Amadeus hunted for a few more hours. On his way back to the quarry, he felt a surge in mana thanks to his mana-sensing skill. "What was that?" said Amadeus, recognizing the strong mana akin only to Ember's.
He climbed to a tall tree branch, focusing to see where the mana was emanating from. An arc of mana loomed in the north. "I'd better take a look," he said, worried it might come close to the quarry.
He jumped from the branch, following the mana. After a few minutes of moving at high speed, he arrived at what seemed like a battleground.
He landed and began investigating the area, which was littered with the dead bodies of wolf monsters. The ground was completely torn up, stones shattered, and deep impact holes dotted the terrain. Then he noticed a footprint on the ground.
It resembled a bear's paw, but ten times larger. "Looks like he's a big boy," the Crown remarked. Amadeus looked ahead and saw the path was in the same state as the battlefield. "It seems our little friend is quite energetic," said Amadeus, resuming his pursuit.
As he followed the mana, Amadeus thought about the situation. He knew it wasn't an animal, as animals didn't exist in this dead region. It had to be a monster, likely a bear monster judging by the footprints.
"I guess I'll just wait and see. Whatever it is, it won't be easy to deal with," said Amadeus. He finally reached the source by nightfall, hiding behind a rock to observe the situation.
Just as he thought, it was a monster resembling a bear, but much larger—ten times the size of a normal bear, with black fur, scars covering its body, and razor-sharp claws. "I think we should go back," suggested the Crown.
"If we go back now, tomorrow he'll be knocking on our door," said Amadeus, knowing the danger but also understanding he had no choice. Running would mean risking his followers' lives, rendering all his hard work useless.
Amadeus used {Divine Sight}.
[Power Score]
/The Target: {The Black Bear} Power Score = 14,000
"He's a little weaker than Ember. This is just what I was looking for—a worthy opponent," said Amadeus, remembering that the only reason he had defeated Ember was her arrogance, weak physical power, and his regeneration ability. Without those advantages, he wouldn't have been able to defeat Ember, and this truth had been bothering him. Now was his chance to fix that.
He equipped [Commander Geoffrey's Sword] and dashed toward the bear, attempting a sneak attack. But before he could strike, the bear's paw was already swiping at him. Amadeus dodged the attack.
The bear's swipe left a big hole in the ground, sending small rocks flying. "He has good senses," said Amadeus. He decided to attack without tricks, engaging in a face-to-face battle.
Amadeus dashed toward the bear, who tried to strike him with its claws. Thanks to his enhanced speed and mana-sensing ability combination, his reflexes were much faster then before.
Amadeus dodged the attacks and managed to slash the bear. However, he only scratched the surface. "What?" Amadeus exclaimed, surprised. He attempted to attack the head, but as soon as he got close, the bear let out an earthshaking roar, creating a shockwave.
Amadeus lost control of his senses and was thrown back, crashing to the ground.
He struggled to get back on his feet, unable to hear and with blurry vision, slowly regaining his senses. "A roar shouldn't do all this," he said. "You're right, if it was a normal roar," the Crown replied. A window appeared.
[User Condition]
/The user was hit by a sonic roar, nerfing all senses to 10 percent of their original state.
/{Immortality} skill activated.
/The user has been healed.
"Healed or not, it makes no difference," said Amadeus, realizing that if he got close, the bear would just roar again, sending him flying. Then he smiled, an idea forming in his mind. "I don't like that smile," the Crown said.
Amadeus dashed toward the bear again, dodging the attacks and reaching its head. The bear was ready to roar, but Amadeus sealed its mouth shut using Commander Thurstan's whip. "Got you," said Amadeus.
He landed on the bear's head and, with all his strength, pushed the sword into its skull. But the sword couldn't penetrate. "So it's not just its body but also its head," Amadeus realized just before the bear, with all its strength, slammed its head into a giant rock.
"Bwahh..." Amadeus couldn't dodge and was slammed into the rock, pinned and covered in blood, barely conscious.
As the bear prepared to finish him off with its paw, a voice woke Amadeus. "MOVE IT!" shouted the Crown. The bear's attack destroyed the rock, filling the battleground with debris and dust.
From the dust, Amadeus rolled on the floor, unable to move. "This is the second time I hit the floor. That's just shameless," he said as the system window opened.
[User Condition]
/Multiple shattered bones and destroyed spine.
/Healing initiated.
/The user has been healed.
Warning: HP level has reached 50 percent.
Warning: stamina level has reached 45 percent.
The bear, affected by hitting its head, gave Amadeus time to catch his breath.
"I know what I'm missing," said Amadeus, looking at his weapons. The problem wasn't his strength, but his weapons weren't strong enough.
"Open crafting menu," he commanded, and a window appeared.
[Crafting Menu]
/Infusing 10 Grey Mana Crystals into Commander Geoffrey's sword.
/Infusing 10 Yellow Mana Crystals into Commander Thurstan's whip.
/Infusion succeeded.
Amadeus's weapons didn't look different, but he could feel the change. "Now let's try this again," he said.
He dashed toward the bear, this time targeting its hands and legs, anywhere he could hit. As soon as his sword slashed the bear's skin, a river of blood exploded, causing significant damage.
The bear's scream of pain filled the area. "So you felt that. I guess I made the right choice," said Amadeus, who had infused the grey mana stones, representing the earth element, into his sword, increasing its durability and sharpness.
Amadeus continued attacking, and soon the bear's balance began to weaken due to the accumulated damage. "That's it," said Amadeus, waiting for the moment to get to its head. The bear, weakened, couldn't prevent him from approaching.
The bear tried to roar but was silenced by the whip. It tried to free itself but received an electric shock from the whip. "Did you like that?" Amadeus taunted, lifting his sword to deliver the final blow.
The bear, having lost all strength, could only watch as Amadeus aimed to kill it. But suddenly, its eyes turned red, and a mana shockwave sent Amadeus flying. "What was that?" Amadeus was shocked.
The bear, which shouldn't have any strength left, stood up, covered in a red aura, its eyes full of rage. Its size increased slightly, its claws became sharper, and it roared, destroying the area around it.
"That's blood rage," the Crown explained.
"What?" Amadeus asked. The Crown quickly explained that blood rage was a state where a creature used all its remaining mana for a final stand. Most of the time, the creature would die after, and only elite monsters could go into this state.
"He's ready to die if it means killing me. I can relate to that," said Amadeus.
"It seems this is the last stand," Amadeus said, activating {More Strength}. He and the bear exchanged looks before dashing at each other.
Amadeus and the bear exchanged blows, appearing equal. The winner would be the one who could last the longest. The bear shattered Amadeus's bones with each hit, while Amadeus filled the bear with cuts, turning its black fur red.
[Notification]
/Warning: user HP reached 20 percent.
/Warning: user stamina reached 15 percent.
"It's now or never," said Amadeus, focusing on the bear's vital points. Finally, the bear's movements slowed. Amadeus moved to its head, using the whip to prevent it from roaring.
The bear started running, aiming to crush Amadeus against a rock. "This won't work," said Amadeus, activating the whip's electricity and pulling the bear's head with all his strength.
With all its wounds, the bear couldn't resist falling to the ground, sliding to a stop.
Amadeus, still on the bear's head, struggled to stand. He was ready to deliver the final blow, but before he did, he said, "It was a great fight." With that, Amadeus's sword pierced the black bear's head, killing it.
Breathing heavily, his eyes resembling those of someone who hadn't slept for ten days, Amadeus looked at the sunrise. "It's already morning. I fought this bear the entire night," he said. A window appeared.
[Notification]
/Warning: the user's stamina has reached 0 percent.
/The user will enter a coma state to recharge his stamina.
"Coma? No, I can't, not in the middle of nowhere... I... have to... stay..." Amadeus struggled to stay conscious. "Don't fight it, just relax," said the Crown.
Amadeus, utterly exhausted, fell onto the bear's body and drifted into a deep sleep. With that, the battle with the black bear came to an end.