Chapter 101 Blizzard Bears Encounter

Klive's hand flickered, and in the next instant, they all watched as all three bears fell to the ground with holes in their chests where the ice mana crystals would have been.

"How did you find us?" Asked Zyder, the boy Klive just helped save.

"Well, it's pretty easy when following a group of kids who don't cover up their tracks adequately." Klive scolded, causing all the people around him to lower their gazes.

After Klive saw this, his expression changed into a welcoming smile, and he quickly continued, "But you guys are barely 18. It's okay for you guys to make mistakes because if you make them now, you won't make them when you're older. Also, this mistake saved your life, so don't be too down about it."

Their expressions immediately lit back up to their original glimmers of excitement.

One of the other boys, Flemiz, walked up to Klive sternly as he slowly stretched out his hands and spoke with a loud yet shaking voice.

"Big brother Kilve... Will you help us complete the rest of the dungeon?" The boy asked, causing Klive to switch his attention to the boy before him with an inquisitive gaze.

After thinking, he scratched his chin and finally said, "No."

Ryla and Zyder's expressions dimmed while the boy's expression lit up.

"I will only help you guys if your lives are in danger." He continued and immediately made their expression shift for the umpteenth time.

Fires of determination could be seen within their eyes, gazes that Klive knew well.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Ryla thrust her first into the air and led her team deeper into the snowy landscape. Seeing this, Kilve could not help but breathe a sigh and simply follow them, but a few seconds later, he stopped his movement.

*Swoosh*

They all heard the sound of a blade cutting through the air, yet when they looked back, they were surprised to see Klive standing still with his blade drawn with his back to them.

"Klive? Is something wrong? Is there another one?" Ryla asked, a slight frown distorting her face.

A few seconds later, Klive finally let his guard down before sheathing his blade.

"Must have been my imagination..." he sighed and turned around before meeting the girl's gaze.

"Ow!" Ryla cried out in pain before falling to the ground and holding her forehead with tears in her eyes.

"Why did you do that?!" She asked, her voice on the brink of breaking.

"Don't frown like that. You'll get wrinkles." Klive replied with his index finger extended and a slight chuckle leaving his mouth.

"Meanie!" She cried out, but her complaints fell on deaf ears as the rest ignored her while choosing to move forward.

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of black and crimson eyes were staring at them from a distance with a solemn gaze.

"Must be fun to have a group of friends like that..." I chuckled to myself in mockery, yet I did not think about it any further. While I could be an a$$hole sometimes, I was not the kind of man who would destroy someone else's happiness so they could live in the same misery as me. In fact, I would not wish for anyone to live the same life as me, not even on the likes of Blanca, as doing so would be beyond cruel. However, there are a few exceptions... Exceptions that deserve nothing but calamity in their lives.

***

I continued to watch as the 18-year-old beastkins fought with their lives on the line, and whenever they would brush with death, their knight in shining armor would appear out of thin air and block all the attacks that came at them while killing all the creatures in the way.

Eventually, however, the three were finally wholly overwhelmed by the sheer power of the mini-boss, a blizzard bear that stood 10 meters in height while weighing above 7 tonnes.

Due to the disparity in power, the three could do nothing as death approached them, yet before they knew it, their visions blurred, and they had been placed over 300 meters away from the battlefield.

"Don't worry about this one. I'll fight these beasts, and you guys can relax. You've all done exceptionally well, and I am proud of you." Klive patted Ryla's head and nodded at the other two before disappearing again and appearing in front of the Blizzard Bear mini-boss; his fist charged back before being released as a devastating punch.

*BOOM*

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The punch landed squarely on the bear's stomach, yet instead of it being flung back like Klive had expected it to, it simply slid back a few meters before beginning to look at the man before it with fierce eyes.

"Wha-" Klive couldn't utter a single word and was instantly forced to dodge as a small Blizzard bear attacked him from his right.

His eyes widened in surprise while a small grunt left his mouth.

Three long gashes could be seen on Klive's back as another bear had appeared out of nowhere and attempted to reap his life by slashing his back with its claws coated with one of the Blizzard bear's main techniques.

"Ice claws... Damnit." Klive grunted and tried to escape the entrapment, but his eyes widened once again, and his body stopped in its place. Dozens... No. Hundreds of Blizzard bears began to appear out of the snow storm that blocked everyone's vision, yet one thing was visible to everyone in the snowy place.

"T-Their leader... Why is it here? It isn't supposed to leave its lair! How is this possible!" Klive could not help but cry out, fear and dread seeping into his mind as images of the other kids being caught up in this mess flashed.

Gritting his teeth, he slowly tried to retreat but quickly found out that there were bears behind him too, growling at him as saliva trickled out of their maws.

They looked at him as if he was nothing but a piece of meat for them to consume, which he indeed was from their point of view.

"You've gotten yourself in quite the situation haven't you?" Klive's ears perked up at the voice of an unknown figure. The voice rang out over the snowy planes and reached the ears of almost every creature in a mile radius despite it sounding as if the person hadn't raised their voice at all.