'Damn it! I'm dead!'
Just as Vio was about to summon the electricity, he saw the bear's massive claw descend toward him.
"Boom!"
[HP decreased: 2,642/6,000]
The sheer force sent him rolling for miles, his body slamming into everything in his path.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
[HP decreased: 2,217/6,000]
[HP decreased: 1,522/6,000]
[HP decreased: 1,311/6,000]
[HP decreased: 642/6,000]
[HP decreased: 142/6,000]
His health kept dropping with each impact—until it reached 1.
At the last moment, the Life-Saving Pendant flashed, forming a barrier around him that absorbed the rest of the damage, and didn't fade until his body finally stopped.
The pendant cracked—then crumbled to dust.
[Mission 'Conquer Death' has been completed.]
[Mission: 'Conquer Death']
Type: Permanent
Requirements: Surpass Level 1.
Restrictions: None.
Description:
The worlds has witnessed countless heroes—heroes who overcame challenges without surrendering or succumbing to defeat. But now, the era no longer craves their kind. Instead, it demands heroes capable of surpassing the impossible.
Objective:
Simple. Save yourself from certain death.
Optional Rewards for Mission Completion:
Mind Chest, Save Chest, Points Chest, Resources Chest, coins Chest, or XP Chest.
Penalty for Failure: The hero will be counted among the dead. What punishment remains after that?
[Choose one of the following chests:]
Mind Chest, Save Chest, Points Chest, Resources Chest, Coins Chest, or XP Chest.
Having faced a similar situation before, he instinctively chose the XP Chest.
[Obtained: '500K XP Card.']
[Level up!]
Level: 8 | XP: [488,049/1,600,000]
HP: 7,000/7,000 (100%)
A surge of energy flooded Vio's body, instantly restoring HP to full. Sparks of electricity danced across his frame as he regained control over his limbs.
Pushed himself up, rage blazing in his eyes.
'I'm gonna rip your damn head off!'
With lightning speed, he charged forward, weaving through the wreckage. The bear had lost track of him—only realizing the danger too late.
Vio leaped, fist swinging straight for its head.
"Boom!"
The bear staggered as it regained balance, roared, forcing Vio to back off. But he was already pulling a dagger from inventory.
The moment he landed on a tree branch, he hurled the blade.
It cut through the air, piercing deep into the bear's chest.
The beast stumbled back, momentarily stunned.
Vio appeared in front of it, shifting his strategy.
Planting both feet on its shoulder, threw a flurry of punches straight into its face.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
As the bear regained consciousness, Vio yanked the dagger from its chest.
The beast roared, thrashing in an attempt to shake him off, but Vio had already leaped behind its head—and plunged the blade into the back of its neck.
Using his weight, Vio dragged the dagger down its spine, slicing deep as blood burst forth like a fountain.
"Grrrrghhh!"
Yanking the dagger free, but the bear collapsed backward, threatening to crush him beneath its massive bulk.
"What the F…!"
Quickly, Vio returned the dagger to inventory and raised both hands, bracing against the falling weight.
As the beast landed, its sheer size sent a shockwave through the area, scattering everything around.
Vio's body trembled. He gritted his teeth.
'Too heavy!'
The CyborgHeart glowed, flooding his joints with an extra surge of power.
[EP decreased: 91/100]
After several attempts, he finally threw the bear's massive body aside with all his strength.
"Boom!"
The ground trembled from the impact, and Vio dropped to his knees.
"System, tell me it's over!"
[It is not over.]
"Damn it!" he shouted, lifting his gaze.
The beast stood again, shaking.
But this time, the arrogance in its eyes was gone—replaced with pure hatred.
Vio narrowed his eyes.
"It's weakened… Activate Killer Aura."
[Target detected. Activated.]
This time, the system didn't warn him about nullification.
Confidence surged through him.
"Grrrrgh!" The bear roared, charging at Vio, who barely managed to lift himself. He threw a desperate punch to push it back, expecting another claw strike—instead, the beast's massive jaws opened wide—clamped down over his entire arm.
[HP decreased: 6,640/7,000]
"Aaaaah!" Vio screamed, his eyes locked in horror on his trapped arm, now caught between the bear's massive, razor-sharp fangs.
With full weight, the bear shoved him backward. His feet dragged violently across the ground, kicking up snow as his back slammed into the thick trunks of towering trees.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
[HP decreased: 5,933/7,000]
"Son of a bitch!" Vio gritted his teeth and hammered his free fist into the bear's head.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
He tried to keep his punches quick and energy-efficient, but each impact shook his focus.
Cold breath seeped from the bear's mouth, striking Vio's body like freezing hammers. The pain alone wasn't the worst part—its fangs were burrowing deeper into his metallic armor, increasing his suffering.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
After several strikes, he finally managed to land nine hits. Only one remained—the final blow.
"You wanted this? Then take it!"
'Surge Strike!'
The CyborgHeart in his chest flared to life, sending waves of electricity surging through his arm—directly into the bear's mouth.
"Let me show you what real pain feels like!"
Deadly sparks crackled from his fingertips, shooting through the bear's body. The beast froze, its deafening scream echoing across the battlefield.
"GRAAAARGH!"
The electricity burned through its throat, reaching deep into its organs. The effect was devastating, especially since Vio's trapped arm was delivering the attack directly to its head.
But Surge Strike was a double-edged sword—it drained a massive amount of energy. And in his current state, Vio wasn't in any condition to sustain it for long.
The moment he saw the bear's body stiffen, he stopped the attack and yanked his arm free.
Then, he unleashed a barrage of punches.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
A powerful uppercut to the beast's jaw sent it flying.
As its massive body crashed to the ground, Vio collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.
[HP decreased: 2,322/7,000]
[EP decreased: 79/100]
His heart pounded erratically, his breathing ragged. Emergency alerts filled his vision, showing his dire condition.
But the worst part?
The bear wasn't dead yet.
"Grrrrgh..." The beast groaned, its trembling body struggling to stand.
"For the love of whatever you believe in, just stay down..."
But Vio knew better than to let his guard down.
The bear had proven itself capable of quick decisions.
'Use Choice Card: Instant Level Up.'
[Level Up!]
Level: 9 | XP: [488,049/3,200,000]
HP: 8,000/8,000 (100%)
A refreshing surge of energy flooded his body, restoring his vitality. But the exhaustion still lingered in his mind.
He didn't know why.
And there was no time for questions.
The bear was advancing again—white foam dripping from its mouth.
"Damn it… The same thing happened with the wolves. It's entering a frenzy."
Vio pulled a dagger and took a heavy step forward.
The fog thickened around, a chilling reminder—The Furious Night was about to begin.
'Ah… looks like this is my end. Well… at least I'll be taking this pile of flesh with me to the afterlife.'
Just as planned, his next move, the bear lunged.
'This bastard is still—'
"Boom!"
A brutal side swipe sent Vio flying once again, numbness creeping into his limbs as he crashed into the ground.
Before he could react, the bear loomed over him—its massive claws descending.
"Boom!"
By now, the bear was so frenzied that it didn't even register pain.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
It kept striking, Vio was being buried into the ground.
[HP decreased: 5,632/8,000]
Each attack was devastating, shaking the earth beneath them.
But amidst the chaos—
A Choking Bomb rested within Vio's torn clothing.
The bear's relentless strikes crushed the bomb, releasing a thick cloud of choking gas that engulfed them both.
It slowed the beast—but only slightly.
As the relentless blows rained down and system alerts flooded his mind, Vio's thoughts raced for a solution—until he found one.
He wasn't even sure if it would work.
Issuing a command, forced open a small port in his leg, allowing Cylinder to flow into his CyborgBloodstream.
It traveled with precision, following its designated path until it reached his elbow—the arm gripping the dagger—where it settled just beneath the surface.
In the brief gap between the bear's relentless strikes, the Cylinder activated—unleashing a burst of fire from Vio's elbow.
The sudden force propelled his arm forward, driving the dagger deep into the bear's throat.
"GRRRRGH!"
A guttural scream tore through the air as the beast staggered backward. The dagger remained lodged in its neck, gripped tightly by Vio's unyielding hand.
The bear reared onto its hind legs, lifting Vio entirely off the ground.
Scalding blood sprayed over his face like boiling water, jolting him awake with a grim expression.
Seizing the moment, he grabbed the bear's head, swung around to its back, and yanked the dagger free—
Then locked his legs around its throat.
Without hesitation, he drove the blade into its neck.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The bear thrashed violently, crashing into trees, desperate to shake him off.
But Vio didn't let go.
He kept stabbing, digging deeper and deeper into its thick flesh, his strikes relentless.
Blood poured like a river, soaking the ground, his clothes, and the bear itself.
Finally—
The light in the beast's eyes faded.
"Boom!"
Its massive body collapsed, and Vio crashed down with it, his chest rising and falling in ragged gasps.
[HP decreased: 3,121/8,000]
[EP decreased: 43/100]
He didn't allow himself to relax—
[Mission 'Kill or Be Killed' completed.]
Not until the system confirmed his victory.
Only then did he let himself feel relief.
But it was short-lived.
The Furious Night was beginning.
And the massive bears surrounding him hadn't left.
A chill ran down his spine as one of the colossal bears stepped forward.
Forced himself up, stumbling away from the corpse.
The system's alerts hammered his brain, but he ignored them.
The giant bear sniffed the fallen beast.
It lowered its head.
Then—it opened its mouth, ready to carry the body away.
But a distant roar echoed through the forest.
The bear hesitated.
Then—it turned away.
Reluctant—but obedient.
The other bears followed.
Vio stared after them, his body trembling.
"Did they just… let me go?"
His entire body slackened, collapsed onto the cold ground, unable to move.
He didn't know why.
But his mind felt heavy.
[Warning: The Hero's mental state has reached critical levels. Rest is strongly advised.]
The system's words reminded him—
He hadn't slept in days.
'Damn it… Not now… The Furious Night is… about to start… System… do… something…'
[The system cannot assist the Hero.]
The last words echoed in his mind.
Then—darkness took him.
His final thought—I'm going to die… without even seeing her one last time.
The fog thickened.
The wind howled.
[Temperature drop detected.]
[Mission 'Mountain Conqueror' initiated.]
****
We've made it to Chapter 50—can you believe it? That means we're almost halfway through Volume 1: Escape from the Snow White.
Honestly, it's kind of surreal.It also makes me want to ask: what did you think of the fight between Vio and the Bear?I poured a lot into that scene—I might've pushed myself a little further than usual this time.
But in the end, your thoughts matter the most.
How are you feeling about the story so far?This first volume is all about Vio's struggle to survive and their first steps toward understanding how this world works—its rules, its politics, its dangers.
For Volume Two, I'm planning to go deeper. You'll meet more characters, see more of the world—and all of it still through Vio's eyes.
I'd genuinely love to hear what you think. Drop your comments, ratings, or even reviews if you feel like it.And tell me—what part of the story are you enjoying the most?
As for me, I'm enjoying writing the fight scenes. I feel like I'm growing with each one.The part I'm most excited for you to see? The fight between Vio and Hamim. And… well, I won't spoil anything beyond that!
Thanks for reading and giving my novel your time. It truly means a lot.