Chapter 89 Anonymous Lion

Nathan peered into the distance and spotted some hovering cameras, seemingly attempting to record his every move. He urgently whispered to Fang to conceal itself.

Nathan was keen to keep his golems unassociated with him for as long as possible. Although the CEHA were aware of this, the spectators were still under the shadow.

"Silver, take on the normal monsters! I'll take on the boss!" Nathan yelled over the howling blizzard.

Nathan was engulfed by the blizzard, standing in the center of a swirling sea of snow that threatened to encase him in an icy prison.

Nathan held his greatsword in both hands and faced off against the monster. His flaming sword provided a small amount of light in the blizzard, but it was not enough to keep the beast from charging at him.

The giant snow-skeletal bear monster roared. It towered over Nathan, its icy blue eyes filled with rage.

Nathan readied his sword and prepared for battle. "So it begins," he said to himself.

***

"Welcome to tonight's thrilling show of two hunters versus a horde of monsters live! We have a great battle for you, and I know you're all as excited as I am." Max suddenly appeared in the live broadcast, blocking part of the screen.

"Wait, what? Did I interrupt this broadcast? Don't worry, I'm only here for a second. Relax..." he added.

"So, if you're ready, let's get this show on the road! Place your bets now and get ready for an epic showdown. Who will win? It's up to you!

We've got a fantastic lineup of hunters and monsters for you tonight, so don't miss out. Who will walk away victorious? You decide!

Thank you for joining us for this exciting event. I can't wait to see who takes home the title. Good luck, and enjoy the show!"

Once more, the broadcast depicted two hunters in armor confronting a colossal skeleton monster.

***

Anonymous Horse: "What kind of battle is this? We don't know the strength of either side, so who should we put our money on?"

Anonymous Cat: "Oh my gosh, the silver-armored lady is so hot.... I'd love to know what she looks like behind that armor."

Anonymous Monkey: "Yeah! She moves gracefully like a cat. She's also very nimble. She looks like she's having fun."

***

"This is so exciting!" Nathan cheered.

The monster charged at Nathan, roaring with anger. It slashed at him with its massive claws and teeth. Nathan dodged and parried its attacks, but the beast was relentless.

Nathan jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the monster's attack. He swung his greatsword in an arc, the flames from the blade sending sparks flying as it cut through the monster's icy exterior.

"Fire Cutting Waves!" he cried out, and the flames on his greatsword grew larger.

He slashed at the monster, and several crescent-shaped waves of fire shot out, engulfing the creature in a loud roar.

The monster roared in pain and anger but refused to back down. It charged at Nathan again, this time with more ferocity. Nathan jumped to the side and thrust his sword forward, piercing the beast's chest. But he missed.

Golem Night had a major advantage when engaging in combat during the night. Its Strength and Dexterity were increased by 30% in the moonlight. Furthermore, it had skills that enhanced its mobility. Even more impressive was the skill to become immune to any attack every 30 minutes - even if it was just for 1 second, it was enough to avoid deadly blows.

Nathan gritted his teeth and redoubled his efforts. He thrust his flaming sword at the monster, but it blocked the attack with its sharp claws. The monster then countered with a powerful swipe that sent Nathan flying across the snow.

"I can't let myself be defeated by a monster like this," Nathan said to himself.

If only his emotion was shown on his golem's face, it was certain that his face was filled with determination and enthusiasm. He really enjoyed the fight.

He scrambled to his feet and faced off against the monster. He knew he had to be quick if he was going to survive.

The skeleton bear lunged forward, claws outstretched and mouth open wide. Nathan swung his sword in a wide arc, the flames from the blade illuminating the battlefield. The monster was caught in the light, and it screeched in pain.

"Fire Cutting Waves." Nathan called out. The flames on his sword grew stronger, and he swung the sword with greater force.

Nathan took advantage of the monster's distraction and thrust his sword into its chest. The monster roared in pain and stumbled back, its icy exterior beginning to melt away.

Nathan pushed forward, the flames of his sword burning brighter as he unleashed a barrage of attacks. He slashed and stabbed, trying to find an opening in the monster's defenses.

The monster charged again, but this time Nathan was ready. He dodged the monster's blows and countered with a wide swing of his sword. The blade tore through the monster's icy skeleton, and it roared in pain.

He struck the monster with a series of consecutive blows, each one more powerful than the last.

The monster roared and swiped at Nathan with its claws, trying to keep him away. But Nathan was relentless, and he finally found an opening.

Nathan took out his "Breath of the Dragon Sword" and swapped it for his greatsword.

"Dragon's Fury!" he shouted. Nathan's body was suddenly engulfed in flames.

"Dragon's breath!!!" His tiny weapon released a blazing flame that erupted and grew bigger as it flew towards the colossal creature in its path, enshrouding its bulky frame.

The flames of Nathan's sword began to spread, consuming the monster in a blazing inferno. The monster roared and thrashed, trying to extinguish the fire, but it was too late. The flames spread quickly, and within moments the monster was nothing more than a pile of smoldering ash.

[You've killed Rare Snow Skeletal Bear Lv. 70]

[You received 12,159 experience]

[Name: Nathan Gardner]

[Level: Beginner Lv. 52]

[Exp: 12,601/12,780]

Nathan saw the notification in his vision, confirming his success in defeating the monster. He then looked away to where Silver was still in the midst of battle, overcoming the other monsters one by one.

[You've killed Snow Skeletal Bear Lv. 65]

[You received 1,439 experience]

[Level Up]

[You received 6 stat points]

[You received 100 skill points]

[You've killed Snow Skeletal Bear Lv. 60]

[...]

[...]

[...]

[Level Up]

[You received 6 stat points]

[You received 100 skill points]

[Name: Nathan Gardner]

[Level: Beginner Lv. 54]

[Exp: 4725/14908]

Nathan stood in the middle of the battlefield, the storm still raging around him. He looked down at the remains of the monster, a feeling of triumph washing over him. He had won the battle. And also leveled up two times.

***

Anonymous Horse: "That was really a great battle. I was amazed to see it. Can an awakening really be able to fight this cool? I really want to get that kind of power."

Anonymous Hippo: "That's the sword that was sold at an auction in the city a few days ago! I recognize it! Someone believed to be Lily Gardner had bought it."

Anonymous Dragon: "Could Lily Gardner be the one in the armor?"

Anonymous Cat: "Are you kidding? Lily Gardner is a girl! It could be Lewis Gardner, her twin!"

Anonymous Mouse: "You guys are clueless! Those two are still 13 and already in their second year of CEHA. They wouldn't be taking this test."

Anonymous Monkey: "But the woman in armor is so hot...."

***

Nathan opened the chest of the monster he had defeated and found a blue crystal.

"A Rare Monster Core! I guess I was too optimistic that I'd find a Monster Soul Stone in every battle." He took the crystal, and it vanished into his inventory.

Silver followed Nathan's orders and collected all of the monster cores from the monsters it had killed.

"One Rare and five Monster Cores. I should have been more careful and not been so greedy."

Luna, who had been watching from a distance, flew up to Nathan.

"Master Nathan..." She had a sorrowful expression. "I was about to warn you, but it seems you forgot that you used that sword when in your real body."

"Oh, really?" Nathan chuckled. "So I couldn't keep my identity a secret?"

"That's really sad," he remarked. "I should probably make a golem with a drastically different look and try another disguise. But, I hope they are still fooled by these golem's appearance, and believe that Linda and I are the ones behind the armor."

"That would be great," she replied.

"Luna, how many stat points do I have?" Nathan asked, but then checked his stats.

"18." He quietly answered his own question.

[5 Stat Points -> Dexterity]

[5 Stat Points -> Agility]

[5 Stat Points -> Constitution]

[3 Stat Points -> Stamina]

"Okay, now let's see my updated Stats."

[Status]

[Name: Nathan Gardner]

[Race: Half Human]

[Level: Beginner Lv. 54]

[Exp: 4,725/14,908]

[-]

[Strength: 70]

[Dexterity: 50]

[Agility: 50]

[Magic: 70]

[Constitution: 60]

[Stamina: 76]

[Stat Points: 0]

[Skill Points: 839,798]

[-]

"Awesome! I'm almost up to 1 million Skill Points. But I'm sure it won't last long if I create higher-tier skills than I have now."

***

Anonymous Lion: "You all are really dumb! Haven't you remembered that sword was used by someone who had beaten an Elite Bear? That person was Nathan, who just so happens to be Lily Gardner's half brother! Nathan Snow, the one who has been banished from the Gardner family - let's just go with that, lol!"

Anonymous Monkey: "Can it be that the girl in the armor is the same blonde girl who's with that guy? Wow, my mind is really going wild! She really is an amazing girl."