Chapter 146: Seventy Percent (2)

After all the arrangements were finished, Filmos and Jake stepped into the C-Rank dungeon rift located near Suran City.

The transition was instant. A freezing chill pierced right through their skin as they pressed forward into a harsh Snow Biome, their boots dragging heavily through the thick snow covering the path. The icy air bit so deeply into their systems that Filmos couldn’t stop shivering. He pulled his hands together and rubbed them frantically, blowing puffs of warm air into his cupped palms to find any bit of relief.

"We have not come prepared," Filmos said, his teeth chattering slightly.

"I know, right?" Jake replied, his breath pluming in the freezing air.

They shared a quick, quiet laugh to cut through the tension.

Soon, they reached a wide clearing that was still entirely blanketed in snow. The trees here were sparse, and they were only a few meters away from where they had entered the rift.

Both of them stopped and looked around, scanning the silent, white landscape.

"What did you feel when you contracted your beast?" Jake asked suddenly, turning his head toward Filmos. His eyes were full of genuine curiosity. "I heard that beasts from that shop were really different, and getting a contract with them happens in a unique way."

Filmos glanced over at Jake. The question made him pause. How had the contract actually happened?

He closed his eyes for a moment, replaying the exact scene and feeling from when he met the creature for the first time.

He remembered standing in the room as the shop attendant showed the beast to him in its smaller form. The second his eyes landed on it, an undeniable connection washed over him. It was as if time itself had completely stopped, freezing the rest of the world so that only the two of them existed in that space. He could feel the beast’s life force humming in tune with his own. A sudden, warm pulse in his chest urged him forward, pulling him closer to the creature.

He had loved that warm sensation. As he opened his heart and mind to the Green Anaconda, he knew instantly that the creature accepted him back. Sensing his true sincerity and his goals, the beast simply presented the contract directly to his soul. It was a wordless, instinctual bond, and Filmos was only just beginning to grasp what it truly meant.

"Uhm..."

Filmos opened his mouth to explain, struggling to find the right words to describe the intangible warmth and soul connection. But the words died in his throat.

A sudden, aggressive roar shattered the silence.

A giant, raging white bear burst into the clearing ahead of them. Its huge maws were twisted into a snarl, dripping with thick saliva, and its ragged fur was matted with decayed flesh. Its entire body was in a tattered, rotting condition.

"It’s a Rotting Polar Bear," Jake blurted out, his eyes widening as he stared at the monster. "It is said that before, when the world was at peace and rifts didn’t appear, there were white versions of bears in the arctic regions, in the northern and southern-most parts of the world. But when the world changed, the animal counterparts of these beasts went extinct. Some turned into monsters, and others just disappeared entirely."

Despite the danger, Filmos couldn’t help but be intrigued by the sudden history lesson. He blinked at his friend.

"Where did you get that information? That’s totally new to me."

"About that? I got it from the shop’s Beast Index," Jake explained, lifting his arm to show his wrist. "They shared it with me. Look, I have it installed in my digital watch."

Filmos leaned over and peeked over Jake’s shoulder. A bright holographic interface was floating above the device, displaying a clear rendering of the white bear along with lines of detailed descriptions and history scrolling underneath it.

Filmos gave a few quick nods of understanding. Reaching down to his belt, he pulled out his Pocket Sanctuary Card. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he summoned the Green Anaconda right away.

A bright flash of light faded to reveal the massive serpent resting on the snow. However, Filmos was completely unaware of a crucial flaw: in this freezing, icy biome, a cold-blooded Green Anaconda was at a massive natural disadvantage.

Jake, who was still scanning the holographic interface, caught the warning on the screen immediately. His face paled slightly.

"Hey, the Beast Index says that the Green Anaconda is at a huge disadvantage here because of the environmental aspects!" Jake called out, panic lacing his voice. "What should we do? Should I summon my beast instead?"

Filmos didn’t turn to look at Jake. He kept his posture straight and his gaze locked onto the Rotting Polar Bear ahead, standing firm with a sudden, quiet confidence.

"I don’t know, bro," Filmos said, his voice steady. "But I feel like I can defeat this beast."

Jake’s eyebrows pulled together in deep suspicion and disbelief. He stared at Filmos like he had lost his mind.

"You sure about that, bro? You don’t have to prove your seventy percent to anyone here."

"No," Filmos shook his head, his focus never wavering from the enemy. "I didn’t mean it just to prove something. I am confident. And so is the Green Anaconda."

Jake let out a breath, stepping a few paces backward into the deep snow. He shrugged his shoulders, but his tense posture and nervous eyes said differently. His hand hovered right over his own card holder, ready to summon his beast the very second things took a turn for the worse.

"I guess... you have to create a proper bond with your beast," Jake muttered softly, watching Filmos. "Fighting together grows that, and your beast will also grow stronger through it."

Filmos gave a firm nod.

With a silent command sent straight through their mental link, Filmos directed his companion forward. The Green Anaconda began to slither across the top of the frozen ground. It moved with impossible lightness, gliding over the ice smoothly as if its massive body carried no weight against the soft snow.

The Rotting Polar Bear let out a guttural roar and launched itself forward on all fours, churning up clods of ice as it charged.

As the bear lunged into striking distance, throwing its massive, blackened paws forward for a crushing blow, the Green Anaconda reacted in a flash. It slithered swiftly to the side, avoiding the incoming claws by mere inches.

In that split second of evasion, the serpent snapped its jaws open and sprayed a dense jet of green toxic liquid straight into the bear’s face and body.

The acidic venom struck the creature’s already decaying hide. Instantly, the Rotting Polar Bear let out a ear-piercing shriek of agony as the harsh burning sensation pierced through its flesh. The acidic liquid sizzled on contact, causing thick clumps of fur to deteriorate immediately with a loud, aggressive hiss as its skin dissolved.

Panicking from the sudden, overwhelming pain, the Rotting Polar Bear halted its attack entirely. It collapsed onto its side and rolled its massive body frantically across the icy ground, desperately trying to smother the green liquid with snow to stop the burning.

It did nothing. The toxicity was far too potent to comprehend. The venom ate deeper into its flesh, paralyzing its movements as the creature writhed helplessly in the snow.

Filmos stood frozen, completely out of words as he watched the scene unfold.

Beside him, Jake was just as speechless, his jaw dropped open in absolute shock. Neither of them had expected a single short spray of green toxic liquid to cause this level of destruction.

’What even was that?’ Jake thought, his heart hammering against his ribs in sheer awe and disbelief. ’That’s literally a one-shot, one-kill!’