After several days exploring the Varkhal Forest, Draven had already faced several creatures.
Some were fast.
Others were resilient.
But none had put him in real danger.
That morning, I was walking through a deeper part of the forest. The trees were taller and the ground was covered with thick roots.
The Great Sage warned him:
Environmental change detected.
Area with increased predator activity.
Draven simply nodded.
He already expected to find something stronger there.
And, deep down, that was exactly what he was looking for.
The sound suddenly came.
A branch snapped behind him.
Draven immediately turned around.
Something large emerged from the vegetation.
It was a quadrupedal creature, almost twice the size of the wolf he had faced days before. Its body was covered in dense muscles, and natural bony plates protected its neck and chest.
Two curved fangs protruded from its jaw. The Great Sage analyzed:
Creature identified: Fang Bear.
Threat Class:
High.
The monster growled softly and began walking toward Draven.
Draven didn't back down.
He observed the animal for a few seconds, assessing its size and posture.
"—So it's you."
The monster attacked suddenly.
The speed surprised Draven.
He barely managed to dodge, rolling to the side as the creature's claws tore the ground beneath him.
Draven stood up quickly.
"—Quick too…"
The monster attacked again.
This time with a sideways paw strike.
Draven raised his arm, covered in Armament Haki.
BOOM
The impact propelled him several meters back.
Draven slid across the ground before regaining his balance.
His arm ached.
The Great Sage commented:
Enemy's physical strength:
Extremely high.
Recommendation: Avoid direct blocks.
Draven flexed his arm once.
It still worked.
He looked at the creature again.
And something inside him reacted.
A small smile appeared on his face.
— Now that's more like it…
The monster attacked again.
Draven ran towards it this time.
He dodged the first bite and landed a punch on the creature's flank.
The blow was strong, but not enough to knock it down.
The Fang Bear reacted immediately.
Its paw struck Draven in the shoulder.
The impact threw him against a tree.
Draven fell hard to the ground.
For a few seconds, everything was silent.
The Great Sage spoke:
Moderate damage detected.
Recommendation: Use Noctharum.
Draven slowly stood up. His shoulder ached, but nothing was broken.
He looked at the monster again.
The creature approached slowly, confident that it had the upper hand.
Draven took a deep breath.
And realized something.
His heart was racing.
Not from fear.
But from something else.
Excitement.
—This is… interesting.
The harder the fight became, the more focused he felt.
More alert.
More alive.
It was as if his whole body was saying the same thing:
Keep fighting.
Shadows around his feet began to move.
Noctharum.
Two dark blades appeared.
Draven threw the blades toward the monster's legs.
One of them struck him.
The creature roared in pain.
Draven seized the moment.
He lunged forward again.
This time, aiming for the head. His fist, coated in Armament Haki, struck the monster's skull with full force.
CRACK
The creature staggered.
But it still tried to attack one last time.
Draven dodged and delivered another blow.
And another.
Until finally the enormous body fell to the ground in the clearing.
Silence returned.
Draven stood motionless for a few seconds, breathing deeply.
His body ached.
But he was smiling.
The Great Sage recorded:
High-level creature defeated.
Combat experience gained.
User adaptability:
increasing.
Draven looked at the monster's body.
"Looks like this forest will be a good place to train."
He wiped his hands on his clothes and looked at the deeper undergrowth.
If that was the level of creatures in that area…
then even stronger monsters probably lived further in the forest.
And, for the first time since arriving there, Draven felt something clear.
He wanted to find those monsters.
Because each difficult battle seemed to awaken something within him.
Something that grew slowly.
The desire to face ever stronger enemies.
And Draven began walking through the forest again.