The Age of Horrors

Basil had spent the past week honing his senses and reflexes, preparing for another encounter with the Deep Bear. The creatures he’d faced so far were no longer a challenge for him.

Now, he was finally facing the Deep Bear again, excited to see how much stronger he had become.

They reached the bear’s lair, and the Master lit up the place again, but Basil requested to keep it dark this time. He didn’t want to rely on the light. He was eager to test how sharp his senses had become.

The Master approached the bear and bound it with wind magic. Like before, he ordered it not to use any magic. Afterward, he stepped back, and Basil positioned himself, ready for the fight.

The Deep Bear was ready too. Basil charged toward the bear, disappearing from its sight as he approached.

Boom!

A swift kick landed on the bear’s left side, making it roar in pain. Without giving the bear a moment to recover, Basil leaped forward and kicked it again in the same spot. The bear coughed up some blood, got back on all fours, and tried to put some distance between itself and Basil.

A look of satisfaction spread across Basil’s face. It seemed the bear was no longer a threat to him. Clenching his fists, he moved forward, and this time the bear didn’t just wait for him. It charged with its horns aimed directly at Basil.

Seeing the bear coming, Basil leaped into the air and attempted to land a strike on its head, but the bear blocked it with its paw. The force of the collision sent Basil flying back a little.

“Alright, I shouldn’t forget it learns while fighting. This won’t be as easy as the other beasts,” Basil muttered. His strength had increased significantly since arriving in the Dark Abyss Valley, where even the monsters like the dark bats and gnawing rats were no longer a challenge. He could wipe them out regardless of their numbers.

But the Deep Bear was different. Magical beasts were smarter than regular monsters, and the higher their magic level, the smarter they became. The bear had an ability that nullified a second use of the same move against it, allowing it to devise counter-strategies.

Basil began circling the area, moving faster than before, to the point where the bear couldn’t keep up with him. Suddenly, a rapid series of kicks landed on the bear's right side and then its head, knocking it out cold.

Basil smiled with satisfaction. He had managed to defeat the Deep Bear without taking a hit and in much less time than before. He turned to the Master, respectfully requesting, “Master, I think I’m ready to face it at full strength. When it wakes up, please order it to use its full power.”

The Master nodded, and Basil grew excited about finally facing the bear’s magic head-on.

Hours passed, during which the Master prepared some food, which he shared with Basil. After they finished eating, the bear woke up, fully healed. The Master approached it and placed his hand on its head. The bear seemed docile in the Master’s presence as he instructed, “From now on, use all your strength. Your life depends on it.”

The Master stepped back, and Basil moved forward, getting into position. The moment he did, a sharp stone pillar shot up from the ground, aimed directly at him.

Basil leaped back just in time, avoiding the pillar. As soon as his feet touched the ground, the Deep Bear charged at him with its horns. Basil dodged the attack by jumping again and continued evading the bear’s charges for a while.

After some time, Basil dashed toward the bear, but another pillar suddenly appeared in his path. He narrowly dodged it, but his shirt got torn in the process.

Stepping back, he inspected his torn shirt. “If I had been a second slower—no, even a moment slower—my side would’ve been torn apart too.”

“These pillars are dangerous,” he thought. “I need to understand how they work if I want to come up with a counter-strategy. From what I’ve seen so far, the pillars are about three meters long. He had multiple chances to kill me if he used more than one at a time, but he didn’t. That probably means he can only create one pillar at a time. Still, I need to figure out when he uses his magic to attack effectively.”

Basil decided to test the bear's magic while dodging its attacks, analyzing the situation and gathering as much information as possible.

He threw rocks at the bear, who shattered each one with its steel-like horns. When Basil ran out of rocks, he charged again, but this time, the bear headbutted him, sending him flying into the wall. Blood spewed from Basil's mouth, and he struggled to stand, his left side severely damaged from the impact. If he hadn’t jumped back in time, he would’ve been dead. The bear’s horns had barely pierced him, causing minor but still significant injuries.

The bear moved to attack again, but the Master commanded, “Stop.” The bear froze in its tracks, and Basil let out a sigh of relief. He was unable to move due to the shock of the blow.

The Master approached Basil and gave him a healing elixir, which knocked Basil out as soon as he drank it. Hours passed before he woke up again.

“You’re finally awake,” the Master said, sitting nearby. “Tell me, what have you learned about the bear’s abilities?”

Holding his head, Basil responded, “Alright…”

He explained what he had learned from the fight, and after a while, the Master asked, “Is that all?”

Basil’s eyes lit up, remembering something. “No, there’s one more thing. I’m about 80% sure about it, though.”

“Oh? What is it? Tell me,” the Master urged.

“Well,” Basil began, “first, he can only use his earth magic within a specific range, somewhere between six and eight meters. Second, he can’t use earth magic more than once every thirty seconds. That’s all I’ve figured out so far. I haven’t figured out the exact trigger for his magic yet, but I should know in the next fight.”

The Master nodded approvingly. “That’s excellent for your first fight against his magic. Discovering all that is a good sign. Let’s continue the training.”

Both stood up, and Basil once again faced the bear, which had risen to its feet.

“This time,” Basil thought, “I’ll try to provoke him into using his magic so I can figure out how it works and take advantage of the thirty-second window when he can’t use it. Although that’s easier said than done.”

He planned to keep his distance, staying outside the bear’s magic range, and observe how it would react.

At a distance of about twenty meters from the bear, Basil felt safe from its magic. But the bear, realizing the gap, charged at him to close the distance.

“Hmm, since I’m out of his magic range, he’s trying to close the gap. But I won’t let him,” Basil mused. He started circling around the bear, maintaining a safe distance of about twelve meters. The bear continued to follow, trying to close in, but Basil moved too quickly for it.

As he kept analyzing the situation, he gradually reduced the gap until he was just nine meters away. That’s when the bear launched another earth magic attack, and Basil immediately jumped back, thinking, “Alright, first, his magic range is seven meters, and the pillar extends his range to ten meters. Second, he always stamps his foot on the ground before using his magic, and the pillar takes a second to appear. Got it.”

Standing next to the first pillar from the previous fight, Basil broke it apart and gathered a few stones before moving forward cautiously, ready for the bear to use its magic again.

This time, Basil entered the bear’s magic range without triggering an attack. But as soon as he got within seven meters, Boom the bear stamped its foot, and Basil leaped back, avoiding the attack.

Unexpectedly, the pillar came from behind him, but Basil had jumped early, so it only grazed his thigh. Landing safely, he readied himself for the thirty-second window he had to act.