As the two clash sending trees and grass flying away, injuries began to appear on dai yuan skin in numbers, The Black Bear's charge was a whirlwind of claws and teeth.
Damn it! This is harder than I thought
Dai Yuan thought, as they separate from each other ones more, he was very sure that if it wasn't for the increase in speed brought by the tiger shamanic rune, if he was to relay on only his cultivation as the second stage of bone transformation realm he would have become part of the bears organic trash long time ago.
The black bear relentlessly charged at him again, Dai Yuan sent the hammer swinging in, at the closing monster, his initial strike, honed by Master Borin's instruction and constant practice finally, connected with the beast's shoulder. A solid thud resonated, and the bear flinched, a surprised grunt escaping its massive chest. The blow was powerful enough to momentarily disrupt its momentum.
"yes!!" dai yuan punched his fist in elation at a successful hit, the sound of hammer meeting the monsters flash felt like heavenly melody to him. It felt so refresh.
"oh! No"
But a moment was all he got. The bear roared in pain and fury, swiping a massive paw that sent him stumbling back, barely dodging the razor-sharp claws. Dai Yuan spun around in the air, bringing his hammer towards the raging bear, while aiming for the beast's exposed side. The steel hit hard onto it, but the bear's tough hide and thick muscle absorbed much of the impact. It merely bellowed louder, its small eyes burning with murderous intent.
Dai Yuan parried another vicious claw strike with the haft of his hammer, the impact jarring his teeth. The bear was faster, stronger, and more relentless than he had expected.
Despite utilizing the new art, he hadn't delivered a satisfying blow to the beast body and the hammer hits were just enraging the beast further than required, causing beast to increase its rampaging attack. Dai Yuan ducked under another snapping maw, the bear's hot breath washing over him, reeking of raw meat and forest earth. He needed an opening to secure a critical hit, but the beast was more than he was expecting, his only saving grace being the shamanic rune increase in speed so far. The bear moved with surprising agility for its size.
Finding an opening, dai yaun suddenly lunged forward, aiming another thunder strike, this time at the bear's jaw, hoping to stun it. The hammer flew across the air drawing a curved arc on it way towards the gaping jaw, strengthening all his muscle while keeping his feet deeply rooted to the ground, he was going for another thunder strike..
Whoosh!!
All of a sudden, something moved on his right, a blur of motion came zapping in from the bush, dai yaun barely registered the sound of air being displaced and the shift in scent before a massive black shaped figure slammed into him.
CRACK!
The figure impact on his side was solid, a heavy paw with extended claw slamming onto his shoulder.
"ahhh!"
Dai yaun cried out from the share agony which exploded through his ribs, as he lost his balance his hammer went sprawling out of his hand into the nearby bush, while he was hurled backward as he slammed hard into a thick three, the bark of the three roughly scrapped against his expose back from his torn fabric.
"thud!"
Dai Yuan slumped to the ground, gasping for air, the world spinning.
"ugh!!, fuck it" dai yaun cursed under his breath as he tried to make out his surrounding while disorientated from the slam.
According to the city's records, mortal-ranked beasts, particularly Rank 1 through Rank 3, frequented these parts pf the woods. Though he did hope to fight a high rank beast, aiming for a Rank 3 beast to push himself beyond his comfort zone.
Mortal beasts of rank 3 and above were known to roam the outskirts of the city, wild and untamed with their strength far surpassing ordinary creatures. These beasts were dangerous but thrilling challenges, but nobody ever told him of encounter two of said beast at the same time in the same place. And worst of all the two beast seems to be couples, when the hell do beast start getting married.
And now regain his sight and breath, his heart thumbed hard against his chest, as he looked at the figure of what had slammed into him, another Black Bears. This one looks like a female bear, obviously the mate of the first bear.
The female bear stood over him growling low in her throat, her eyes never leaving him as it glowed cold and dangerously standing imposingly over his head after a successful ambush from his flank.
He was pinned between the tree and the enraged female, his hammer now laying several feet away from his reach. The first bear, still roaring lumbered towards him, flanking his other side. Two Mortal Rank 3 beasts.
Dai Yuan who had been struggling with the male bear felt hopelessly outmatched, forcing himself to swallow the sickening warm blood struggling to come of from his throat, as blood seeped out through his tunic where the female's claws hard torn him, his head throbbed in pain causing his vision to blur for a moment.
This wasn't what he was expecting to encounter when he left the city gate, looking at the two giant figures flanking him on both sides, dai yaun felt sick as his stomach churned. Was he going to die here out in the middle of now man's land in the hand of two savage bears?
As he recalled his struggle throughout his journey here, a desperate primal surge of defiance against this ill fate ripped through him. Struggling to get up to his feet while leaning against the hard bark of the tree, dai yaun clenched his fist in fury. He wouldn't go down without a fight and become some bear food.
He wouldn't let his journey end here, trampled by a pair of damn beasts couples.
As he stood leaning against the tree, dai yaun mind raced in the face of the imminent death, he desperately latched onto any concept that could save him out of his predicament.
All of a sudden something hit him hard "he Shamanic Rune of the Black Scale Tiger."
It wasn't a technique he'd learned, or even fully understood. It was an ancient, almost mythical inscription he'd glimpsed only once, in a forgotten text in a crumbling ruin. A powerful, dangerous ritual said to temporarily infuse the user with the raw, untamed physical might of a spirit beast, drawing upon a hidden wellspring of power within the body. It was rumored to be incredibly taxing, almost suicidal to use, demanding a price that few could pay. But at this moment, facing certain death, the price seemed irrelevant.
Summoning every ounce of remaining stamina and concentration, Dai Yaun focused on the rune. He pushed, drawing on the deepest reserves of his life force, not Qi, but sheer, unadulterated vitality,He imagined the rune burning itself onto his skin, a brand of raw power. While he visualized the black scale tiger's formidable spirit awakening inside him, its power infusing his muscles and bones.
A searing heat erupted in his chest, radiating outwards. It wasn't a gentle warmth; it was a fire, burning through his veins, making his muscles twitch and clench. His vision, though still blurry, sharpened with an alarming intensity. The pain from his wounds flared, then dulled, replaced by a thrumming, almost unbearable surge of strength. A surge of strength exploded through his body.
As the new surge of strength coursed through his body, dai yaun felt his muscles bulged, senses sharpened, and his speed quickened. The shamanic rune glowed ominously, as if alive, transforming his physical power to match that of a rank 4 mortal beast—a level beyond his current known capability.
His body began to change. Not subtly. His muscles visibly swelled beneath his tunic, stretching the fabric taut. His bones felt denser, heavier. His eyes snapped open, no longer merely human, but burning with a fierce, primal light.
The two couple bears, who were initially moving in for a kill, suddenly come to a halt as they sensed the shift, the sudden and terrifying change in their pray and feeling the primal aura emanating from him caused them to falter. The air around Dai Yuan felt different. Their growls faltered and replaced by an uneasy whimpers, as they sensed the new found threat from their pray.
Even for two rank three mortal rank beast, a rank 4 powerhouse was no joke, as it signifies a huge change and transition from low to mid level fighters, a single rank 5 beast can single handily fight more than 10 group of rank 3 mortal grade beast.
Dai Yuan pushed himself up, his movements no longer hampered by pain or fatigue. The agony of his wounds was still there, but it was distant, overridden by the overwhelming rush of power. His shattered ribs felt like they were mending themselves. His mind felt sharp and focused.
He stood, towering over his previous height, his frame now broader, his own presence was radiating dangerous aura daunting the beast in their charge an aura dangerous, filled with untamed power. He was no longer a Rank 2 mortal fighter. He had, through sheer desperation and a borrowed, dangerous power, reached the physical might of a Mortal Rank 4 beast.
His gaze locked onto the female bear, then the male. His previous fear was replaced by a cold, predatory resolve. His wounds still raw and bleeding, Dai Yaun roared a fierce battle cry and turned his gaze to his adversaries—and the real fight began.