Creation system

Leya knelt directly in front of Mitch, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she pressed one knee into the soft earth.

Her reinforced steel shield lay abandoned beside her, its polished surface reflecting the dappled sunlight that filtered through the ancient trees surrounding them.

The weight of exhaustion pressed down on her shoulders like a heavy cloak.

The air whistled with deadly intent as another iron-tipped spear sliced through the humid atmosphere, its trajectory aimed directly at Mitch's chest.

Simultaneously, a massive brown bear, standing nearly seven feet tall on its hind legs, just a head shorter than Mitch's imposing frame, lumbered toward them from the left.

Its coal-black eyes gleamed with predatory hunger, and razor-sharp claws extended from its massive paws, each one capable of tearing through flesh and bone with terrifying ease.

Mitch's mind cleared as the last vestiges of his stunned state evaporated like morning mist.

Without hesitation, he swept Leya into his protective embrace, feeling her trembling form against his chest.

A translucent blue shield materialized around them both, shimmering with ethereal energy.

The magical barrier pulsed with a soft hum, its surface rippling like disturbed water. The incoming spear struck the shield with a sharp metallic clang, deflecting harmlessly to the side and embedding itself in the trunk of a nearby oak tree.

The bear's massive claw descended with bone-crushing force, but the enchanted barrier held firm.

Where the beast's claws made contact, only the faintest of ripples spread across the shield's surface, like stones thrown into a still pond.

The magical protection weakened slightly but remained intact, a testament to the power of Mitch's newly acquired shield bracelet, its silver surface glowing with residual energy around his wrist.

We got lucky again, Mitch thought, his heart pounding against his ribs. I still have no idea how much damage this shield can actually withstand.

His relief was short-lived. The bear, undeterred by its failed first attempt, reared back and struck again with even greater fury.

This time, the accumulated damage proved too much. The blue shield shattered like glass, fragments of magical energy dissipating into sparkles of light that danced briefly in the air before vanishing.

Reacting on pure instinct, Mitch channeled his remaining mana into his palm, feeling the familiar tingle of raw magical energy coalescing.

A sphere of crackling blue-white energy formed in his hand, roughly the size of a child's fist but containing enough destructive force to level a small building. He hurled the mana ball with deadly precision toward the bear's massive head.

The projectile struck with tremendous impact, sending the creature stumbling backward several meters.

Blood trickled from a gash above its left eye, and it shook its head in confusion, momentarily disoriented by the magical assault.

Mitch gently released Leya from his protective embrace, his eyes never leaving their ursine adversary. "Stay behind me," he whispered, forming another mana ball with practiced efficiency. The spell launched forward with a sharp whistle.

But the bear was craftier than it appeared.

A shimmering barrier of translucent energy materialized around the creature just as Mitch's attack reached its target.

The mana ball struck the protective field, and for a moment, both forces struggled against each other. Then, with a sound like breaking crystal, the barrier shattered under the spell's relentless pressure, sending the bear sliding another meter across the forest floor.

Leya shook her head vigorously, clearing the last of her disorientation. Her training took over as she rolled gracefully to her feet, snatching up her fallen shield with her left hand while her right found the familiar weight of her sword hilt.

The blade sang as it raised in the air, its steel edge gleaming with a faint frost aura.

Another spear whistled through the air, this one finding its mark. The iron point struck Mitch's right hand with a wet thud, and immediately, violent electrical energy coursed through the weapon.

But this time, instead of the incapacitating shock he'd experienced before, Mitch felt only a mild tingling sensation.

He had learned from his previous encounters with the electric slimes in the depths of the dungeon.

The moment he saw the spear approaching, he had infused his hand with mana, creating a natural insulator against the electrical assault. The lightning danced harmlessly across his skin before dissipating into the ground.

With grim determination, Mitch retaliated, sending two mana balls in rapid succession. The first flew toward the hidden spear-thrower's position among the trees, while the second targeted the bear. The latter struck another hastily erected barrier, obliterating it in a shower of magical sparks.

The bear got enraged.

The bear's transformation was both terrifying and magnificent. Its eyes blazed crimson like twin coals, and its massive form began to swell with berserker rage.

Muscles bulged beneath its thick fur, and its claws extended even further. The creature's breathing became labored and harsh, steam rising from its nostrils in the cool forest air.

With a roar that shook the very leaves from the trees, the enraged bear launched itself at Mitch in a tremendous leap. Its massive form blotted out the sun as it descended like a furry avalanche.

Mitch's sword, flashed upward in a desperate arc. The edge bit deep into the bear's extended front paw, and with a sickening crunch, the appendage separated from the creature's body.

Dark blood sprayed across the forest floor as the severed limb tumbled away.

But the bear's momentum carried it forward, and its remaining claw raked across Mitch's abdomen with devastating effect.

Three parallel gashes opened across his torso, each one deep enough to expose the muscle beneath. Blood immediately began to soak through his torn shirt and leather jerkin, spreading in dark stains across the fabric.

Leya had positioned herself perfectly during the exchange. As the bear committed to its attack on Mitch, she stepped forward with fluid grace, her frost-enchanted blade leading the way.

The sword pierced through the creature's left eye with surgical precision, and immediately, crystalline ice began to spread from the wound.

The magical frost raced through the bear's skull, freezing brain tissue and blood vessels alike.

The mighty creature's roar died in its throat as it collapsed to the ground, its body twitching once before lying still.

Mitch pressed his hands against his wounds, feeling the warm flow of blood between his fingers.

He used some holy magic to heal himself.

The bleeding slowed to a trickle, then stopped entirely.

The sound of approaching footsteps broke the momentary silence. Two figures emerged from the dense undergrowth, their intentions clear from their predatory gaits and ready weapons.

The first was a lean man in his thirties, wearing well-maintained leather armor that bore the scars of many battles.

His spear was longer and more elegantly crafted than the crude throwing weapons they had faced, its steel head gleaming with professional care. A thin scar ran from his left temple to his jaw, and his eyes held the cold calculation of an experienced killer.

His companion was older, perhaps in his forties, draped in robes of deep blue cloth that rustled with each step.

The wooden staff he carried was topped with a brilliant sapphire that pulsed with inner light.

His beard was neatly trimmed, and his intelligent eyes missed nothing as they assessed the two combatants before him.

"You guys are pretty strong," the spear-wielder said, his voice carrying a note of genuine admiration mixed with dark amusement. "Most people would have died from that coordinated attack."

"We will look the other way and let you live," he continued, resting his spear casually against his shoulder. "Just toss your weapons and jewelry over here. No need for anyone else to get hurt today."

Leya's green eyes flashed with indignation. "Do you think we are stupid?" she shouted, her voice echoing through the forest. "Who would believe that you would not kill us after tossing our weapons? "

The spear-wielder's scarred face split into a cold smile. "I give you my word as a former soldier of the realm," he said, though his tone suggested the promise was worth less than the air it was spoken on.

"Fuck you and your word!" Mitch's patience finally snapped. He formed another mana ball with desperate speed and hurled it directly at the smirking bandit.

The former soldier's reflexes were impressive. He twisted to the side with practiced ease, the magical projectile missing him by mere inches and exploding against a tree trunk behind him, leaving a smoking crater in the bark.

The robed summoner raised his staff and pointed it toward the ground at his feet.

The sapphire gem flared with brilliant light, and a small portal materialized in the air.

The circular opening revealed a glimpse of some otherworldly realm shrouded in purple mist.

From this dimensional tear, a grey wolf emerged, its yellow eyes gleaming with unnatural intelligence and its fangs dripping with saliva.

Mitch extended his mana sense, feeling the familiar tingle as his magical perception expanded. The wolf was a tier 1 creature, dangerous but manageable.

The two humans, however, were both low-tier 2, making them significantly more powerful than their previous opponents.

The wolf immediately flanked toward Leya, its movements fluid and predatory. At the same moment, the spear-wielder dashed forward with surprising speed, his weapon leading in a textbook thrusting technique.

The spear point punched through Mitch's leather armor and buried itself deep in his abdomen, grinding against his lower ribs.

Mitch gasped in pain but refused to fall. His swordplay skills were rudimentary at best, he couldn't have parried that thrust even if he'd seen it coming.

But his enhanced physical statistics from his tier advancement made him more durable than most fighters of his level.

Gritting his teeth against the agony, he grabbed the spear shaft with his left hand, his grip slick with his own blood. With his right hand, he formed one final mana ball, this one larger and more concentrated than any he'd created before.

The sphere of energy crackled with barely contained power as he pressed it directly against the bandit's chest.

The explosion was devastating. The upper half of the spear-wielder's body simply vanished in a flash of blue-white light, leaving only his legs to collapse to the ground in a spray of blood and gore.

Mitch wrenched the spear from his abdomen, feeling a fresh rush of warm blood. His vision blurred momentarily from blood loss, but he forced himself to focus. "Create element," he whispered, activating his spell to heal himself.

He poured his remaining mana into the wound, watching with relief as the torn flesh began to knit itself back together.

"How do you even have any mana left?" the summoner shouted, his voice cracking with disbelief. "I've been watching you since the beginning of this fight. You should have exhausted your reserves. It shouldn't be possible for someone of your tier!"

Only the summoner remained now, along with his tier 1 wolf companion. The beast had reached Leya and was attempting to clamp its powerful jaws around her throat.

But Leya was far from helpless. She raised her shield with perfect timing, catching the wolf's attack on its reinforced rim. The impact sent vibrations up her arm, but she immediately countered with a shield bash that sent the creature stumbling backward.

Her frost-enchanted sword descended in a perfect arc, the blade singing through the air. It struck the wolf's skull with a sound like splitting wood, cleaving cleanly through bone and brain matter.

The creature's body convulsed once before collapsing into two distinct pieces, ice crystals already forming around the wound.

The summoner turned to flee, but Mitch had anticipated this.

Despite his injuries, he moved with surprising speed, covering the distance between them in three quick strides. His sword lashed out, severing the tendons in both of the man's ankles.

The summoner cried out in agony and collapsed to the ground, his staff rolling away into the undergrowth.

Mitch stood over the fallen enemy, breathing heavily. "We won!" he called to Leya, a note of triumph in his voice. "Are you hurt?"

"Mitch, finish him!" Leya shouted urgently. "Never leave an enemy alive to strike back!"

"He is already down," Mitch replied, gesturing to the summoner's crippled legs. "He's not going anywhere."

But even as he spoke, the summoner's hand moved with desperate cunning inside his robes.

His fingers found the handle of a concealed dagger, a thin, poisoned blade meant for close-quarters assassination. He wasn't unconscious at all; he had been waiting for exactly this moment of overconfidence.

Leya's combat instincts screamed danger. Without hesitation, she gripped her sword by the blade and hurled it like a spear with all her strength.

The weapon spun end over end through the air, its frost enchantment leaving a trail of ice crystals in its wake. The blade struck the summoner directly between his eyes, the point punching through his skull and pinning his head to the soft earth beneath. His body convulsed once, then lay still.

So cool, Mitch thought, genuinely impressed by his companion's skill and quick thinking.

"Never turn your back on an enemy!" Leya said, her voice filled with exasperation and concern. "That's the first rule of survival in any combat situation!"

"Thanks, my savior!" Mitch replied with a huge smile spreading across his blood-stained face. "I owe you my life."

"Oh, cut it out," Leya replied, but her cheeks flushed with color at the praise.

"Are we going to have to fight with all the people in this hidden ground?" Mitch asked, suddenly worried about the implications of their encounter.

"Fights rarely happen in places like this," Leya explained as she retrieved her sword and began cleaning the blood from its blade. "This is the first time someone has actually attacked me inside a hidden ground."

"They were either desperate for coin or driven by greed when they saw our equipment," she continued, nodding toward their magical items. "Our trinkets made us obvious targets for anyone willing to risk the consequences."

"Should we hide them in my pocket space?" Mitch asked, unconsciously touching the dimensional storage device attached to his belt.

"No, what would be the point of having them if we don't use them?" Leya replied pragmatically. "Besides, most people will think twice when they see adventurers with powerful gear. Only complete idiots would be so reckless as to attack us."

"Okay then, let's loot them and get out of here," Mitch agreed.

After searching the bodies thoroughly, Mitch examined their spoils with disappointment. "They don't have much of value on them," he said, holding up the meager collection of items.

[Tier 1 Iron Knife] – Crafted by an amateur blacksmith using basic techniques. The blade is functional but crude, with no mana conductivity. Worth perhaps a few copper coins to the right buyer.

[Tier 1 Conduit Staff] – A novice crafter's attempt at a magical focus. Increases the area where the user can manifest their spells by roughly 10%. Summoning spells cost 10% less mana to cast. The wood is decent quality, but the gem setting is amateur work. Has some mana conductivity.

[Tier 1 Iron Spear] – Forged by a novice blacksmith. The balance is reasonable, and the steel has some mana conductivity. Could be useful as a backup weapon.

[4 x Throwing Iron Spears] – Mass-produced weapons created by a novice blacksmith. Each has basic mana conductivity and could be effective in the right hands.

The loot was disappointing; only the staff and spear were worth keeping.

"They must have dropped their packs before engaging us," Leya observed wisely. "That's what I used to do while fighting monsters in the dungeon. You never want to be weighed down by unnecessary gear during combat."

Hearing this, Mitch's eyes lit up with renewed hope.

He began searching the surrounding area systematically, pushing through undergrowth and checking behind trees.

After several minutes of hunting, he found what he was looking for: two leather backpacks hidden beneath a fallen log about thirty meters from where the fight had taken place.

Both packs were stuffed full of supplies and equipment. Mitch's hands trembled slightly with excitement as he unbuckled the first one.

"Finally!"