Its speed is at a level I can handle, I reasoned, so activating Ariel right now wouldn’t be efficient.
Besides, I need to conserve my energy in case things go south.
My core will handle replenishing as many magicules as possible during the fight.
For now, I’ll keep dodging its attacks, and on its next pass, I’ll blast it with a Fireball to gauge its defensive capabilities.
Just as I expected, it didn’t take long for the beast to charge at me again, this time slightly faster.
It seemed it didn’t appreciate its prey slipping away so easily.
In any case, I evaded its rush without much trouble.
The moment it crossed past me—before it could even swing at anything—I cast a Fireball about one meter in diameter.
In terms of magic, this didn’t require much; it was just enough to expend a small fraction of my reserves to test its durability.
Since the bear had its back turned, the Fireball struck dead-on.
As the smoke cleared, I assessed the damage.
The beast grunted in pain, and its fur was slightly singed, but nothing beyond the outer layer of its hide seemed damaged.
Its muscles and bones were undoubtedly fully intact, which put me in a much tighter spot.
If my Fireball couldn’t do significant damage, I would have to rely on my Fire Arrows, which had a much sturdier structure and greater piercing power.
Perceiving no real threat from me since my initial strike had barely scratched it, the bear continued to charge with mounting fury.
On its third charge, once it had barreled past—having already anticipated exactly where it would stop—I loaded three Fire Arrows and let them fly at different targets: one to the chest, one to the hip, and one straight for its head.
Given my current energy levels, those three arrows cost me a decent chunk of power—about 5% to 10% of my remaining 50%—but unlike the basic Fireball, they actually delivered.
The moment they connected, they embedded themselves about 10 to 15 centimeters into its chest and hip.
The one aimed at its head slammed hard against its skull, though it failed to pierce it.
Still, this reassured me; as long as I had a reliable way to damage the beast and kept my distance, I wouldn’t be in any real danger.
My thoughts were abruptly cut short when the bear—whether out of sheer pain, rage, or both—unleashed a spine-chilling roar that echoed through the entire forest.
Instantly, the bone spikes protruding from its spine and elbows grew larger and flared with a crimson hue, while its musculature swelled, making its massive frame tower even higher.
At the same time, a volatile reddish aura began radiating from its body.
Shit, I thought, this is bad.
The very next second, the beast lunged at me just as it had done before—only this time, it was no longer lumbering.
It was faster than me.
If we hadn’t been separated by a decent distance when it started its charge, I wouldn’t have been able to dodge it at all.
Not wanting to tempt fate, I barely managed to evade the attack by a hair.
A sharp pain flared in my right shoulder—a quick glance confirmed it was just a superficial scrape, nothing serious—but I immediately recognized the gravity of the situation.
Without wasting another second, I activated Ariel.
Ariel was an incredibly fascinating spell.
I wasn’t entirely sure how it functioned in DanMachi, but in my version, it manifested as a shroud of “wind armor” similar to the Raikage’s lightning technique.
It granted me immense speed and fluid mobility without draining too much power.
I estimated I could keep it active for about 10 to 15 minutes with my remaining reserves.
With Ariel active, our speeds evened out, but being smaller, more agile, and significantly lighter gave me the upper hand.
The bear seemed to have caught on to my previous hit-and-run tactic, meaning waiting for it to charge and counter-attacking wouldn’t work anymore.
Seeing this, I changed my approach: I would wait for it to close in, and the moment it swung its massive paw, I would slip to the outside of the attacking arm and unleash three heavily charged Fire Arrows directly into its exposed flank.
This time, I decided to channel more magicules into the arrows—a technique I had been practicing over the last ten days.
I could easily scale up the output of a spell by pouring more energy into it, but doing so without precise control would cause the spell to destabilize and fail, so I had to regulate the flow carefully.
Right on cue, the bear brought its right paw down in a massive swipe.
I instinctively ducked and slid to my left, completely evading the blow, and conjured three overcharged Fire Arrows in less than a second.
The projectiles slammed home.
Thanks to the boosted power and the fact that they struck a vulnerable area under its arm, the impact was devastating.
Seeing that the attack had partially paralyzed the beast’s right arm, I decided to replicate the move on its left side—aiming directly for its heart.
This time, I would pour every last drop of my remaining magicules—about 25%—into a single, lethal Fire Arrow.
However, a split second of distraction proved costly.
I failed to predict its next move; driven by pure instinct, the beast suddenly whipped around, lashing out with its injured arm.
The heavy blow caught me clean, sending me flying backward into a thick tree trunk that felt like solid steel against my spine.
Damn it, I gasped, coughing.
Even with a crippled arm, that strength is absurd…
If that had hit me full-force, I’d be dead.
Admonishing myself to never let my guard down again, I dragged myself off the ground and forced Ariel back online—which had deactivated upon impact—using the absolute limit of my remaining magicules.
I couldn’t be sure, but it felt like I had a few broken ribs and some cracked vertebrae.
Just breathing was pure agony.
I had to end this right now; otherwise, my injuries and magic depletion would finish me off.
Sticking to the plan, I waited patiently for it to attack with its left paw.
With its other arm out of commission, its movements were predictable, though instead of a vertical swipe, it went for a sweeping diagonal slash.
Recognizing the opening and seeing enough clearance to maneuver, I threw myself flat to the right.
Barely hovering above the dirt as the massive claws sailed overhead, I launched the single, overcharged Fire Arrow—which had grown so dense it resembled a glowing spear—straight into the left side of its chest.
The spear-like projectile tore through the bear’s chest even cleaner than before.
I don’t know if the strike obliterated its heart entirely, but the colossal beast collapsed to the ground, dead within seconds.
It took me a few moments to gather the courage to approach, but once I got close, I finally confirmed the beast was entirely lifeless.
I could barely move, and leaving a fresh carcass here was practically begging for other apex predators to show up, assuming the noise of the fight hadn’t already drawn them.
Without overthinking, I began clearing out my Inventory to make room for the bear.
My storage capacity had grown significantly over the last few days, seemingly proportional to my overall magicules, which had doubled.
I managed to keep about eight pieces of fruit and some water in my spatial storage alongside the bear carcass, which easily weighed over 500 kilograms—meaning I had a massive meat supply secured for the foreseeable future.
To avoid wasting anything, I quickly forced down the fruits I had discarded, even though I didn’t have an appetite.
Afterward, aching in places I didn’t know existed, I limped as far away from the battle site as my battered legs could carry me.
By the time I found a hidden spot, the sun had set completely.
It was incredibly difficult to find comfort with injuries my body wasn’t used to, but eventually, the sheer physical, mental, and magical exhaustion dragged me down into a deep sleep.