CHAPTER 202: EX 202. GREAT BEAR

Leon balanced himself atop the thick trunk of a towering tree, the wind tugging at his tied back hair. His blue eyes narrowed as he muttered under his breath, "What could that be..."

The ground beneath his boots trembled, each second punctuated by a low, thunderous boom. The rhythm of it was unnatural, steady and deliberate. His gaze swept the horizon, and unease coiled in his gut. In such commotion, the sky should have been alive with birds scattering in panic, but it wasn’t. The air was empty. The branches around him were void of life, eerily still, as though the entire forest itself had chosen to hold its breath.

Leon sharpened his focus, locking onto the source of the sound. Then, he saw it.

His breath caught, disbelief slipping from his lips. "I don’t believe it, what the hell are this creatures eating?..."

Breaking through the treeline in the distance, a towering behemoth lumbered into view. It was massive, easily the height of a seven-story building. Its hulking form resembled a colossal bear, but twisted into something even more monstrous. Ash-gray hide was broken by patches of ragged black fur, and protruding from its body were jagged, bone-like spikes, jutting from its back, knees, elbows, paws, even its thick brow. Its presence radiated sheer ferocity, every movement heavy with dominion, as if it were patrolling the bounds of its kingdom.

And its gaze locked on Leon.

A chill rushed through him. "How did it notice me?"

Before he could find his answer, the beast raised one massive paw, each claw like a blade of stone and swung. The air itself warped with the strike. Leon’s eyes widened as he caught the distortion.

"Isn’t that... force affinity?"

The question was left unanswered as the blow landed with a catastrophic roar. The tree beneath him shattered as Leon was launched through the air, crashing into the earth with bone-shaking force.

BOOOMMM!!!!!

A crater opened around him, dust and splintered roots erupting skyward. Entire rows of trees crumpled in the shockwave, and the beast snorted in satisfaction at the destruction it had wrought.

It turned, lumbering away, but froze when a voice echoed sharp and clear through the settling haze.

"Extreme Art—Cross Impact!"

From the dust cloud, a cross-shaped slash of blazing aura surged forward, cutting through the air like divine judgment. It slammed into the beast’s side, rending through flesh and bone, and the towering monster staggered, lifted from its footing and hurled backward into the far distance of the forest floor just as it had done to Leon moments before.

As the forest quaked from the impact, Leon emerged from the haze. His combat uniform was shredded from chest to waist, his skin was cut and bruised beneath. His white hair had fallen loose, streaking wild across his face and shoulders. He pulled a potion from his inventory, the glass vial glowing faintly as he downed it in one gulp.

Exhaling, he wiped the blood at the corner of his lip and muttered with irritation, voice low and sharp.

"I hate bears."

****

At first, Leon froze, a flicker of genuine surprise crossing his face as the bear’s hulking body shimmered with the ripple of Force Affinity. That shouldn’t have been possible. Affinity was a stat tied only to trial takers, and even then it was something only those who had climbed to C-rank could hope to unlock. He himself had been the anomaly, awakening his own affinity early at E-rank a rule-breaker in every way.

But the bear? This was different. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Leon’s eyes narrowed, studying the creature’s bloodied hide. Unlike him, it had no healing potion to drink. And yet, it stood strong, vitality pulsing through its veins, keeping its massive frame from collapsing under the damage he’d already dealt. The glow of gathered power shimmered around it again, coalescing in waves of invisible pressure.

Then it clicked.

"Oh... it’s not an affinity at all," Leon muttered, lips curling with the realization. "It’s a beast skill."

He had mistaken the force that radiated from the bear as an affinity because of its sheer presence, but now he understood. With an affinity, the concept itself bent willingly to its wielder, an extension of their will. With a skill, it wasn’t obedience but subjugation, power wrung out through instinct and bloodline. And that was what the beast was doing, forcing reality to obey rather than commanding it.

Leon exhaled, shaking his head as if disappointed in himself. "Still... if a wild beast can fake it this well, then I need to increase the tier of my affinity soon. Otherwise wannabes like this will start looking like they’ve got the upper hand."

The bear answered with a guttural roar, its fury spilling across the battlefield like a storm. Its body swelled with rage and raw vitality, its eyes burning red as it threatened him with sheer size and savagery. Each step shook the ground.

Leon, however, didn’t flinch. He met the beast’s fury with calm indifference. With a thought, his inventory shimmered, and his spare sword appeared in his grip. He dragged the blade free, the steel singing as he pulled it into the open air. A golden shimmer of Force Affinity wrapped around it, humming with power, the very air trembling at the pressure.

He rolled his shoulders, gaze locked on the beast.

"Come then," he said, his voice low and steady. "Today I’m taking your head for myself."

And with that, he stepped forward, sword blazing with force, as the bear’s roar split the sky.

****

The bear had long crowned itself ruler of this stretch of Pandora. Its sheer bulk and savage might were enough to keep other beasts at bay. Even the larger predators skirted its range, leaving it free to prowl like a king. During its patrol, it caught the faint presence of something unusual. Small. Weak. So weak, in fact, the aura it gave off was softer than the rabbits it occasionally crushed beneath its paws. Normally, it would have dismissed such a thing outright, as it was not even worth the effort of a glance.