Chapter 73: The Villain's Ending is Only Death
The massive beast, at least twice my height, recognized me and snorted, baring its fangs in warning.
It was so enormous that it could easily be mistaken for a monster rather than an animal.
I struggled to maintain my composure as I gauged the distance between us.
The bear was far enough away for me to use my crossbow.
Of course, I knew all too well how fast and dangerous a wild bear could be, regardless of the distance.
But it seemed that the game had some arrangement for this 'sudden quest,' as the bear had arrows stuck in its shoulder and leg, bleeding profusely.
It appeared to have been chased by other hunters and ended up facing me, the weakest of them all.
The bear roared so fiercely that the arrows and blood seemed insignificant.
Its eyes, filled with murderous intent, made it look like it was about to pounce on me at any moment.
I could see it limping on its injured leg, but that did nothing to ease my anxiety.
'Why do I have to hunt a bear in a dating simulation game?'
With tears in my eyes, I clicked [Accept]. There was no other choice.
〈SYSTEM〉 Aim at the [Red Dot] with your weapon!
As soon as the new text appeared in the box, the bear started charging at me.
I hastily aimed my crossbow without even reading the message properly.
Upon closer inspection, three red dots, each the size of a soccer ball, were blinking on the bear's head, body, and leg.
And a number '29' was floating in the air, counting down.
Even in Normal Mode, such 'mini-games' existed within the game.
'But they were just things like finding the differences or solving puzzles!'
I was already miserable from being possessed by a villainous character, so why were the quests in Hard Mode so brutal?
Fortunately, the bear's speed was slow due to its leg injury.
I recalled all the practice I had done and aimed at the blinking red dots.
Thankfully, the targets were large.
I decided to aim at the body first, as it seemed the easiest to hit.
The bear, which had been charging, suddenly stopped and let out a roar, convulsing from the impact.
I panted heavily, feeling a weight lift off my chest.
I was so tense that my neck was drenched in cold sweat.
I held my breath, waiting for the bear to fall.
But the quest completion window didn't appear, and the large number in the air continued to count down.
The bear, which had been staggering, growled once with a dazed expression.
Then it suddenly lifted its head.
Our eyes met. Instead of falling, the bear bared its teeth at me, its prey.
One of the red dots on its massive body disappeared, and the remaining two continued to blink.
A cold sweat trickled down my forehead.
'Do I have to hit all three...?'
As I was flustered by the unexpected situation,
The bear started charging again, faster than before.
The magic on the beads had erased its short-term memory, causing it to momentarily forget the pain in its leg.
As the distance closed quickly, I took a few steps back, terrified.
My trembling hands pulled the trigger repeatedly.
More beads shot out and hit the beast.
The same thing happened again.
The bear, convulsing from the impact, growled dazedly and then started charging at me again.
Thud, thud. The ground shook slightly from its heavy weight.
Now, only '14 seconds' were left.
I kept my eyes on the bear, which was about to charge again, and aimed my crossbow at the red dot.
'This is getting dangerous.'
I was so flustered that the tip of the arrow kept shaking.
I was far from a skilled archer, so I had to stay still to hit the target.
I stopped stepping back, despite the bear getting closer.
I managed to hit one of the red dots on its head.
This time, the impact was significant, and the bear roared as it fell.
I exhaled the breath I had been holding and took a few quick steps back.
The countdown was now less than 10 seconds.
I only needed to hit the last red dot on its leg.
Panting, I raised my crossbow again.
Meanwhile, the bear struggled to its feet.
Despite being hit several times, it had an incredibly tough hide.
Now, only 5 seconds were left. The situation was urgent.
I aimed my crossbow without relaxing my tension.
I only needed to hit it one more time, but it was a difficult shot.
The massive bear, nearing the end of its life, kept staggering.
The red dot on its leg moved around.
The bead narrowly missed the thick leg and hit the ground.
The countdown was almost over.
'What happens if the time runs out?'
A chill ran down my spine.
If I had to hit all the [Red Dots] to kill the bear,
'...It means the bear will still be alive if I fail the quest.'
The system window was just a game, but this was reality.
The massive beast didn't die even after being hit several times with the crossbow.
And finally, the countdown ended.
Unable to concentrate due to my thoughts, I missed the final shot.
〈SYSTEM〉 [Hunt the Giant Bear] Quest Failed!
Would you like to try again?
(Time Limit: 10 seconds, Reward: Giant Bear Skin and Gallbladder, Fame +50, [???] Affection +5%)
The quest failed, and the time limit for a retry was drastically reduced to 10 seconds.
Without hesitation, I quickly clicked [Accept].
The bear, with its mouth wide open, was about to charge at me.
Only the last red dot on its leg, which I had missed, was blinking.
But I didn't feel any relief.
The certainty of death crept up to my throat.
I couldn't back away much while aiming my crossbow.
I pulled the trigger desperately to buy some time.
The slot for the bolts was empty. I had run out of beads.
I stood there, dumbfounded.
I had brought extra beads in a cloth bag, but I couldn't reach them.
The massive beast was right in front of me.
The bear's massive front paw, with sharp claws, was raised high. It was bigger than my face.
I knew I had to dodge, but my body was frozen, unable to move.
Just as the massive paw was about to strike me,
A horse's neigh and a man's deep voice came from somewhere. And.
My body moved as if freed from a trance.
I instinctively bent down, and the bear's paw narrowly missed my head.
The wind from the bear's full swing made my hair stand on end.
A series of chilling sounds followed.
When I regained my senses, it was already over.
The massive figure collapsed with a short scream.
A heavy vibration shook the entire forest as the bear's massive body hit the ground.
Blood spread like water, staining the tip of my shoe.
A large sword was deeply embedded in the center of the giant bear's neck.
"What are you doing here?"
Golden hair sparkled in the sunlight filtering through the leaves.
"So, you're the mad dog of the Duke's family. You're not just crazy, you're insane."
"Did you try to hunt this giant bear alone?"
Thud. The man, with eyes as red as the black horse he was riding, leaped down and approached me.