Chapter 60 – Broken flesh, unbroken will
The bear lunged forward with speed unbefitting of his size—in not even a second, he was already upon Kaden, his black claws dripping with green liquid slashing toward Kaden, targeting his neck with surgical precision.
But Kaden, too, was no pushover.
With his speed and perception, he managed to follow the movement of the beast and raised Reditha defensively, while at the same time using his blood manipulation skill to reinforce his arms and make them more steady.
The strike came.
BOOOM!
Kaden’s arms almost gave in as his feet dug deep into the poisonous ground because of the strength behind the strike.
’Intermediate rank beast... on the upper side,’ Kaden thought rapidly as the blow nearly broke his arms.
After all, the bear was a strength-type monster, but also a higher rank—and the difference between ranks was no easy thing to ignore.
But strength wasn’t the only thing the bear had.
Kaden had managed to block the blow, but he did not succeed in escaping the green liquid that splashed on his arms.
Hiissss!!
"Argh!" Kaden groaned as he took a step back, his arms sizzling as the poison burned through him.
But suddenly, his perceptions flared—he ducked down, escaping the second strike the bear sent at him intending to cut his head, but by ducking, he became vulnerable to one other thing...
The bear kicked him hard in the gut like a ball, sending him flying away like a ragdoll.
Kaden’s intestines twisted and ruptured from the force. His mouth swelled as he coughed out red blood—massively.
"Hrghhh..." Kaden groaned, his mind spinning, but he didn’t even have the time to gather himself as deep, resounding, earth-shaking steps echoed toward him.
He raised his head slightly and saw the ferocious expression of the Deadthorn Bear rushing at him.
"RROOOOOARRRRR!" a roar of madness escaped its mouth.
Kaden looked at this scene with a calm gaze. He stood up slowly, grinning, Reditha already healing him.
"You’re quite strong, aren’t you?" Kaden dismissed Reditha and took a stance—his hands clenched into fists, raised up.
A hand-to-hand stance.
He grinned. An excited one. He already knew he would die, so why not enjoy himself?
’I’ve trained a little in hand-to-hand combat... let’s try it,’ Kaden thought inwardly.
"Reditha, I’ll count on you to use blood manipulation," Kaden said—and immediately, blood appeared around his hands, twisting and forming bloody gauntlets.
He smiled at this sight.
ROOAARRR!
The beast charged again—same as before.
But this time, Kaden didn’t block.
He punched.
Green claws met bloody fist.
BAAM!
Kaden was hurled backwards again , his hand breaking from the force—but he didn’t even flinch.
He lunged forward again, his hand already healing from Reditha, and thus began the bloody fight.
It wasn’t like a human fighting a beast.
It was like two beasts fighting.
Their punches echoed through the foggy area, crashing into each other with sound that made the very air tremble. At first, Kaden was always sent flying—his chin cracked, his limbs twisted, his whole body became covered in his own blood.
And that’s when things changed.
Kaden infused his strikes with his corrosive blood. Each connected blow brought a guttural growl of pain from the beast. The bear’s thick hide began to corrode slowly but unmistakably—its movements growing slower and a little more sluggish.
It retaliated with its poison, but Kaden healed faster with Reditha—while the bear could only suffer.
But even with all that, Kaden’s body was still in worse shape. The beast’s blows were relentless. Unpredictable like a monster, yes—but there were flashes of intelligence, clever feints to catch Kaden off-guard.
It worked. Twice.
But that was enough for Kaden to learn.
Kaden adapted.
He started using feints of his own—beginning with a punch, then switching to a devastating kick. Sometimes, without buildup, a blood spear would rise from the ground and pierce the bear’s legs or sides.
It was brutal.
It was wild.
It was bloody.
But eventually, Kaden’s body couldn’t keep up. His mind stayed sharp, but his flesh was failing. The poisons inside him chewed him apart slowly, his broken bones grinding inside him with every move. His mask cracked during the fight, exposing him further.
And at the end—
His...body failed him.
He failed to react in time.
CRACK!
The beast’s blow landed.
His neck snapped.
He died instantly.
[You are dead.]
...
"It wasn’t too bad," Kaden said as he found himself back in the deep dark, boundless space he always arrived in when he died.
He was honestly satisfied. After all, that was an intermediate rank beast.
DING!
[You have died.]
[At what point of time do you wish to return?]
"Just a bit before I noticed his presence behind me," Kaden replied without hesitation.
[DING! Confirmed.]
[250 Death Coins taken.]
[You have been killed by a rare-type, intermediate-rank beast: The Deadthorn Bear.]
[You have gained the trait: Poison Resistance.]
Kaden tilted his head.
"Rare type? You never mentioned that before."
[All beasts are not equal. There are Common, Rare, Unique, Legendary, and Mythic beast types.]
[You can easily kill a common awakened goblin, but a Legendary one can fight on par with you. And a Mythic will kill you.]
Kaden’s thoughts raced and suddenly something clicked inside his mind.
"...Just like the origin we awaken at ten," he muttered, it was eerily similar.
But he didn’t linger on it. Not now.
"What’s the difference between the types?"
[Intelligence. Talent. Strength. Bloodlines. Power. Starting at Legendary, it’s a whole different realm.]
"Interesting... bloodlines, huh..."
Kaden paused for a moment then asked,
"Is it possible to gain bloodline fragments from those who kill me?"
[It’s possible. Even their Origin. But the odds are low.]
Kaden stopped listening the moment he heard those words.
It’s possible.
That’s all that mattered. That’s all he wanted to know.
Now... he just had to die enough times to get it.
Right?
"Death. Revive me." Kaden ordered.
The black clock appeared.
Tick.
Everything went blank.
—End of Chapter 60—