ROAAR!
The Snowbear in front of me didn't wait any longer and rushed at me with a beastly cry.
Step.
I dodged its charge with a jump to the side and rolled through the sand before standing up again.
It stopped its dash after sliding through the sand, then turned toward me again. The bear's aggro was clearly focused on me.
ROARR!
The Snowbear on the other side didn't just watch us fight. It let out its own roar and charged at the teens in front of it.
"Adonis!"
Rash's shout cut through the silent standoff between the Snowbear and me. I glanced at him for a moment before focusing on the beast again.
He must have formed some plan in his head after seeing me fight and injure the bear, because he immediately began shouting instructions to the others.
"Lark, Mark, Luka, Ines! Take care of the bear on your side! We'll handle this one!"
That was the first time I heard their names.
Continuing to shout, Rash ran toward me.
"Target its weak points! If you can't win, then just dodge and buy time!"
Two shouts echoed back from the siblings as they charged at the bear.
"Yes!"
"Sounds easy!"
ROAR!
Swish.
The bear in front of me had already drawn close and swung another paw at me. I felt the weight behind the attack as a rush of air passed my face while I dodged to the side.
This fight wouldn't be easy.
Every attack from the bear—whether a claw strike or a bite—was deadly.
I didn't need to test it to know that if it landed even once, I would die.
One hit.
That was everything he needed.
Yes, it was slower than us when attacking. But that didn't make dodging easy. Its attacks were still fast. It was just that we had a bit of time before its attack landed, barely enough to react and dodge.
Swish.
Another set of claws swept past my head as I ducked low.
Haah.
And landing effective blows while constantly dodging was easier said than done.
One mistake meant death.
I felt it in every step I took.
In every attack that came at me.
It felt like I was walking on a tightrope.
Each step could be my last.
My heart raced, pounding faster and faster with every step and dodge. The mana in my pathways turned hotter and hotter as I pushed even more of it through them. My chest rose and fell, faster than needed, but it still felt as if it wasn't enough.
Death loomed over me.
Its form was the dark shadow of a bear.
"Adonis!"
Swish.
Another shout from Rash came just as the bear struck again.
Step.
I jumped back.
The bear's claws passed my face in what felt like slow motion.
Graah!
Slrrsh.
A cry of pain tore out of the bear as Rash appeared from the side and delivered a precise slash at its unguarded ribs.
Stepping back after his attack, he explained the strategy.
"One takes the bear's focus while the other attacks!"
It was simple.
Straightforward.
One draws the aggro.
The other lands hits.
A strategy where both of us were the tanks and strikers at the same time, constantly switching roles. It was just that none of us could really be a tank.
We had no shield.
And even if we had one... I don't think that it would stop those claws.
So instead of a tank, wouldn't it be something closer to a 'Dodger'? If such a term even existed.
Step.
Rash had stepped back and stood now beside me.
I cast him a brief glance before turning back to the bear.
The beast now had two small cuts on its right side, from which a thin stream of blood dripped onto the sand.
They weren't serious wounds.
They wouldn't slow or weaken it.
Maybe it only made it angrier?
Still—
It didn't matter that the wounds were shallow.
That much was obvious.
We just had to keep piling them up. Attacking again and again. Enough of them would eventually become real injuries.
Haah.
Letting out a breath, I stepped forward.
Step.
The bear's aggro was still more focused on me than on Rash. It kept staring at me even though Rash was the one who attacked it last.
Step.
I moved closer.
Step.
With every step, I pushed more mana into my legs and accelerated.
Step.
Until I was directly in front of it.
Seeing me rush straight at it, the Snowbear lifted both forelegs and brought them down toward me with all its weight.
A crushing attack.
It wanted to smash me into the ground.
But it was too obvious.
There was no other attack it could have made at that moment. And if I knew what attack was coming—
Step.
It became easier to dodge.
Fssshh.
I took one last step forward and dropped low, sliding right under its raised arms and to the side.
THUD.
Its forelegs slammed into the ground, making the arena tremble and kicking up a cloud of dust around it.
The moment I came out from beneath its arm, I attacked. My body rose as I straightened my knees, sword following the motion and turning into a swing.
Slrrsh.
And at the same time—
Slrrsh.
Rash attacked as well.
Both of us carved deep cuts into its armpit and ribs at the same time. It must have looked like a coordinated attack.
Gwaahh!
A shriek broke out of the bear.
Step.
I retreated, jumping several steps backward.
Unable to see through the dust cloud, I retreated a little farther and exchanged a quick glance with Rash.
Then—
THMP!
THMP!
A stomping sound came from behind the veil of dust, followed by—
ROOOAAARRR!
A deafening roar.
But this one felt different than the last ones. Less threatening and more like some kind of cry.
A cry for what?
The answer arrived a second later.
THMP!
First came the heavy stomps again.
THMP!
Then another roar.
ROOOAAAR!
Next came a teen's shout.
"WATCH OUT!"