"Beautiful technique. That was like watching a master artist at work." Noah observed with admiration. The way that Alissa fought that bear made it look effortless, as if she were merely playing with it.
Valeria nodded with obvious pride in her student’s development. "Alissa has achieved what we call the flow. Few practitioners reach that level of artistic combat."
After both demonstrations concluded, a third Crimson Horn Bear appeared from the forest depths, as if the creatures were responding to the challenges from the hunting party.
Valeria turned toward Noah with an expectant gaze. "It’s your turn."
Noah nodded with a grim expression, feeling the pressure of fighting something significantly above his current power level. The bears had demonstrated power and cunning that made them genuinely dangerous opponents rather than simple training exercises.
Unlike Alissa and Kip, who were Adepts fighting an apprentice-rank beast. He was a novice fighting an apprentice-rank beast, which made all the difference in the world.
But before he could take his first step toward combat, a familiar voice whispered directly into his ear with a teasing tone.
"I will give you a very good present if you win, you will like it. Hehe~"
Lola’s seductive whisper sent his heart rate climbing several beats per minute despite his attempts to ignore it. Her tone made his mind wander into places that were forbidden.
She never misses an opportunity to make things complicated.
Noah shook off the distraction, though the promise lingered in his mind as additional motivation beyond simple survival and training advancement.
"Alright, let’s do this," he declared with determination, walking forward with his sword at his side.
Noah approached the Crimson Horn Bear with his sword drawn, feeling some pressure from his watching companions. The massive creature stood its ground with confidence.
No underestimating this opponent. Time to use everything I’ve got.
Without hesitation, Noah activated every enhancement at his disposal. His aura flared to life around his body, creating a protective outline of mana that made his silhouette shimmer with a blue hue.
"Good job!" Valeria called from the sidelines. "Use all your abilities from the start! You can’t underestimate this thing."
Wind magic flowed through his mana channels and around his blade, enhancing both his mobility and striking power.
Niah was preparing to use everything at once. He had no intention holding back, only a fool would hold back against someone much stronger than him.
The Crimson Horn Bear charged with devastating speed, its massive body moving faster than something that size had any right to travel. The creature led with its crimson horn while positioning its claws for a follow-up attack in case it was needed.
Noah barely managed to deflect the initial horn thrust with his aura-enhanced blade, the impact sending vibrations through his arms that would have shattered normal human bones.
Ugh, that’s powerful!
"Dodge and counter! Don’t try to match its strength directly!" Alissa shouted encouragement.
Noah nodded as he prepared for the bear’s next strike.
The bear’s claws swept toward Noah’s position, forcing him to leap backward while his wind magic provided additional mobility. But the creature anticipated his movement, positioning itself for a devastating follow-up attack.
It’s learning my patterns already. This thing is dangerous.
Another exchange of claw against aura-enhanced sword sent Noah skidding across the forest floor, his vitality absorbing impacts that would have killed him just a few days ago.
"Noah’s adapting! He is not only blocking the attack, but he is also using alot of the bear’s momentum to help him deflect it! " Kip called with obvious excitement at Noah’s great strategy.
Noah began finding his rhythm as his combat instincts slowly adapted to the bear’s attacks. His wind manipulation allowed him to stay ahead of the creature’s devastating strikes by increasing his agility.
But the real breakthrough came when inspiration struck during a particularly dangerous exchange.
The inspiration came from his newly obtained skikl, feather fall.
As the Crimson Horn Bear prepared for another charging assault, Noah channeled wind magic through his legs and launched himself high into the air, soaring fifteen feet above the creature’s reach.
Seeing Noah high in the air, Lola raised an eyebrow before smiling brightly. "Oh, that’s...quite creative."
The bear, having observed Noah’s previous ground-based movements, predicted he would fall straight down and positioned its horn for a devastating impaling strike.
Despite seeing the bear’s horn directly under him, Noah did not panic, instead he smiled softly.
As he approached the horn, Noah activated Featherfall at the perfect moment. Wind currents flowed beneath his feet, dramatically slowing his descent while allowing him to hover in mid-air for crucial extra moments.
"He’s using wind to stop his descent!" Kip shouted with admiration at the creativity of the attack set-up.
The Crimson Horn Bear’s upward thrust met only empty air as Noah remained suspended above its reach, wind magic providing the split-second advantage he needed.
Noah angled his descent to strike from an unexpected direction, his aura-enhanced blade channelling wind magic for maximum cutting power.
Noah channelled nearly all of his mana into one crucial attack.
The bear, committed to its upward attack, couldn’t adjust its positioning fast enough.
His wind-enhanced sword struck the creature’s exposed neck with devastating power.
The combination of gravity, enhancement, and perfect timing created a strike that penetrated the bear’s natural armour.
"That’s a critical hit!" Alissa cheered with obvious excitement.
The Crimson Horn Bear roared in pain and surprise, dark blood flowing from the wound as it staggered backwards.
"Excellent attack! You turned its intelligence against itself!" Valeria called out.
Throughout the fight, the bear had been predicting where Noah would land on multiple occasions. This time, Noah used that ability of the bear to land a critical hit.
The bear circled warily now, no longer treating Noah as simple prey but recognising him as a threat to its life.
"Finish it!" Kip shouted encouragement. "You’ve got the advantage now!"