I'm a Immortal Tavernkeeper, But My S-Rank Daughter Doesn't Know That!

"Hold on to this," Victor said, handing the bag of Noctiluria to Amanda. "Take good care of it. I don’t think we’ll find any others so easily in this forest."

Amanda took the bag, her fingers shaking slightly. She looked anxiously at Victor.

"Victor, be careful," she said, her voice a barely audible whisper. "I... I believe you."

Victor nodded, a small smile touching his lips. "I’ll be back soon," he promised, though he knew that facing the bear would be a more arduous task than he had expected in this forest.

With a decisive movement, he drew his sword; the metal gleaming with a cold, deadly light.

Amanda watched Victor prepare to leave the cave. She wanted to tell him not to go, to beg him to stay hidden, but she remembered how skillfully and courageously he had defeated the wolves. The confidence she felt in him grew, overcoming her fear. She knew that if anyone could take on this beast; it was Victor.

Victor moved slowly forward, his steps echoing softly off the cave walls. The entrance was dark, but he could see the silhouette of the bear prowling outside.

Sensing Victor’s approach, the bear let out a low growl when it saw him outside the cave, a sound that echoed through the cave like distant thunder. The creature turned slowly, its eyes blazing with an unwavering fury.

Victor raised his sword and prepared for battle.

"Come on, you monster," he muttered, his eyes fixed on the bear’s. "Let’s see what you’re made of."

The bear roared, a sound that shook the surrounding rocks. Victor was undeterred. He knew that the bear’s first attack would be decisive.

The monster advanced with the ferocity of a storm, and Victor planted his feet on the ground. He knew that the bear’s brute strength was overwhelming and that a single blow could be fatal, so he had to take it seriously.

With a swift movement, Victor kicked forward with his right leg and immediately stalagmites of stone emerged from the ground, forming a barrier between him and the bear. The impact of the animal against the stone was brutal, sending fragments flying in all directions. But the barrier only slowed the beast for a moment.

"I knew you wouldn’t give up so easily," Victor muttered, taking a few steps back, his body ready for the next onslaught.

The bear, enraged, roared again and lunged at Victor with even more force. Victor rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly claws. He stood up quickly, running his left hand over the blade, enveloping it in fire. With a yell, he unleashed a blow that cut through the air like a bolt of lightning and struck the side of the monster, which became even more enraged.

Victor took advantage of the beast’s stunned state to back away, but the bear was too angry and turned to bite him.

At that moment, Victor thrust his left hand forward and a violent gust of wind enveloped the bear, lifting leaves and dry branches around it and creating a curtain that obscured the animal’s vision. Victor knew he couldn’t hold off the storm for long; he needed a strategy that would guarantee a quick victory.

Victor felt sweat dripping down his temples as he held off the storm, his breathing heavy and erratic. He had used an absurd amount of den to change the states of the surrounding den so quickly, and he still had to think fast. The bear, confused by the curtain of leaves and branches, roared wildly, trying to find the enemy that had escaped. Victor used this slight advantage to take a few steps back and analyze the surrounding terrain.

Victor noticed a rise near the entrance, something he could use to his advantage. He needed to lure the bear to a place where he could use his sword more effectively, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to penetrate deeply with his sword.

"Come on, big guy," Victor muttered, slowly backing up to the rise he had noticed. "Come and get me."

The bear, finally breaking through the curtain of wind, fixed its furious eyes on Victor and advanced again, its heavy paws pounding the stone floor. Each step the monster took made the cave tremble, and Victor could feel the vibration running up his legs.

When the bear was only a few feet away, Victor acted. He raised his right hand and summoned a column of water from the ground and threw it directly at the creature’s face. The impact disoriented the bear for a moment, and the water enveloped the monster’s nostril, preventing it from breathing as its claws tried to rip the water apart.

He looked at the bear and saw it shaking its head, trying to get rid of the water. Victor knew he couldn’t give the monster a chance to fully recover. He needed a decisive blow.

With a cry of effort, Victor concentrated and used the ground again, causing the earth to rise again, but this time around the bear’s hind legs, temporarily immobilizing it. The bear was too focused on breathing to notice.

Victor knew he had to use all of his resources to win.

As he approached the bear, he channeled the power of fire and water simultaneously, enveloping his sword in a mixture of flame and steam. This was essentially tempering, a blacksmith’s technique used to make blades stronger and sharper.

With a silent movement, Victor struck a horizontal blow, cutting through the air with a high-pitched whistle. The steaming blade struck the bear’s flank, eliciting a scream of pain that probably echoed throughout the Lura Forest. The steam enveloped the wound, adding to the creature’s pain and confusion.

In a last, desperate effort, the bear managed to break through the stalagmites holding it down and leapt at Victor. The young warrior rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding its deadly claws. He knew he had to end this soon, for his body was beginning to show signs of exhaustion.

Victor raised his sword again, and this time drove it into the ground as a series of even larger and sharper stalagmites emerged from beneath the bear, piercing its belly, chest, neck and head.

The bear let out a low groan of pain as it died. As the stalagmites crumbled, its heavy body fell to the ground, shaking the earth.

Panting, Victor stood guard for a few more seconds, making sure the creature was truly defeated. When he finally felt that the danger had passed, he allowed himself to relax a little. His legs shook with fatigue, and he had to lean on his sword to keep from falling. The air in the cave was heavy, mixed with the smell of blood and sweat.

This hadn’t been a long battle, but Victor had used a lot of dens, especially the Transformation Den and the Manipulation Den at the same time. This was no simple task, and it took a lot of his physical, mental, and spiritual energy.

"Haa... Haa... This is why I don’t like to fight very big enemies." He said, panting.

After taking a deep breath, Victor put his sword back in its scabbard and slowly made his way into the cave. The echo of his boots was the only sound that filled the vast, damp room. He glanced back one last time to make sure the bear was truly dead before moving on.

"It’s safe out here, Amanda," he said as he entered the cave. "You can come out now."

But there was no response. Victor found this strange and frowned. After a few steps, he finally reached the place where Amanda should have been, but instead of finding her, Victor saw only an abandoned collection bag on the ground and a single Noctiluria resting there.

Victor knelt down beside the bag and quickly inspected it.

"Amanda?" He called again, trying to find any sign of her. The walls of the cave were cold and damp to the touch, and the cave ended only two meters ahead. It wasn’t a deep cave.

Victor picked up the Noctiluria and tucked it carefully into his belt.

"She wouldn’t leave without telling me," he thought aloud, trying to rationalize the situation. "Did she leave the cave during the battle? No... I would have seen her."

Amanda’s disappearance was mysterious, but it was obvious that she was no longer in the cave. So Victor got up and turned around to leave.

But when he came out of the mouth of the cave, he was surprised by Amanda’s presence outside. She was standing still, looking closely at the body of Nostras Bear.

"Amanda, how did you...?"

"Thank you for today, Victor." She said, touching the bear’s gray fur. "It’s a shame it’s over so quickly."

Victor frowned, and at that moment he felt a different vibe coming from Amanda. Normally he had to close his eyes to feel with Den the different energies that each living being radiated, as if he had to give up one sense to sharpen the others, but that wasn’t necessary at this moment. Amanda radiated the same energy as the strange, subtle presence he had felt upon entering the Lura Forest.