Ren charged straight toward the bear, his eyes locked on its gaping maw, a blazing black hole of fire.
In an instant, deep within its throat, a crimson glow began to gather, ready to erupt in a torrent of annihilating fury toward its prey.
The moment that searing heat burst forth, Ren clenched his teeth and pivoted hard to the left.
A colossal pillar of fire roared past his shoulder, close enough to turn the air itself into a scalding blade slicing across his skin.
The burning agony felt like a thousand molten steel needles piercing through every fiber of muscle. The acrid stench of singed hair filled his nose; a few smoking strands curled and danced in the wind as he darted forward.
But Ren had braved the inferno, and reached his target. With a feral roar, his hand clamped down on the hilt of the sword still buried deep in the beast's front leg joint.
Pouring every ounce of weight and strength into his arms, Ren wrenched hard, dragging the blade in a vicious arc.
The steel bent for a fleeting instant, carving a long, savage line from the muscular thigh up toward the chest, ripping through the thick armor-like hide and tearing apart layers of dense muscle.
Crimson blood burst out, scattering into shimmering pixel fragments like petals of a crimson rose, streaking across the smoky air.
The Bear King roared, a cataclysmic sound that shook the heavens, crashing into Ren's ears like a hammer blow. The very ground trembled beneath his feet, pulsing in rhythm with the monster's colossal heartbeat.
But Ren gave it no chance to retaliate. Even before the roar had died, he gritted his teeth, braced his stance, and triggered the sword skill [Stap].
A sharp gleam flared across his blade, and in the blink of an eye, Ren's body shot forward like a lightning bolt, his sword thrusting straight toward the beast's chest, toward the heart that thundered behind a fortress of bone and muscle.
The thrust struck with brutal force, the blade vibrating violently as it pierced into flesh and bone as hard as steel.
Ren ground his heels into the shattered earth, every muscle in his body drawn taut like steel cables, veins bulging across his wrists and forearms.
A guttural snarl tore from his throat as he twisted his hips, driving every shred of strength into the strike.
And in that heartbeat, he unleashed [Phantom Arc]. The blade erupted in a mystical violet glow, flaring like lightning across the darkness.
It carved a death line, an arcing slash that ripped deep through muscle and split the rib-like armor shielding the beast's core.
Blood pixels gushed like a broken dam, raining down in crimson shards that shimmered as they faded. The beast writhed, its agonized roar splitting the sky like a thunderclap from the abyss.
Ren held his stance, legs locked into the cracked earth, his breath rasping in jagged bursts like a saw dragged across steel.
Sweat mingled with soot, streaking down his face in grim lines as his eyes blazed, eyes of a man with no way back, with only one path left: survival.
Before him, the Bear King's health bar quivered violently, reduced to a fragile sliver, as thin as a strand of hair.
That last devastating combo had devoured nearly all its life force, but still it roared, one final, hate-fueled bellow...its ember-red eyes flaring with murderous fire.
The scorched ground cracked beneath its massive frame as waves of heat radiated from its charred fur.
Ren clenched his jaw, white-knuckled around the hilt, feeling the tremor of his taut muscles.
This ends now.
He stepped forward, breath merging with the pounding drum of his heart, then spun, and unleashed the final strike in a blur of steel.
The blade ripped through the air. A strangled roar burst from the beast's throat, harsh and broken, choked off mid-growl.
Its legs buckled. That colossal form shuddered… then collapsed like a crumbling volcano.
The Bear King's entire body ignited in a crimson blaze before shattering into a storm of pixel fragments, scattering like embers on the wind.
At that moment, Ren's HUD pulsed. Golden notifications blazed to life before his eyes:
[ You have slain the Rare Boss: Infernal Bear King (Lv.17) ]
[ Gained 1,200 EXP ]
[ Gained 7,000 Cor ]
[ Acquired: Bear King's Pelt (Rare) ]
[ Acquired: Crimson Core (Heart of Flame) ]
[ Acquired: Flamebear Maul ]
The glow faded, leaving behind a smoldering crimson circle etched into the scorched earth.
Within that halo, the loot descended slowly, spinning gently in the heated air: a massive ember-red pelt glowing like molten coal, a blazing crystal radiating fiery heat like the heart of an inferno, and lastly, a colossal maul, blackened with soot, as though still echoing the beast's death roar.
Ren exhaled, his sword drooping in his trembling grip.
Then he dropped, collapsing onto the ground, his back hitting the cold, smoke-scented earth like a man dissolving into shadow.
His breath came ragged, his chest heaving as if he had sprinted through a midnight battlefield.
Sweat mixed with ash, leaving faint streaks across his dirt-smeared face, yet his eyes still burned, alive with the lingering intensity of the fight.
"…Finally… it's over." The words slipped from his lips, barely a whisper, as if to convince himself that the beast truly lay dead.
With a weary motion, he swiped open his inventory:
[Bear King's Pelt (Rare)]
[Crimson Core (Heart of Flame)]
[Flamebear Maul]
Three items gleamed in his storage like a string of stars against the night, a reward worthy of a battle that had pushed him to the edge of oblivion.
Ren tapped the item icon immediately, his hands still trembling slightly as the adrenaline refused to leave his body.
A detailed list of the items appeared before his eyes, each one like a reminder of the price he had just paid:
Fur of the Bear King: A rare crafting material. This can be used to make armor or a cloak, if you can find a craftsman skilled enough.
Crimson Core: A blazing red core, glowing like an ember still radiating heat.
It can be used to enhance or forge equipment, with a small chance of granting the weapon a fire-related attribute.
Ren gazed at the crimson gem in his hand. It pulsed faintly, like a heart beating its last. "If I use it for a necklace or a ring… that might be better than fusing it into my sword."
He pondered for a moment. His sword prioritized speed, and the fire attribute would only add a slight damage boost...not exactly in line with his usual fighting style.
And finally, the Flamebear Maul, a massive battle axe with a blade dark crimson like congealed blood, shimmering faintly with ember-like sparks.
Ren skimmed through the stats and couldn't help but frown: the damage and durability were incredible, but the downside was obvious, it was so heavy it could crush any hope of a swift, clean fight.
"Not my style." Ren shrugged slightly. Even though its attributes were tempting, inflicting burn and boosting strength, the weapon didn't fit the way he fought.
A thought flashed through his mind: Agil. The seasoned merchant could help him turn this into Cor or even auction it off to some brute-force enthusiasts.
Ren exhaled deeply, tilting his head back toward the cave's dark ceiling, where faint streaks of light slipped through cracks, as if celebrating the victory of the survivor. "Maybe… it's time to head back."
He jogged around the area, his breathing still uneven after the brutal battle.
Kneeling down, he pulled a logging axe from his inventory and started chopping the charred, bark-stripped trees.
The sound of metal striking dry wood echoed steadily through the desolate forest, where only the acrid stench of ash lingered in the air.
This was the real objective of the quest he had accepted: collecting high-grade wood.
Ren had already gathered some materials earlier, but they were all common-grade, far from meeting the requirement.
The trees here should have been premium-quality materials, yet he had accidentally stirred up trouble.
His greed for them had led him straight into the Bear King's territory, and the price was a fight for survival.
"I need to hurry before that thing respawns…" Ren muttered, swinging the axe again and again, each strike biting into the blackened timber like cutting into charred bones.
But in truth, he was worrying too much. Mini-bosses had far longer respawn timers than normal mobs. At least six more hours before the Bear King would return. He had time to spare.
Still, Ren was growing impatient. Cutting high-grade wood took much longer than he expected, maybe because the logging axe he was using was subpar.
Then an idea struck. Ren glanced at the Flamebear Maul in his inventory, frowning slightly.
Heavy as hell… but if it's still an axe, maybe it could help with this job.
He pulled the weapon out of the virtual interface. The crimson blade gleamed faintly, radiating a gentle heat, as if it still held the beast's dying breath.
"Let's give it a shot…"
Ren tightened his grip and swung down hard. BOOM! A burst of flame erupted at the point of impact, scattering sparks and charcoal fragments.
The axe nearly cleaved straight through the scorched trunk, leaving a deep gash as smoke curled upward.
"Damn." Ren stepped back slightly to admire the result. "Cuts way easier than my old axe… but…"
He tried lifting it again, his arm tingling with numbness. "…this thing's way too heavy."
A second strike, then a third, each swing ignited brief flares as Ren's breathing grew heavier. Finally, the last tree crashed down, and he was completely out of breath.
"No… there's no way I can use this in a fight." Ren wiped his sweat, plunged the axe into the ground, and stored it back in his inventory. The job was done...for now.
But when he bent down to pick up the chopped logs, disappointment washed over him.
"Damn it… just look at these…" He gritted his teeth, turning a piece over in his hand. The surface was rough, scorched black, its elegant grain lines burned away beyond recognition. Wood that should have been top-tier now barely counted as average.
He could wait for the forest to regrow and harvest new timber, but that would mean staying here until the boss respawned. And Ren wasn't willing to take that risk.
"Guess… this will have to do." He sighed and dumped everything into his inventory. The logs vanished one by one with dry clunks as the menu flickered.
Ren cast one last glance at the spot where the Bear King had fallen, a patch of scorched earth and a faint stain of virtual blood. Then, without a word, he turned and walked back down the path, leaving behind the charred forest reeking of ashes.