Fierce Battle with Ferocious Beasts

A few days of anxious waiting later, Tam finally arrived. He called me over, his tone casual:

"Your mission has arrived. Defeat that Man-eating Bear in the arena, and then you can leave here."

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Defeat that Man-eating Bear?

I almost thought I misheard. Even the Five Teachers in the training grounds were surprised. Teacher Li cast a concerned glance at me, wanting to say something but holding back. They wouldn't defy Tam's will.

"You're not joking, boss? You want me to face that monster alone?"

Tam didn't answer directly. Instead, he pulled me aside and said with a playful tone:

"Honestly, you've known me from the beginning, haven't you? Not as 'boss,' but as Tam Kench."

"So you knew all along? Was everything that happened afterward just an act? And then you used this opportunity to kill me?"

"Why would I go to such lengths to kill you? I said if you win this fight, you can leave here. I don't know why you know me, but it doesn't matter."

After speaking, he wobbled his big head and left with a chuckle. I wished I could smash his head.

"Don't bother, you can't smash my head."

"..."

I arrived at the arena, my weapon still a Steel Spear. It seemed that the moment I became Zhao Xin, I was destined to be tied to a spear.

The arena was packed today. The people had heard that the warrior Zhao Xin was going to challenge the Man-eating Bear. Such a spectacle couldn't be missed.

The Man-eating Bear had been starved for several days and was on the verge of raging. Its thick limbs were almost as thick as my waist.

Looking at the crude spear in my hand, I didn't know if it could pierce the Man-eating Bear's thick hide. Even if it did, if it couldn't kill it, I would be the one out of luck.

The crowd in the stands was enthusiastic. They hadn't seen such a good show in a long time. Not only were the seats full, but even the walkways were crowded. The dense mass of people felt like dark clouds pressing down on my chest. Of course, the most suffocating thing was the behemoth in front of me.

The arena had turned into a beast pit. The Man-eating Bear roared furiously in its iron cage. Each bar of the cage was as thick as a small tree, and several of them were already bent out of shape from its beating.

"Thank you all for coming to support us! Today's battle is a rare one, and our warrior Zhao Xin is ready. Let your enthusiasm help him achieve victory!"

Amidst the crowd's wild cheers, the Man-eating Bear was released. Seeing its enraged state, it seemed to remember that I was one of the people who captured it. It roared and lunged at me.

I had learned many methods of accumulating power from Teacher Li, but those were only effective when fighting enemies of similar size. Directly confronting this towering monster was unrealistic, and even escaping was difficult.

Seeing me constantly dodging and not attacking, the cheers from the stands slowly turned into mockery and curses.

From the beginning, they didn't care about the heroic performance of a gladiator; they only cared about being entertained. However, none of this affected me. My goal wasn't to win their favor, but to survive.

The Man-eating Bear's strength was incredibly ferocious. In a short while, it had turned the solid ground of the arena into a dust-filled, pockmarked mess.

Although I had fought it before, I had no idea how to defeat it. Or rather, because I had fought it before, I had become even more hesitant.

Back then, I didn't have a sharp weapon, and moving in the snowy plains was inconvenient. While things had improved, it wasn't enough to win. On the contrary, the Man-eating Bear, its previous injuries healed, was even more ferocious. It had even damaged quite a few of the surrounding guardrails.

If I kept dodging, it wouldn't be able to do much, but my stamina wasn't infinite, especially against an opponent like this. It required even greater caution and agility.

Before, when we acted together, we could split its attention, which saved a lot of effort. Now, I was alone, and after a short while, I could feel my stamina declining.

If this continued, I would eventually be torn to shreds. But confronting it wasn't a wise move either. What should I do?

→

I ran while thinking of a strategy. Suddenly, it lunged at me. It was too late to dodge, so I could only block with my Steel Spear.

With a sharp "clang," the Man-eating Bear's ferocious strength directly shattered the Steel Spear. The upper half flew off, and my arm throbbed with pain. I quickly used this opportunity to dart a few steps away, creating distance.

Great, the only hope of winning was gone. I gripped the remaining half of the steel rod, still grateful that it wasn't me who was hit.

As if sensing my impending defeat, the Man-eating Bear stood up and let out a loud roar. Its wild cry made even the battle-hardened audience flinch back.

Then, it lowered itself to all fours and calmly walked towards me. I knew it was gathering strength. Once it got closer, it would launch a fierce attack. Several people had been killed this way when we captured it before.

Thanks to this, I had a moment to catch my breath. At the same time, I noticed the recently healed scar under its left eye, and a bold idea came to mind:

When it charges at me later, I'll seize the opportunity to attack its eye, then roll to the right to escape. This half-weapon is all I have left.

As soon as I made up my mind, the Man-eating Bear charged. Just as I had planned, I jumped sharply to the right and thrust forcefully towards its left eye.

Seeing blood flow from its eye socket, I knew I had succeeded. But as I rolled to the right to escape, something unexpected happened. Its giant paw followed closely and struck my ribs.

What was intended as a roll to escape turned into me tumbling several times before landing on the ground. Fortunately, my body was sturdy, and the blow was in the direction of my escape. Otherwise, I don't know if I would have been able to get up after taking that hit.

I didn't have time to tend to my injuries. Gritting my teeth, I scrambled up and ran, avoiding its immediate pounce.

My attack had thoroughly enraged the Man-eating Bear. It roared again and charged at me. I used its blind spot to dodge, but my speed was far from what it was at the beginning. Its claws raked me several times, tearing flesh from my skin.

It seemed the previous injury wasn't enough to turn the tide. If this continued, I would be killed by it. And at such a critical moment, I tripped. Looking down, I saw the upper half of the Steel Spear, which had been knocked away earlier and fallen here.

I picked up the half-Steel Spear and decided to go all in. Since I couldn't escape, I had to gather all my strength and try to pierce its vital spot with enough force. If my strength wasn't enough, I would surely die, but this was my only chance to win.

The Man-eating Bear's attack never stopped. As soon as I tripped, it lunged at me. This time, I didn't run. Seizing the opportunity, I tightly gripped the spearhead and thrust it towards its throat.

The beast's clumsy body was suspended in mid-air, right where I stabbed it. However, due to the excessive force, I couldn't dodge in time and was struck again. My left arm immediately went limp.

I wasn't sure if that blow would kill it. Enduring the pain, I ran away again. I had already witnessed its ferocity, and I didn't want to be torn to shreds.

I ran desperately in circles, and finally, the damned beast collapsed a few steps away from me, the Steel Spear protruding from its throat and out its back.

At this point, I was covered in a mixture of blood and dirt. Half of my body had gone numb. As soon as I stopped, I couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed.

The shouts from the arena faded, not because the audience had quieted down, but because the intense shockwaves made it impossible for my brain to register the sounds. But before I could feel relieved, the most terrifying thing happened:

The Man-eating Bear actually got back up, and I no longer had the Strength to struggle!

It opened its massive jaws and lunged for my head. Without a doubt, that bite would have severed my head from my body.

At that moment, I felt a sense of release. Was this battle finally over? I saw the bloodshot veins filling its single remaining eye, as if burning with endless rage.

Just as I braced myself to meet my death, that rage suddenly vanished. The Man-eating Bear's eyeball trembled, as if filled with fear!

Was this my imagination? It had no reason to fear a human, especially one that couldn't move. I couldn't think any further, my eyelids grew heavier, and in my blurring consciousness, I was carried away