Chapter 5: Claybear
Chapter 5:
Claybear
PART 1
THREE DAYS HAD PASSED since my battle to the death with the potortoises. I spent most of my time quite peacefully, drying piperis, seasoning the jerky, and torching carnivorous flowers for salt.
The jerky was coming along well, but yesterday a group of orangurangs—monsters that looked like red monkeys—came along and stole the entire batch. I woke up early in the morning to a commotion. Stepping outside, I found the evil monkey gang laughing and chittering as they devoured my jerky. I hadn’t felt such rage in a long time.
I chased after them, but they were ridiculously fast and I lost them in seconds. After I’d calmed down and was able to think clearly, I realized that a big group like that could definitely kill me. Orangurangs’ stats were pretty high. I could take them one-on-one, but fighting that many at once would be suicide.
So I let them have the jerky, and hunted a bunch of graywolves to make another batch. It wasn’t so much that I was dying for jerky, more just stubbornness on my part. Still, I was nervous that those darn orangurangs would come back and steal it again. And if they came while I was asleep, there was nothing I could do.
So I got some poisonous plants, boiled them in my tortoiseshell pot, and brewed up a nice, strong poison. Then I dipped each piece of jerky in the concoction. Just imagining those red monkeys writhing in pain filled me with satisfaction. This was the best way to make sure they never came back.
The pelts were done disinfecting and drying out, so I took them down to the lake to wash the salt off. I used Baby’s Breath on a tree to burn off the little branches and leaves, making myself a laundry pole. I slung the pelts over it and let them dry. Now I had a perfect rug for my cave house.
I wasn’t sure I’d preserved it properly, but it would do for now. I lay down on top of the soft, comfortable pelt. I was working on building up a solid supply of salt and other spices while hunting low-level monsters like graywolves and horned rabbits, which provided me with food for the day. Lately I only challenged E Rank monsters.
There was no harm in taking it easy, but it meant I hadn’t gained a single level in three whole days. My only skill that had improved was Mr. Chef, to Lv 3. Maybe I’d venture out farther than usual today. I wanted a few more pots to store my ingredients—one for meat, one for salt, and one for spices. I needed a new cooking pot as well. I had been so consumed with my desire to avenge my lost jerky that I didn’t think things through before using my one and only pot to cook up a batch of poison.
If only getting new pots was simple. I found it was nearly impossible to defeat a potortoise without breaking its shell. Out of the ten I’d killed, only one of the shells had been usable, and even that one was pretty beat up.
I used Roll to explore a part of the forest I’d never been to before, searching for new food sources and anything else I could use as a pot. I ran into a horned rabbit on the way there, but after a little game of tag I managed to take it down.
That bought me a bit of experience. It would be too much of a pain to carry it with me, so I left it and planned to pick it up on my way home.
Is it just me, or was that horned rabbit really fast? True, I hadn’t seen much action lately, so my senses were probably a little dulled. I really needed to get my edge back with more challenging battles, something with a little tension—nothing too far above my own rank, though. After the Little Rock Dragon and the Giant Potortoise, I’d had enough of C Rank monsters. Even nine lives wouldn’t be enough to keep fighting those guys.
I pondered this as I rolled around, until I heard a strange noise. Suspicious, I paused.
Thump, squish. Thump, squish.
Thump, squish. Thump, squish.
What in the world was that? I mean, it sounded like footsteps but…odd. It must be a monster I’d never come across before, but I couldn’t glean anything more than that.
I held my breath and hid myself behind the trees. Then I slowly, slowly made my way towards the sound. And there it was…some kind of huge bear.
Well, it looked like a bear, but it wasn’t a bear. I wasn’t actually sure what it was. It was hard to explain, but it almost looked like a model of a bear…like a lump of mud made to look like one.
Uh…at any rate, time to check View Status.
Normal Skill “View Status” Lv 5 cannot provide that information. Target is out of range.
Guess I was a smidge too far out. But it looked dangerous, so I didn’t want to get any closer.
“View Status” cannot retrieve target’s status; however, it is able to provide information regarding Species.
Hey, I didn’t know View Status had such a convenient function. I think I’ll go ahead and use it.
“Claybear” Rank D+ Monster. A monster born from the earth. Very powerful with high regenerative abilities.
A D+ Rank monster, huh? So it was the same rank as me. I could definitely take it on, and I bet it’d give me a lot of experience, too. The only downside was that I doubted any amount of grilling or boiling would make it appetizing.
But maybe if I beat it, I can melt it back down to clay and form some pots out of it? Okay, it’s decided. I’ll destroy it, reshape it, and use it to decorate my home.
PART 2
THE CLAYBEAR still hadn’t noticed me. Maybe it was a little slow on the uptake. But I couldn’t lose the advantage I’d gained by spotting it first.
Still, I mean, it was a bear-shaped lump of clay. It looked like a half-finished figurine, too ugly to even put on a display shelf. I wasn’t sure if its ears and eyes even functioned. Maybe that’s why it was so oblivious.
I didn’t know any specifics, but I was still going to use everything I had against it. I wasn’t going to do something basic like punch it from behind. I needed an opening.
I’d sneak right up behind it, then when the moment was right, I’d pounce. If I attacked when it was eating or relieving itself, I’d get the drop on it. Wait, did it eat?
At any rate, I decided to watch and wait. I didn’t mind stalking it for an hour or two if it meant I got experience and some pots out of the deal. I watched the claybear from the brush some distance away. When it moved, I let it pull ahead before slowly beginning to follow. I wasn’t worried about losing sight of it; it definitely stood out. Plus, its footsteps were loud.
It walked, I followed. When it turned around, I hit the ground. It walked, I followed. I spent three hours tailing the claybear.
I was getting hungry. Maybe I’d go back the way I came and eat that horned rabbit I left lying there. I’d watched the claybear for three hours, but it hadn’t done anything remarkable. It just trudged along, turned around and went back the way it came, then repeated the process. I was beginning to doubt this thing was even alive.
A darkwyrm slowly crawled across the claybear’s path. They ignored each other.
Wow. Even the darkwyrm didn’t see it as a living creature.
Now all I see when I look at the claybear is a lump of mud. This whole thing is stupid. I’ll just punch it in the head and go home.
I stood up, slightly numb from crouching for so long. That was when it happened. The claybear spun swiftly, then slammed its earthen fist into the darkwyrm’s back as it passed by. It crushed the wyrm so fast it didn’t even have the chance to scream, its insides spraying out in every direction.
My jaw dropped and I stood there, staring. The claybear knelt over the squashed darkwyrm, and its stomach split into an enormous maw that ripped into the wyrm. Blood spattered as the claybear sloppily devoured it.
Okay, that is not a bear! It has no right to call itself a bear! I won’t let it! Rename yourself!
But this was no time to get flustered. I had to calm down…calm down! This was exactly what I was waiting for—the claybear was eating! All creatures let their guards down when they were satisfying their biological needs, and this monster was no exception. Or at least I really hoped that was true.
To be fair, I didn’t want to fight it. But I really needed a pot to finish decorating my humble abode.
Who knew when a human might come across my cave? Then they’d say, “Hey, this place looks nice—dragons must be pretty smart! I’d sure like to become a dragon’s friend!” I needed material from the claybear to make that happen.
I charged through the brush using Roll, rushing the claybear from behind while it ate and tackling it with all my might.
“Beeyah!”
The claybear’s back caved in. It let out an incredibly un-bear-like scream and spit the remains of the darkwyrm out of its mouth. I spun in place, aiming for the dent in the claybear’s back.
Hi-yah! Take another one!
“Beeyah!”
The claybear rolled, slamming into the base of a huge tree. But I wasn’t letting up yet. The claybear didn’t seem to comprehend what had happened, so I launched a third punch at it. I kicked off the ground and aimed for its stomach.
“B-beeyah!”
I smashed it hard into a tree. I sensed the claybear’s mouth-stomach opening and swiftly canceled my Roll skill. I stretched out my curled limbs, kicked off its shoulders and used that momentum to gain some distance, landing with both feet planted.
The giant mouth gaping from its stomach seemed to stare at me. This was dangerous. If I didn’t get away, it would chew me up and spit me out.
Surely the three punches I landed must’ve done some damage. The claybear’s arms were barely hanging on and its sides were all caved in. I needed to land one more punch to really finish it off, but it was difficult to plan my moves against a creature I knew nothing about. At least I was close enough for a Status check now.
Species: Claybear
Status: Fury
Lv: 25/40
HP: 57/178
MP: 100/100
Attack: 75
Defense: 136
Magic: 56
Agility: 65
Rank: D+
Special Skills:
Golem: Lv —
Earth Type: Lv —
Resistance Skills:
Soul Contamination: Lv 2
Normal Skills:
Bite: Lv 6
Transform: Lv 2
Regenerate: Lv 4
Clay: Lv 4
Sandstorm: Lv 1
Title Skills:
Clod: Lv 3
Basically the same level as me. Its defense was on the high side, but my attacks were still doing damage. Leveling up Roll had been a good plan after all.
I didn’t want a repeat of the potortoise debacle. Not only did I barely do them any damage at all, but they could completely recover with just one Rest. The claybear’s Bite Lv 6 was what worried me. Good thing I hadn’t just charged it head on like I’d wanted to at first. It definitely would’ve killed me right away.
I did put it in Fury, but that wasn’t a surprise. Anyone would be angry if they got attacked during lunch.
“Beee-yaaaah!”
The claybear’s stomach-mouth opened up and howled. Instantly, its body puffed back up to its original shape, its dangling arms regenerating. That would be its Regenerate skill. Another aspect of high defense tactics. Apparently everybody and their mom in this forest had healing abilities around here lately except me. I had toiled endlessly trying to learn recovery magic, but was cruelly turned away from that path after being tempted by Human Transformation. I’d make them all pay.
PART 3
THE CLAYBEAR finished healing itself with Regenerate, then started flailing around with its brand new arms, like it was testing them out. It stomped around loudly. Was it trying to intimidate me? If so, it was definitely about to make its move.
As expected, the claybear raised its arms and rushed me. Quickly, I used View Status to see how much its MP had dropped.
Species: Claybear
Status: Fury
Lv: 25/40
HP: 159/178
MP: 82/100
Its HP, originally at 57, had jumped all the way up to 159. Regenerate gained it back about 100 HP, and it had enough MP left to use Regenerate four more times. If it came to a straight up brawl, I’d run out of steam first. I wanted to finish it off quickly, but its HP and defense were too high for that. Three direct hits using Roll hadn’t been enough.
I needed to pull out all the stops on enemies with high defense, but my strongest attack was Meteorite, and I wasn’t confident I could lift the claybear high enough. It was twice my size.
I might be able to use Breath until I was nearly dead like I did with the Giant Potortoise, but if I threw the claybear up into the air and aimed Breath at him, it’d probably just crush me to smithereens in midair. In hand-to-hand combat, it had every advantage over me. I was faster and had a higher attack score, but even if I got the first strike, its defense would force me into a prolonged fistfight. Its stamina advantage was overwhelming.
I’d only managed to land those three punches in the first place because of my ambush. The claybear’s defense, its build, and the sheer mass of all that clay in its body meant any more head-on hits either wouldn’t connect or wouldn’t matter. And of course, it always had Regenerate.
A long-distance attack wouldn’t be strong enough. If I set its body on fire, the clay would scorch and harden and I wouldn’t be able to make a pot out of it. Then this whole fight would be pointless.
My staring contest with the claybear continued—not with its false head, with the gaping mouth in its stomach. Okay, one last skill check and I’d come up with a strategy.
Normal Skills:
Bite: Lv 6
Transform: Lv 2
Regenerate: Lv 4
Clay: Lv 4
Sandstorm: Lv 1
Bite Lv 6 was terrifying. I really didn’t want to experience those teeth. I wasn’t sure if I could inflict damage anywhere but its torso, but I couldn’t let myself get too near its stomach.
The Transform skill caught my attention. What if I beat it but then it grew a bunch of extra parts and transformed itself into something else? Seriously, how could they even call this thing a bear? I think the world owed bears everywhere a heartfelt apology!
I wasn’t sure what Clay or Sandstorm were, which meant I didn’t know how to counter them. Should I use this chance to leave and come back with a better strategy? Nah, maybe that’s being a bit too chicken.
If I was too cautious, I might miss out on my best chance to attack. There was no such thing as a totally safe battle strategy, anyway. I couldn’t let myself get bogged down by everything I didn’t know—I was in danger either way. I needed to maximize my advantages, but still remain flexible. At this point my plan was: don’t get eaten by that stupid giant mouth, and circle around behind. Best-case scenario, after that I could start whittling down its HP.
In RPGs they always say not to let your HP go too low before using your recovery magic. No point in conserving MP if you were too dead to use it. I wondered if I could get the claybear to make that mistake and run through its MP quickly? Nah, probably not. That was too big a gamble with my life on the line.
The fact was, I just didn’t have any kind of skills strong enough to defeat it in one blow while it was distracted while casting Regeneration.
My mind raced with possibilities. And while I was thinking, the claybear acted. Fangs appeared from its large, gaping stomach-mouth.
Why the heck does it have so many teeth?! Looks more like a shark than a bear! In that moment, I committed to a plan. I’d aim for its torso, which made up the bulk of it. But from the back, rather than the front.
I used Roll to dodge the claybear’s new assault, circling around it. I was already fast, but when I used Roll I was practically a blur. The claybear hesitated and I used that to my advantage, tackling it hard.
“Beee-yaaah!”
The claybear crouched, then swiftly swung a heavy arm my way. I dodged, spinning around behind it again.
C’mon, c’mon! You think you can chase me when I’ve got Lv 4 Roll? Go ahead and try. I’m gonna keep attacking from behind until I think of something better. Heh, it’s whirling around looking confused. Even the bear head is spinning around. Where the heck are its eyes, anyway? Oh, there’s an opening!
I used Roll to launch myself once more at his back, then beat a hasty retreat.
That’s called a hit and run, ladies and gentlemen! Whoa, that was a close one. Its reflexes are getting better. Heh heh. I was overthinking it before, but this bear’s not such a big deal after all.
I hadn’t expected to land this many blows. I thought I’d have to figure out the claybear’s weaknesses, but this was pretty effective. I might be able to finish it just like this.
It kept raising its arms to attack, but it was easy to evade. And even if it did happen to hit me, I doubted it would do much damage. As long as I avoided a Bite from that stupidly large mouth, I would be fine.
All right, time to circle behind again. C’mon, c’mon. Hurry up and use Regenerate already. Huh?
“Beeeee-yaaah!”
The claybear screamed and slammed both of its hands against the ground. At first I thought it was throwing in the towel, but then clouds of dust rose. Ugh, it was using Sandstorm. Guess this wouldn’t be over as easily as I thought. Maybe I should just back away quietly. I didn’t want to risk being blinded by that cloud of dust and then chomped on. I couldn’t get anywhere near him until the storm cleared.
I still had the advantage, though. I’d just go wait in a safe place for now.
PART 4
BUT WHEN THE Sandstorm finally cleared, I blinked in disbelief. A cluster of huge spikes poked from the claybear’s back. What the heck? How did it do that?! That’s against the rules! Seriously, why is it called a bear? This is clearly protection against Roll, right? Isn’t this a little too convenient?
This probably messed up its mobility, but the spikes were definitely meant to discourage attacks from its blind spot. It left me only one option: charging from the front. How much MP did it have left?
Species: Claybear
Status: Fury
Lv: 25/40
HP: 137/178
MP: 34/100
Oh, wow, its MP was way lower. Its HP must’ve gone up because it used Regenerate during the Sandstorm, but I couldn’t figure out why its MP was so low now.
Let’s say it used Regenerate twice. It costs 18 MP, so that would be a total of 36. Maybe a combo of Sandstorm and Transform ate away the other 30 MP?
That made sense. Now it wouldn’t be able to use Transform again very easily, and only had enough MP left for one more Regenerate. I was starting to see a path to victory…the only problem was, how to attack? I’d made good progress, so charging in from the front with hand-to-hand combat wasn’t a terrible idea, but it still had Bite Lv 6…
Its back was covered with clay spikes, and its front had the gaping, shark-toothed mouth. I could probably knock its bear-head clean off its neck, but I doubted that would make a difference. The claybear hadn’t tried to defend any part of its body except its torso.
If I was going to attack from the front, I couldn’t do it with a simple move like Roll. It was fast, but I’d just end up right in the claybear’s mouth.
I’d just have to keep punching while evading Bite. If the claybear had a hard shell like the potortoises I could use Meteorite, but I just didn’t think this body would break the same way.
I clenched my fists and ran straight toward it. It raised both its arms in a fighting stance to welcome me, and the huge mouth in the center of its stomach opened wide, baring its fangs. The claybear swung its thick right arm down right at me. I raised my hands to block, but then its left arm rushed at me, too.
I parried the swing with my tail, throwing the claybear’s trajectory way off course and slamming the back of its left hand into the ground. The recoil from blocking with my tail sent me flying into the air.
“Beee-yaah!”
Its stomach-mouth opened, trying to bite me in midair. I landed a kick right above its mouth and tried to launch myself backwards. My right leg hit the claybear’s solid body—and stuck there. Or, more accurately, it got swallowed. I tried to pull it out, but it just kept sinking in deeper and deeper.
He used Transform!
I kicked against the stomach-mouth’s fangs with my other foot, using that leverage to pull my right leg out of its body. I sailed backwards, but not fast enough to avoid a Bite attack, which caught me right in the stomach.
“Raaaar!”
I spread my wings and flew backwards, putting distance between us so he wouldn’t pursue me. I landed, crashing to my knees and clutching my stomach. My scales had gotten ripped off, the flesh exposed. I could walk, but when I checked my Status my condition was now Bleeding (Slight).
I had to be careful with my HP. I might be able to withstand two more shallow Bites, if I was lucky.
Darn it, darn it! Everything was going so smoothly, until one little mistake put me in a terrible position.
If using Transform drained the rest of the claybear’s MP, I still had some hope. I did land a hit on its torso, even if it was a light kick. It should be on the verge of death by now.
Species: Claybear
Status: Fury
Lv: 25/40
HP: 122/178
MP: 19/100
Not only did I barely do any damage, but it still had enough MP to use one last Regenerate. I considered giving up on the clay and using Baby’s Breath—but then all of this would have been for nothing.
I’ve just gotta prepare myself. It’s a battle to the death between equal ranks and equal levels. I need to take some risks.
“Beee-yaah!”
The claybear howled as it ran for me, swinging its thick arms to attempt a grab. But for whatever reason, it didn’t seem to want to finish me off with its arms. It seemed it was trying to hold me still to use Bite again. If that was it, I could anticipate its next move.
I’d dodge, parry with my tail, then dodge again.
I knew I was right; its arm attacks were only meant to hold onto me. It only actually attacked with Bite—all the rest of its moves were pure defense.
I whipped the claybear’s left arm with my tail and flew wide to the right. It pursued me, stretching its right arm out. I kicked off the ground and spun backwards into the air, grabbing at its arm. Then, I spread my wings and shot a blast of Baby’s Breath straight down for a burst of altitude.
I could use Meteorite to knock it down… Wait, no, that wouldn’t be enough to finish its HP. If it was still alive, it would just use Regenerate. I had to end this fight right now.
I folded my wings and dropped toward the claybear like a stone. The impact would be rough, but I knew I could withstand it.
“Raaaaaaaaar!”
“Beeee-yaaah!”
The claybear looked up at me and screamed.
Shut up with “beeyah, beeyah” already. You’re not a real bear, and that’s not even close to the sound a bear makes in the first place! Why do you keep lying to yourself?!
I slammed into its fake bear’s head and arm, pulverizing them, clouds of dust swirling out in all directions. The impact roared through my body, throwing me backwards. I rolled across the forest floor, landing on my back, limbs spread like a starfish.
Gained Normal Skill “Nutcracker” Lv 1.
Nutcracker, huh? Couldn’t you think up a cooler name than that? Although I guess that was kind of what I did.
Gained 150 Experience Points.
Title Skill “Walking Egg” Lv — activated: gained 150 Experience Points.
“Young Plague Dragon” Lv 31 has become Lv 33.
Phew, thank goodness. I hated to admit it, but for once I was happy to hear the Divine Voice. I had no idea what I would’ve done if that fake bear was still alive.
I sat up and noted the pieces of the claybear scattered around. There was even a crack in the ground. Wow.
The recoil was too intense for me to use that maneuver very often, but it would be a good trump card to keep in my pocket. Seriously though, my body was aching. I couldn’t do any more hunting today, but I could at least collect the clay from the claybear. I would gather it all up, go home to my cave, and start making my pots.
PART 5
IT TOOK SEVERAL TRIPS to get all the clay from the claybear back to my cave. I didn’t really need so much, but I decided to take it all just in case. Having too much wouldn’t hurt, and if I ended up with a ton left over maybe I’d try my hand at sculpting a statue. Not like I had anything better to do.
I piled all the clay below the tree where my jerky was hanging. Time to start sculpting. I began kneading the clay and made something that resembled a large cauldron. Then I heaped water, dirt, and some more clay inside of it and mixed it all together.
Since there was so much of it, it was hard work. I couldn’t have done it with my human body, and it was even rough on my current form.
I might even be able to paint the walls inside the cave with the clay. It was way stickier than normal clay, but I could thin it out with dirt.
After I was done mixing it, I sculpted the slurry into a pot shape. I made lots and lots and lots of mistakes. My stiff dragon arms and long claws made it impossible to achieve a neat shape. Argh, If I was going to go to the trouble of making these pots, I wanted them to look at least slightly pot-like.
The sun set as I worked, but I stubbornly kept on. My battle with the claybear had exhausted me, but strangely, I didn’t want to sleep. I ignored my heavy eyelids, just kneaded and crushed, crushed and kneaded.
Halfway through, I bit down my bothersome claws to stop them from getting in the way. My fingertips bled, but I kept kneading the clay.
By the time the sun rose, and after a lot of trial and error, I’d made a beautiful pot. The trick was crafting the bottom and sides separately, then attaching them.
It was perfect. Seriously perfect. All right, I’m going to mass produce pots just like this one.
Gained Title Skill “Ceramic Artisan” Lv 1.
Aw, Divine Voice. Lay off the compliments, you’re gonna make me blush.
Looking up, I spotted a group of those scoundrel red monkeys—the orangurangs. They were watching me, and I had a feeling it was the same gang as before. I glared back at them and they immediately disappeared into the forest. They were probably after the jerky. I couldn’t let my guard down.
How many pots did I need? One for the spices, one for the meat, and one for the salt. And I might need more later on, so I might as well make ten of them.
I ignored the sound of my belly rumbling and continued sculpting. My technique improved with every pot I made.
Hey, I might be a master artisan here. This is super fun.
I made ten pots, and my title skill Ceramic Artisan went up to Lv 2. I’d hit my first goal, so I had a break and took some jerky off the tree to try. It was actually really good. I’m so glad I found that salt. I bow down to you, o great carnivorous flower!
While I was eating, I sensed someone watching me. I turned, only to see those monkeys again. They’d totally gotten a taste for my jerky. Shoo, shoo! Get out of here!
I shot them a look, and once again they disappeared into the forest.
I don’t have time to deal with you right now. But when I do, I’ll let you eat as much as you want. Poison, that is.
After my meal, I decided to try sculpting a cooking pot. Or maybe two—one for eating and one for brewing up poison. And I’d surely need spares, so I might as well make an even five. A couple might break at the firing stage, after all.
The cooking pots brought my Ceramic Artisan skill up to Lv 3. I wondered idly if I was an artist in my past life. My genius was simply frightening.
I gathered up dried wood and set my large cauldron on it. I opened the top and shot in a puff of Baby’s Breath. I repeated the skill until I had a mountain of ash. I put the storage jars and cooking pots inside, shooting in another Baby’s Breath on top. I wasn’t exactly sure how hot to make it, so I was prepared to end up with a couple cracked pots, but shockingly, none of them broke. Maybe the claybear’s clay was especially durable.
When the pots began to glow white, I stopped Baby’s Breath and piled dirt on top to extinguish the fire. When it cooled, I pulled the pots from the ash and washed the soot and dirt off them in the river.
These look pretty good! Honestly, this went way better than I was expecting.
Back in the cave, I transferred the salt, spices, and meat to their new containers. I lined up the jars and cooking pots and looked around—my cave was beginning to look pretty cheerful. I felt good.
I still had some clay, so maybe I really would try a sculpture next. Once I painted the interior walls and made it all look homey, maybe I could make some bricks and arrange them inside the cave. I could sculpt them from the leftover clay and fire it all with Baby’s Breath. Seemed like tough work, but rewarding.
I had a feeling I’d be holed up in my cave for a while. As for food… Well, I can make do with the jerky for now.