This level was crawling with weak monsters.

Most of the monsters with decent levels were Green Bears. They were aggressive, possessed tremendous strength, and could tear their prey apart.

But there were only a handful of them, and after fighting several without leveling up, Mamadou concluded that defeating this so-called Special Monster would allow him to break through that bottleneck and propel himself to the next level.

Without knowing how, Mamadou knew where the Special Monster was located.

So he followed his instincts.

The farther he advanced, the more visible the walls of the place became. As time passed, the environment gradually transformed into something resembling a corridor.

He knew that at the very end of it, the monster was waiting.

I really feel like I’m heading toward a boss fight.

As soon as he reached the end, he saw the entrance.

It opened into a vast chamber covered in short grass. The atmosphere was light and pleasant.

The place was beautiful.

Mamadou took a step forward and felt the fresh air brush against his cheek.

He began walking straight ahead.

He could see debris that had been overtaken by vegetation. Looking more closely, they resembled the ruins of something ancient.

However, the plants had reclaimed so much of the area that it was difficult to distinguish anything recognizable.

Mamadou paid it no mind.

He continued forward, slowing his pace and carefully inspecting his surroundings.

This area did not seem much larger than the previous one, but it was spacious.

If the earlier area had been defined by darkness and gloom, this place was colorful and full of life.

And that was when Mamadou saw it.

He immediately recognized that this monster was different.

He instantly activated Evaluation before approaching.

[Wind Green Bear Kin Level 15]

???

[The Wind Green Bear is a magical creature, a bear-type monster possessing the Wind Attribute. It can manipulate wind to create cutting attacks.]

Fwoooooosh!

???

Mamadou suddenly felt something warm on his face.

He touched his cheek to check.

When he looked at his hand, he saw blood.

What had happened was that a current of air had brushed past him and lightly sliced his skin.

He immediately jumped backward.

There’s a huge distance between us!

The Wind Green Bear turned around and locked eyes with Mamadou.

The two stared at each other.

Mamadou felt the atmosphere change.

He did not know what was happening, but he knew the feeling was coming from the bear.

The wind changed direction and began circulating around it.

Mamadou was surprised by two things.

First, unlike the other monsters, this Wind Green Bear had not attacked immediately.

Second, just as its name suggested, it could actually generate wind.

This was perhaps the first time Mamadou had witnessed a phenomenon created by a monster.

A phenomenon he could genuinely call magic.

"This is definitely the Special Monster."

Mamadou’s eyes sparkled.

It was the first time he had seen something like this.

Although the Green Bear itself was already a formidable opponent, the fact that it could manipulate wind made it even more dangerous.

At the same time, however, it was an incredibly interesting experience.

Understanding how it worked took priority in Mamadou’s mind.

He had no idea how far magic could go or what kinds of creatures he would encounter in the future.

This was the perfect opportunity to discover what magic was capable of.

He picked up a stone and threw it at the monster.

The bear used its claws to deflect the projectile.

I see. No wind barrier protecting it from projectiles.

I won’t assume too much from that, but it removes a thorn from my side.

If it could defend itself with wind, close combat would become pointless, and I can’t imagine being able to finish it from a distance.

The light currents of wind surrounding the Wind Green Bear stopped.

Immediately afterward, it charged at Mamadou in response to his attack.

Mamadou dodged the charge.

Jumping sideways, he performed a flip and landed firmly on his feet.

"It’s fast. Far too fast for something that massive."

Indeed, the monster ruling this level was larger than Mamadou.

Larger than the average Green Bear.

Is it because it’s a Wind Bear?

Mamadou spun Osbone in his hand and immediately threw it toward the Wind Green Bear.

The creature dodged.

That bastard... it’s intelligent!?

As Mamadou attempted to reposition himself, the Wind Green Bear raised a paw and struck.

Mamadou had no choice but to drop to the ground to avoid the attack.

The moment he looked at the ground, he saw claw marks carved into it.

Mamadou immediately leaped away and started running.

If that had hit me, I would’ve died instantly.

What was that?

Can it compress wind through its claws or something? 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

What kind of attack was that?

What’s the mechanism behind it?

How many times can it use it?

More importantly, what other tricks does it have?

Man, I miss Belle so much.

She could’ve analyzed all of this and simply given me the results.

So much data being wasted, and I’m incapable of processing it all.

Belle was Mamadou’s personal AI assistant.

He had been so dependent on her in the past.

Nowadays he avoided dwelling on it, but whenever situations like this arose, Belle inevitably came to mind.

Everything would’ve been easier with her instead of this system that he still suspected was defective.

Tch!

Mamadou circled around and recovered Osbone.

But he did not even have time to catch his breath before the monster was already upon him.

The Wind Green Bear had followed him on all fours.

The moment it entered striking range, it rose onto its hind legs and swung a paw.

But this was something Mamadou had more or less been hoping for.

Osbone was in his left hand.

Using his right arm for balance, he leaped while twisting his body to avoid the paw strike.

Then, from an incredibly awkward position, Mamadou activated his Claw Skill.

Hah!

Too easy.

Blood spilled.

The monster now had a wound over its left eye.

But what happened next was something Mamadou had not anticipated.

The bear opened its mouth.

Not to roar.

A blast of wind erupted from within.

"Fuck it..."