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.

While, 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, and Cynthia who was wearing the combat dress she had take from Jon stood behind its fallen body, her sword of wind glowing faintly. 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 explained, her tone analytical. "It looked strong, maybe because of the size but, we'll likely be facing more of this 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 get boring and unchallenging for them very soon. Or there was even the possibility of there not being any zombies to kill again. And this realization made his heart race with a bit of 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. The others wielded different weapons from the orbs they'd obtained, each with unique properties.

Jon 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 the information from this system in the first place." He chuckled as he thought of the possibility, but it being on a universal scale.

But what he didn't know was that he was in fact correct and the system wasn't just going to ignte 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 the feeling was from but he could feel himself higher than his former self.

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...]

Meanwhile, 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 increased and with that zombies or these new monsters below the level 15 were nothing to them. Before the remaining they came with regained their composures, the 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, and they radiated 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. The bears' anger was palpable—they didn't care about the zombies. They just wanted revenge. After all all the bear's they had just killed where their children.

Jon remained calm. "You all handle the zombies as they are separated. Don't let them swarm," he ordered. The others nodded and split into pairs to deal with the incoming horde.

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 floor where he had once been.

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

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

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

The skill the bear used was just gotten recently so it hadn't mastered it yet but it could throw it.

So it kept stomping the ground and sending the debris to attack them. However Jon kept deflecting them and attacking it.

And what was when a loud THUD was heard from behind them.

It was Cynthia's doing, She had waiting for the right moment to attack and now the uninjured bear had left the side of the injured one, she struck the neck of the injured one.

When the uninjured bear realized it couldn't sense the life energy of it partner again, it stopped turned around and was charging towards Cynthia with blood eyes and exploding fury. The bear thought it could quickly kill them and return to it's partners side but, it was too late.

Jon pushed off the ground and obstructed it's path to engage in a short fight with it and slammed a moon-powered fist into the bear's face to the side.

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 then 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 that roamed this changed world.