Chương 16: Bait

After all the time I had spent searching this forest for the elusive magical creature, I had finally found the beast. In truth, the creature exceeded even my expectations. It was an enormous bear with fur that was a pristine white, while its bluish claws continuously exuded a faint frozen mist that drifted lazily through the air. There was a part of me that could not help but wonder how a magical bear imbued with the power of ice had managed to find its way into a forest such as this.

The climate didn't seem suitable for such a beast, and yet there it stood. Whether it had wandered here from some frozen wilderness or had been driven from its natural habitat by circumstances beyond my knowledge was a mystery for later. What concerned me far more was the rather inconvenient realization that I was contemplating a confrontation with a creature several times my size while possessing only a handful of useful abilities.

Reason dictated that retreat would be the prudent course of action, but that kind of reasoning was for the weak and cowardly. The safest path rarely offered the greatest rewards, and fleeing would only preserve my life while leaving my curiosity unsatisfied. If I wanted to uncover the limits of my newfound powers, then the monstrous ice bear before me was the perfect test, and I fully intended to at least try and defeat it despite the odds.

Deciding that it was finally time to act, I fired a strand of silk at one of the bear's eyes. The thread shot adhered to the creature's face quickly. The enormous beast immediately froze, its body going still as confusion overtook it, seemingly unable to comprehend what had just touched it. Naturally, I had no intention of granting the bear the opportunity to gather its bearings. The moment the first strand struck true, I began firing more in rapid succession.

One thread after another shot from my mouth, each attaching itself to the bear's face. Silk spread across its muzzle, its eyes, and even its ears, layering upon itself until much of the creature's head had been wrapped in thick white bindings. By the time I finally stopped, nearly the entirety of its face had been covered. Blinded and disoriented, the beast appeared utterly helpless. Against an opponent unable to even perceive my location, victory seemed all but assured. Sadly, reality proved to be disappointing.

A sudden chill spread through the air, so intense that even from my position among the branches I could feel the temperature plummeting. Frost began to spread across the silk coating the bear's face, rapidly thickening into layers of ice. The strands of silk on its face stiffened and turned brittle in seconds. A thunderous roar erupted from the creature as it shook its head violently. The frozen silk shattered instantly, exploding into fragments of ice before falling to the forest floor.

Soon, the beast had completely freed itself. In hindsight, perhaps I should have expected as much from a gigantic white bear whose claws continuously exuded frozen mist. Even so, witnessing the creature casually freeze and shatter my silk remained rather irritating. But if anything, this merely made matters more interesting. Crushing ordinary beasts had already begun to lose its novelty.

There was only so much satisfaction to be gained from effortlessly exterminating creatures incapable of offering meaningful resistance. A more challenging opponent was a refreshing change of pace. Of course, there was no doubt in my mind that victory remained inevitable. I just had to work slightly harder to achieve it. My original plan was to cover the creature's nostrils with my silk before using Psy-Crush on its throat until the beast suffocated.

However, its affinity for frost would undoubtedly complicate matters considerably. Before I could continue refining my strategy, the bear spotted me. It seemed my bright and rather magnificent coloration had betrayed my position. To my mild amusement, it apparently concluded that the most effective method of dealing with me was not to climb the tree, nor to launch some form of magical attack, but simply to destroy the entire tree. A pale blue glow began to emanate from its claws as it lumbered toward my tree.

I remained perfectly still, calmly observing the approaching beast. Panicking and fleeing too early would have been foolish, since a poorly timed escape could easily result in me being caught mid-swing. The bear finally reared back onto its hind legs when it was right in front of my tree. Frost gathered around its claws in swirling wisps, and I could hear the wood of my tree creaking even before the strike landed.

Only then did I make my move as I fired a strand of silk toward a distant branch, A moment later, the bear struck my tree. Its glowing claws carved through the trunk with absurd ease. Wood exploded outward in every direction, splinters and shards scattering through the air while a layer of frost instantly spread across the remains of the trunk. A loud crack echoed throughout the forest as the massive trunk began to topple. Had I remained even a few moments longer, I would undoubtedly have been crushed beneath it.

As the tree fell, I allowed my silk to pull me away. I swung through the air just as the collapsing trunk crashed into the forest below. I landed gracefully upon another branch, settling with perfect balance. When the bear realized what had happened, its expression, insofar as a bear could possess one, appeared distinctly displeased. I could not help but feel rather pleased with myself.

The creature had destroyed an entire tree with a single casual strike, displaying strength far beyond that of any ordinary beast, yet despite all that overwhelming power, it had failed to accomplish the one thing it had actually intended to do. The bear roared and then slammed one of its massive paws against the ground with enough force to send dirt scattering in every direction. The creature was angry, and I was delighted.

An enraged opponent was almost always a foolish one, and foolish opponents possessed a tendency to become predictable. It was a flaw I had observed countless times among nobles, mercenaries, and other assorted irritants during my previous life. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. With another growl, the beast charged toward my position again. Its body thundered through the forest, and the sheer weight behind its movements was genuinely impressive.

Had such a creature managed to strike me directly, I had little doubt that my current body would cease to exist in any recognizable form. Allowing such an outcome to occur would have been embarrassing. I remained still as the bear approached, calmly channeling mana while observing my surroundings. Then, my gaze settled upon a fallen branch lying on the ground. As the bear drew closer, I focused my will upon the fallen branch. Psy-Push.

An invisible force struck the branch with considerable power, launching it through the air. The stick spun violently as it flew before colliding directly with one of the bear's forelegs. The attack accomplished almost no actual damage. Frankly, I would have been astonished had a mere piece of wood somehow injured a magical beast of this caliber. However, the branch struck with just enough force and at just the right angle to disrupt the creature's momentum. The enormous bear stumbled as its balance shifted.

The moment the beast faltered, I fired a strand of silk toward another branch farther away. The thread adhered, and I pulled myself through the canopy. If the creature possessed any meaningful ranged abilities, it had shown no inclination to use them. Instead, it remained wholly intent on pursuing me directly, attempting to close the distance through brute force. A beast capable only of close combat was precisely the sort of opponent I preferred.

It possessed overwhelming strength, certainly, but strength meant little when one could not bring it to bear against one's enemy. Meanwhile, my small size and skills allowed me to maneuver through the forest more easily than the bear. I swung from branch to branch while I heard the bear chasing me. It was amusing, really. Despite its terrifying size and tremendous power, the creature was effectively being led around by a caterpillar. Part of me almost felt sorry for it.

Bjorn was absolutely pissed. Seriously, how had a caterpillar managed to annoy him this much? It was a bug. That caterpillar was basically just a tiny worm with extra legs. Something he should have been able to squash beneath one paw without even noticing. Yet somehow, this stupid thing had managed to annoy him and was now somehow getting away from him. There was no way this caterpillar was normal. No, there was definitely something wrong with it. Maybe it was another reincarnated soul after all.

Bjorn's eyes widened slightly at the thought before narrowing into an even deeper scowl. If this caterpillar really was another reincarnator, then that just made him want to kill it even more. Partly because it might help him evolve again, but mostly because he was really, really sick of its nonsense. With an angry roar, Bjorn charged through the forest. Bushes exploded beneath his paws.

Small trees bent and snapped as his enormous body barreled through them, and any larger trees that got in his way were simply cut down. Yet despite all of Bjorn's efforts, he still could not catch the damn caterpillar. The little bastard kept flying through the trees with its silk, swinging from branch to branch while Bjorn had to force his way through the forest below. Between all the undergrowth, fallen logs, and trees blocking his path, he was actually struggling to keep up.

Putting more strength into his legs, he tried to increase his pace to its absolute limit. At this point, he barely even cared about the experience anymore. Because if this somehow ended with the caterpillar escaping… If he had to live with the knowledge that he had been outplayed by a bug, Bjorn was fairly certain he would never recover from the embarrassment. Who did this insect think it was anyway?

[A Skill has been Upgraded] [String Shot II >> String Shot III] I found it hilarious that I had apparently managed to lead this oversized fool on a sufficiently lengthy chase to improve one of my abilities. Unfortunately, I had little opportunity to properly appreciate my newfound improvement, for I soon landed on another branch and turned my attention back to the situation at hand. Perhaps the creature believed that I had been fleeing aimlessly, but in reality, my retreat had been anything but random.

While escaping, I had continuously observed my surroundings, searching for anything that might provide me with an advantage. And eventually, I found precisely what I had been looking for. Ahead of me was a wide river with very strong currents. For most creatures, and particularly one of my admittedly diminutive size, attempting to cross such an obstacle directly would have bordered on outright suicide. Fortunately, I was not "most creatures", and had already managed to think of a plan.

The first step of my plan was simple enough. I located the nearest branch extending over the riverbank and swung toward it. Once I reached the appropriate position, I allowed myself a moment to calculate the distance before silently counting down from three. On the count of one, I released my silk and plummeted toward the river below, the roaring waters rapidly growing closer. At the last possible moment, just before I would have struck the surface, I used Psy-Push.

Invisible force surged beneath me, propelling my body upward and carrying me farther across the river. In a few seconds, I began to descend once more, only to repeat the process a second time, then a few more times after that. Thanks to Psionics and some ingenuity, I effectively bounced my way across the river. By the time I neared the opposite bank, I was finally within reach of salvation. Mid-air, I fired a strand of silk toward a tree branch.

The thread adhered, and I swung forward with considerably more momentum than anticipated. Admittedly, my landing lacked a certain elegance. Rather than touching down on another branch like the magnificent being I was, I overshot my intended destination and tumbled onto the forest floor, rolled several times, and finally came to an stop when I collided with the base of a tree. Perhaps it had not been my finest display. However, the important thing was that I had succeeded.

I had crossed the river, and that was all that truly mattered. As I began regaining my bearings, however, I heard heavy footsteps and the unmistakable noise of something large and forcing its way through the forest. The bear was coming. I glanced down and then used Psy-Push to launch myself upward in a nearly straight line. As I ascended, I fired another strand of silk toward an overhanging branch and began swinging once more.

Back and forth I moved, building momentum until I finally released myself and came to a stop just at the river's edge. A calculated outcome, of course. Only then did I turn my attention back toward the opposite bank. Soon, the bear burst through the trees before it stepped directly into the river. A splash erupted as water surged around its legs, and I would be lying if I claimed that I had not felt the faintest, and I do mean the faintest, hint of fear while such a monstrous creature pursued me.

However, that insignificant concern swiftly vanished when I saw the beast struggling against the powerful currents. At last, the situation had shifted in my favor, and I could see a clear path to my victory, and the bear's demise.