Chapter 38: Elixir of the Savage Bear's Might

The battle had dragged on, and by now, the Iron-Back Brown Bear was utterly exhausted by the relentless attrition from Han Xing and Coalball.

It had to be said, however, that its vitality was truly formidable; it was still clinging to its final breath. At this stage of the game, it was impossible for any survivor to defeat it in a one-on-one fight. Even if one could, the price of victory would likely be devastating. While Han Xing hadn't sustained any serious injuries, that was primarily because Coalball had been bearing the brunt of the pressure. Had Han Xing been forced to duel the beast alone, he would likely have been flattened into pulp by now.

With the Iron-Back Brown Bear being this powerful, the other Level 5 elite monsters were surely in the same league.

"Still, I'm glad it wasn't Level 6," Han Xing thought, feeling a sense of relief.

In *Sky Island Paradise*, Level 5 to Level 6 represented a critical watershed. Level 6 monsters were often significantly stronger in their attributes than their Level 5 counterparts, and the average adventurer simply lacked the ability to challenge them across levels.

However, once survivors reached Level 6, they also experienced a significant boost—not just in their base stats, but also in their equipment. Equipment crafted from blueprints after reaching Level 6 would see a massive jump in attributes compared to those before Level 5, though it also introduced a new requirement: level restrictions. Before Level 5, survivors could wear any equipment they crafted, but after reaching Level 6, any gear they made could only be equipped by survivors who had also reached Level 6.

At this moment, the Iron-Back Brown Bear was at the end of its rope, about to be finished off by Han Xing. Suddenly, the bear mustered one final surge of strength, raising its massive paw as terrifying energy coalesced within it. Han Xing immediately realized it intended to use its area-of-effect skill, "Bear Paw Slam."

But Han Xing had no intention of letting that happen.

*Wind-Chasing Arrow!*

*Whoosh!*

The arrow plunged directly into the bear's eye socket.

*Headshot!*

*Critical damage!*

The massive body of the Iron-Back Brown Bear slowly collapsed.

System notifications chimed.

[You have killed Iron-Back Brown Bear LV5 (Elite Grade). You gained 500 EXP, and your pet 'Coalball' gained 400 EXP.]

[Your level has increased. Current level: LV5.]

[Your pet 'Coalball's' level has increased. Current level: LV4.]

"Whoa, another level up!"

In just one short morning, Han Xing had leveled up twice, gaining more experience than he had in the previous five or six days combined.

Checking his attributes, his Strength and Agility had each increased by 4 points, while Spirit and Constitution had each gone up by 2-3 points—not bad at all. But when he glanced at Coalball’s stats, he couldn't help but feel a bit stunned.

[Pet Information: Void Shadow Wolf (Infant)]
[Race: Void Race]
[Level: LV4]
[Strength: 15, Agility: 25, Spirit: 14, Constitution: 13]

"Good grief! You gained as many stats in one level as I did in three. Are you really trying to evolve into a boss-tier entity?"

Coalball looked at him blankly. Having won the fight, the little cub seemed quite excited, constantly pawing at Han Xing's boots.

At the same time, a familiar system notification appeared again.

[You have killed the elite monster of this area. You may now explore higher-level regions.]

Simultaneously, the number of floating islands in the distance multiplied several times over. He even saw some islands appearing that spanned hundreds, if not thousands, of square meters.

"Oh? So this brown bear was the strongest monster in this sector?" Han Xing pondered. "It seems I must be the first survivor in District 107 to clear my regional boss; otherwise, the other players' scores would have skyrocketed by now."

Han Xing walked over to the giant bear's carcass with Coalball and clicked "Decompose."

[Successfully decomposed Iron-Back Brown Bear carcass. Recovered Iron Arrows *45, obtained One-Star Quality Animal Hide *1 (Damaged), obtained Thick Bear Meat *964kg, obtained Bear Paws *2, obtained Beast Heart *1, obtained Blood of the Strong *20, obtained Strength Crystal *7, obtained Recipe: Savage Bear Strength Elixir *1.]

*Hmm?*

Han Xing’s interest piqued. The earlier items were standard, but the last notification caught his eye.

"Recipe: Savage Bear Strength Elixir?"

Filled with anticipation, he looked at the pile of loot on the ground. Beneath the massive bear skin, he found a yellowed paper recipe. Picking it up, the system prompted:

[Do you wish to learn the Recipe: Savage Bear Strength Elixir?]

"Yes."

The next moment, a second elixir recipe appeared in his crafting menu.

[Savage Bear Strength Elixir: Upon consumption, gain the power of a savage bear, increasing Strength by 30% for 100 seconds.]
[Crafting Materials: Blood of the Strong *10, Spirit Core *5, Tiger Bone Herb *1, Strength Crystal *1.]

"Increases Strength by 30%?" Han Xing was surprised.

Since 1 point of Strength equated to 2 points of attack damage for a Hunter, his current 18 Strength translated to 5.4 damage—effectively adding nearly 11 points of attack power. That was almost as good as an equipment upgrade; the effect was stunning!

"With this elixir, I can boost my attack power by at least 20% during battle. The benefits are substantial!" Han Xing exclaimed. "And this is just for the Hunter class. For melee classes like Warriors, where 1 point of Strength equals 3 points of attack, the boost will be even greater!"

"Cheng Jianyong and Shen Yun could definitely use these."

With that in mind, Han Xing immediately crafted 100 bottles of the Savage Bear Strength Elixir. He had plenty of materials, so it was no issue. He then found Cheng Jianyong and Shen Yun, traded 20 bottles to each of them, and urged them to keep climbing the rankings.

With this elixir, their attack power would see a massive boost, which would also significantly accelerate their exploration speed.

Han Xing then checked the leaderboard. After merging the bear's territory, his territory score had increased by over 60 square meters, pushing him past 800 points and straight into the top ten!

Cheng Jianyong and Shen Yun were not to be outdone, and their rankings were also rising rapidly. Cheng Jianyong, in particular, was a Warrior; after receiving the Savage Bear Strength Elixir, his attack power surged. He acted as if he were on stimulants, his rank climbing relentlessly. It had taken him an hour to go from 37th to 25th, but after using the elixir, he gained over 50 points in just half an hour, breaking into the top twenty!

His rate of growth was catching up to Han Xing's.

In the chat channel, the other survivors were absolutely stunned.

Someone gulped and whispered, "How on earth are those guys doing it?"

"Since when did District 107 have so many monsters?"

The disbelief in their tone was shared by many other survivors.

"We already know about Galaxy, but he gained over 200 points in three hours, and not long after, he added another 60 points."

"But what about 'Lonely Brave' and 'Cloud Sky'? How are they managing to gain over a hundred points an hour?"

No one had an answer.

Then someone chimed in, "Whisperer and Papaya Star Spirit’s scores haven't changed. What are they doing?"

"Could it be that Galaxy is actually going to catch up and reclaim a top-three spot?"

Hearing this, the supporters of "God's Whisper" and the "Airplane Group" felt their hearts sink. They had assumed Whisperer and Papaya Star Spirit had the win in the bag, but now, they couldn't help but feel anxious for the top contenders.