Thwoosh—!!
The Ice-Claw Bear lunged forward, slashing its lethal claws in my direction.
Reacting swiftly, I hopped a few steps back, narrowly avoiding my death.
Thwam—!!
No, I wasn’t exaggerating.
The mana beast’s claw struck the exact spot where I stood, creating a resounding thrash that echoed through the air.
The ground trembled with the force of the impact. If I hadn’t moved, I would have been crushed.
In the midst of this close call, my gaze fell upon the once pristine white fur of the Ice-Claw Bear, reminiscent of the untouched snow.
Only now it was no longer pristine or snow-white anymore.
Instead, it was now half-burnt, scorched from the earlier explosion triggered by my Exploding Arrow.
“I see, so its fur protected it, huh?” I thought out loud to myself.
Simultaneously, I raised my spear to counterattack as I saw the very same Ice-Claw Bear already coming at me again.
Since the mana beast was already perilously close, I couldn’t have pulled back my spear in time and used it to attack, so I made a quick decision.
As the Ice-Claw Bear swung its claw at me again, I infused my spear with mana and raised it up to block its attack.
Thwash—!!
Thak—!!
“…?!”
However, despite the infusion of mana, as soon as the Ice-Claw Bear’s claw collided with my spear, its sturdy shaft snapped in half like it was made of paper.
In one fluid motion, the bear swiftly stepped in and yanked its arm up and struck me forcefully with the backside of that very same claw that it used to break my spear.
Thwuck—!!
“Khuuk!”
A groan escaped my lips as the impact of the Ice-Claw Bear’s strike made me feel as if I had been struck by a speeding truck.
The force of the attack flung me back into the air before my body violently crashed onto the snow-covered ground a few steps away in the next instant.
I was momentarily blacked out when my body hit the ground, and it truly felt like I was going to die. For a second, it felt as if I had forgotten how to breathe.
However, when I remembered that I was in the middle of a battle, I forced my body to move.
I had to stand up.
Being down for too long would only invite further trouble, and given that I was pitted against a fucking pack of mana beasts, I already had enough of it on my plate.
“Arghh!”
Gritting my teeth, I stood up and materialised a protective coating of mana on my body, cloaking my figure in an azure hue.
It was Martial Aura— something I had learned just today.
–”Gawwwr!”
Right then, a fierce roar erupted from my right, catching my attention.
I quickly turned to witness another Ice-Claw Bear speeding toward me at breakneck speed.
A few more Ice-Claw Bears followed closely behind it, their predatory instincts on full display as they charged at me.
Firmly clenching my fist, I rushed forward, dashing toward the approaching Ice-Claw Bear that was leading the charge.
“Haaa!”
I stepped into the striking range and let out a fierce battle cry as the Ice-Claw Bear swung down its claw at me.
With lightning reflexes, I swiftly sidestepped and evaded the oncoming blow with precision.
Thwam—!!
Seizing the opportunity, I stepped in closer to the mana beast and dropped to my knees before seamlessly spinning on one foot.
In a fluid motion, I aimed a quick, low reverse spinning kick at the giant Bear’s leg.
Thannn—!!
“Arghhaaa!”
As soon as my leg hit the Bear, the impact resonated throughout my body, sending shockwaves of force coursing through my muscles.
It felt as if I had tried to hit a boulder. The sheer impact jarred my bones while the Ice-Claw Bear remained unscathed.
Gritting my teeth, I endured the pain and channeled mana into my fists, causing them to illuminate in the brightest shade of azure.
Without hesitation, I jumped back to my feet and unleashed a rapid onslaught of punches upon the Bear’s ribs.
Thwack, Thwack, Thwack, Thwack—!!!𝗇𝒐𝑽𝞮𝗅𝑵𝖊xt.𝗰𝒐𝔪
“Gaaawr!!”
Against my relentless barrage of lightning-fast punches, the bear could only let out a pained groan.
However, even though my attack managed to hurt the mana beast, it was clear that this alone wouldn’t be enough to kill it.
Just as I was about to change my strategy and use a different approach to kill it, a sudden movement in my peripheral vision caught my attention.
A second Ice-Claw Bear had appeared beside me. And with its arms stretched out, this one was trying to grab me– trap me in a bear hug.
Reacting quickly, I shifted my focus to it and ducked beneath its grasp, eluding its clutches.
Taking advantage of the opening, I swiftly circled behind the bear and willed mana into my right leg.
Using my leg as a weapon, I delivered a forceful strike to the Ice-Claw Bear’s right knee, disrupting its balance and causing it to crash down onto one knee.
Without any delay, I jumped and clasped the bear’s neck from behind using a single hand, locking it in a one-handed neck lock.
In my other hand I summon an Exploding Arrow from my smart bracelet, aiming to use it to pierce the Ice-Claw Bear’s eye and explode its head.
But before I could do that, I felt a chill run down my spine. Instinctively, I turned my head around to the left and saw a flurry of huge Ice Shards hurtling towards me with alarming velocity.
“…..?!”
Widening my eyes, I bent my knees and pressed my legs against Ice-Claw Bear’s back.
Then, using its back as a springboard, I propelled myself backwards to evade the incoming Ice Shards.
Thud—
With a resounding thud, I landed a few steps back from my previous position and shifted my focus to my left once again.
There, to my surprise, I spotted a remarkably different Ice-Claw Bear.
This one appeared older and had a wooden shaft in its hand. It also wore a shoulder robe crafted from the hide of another Ice-Claw Bear.
“A mage?!” I exclaimed out loud, astonishment lacing my tone.
While I knew Ice-Claw Bears could use a few ice magic spells, I never would have thought there to be an Ice-Claw Bear specializing solely in magic!
“Gaaawr!”
Just then, a loud roar brought my focus back to my front.
“Fuck!” I couldn’t help but curse aloud as I saw yet another Ice-Claw Bear charging at me like a moving mountain.
I willed mana into my legs and decided to jump over the incoming bear and then maybe hit it with an Exploding Arrow.
However, to my horror, I wasn’t able to move my legs!
“…..?!!”
Eyes wide, I looked down to see my legs were frozen in place, trapped in crystal ice.
It was that mage bear! While I was distracted, it used magic on me to hold me in place!
But it was too late for me to figure that out now. The charging Ice-Claw Bear closed in on me as I crossed my arms over my chest, prepared to tank its attack.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the Ice-Claw Bear pressed forward and crashed into me with its shoulder, performing a crushing shoulder tackle.
THWACK—!!!
“Arghuk!”
I really felt as if a mountain had run into me.
A shockwave of pain reverberated through my body as the force of the bear’s shoulder tackle flung me bank the air with an uncontrollable momentum.
Helplessly, I soared in the air before violently crashing on the ground, the impact jolting through my entire being.
Pain seared through my body, leaving me disoriented and gasping for breath.
My desperate attempts to regain my balance proved futile as I fiddled across the ground like a flat rock to a water surface, teetering dangerously close to the edge of the cliff.
With a final lurch, I tumbled over the cliff.
I tried to grab hold of something to save myself from falling down, but the bones in my hands were crushed from tanking that last attack.
Finally, in the next moment, I found myself falling from the peak of the snow mountain.