New monsters

Two members of the group had surprisingly regained their composure amidst the chaos.

One was the head of security, naturally adept due to his prior experience before the fall, while the second had been jolted out of his stupor by the side effect of a mind-related skill.

The remaining ten began to accept their fate, understanding that their survival depended on facing whatever came next.

Before the world collapsed, size often equated to strength, so the sight of the towering beast in front of them filled the group with dread. But for Jon's team, this massive bear was just another challenge.

Without hesitation, Cynthia acted first.

WHOOSH.

With the passing of a gust of wind, the bear's head was severed. Cynthia, wearing the combat dress she had taken from Jon, stood behind its fallen body, her sword of wind glowing faintly while dripping with blood.

A notification blinked before her eyes:

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 12 'POWER BEAR' REMAINS]

However, her level didn't increase. "Looks like weaker creatures aren't useful for leveling up anymore," she muttered as Jon and Jenny joined her, the rest of the group still frozen in shock.

"This 'Power Bear' was different from the zombies, but weaker than that tree we fought," Cynthia analyzed. "It looked strong, maybe because of the size, but we'll likely be facing more creatures like this from now on."

Jon's eyes narrowed as he processed the information. He had wondered if zombies would be their only adversaries, but now it was clear that new monsters had emerged after the storm. He had already adapted to the new world on the first day, so by now, he was almost... excited.

Just killing zombies would eventually become boring and unchallenging. Or there was even the possibility of there not being any zombies left to kill. And this realization made his heart race with excitement.

"Are you actually smiling?" Jenny asked, raising an eyebrow. She, too, was growing accustomed to this strange, post-apocalyptic world, but Jon's almost-smile took her by surprise.

"No, I'm not," Jon replied, his expression betraying him. "Anyway, can I borrow your sword?"

"Oh, sure," Jenny said, handing it over without hesitation. She no longer needed it since her powers relied on her hands.

As Jon took the blade, a notification appeared:

[OBSINE BROWN IRON SWORD {UNRANKED REALM): Use 20 points of mana to activate a slashing effect. Larger mana reserves increase the piercing effect.

Strength +10

Effective against enemies under level 15.

Attack Power: 300.

Durability: 295]

"Obsine again," Jon muttered to himself, noticing the recurring material. Then he mentally stored the information in his 'Mind World' for later reflection, filing away the potential significance of 'Obsine.'

"Maybe it's similar to how we get information from this system in the first place." He chuckled at the possibility, considering it on a universal scale.

But what he didn't know was that he was, in fact, correct, and the system wasn't going to ignore his accomplishment.

[YOU HAVE UNCOVERED A SECRET OF EMBROYNIEL. KEEP AT IT.]

[YOUR **** LEVEL HAS INCREASED]

Startled, Jon felt a strange surge within him. A sudden boost filled him. He couldn't quite place where the feeling was from, but he knew he had risen beyond his former self. And before anyone could question him, a deep, ominous hum filled the air.

It reverberated from all directions, shaking the ground.

WOOOOOOOOOO

From the distance, more bears, each one massive and furious, charged toward them. Their eyes glowed red with rage, their thick bodies bristling with energy.

It was clear: they sought vengeance for their fallen kin.

But Jon, Jenny, and Cynthia didn't hesitate.

In a flash, they rushed forward, meeting the bears head-on. Jon activated the sword's slashing effect, infusing it with moon energy. His blade cut through the bears like a hot knife through butter.

SLASH... SLASH.

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 13 'POWER BEAR' REMAINS]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 11 'POWER BEAR' REMAINS]

[YOU HAVE...]

Cynthia launched precise air bullets, striking the bears between their eyes, while Jenny conjured silver arrows that burned through their tough hides.

After fighting the tree, their levels had increased, and with that, zombies or these new monsters below level 15 were nothing to them.

Before the remaining scouts they came with regained their composure, about fifty bears were dead.

"Where could they have come—" Jenny began, but her words were drowned out by a far more menacing roar.

WOOOOOOOOOOO.

The sound was deafening.

From the horizon, two massive bears charged toward them. Standing at four meters tall, these creatures were far more formidable.

Brown energy coursed through their arms, legs, and chests. These were not ordinary bears. They were superior versions, radiating a terrifying strength that even attracted zombies from the surrounding area.

As Jon observed the bears, he realized they were as powerful as the tree they had once fought. Their anger was palpable. They didn't care about the zombies. They just wanted revenge. After all, all the bears they had just killed were their children.

With a calm voice, Jon ordered, "You all handle the zombies as they are separated. Don't let them swarm here."

They nodded and split into pairs to deal with the incoming zombies.

The two giant bears approached rapidly, their footsteps shaking the ground. Jenny initiated the attack by forming a massive tank of silver energy and firing it at one of the bears.

BOOOM.

WAAAAA

The bear roared in agony as its arm was blown off, blood gushing from the wound. Yet, despite its injury, it continued its charge, rage driving it forward.

Jon then dashed forward, appearing beneath the injured bear in a blur of motion. He pierced the socket where its arm had been, then vanished before the second bear's paw reached the ground where he had once been.

BOOM...

The injured bear collapsed, blood pooling beneath it as it weakly tried to cover its wound with its other hand.

In a nightmarish display, the uninjured bear stomped its massive foot, causing the ground to shake violently as it charged forward.

Rocks from the ground floated around its body as it prepared to attack. It hurled the debris toward Jenny, thinking she was the most dangerous of the three, but Jon intercepted the attack, deflecting the rocks with precise strikes from his sword.

CLANG...CLANG...CLANG

The skill the bear used was recently acquired, so it hadn't mastered it yet, but it could throw debris.

It kept stomping the ground and sending debris to attack them. However, Jon kept deflecting them from reaching Jenny.

Then, a loud THUD echoed behind them.

It was Cynthia's doing. She had been waiting for the right moment to attack. Now that the uninjured bear had left its partner's side, she struck the injured one's neck.

When the uninjured bear realized it couldn't sense the life energy of its partner anymore, it stopped, turned around, and charged toward Cynthia with blood-red eyes and exploding fury.

It thought it could quickly kill them and return to its partner's side, but it was too late.

Jon pushed off the ground, obstructing its path, engaging in a short fight before slamming a moon-powered fist into the bear's face.

BOOM.

The bear staggered back, dazed. "Now!" Jon shouted.

Jenny, gathering the last of her mana, unleashed another devastating blast from her silver tank.

This time, there was no escape for the beast.

BOOOM.

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 20 'FATHER POWER BEAR' REMAINS]

The battlefield fell silent.

The bears were dead, and the zombies had been dealt with. But in the quiet aftermath, they all knew this was just the beginning of their fight against the new monsters roaming this changed world.