The once-peaceful forest transforms into an eerie, unsettling place. Every rustle and crack makes my heart race, and the sense of foreboding grows heavier with each passing second.
It is then that the monster makes its entrance. Emerging from the dense foliage, the giant gray bear steps into the clearing with a deliberate, unhurried pace.
The bear's enormous paws make a sickening crunch as they crush the underbrush and fallen leaves beneath them. Its massive size and power are evident in the way the ground trembles with each step it takes.
The most chilling aspect of the giant gray bear's appearance, however, is its eyes.
They glow with an unnatural orange light, as if fueled by a fire that burns within the monster itself.
A wave of mana hits the clearing and everyone becomes paralyzed with fear.
As the bear continues its slow, methodical advance, the forest grows quieter and quieter.
Its low growl reverberates through the air, a rumbling sound that makes your body shake.
Once again, the bear looks at me and then at the ground in front of it.
[Cinderbear, lvl 20]
The creature has leveled up.
Waves of mana I feel from the bear make my stomach clench, and my entire body feels as if it isn't getting enough air. It is even hard to breathe.
The bear takes a few steps towards us and then stops, looking at us with its wild but intelligent eyes.
One minute.
Two.
Three.
Cinderbear just keeps looking. At some point, someone screams out of fear and desperation. The monster's ears seem to perk up, but it just stays where it is and growls back. The remaining unbroken windows on the bus shatter, and the guy instantly shuts up.
"What does it want?!"
"I-i can´t run."
"Can we fight it?"
"He should fight it!"
"Maybe it's friendly?"
Then someone says something I've been thinking about:
"Maybe it wants to eat something? Just like last time?"
Everyone falls silent, and we all remember the scene of Damon's body being slowly consumed by the bear. The monster growls and moves even closer. As it walks, it steps on a few spikes and hits several palisades with its paw. The pieces of wood shatter without dealing any damage.
With the memory of Damon's gruesome fate fresh in our minds, people exchange scared glances, unsure of how to handle the terrifying beast. The bear is getting closer and closer, and the fear is becoming worse and worse.
Our feet feel glued to the ground.
The air feels thicker now, and cold sweat is running down my back.
I thought I might be able to do something the next time we met the bear, but no, I can't do anything. Even thinking about running away feels impossible.
I feel... pathetic.
In a moment of selfish desperation, Ethan screams, his face twisted with panic, "Maybe we can throw it someone, just like last time! We should give it... someone." His eyes dart around, searching for the weakest among us, hoping to save himself at the expense of another.
The group recoils in horror at the suggestion, but the fear makes it hard to dismiss his idea completely.
Ethan's eyes land on Sophie's sister, but he quickly changes his mind, and his eyes stop at Lily, a petite, defenseless-looking girl. "We should... I'm sorry..." he desperately moves closer and grabs her; she screams.
At the moment, no one is able to move, so they react a bit late as he instantly starts pulling her closer to throw her at the bear.
I agree with him. He is most likely right. He is only trying to save his life.
But.
What does he think he is doing?
In front of me!?
I´m finally able to take a step and grab his neck while strengthening myself with mana. With my other hand, I break his hand he put on Lily, and he screams in pain. Then I pull him away from the girl. Towards the bear.
I am thankful, Ethan, you made the first move; at this moment, you were more decisive than me.
But.
That girl is someone I know a bit. I've talked with her a little and she always tries to speak nicely to me and not annoy me. You, on the other hand, I don't know.
You're a stranger to me.
So It's not a hard decision.
I pull him away from the others and throw him towards the bear while strengthening my body. He flies through the air, falls down, and then rolls until he stops right in front of the bear.
He looks up, shaken and confused, and then screams upon seeing the bear's maw right in front of him.
He uses his skill, and a light blue, thin barrier of mana appears around him.
Meanwhile, my eyes meet those of Cinderbear, and I feel a wave of mana from him, while he ignores the screaming human beneath him. Then he turns his attention back to Ethan.
The barrier instantly breaks the moment the monster touches it with its paw.
Crack.
It steps onto Ethan's left hand. The shield made of mana flashes into existence once more but instantly breaks. The bear bites his other hand and pulls it off with a wet sound of tearing muscles and tendons.
Ethan is still screaming.
Still alive as Cinderbear slowly chews his hand while curiously looking down at the man.
Then the bear leans closer and takes a bite of the man's belly.
I am sure I will remember his screams until the day I die.
Slowly, they become weaker and weaker, he coughs up a lot of blood and then passes out.
The monster slowly eats the entire man while looking at us and casually glancing around.
There isn't even a hint of wariness towards us as he finishes his meal.
After he is done, he licks his maw, and another pulse of mana flashes towards me. This time, I am able to sense that it's focused on the broken necklace in my pocket.
Then, Cinderbear leaves once more.
A few hours after the bear leaves, I go into the forest.
Alone.
I hunt and kill everything I can find.
Trolls, goblins, wolves, animals. I murder anything I see. Rage and mana are burning in my veins as I do so.
I've never felt so weak.
I've never felt so defenseless.
All I could do was watch and sit there, not even able to run.
Just helplessly wait and hope one man would be enough.
Pathetic.
I hate it, I despise it, I don't want to feel like this.
Never again.
Time passes, and I finally get the message I wanted.
[You have defeated the Troll Lvl 11]
[Lvl 9 > Lvl 10]
[Well done! The side quest has been successfully completed. Please select one of the traits. The traits are based on your actions and performance up until now within the Tutorial.
Be advised: humans are limited to three Traits.
Choose with caution.]
The system has become nicer out of nowhere.
The once-peaceful forest transforms into an eerie, unsettling place. Every rustle and crack makes my heart race, and the sense of foreboding grows heavier with each passing second.
It is then that the monster makes its entrance. Emerging from the dense foliage, the giant gray bear steps into the clearing with a deliberate, unhurried pace.
The bear's enormous paws make a sickening crunch as they crush the underbrush and fallen leaves beneath them. Its massive size and power are evident in the way the ground trembles with each step it takes.
The most chilling aspect of the giant gray bear's appearance, however, is its eyes.
They glow with an unnatural orange light, as if fueled by a fire that burns within the monster itself.
A wave of mana hits the clearing and everyone becomes paralyzed with fear.
As the bear continues its slow, methodical advance, the forest grows quieter and quieter.
Its low growl reverberates through the air, a rumbling sound that makes your body shake.
Once again, the bear looks at me and then at the ground in front of it.
[Cinderbear, lvl 20]
The creature has leveled up.
Waves of mana I feel from the bear make my stomach clench, and my entire body feels as if it isn't getting enough air. It is even hard to breathe.
The bear takes a few steps towards us and then stops, looking at us with its wild but intelligent eyes.
One minute.
Two.
Three.
Cinderbear just keeps looking. At some point, someone screams out of fear and desperation. The monster's ears seem to perk up, but it just stays where it is and growls back. The remaining unbroken windows on the bus shatter, and the guy instantly shuts up.
"What does it want?!"
"I-i can´t run."
"Can we fight it?"
"He should fight it!"
"Maybe it's friendly?"
Then someone says something I've been thinking about:
"Maybe it wants to eat something? Just like last time?"
Everyone falls silent, and we all remember the scene of Damon's body being slowly consumed by the bear. The monster growls and moves even closer. As it walks, it steps on a few spikes and hits several palisades with its paw. The pieces of wood shatter without dealing any damage.
With the memory of Damon's gruesome fate fresh in our minds, people exchange scared glances, unsure of how to handle the terrifying beast. The bear is getting closer and closer, and the fear is becoming worse and worse.
Our feet feel glued to the ground.
The air feels thicker now, and cold sweat is running down my back.
I thought I might be able to do something the next time we met the bear, but no, I can't do anything. Even thinking about running away feels impossible.
I feel... pathetic.
In a moment of selfish desperation, Ethan screams, his face twisted with panic, "Maybe we can throw it someone, just like last time! We should give it... someone." His eyes dart around, searching for the weakest among us, hoping to save himself at the expense of another.
The group recoils in horror at the suggestion, but the fear makes it hard to dismiss his idea completely.
Ethan's eyes land on Sophie's sister, but he quickly changes his mind, and his eyes stop at Lily, a petite, defenseless-looking girl. "We should... I'm sorry..." he desperately moves closer and grabs her; she screams.
At the moment, no one is able to move, so they react a bit late as he instantly starts pulling her closer to throw her at the bear.
I agree with him. He is most likely right. He is only trying to save his life.
But.
What does he think he is doing?
In front of me!?
I´m finally able to take a step and grab his neck while strengthening myself with mana. With my other hand, I break his hand he put on Lily, and he screams in pain. Then I pull him away from the girl. Towards the bear.
I am thankful, Ethan, you made the first move; at this moment, you were more decisive than me.
But.
That girl is someone I know a bit. I've talked with her a little and she always tries to speak nicely to me and not annoy me. You, on the other hand, I don't know.
You're a stranger to me.
So It's not a hard decision.
I pull him away from the others and throw him towards the bear while strengthening my body. He flies through the air, falls down, and then rolls until he stops right in front of the bear.
He looks up, shaken and confused, and then screams upon seeing the bear's maw right in front of him.
He uses his skill, and a light blue, thin barrier of mana appears around him.
Meanwhile, my eyes meet those of Cinderbear, and I feel a wave of mana from him, while he ignores the screaming human beneath him. Then he turns his attention back to Ethan.
The barrier instantly breaks the moment the monster touches it with its paw.
Crack.
It steps onto Ethan's left hand. The shield made of mana flashes into existence once more but instantly breaks. The bear bites his other hand and pulls it off with a wet sound of tearing muscles and tendons.
Ethan is still screaming.
Still alive as Cinderbear slowly chews his hand while curiously looking down at the man.
Then the bear leans closer and takes a bite of the man's belly.
I am sure I will remember his screams until the day I die.
Slowly, they become weaker and weaker, he coughs up a lot of blood and then passes out.
The monster slowly eats the entire man while looking at us and casually glancing around.
There isn't even a hint of wariness towards us as he finishes his meal.
After he is done, he licks his maw, and another pulse of mana flashes towards me. This time, I am able to sense that it's focused on the broken necklace in my pocket.
Then, Cinderbear leaves once more.
A few hours after the bear leaves, I go into the forest.
Alone.
I hunt and kill everything I can find.
Trolls, goblins, wolves, animals. I murder anything I see. Rage and mana are burning in my veins as I do so.
I've never felt so weak.
I've never felt so defenseless.
All I could do was watch and sit there, not even able to run.
Just helplessly wait and hope one man would be enough.
Pathetic.
I hate it, I despise it, I don't want to feel like this.
Never again.
Time passes, and I finally get the message I wanted.
[You have defeated the Troll Lvl 11]
[Lvl 9 > Lvl 10]
[Well done! The side quest has been successfully completed. Please select one of the traits. The traits are based on your actions and performance up until now within the Tutorial.
Be advised: humans are limited to three Traits.
Choose with caution.]
The system has become nicer out of nowhere.
