anymore, and its eyes devoid of any life essence.
It was dead.
[DEVOUR!] EGO immediately sucked the red aura out of the [Darkness Bear King]'s corpse.
And with that… it confirmed Leon's victory.
[You have devoured 'Darkness Bear King', gaining 16 stat points!]
[+8 souls!]
[You have been massively injured, 'Partial Healing' has devoured the ELITE's life essence and maxed out your HP!]
It took some time for the reality of the situation to settle in, but in the end… Leon sighed as he looked at the dark sky above him, the crimson moon with a blinking eye staring directly at him.
"…"
The injuries on his shoulder, side, and the holes in his hands had completely disappeared thanks to the healing aura of [Partial Healing], meaning that Leon could keep going.
[Incredible job, partner,] EGO was actually proud of Leon for doing this.
And of course, killing the ELITE of the forest meant one other thing…
~DING~
[Congratulations!]
[You have completed the Quest "The King of the Forest"!]
[You have obtained the 'HP Checker' perk!]
And so with this…
[Congratulations!]
[You have unlocked the 'HP Checker' perk, meaning that you can now check out the HP of an enemy whenever you want to see how long before it dies, and how much average damage you deal to them!]
To be honest, EGO had already explained it before, but oh well, it was fine.
"Somehow, I don't have that 'hunger' feeling anymore."
[It's because I already devoured it, and when I do, your hunger subsides as well!] EGO smiled.
"Fair, enough," Leon could still see the exit of the forest, and so he began to walk there, now not a single enemy in the first zone should be able to stop him, so he just walked, recovering his stamina as doing so much actions depleted it.
But… right as he was about to take his third step… another panel appeared.
~DING~
[Something INCREDIBLE has happened in the first zone: "Forest of Darkness"]
[Unlocking a highlight replay for credit purposes!]
"Huh?" Leon was confused as these two panels appeared in front of him.
And before he could even figure out anything, a third one appeared below.
[Play video?]
There was a video playing on it, the first frame paused, and once Leon clicked on the unpause button, he saw… himself?
"Oh…"
The video was literally showing the fight he just had from different angles, meaning that anyone who saw it could fully get the gist of the battle.
"What the hell is that?"
[I mean, it did say that it was "unlocking highlight replay for credit purpose", right?] EGO smiled, enjoying the fact that they were already videos of their achievements, [Basically, every person in the dimension, wherever they are, can now see this video as the panel appeared before them too.]
EGO explained to Leon what was happening, but basically: when someone does something incredible in a dimension, for example kill a boss, an elite, a monster more powerful than they are or when a fight is extremely cool, then the 'dimension' itself allows people to check out the fight.
This is a good way for awakeners to become famous, as they can use those videos as footage to prove their strength to organization or academies.
But this also meant…
"Oh, that guy's strong."
"Damn, he avoided it fast…"
"Hehe~ I like him!"
That basically EVERYONE currently in this dimension, meaning all participants, had checked and seen this video.