'The Most Beautiful Things Are Born from the Womb of Risk.'
Vio ran. Behind him, about 35 soldiers on their wolves raced in pursuit. As they covered more ground, their numbers grew to around 56.
The scene was absolute chaos—whistles rang out alongside the sharp hiss of arrows slicing through the air. Vio would reach one direction only to find another group waiting for him, forcing him to change course again and again.
The soldiers' fury escalated with every passing second. And yet, what angered them most wasn't Vio's speed, nor his relentless escape—it was his smile.
Worse still, an unsettling calm radiated from his body. Some of them thought he was just insane.
With their overwhelming numbers, they were certain that today would be their last day.
And they weren't wrong.
Yesterday, A plan had formed in Vio's mind, only to reshape it once more.
First plan was simple: capture an owl carrying messages, extract the locations from them, mark points on the map, scout the areas, eliminate whoever could, and then lure the rest into chasing him to a specific location Shama had given him.
But an unexpected event forced him to abandon that strategy, leading to a much darker plan.
Still, he had wanted to test his luck first.
Not that he truly needed one, but last night's events had burned themselves into his mind. Enough for him to make a decision: rely on this one.
If luck were on his side, he wouldn't need to sacrifice something valuable.
If not…
Then he would do what needed to be done.
Now, as he leaped between the trees, twisting midair to dodge a few ice arrows, he decided to check his luck one last time.
[Evaluation completed: 173%.]
A floating chest appeared beside him, keeping up with his rapid, erratic movement.
'Open.'
[obtained: 'Inflatable Ball.']
'Man, if only I could see you in front of me, I'd inflate you with my own hands.'
It was useless.
Aside from exchanging it for coins.
[obtained: 3,000,000.]
The day before, Vio had unlocked multiple village Eyes, allowing him to claim several loot chests.
But his luck had been against him.
He hadn't obtained enough 'Teleport Eye,' the key that had let him gather such a massive force of soldiers now chasing him.
He needed just one more.
But luck refused.
There was no more time to waste.
[Mission #1: 'The Hero Must Survive']
Type: Story Mission
Requirements: Activate story mode.
Restrictions: 3 days.
Description:
The hero awakens to find himself in a hostile place. Since the hero is still weak and pathetic, he must do what pathetic people do: run away.
Objective:
Save your skin boy, or should I say, save your metal.
Rewards for Mission Completion:
1,000,000 XP
220 Plastic
200 Metal
50 Steel
Item: The Unseen Eye That Sees All.
Side Missions and Their Rewards:
1 point for every life taken by the hero.
2 XP for every 1% of battery recharged.
Penalty for Failure: Moderate punishment: The hero will see what he does not wish to see.
Three days remained.
Vio decided to end it today, hoping that would leave him with enough time to escape.
He pushed deeper into the snow-covered forests, where the shape of the surroundings changed, and the trees became taller and denser.
His destination was the area where Shama was forced to roar in front of him to inform him of what was there.
The bear territory.
At first, his plan was simple—lure as many soldiers as possible, lead them into the bear zone, and let fear do the rest.
But yesterday, he learned something strange.
They didn't stop.
Even as they approached the bear territory, they kept chasing him.
He turned slightly, catching glimpses of their burning eyes locked onto him, refusing to let their prey escape.
'Good.'
It still shocked him.
How could they not know they were getting close to bear territory?
The question gnawed at him.
'How does a thirteen-year-old village girl like Shama know about this place… when the Baniaasif—the so-called Mountain Kings—don't?'
He found no answer.
Nor did he care.
As long as it worked in his favor, that was all that mattered.
Yesterday, he could have lured them in.
He had a Choice Card—usable as a 'Teleport Eye'—but he refused to waste a rare item he had no guarantee of ever getting again.
Now, as he neared the territory's borders, his instincts screamed louder.
He couldn't see the bears.
He couldn't sense them.
But the danger…
It seeped into his metal bones.
'It's time.'
Then, Vio's speed increased to an insane degree, shocking the soldiers behind him. He moved faster, but instead of trying to escape, he began climbing a massive tree, vanishing into its dense foliage.
The soldiers surrounded the tree, their expressions amused.
"Has he finally lost his mind?"
"Does he think he's so fast that we just didn't see him?"
"Hey, stop talking and climb up already."
"What? Why me? You go!"
"What are you two arguing about? Just cut down the damn tree!"
As they debated what to do next, a massive bear suddenly appeared behind them out of nowhere.
The soldiers froze. Their breath hitched. Their hair stood on end.
When they turned, they saw it standing on its hind legs, its monstrous size casting a terrifying shadow over them.
"Raging Bear Beast!" someone screamed.
That one scream was quickly joined by a chorus of terrified cries.
They knew exactly what these creatures were capable of. Even with their overwhelming numbers—over fifty soldiers in total—survival wasn't guaranteed.
They weren't prepared for this.
The only thing they could do was fire ice shards in a desperate attempt to distract it while they ran for their lives.
Vio watched from above, his expression one of pity as they scattered.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
From all directions, more of the giant bears emerged. And when the word giant was used here, it wasn't an exaggeration.
Vio's heart skipped a beat.
The sheer size of these creatures…
His mind flashed back to yesterday—the first time he had seen them.
'And to think I thought that bear they were hunting before was a giant… What do I even call these?'
The trees were massive, towering over everything. But these bears?
They were so huge that their ribs brushed against the branches while still walking on all fours.
And when they stood on their hind legs…The soldiers looked like ants beneath an elephant.
The realization finally sank in, faces paled, and terror set in.
"B-Bear Territory!" one of them screamed, and that was all it took for panic to explode.
Then… the massacre began.
Despite their massive bodies, the bears moved faster and more fluidly than even Vio.
One of them lunged—in an instant, it was above the soldiers.
With a single swipe of its enormous claws, five bodies were torn apart at once.
The remaining soldiers tried to escape—summoning wind to propel themselves away—but they landed right in the waiting jaws of another bear.
With a single chomp, their lives were snuffed out.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"Aaaaahhh!"
The white snow turned red, blood painted the landscape in a tragic, abstract masterpiece.
The soldiers' shredded bodies lay scattered across the ground.
At first, their screams filled the air.
Then… gradually… Silence.
Vio watched in stunned silence.
The ones who had tormented him for days… Gone. In seconds.
Despite their overwhelming numbers.
The wind that had once slowed him down—the ice that had blocked his path—their strategies, their formations, their attacks… None of it mattered.
Against these creatures, their defenses crumbled instantly.
It was just like what he had seen yesterday.
Only now… on an even larger and more brutal scale.
And the wolves?
The same ones that had fought fiercely alongside the soldiers?
They ran.
The moment they spotted the bears, they fled without hesitation.
So much for loyalty—it only lasted as long as their fear allowed.
When the massacre was over, the bears began to leave.
They didn't even bother to eat the corpses.
They didn't take anything.
To them, this wasn't a hunt.
It was just about territory.
That was all.
High above, hidden among the branches, Vio held his breath, forcing himself to stay perfectly still.
One of the bears passed by the tree he was in—its thick fur brushed against the leaves.
His heart nearly stopped.
Each step it took was like a drum pounding against his chest, making his pulse race.
He didn't relax until the last of the bears had disappeared.
'It's over.'
In the end, he didn't even need to use the 'Choice' card to teleport to Eye.
The same thing had happened yesterday.
For some reason, the bears couldn't sense him.
Even so, he remained cautious.
Better safe than dead.
That was his first and foremost rule.
Slowly—very slowly—Vio climbed down from the tree, scanning his surroundings carefully.
Only once he was completely sure he was alone did he start checking the bodies for loot.
[A Hidden Mission Has Been Completed.]
[Mission: 'Kill Them All.']
Type: Hidden
Objective:
The Hero must directly or indirectly cause as much death as possible.
Rewards:
100 kills: The Hero gains the Killer Aura skill.
1,000 kills: ???
10,000 kills: ???
…
'What kind of hero gets rewarded for killing people?'
[Congratulations! The Hero has reached 100 kills.]
[obtained: Killer Aura.]
[Killer Aura]
A deadly presence radiates from the Hero's body, lowering the stats of enemies within range by 10%.
'100? When did I… Oh. You mean the ones I caused to die.'
[Correct.]
'Well… Works for me.'
Without further thought, he got back to work.
Looting the bodies was part of his routine now.
With each corpse, his stash of Colorless Stones grew.
Colorless Stones x153,232
He stared at the ridiculous number.
'Does this mean I'm rich in this world?'
He had no way of knowing.
Because while he was rummaging through the fallen soldiers' clothes…
He was already surrounded by the same giant bears.
And the strangest part? Despite their massive size, he hadn't sensed them at all.
Not even once.
His entire focus had been on counting his loot, expression relaxed the whole time.
Only when one of the bears—the smaller one— took a step forward
A shiver ran down his spine.
His hands froze mid-search.
'The hell? Since when was I surrounded?'
*****
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