Not long after leaving the guild, I headed back toward the forest.
The deeper I went, the quieter it became. The tall trees blocked most of the sunlight, leaving patches of shadow scattered across the ground.
The first monsters to appear were a pack of wolves.
They stepped out from between the trees, their yellow eyes locked onto me as low growls escaped their throats.
But wolves like these were only low-level monsters.
I could handle them easily.
Without a second thought, I stepped forward and attacked, not even bothering to use my full strength.
My blade flashed once.
Then again.
Before the wolves could even react, their heads separated from their bodies. One by one, they collapsed onto the ground, lifeless.
The forest quickly fell silent again.
I wiped the blood off my sword and sheathed it calmly before continuing deeper into the forest.
As I walked, I noticed several other adventurers hunting in the area. Some were working in groups, carefully tracking monsters together.
But I didn't approach them.
In fact, I didn't have any close adventurer friends.
I always worked alone.
Honestly, it was easier that way.
You couldn't just trust someone you had only met once. Even if they showed you their good side, you never really knew what kind of person they truly were.
People always had another side.
So it was better to stay careful.
Better to stay alone.
After walking for a while longer, the monster I had been looking for finally appeared.
A bear.
No… two of them.
The massive creatures stepped out from the trees, their heavy bodies shaking the ground slightly with every step. Their thick fur and large claws made it obvious why this was considered a C-rank quest.
I tilted my head slightly.
"Hm… should I take them down with just my fists?"
For a moment, I actually considered it.
But then I sighed and unsheathed my sword instead.
The blade gleamed faintly under the filtered sunlight as I adjusted my posture.
"Never mind."
The first bear roared and charged toward me.
I moved first.
In a flash, I dashed forward and swung my sword in a clean arc. The blade struck the bear directly in the stomach, the impact forcing the massive creature to stagger backward several steps.
It roared in pain, claws digging into the ground as it tried to regain its balance.
Before it could recover, I stepped in again and kicked its side with all my weight behind it.
The force sent the huge body sliding across the dirt.
I stepped back immediately, widening the distance.
At that moment, the second bear rushed toward me from the side, its massive claws swinging down in a brutal attack.
Too slow.
I sidestepped easily.
Ever since I absorbed those monster cores, my body had changed. My speed, strength, and reflexes had all improved far beyond what they used to be.
Compared to me now, these bears were far too slow.
The second bear's claws struck nothing but empty air as I moved behind it.
My sword flashed again.
And the fight continued.
I moved behind the second bear before it could even realize where I had gone.
My sword flashed again.
A deep slash cut across its back, and the beast let out a furious roar that echoed through the forest.
The first bear had already recovered from my earlier attack. With a loud snarl, it charged at me again, its massive claws raised high.
I clicked my tongue.
"Persistent, aren't you?"
The ground shook as the bear slammed its claws down, but I had already stepped aside. The attack struck nothing but dirt, sending dust and broken leaves into the air.
Before it could pull its claws back, I lunged forward.
My blade drove straight into its shoulder.
The bear roared in pain, its body twisting wildly as it tried to shake me off. I pulled my sword out quickly and jumped back before its claws could reach me.
The second bear rushed in again from behind, its jaws snapping dangerously close to my arm.
I spun around and kicked it directly in the jaw.
The impact forced its head to snap to the side, and the huge creature stumbled backward several steps.
They were strong.
But they were far too slow.
My body moved almost instinctively now. Every step felt lighter, faster. The power from the monster cores I had absorbed flowed through my muscles like a constant current.
The two bears tried to surround me, growling as they circled.
For a moment, I simply watched them.
Then I sighed.
"Alright… that's enough playing around."
The first bear charged again, roaring loudly.
This time, I didn't step away.
I stepped forward.
In a single swift motion, I lowered my stance and swung my sword upward with all my strength.
The blade cut cleanly through the bear's neck.
For a split second, the massive body remained standing.
Then its head slid off.
The body collapsed heavily onto the forest floor.
The second bear froze.
Its eyes widened as if it finally realized what had happened.
But it was already too late.
I dashed forward before it could turn and run.
My sword pierced straight through its chest.
The bear let out a weak, choking growl before its legs gave out beneath it.
With a heavy thud, the second body fell beside the first.
Silence returned to the forest once again.
I slowly pulled my sword out and shook the blood from the blade.
Two C-rank bears.
Finished.
Honestly… they weren't that difficult.
I glanced down at the bodies for a moment before letting out a small breath.
"Guess the quest is done."
I walked toward the fallen bears and looked down at their massive bodies.
Even in death, they still looked intimidating. Their thick fur was stained with blood, and their claws were large enough to tear through armor.
"Well… that takes care of the quest," I muttered quietly.
I crouched beside the first bear and began working carefully. Using my knife, I started collecting the useful materials—the claws, some fur, and the core hidden deep inside the monster's body.
The core was small, glowing faintly with a dull light.
"Not bad," I said to myself as I wiped the blood from it before placing it in my pouch.
I repeated the process with the second bear. It took some time, but eventually I managed to gather everything I needed.
As I stood up again, I noticed something.
A few adventurers nearby had stopped what they were doing.
Some of them were staring at the two massive bear corpses lying on the ground.
"…Did he kill those alone?" one of them whispered.
"Those are C-rank bears… and there are two of them," another said quietly.
I pretended not to hear them.
Honestly, I didn't really care what they thought.
After finishing my work, I tied the collected materials securely to my pack. The weight was noticeable, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.
I took one last glance at the forest around me.
The wind moved gently through the trees, carrying the faint smell of blood through the air. For now, no other monsters had appeared.
"Alright… time to head back," I said quietly.
With the quest finished, there was no reason for me to stay here any longer.
So I turned around and began walking back toward the path that led to the town.
The forest slowly grew brighter as I moved closer to the edge.