NOVPUBChapter 320: Chapter 288 I’m Set on Eating This Bear Paw!_2
When that white figure reappeared, it could be identified as a robust and towering Ice Storm Bear.
The Ice Storm Bear, a creature from the Northern regions, was an Extraordinary Magical Beast. An adult Ice Storm Bear typically reached the power of Silver High Rank.
As an Extraordinary Magical Beast, Ice Storm Bears normally didn’t need to hibernate like common bears, but they seldom ventured out, preferring to spend the winter in seclusion and only wandering in search of food.
The Ice Storm Bear was strong, its snowy fur glossy and slick, showing no signs of hunger or weakness despite the onset of winter.
It was unclear who had provoked one of the Northern territory’s advanced predators.
The Ice Storm Bear shook its head, pulling it from the snow-covered soil, and its small eyes burned with rage as it searched for the person who had disturbed its rest.
...
Just then, from the shadows behind the Ice Storm Bear, a dark figure burst forth, its hand gleaming with the chill light of a Dagger thrust fiercely towards the nape of the bear’s neck.
The dagger stabbed harshly into the fur of the Ice Storm Bear’s neck, which emitted a slight white glow, but contrary to the attacker’s expectations, the fur wasn’t pierced.
The dagger seemed to have struck a layer of ice, sliding off the tip without causing any real harm.
Only then did the Ice Storm Bear realize what had happened and angrily turned around, its immense body swinging a Bear Paw towards the attacker.
Seeing this, the attacker didn’t linger, swiftly dodging away from the Ice Storm Bear’s attack with ease and landing on a nearby pine tree.
“Tsk, quite troublesome!”
The attacker was Lis, who had entered Corea Hills for training and was currently hunting this Silver High Rank Ice Storm Bear.
“That must be the Ice Storm Bear’s Talent Skill, [Frost Armor]. Indeed, it’s quite troublesome.”
In the brief exchange, Lis had truly felt the Ice Storm Bear’s formidable defense — tough bear skin combined with naturally mastered Ice Magic Skills. His attacks, simple as they were, could hardly penetrate the Ice Storm Bear’s defense.
“With the Blue Ball Skill, I could easily break through this Ice Armor, but…”
“This way it’s more interesting, isn’t it?”
Lis curled his lips upward, choosing not to take out his Magic Wand; instead, he reversed his grip on the dagger in his right hand, squatting slightly to gather strength.
The Ice Storm Bear quickly located Lis and, with a roar, a blue ice ball radiating cold air formed in front of it and hurled towards him.
Boom!
The pine tree Lis stood on cracked into pieces under the Ice Storm Bear’s attack, but Lis was already gone.
Among Magic Beasts of a similar rank, the Ice Storm Bear’s defense was very strong, and its offensive capability was not weak either. Its only shortcoming was its slow speed.
Or, to be precise, low agility.
It could possibly match others of its rank in a straight sprint, but in combat and short-range maneuvers, it seemed a bit clumsy.
Since Lis had not chosen to use the power of Spells and instead relied on his close-combat ability, he naturally had to take full advantage of this weakness.
The black figure suddenly appeared to the left of the Ice Storm Bear, deftly raising its wrist as the dagger’s tip aimed for the bear’s eyes.
If your skin is thick, then target the parts your fur does not cover!
But the Ice Storm Bear wasn’t so easily overcome.
Though slow, the Ice Storm Bear managed to shut its eyes in response.
The same white light appeared where the Ice Storm Bear’s eyes were located.
Just like before, Lis’s dagger was deflected once again.
The Ice Storm Bear’s innate ability [Ice Armor] bore some resemblance to a Mage’s Spell [Deflection Force Field].
There were generally two types of Protection Magic used by Mages.
One type was Shield-based Protection Magic, like the Four Rings Magic [Advanced Elemental Shield], which would directly absorb attacks until the Shield’s energy was depleted.
The second type was of the refraction variety, akin to the Four Rings Magic [Strong Deflection Field], which constructed a special force field to redirect attacks away from the user.
This second type of Protection Magic was more targeted at defending against physical attacks.
So, the situation with the Ice Storm Bear presented Lis with a neither big nor small challenge.
Lis didn’t stop moving due to his attack missing again, his calm gaze showing he had anticipated this outcome.
He stored the dagger in his Space Ring, and a thick black steel Shield appeared in his hands.
—————–
[You have switched weapons, [All Techniques Return to Storage – Lis] effect triggered!]
[You enter the [Return to Storage] Status, Skill damage increased by 10%.]
—————–
This Shield was specially chosen by Lis when he left Bright City.
It didn’t have any Enchantments, nor did it boast any special effects.
This shield had only two distinguishing features, one was solid, and the other, heavy.
Even for Lis, a silver-level warrior, using this shield normally required both hands.
Now, because the shield appeared on Lis’ right hand, it was positioned above the Ice Storm Bear’s head.
Although Lis wasn’t holding the shield with both hands, his proficiency in warrior’s basic combat skills had been elevated to an intermediate shield mastery, allowing him to control the shield with ease and fiercely smash it on the face of the Ice Storm Bear.
Warrior Battle Skill: Shield Slam!
Unlike a hammer, the shield’s massive area made it impossible for the Ice Storm Bear to dodge, and it took the hit squarely.
The Ice Storm Bear, dazed by the blow to the head, roared in pain, further triggering its animalistic rage.
Roar~ Roar~ Roar!
With continuous raging roars, the Ice Storm Bear totally lost it, its scant battle intelligence vanished, and it began to swing its massive body, attacking indiscriminately in all directions.
Lis naturally didn’t have the habit of standing still and taking a beating; he quickly stowed the shield and retreated to a distance.
A flash of light from the storage ring on his hand, and a longbow appeared in Lis’s grasp.
After acquiring the specialty: All Techniques Return to Storage – Lis, and establishing this unique combat style, Lis had specifically prepared this space ring to store weapons prepared for himself.
Even the placement of the weapons within the ring was meticulously organized by Lis, all to minimize the weapon-switching time during combat and achieve a smooth transition.
Lis looked at the rampaging Ice Storm Bear not far away, unleashing its fury within the hilly forest.
“No wonder it’s called an Ice Storm Bear, the name is quite fitting.”
Deliberately drawing the longbow, the arrow in Lis’s hand gradually became surrounded by a green glow.
Hunter Battle Skills: Gale Arrow!
The green glow streaked across the sky, striking the Ice Storm Bear’s crimson left eye with precision.
A mix of painful and angry roars rose again, causing Lis’s ears some discomfort.
“Does this Ice Storm Bear have some kind of sonic ability?”
Lis shook his head, stowed the longbow, and drew out his slightly damaged longsword.
Watching the Ice Storm Bear charge towards him, Lis felt his blood begin to boil.
Within Ice Peak City, there were too many strong individuals; with Lis’s abilities as a warrior and hunter, he could not guarantee he would avoid the scrutiny of others.
Throughout the process, Lis relied on his magical abilities to scheme in the shadows.
While arcane secrets were sufficiently alluring, Lis was ambitious and didn’t wish to forgo progress in other professional abilities.
What’s more…
Melee combat was the most exhilarating, wasn’t it?
Assassin Skill: Shadow Shuffling!
Clutching his longsword, Lis appeared behind the Ice Storm Bear, rising up with a sword aimed straight for its neck.
Under the Ice Storm Bear’s loss of reason, the defense of its Frost Armor began to weaken.
Lis’s longsword slashed deeply into the neck of the Ice Storm Bear, only to be halted by its dense muscles and solid bones.
Even his longsword got firmly stuck.
Without hesitation, Lis let go of the longsword and retreated backward.
Looking at the Ice Storm Bear behind him, a sword protruding from its neck and eyes blood-red, Lis smiled and took out a brand-new black longsword, then charged at the Ice Storm Bear.
Today, I’m determined to feast on this bear paw!
…
The sky had already darkened, and within a cave in the hilly forest,
The orange glow of the fire cooled this part of the cave, and two huge, hairless bear paws were skewered on branches, sizzling with oil over the flames.
Lis turned the Ice Storm Bear’s paws and carefully sprinkled salt and spices onto them from his storage ring.
Soon, a captivating aroma of meat permeated the entire cave.
This Ice Storm Bear was in its prime of life, strong and powerful.
The quality of its paws was also excellent, surely a rare delicacy of this land.
The firewood for the campfire was pine, burning with a faint scent of pine resin, adding an extra layer of flavor.
Lis continued to BBQ without pause but then spoke up suddenly,
“Friends outside, since you’ve come, why not join me in enjoying this delicacy?”
