Chapter 55: Poison

The moment Gopuran came crashing down from above, her poison-coated sword plunged into the giant bear’s neck with a sickening thud!

The beast let out a piercing, agony-filled roar that tore through the forest.

"ROOOOAAAGH!!!"

Dark, steaming blood burst from the wound and splattered across the surrounding leaves.

For a brief moment, it looked like a perfect strike.

Then Gopuran’s expression changed. The wound was not deep enough.

"Fuck... its body is too tough!"

The bear’s thick hide and powerful muscles had absorbed most of the force behind the attack. Even after Gopuran drove the blade in with everything she had, the sword had penetrated only around ten centimeters.

It was nowhere near deep enough to reach anything vital.

Gopuran gritted her teeth and tried to force the sword farther in.

It did not move.

It felt like she was trying to drive a stick through solid stone.

Still, she refused to let go.

Gopuran clung tightly to the sword’s handle, her small body nearly swallowed by the monster’s enormous frame. One hand remained locked around the hilt while the other sank deep into its thick fur, using the beast itself as an anchor.

Every muscle in her body strained as she poured all her strength into maintaining her grip.

The giant bear suddenly reared up.

Then it twisted violently. ℴℴ𝘮

Its massive body whipped from side to side, trying to throw her off.

Its claws gouged deep furrows into the earth as it thrashed and bucked like a creature gone completely berserk.

But Gopuran held on.

She was shaken so violently that her entire body was nearly torn from the bear’s back, yet her fingers never loosened.

The more the bear struggled, the tighter she held.

Unable to dislodge her, the beast grew even more furious.

With a bloodcurdling snarl, it suddenly charged toward a nearby tree.

Gopuran’s eyes widened.

It’s going to crush her!

"PURAN!!!" I screamed, praying that she would react in time.

The bear accelerated, its enormous body barreling toward the thick trunk.

BOOOOM!

The impact was monstrous.

The tree exploded apart as the bear slammed into it!

But thankfully, Gopuran was no longer there.

At the very last instant, she kicked off the bear’s back and launched herself away. Her body flipped through the air before she landed several steps behind the beast in a low crouch.

The giant bear rolled twice across the forest floor before finally digging its claws into the dirt and forcing itself upright.

Then it spun around.

Its eyes were bloodshot, blazing with murderous fury.

Blood continued to drip from the wound in its neck, running through its black fur and staining it dark and wet.

Every ounce of its murderous attention now locked onto Gopuran.

"RUN!" Gopuran shouted toward the other goblins.

And yet, they did not move. They were still frozen in shock and fear.

The evolved goblin stood there like a green statue, while the others stared at the raging monster with wide, terrified eyes.

Gopuran clicked her tongue.

"RUN! QUICK!!!"

Her second shout cracked through the clearing with enough force to finally break their paralysis.

The goblins jolted into motion.

They turned and fled into the forest, stumbling over roots and crashing through the undergrowth as they desperately tried to put as much distance between themselves and the monster as possible.

The bear immediately noticed them, its massive shoulders tensed.

For one heart-stopping moment, I thought it would abandon Gopuran and chase after the fleeing goblins.

If so, that would be bad...

However, instead, it lowered its body.

And again, it charged straight at Gopuran.

Rumble!

RUMBLE!!!

The ground shook beneath its thunderous footsteps as the giant bear barreled forward like a living avalanche.

Gopuran did not retreat.

She waited.

Closer.

Closer.

The bear was almost upon her.

Its enormous paw swung toward her head.

At the very last possible moment, Gopuran moved.

She sprang upward with all the strength in her powerful legs.

A powerful jump. Far higher than I had expected.

Her small body sailed cleanly over the bear’s head, passing just above its snapping jaws and slashing claws.

She twisted in midair and landed behind it, rolling across the ground to absorb the impact.

The bear skidded to a halt.

Then, almost immediately, it spun around.

Perfect.

Its attention remained completely fixed on Gopuran, not the other goblins.

"Very good, Puran!" I shouted. "Keep its aggro on you! Just wait until the poison takes effect!"

For the first time since the fight began, I could finally see a path to victory.

Everything was going according to plan.

The giant bear lunged again.

Gopuran sidestepped at the last moment.

One massive claw swept through the space where her body had been only a heartbeat earlier.

BOOM!

The ground exploded beneath the impact.

Gopuran continued to move.

She sprinted between the trees.

The bear turned and came after her.

Another charge.

Another crushing swipe.

Another narrow escape.

Again.

And again.

Every time the bear seemed certain to catch her, Gopuran slipped away at the final instant.

The giant bear was incredibly fast. But Gopuran was faster.

"Keep it up, Puran!"

Against something this huge and powerful, direct confrontation was pure suicide. But once the poison took effect, we would finally have a chance to counterattack.

However...

Ten seconds passed.

Then twenty.

Then thirty.

Every single second felt like an eternity.

I watched in growing anxiety, my nonexistent adrenaline practically rocketing as I wondered when the hell that poison was supposed to take effect.

The thick purple venom should already have been coursing through the bear’s bloodstream.

So why was it still moving?

Why did it still look so full of savage energy?

Could it be that... this bear is immune to poison?

The thought sent a chill through me.

I really hoped that wasn’t the case.

The beast continued roaring and thrashing in blind fury. Its claws tore chunks of bark from tree trunks and gouged deep, ragged trenches into the forest floor with every furious swing.

But then, finally, after nearly forty agonizing seconds...

It happened.

Its movements began to slow.

The bear staggered, its massive body swaying from side to side as if the entire forest had suddenly begun spinning around it. It shook its head, desperately trying to fight off the dizziness, but its footing grew increasingly unstable. Its legs trembled beneath its enormous weight.

"Yes! It’s working!" I exclaimed in delight.

Still, this was not the time to rush in.

One mistake here, and Gopuran would die.

Gopuran seemed to understand that as well.

She bent down and picked up the sword she had dropped earlier. She raised her small shield with her other hand, keeping it ready for an emergency, while her eyes never left the bear.

A few seconds later, the giant bear finally gave in.

Its legs trembled as it struggled to take another step.

One step.

Then another.

Its massive body suddenly lurched sideways.

And then it collapsed.

THUD!

The enormous beast crashed into a tree, its body slumping heavily against the trunk.

But even then, Gopuran did not move.

She waited.

One second.

Two seconds.

Five seconds...

She waited until she was certain it was safe to approach.

Then, after another five full seconds, Gopuran finally charged forward.

With a fierce battle cry, she raised her sword and unleashed her skill.

"WIND BLADE!"

SLASH!

A compressed blade of wind tore through the air and slammed directly into the bear’s face!

At such close range, the attack had almost no time to lose power.

Blood splashed across its fur.

"WIND BLADE!"

SLASH!

Another blade of wind struck the exact same spot.

Then another.

"WIND BLADEEEE!"

Three consecutive Wind Blades crashed into the bear’s face!

Blood spurted from the damaged area. But still, the strikes still couldn’t penetrate through the skull...

Damn! Its skull is so thick!

Or rather, her attack was simply not powerful enough!

If only Gopuran had something with more destructive power...

If only she had Gopuro’s E-Tier Iron Axe!

Suddenly, another idea struck me.

"PURAN! ATTACK ITS EYES!"

"YES!"

Without hesitation, Gopuran changed her target.

She drove her sword straight into one of the bear’s eye sockets.

POP!

The blade pierced deep, and Gopuran twisted it viciously before pulling it free.

Blood splashed across her face as the bear’s eye was destroyed.

"GOOD! NOW THE OTHER EYE!"

Gopuran immediately turned toward the remaining eye.

But before Gopuran could strike...

The bear suddenly moved.

Its massive body twitched, then its remaining bloodshot eye snapped open.

"WATCH OUT, PURAN!"