This time, the team took a different strategy.
The first to rush into the fight was Silas, the strongest in the team. He burst into the horde of bears without fear. His daggers were fast and precise; every strike brought down an M-5 or B-Rank monster.
An O-4 monster swung its massive four-meter-long arm at him.
Silas slid along the ground, dodging the blow.
Groooooooor…
The huge bear roared as Silas slashed through its arm. He quickly got back on his feet and charged at another O-4 bear, repeating the same move. His goal was to draw their attention.
Four minutes later, eight of the fifteen massive monsters were chasing him. That was when Eland and Taros joined the fight. They targeted the remaining O-Rank bears, lured them away, and fought back-to-back.
After them came Bron and Arkan, with Zen supporting them using his arrows. Their side faced more monsters than the Organ Cultivators, yet they were under less pressure since the monsters were weaker. On the other hand, Silas was under the most pressure, with eight O-4 monsters chasing him.
From afar, Desper watched the battle, but his focus was split between the fight and his horse, afraid that the same incident might happen again. He had also exchanged horses with Bron as an extra precaution.
"Hmm?"
The more he observed, the more confused he became. He noticed that most of Zen's arrows supported Bron's side, yet more corpses piled up around Arkan. The same thing had happened during the lizardmen battle, but he had dismissed it as a coincidence.
'Isn't Bron supposed to be stronger than him?'
He knew that Bron was in the Tenth Stage of Muscle Cultivation, while Arkan was in the Ninth. He also remembered how Arkan had been in a much better state than Bron after the lizardmen fight.
'That is really strange.'
…
Fifteen minutes passed.
Eland and Taros had managed to kill five out of the seven O-Rank bears, along with many weaker monsters that tried to interfere.
More and more monsters piled around Arkan and Bron. Arkan remained unharmed. Meanwhile, despite Zen's support, Bron took several hits, though none of them were fatal.
Although Silas was being chased by eight monsters, they were the ones in a miserable state, their arms covered in deep cuts. He was far stronger than them and had already killed three. The rest would follow soon. If not for their numbers and massive bodies, he would have finished them long ago.
Suddenly, something strange happened.
"Huh?!" Silas frowned.
The five monsters abruptly stopped chasing him. Instead, they slammed their massive arms on the ground and launched themselves toward Arkan and Bron.
"Stop them!" Eland shouted as the two O-4 bears he and Taros were fighting did the same.
"Be careful!" Zen warned.
Arkan and Bron froze in terror as they saw the seven massive monsters flying toward them. They ignored the smaller monsters and ran. Zen directed the Azure Horse toward them to pick them up before the monsters could reach them.
Eland and Taros managed to intercept the two monsters near them, but Silas could not. Now he was the one chasing them. He was much faster, but stopping five at once was impossible. The monsters completely ignored him, allowing him to kill two more from behind.
On the other side, Arkan reached Zen and mounted the horse behind him. Bron couldn't, as several B-Rank monsters blocked his path.
"Wait for me!"
Bron shouted as he saw Zen turn his horse and ride away. A second later, a five-meter-tall bear smashed the ground where the Azure Horse had just been.
Bron turned back in horror. Another massive bear behind him drew back its fist and struck.
He quickly crossed his arms to defend himself.
Booooooooom…
The impact was massive, sending him flying far away, his survival uncertain.
…
"It happened again!"
From afar, Desper ignored Bron's fate and tried to escape as he saw another enormous bear charging toward him.
Soooooooohh…
His horse suddenly reared up, just like before.
"Not this time," Desper muttered.
He tightened his grip on the bridle and pressed his legs firmly against the saddle. He had learned from his previous mistake. The horse thrashed violently, trying to throw him off, but failed.
"Come on! Move!" Desper shouted as the giant drew closer. "I can't fight this one!"
The lizardmen before had been M-7, something he could handle using his Svikari ability. This time, it was an O-4 monster. There was no way for him to fight it or outrun it on foot.
The horse finally started running when the massive bear got too close.
Boooooooom…
The ground shook as the monster slammed into it.
Soooooooohhhh…
The horse grew even more agitated, still trying to throw Desper off, but he held on tightly.
"Come on! We'll both die!" he shouted, though the horse could not understand him.
Although the Crimson Horse was faster than the O-4 monster, its panic slowed it down.
Desper's heart sank as he glanced back. A minute ago, there had been nearly a kilometer between them. Now, the monster was only thirty meters behind.
The huge bear slammed the ground again, launching itself toward him.
Desper had no choice but to leap off the horse.
Booooooooom…
The monster crushed the ground, tearing the horse apart and scattering its remains.
Desper got up quickly, his clothes covered in dust and stained with the horse's blood. Green veins spread across his eyes as he activated his Svikari power without hesitation. There was no time to worry about exposing his identity.
He didn't draw his swords. He knew they would be useless against this monster.
His bloodline filled him with power, raising his strength to the Eighth Stage of Muscle Cultivation, but it was still not enough.
He watched the monster's arms closely. After watching the team' fight, he had learned that most of the time, these monsters attacked using only their muscular arms.
The monster raised its four-meter-long arm and brought it down at him. At the last second, Desper ducked away, but the shockwave still sent him rolling across the ground.
He quickly got up and watched the monster's arms again. Its punches were too strong, but the size of its arms made them slightly slower, allowing Desper to dodge at the last second.
Another thing that helped him was that the bear's arms had many cuts on them, probably from Silas's daggers, which had dramatically reduced their speed.
"No!" His eyes widened as he saw the monster swing its arm horizontally instead of punching.
He tried to retreat, but the arm was too long and still crashed into him.
Booph…
Desper was sent flying thirty meters, then slammed into the ground and tumbled another ten meters.
"Ahhhhhh…"
Desper groaned in pain. The bones of his right arm were crushed and pierced through his skin into his chest, pinning them together. His ribs sank into his lungs. His right leg was twisted sharply, his foot pointing to the left and his knee to the back. The clothes on his left side were ripped, exposing his peeled skin.
It was a miracle that he was still alive, but not for long, as the monster launched at him, striking with its arm.
Desper couldn't do anything but wait for the monster to crush him.
Roooooorr…
Suddenly, the monster shrieked as something pierced one of its feet. Its massive body dropped to the ground next to Desper, forming a huge cloud of dust.
'A chance!' Desper screamed inwardly.
Enduring the pain all over his body, he somehow used his left arm and leg to push himself off the ground and jump onto the monster's back. With a flick of his wrist, a dagger appeared in his hand. He used all the strength he could gather to stab the monster's back.
Rooooooor…
The monster screamed again.
Although the dagger didn't sink deep, Desper was still satisfied, as all he needed was something to hold onto. He even used his teeth to bite into the monster's skin for extra support.
The monster got up and tried to reach him, but its huge arms couldn't reach its back.
As the monster moved violently, the dagger started to loosen, and one of Desper's teeth broke.
Just as he was about to fall, a figure appeared beside him.
"You did a very good job surviving until now," Silas said in a deep, cold voice as he grabbed him and leapt away.
"Arghhh…" Desper growled, holding back his scream.
Silas didn't know about his injuries. He had grabbed Desper by his right arm and chest, worsening his wounds.
Silas had no time to think about that. He placed Desper on the ground and rushed toward the monster. "Leave the rest to me."
The massive bear smashed its fist toward him. Silas dashed aside and jumped onto the monster's arm. He ran along it to its shoulder and thrust his dagger into the bear's neck. Unlike Desper's stab, this one went deep enough for the blade to disappear.
Groooooooo…
The monster roared and tried to strike Silas with its other arm, but he was faster. Without pulling his dagger out, he leapt to the other shoulder and stabbed its neck with a second dagger.
Then he jumped forward, evading another attack.
He didn't let himself fall. Instead, he grabbed both daggers embedded in the bear's neck, planted his feet against its body, and pulled them downward.
Gro—
The bear's roar was cut off as the daggers slit its throat.
Silas jumped away, leaving the massive bear to die from bleeding.
Cough… cough… cough…
Desper coughed up a mouthful of blood. He had already swallowed a Healing Pill. It reduced the internal bleeding slightly, but it wasn't enough, as his injuries were severe. Another Healing Pill would be useless.
Silas approached him. In his hand was a small green pill, but it looked brighter and purer than a normal Healing Pill.
"You've suffered a lot for a new disciple. How miserable," Silas murmured.
Desper's life as a new disciple should have been peaceful, only fighting weak monsters and watching his team to gain experience. However, he had almost died twice in his first three days.
Throwing the pill into Desper's mouth, Silas said, "That is a High-Purity Healing Pill. It will save you."
Without hesitation, Desper swallowed the pill.
The pill dissolved instantly in his stomach and filled his body with an amazing sensation. The internal bleeding stopped, and the pain from his wounds disappeared. He still felt a slight itch as his bones began to move back into place.
Despite that, it would still take two days for him to fully recover, but at least he wouldn't die.
Pills were classified into Low, Medium, and High Purity. The Low-Purity Healing Pill was considered a failed product and was almost useless. The Medium Purity was the one mainly used by cultivators to heal deeper wounds and broken bones, and it was free in the sect. The High Purity was used in life-threatening situations, but it was very expensive.
Suddenly, Silas dashed fifty meters away.
"Get up and draw your sword," he said.
"Huh?!" Desper was completely confused.
Silas pointed with his thumb. Desper looked and saw eight small B-Rank bears rushing toward them.
"You must… be kidding," he stuttered.
"You won't always find someone to save you," Silas said, shaking his head. "You should fight even at your worst."
Desper wanted to scream at him, but the monsters were already too close.
He used his left arm to unsheathe one of his swords and leaned on it to stand.
These eight monsters would have been easy for him to kill, even with one hand. But now, he could barely stand on one leg.
Roooooo…
The monsters reached him and attacked.
Desper swung his sword horizontally, killing two of them instantly. The impact made him lose his balance. With only one leg, he had no choice but to fall. Just before hitting the ground, he swung again, killing another bear.
Unfortunately, five still remained. They surrounded him, some striking with their thick arms while others lunged forward with their fangs.
"I WILL KILL YOU!!!!!"
His words weren't meant for the monsters, but for Silas.