Just as the mountain lion drew its last breath, a bear’s roar sounded. The beast couldn’t have been more than two hundred meters from where Archibald and Wolf were standing. The roar itself had an odd quality. It made Archibald’s heart clench with fear for a moment.

That monster has a greater concentration of dragon blood than anything I’ve ever seen!

It barely took an instant for Archibald to figure out what was wrong with that roar. Legends say that a dragon’s roar can paralyze anyone that hears it. Manling and Monster Beast alike would be frozen in fear, unable to do anything, but await their imminent deaths.

“Dad, I think a large bear is coming towards us. Should we run, or should I stay and fight it?”

Thanks to his heightened senses Wolf could clearly hear the snapping of branches and the rustle of leaves from such a great distance. He even more or less recognized the sound from the trial he had taken years ago.

An adult brown bear is a Second Order Monster Beast equivalent. With the addition of a thick draconic heritage it’s at least a Sixth Order equivalent…

The terror I felt from that roar… No matter how wounded my soul is, I don’t think a Sixth Order Monster Beast could make me feel that much fear. Archibald’s mind was racing while Wolf was contemplating whether or not to fight the monster in a carefree manner.

Finally Archibald came to a decision.

“I’ll hold it off! You run for it!” Archibald shouted with panic and determination as he ran towards Wolf. This was the time to make an exit in a way that would bring his son the most benefit!

When Wolf heard his father’s shout, familiar, mocking words echoed in his mind.

Now tell me, why did you send someone with a crippled soul to go around, stumbling blindly…

“Father! Back! NOW!”

Wolf shouted in fury. The anger the likes of which he had never felt before, welled up inside him.

He’s doing it again! Why is he trying to pointlessly act like a martyr to protect me?! Shouldn’t I be the one protecting him?!

These repeated incidents made Wolf incredibly angry. Why was his father acting dumb now?! It was painfully obvious which of the two is more suited to confront the monster!

Archibald froze when he heard that shout. His mind was in a state of paralyzed shock, even more so than when he heard the bear’s roar. Was that a Command Word of Stunning?

While Archibald’s mind reeled, he heard the rustle of the leaves and snapping of the branches. The dragon-blood bear was almost upon them.

“Wolf, don’t be stubborn. Run away!” The man cried out urgently. Getting mauled by a bear wasn’t a pretty sight.

“Father, you run! I will kill the monster!” Wolf’s shouts were full of rage and determination.

This was no longer playtime. If Wolf fumbled here, he and his father could wind up dead. He started chanting the Arcane Storm with urgency.

About a dozen meters away an outline of a huge ursine monster emerged out of the bushes. As soon as it did, a barrage of awls glowing silvery-purple smashed into its bulk like a tidal wave! The majority of awls directly struck the head, while some hit the Monster Beast’s shoulders and front legs.

Blood splattered, but the end result was rather lacking. The hulk was entirely covered in scarlet scales. Its head in particular made the monster look like it was wearing a helmet. The scales deflected and blocked the majority of the glowing darts. The few that did manage to break through the tough armor-like hide opened up ghastly wounds, even revealing the bear’s thick skull. Unfortunately, all of this damage was purely cosmetic.

*Roar!*

A powerful bellow shook Wolf’s lungs. It made his bones vibrate as hot, moist air washed over his face from ten meters away. Other than the physical force of the sound-wave and the pungent stench of the bear’s breath there was no effect on Wolf.

Archibald however was once again paralyzed where he stood. He was less than three meters behind Wolf, completely unable to move.

Wolf clenched his jaw as he glanced at his father’s frozen form.

I can’t retreat. I can either charge the damn thing or try to lure it away.

As Wolf’s mind was racing the bear stood up. Standing on its hind legs, the beast towered over Wolf. The giant bear was over four meters tall! Its front legs alone looked like two meter long tree trunks ending in wicked claws.

Seeing the hulk before him Wolf knew that charging it was pure suicide.

What am I supposed to do with this?! The damnable monster must weigh a ton! Can I lure it away? If I attack I’m dead. Maybe…

“Dad, run! I’ll hold it off!” Wolf’s words snapped Archibald out of his terror.

As the father watched his child, his eyes were filled with unwillingness and humiliation. His eight-year-old son was forced to protect him. Him! The most renowned True-Namer of his generation!

Is it too much to ask? To die with dignity… Archibald thought, but almost instantly shook himself out of this wretched state of mind.

Stop causing trouble and be a part of the solution dammit!

“Immune, or heavily resistant to fire. Immune to sleep.” The big man started shouting as quickly as he could while backing away in a non-threatening way.

He had to do as Wolf said. If their actions were out of sync both of them could end up dying here. And right now there was only one thing he could do that’s useful…

“Stronger bloodline than others we’ve met so far. While it seems unfazed, your spell did decent damage. If you can fire off something like that four more times it will go down.”

How the hell is he supposed to do that? The bear is about to charge! Besides, he doesn’t have enough spells…

As Wolf stared at it, the bear let out another roar that was supposed to petrify its prey. Wolf didn’t care. He had already finished casting a Subtle Lethargy on it. The bear’s thoughts and movements turned sluggish as the world around it suddenly sped up. Archibald’s shouts came in as an insanely quick barrage of sound, which allowed the Monster Beast to realize that something was wrong. It wasn’t just the shouts. The manling was moving in the same way, but at a considerably faster speed…

Seeing that something was up, the bear jumped down to all fours and charged at Wolf. Behind the boy his father was now madly dashing away. Tears of humiliation ran down his face. The only thing he could do was run so as not to bog down his son…

Back when I was at my peak… No! Even when I was close to graduating, I could’ve turned this damnable beast into dust with a mere wave of my hand! Why!? Why am I so useless!?

While Archibald was retreating and feeling sorry for himself, Wolf did what he could to keep them alive.

Thanks to Lethargy, he had just enough time to squeeze in a Subtle Grease, creating a trap right in front of the bear.

Wolf jogged backwards, but in a slightly different direction from the one his father had taken to retreat. He was trying to buy as much time as possible, while running various scenarios on what could happen through his mind. All of them had one thing in common. They started with the bear falling down. Then Wolf would attack, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t pierce that tough scaly hide. The damn sword was just a useless ornamental piece of junk!

In reality the bear finally stepped onto the slippery surface. Its front legs barely wobbled a bit before the beast dug its mighty claws into the ground, stabilizing its footing. Grease failed! Worse still, even under the effect of Lethargy, the bear was running as fast as a grown man. It was way faster than a boy trotting backwards.

Wolf watched death loom over him with unusual calmness. With his senses fully awakened the bear was swiping its claw in slow motion, as if moving through syrup.

I can dodge this one, but what about the followup? I can dodge it, then… No, I’m dead. Is there a way out? What can I do? Think! Think!

There’s nothing I can do… The worst case scenario is I reincarnate again. But what about dad? No wait! Reincarnate! That’s it!

A thin and utterly unremarkable piece of parchment appeared in Wolf’s hand. As soon as it did, another problem presented itself.

How am I supposed to use this? Why weren’t there any instructions on how this damn thing works!?

Wolf focused his gaze on the scroll in his hand, dearly wishing for it to kill the bear. As if responding to this mental command, the scroll started glowing. The light got brighter and brighter until it became a radiant white.

Time seemed to distort and stretch into eternity.

From the shiny patch of leather an outline of a manling leisurely walked out. The one standing proudly before Wolf had the form of a handsome elven man. As soon as the specter’s body fully formed the scroll turned into sparkly dust. Those motes of light were drawn into the phantom, merging with it and making him look more real.

The elf grasped the hilt of his sheeted sword with unhurried grace. He drew his sword halfway out of the scabbard then stopped. After a split second he started sheeting the weapon back, going even slower than when he was drawing it.

The man’s movements had the air of a sacred ritual nearing completion. Finally, a barely audible clicking noise echoed as the blade went all the way back into the sheath.

The elf gazed at the monster before him with undisguised disdain before once more dissipating into motes of light.

All of those leisurely movements took less than a blink of an eye. What happened was but a flash of light. Only Wolf perceived this whole scene on a much different level.

The movement, the way that energy flowed as the strike was performed… All of it deeply resonated with the boy.

The sword’s movement was the sublimation of what the third column of Wolf’s Mind Hall had to teach. The flow of energy was exactly the demonstration he needed to understand what was depicted on the fifth column.

So that’s the way you’re supposed to use this sword…

Wolf could tell that the elf’s blade was coated with his Internal Energy. From the moment it was drawn, when the slash was made, when the blade energy flew through the air, splitting the bear as if it didn’t even exist and even when the sword went back into its sheath. That one slash was the light destroying the darkness of Wolf’s ignorance.

Wolf’s epiphany was interrupted with a spray of scalding-hot liquid on his face and arms. As the boy snapped back to reality he saw that the bear was bisected. It was cut mid charge. The slash was perfect, from the Monster Beast’s roaring maw all the way to its crotch. Even the stubby tail covered in scales was cut in two neat halves.

The charging bear was split in two by one perfect, vertical line.

That was Sunder the Mountains… Is this really something a person can do with nothing but a slash of their sword?

No, this wasn’t as simple as slashing a sword. It was a union of Internal Energy and sword mastery. If only I had managed to catch more details of that strike…

Even with the bear blood spraying all over him Wolf couldn’t help contemplating what he had just seen.

Two dozen meters away, Archibald was busy having a heart attack. He didn’t see the ghostly elf. The only thing he saw while running and looking over his shoulder was a bright flash and then the bear suddenly decided to split up and become a blood fountain. It was one of the bloodiest sights he had ever seen in his life.

“W-w-what happened?” The big man was having trouble coming to terms with reality. He was once again considering using his last resort when the bear just rolled over dead. Has a god intervened?

“I used the talisman I received in the elven lands.” Wolf replied in a distant voice, still deep in thought with his considerations.

“Dad, I think I will need to meditate on what I’ve just seen. Can I do it here?”

“No! Please don’t son. Help me collect the bear’s blood and remains. All of these are greatly beneficial to you. This was an extremely pureblooded draconic beast. I have no idea how it got here. I didn’t even know creatures like this existed in the Dragon’s Forest.” Archibald was babbling while shakily walking towards the bear’s carcass.

This whole experience was too stressful and traumatic for him. His child had almost died just now. For what? For something as stupid as training? Maybe Wolf shouldn’t pursue power… Being a farmer was a nice, honest occupation.

Archibald tried to act normally despite being in a state of shock. He didn’t even notice that his son failed to move and help him. If Wolf had the presence of mind to observe his father, he would’ve been worried or entertained, or both. However, Wolf was immersed in analyzing the memory of that ghostly figure and the profound way in which that sword moved.

Archibald’s lessons:

​​Rings of Holding can contain organic matter, but can’t house higher life forms.