PNB 117. Ironback Bear
117. Ironback Bear
After walking for an unknown amount of time, until she was sure she had left the search area outside the royal city, Xinlai finally stopped and found a suitable campsite.
He placed Eve on the soft grass, picked up a few dry twigs from the ground, piled them together, and then activated the magic within his body.
Magic flows along specific meridian pathways, condenses and transforms at the fingertips, and finally turns into blazing fire element.
A cluster of deep purple flames shot from his fingertips, landed on the pile of dry branches, and instantly ignited a campfire.
The crackling flames dispelled the damp chill of the forest, and the warm yellow light created a small patch of light in the dark woods.
The campfire might not be enough to scare away truly powerful magical beasts, but it could at least provide enough warmth for Eve, who had just completed her witch transformation and was only wearing a Xinlai coat.
Eve curled up by the campfire, the firelight casting a soft glow on her profile.
Her brows furrowed slightly, as if she had dreamt of something unpleasant, but they quickly relaxed.
Xinlai sat by the campfire for a while, staring at the flickering flames and falling into a brief moment of contemplation.
It will probably take Eve some time to wake up.
The transformation into a witch is an extremely energy-consuming process of reshaping the body, and when she opens her eyes, she will most likely be starving.
Furthermore, he also needed to understand the actual situation of this forest, what magical beasts were active nearby, whether there were any traces of other adventurers, and whether there were any dangers that even he needed to be careful to deal with.
With this in mind, Xin Lai no longer hesitated. After settling everything, her figure quickly disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.
The deeper you go into the forest, the dimmer the light becomes.
The towering ancient trees block out the sun, with only a few rays of sunlight occasionally filtering through their canopies, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor.
The air was filled with a rich magical power; each breath felt like inhaling a tiny amount of energy, invigorating the spirit.
Xinlai encountered her first magical beast less than half an hour after she had been walking through the forest.
That was a level 20 wind wolf.
The wind wolf was the size of a calf, its body covered in thick, silvery-gray fur that gleamed faintly with a metallic sheen in the dark forest. Its eyes were an eerie green like will-o'-the-wisps, and its fangs protruded from between its lips, the tips still stained with dried blood from some unknown animal.
It was lying on a moss-covered boulder, licking its front paws, when suddenly its ears twitched, and it abruptly raised its head, its emerald green eyes locking onto Xinlai's direction.
A deep growl rolled from the depths of the wind wolf's throat, carrying a warning and murderous intent.
The next second, it moved.
The wind wolf suddenly exerted force with its limbs, and its entire body, like a silver-gray arrow released from a bow, pounced on Xin Lai with a whistling sound.
Its speed was extremely fast, and there were even faint traces of wind element condensation in the air. This was the wind wolf's innate ability to use the power of the wind to accelerate its attack.
Xinlai did not dodge.
He didn't even make any extra movements, only reaching his right hand towards the Sacred Flame at his waist.
The sound of the sword being drawn was crisp and short.
Blazing Slash Lv.2
A deep purple flame-like sword aura shot out from the blade, drawing a dazzling arc through the dim forest.
The sword energy itself was deep purple, but its edges were shimmering with red and blue light, as if the heart of the flame was wrapped in a layer of ever-changing aurora.
The sword energy tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound, instantly striking the wind wolf that was still in mid-air.
The wind wolf didn't even have time to let out a scream.
The sword energy cut into its forehead, traversed its spine, and cleanly cleaved its entire body in two.
Two charred corpses fell from the sky and landed on the leaf-strewn ground with a dull thud.
The cut surface of the wound was instantly charred and sealed by the high temperature. There was no gushing blood, only the aroma of roasted meat wafting through the forest.
The level 20 monster couldn't even withstand a single move from Xinlai.
Xinlai sheathed her sword, glanced at the corpse on the ground, and turned to continue walking deeper into the forest.
Over the next hour or so, he encountered seven or eight monsters.
There was a level 22 thorn python, coiled on a tree branch, trying to strangle him; there was a level 25 venom toad, its throat bulging as it sprayed corrosive venom at him; there were two level 28 shadow cats, using their innate stealth abilities to launch sneak attacks from the shadows.
Without exception, they were all instantly killed by Xin Lai's sword.
The power of the Blazing Slash was simply too great. The deep purple flame sword energy was almost indestructible. The hard scales, thick fur, and even the innate magical shields that those magical beasts were so proud of were as fragile as a piece of paper in front of it.
Sin Lai's immense magical reserves allowed him to expend his skills without restraint, without needing to consider the cost.
Monsters below level 30 are completely powerless against him.
Until he encountered his first level 35 monster, the Ironback Bear.
That was in an area where a large number of ironwood trees grew.
Ironwood has extremely hard wood, making it an excellent material for crafting high-grade arrows and weapon handles, and this area happens to be the ironback bear's favorite habitat.
Xinlai heard the thunderous snoring from afar, and looking in the direction of the sound, she saw a scene that was extremely oppressive.
A huge ironback bear is dozing under an ironwood tree that takes three people to encircle.
Its body is enormous; even curled up, it resembles a small hill. If it stood up, it would probably be over three meters tall.
Its entire body is covered with thick, iron-gray hair, each hair coarse and hard, with a faint metallic sheen.
Its back fur is exceptionally thick, layer upon layer, forming a natural armor, hence its name. Ordinary swords cannot even leave a mark when they strike it, and even some enchanted weapons have difficulty breaking through it.
Seemingly sensing Xinlai's footsteps, the Ironback Bear's snoring suddenly stopped.
It opened its eyes.
Those were a pair of scarlet pupils, carrying the ferocity and brutality unique to magical beasts.
It slowly stood up, its tall figure casting a huge shadow that enveloped Xinlai entirely.
It opened its enormous mouth and let out a deafening roar, the sound waves scattering fallen leaves in all directions and startling a large flock of birds in the distant forest.
Xinlai gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist.
Finally, a worthy opponent has arrived.
Despite its enormous size, it is by no means slow.
Four thick bear paws stomped on the ground, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly and produce a dull "thump, thump" sound.
With its head bowed, it charged toward Xinlai like a runaway heavy tank, smashing and crushing the small trees and bushes along its path without any obstruction.
When the distance closed to three meters, the Ironback Bear raised one of its front paws and slammed it down hard on Xin Lai.
Its claws were longer than daggers, their tips gleaming coldly, and they descended upon you with a whistling sound that tore through the air.
Xinlai slipped and slid to the side, narrowly avoiding the claw.
The giant hand grazed his shoulder and slammed into the ground, sending dirt and gravel flying everywhere, leaving a deep claw mark in the ground.
At the same time, Xinlai's Sacred Flame was unsheathed, and deep purple flames ignited on the sword.
He twisted his waist and hips, and suddenly swung his arm out, the sacrificial flame sweeping across, accurately slashing at the Ironback Bear's side.
laugh--
The sword blade easily sliced through the ironback bear's proud, tough fur.
The iron-gray fur seemed to lose all its defense in the face of the deep purple flames, and was scorched with a charred gash, with the blade following closely behind and cutting into the flesh.
Scalding hot blood gushed from the wound, instantly evaporating upon contact with the fiery sword energy, turning into a cloud of scarlet mist.
The iron-backed bear, in pain, let out an even more ferocious roar.
Its eyes instantly turned bloodshot, its scarlet pupils seeming to drip blood. Its massive body suddenly spun around, and its other paw, carrying even more ferocious force, slammed down towards Xinlai's head.
If that palm strike landed squarely, even with Xin Lai's current physical condition, she would definitely not feel good.
He didn't take the blow head-on; instead, he held his longsword upright, the blade horizontally to his side, to meet the Ironback Bear's massive paw.
clang--!
The bear's paw collided with the sword, producing a deafening metallic clang. A tremendous force traveled along the sword, causing Xin Lai's arm to jolt violently, her hand going numb. The brute force propelled her backward five or six steps, her shoes carving two deep furrows in the soft ground.
Xin Lai shook her numb arm, a hint of seriousness appearing in her eyes.
The power of a level 35 monster is indeed not to be underestimated.
In terms of pure brute strength alone, this iron-backed bear is probably a cut above him.
But that's it.