Kane gripped his new battleaxe tight and walked into the tree line without saying another word to his men.

Thanks to his deep meta-knowledge of the game, he knew where he was going today.

A hidden boss was lurking deep in the No-End Woods, and it was a secret most regular players never discovered until much later in their campaigns.

A powerful creature guarded a rare material, and Kane desperately needed that drop to upgrade his gear before the real war against the elves began.

He walked steadily for twenty minutes, but he never relaxed his guard for a single second.

This forest mostly held low-level creatures wandering between the pines.

The worst things roaming around were usually just Fallen-Rank scavengers, which he could handle easily with his current stats.

However, Kane could feel the temperature dropping fast the deeper he walked into the woods.

The tall trees began to hide the sun, casting long shadows across the place. He honestly doesn’t know if he was walking toward the center of the woods or tracing the outer edge.

’System, can you show me a map?’ Kane asked in his mind, hoping for a quick shortcut.

[Accessing maps requires Level 30]

’Fuck,’ he grumbled under his breath.

’This level restriction is getting annoying. I really need to grind some experience points soon.’

While walking, he wondered if he would get to see the player’s character too.

Like, if he was really inside the game, was he a character made creation that would be recorded as gameplay, or is this all a separate event only happening to him?

Slowly, a pale mist started forming around the tree trunks, taking away his clear vision.

The chilly air stung his skin, reminding him to stay alert. The target had to be here by now.

He scanned the area until a shape came into view through the fog. A wide cave mouth sat about fifty meters ahead of him.

Kane crouched low and hid behind a wide tree, holding his axe ready while taking long, quiet breaths to calm his racing heart.

Rare creatures were usually cursed in this lore, which meant they did not have a specific, predictable rank tied to them.

They were dangerous wildcards that required actual skill to beat.

He slipped his head out just a fraction to check the cave entrance, but he saw no movement inside the tunnel.

’Is it not here?’

In that exact moment, the back of his neck went ice cold.

Survival instincts took over before his brain could even process the imminent danger. Kane threw himself into a hard roll to the right just as a giant claw tore through the tree he had been using for cover.

The wood splintered into a hundred sharp pieces, raining down on his shoulders and cutting his arms.

"Holy shit," Kane gasped, scrambling quickly to his feet.

He raised his eyes and found himself staring at a ten-foot red bear. The beast was drooling saliva over its teeth, and its yellow eyes burned with hungry anger.

[Hidden Boss Encounter]

[Ancient Cursed Bear Grimfang]

[Level 50]

Kane stared at the text. It was a corrupted dire bear that had been sealed away a long time ago.

He remembered it dropped a rare material like [Grimfang’s Heart] or a [Dire Beast Core]

Those items could be used to craft high-tier early-game weapons or upgrade his existing gear. If he could get that core quickly, he could use it to forge the strongest axe in the starting region and make his upcoming raids much easier.

"Come on then, you oversized bastard," Kane shouted, trying to draw its focus. "Let’s see if you are as tough as the lore says."

The bear let out a deafening roar that shook the pine needles loose from the branches above. The sound vibrated in Kane’s chest, but he forced himself to stand his ground.

He knew the attack patterns from his speedrun days. Grimfang always followed a missed swipe with a charging bite.

The bear moved first, lunging forward with terrifying speed.

Kane did not hesitate. He shifted his weight and hurled his iron battleaxe straight at the monster’s face.

The weapon spun beautifully through the misty air, a perfect throw that struck the bear right between the eyes, but it just bounced off the hard skull bone with a dull thud.

The bear did not even flinch at the impact.

It stomped its giant paw down, snapping the fallen iron axe into two useless pieces, and kept running right toward him.

’Shit,’ Kane thought, his eyes widening.

’I just bought that.’

Its claw aimed directly for his chest. Kane threw his body to the side, narrowly avoiding the downward swipe.

But the bear was much smarter than a normal animal. It immediately brought its arm backward in a sweeping backhand motion.

The back of its paw slammed into Kane’s ribs before he could duck away. The brutal impact sent him flying through the air like a discarded ragdoll.

"Guh!"

He crashed through three small saplings before slamming hard into a wider tree.

Pain flared across his back and chest, stealing the breath right out of his lungs.

He coughed, spitting a glob of blood onto the grass. His high vitality stat was the only reason his spine did not snap in half from the blow.

’A level twenty-three health pool is a serious problem,’ he analyzed quickly, clutching his bruised side.

’Even with my endgame stats acting as a buffer, one more direct hit like that might actually kill me.’

The bear did not stop to gloat.

It dropped onto all four legs and charged right at him, tearing up the dirt with every aggressive stride.

Kane struggled to his feet, tasting blood in his mouth.

He was unarmed, hurt, and facing a level fifty boss.

’System, open the shop,’ he commanded desperately.

’Buy the Twin Battle Axes.’

[Transaction Complete]

[110 Gold Coins Deducted]

A blue glow immediately appeared in the air right in front of Kane.

He reached his hands into the fading light and grabbed the smooth handles of two brand new axes. He had just spent the very last of his coins, but the familiar grip gave him a sudden surge of confidence.

Kane roared and leaped high into the air, using his massive Strength to launch himself over the charging bear. Twisting mid-air, he brought both axes down in a devastating double strike toward the back of Grimfang’s neck.