The number of hearts in his possession rapidly increased as Simon hunted down monster like a machine. But his hunting streak was forced to a stop as the night was coming and it was becoming more dangerous as the minutes passed.
So, Simon found abandoned building that held no sigh of life. Making sure there was no one around Simon made fireplace and cooked himself a not so bland dish that he could eat then started training after activating his life detection watch. Fearing that some monster can off him when he was training.
Night passed without any problem. When then morning light came Simon was already in the field hunting down Dreadbeasts again that to in speed.
"Roarrrrr…." Suddenly A deep, thunderous roar echoed through the forest, carrying a dangerous weight that made Simon's hair stand on end. His instincts screamed at him to run, every fibre of his being urging him to flee. Yet curiosity clawed its way to the surface, overpowering his fear.
"What could make me feel this threatened?" he wondered.
Until now, not a single Dreadbeast in the forest had stirred even a hint of fear in him -but this was different. This was something powerful. And he needed to see it.
A few minutes later…
Simon sprinted toward the source of the sound. As he closed in, he noticed several participants fleeing from the direction of the roar, their panic only confirmed his suspicions. Pushing forward, he saw a awfully familiar flames roared through the forest, burning everything around the Dreadbeasts.
Seeking a better vantage point, Simon quickly scaled a nearby tree that was unaffected by the spreading fire. From the top, he gained a clear view of the chaos below.
He spotted Ivan, locked in battle with a Dreadbeast, relentless streams of flame pouring from his hands. Each burst forced the monster back, preventing it from advancing.
Level – 3 Wooder bear -a towering giant with bark-like skin, its rough texture mimicking that of ancient trees. At a glance, it mostly resembles a tree becoming a part of the forest itself. But its size and raw aggression revealed its true nature: a man-killing beast.
Seeing this beast Simon became concerned about Ivan's safety. Even though Ivan's ability was the best match against Wooder bear, the power difference made that advantage become irrelevant.
Seeing Ivan hurl wave after wave of flames at the towering Wooder Bear, Simon grip tightened around the tree branch. Despite Ivan's relentless assault, the Dreadbeast barely faltered -its thick, bark-like hide absorbed much of the heat, flames dancing harmlessly on its surface.
Simon jaw clenched "He is not going to last much longer like this".
Ivan's movements were growing sluggish, his fire streams thinning as exhaustion crept in. The Wooder Bear, sensing the weakening offense, roared and changed forward, its massive claws tearing through scorched earth as it closed the gap.
Simon didn't think. He jumped from the tree his flames burning fiercely aiming only to kill.
Flames burst from his feet mid-air, propelling him downward like a meteor. Landing hard on the ground between Ivan and the Advancing beast, His own fire erupting in a brilliant arc that forced the Dreadbeast to stumble back.
Ivan gasped seeing Simon Infront of him.
"Simon? What the hell are you doing here?"
Simon not looking back, his face serious locked on the wooder bear as it readied for another charge. "You were about to be man handled by that bear you know that? Figured I'd drop in."
Ivan coughed out a laugh seeing his friend coming to save him even when the situation was dangerous for both of them.
"What can I do? That thing's a damn tank."
"I noticed," Simon muttered, flames flickering around his hands. He unleashed a concentrated blast, interrupting its charge giving both of time to think.
"Damn… My normal attacks are not gone work"
Now standing before the Dreadbeast face to face Simon understood that his normal flames attacks were not gone cut it.
Without wasting another second, Simon burst forward, his speed skyrocketing. Ivan, still catching his breath behind him, gasped as Simon became a blur -his movements so fast that Ivan couldn't even track him.
"he's that fast?"
Closing the distance in an instant, Simon leaped diagonally over the Dreadbeast's head. Mid-air, he conjured a spear of flame, the weapon spinning above the bear like a burning drill.
"Roar!…"
Sensing danger, the Wooder Bear let out a roar and instinctively raised its massive arms to shield it head, thick bark-like muscles locking together. But in doing so, it left its lower waist wide open.
"Perfect!" Simon smirked.
With a flick of his waist, the flaming spear fell downward, aiming straight for bear's head behind the crossed hands. At the same moment, Simon land gracefully on the ground, sliding into a low stance. He reached for the steel batons inside the space belt, yanking it out. The moment his grip tightened; the baton glowed a fierce orange-red as his flames surged through them.
The ground cracked beneath his feet as Simon pushed off with explosive force, closing the gap once more in a blink.
The Wooder Bear barely had time to process the two attack -the flaming spear hurtling from above and Simon, right beneath it, wielding his blood-hit baton in a brutal slash.
The heat intensified. The air trembled.
"Let's see you block this!" Simon roared.
With a deafening impact, the flaming spear struck the bear's upper body just as Simon's baton slammed into its exposed side, fire and force colliding in perfect harmony.
The flaming spear struck first, slamming into the Wooder Bear's raised arms with explosive force. Flames erupted outward, splintering chunks of its bark-like Armor, but it held -if only for a second.
Then came Simon.
His blood-hot baton, charged with heat, connected with the Dreadbeast's exposed side in a vicious upward slash. The heat was so intense that the hardened bark hissed and cracked on impact. The combined force of the falling spear and Simon's Strike sent shockwaves rippling through the ground.
For a heartbeat, everything was still.
Then, with a deep, resonating crack, the Wooder Bear's body split -clean, brutal final.
The flaming spear, still burning bright, had pierced through the top half, while Simon's baton carved through its core like a molten blade through ice. The massive form of the beast trembled before its upper and lower halve slid apart in brutal tear.
Simon straightened, his Baton still glowing faintly as he exhaled a breath of steam.
"Guess that worked."
Behind him, Ivan stood frozen, mouth slightly open. "You… split it in half."
Simon throwing the melted baton away. "Yeah. Didn't really had a choice."
The Wooder bear's massive body lay in two pieces, smoke rising from the clean cut that had torn it apart.
"Damn," Ivan muttered, "remind me not to piss you off."
Simon grinned. "Good call"