Chapter 197 Blackbone Bears
As the dungeon's name suggested, the Urifaer Silverwood dungeon was in a forest filled with Silverwood trees.
It was truly a huge place, where Silverwood trees towered over them crossing the height of more than 100 meters.
Their leaves were thin and transparent enough to let him see through them. However, the leaves and branches were densely packed, blocking his view of the sky.
The Silverwood trees grew close to each other like dense shrubs, so one would assume that it would be hard for even the faintest ray of sunlight to pass through the foliage.
However, contrary to this state of darkness, the entire forest was bathed in bright light. In fact, only the area around the dungeon portal was slightly dimmer than the remaining area.
That was mostly because the immediate surrounding of the dungeon portal was void of trees, allowing light to shine on the skin of the two young men.
"The Silverwood trees radiate some sort of light…weird," Mathias mumbled before glancing at Nial.
He often forgot that his friend was blind simply because Nial didn't behave as if he was restricted in any way, at all.
But even if he didn't behave as if he was truly unable to see, Mathias knew that Nial couldn't complete every single task as others could.
Being able to see specific things was necessary for an Original as the sight of certain indicators allowed one to assess whether one was in danger or not.
The bright light of the Silverwood trees, for example, could have been an indicator of danger, even if that was not the case with that sort of tree.
Inadvertently, Mathias had begun to share some information about things one could only see whenever something happened.
That was a habit he had developed subconsciously when the Teradan military camp had nearly ended and until now, there were times he actually didn't realize that he was doing all of this to provide Nial with the information he couldn't perceive.
Nial had noticed it a while ago but he didn't mind it as it was actually helpful, not today, though.
He used his Mana sense to increase his range of perception using merely a trace of mana. Everything with the slightest bit of mana in a radius of 1000 meters could be sensed by him.
Meanwhile, everything within a 100 meter radius could be visualized by him. It was not a detailed visualization but more like a rough and drawing consisting of hazy outlines.
Only when he focused on specific areas and used more mana was it possible for him to clearly visualize something in his close-range down to the finest detail.
When he sensed a few beasts within a radius of one kilometer, Nial was ready to set off. However, Mathias was still occupied with looking at his surroundings with vigilant eyes, and ready to fight at any moment.
'Mathias still doesn't realize that it's not necessary to be overly cautious as long as I'm around, huh?'
Nial's range of perception was not the only weapon in his arsenal. Rather it was only a crude indicator of where something harboring mana was lurking.
But after considering his Mana sense and other extraordinary senses, one could say that it was near-impossible to approach both of them without him noticing.
Of course, there were certain exceptions but that mostly involved the usage of something like a space-traveling ability or the ability to teleport.
Even Mathias in his most cautious state wouldn't be able to immediately react if someone would approach them through teleportation.
But there was no need to worry about 'what-ifs'. He shook his head and focussed on observing their surroundings, digesting every single piece of information as it might come in handy.
While in an unfamiliar area, even the simplest piece of information might be the deciding factor over life and death
A bulky young man could be seen with a huge axe in his hands, cutting the trees around the dungeon portal.
He was a lumberjack at the Prym rank, who had been hired by the government to cut the Silverwood trees inside the dungeon.
Because the Urifaer Silverwood dungeon was a permanent dungeon it would reset upon being cleared once. After a few hours, the entire space would return to the same state it had been before anyone cut trees, or fought the beasts within.
Thus, the lumberjack would always have some work to do as he cut down the Silverwood trees in the permanent dungeon except for when he would take breaks, absorb mana, or do other things when the dungeon had been cleared.
Nial didn't pay much attention to the lumberjack.
He approached the direction of the first beast group he had detected. There were several lumps of moving mana in his range of perception determining that there were living beings.
However, what Nial didn't expect to encounter a minute later was a group of four Blackbone Bears.
"Looks like we'll have some fun today," Nial said with a smile before the Dragonflame spear manifested in his hand.
He wielded it around his body to release the tension before dashing ahead. Circulating mana through his Mana veins, he spread it through his entire body to elevate his physical strength.
His speed increased at once. However, that was not something the Blackbone Bears were bothered about.
They roared out at the sight of Nial and charged at him on their four paws. With rapid speed, their superior physical strength was clearly showcased.
'Purely physical beasts; Blackbone Bears. Let's see how strong you guys really are!'
Nial presumed them to be faster than him and they truly were. But he was not worried as he kept a calm head and ignited a dark energy flame from the tip of the Dragonflame spear.
The surrounding temperature increased by several degrees the moment the flame engulfed the spear blade.
Without hesitation, Nial slashed at the closest Blackbone Bear, the moment the three meter tall beast entered his range.
Simultaneously, Nial released four balls of darkness without batting an eyelid. They blasted forward and shot past the Blackbone Bear, who did not mind the darkness balls and simply gave way to let them pass the moment it noted that it wouldn't be hit.
Yet, the moment the Blackbone Bear lifted its huge paws to slash at Nial and tear him apart, something the beast hadn't expected happened.
The four darkness balls had released a darkness rope each. The darkness ropes tightly coiled around the bear's front paws, preventing it from attacking with its full might.
However, despite being slowed down, the darkness ropes were not endurable enough to halt the Blackbone Bear in its tracks.
It continued slashing at Nial and the bear's claw quickly reached his face.
But instead of killing Nial with a single strike, the bear suddenly howled out in pain as a fiery red blade engulfed with black flames pierced through the paw it tried to claw through him.
Nial had pierced out with the Dragonflame spear the moment the Blackbone Bear had lifted its guard slightly.
This was why it had been possible for Nial to attack the beast, to injure it, and initiate a second attack, which was what he was doing right now.
He retracted the Dragonflame spear a moment after he had pierced it out. Issuing a second strike, Nial burst forth with a feint as he released several darkness needles.
They were blasted toward the beast's eyes, forcing it to close its eyes for a quarter of a second.
The moment the Blackbone Bear opened its eyes Nial had already disappeared from his spot.
He had advanced closer to the Blackbone Bear to end its life with his second strike.
Manifesting the needles once again, Nial aimed at the Bear's heart. His attack was precise, fast, and issued with great strength.
Yet, even that wouldn't usually be enough for someone with a physical strength below a Prym ranked Original to pierce through the Blackbone Bear's thick hide.
But Nial had a Tier-1 weapon that had been further enhanced due to the alteration of its special function. His dark energy's properties enhanced the Dragonflame spear's flames drastically.
That was why it was no surprise for Nial or Mathias to see the tip of the Dragonflame spear piercing through the Blackbone Bear's chest as if he was cutting through butter.
Penetrating through the hide, and flesh, the Dragonflame spear finally pierced its designated target; the Blackbone Bear's heart!
Nial moved rapidly and retreated the instant he sensed that he had hit bull's eye before dashing to the side.
On the other hand, Mathias had created several large spiked Earthen walls which he used to hurt the bears even if it was not actually of much use. After realizing this he switched to trying to enrage them and block their advance so as to give Nial more time to fight.
Mathias had grown adept at using his Earth affinity which was he could prevent any mishap from occurring. Simultaneously, he prepared his heart to join close combat, which he did once he found the perfect opportunity.
The remaining three Blackbone Bears focused on Nial and ignored him mostly.
However, this was the biggest mistake they could have made. After all, Mathias was not as inefficient in close combat as he had always been.
He had improved and that was what he wanted to show everyone!
Mathias dashed forward as a huge battle-axe appeared in his hands.
Using his Earth affinity, he re-shaped the ground the Blackbone Bears were about to step on.
Large holes of the perfect size to fit and trap their paws inside had appeared out of nowhere. The Blackbone Bears rushed in without noticing it, and found themselves stuck which forcefully halted their advance.
Owing to their heavy weight and the high speed they had been running at, their stuck front limbs broke due to the immense pressure.
The creation of a simple hole was more than enough to injure a Low Prym ranked beast that was solely focused on its physical capabilities.
And Mathias had done it all by himself. He had trapped and injured three powerful beasts on his own, allowing Nial and himself to attack them without a lot of worries.
Nonetheless, Mathias had coated his entire body in a thick layer of highly compressed Earth, which he was ready to use in ways similar to how Nial used his darkness shroud every now and then.
Mathias had been under the impression that he had made enough preparations to enter a bloody battle of life and death…yet, with the use of his Tier-1 weapon and the combat experience he had garnered by sparring with Nial, Bella, his Instructors, and Miranda during the Teradan military camp, all of his preparations were proven futile.
Luckily, the powerful physically-attributed Blackbone Bears had died in front of their eyes just like that.