Chapter 227 — The Road to Conquest

Deep within the Southern Region of the Ancient Forest, Evan was moving at full speed.

The deeper he went, the more obvious it became that he had entered the true territory of the Terra Bears. Massive claw marks scarred the rocky ground, shattered minerals were scattered around the hills, and the distant roars of bears echoed through the region at irregular intervals.

Yet Evan didn't stop to fight any of them.

Not one.

He wasn't here to waste time clearing ordinary Terra Bears.

He was looking for their ruler.

The Ironhide Bear.

After travelling deeper into the region, Evan finally discovered something unusual.

A massive tunnel had been carved into the center of the rocky landscape. Its entrance was wide enough for several Terra Bears to enter simultaneously, and numerous bears could be seen moving in and out of it.

Evan slowed down.

His eyes narrowed as he observed the area from a distance.

'That's probably it.'

If there was a central territory for the Terra Bears, this was almost certainly where the Ironhide Bear resided.

But charging inside blindly wasn't something Evan intended to do.

He turned around and retreated from the central area.

After travelling far enough that the number of bears around him dropped considerably, Evan finally stopped on top of a small heap of stones.

He sat down and opened the System.

Several notifications he hadn't been able to inspect earlier appeared before him.

[You've slain Terra Bear ×1...]

[Condition satisfied...]

[New Linked Mission Generated...]

[Mission: Defeat the Southern Region Boss: Ironhide Bear]

[Description: You have entered the Southern Region of the Ancient Forest. By killing a member of the Region's dominant species, you have initiated a conflict with its ruler.

Aiming to dominate, you've begun the conflict with the Region Ruler.

Defeat the Terra Bear Herd and the Ironhide Bear to gain control over this Region, bringing you one step closer to the Path of Tyrant.]

[Reward:

•Determined by Challenger's Performance]

Evan stared at the notification for a moment.

'So the Trial has already registered it.'

That meant the Ironhide Bear was almost certainly aware of his presence now.

And if the Trial had specifically classified it as a Region Boss, there was no reason to underestimate it.

The Goblin settlement had already taught Evan what happened when he treated an enemy territory too casually.

He wasn't going to repeat that mistake.

"I'll need to prepare first."

Evan reached into his Storage Space.

A massive body appeared on the rocky ground.

The corpse of the Terra Bear occupied almost the entire space around him.

Evan looked at it for a moment.

He had been thinking about something since he obtained the corpse.

There was only one way to find out if it would work.

He raised his hand.

[Raise Undead]

Necrotic mana poured from his body and entered the corpse.

The dead Terra Bear suddenly twitched.

Its muscles contracted.

Its massive body violently trembled as the energy spread through its flesh and bones.

A moment later, its eyes opened.

There was no life within them.

Only a dark green flame burned inside its empty eye sockets.

THUD!

The undead Terra Bear pushed itself off the ground and stood upright.

Despite being resurrected, its flesh remained intact.

The enormous beast simply stood there, staring at Evan.

Waiting.

Evan looked at it with interest.

"Jump down."

The Terra Bear immediately obeyed.

It leapt from the stone formation and landed below with a heavy impact.

BOOM!

The ground trembled.

Evan's eyes narrowed slightly.

Its physical strength hadn't weakened that much after becoming an undead.

"Punch that rock."

The Terra Bear turned toward a nearby stone pillar.

Its massive arm pulled back.

Then it swung.

BOOOOOOM!

The claw struck the stone.

The entire pillar exploded.

Fragments of rock blasted in every direction.

Evan's expression instantly changed.

He jumped backwards as several large chunks flew toward him.

"Are you empty above?!"

He stopped halfway through his shout.

Evan stared at the undead bear's empty eye sockets.

"...Of course you are."

The bear didn't react.

It simply stood there.

Evan sighed.

Still, the result was more than satisfactory.

The attack power of the undead Terra Bear was impressive.

"Come here."

One of Evan's Skeletons emerged from his Storage Space.

The Skeleton immediately drew its weapon and charged.

CLANG!

Its blade cut into the Terra Bear's flesh.

A shallow wound appeared.

No blood flowed.

The undead bear didn't even flinch.

Evan nodded.

'Its durability is still there, and pain doesn't affect it anymore.'

"Hit it."

The Terra Bear raised its enormous paw.

The Skeleton barely had time to react.

BOOOOM!

The claw smashed into its body.

The Skeleton was launched through the air and crashed into a stone pillar.

CRACK!

The pillar was covered in fractures.

The Skeleton dropped to the ground.

For a moment, it remained motionless.

Then its bones moved.

It stood back up.

Evan's eyes narrowed slightly.

'Not bad.'

A normal Skeleton couldn't compete with a Terra Bear in raw strength.

But that wasn't important.

He had numbers.

And as his enemies fell, his army would only continue growing.

Evan raised his hand.

[Necro Heal]

Necrotic energy spread over both undead.

The wounds on the Skeleton and Terra Bear rapidly recovered.

Evan immediately stored them.

"Good enough."

He stood up.

"Let's raise a few more before facing the boss."

Evan spread his senses across the surrounding region.

A disturbance caught his attention.

Several hundred meters away.

He immediately leapt from the rocks.

His body crossed the terrain rapidly.

After carefully searching the area, Evan finally spotted them.

Two Terra Bears were wandering between the rocky formations.

Evan stopped above a stone pillar.

The two beasts immediately noticed him.

Both raised their heads.

ROOOARRR!

The larger Terra Bear suddenly charged.

Its massive body climbed over the rocky terrain with surprising speed, rapidly closing the distance.

Evan didn't move.

He calmly watched it approach.

The bear reached the stone pillar.

Its massive paw rose.

ROARRR!

It swung toward him.

But Evan had already prepared.

Several sharp ice spikes had formed above him.

With a thought, they launched downward.

SHHHK! SHHHK! SHHHK!

The ice spikes pierced through the bear's raised paw and continued into its shoulder.

CRACK!

The momentum of the attack was broken instantly.

The Terra Bear screamed.

ROOOAAARRR!

Its enormous body lost balance and crashed onto the ground.

BOOM!

The second bear immediately rushed toward its fallen companion.

It looked at Evan.

Then at the wounded bear.

Its eyes filled with aggression.

Another roar exploded from its throat.

ROOOARRR!

The beast charged the stone pillar.

Its claws tore through the rock.

Evan jumped.

At the same moment, Crimson Edge ignited with flames.

He swung downward.

BOOOOM!

A flaming slash crashed into the ground.

The Terra Bear narrowly escaped the center of the attack.

But the impact still sent rocks and debris flying into its body.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The beast staggered.

Evan landed beside it.

The second Terra Bear immediately lunged.

Its claws came straight toward Evan's head.

Evan didn't retreat.

His eyes remained cold.

Crimson Edge moved.

But this time, no flames appeared.

Instead, darkness erupted from the blade.

A black crescent tore through the air.

[Dark Slash]

Evan's eyes narrowed.

'Dark Slash.'

It was one of the class skills he had obtained through plundering.

A powerful Dark Element attack carrying several corrupted effects and debuffs.

Its greatest weakness had always been its consumption.

More than 1,000 MP per use.

Before recovering his strength, using it repeatedly would have been impossible.

Now...

Evan looked at the remaining mana in his body.

His expression became faintly amused.

'Now I can finally afford to use it.'

The black crescent of Dark Slash tore through the air and headed straight toward the charging Terra Bear.

The beast instinctively raised both paws to defend itself.

It was useless.

BOOOOOOM!

The Dark Element crashed into its limbs with terrifying force. Flesh was violently ripped apart, blood spraying across the rocky ground as the attack tore through both paws and continued into its chest.

The Terra Bear's massive body was thrown backwards.

It crashed heavily against the ground, its eyes becoming dull as the corruption spread through its body.

Evan's eyes narrowed.

'It fell into a debuff state. This is my chance.'

He immediately rushed forward.

His target was the first Terra Bear, which had finally managed to recover from the earlier attack and was forcing itself back onto its feet.

The moment it saw Evan approaching, its expression changed.

Flames erupted across Crimson Edge.

The Terra Bear released a furious roar.

But this time, something unexpected happened.

Its front paws began changing.

Earth Elemental energy surged through its limbs, rapidly covering them in a thick layer of hardened earth that extended all the way toward its shoulders.

The transformation didn't stop there.

Its claws grew.

Longer.

Thicker.

Sharper.

Within seconds, each claw had become almost twice its original size, resembling enormous blades of stone attached to its paws.

Evan's eyes narrowed.

'So it can do that.'

He didn't hesitate.

The moment he reached the beast, Crimson Edge swung.

The Terra Bear swung its transformed paw at exactly the same time.

CLANG!

The two attacks collided.

A violent shockwave exploded between them.

Evan was pushed several meters backwards while the Terra Bear stumbled in the opposite direction.

For the first time since the battle began, Evan's expression changed.

'It matched me?'

A faint pain travelled through his wrist.

He glanced down for half a second before looking back at the beast.

The hardened earth covering the Terra Bear's paw was already covered in cracks.

Then it shattered completely.

CRACK!

Fragments of earth fell from its limb.

Evan's gaze sharpened.

The transformation had allowed the beast to match his strength for a single exchange, but it clearly couldn't withstand Crimson Edge for long.

His attention shifted toward the second Terra Bear.

The beast was slowly getting back onto its feet despite the devastating damage from Dark Slash.

Its front paws were badly injured, blood pouring from the wounds, yet its eyes remained filled with desperation.

Evan's shadow suddenly stirred and extended.

Five figures emerged from within it.

Four Skeletons.

And behind them...

A massive Terra Bear covered in dark green flames.

The undead Terra Bear released a deep roar.

ROOOOOARRR!

The sound shook the surrounding rocks.

Both living Terra Bears froze for an instant.

Even they seemed confused by the sight of their own kind standing among Evan's forces.

Evan didn't give them time to recover.

"Deal with that one."

The four Skeletons and the undead Terra Bear immediately charged the injured Terra Bear.

The wounded beast roared and swung its damaged paws desperately, trying to fight back despite its injuries.

The Skeletons surrounded it from different directions while the undead Terra Bear attacked directly from the front.

Bones shattered.

Claws tore through flesh.

Blood splattered across the rocky ground.

The battle quickly became chaotic.

Evan didn't interfere.

He had already chosen his target.

He raised one hand.

Earth Elemental energy gathered beneath his feet.

BOOM!

A thick wall of earth erupted from the ground, separating the two battles.

The second Terra Bear disappeared behind the newly formed barrier.

Now there was only Evan and the first Terra Bear.

The beast stared at him with rage.

It roared and charged.

Its enormous claws swept toward Evan's chest.

Evan stepped aside.

The first claw passed beside his body.

The second followed immediately.

He ducked beneath it.

A third strike came from the opposite direction.

Evan leaned backwards.

The claw passed only centimeters from his face.

His eyes remained calm.

'I'm finally catching up.'

Before, even avoiding attacks like these required his complete concentration.

Now, his body reacted almost naturally.

The difference between his current condition and the time when the Curse had suppressed him was enormous.

The Terra Bear attacked again.

Evan slipped past the claws.

Then his body disappeared.

The beast's eyes widened.

Evan reappeared directly beside its legs.

Crimson Edge ignited.

SLASH!

The flaming blade cut into the back of its knee.

The Terra Bear's leg buckled.

It roared and desperately tried to maintain its balance.

Evan didn't allow it to recover.

He moved behind the beast and leapt onto its back.

His hand locked around the back of its head.

The Terra Bear violently shook its body, attempting to throw him off.

Evan tightened his grip.

At the same time, flames erupted from his palm.

Fire intertwined.

The beast's head was engulfed.

BOOOOOOM!

Flames exploded across its skull.

The Terra Bear roared desperately and thrashed from side to side.

Its massive claws tore through the ground as it struggled to escape.

But Evan held firm.

The flames continued burning.

Within only a few seconds, the beast's movements became weaker.

Its roar faded into a low growl.

Then its enormous body suddenly went limp.

THUD!

The Terra Bear collapsed.

Evan released its head and jumped down.

He turned toward the earth wall.

The battle on the other side was still continuing.

Evan walked around the barrier and stopped.

His eyes immediately landed on the scene.

All four Skeletons were still standing.

They were battered and covered in cracks, but none had been destroyed.

The undead Terra Bear was also still standing.

Its body was covered in wounds, but its dark green flames continued burning within its eye sockets.

The living Terra Bear was in much worse condition.

Its front paws had already been torn apart by repeated attacks, and its entire body was covered in wounds.

It was barely standing.

Evan didn't interfere. He simply watched.

The undead bear lunged forward.

The wounded Terra Bear desperately raised its damaged paw.

BOOM!

The undead claw struck its chest.

The Terra beast staggered backwards.

The Skeletons immediately attacked from the sides.

The Terra Bear fought desperately.

For several more minutes, the two sides continued clashing.

Until finally...

The living beast collapsed.

The undead Terra Bear's claw had pierced directly through its chest.

The enormous body hit the ground.

Silence returned to the rocky region.

Evan exhaled slowly.

'I didn't expect two ordinary Terra Bears to give me this much trouble.'

His gaze moved toward the two corpses.

Then a thought appeared in his mind.

'If these two can already cause this much trouble, the Ironhide Bear is going to be much worse.'

He needed more forces.

A lot more.

Evan raised his hand.

[Raise Undead]

Necrotic energy poured into both corpses.

Their bodies immediately began twitching.

Bones moved beneath flesh.

Muscles contracted.

The dead Terra Bears slowly pushed themselves off the ground.

Dark green flames ignited within their empty eye sockets.

One after another, the two newly resurrected undead bears stood among Evan's forces.

Evan looked at the three massive undead Terra Bears surrounding him.

A plan finally began forming in his mind.

"Hmmm..."

He crossed his arms.

"I have a plan now."

His eyes moved toward the Skeletons.

"Go. Search for any Terra Bear packs you can find, whether they're small or large in number. Find me the stronger ones."

The four Skeletons immediately split apart.

They dashed in four different directions, disappearing into the rocky terrain.

Evan watched them leave.

'If I want to challenge the Ironhide Bear, I need enough powerful summons to hold back its forces.'

He couldn't simply charge into that tunnel with a few hundred ordinary Skeletons.

The Ironhide Bear ruled this entire region for a reason.

He needed an army capable of fighting the Terra Bears head-on.

While waiting, Evan turned toward his undead bears.

Their bodies were covered with injuries from the previous battles.

Evan raised his hand.

[Necro Heal]

Necrotic energy spread across the three undead bears.

Their wounds rapidly closed, broken flesh knitting itself back together as their bodies returned to fighting condition.

Evan waited.

Only a few minutes passed.

Then suddenly...

BOOM!

A faint disturbance came from the western direction.

Evan's expression changed.

He turned toward the source.

One of his Skeletons had been destroyed.

The connection between them had vanished.

'Only about a hundred meters...'

Evan's eyes narrowed.

That was enough.

Whatever had destroyed his summon was probably strong enough to be worth investigating.

He immediately moved.

His body shot across the rocky terrain toward the west.

His undead bears followed behind him.

The further Evan went, the sharper his expression became.

His objective was no longer simply to kill the Ironhide Bear.

He was going to build an army strong enough to tear down everything standing between him and the ruler of this region.

And somewhere in the center of the Southern Region...

The Ironhide Bear was waiting.

__

A/N: Hi everyone, the author here. I hope you're all enjoying the story. I'm doing my best to maintain good pacing and regular updates. I hope you'll enjoy it even more as the story progresses.