[Floor One: Echo of the Wild]

[Level 2]

[Objective:

1. Kill Level One Beast: 0/50

2. Kill Level Two Beast: 0/3]

[Time Limit: 6 Hours]

[Best of luck, Host.]

Luke let out a sigh as he sat inside the resting zone, protected by a barrier similar to the one that rendered him both safe and invisible to the outside world.

And the reason he specifically mentioned being invisible was because...

Grrr...

Just a few meters away, a bear was currently resting against a tree.

The two of them were directly facing each other with barely twenty feet separating them, and Luke was sitting completely in plain sight.

Yet the bear hadn’t noticed him at all.

So yes, unless the creature suddenly decided to shift its sleeping position, Luke would likely be forced into a fight the moment he stepped outside.

"Let’s see...what exactly do I have in my inventory?"

[Inventory:

Tissue Paper Box: 8

Love chocolate: 1

Electric Fence: 0

Condom: 0

Mosquito Repellent: 3

Snack Bar: 5

Metal Ladder: 1

Pepper Spray: 1

Rope: 20 Meters

Gray Shell: 1

Magma Tooth: 1

Steel Claws: 1

Camouflaging Cloak: 1

Healing Potions: 5]

[Abilities:

1. Echolocation: Level 1 -> 12/100 EXP

2. Concentrated Burst: Level 1 -> 36/100 EXP

3. Enhanced Perception: Level 1 -> 78/100 EXP

4. Shadow Walk: Level 1 -> 0/100 EXP]

Stats:

Level: 3

Str: 22

Spd: 21.5

Def: 22

Int: 16.5-> 17.5

Gamma: 1360/1360]

Attribute Points: 0

GP: 575]

[To level up: 2000GP]

[To level up Gamma POD: 7200/10000]

Luke looked mildly surprised at the new addition to the ability stats.

"What does EXP signify?"

[Host, your skills level up the more you use them. The Experience bar allows you to monitor your proficiency with each ability.]

Luke hummed in understanding.

Nice.

Luke equipped the Gray Shell, and instantly, he felt his endurance rise.

Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself mentally.

He needed to hunt fifty beasts similar to those hyenas, all within barely a quarter of a day.

Not exactly easy.

But definitely achievable.

"Can I assess that creature while remaining inside the barrier?" He said while pointing at the bear

[No, Host. That would provide an unfair advantage since the system does not control the beasts’ movements.]

Luke nodded in understanding.

No problem.

From what he could tell, the creature outside was most likely a Level Two beast.

Thankfully, however, it looked old.

Luke had grown up in a household filled with hunters. He knew how to judge the age of massive beasts like this one.

Gustav had always been a phenomenal fighter, but he was never reckless enough to shove his head into danger and regret it later.

Over the years, he had taught Luke how to identify whether prey would bite back viciously or collapse under pressure. Whether it was safe to charge directly at a creature or wiser to trap it slowly instead.

And based on Luke’s own experience and instincts...

"This thing needs to be trapped. I can’t overpower it."

The bears from his world were nowhere near as gigantic or battle-scarred as this monster.

Even from behind the barrier, Luke could tell the beast had survived far too long in a wilderness where creatures of that size usually died early.

And that fact alone was terrifying.

Luke rose to his feet when he realized less than a minute remained.

Pulling out his recently repaired Steel Claws, he lowered himself into a battle stance.

Closing his eyes, he steadied his breathing and calmed his mind.

He had far too much to lose now.

There was no reason to take reckless risks.

This dungeon was not the endgame.

He still had a family waiting for him to return.

Repeating those words to himself, Luke finally opened his eyes, and at the same moment—

Bzzz.

The barrier vanished from existence, exposing him to the wilderness once again.

The bear’s eyes snapped open instantly, proving Luke’s assumption correct.

Inside the barrier, he truly had been invisible.

But now...

Not anymore.

Grrr...

The monster slowly rose from the ground, its massive paws nearly sinking into the wet soil beneath its weight.

Standing on its two paws, the beast easily reached nearly ten feet in height. Its body was broad and heavy, with a hanging flabby stomach, crimson eyes, and matted brown fur scarred by countless battles.

Its entire presence shifted within moments.

Frothy saliva gathered around its mouth as it slowly stepped forward.

Luke inhaled deeply before commanding,

"Assess it."

[Assessing target...]

Luke’s eyes widened.

Not because the system couldn’t assess it in time—

But because of how suddenly the bear accelerated after going on all its four.

He panicked and immediately began backpedaling—

GRRRR!

The monster roared before slamming its massive front paw against the ground.

The sheer wind pressure blasted into Luke like a physical force, hurling him backward and forcing him to stagger violently on his feet.

"Guh...fuck!"

He cursed under his breath while barely managing to regain his balance.

The bear didn’t give him a second to breathe.

It charged.

For something that size, the speed was obscene. Luke dove sideways as a massive paw carved through the air where his torso had been, and he felt the displaced wind scrape across his cheek like sandpaper.

Too fucking fast.

He rolled back to his feet and immediately activated Echolocation, trying to map the creature’s movement pattern, but the bear adjusted mid-stride with the fluid ease of something that had hunted prey far more dangerous than him.

Luke feinted left, then broke right, aiming for a cluster of trees tight enough to limit its swings.

The bear cut him off.

He hadn’t even seen it move. One moment it was behind him, and the next its bulk was simply there, blocking his path like a wall that had always existed.

Luke reversed course and slashed with the Steel Claws, aiming for its snout.

The bear tilted its head.

Barely an inch. Not enough.

His strike grazed nothing but air, and then a paw connected with his left side, not a full hit, just a glancing swipe, and still the impact launched him several feet and cracked the bark of the tree he slammed into.

His ribs screamed.

Def: 22 plus the vest. It still hurt like that.

He forced himself upright before his knees could decide otherwise.

The bear watched him with those flat, crimson eyes. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

It wasn’t even breathing hard.

That was the part that scared him most. It wasn’t angry, wasn’t frenzied. It was simply waiting, the way only things that had never lost a fight could afford to wait.

Luke gripped the Steel Claws tighter and tried to think past the pain.

Trap it. You said it yourself. You can’t overpower it.

The rope in his inventory. The metal ladder. The pepper spray.

His mind was racing through combinations when the bear suddenly dropped its head low and surged forward again, faster this time, the ground itself shuddering beneath each stride.

Luke ran.

There was no shame in it. He ran and activated Enhanced Perception simultaneously, and the world sharpened around him, every small detail became visible to him; the bears ragged breathing the loudest in his ears

He spotted a narrow gap between two thick trees ahead, since there was a nest of snakes.

The bear wouldn’t fit cleanly. It would have to slow down.

Fuck, no choice.

He pushed every bit of speed he had and shot through the gap.

Behind him came a thunderous crack as the bear simply shouldered through both trees instead, sending splinters exploding outward like shrapnel.

Luke glanced back.

Those crimson eyes hadn’t blinked once.

His lungs were burning, his side was screaming, and somewhere in the rational corner of his mind, a very calm voice that sounded exactly like Gustav told him the truth he already knew.

You’re not outrunning a predator that doesn’t hunt but toys.

Just then, his vision was filled with the status of the beast,

[Stats:

Level: 3

Strength: 40

Speed: 32

Defense: 48

Intelligence: 14]

[Host...this is a Level Three beast...you need to run!]

Fuck his life.