Lían stared at the enormous beast.
His expression remained uncertain.
"...Seriously?"
He glanced toward Lizarius.
"Are you sure that's a Third Stage?"
Lizarius' golden eyes remained calm.
Lían looked back at the Black-Horned Earth Bear.
"...That thing?"
His gaze slowly traveled over its massive body.
"That's an Earth Bear?"
He frowned.
"I don't remember the Earth Bear I fought inside the dream looking like this."
His grip tightened around Thunder Vein.
"This one looks like it crawled straight out of hell."
The Black-Horned Earth Bear lowered its head.
Its crimson eyes remained fixed upon Lían.
A deep growl rolled through the forest.
**Grrrrrrrr...**
Lían's expression became serious.
"I really didn't think I'd run into something like this."
He had expected to find the wounded Iron Wolf.
Instead—
he had encountered another Third Stage demon beast.
His eyes narrowed.
*Could the wolf have somehow led me toward this thing?*
He quickly considered the possibility.
*Maybe it encountered this beast after escaping.*
He paused.
*No.*
*If that happened, there should have been signs of a fight.*
He couldn't be certain.
The blood trail had brought them here.
But whether the Iron Wolf had intentionally fled toward this area—
or had simply happened to pass through—
was impossible to know.
Lían slowly exhaled.
*Whatever the reason...*
His gaze hardened.
*It's here now.*
*And I have to deal with it.*
He lowered his body slightly.
"I've already fought something similar."
His gaze traveled over the bear's thick black scales.
"This one just looks..."
His eyes narrowed.
"...a lot scarier."
The Black-Horned Earth Bear suddenly moved.
**BOOM!**
Its massive foot slammed into the ground.
The earth violently trembled.
Lían's pupils contracted.
**CRACK!**
A massive earthen spike suddenly erupted from beneath him.
"!"
Lían immediately leaped into the air.
The spike tore through the spot where he had been standing.
**BOOM!**
But—
the Black-Horned Earth Bear was already waiting for him.
Its enormous paw swung upward.
**WHOOSH!**
Lían's eyes widened.
He twisted his body in midair.
The bear's claws narrowly passed beside him.
Then—
**BOOM!**
The bear slammed its paw into the ground.
Chunks of earth and stone exploded outward.
**SHHK! SHHK! SHHK!**
Dozens of sharp fragments shot toward Lían.
Lían immediately raised his free hand.
"Water Control!"
The water surrounding his body instantly gathered.
**WHOOSH!**
The Water Coat expanded around him.
The flying stones slammed into the protective layer.
**THUD! THUD! THUD!**
The impacts pushed Lían backward.
But—
none of them managed to penetrate the Water Coat.
Lían landed several meters away.
His feet dug into the soil as he steadied himself.
He glanced at the scattered rocks around him.
"...That was close."
His eyes shifted toward the bear.
Thunder Vein remained firmly in his hand.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"But it's a good thing I have something just for that."
He raised his sword.
"And I have something that can cut through that armor."
The Black-Horned Earth Bear suddenly threw its head back.
**GRAAAAAAAH!**
Its roar shook the surrounding forest.
Then—
it charged.
The ground shook beneath every step.
**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**
Lían's eyes sharpened.
He stepped forward.
Thunder Vein flashed through the air.
**SHING!**
The blade struck directly against the bear's shoulder.
**CLANG!**
The thick scales split apart.
Blood sprayed from the wound.
Lían's eyes widened.
*It cut through.*
A brief smile appeared.
*Just like I thought.*
But then—
the bear didn't slow down.
Its massive paw swung toward him.
Lían immediately ducked.
**WHOOSH!**
The claws passed over his head.
He twisted his body and struck again.
**SHHK!**
Another deep cut appeared across the bear's side.
Yet—
the bear barely reacted.
Lían's expression changed.
*...What?*
He immediately infused more spiritual energy into Thunder Vein.
**ZZZT!**
White lightning erupted across the blade.
He swung again.
**BOOM!**
Lightning exploded against the bear's black scales.
Lían expected a reaction similar to the one he had seen from the Iron Wolf.
But—
nothing happened.
The bear's massive body merely trembled slightly.
A few sparks crawled across its black scales.
Then—
they disappeared.
Lían froze.
"...What?"
His eyes widened.
*The lightning didn't do anything.*
The Black-Horned Earth Bear raised its paw.
Lían's expression changed instantly.
**BOOM!**
The massive claw swept toward him.
Lían barely raised his Water Coat in time.
**CRASH!**
The impact sent him flying.
His body slammed through two trees.
**BOOM!**
**CRACK!**
He crashed onto the ground and rolled several meters before finally coming to a stop.
His breathing became heavier.
He quickly pushed himself upright.
"...That hurt."
The bear slowly approached.
Its crimson eyes remained fixed upon him.
Lían glanced down at Thunder Vein.
The blade was still intact.
It had successfully cut through the bear's armor.
But—
the lightning damage had been almost completely ineffective.
His expression became serious.
*So its scales aren't just physically tough.*
*They're resisting the Lightning Essence as well.*
He tightened his grip.
"...That's troublesome."
The bear roared again.
**GRAAAAAH!**
Then—
it charged once more.
Lían's expression hardened.
He immediately moved backward.
**BOOM!**
The Black-Horned Earth Bear's paw slammed into the ground where he had been standing.
Lían leaped onto the trunk of a nearby tree.
His feet touched the bark for only an instant.
*Earth counters Lightning...*
The lesson he had once learned from the old Village Head suddenly surfaced in his mind.
*The five elements have relationships of generation and suppression.*
*Earth suppresses Lightning.*
Lían's gaze shifted toward Thunder Vein.
*That's probably why the Lightning Essence had almost no effect on it.*
The tree beneath his feet suddenly trembled.
Lían's pupils contracted.
**CRACK!**
The bear's enormous claws tore through the trunk.
The entire tree began to collapse.
Lían immediately jumped.
**WHOOSH!**
He landed on another tree several meters away.
But—
the bear didn't give him even a moment to breathe.
**BOOM!**
Another earthen spike erupted from the ground.
Lían twisted sideways.
The spike shot past him.
He landed on a thick branch.
*Water isn't going to help much either.*
His eyes narrowed.
*I've lost my advantage.*
Back in the dream—
he had managed to defeat an Earth Bear because there had been a lake nearby.
He had been able to manipulate an enormous amount of water.
But now—
there was no lake.
No river.
No obvious source of water nearby.
Lían's expression became increasingly tense.
*I can't sense any large water source nearby.*
He jumped again.
**BOOM!**
The branch he had been standing on was destroyed.
Lían flipped through the air.
Another claw swept toward him.
**WHOOSH!**
He narrowly avoided it.
He landed on the ground and immediately moved backward.
The Black-Horned Earth Bear continued advancing.
Lían kept his distance.
His breathing gradually became heavier.
*This isn't looking good.*
*I'm at a disadvantage.*
*My Lightning Essence is being suppressed by its Earth attribute.*
*And without enough water...*
He suddenly stopped.
His eyes widened.
*Wait.*
Something faint had entered his perception.
He could feel it.
Water.
Not far away.
In fact—
it was everywhere.
Lían's eyes slowly widened.
*...It's close.*
He concentrated.
His Water Elemental Physique reacted.
The surrounding environment suddenly became clearer.
Tiny traces of moisture existed throughout the air.
They weren't large.
But they were countless.
Lían's expression changed.
*I can feel them.*
*They're all around me.*
He frowned.
*But where...?*
Another attack came.
**BOOM!**
Lían immediately jumped backward.
The ground beneath him exploded.
He landed several meters away.
His eyes suddenly shifted.
Something faint drifted through the forest.
Thin.
Almost invisible.
Lían stared.
"...Mist."
His eyes widened.
The realization struck him.
*The mist.*
He looked around.
A faint layer of moisture hung between the trees.
It was so thin that he had barely noticed it.
But—
now that he knew what he was sensing—
he could feel it everywhere.
*That's the water source.*
Lían's eyes brightened.
*The mist is water.*
*It's not a river.*
*It's not a lake.*
*But it's still water.*
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...I didn't notice it."
The Black-Horned Earth Bear suddenly charged.
**BOOM!**
Lían immediately moved.
Its claws tore through the tree beside him.
**CRACK!**
Wood exploded outward.
Lían leaped over the attack.
But his mind continued racing.
*If I can gather the mist...*
*Then I don't need a river.*
*I can use what's already here.*
He looked toward the thin haze surrounding the forest.
His fingers slowly tightened around Thunder Vein.
*I just need to control it.*
The Water Elemental Physique within his body stirred.
The mist around him began to move.
Slowly—
almost imperceptibly—
tiny droplets of water started gathering toward Lían.
His eyes sharpened.
Lían tightened his grip around Thunder Vein.
He stared at the Black-Horned Earth Bear approaching through the mist.
Then—
a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Alright."
He lowered his stance.
"Round two."
He paused.
"...Actually..."
His expression became slightly awkward.
"I don't think I should call it that."
He glanced at the destroyed trees and shattered earth around them.
"...Round one isn't even over yet."
The bear roared.
**GRAAAAAH!**
Lían's expression immediately became serious again.
*I need to end this.*
*I can't keep dragging the fight out.*
His eyes swept across the battlefield.
*There aren't any useful corpses here.*
*If I get injured or exhaust my spiritual energy...*
*I won't be able to recover by absorbing anything.*
His fingers tightened around Thunder Vein.
*I can't afford to be careless.*
The mist continued drifting around him.
Tiny droplets gathered throughout the air.
Lían could feel them.
Every single one.
His Water Elemental Physique quietly responded.
*I don't have the advantage of a lake.*
*But I have something else.*
His gaze hardened.
*The entire forest is filled with water.*
The Black-Horned Earth Bear suddenly charged.
**BOOM!**
The ground shook beneath its enormous body.
Lían moved.
His figure flashed sideways.
The bear's claws tore through the space where he had been standing.
**WHOOSH!**
Lían spun around.
Thunder Vein swept upward.
**SHING!**
The blade cut across the bear's side.
Blood sprayed.
The bear roared in anger.
**GRAAAAAH!**
It immediately turned.
Its massive claws descended.
Lían ducked beneath them.
**BOOM!**
The ground shattered.
He rolled away and sprang back onto his feet.
*Don't waste energy.*
His breathing remained controlled.
*Every attack needs a purpose.*
Lían raised his free hand.
The surrounding mist suddenly trembled.
**WHOOSH!**
Thousands of tiny droplets began gathering around him.
They condensed into thin streams.
Then—
the streams wrapped around Thunder Vein.
Lían's eyes narrowed.
*Water.*
*Lightning.*
He glanced at the Black-Horned Earth Bear.
*If the Earth attribute suppresses the Lightning Essence...*
A faint smile appeared.
*Then I'll make the lightning flow through the water.*
The mist continued gathering.
The air around Lían became noticeably clearer.
Water slowly accumulated along the blade.
Thunder Vein began crackling.
**ZZZT.**
The Black-Horned Earth Bear lowered its head.
Its crimson eyes locked onto him.
Lían's expression became cold.
"...Come."
The Black-Horned Earth Bear roared.
Then—
it charged once more.
**BOOM!**