The village of Nevery was still a long way off, but along the journey, the young man could not avoid the ravenous beasts that dwelt in the forest.
In fact, shortly after moving away from that pond, Atlas encountered a quite dangerous Chaos Creature.
"Mhm?! A Rocky-Armored Bear... and it's also such a big fellow..."
Given the traces of blood on its muzzle, the creature had just returned from its morning hunting trip, and undoubtedly, its constant roaring was a clear demonstration of its ferocity.
"Hey! I can hear you! You're big and angry... OKAY!"
In front of the deafening roars of the beast, Atlas waved his hand with a bored face and then, with an arrogant expression, pulled out his faithful companion from the side: "Hey... You appeared at just the right time... I've eaten so much that I think it's time to dispose of some..."
The young man was not the first adventurer the bear had ever met.
In fact, the world was full of arrogant fools who ventured into the wild forests and ended up being gutted and devoured by its true overlords.
Of course, the creature didn't understand the young man's words, but it acted instinctively by assaulting the fool with his gigantic body.
The Rocky-Armored Bear was a creature that acted before reflecting because all its skin was not covered with ordinary fur but with thick-scaled armor, hard as a rock. And it was precisely for this reason that the beast did not fear anyone, not even the lethal weapons of cultivators.
"Better to avoid a direct fight with this beast..."
Although the creature had charged at him with all its power, the excellent but heavy defensive property significantly reduced its agility. This was a terrible inconvenience for the beast but a good thing for Atlas, who had plenty of time to avoid the portentous attack.
The bear's actions were simple but brutally effective and disruptive. The creature's paws tore the ground at every step, leaving behind huge craters all around and making it hard for the young man to find proper support for his feet. Inevitably, the ground kept cracking excessively when it leaped forward to bite its prey, turning the battlefield into a colander.
Although unintentionally, reducing the battlefield in that way was another advantage for the creature because the gradual morphing of the ground could sooner or later pose its adversary in a challenging situation.
Atlas limited himself to avoiding the devastating attacks because he knew well that he had to find the right point to attack. Otherwise, the repercussions would be tremendous.
"Fortunately, this beast is slower than those goblins... but I can't continue like this. I have to find his weak point or run away. I don't even know if I'll be able to kill such a powerful creature..."
Since he was a child, the young man's most hidden desire had been to become a martial cultivator and venture into the world with his own feet. For that reason, he prepared himself for that future. In particular, he had spent hours or even whole days immersed in books, learning as much as possible about all the existing Chaos Creatures that populated the World of Oblivion.
In fact, his confidence in undertaking battles that seemed impossible came precisely from all the information he had assimilated over the years because it allowed him to choose carefully every single move that could have brought him toward victory.
"A Chaos Creature at the Advanced Stage of the Descendant Chaos Realm... Two minor realms stronger than me, yet I can't run away without even trying out and testing my limits..."
Atlas wasn't a fool and knew when to retreat from an arduous battle, but he was also smart enough to seize an opportunity when he had one right under his nose. And when that time came, he slashed his companion at the creature without hesitation. Alas, the result showed him the reality he was facing.
"Heck... it's so compact that I can't see even a tiny gap. Maybe I could try the Ruthless Void Blade, but if I can't pierce the armor in one fell swoop, I risk being hit by one of its powerful counterattacks."
The Ruthless Void Blade had an incredible and mysterious power but required a close-quarter battle to unleash its terrible destructive power. And, in this case, using it against such a brutal opponent wasn't the best choice.
The young man was uncertain about what to do, so he cautiously continued to dodge the enemy's attacks and study every detail and pattern it used.
After a few minutes, much of the area around them was reduced to rubble. Not even the trees, reinforced by the incredible properties of the Chaos Energy, had come out unscathed by their confrontation.
"What a fierce beast and incredible resistance. Heck, it's so heavy that it slows down its movements, but for some reason, this bear doesn't seem to feel fatigued at all..."
The young man still had a way to avoid those attacks, but unlike his opponent, his body was covered with sweat, and his muscles began to scream from weariness.
"There is no alternative... I have to quit..."
After all this time, Atlas had recognized his limitations and realized that the battle could not end well for him, so he smiled mockingly at the creature, staring at those brutal eyes with a mocking gaze: "Hehehe... Thank you for this intense morning workout... Maybe we'll see in the future..."
Without delay, Atlas dodged the devastating attack for the last time and turned his back to the enemy, disappearing into the thick foliage of the trees, leaving an enraged beast with no target to vent its frustration.
|||
The young man escaped at full speed from the battlefield, but the deafening roars of the creature were still well perceptible.
"He seems very angry. Surely the poor creatures that will meet that bear along the way will have a bad end..."
Atlas felt lucky because he was not one of those poor unfortunates, but something unexpected happened when he slowed down his mad race.
"Atlas..."
"Nihilir?!"
The young man almost yelled his name, surprised by his voice: "Nihilir... I called you so many times... what's going on?"
Indeed, Atlas had tried to make contact with him countless times in the past few days, but it was all useless.
"Little boy... clam your heart and breath... You have already received my help, so don't be too greedy and simply uncover the truth with your own hands. You can do it, so don't panic because if you can't find a solution on your own, then time will be your ally."
"Well..."
Nihilir's response left Atlas a bit dejected, but he had no reason to lament after gaining such an incredible object. Instead, he said: "Fine... I will find out the truth on my own, but at least don't make me scream like a fool and answer me."
"Silly boy... I can't do otherwise. My connection to your world is a thin one, and to save you, I had to use a lot of my powers... you should not doubt the trust I hold in you."
"What..." Atlas didn't know what he was referring to and wanted to know more, but Nihilir interrupted him before he could say more: "I will be at your side in time of need, but for now, there is someone out there who requires your help. And it's something that only you can do..."
Atlas waited to hear more about that, but suddenly, a black hole wide enough to devour his body opened under his feet and swallowed the young man, taking him very far from his home...