Luke was quite satisfied with the effect of those two shots.
The Godspeed Tracking Arrow—aim and it hits, fire and it lands—wasn't an exaggeration.
And that was only the effect at Lv. 5. It really was impressive.
Luke put away his bow and walked over to the two Silver-Ear Rabbit corpses, checking them along the way.
The arrows had passed straight through their skulls, killing them instantly. The fur on their heads was badly damaged, which would reduce their value.
But that didn't matter. Luke wasn't hunting for profit in the first place. He casually picked both carcasses up and tossed them into his pack.
Then he continued forward.
Along the way, he ran into a few more targets and solved them with arrows—almost always a clean one-shot kill.
Watching from behind, Quinn couldn't help feeling a growing respect for the prince's archery.
She specialized in ranged combat herself, so she could tell exactly how ridiculous Luke's accuracy was.
Then her ear twitched—her keen hearing caught something.
Heavy footsteps. The rough, thick breathing of a large beast.
It was drawing closer, step by step.
When Quinn followed the sound with her eyes, her pupils tightened and her brows pulled together.
A massive gray-furred bear—over six feet tall—was crawling forward, slow and deliberate. Its limbs were short but powerful, thudding through the undergrowth. Each harsh breath sounded terrifying in the still forest.
Its mouth hung slightly open, showing razor teeth. Blood dripped from its jaws, and the oppressive aura of a true predator slammed into the nerves like a warning siren.
And on closer look, a pale gray-white layer of rock clung to the surface of its fur like armor plating.
A White Rock Grizzly.
The name flashed through Quinn's mind instantly.
This was an aggressive magical beast, highly hostile toward humans. It was already strong by nature, and that distinctive white-rock layer fused to its hide massively boosted its defense.
Its sense of smell was extremely sharp, and its hunting range was huge—normally it could scent prey from over a hundred meters away.
But White Rock Grizzlies were supposed to haunt rocky terrain.
Why was it in the forest?
And with blood dripping from its mouth and that crazed, violent look in its eyes, it had clearly already killed something.
No telling whether someone had died in its jaws.
Worse, the situation right now was ugly.
Even for Quinn, encountering a White Rock Grizzly in the wild meant extreme caution, playing for time, and prioritizing retreat.
One mistake and you were done.
Luke had clearly noticed the White Rock Grizzly approaching as well.
His eyes sharpened, and his brow creased slightly.
Why did a boss fight have to spawn out of nowhere?
The next second, the "feel" of him changed entirely—his presence drew inward, his aura tightening, his sense of existence dropping to almost nothing.
The grizzly definitely hadn't found him yet. Otherwise, with how enraged it looked, it would've charged immediately.
A White Rock Grizzly wasn't guaranteed to stay out of forests anyway—this one proved it.
As Luke adjusted his breathing rhythm, the Divine Veil Technique took effect, and he slipped fully into a concealed state.
The grizzly entered the hundred-meter range—its hunting zone.
Its eyesight wasn't great, but its nose could detect living creatures within that distance.
Except now, even with Luke inside that range, it couldn't sense him at all. It kept moving forward as if nothing had changed.
Luke stayed concealed while backing away.
He wasn't interested in fighting this kind of beast. Sure, he wanted to test his strength, but he wasn't about to gamble his life for fun.
Too many people had died doing exactly that. Luke had no intention of becoming one of them.
Once he reached a safe distance, he didn't hesitate—Godspeed Shifting Steps erupted.
His body flickered through the trees like a leaf riding the wind. In just a few seconds, he opened a massive gap—without slowing for even a moment.
Seeing that, Quinn let out a small breath of relief. In her eyes, it was the smartest decision possible.
Nobody wanted a head-on fight with a White Rock Grizzly.
She started to follow Luke—
And then, in the distance, the White Rock Grizzly suddenly reared up, towering nearly twelve feet high, and unleashed a thunderous roar that shook the forest.
"ROAR!!!"
A savage gleam flashed in its eyes. It snapped its head toward Quinn's direction and lunged into motion.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Its huge body smashed through trees in its path, the crashing noise deafening. In moments, it had closed an alarming amount of distance.
Crap!
Quinn's heart jolted.
She didn't have time to think—she raised a hand and blew a sharp whistle, then sprinted full speed to the right.
They were at least two hundred meters apart, and she'd been concealed. The grizzly shouldn't have been able to detect her.
But it was clearly coming for her.
Above, a bright-blue azurite eagle dove from the sky.
Valor was large, powerful—his talons landed on Quinn's shoulder plates. With a violent beat of his wings, he tried to haul her into the air for an escape route.
And then the situation exploded again.
"ROAR!"
The White Rock Grizzly scooped up a tree it had just smashed down, bellowed, and hurled it like a spear.
Whoosh—!
The trunk screamed through the air.
Valor reacted fast, twisting aside, but the edge still clipped his wing. His body lurched, and he and Quinn crashed down together.
Even though Valor fought to beat his wings at the last second, he still slammed into a tree with Quinn, barely stabilizing.
Quinn ignored the pain and looked up at the grizzly closing in like a nightmare.
She made the call instantly. "Valor—prepare to engage!"
Her experience told her that running now was no longer the best choice.
As soon as she spoke, Valor moved as if he understood every word. He released his grip, his gaze razor-sharp as he locked onto the charging grizzly. One wingbeat—and he shot forward like an arrow.
Quinn hit the ground and smoothly drew her crossbow, loading bolts in a flash. She fired several shots straight at the onrushing White Rock Grizzly.
Whip—!
Whip—!
Her marksmanship was the result of years of training, and her crossbow was specially made. The bolts shrieked through the air, fast and vicious.
She struck almost simultaneously with Valor.
The azurite eagle's talons were like knives. As if venting the fury of being struck, he raked across the grizzly's spine mid-flight.
A layer of white-gray stone chipped away—but it wasn't real damage. The grizzly's counter-swipe missed, clawing only air.
At the same time, several bolts hit the grizzly's body. Two sank into spots where the rock plating was thin, punching into flesh. Blood spilled immediately.
"ROAR!!"
The grizzly howled, snapping its head toward where the bolts came from—
But it couldn't see Quinn.
Valor kept striking, dragging its attention away.
The beast's heavy body clearly struggled to deal with Valor quickly.
But then its nose twitched.
It turned its head, eyes flaring with malice, and suddenly charged in a new direction—straight toward Quinn's position.
Quinn's instincts screamed.
She abandoned her hiding spot at once and tried to create distance.
Her ranger's intuition told her this fight was going to go badly.
This grizzly's sense of smell was far beyond normal, and it was in a berserk state—thick-skinned, hard to kill, and even harder to stop.
Worst of all, she was entangled now. There was no clean way out.
"Skree!"
Valor's cry rang out behind her.
Quinn's danger sense spiked. She lunged forward on pure instinct, throwing herself into a hard dive and sliding several feet across the ground.
A rushing sound whipped past—
Then BOOM!
A tree crashed into the spot behind her, exploding into splinters.
The trunk snapped in half, and one broken section flew toward Quinn like a falling club.
She saw it dropping and didn't hesitate—she sprang up and dove to the left.
But the wood still slammed into her shoulder.
A heavy impact struck her like a sledgehammer.
Quinn let out a muffled groan as searing pain ripped through her left arm.
She gritted her teeth, forced herself upright, and looked back at the charging grizzly. Fighting through the pain, she ran while loading bolts, taking only a split second to aim before squeezing the trigger.
But this time the bolts were deflected by the rock shell.
The White Rock Grizzly ignored Valor's harassment completely—its eyes held only Quinn.
Quinn's pressure hit the ceiling.
This might be the strongest magical beast she'd ever encountered.
Stronger even than the tuskvore that had killed her brother back home.
Even with her left arm screaming, she stayed calm. Her breathing was quick, but she fought to keep it controlled. A stubborn, unbreakable light flashed in her eyes.
If she and Valor could kill that tuskvore, then they could bring down this grizzly too.
"Skree!"
But just as she turned and ran to open distance, Valor cried out again—this time with pain mixed in.
Quinn turned—and saw Valor had been injured. He must have taken a hit while desperately trying to draw the grizzly off her.
Beautiful blue feathers drifted down from the air, and blood stained his wing as he beat it.
Even so, he kept attacking, relentless.
"Valor!"
Quinn clenched her teeth, kept moving, and reached for more bolts.
The distance between her and the grizzly was under twenty meters now.
After clawing Valor, the beast seemed uninterested in finishing him. It didn't even care about the constant harassment.
Its feral gaze was locked on Quinn alone.
A sense of lethal danger surged through her.
She didn't hesitate—she fired in a rapid burst, bolts pouring out like a stream.
They hit.
And it didn't matter.
The grizzly bulldozed forward, ignoring the impacts. Its blood-dripping jaws were horrifying up close, and the stench rolling off it was so thick it made her want to gag.
That near-death feeling—back when she fought the tuskvore—came roaring back.
A wave of helplessness flooded Quinn's chest.
If only I were stronger.
Whoosh—!
A sharp tearing sound split the air.
An arrow streaked in from the side and slammed into the grizzly's neck—right where the rock shell thinned.
Blood sprayed from the impact point.
"ROAR!!"
The White Rock Grizzly bellowed, ripped the arrow free with a claw, and whipped its head toward the shooter.
Its savage aura surged, making it feel like the entire forest recoiled.
Then, in the very next second, Quinn felt an even more terrifying pressure sweep over the battlefield.
The air turned heavy—oppressive.
The sharpness of it was like a blade laid against the throat.
Quinn felt her breathing tighten.
Even the berserk grizzly froze for an instant, stunned by that overwhelming sword intent.
Its own aura, compared to this, was nothing.
Quinn's eyes snapped toward the source.
Luke.
He had come back.
He still held the bow in firing posture—and he loosed another arrow.
Whoosh—!
Quinn didn't waste time staring. She immediately got up and created distance.
Luke's arrow was still stopped by the rock shell. It penetrated somewhat, but the true damage wasn't huge.
It was only Lv. 5, after all. Luke hadn't expected miracles.
He lowered the bow and slowly drew a long blade from his waist.
The moment the blade settled in his grip, his Wuju sword intent surged again—sharper, deeper, harder to measure.
It made him feel unfathomable.
At the same time, wind gathered around him.
The usual lazy haze in his eyes vanished—replaced by absolute focus.
Those clear eyes reflected the grizzly's massive form.
Earlier, after he used Godspeed Shifting Steps to open distance, he'd assumed it was over.
Then he heard that roar, stopped, and realized Quinn hadn't followed.
A series of massive crashes followed, and he understood immediately—something had gone wrong behind him.
So he had no choice but to turn back.
There wasn't time for explanations now.
"ROAR!!"
Shaken by the Wuju sword intent, the grizzly snapped back to itself and instantly locked onto Luke, charging straight at him.
Luke inhaled slowly. The wind around him condensed further.
And he chose to go on the offensive.
He flickered forward in several rapid steps, closing on the White Rock Grizzly in an instant.
His blade cut upward from an angle, wind clinging to the edge—viciously sharp.
The grizzly had barely lifted a paw when a sword mark split across the rock shell on its chest like cracked stone.
Blood burst from the cut.
In pain, it slammed its paw down with a heavy whoosh—
But it didn't hit Luke. It struck only empty air.
In the next heartbeat, another sword mark appeared across its paw.
"ROAR!!"
After two more swipes, the White Rock Grizzly howled in fury.
Enraged, it rammed into a tree, smashed it down, then seized it at the middle like a club.
It started swinging the trunk wildly as a weapon.
The fact it could use its surroundings like that proved one thing—this grizzly wasn't stupid.
Luke's eyes flashed.
His blade moved with calm precision, cutting through the air in controlled arcs.
The wind-wreathed sword gleamed cold.
The grizzly swung harder and harder—yet the trunk felt lighter and lighter in its grip.
It finally focused—
And saw the tree had been cut into several segments, crashing to the ground.
The cut surfaces were disturbingly clean.
A very human-like shock flickered in its eyes. When it looked at Luke again, there was caution mixed into its fury.
Then the rage rose even higher.
It went berserk, slashing at Luke again and again with massive claws.
Behind them, Quinn searched for openings and managed to hit several weak points—bolts slipping into thinner plating and biting into flesh.
But it only drove the beast more insane.
Even injured, Valor joined the fight again, talons flashing as he kept tearing at the grizzly.
Quinn watched Luke trading blows head-on with the monster, worry rising in her eyes.
Luke, meanwhile, kept his breathing steady.
His rhythm grew hotter, cleaner.
It was his first time in a fight like this, and he was starting to find the flow.
This was nothing like sparring with Fiora.
Sparring meant holding back, avoiding real harm.
Here, one mistake could mean losing an arm or a leg.
Luke was using everything.
The grizzly slammed a paw down.
Luke slipped aside, then cut.
A wind blade surged out, a curved slash of air that ripped forward like a scimitar.
It struck the grizzly, and a gust exploded outward, whipping leaves and branches.
At the same time, another sword mark carved into its body.
Watching the beast pant heavily, clearly draining its stamina, Luke's eyes stayed sharp.
In an instant, he unleashed all of his Wuju sword intent—compressing every strand of wind into his blade.
Then he struck in a burst.
Sword shadows flashed through the air, accompanied by a roaring gust that made the surrounding foliage crash and hiss.
Crack—crack—crack—
The grizzly's white rock shell shattered across its body.
Its flesh could no longer withstand Luke's blade pressure.
Blood sprayed.
The White Rock Grizzly howled, then its enormous body finally gave out and collapsed to the ground.
Quinn stared, momentarily dazed.
A gust rushed toward her face, and in her vision stood Luke with his sword—proud and still, an almost untouchable figure.
The impact hit her hard.
So strong.
A strange light flickered in Quinn's eyes as she silently breathed the thought.
By her judgment, Luke's strength was at least at the Dauntless level—otherwise he wouldn't have killed a White Rock Grizzly this cleanly.
Truthfully, she hadn't contributed much at all.
It was practically Luke's solo victory.
And Luke, looking at the grizzly's fallen body, gained a clearer understanding of his own strength.
He'd spent about half his stamina.
He still had plenty left.
He couldn't help but think—
Wuju sword intent really did belong in real, deadly combat.
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