Soon, the Silvervest Bear smelled the fresh air through the cave mouth. The scent mixed with blood—the result of one human killed and several others wounded.
The bear had paid for its rampage. Deep cuts ringed its arms and torso, turning its silver coat a muddy red.
Ace, Chaewon, and Alex had inflicted those wounds, and the bear hated them most.
Driven by hunger and rage, the bear dropped to all fours and charged after Alex.
The other humans poured out of the cave, scrambling to escape. Only the stubborn Rook(tank) stayed in the doorway, shield raised.
The shield’s rim sent the bear into a fury. It reared up to shred Alex, but he ditched the shield, rolled aside, and slid past the claws, leaving the beast trapped between the boulder halves.
"Close," Ace whispered.
At once, the split boulder of the Bank Grotto rumbled shut, clamping around the bear. The stone slammed against its forearms, and it barely braced in time to avoid being crushed. Muscles trembling, the monster strained to hold the walls apart and howled at the humans.
Ace met the Silvervest Bear’s gaze. The gates might jam with it stuck. We have to finish this before it breaks free.
Only two could hurt the bear—Chaewon and Ace—but with Chaewon drained, the final blow fell to him alone. Chaewon had burned her temporary strength boost saving a Don Capo member, so she was drained. Right now, Ace was the only one who could finish the job.
Chaewon had evolved, and Alex had too. Mercer was still just a healer with one spell, and the rest couldn’t handle a fight . It’s on me to grow stronger now, Ace told himself, walking toward the bear without a word, daggers in a standard grip.
[Dagger Proficiency V
• Quick Draw: Cuts draw time for faster first strikes.
• Swift Sheath: Shortens re‑sheathe time for rapid swaps.
• Precision Strike: Sharpens weak‑point focus, boosting damage and critical chance.
• Adaptive Grip: Lets you switch between standard, reverse, and other holds instantly.
• Edge Maintenance: Keeps the blade honed for peak damage.]
• Milestone Haste: Reduces recovery time between attacks.
• Momentum Flow: Each hit slightly boosts speed (stacks to 5).
• Balanced Footwork: Smooth stance shifts reduce wind‑down.
• Burst Accelerator: After three straight hits, the next strike is much faster.
• Reflex Surge: Dodging grants a brief speed boost.]
• Lethal Precision: Crits deal 20 % extra damage.
• Critical Momentum: Each crit raises the next crit chance slightly (stacks).
• Bleeding Edge: Crits cause minor bleeding over time.
• Focused Aim: Higher crit chance on slow or still targets.
• Puncture: Crits lower enemy defenses for a short time.]
It’s just me and the beast. One of us dies. Nothing else matters. Kill.
Ace lunged and drove a dagger halfway through the bear’s black fur vest. His other dagger followed, and he slipped into a brutal rhythm.
His Attack Speed nodes kicked in, and his strikes blurred. At first Chaewon kept up, but soon she saw only silver arcs and fountains of blood.
The crimson spray drenched Ace’s face and hoodie. Each critical hit lowered the bear’s defense and deepened the bleeding, and he stacked the effects with every cut, spilling more blood each time.
Stronger! Faster! Deeper!
Amid the whistle of steel, a familiar hunch hit Ace. He froze, stepped in, squared his shoulders, and stabbed straight into the bear’s ruined gut faster than a bullet. The beast howled and staggered, almost crushed by the grinding stone.
Mana’s flowing... from my veins into the blade...
[You absorbed Fang and Claw’s active skill Thrust and converted it into a passive skill.]
[You unlocked a new node for Dagger Proficiency V—Thrust. Dagger Proficiency advanced to Dagger Proficiency VI.]
[• Thrust: Dagger thrusts absorb a trickle of mana, raising thrust damage by 25 %.]
[You earned a new title—Flawless Exploiter (???).]
It all happened in a split second.
Ace attacked again, each thrust ripping the black fur wider and spattering chunks of flesh onto the ground with a wet thud.
He flipped his grips, carved a deep cross‑slash, and ended it. The bear coughed blood, stumbled, and fell. Its eyes went dark.
Standing between the frozen boulder walls, Ace glanced back, the beast’s blood smeared across his face.
That day, Ace didn’t just evolve beside Chaewon and Alex—he reminded the world why he had stormed Heaven’s Gate.