19 Bear cave

Sitting by the river, they prepared themselves mentally. Lucius' wound had started to close, and he couldn't risk getting it wet. The river was calm, with a 1-meter depth, meaning their torsos would not get wet.

First, he removed his boots and placed them in the inventory, then he told the others to do the same. With the sun above them, they didn't have to remove their clothes as they would dry and cool off as they walked later. But having wet boots would be uncomfortable, as they could not dry easily.

Taking a first step into the water, the sensation was cool but not cold, just like he used to feel during a summer swim. Slowly, he reached the other side. Kevin jumped in and swam across, treating it like a pool, splashing water everywhere. He submerged himself and resurfaced, clearly enjoying the refreshing water

Talon decided it was a good time and asked the group, 'Can we clean the clothes here?' Looking at the calm, clear river, it seemed like a good idea. Lucius nodded and removed the pants and shirt stained with red and green, passing them to him, and leaving himself in his underwear.

Kevin swam back, his clothes already wet, and he removed them, scrubbing them together. They all glanced at Lily as she also undressed, leaving only her undergarments on.

Lucius was indeed impressed by Lily's figure but chose to keep his thoughts to himself, thinking, "That girl did hide her stuff." Not wanting to embarrass her or make things awkward, he sat down on a rock in his underwear, simply enjoying the calming sight of the river.

Kevin, on the other hand, couldn't help but glance at Lily a bit longer, until she turned her head and asked with a glare, "First time seeing a girl?" Realizing his unintentional staring, he quickly averted his gaze, feeling a little embarrassed. He then focused on cleaning the clothes and sat down beside Lucius to avoid any further awkwardness.

"Here," Talon passed the clothes to them, which they put on. Lucius took a bit longer to get dressed due to his wounds. Feeling refreshed with the wet clothes under the sun, it was like being at the beach. After drying their feet on a cloth, they put their boots back on, feeling ready.

Talon came over to offer him a shoulder if he needed help, and they continued. Lily resumed her role as a scout, passing by Lucius and leading the way to the new forest area.

As the sun began to set, they had been walking for three hours, encountering a few monsters along the way that were relatively easy to defeat.

Feeling a bit tired, they were eager to find shelter for the night. With sunset approaching, they headed toward a hill area, hoping to discover a natural refuge to rest and recuperate.

Coming across a cave standing 4 meters tall at its entrance, they peered inside but couldn't see anything in the darkness. "Shall we check it out?" Kevin asked, already holding his shield upfront.

"We don't have any vision. Are you sure?" Lily voiced concern about the darkness.

Lucius contemplated whether they should light a fire to create a torch, but that would take time.

"Talon, shoot a few arrows inside the cave," Lucius instructed, motioning for Kevin and Lily to take cover behind a nearby rock with him.

"So it's my time to be bait, is it?" Despite his remark, he didn't disagree with the plan, knowing that Lucius had taken significant risks in their previous fight, and it was only fair for others to take their turns in potentially dangerous situations.

Taking the bow out, Talon placed an arrow and knocked it before shooting it deep into the cave. The arrow made a 'swish' noise as it cut through the air, entering the cave, followed by a light click.

Waiting for a bit and seeing nothing come out, Talon began walking back, but he was stopped by Lucius.

"Why did you only shoot one? Go shoot another two in other locations in the cave," Lucius spoke from behind the stone, sword at the ready.

Talon shot one more arrow, hitting a rock at the back of the cave, producing the same stonelike sound as before. Feeling it was pointless, he equipped another arrow, pulled the bowstring, and, like before, the arrow made a cutting sound through the air. However, this time, it produced a different sound—a "thump."

Looking at the cave, a roar sounded, and a big bear came charging out, with an arrow stuck in its back. The bear was 3 meters tall, with brown fur, and its dark, scarred eyes showed its age.

The system prompted [LvL5 Brown Bear]. Seeing the bear, Talon quickly ran back to the spot where he was instructed, ready to ambush anything that ran out.

"Kevin!" Lucius yelled, and Kevin rushed in front of Talon to block the bear's attack with his shield. He was thrown back and fell to the ground.

Lily had already rushed to the bear and slashed down on it, but the sword made a 'Ding' sound as if it hit metal, only causing shallow wounds before she jumped back.

"It has a skill," muttered Lucius as he observed the bear's muscles tense up. Even though he was injured, he was the strongest among them at level 3 with a skill, so it was up to him to help them out.

"Talon, shoot its eye!" Lucius pointed to the unprotected eyes of the bear. Talon shot an arrow, but the bear moved its head, narrowly avoiding the shot. However, the arrow still hit the corner of its eye.

The bear turned its head and charged at Talon, who tried to evade, but the ground trembled under the bear's weight.

Kevin was prepared and managed to block the attack with the shield, but he struggled to hold his ground and shook intensely.

Lily jumped at the bear again, this time targeting its one leg and inflicting two deep slashes. The bear roared in pain as its leg was affected.

"Kevin, lift the shield!" Lucius yelled from behind, rushing towards him. Kevin immediately raised the shield like a stepping stone, holding it near the bear. Lucius leaped onto the shield, shouting, "Push me towards it!" Kevin used his strength to propel Lucius into the air, aiming for the bear's back.

In the air, Lucius groaned as the sudden movement aggravated his wound. He held his chest with one hand and his sword with the other, activating his "Empowered Luster" skill to cover the blade just before landing on the bear.

As his foot touched the back of the bear, the landing force transferred to his whole body, making him throw up blood as the wound in his chest opened. He fell with his head down on the back of the bear, with the sword pointed down.

The weight of both him and the sword cut into the bear's back, causing it to scream in pain. He gripped the sword by the handle and attempted to rotate it to inflict as much damage as possible to the bear's insides.

The bear tried to scratch him, but Lily was already working on the second leg, causing the bear to lose balance and fall with a loud thud.

Struggling, Lucius pulled the sword out before pushing it deeper in, panting heavily as the system prompt showed, "40 EXP 4 Gold" as a reward for his efforts.