Chapter 40: Chapter 40: First encounter with a beast

But even so, seeing the price, Lucien hesitated.

SP also functioned as a second lifeline.

Would he still buy a weapon?

SP was like a second life, and he only had 40,000. Buying this weapon meant he would have nothing left. He wouldn’t be able to heal grievous wounds, and if he were severely injured, he would die.

Death...

"Lucien... find your brother and survive together."

His father’s voice echoed in his ears as he closed his eyes.

Memories played like a videotape—his childhood, the happiness of having his parents around, taking him to parks, bringing him on expensive trips...

Just as the sweet memories reached their peak, a hand stretched out and then closed.

Lucien opened his eyes and stood up.

He had been thinking a lot, he always did but now the time had come. He should wait for Jeff and Daemon.

So Lucien left and headed toward the edge of the city. There, he met Jeff and Daemon, each carrying a few bulky bags stocked with food and water. They didn’t know if they would return today or if it would take much longer.

But they had made sufficient preparations for the shelter. At least, if anything happened to them, the shelter would continue running for a while, and hopefully, the people would survive.

"Is everyone ready?" Lucien asked.

Jeff and Daemon nodded.

"Let’s begin the journey, Leader," Daemon said. He was also an Awakener, though not as strong as Jeff. Still, he was grateful to Lucien..otherwise, he might have remained a normal human... or died.

And so, the three of them began their journey as they left the city.

The difference in oxygen was noticeable. They felt more relaxed until they finally reached the forest. Their bodies tensed.

This was where they had encountered the creature—the mutated tiger beetle that Lucien had killed.

Lucien became highly alert.

"Be careful," he said.

Jeff nodded and moved closer to Daemon.

The insect targeted the weakest and most isolated prey, so Daemon would likely be its target.

Even though they had killed one, what if there were more?

But a minute passed, and they saw nothing. Only silence filled the forest, broken by the sound of their footsteps echoing through the vast trees.

Soon, one minute turned into twenty.

At this point, everyone felt mentally drained. They had been on edge the entire time, constantly scanning their surroundings, ready to fight for twenty straight minutes. The pressure weighed heavily on their minds.

"Sole hunters... tiger beetles are solitary hunters," Jeff said with a slight laugh.

Lucien chuckled.

"It would have been better if you had said that earlier, Jeff," Lucien replied.

Jeff scratched his head.

"Uh, sorry, Leader. It’s been a while, so my memory was a bit fuzzy. But we are still in its territory. If we had entered from another direction, we might have encountered another one," Jeff explained.

Lucien relaxed slightly—not completely, but enough to ease the tension.

After another ten minutes, they exited the forest and stepped into what could only be described as paradise.

But none of them felt calm or happy. Fear gripped their hearts.

Before them were waterfalls, lush forests, and the sounds of animals. The sky was still green, but it was clearer.

The contrast was overwhelming.

The city had been filled with blood, corpses, and destruction... yet here—

Aside from the strange sky and the forest they had just passed, it looked like Earth again... perhaps even better.

Something was wrong.

---

Host: Savin Bear

Rank: One-Star Awakener (Low)

Strength: 108

Speed: 102

Stamina: 113

---

Boom...

Lucien’s eyes widened as terrifying stats suddenly appeared before him.

"Be careful!" Lucien said instantly, scanning the area. If the system detected it, then it had to be nearby.

Hearing his warning, Jeff and Daemon tensed immediately and looked around—but like Lucien, they saw nothing.

Time passed. Jeff and Daemon began to doubt, was their leader too tense?

Even Lucien was confused. Was the system malfunctioning? How could it display stats for something he couldn’t see?

His vigilance began to waver.

Maybe it really was a system error...

But just as that thought crossed his mind, his heartbeat suddenly spiked.

A cold, slightly burning liquid landed on his shoulder as alarms rang in his mind.

Lucien reacted instantly, turning and crossing his arms.

Bang!

He was struck and sent rolling across the ground before coming to a stop.

Jeff and Daemon stood frozen, stunned by what they saw.

Behind them stood a massive bear—four meters tall at the shoulder. When it rose on its hind legs, its height doubled to nearly eight meters. Saliva dripped from its jaws.

Its claws were long and razor-sharp, capable of tearing them into pieces with a single swipe.

They swallowed hard. They wanted to run, to move—but their bodies refused to respond.

It wasn’t just fear. The bear exuded a natural suppression over weaker beings and they were included.

"Raaarr!"

Its roar was deafening, like thunder. Their eardrums nearly burst.

Their bodies trembled under its overwhelming presence as its shadow loomed over them.

And thus marked the first encounter between humans and evolved animals.

The bear’s fur was like steel, its body massive and powerful. With such defense, it would be incredibly difficult to injure.

This was a disaster.

The bear looked down at the small figures beneath it and swung its claws.

For a moment, Jeff and Daemon’s minds went blank as dread consumed them. A fierce gust of wind struck their faces.

They thought they were about to die

But then they saw a blur.

Boom...

The massive bear was struck so hard that it staggered several steps back.

It shook its head, its jaws opening wide, revealing teeth as large as or even larger than a great white shark’s.

Its brown eyes burned with rage as it roared and turned toward whatever had hit it.

Beside them stood Lucien. A bit of blood could be seen on both his forearms—the bear’s sharp claws had slightly cut his skin.

The two gulped. Their leader was a One-Star Awakener—the only one they knew until now.

For this creature to hurt him meant....

"A One-Star beast..." Jeff muttered in shock as Daemon trembled.

Lucien felt a deep unease. No one needed to tell him...,this fight wouldn’t be easy. He could feel it.

"You two, stick near the trees," Lucien instructed.

Staying in the open wasn’t safe. Although the forest they had just left was dangerous, it was still better than standing exposed.

"Yes, Leader," Jeff responded first, quickly pulling Daemon with him. His days as a mercenary, constantly brushing against death, had sharpened his instincts.

Jeff understood that staying close to Lucien wouldn’t help—it would only distract him, forcing him to worry about their safety.

Lucien breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the two reach the trees.

As for the bear, it ignored them entirely. Its focus was solely on Lucien.

How dare this small, insignificant creature challenge it?

Lucien’s body was too small to even satisfy its hunger, yet this tiny being possessed such strength.

Lucien took a deep breath as his aura began to rise.

The bear’s roars intensified in response.

This small creature... was also a One-Star Awakener.