After trekking through the woods for another hour following their short break, Rest and Urula finally emerged into an artificial clearing deep within the forest.
"Is this… a plaza?" Rest asked, looking around.
In this specific spot, the trees had been felled and the grass trimmed to create a man-made square. A ring of stumps was arranged in a circle, giving the area the distinct appearance of an assembly ground.
"This is clearly intentional. Urula, do you know what this is?"
"The Black Ones," she replied simply.
"The Black Ones…?"
"The Black Ones are here."
"What are you—!?"
Rest eyed her skeptically, but a sudden shiver raced down his spine.
"This is…!"
His [Life Search] magic was picking up absolutely nothing.
It was an inexplicable, unsettling sensation. Even though his instincts screamed that something was wrong, his magical perception failed to detect any irregularities. He intuitively felt something lurking within the dense foliage, but the presence reflected by [Life Search] was greasy and indistinct, leaving him with a sickening feeling.
"Could this be the 'Perception Nullification' magic…!"
He recalled hearing about it from his mentor, Dieble. There were specific ways to disrupt and slip past [Life Search] magic—secret techniques mastered only by a handful of elite operatives, such as special forces specializing in covert work.
Different groups used different methods. Some deployed miniature barriers around their bodies, while others applied specialized mana-repellent salves to their clothing or skin. Dieble had described it as a secret known only to those in the trade.
"Urula, get back!"
Rest immediately deployed his Barrier Arts. It was a physical barrier, which meant it would protect them even if he couldn't pinpoint the enemy's exact location. He braced himself with maximum vigilance, ready to face the unidentified threats hidden in the shadows.
"It is fine. It is okay."
To his surprise, Urula tugged on his sleeve and shook her head.
"Urula…?"
"Not enemies."
She stepped out in front of him and projected her voice toward the depths of the forest.
"Master."
"Acknowledged," a voice responded.
"Servant."
"Acknowledged."
"Yoro."
"Acknowledged."
Short replies echoed from the trees in response to her words. The voice was low and toneless, making it impossible to determine if the speaker was male or female. Rest’s confusion only deepened as he listened to what sounded like a series of passwords.
"Diamond Bear," Urula said.
"Acknowledged."
With that final exchange, the slimy sensation that had made Rest’s skin crawl vanished instantly.
"Urula… explain this. What on earth just happened?"
"The Black Ones."
"By 'The Black Ones,' are you talking about whoever that was just now?"
They had spoken clearly; it was obvious they were human, not monsters.
"Are the 'Black Ones' living in this forest actually people…?"
"It is here."
"…!?"
Rest didn't have time to wonder what she meant. A massive presence suddenly registered, charging directly toward them with terrifying speed.
"GUGAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
A colossal beast burst through the treeline, mowing down everything in its path. It was a giant bear, nearly three meters tall, covered in thick fur that sparkled like crystals.
"Is that the Diamond Bear…!"
Rest reflexively unleashed a Wind Blade. The gale-force edge struck the beast, only to be deflected by its coat and dissipate into a fine mist.
"It’s too hard…!"
"GAUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
"Kh…!"
"Nn."
Rest scooped Urula into his arms and kicked off the ground. Using flight magic to leap into the air, he narrowly escaped the Diamond Bear’s devastating charge.
"This is a tougher opponent than I anticipated…!"
He followed up with [Ice Bolt]. The intermediate-level offensive spell slammed into the Diamond Bear's flank.
"GUGAA!"
"What? It repelled that, too!?"
The Diamond Bear simply swatted the shattered ice away with its thick, powerful arms. It didn't seem to have taken any damage at all; it remained perfectly composed.
"Does that fur have some kind of magic resistance!?"
Certain high-level monsters, much like dragons with their scales, possessed hides that could drastically weaken magical impact. The Diamond Bear’s crystalline fur likely possessed a similar property.
"Hafuu…"
A strained breath escaped from beside him. He was still flying while holding Urula close—perhaps his grip was too tight?
"Are you okay, Urula?"
"Nn… more…"
Contrary to his worry, Urula looked absolutely rapturous. Her face was flushed deep red, her eyes were moist, and she looked as though she were intoxicated by strong wine.
"What do you mean 'more'…? Look, I need to do something about that thing first."
"GUGAA! GAAA!"
Below them, the Diamond Bear was in a frenzy. It glared up at the flying Rest, tearing into the trees with its claws as if to intimidate him.
"Killing it wouldn't be that hard if I didn't care about the consequences, but I can't just burn the forest down."
A high-output spell would cause massive collateral damage to the surrounding woods. He couldn't justify destroying a section of the forest just to take down one bear.
"In that case… it’s a bit cruel, but I’ll have to use this method."
Rest conjured a Waterball in his palm. He poured mana into it, forcing the sphere of water to expand rapidly.
"Go…!"
"GRUU!?"
The massive globe of water engulfed the Diamond Bear. The beast thrashed, swinging its arms to shake the water off, but the liquid clung to it relentlessly.
"And for the finish."
Rest landed on the ground and activated [Earth Control]. The soil surged upward, encasing the Diamond Bear and the water within a solid dome of earth.
"Forgive me, but you’ll have to drown."
No matter how magic-resistant its fur was, a living creature still needed to breathe. Death was inevitable once the oxygen ran out.
The presence of the Diamond Bear thrashed violently inside the dome for a few minutes, but eventually, all movement ceased. Checking again with [Life Search], Rest confirmed that the beast’s life force had completely vanished.
"It's over."
"Hafuu…"
As Rest coolly declared his victory, Urula—still cradled firmly in his arms—let out another heated, shaky breath.