SSS Ranked Transmigration: Taming Beauties and The Beasts! - Chapter 209

Chapter 209: Wooden Bears
As Cain’s main body prepared some things in his kingdom, his clone had continued to look for beasts after Nix and Ashvara had taken a little bit of rest, recharging their energy by eating pills.

This time, Cain decided to let Nix and Little White fight and gather their experiences more before going to the next step.

After looking for an hour or two, they stopped at a massive mountain range as Ashvara detected suitable beasts. Ashvara then landed on a plateau as his master ordered him to do so.

Far below, winding paths cut through dense forests of towering pines, their thick canopies hushing the wind’s whispers. The crisp air carried the scent of resin and damp earth, testament to the mountainous terrain they had entered to find fresh challenges.

“I sense three wooden bears in that valley,” Ashvara’s telepathic voice announced calmly, his obsidian feathers shimmering faintly under the daylight.

His molten-gold eyes narrowed as he focused on the stony ravine about a kilometer away. “One is exceptionally strong, likely at the peak of the Conqueror Rank. The other two, while slightly weaker, will still provide a decent test.”

Cain’s clone nodded. “That’s good. Nix and Little White will handle the weaker pair, and you’ll occupy the peak-level wooden bear. You can finish it off whenever it’s convenient as you just need to keep it from interfering in their fight.”

He had chosen this location precisely because it offered a varied terrain with a broad, level clearing that opened into steep, rocky slopes, giving advantage to those comfortable with quick maneuvers.

Nix tensed, flexing his claws into the stone beneath him. His newly enhanced strength hummed in his veins, a testament to his relentless training. Beside him, Little White shook out his silver fur, eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Although the two had battled together before, they were still in the early stages of forging seamless teamwork, something that Cain now wanted them to develop further.

They all descended quietly from the plateau, weaving between massive boulders and winding through thick clumps of conifer trees. It didn’t take long before the faint aura of living wood became palpable.

The so-called “wooden bears” were formidable beasts, their bodies shrouded in bark-like plating and imbued with nature’s vigor. Their presence pulsed in the crisp air, thick with primal energy.

Before they even entered the beasts’ line of sight, Cain’s clone turned to Ashvara with a faint grin. “Don’t spoil them,” he teased. “I know you like to hog the kills. Let Nix and Little White do their share.”

Ashvara, the Infernal Sun Crow, cawed lightly in acknowledgement. Though his rank was suppressed to suit the mission, his aura still exuded a confident heat. “As you wish,” he answered in a mental voice.

Moments later, the group reached a vantage point that overlooked the clearing below. The three wooden bears were visible, rooting around in a patch of wind-stunted bushes.

One bear towered over the others, an imposing beast crowned with ridges of bark that glowed faintly green from the pulsing lifeforce coursing beneath. Even though the other two were slightly smaller, they still looked fierce as their claws tipped with sharpened wooden protrusions.

Nix and Little White surged forward with practiced stealth, each controlling their breathing to hide from the bears’ keen sense of smell. Ashvara took a higher flight path, ensuring he could intercept the peak-level wooden bear if it tried to join the fray against Nix and Little White.

Within moments, the smaller wooden bears lifted their heads, sniffing the air. They released guttural growls, bark plates rustling along their backs. They had sensed the intruders.

The largest bear huffed, stomping one paw down as vines and roots emerged from the ground. Sensing aggression, it let out a bone-rattling roar that echoed throughout the mountain range. The tension soared.

“Now,” Nix hissed to Little White, his wings unfurling in a half-snap to accentuate the command. “We strike first.”

Little White’s silver fur glistened under the sun as he activated his [Moonlight Empowerment] skill. They leaped simultaneously into the clearing, drawing the attention of the two smaller wooden bears while Ashvara circled overhead, watchful for the large one’s reaction.

Instantly, the lesser wooden bears roared in unison, battered bark plates shifting across their flanks. They advanced, each choosing a target as one heading for Nix, the other for Little White. Their synergy was visible in their parallel movements, reminiscent of duos the dragon and wolf had faced before.

Nix braced himself as he used his [Frost Armor] skill, creating a layer of crystalline ice forming across his body. He breathed in sharply, exhaling a swirl of subzero mist that cloaked him in a haze of cold.

The wooden bear, unafraid, lunged with a savage slash of its thorn-lined claws, aiming to crack Nix’s armor. Sparks and shards of ice scattered as Nix blocked the blow, his feet skidding backward.

Little White’s opponent snarled, brandishing a jagged trunk-like claw wreathed in vines as it used its [Vine Lash] skill. Nix leaped aside, pivoting in midair as he retaliated with [Lunar Slash] skill.

the silver crescent arced across the short gap, biting into the wooden bear’s foreleg. Though the bark plating fractured slightly, the bear grunted and kept moving, brandishing more vine-laden swipes.

Overhead, the peak-level wooden bear roared, vines writhing around its limbs as it lumbered forward. Ashvara wasted no time. He descended in a quick dive, unleashing a torrent of black and gold flame to keep the powerful beast occupied. Sparks flew as the biggest bear tried to swat Ashvara aside, but the crow twisted deftly, forcing the massive creature to focus on him.

Meanwhile, Nix and Little White slipped into a practiced rhythm. Though they had seldom fought together, they each possessed enough experience from previous team battles to keep from tripping each other up.

Nix’s [Ice Claw] hammered into the flanks of his wooden bear, while Little White circled behind the second, using his [Light Barrier] skill to block a barrage of thorny vines.

Still, the synergy was a work in progress. Nix accidentally veered too close to Little White at one point, causing their movements to crisscross awkwardly.

The wooden bears recognized the misstep and pushed offensively with renewed barks of aggression. Vines entangled Nix’s hindlegs, and a claw raked across Little White’s shoulder, drawing a thin line of blood.

A grimace flickered across Nix’s face. “We can’t let them keep control,” he hissed.

Little White nodded sharply, ignoring the sting in his shoulder. “We’ll drive them apart. You hold your ground. I’ll flank.”

Nix responded by slamming his tail down, using his [Ice Spike] skill in a cluster around the first wooden bear. Sharp spears of frost erupted from the ground, forcing the beast to leap backward.

Simultaneously, Little White circled in a wide arc, lashing out with his [Silver Fang] skill at the second bear’s midsection, biting into bark and drawing a pained roar.

The fight had only just begun, and though the synergy between Nix and Little White was still shaky, they steadily found moments where their individual talents meshed.

Overlooking the chaos, Ashvara and the largest wooden bear continued their own test of strength, the crow ensuring that the monstrous foe wouldn’t intervene in the others’ duel too early.

Wind gusted across the clearing, rustling the bark that armored the bears, shifting the wisps of vapor left by Nix’s ice. Each party panted from the initial flurry of blows, though the afternoon sun still beat down, uncompromising in its brilliance.

As the dust of the opening skirmish settled, Nix and Little White locked eyes, as though silently acknowledging both the limitations and potential of their synergy. The wooden bears, though slightly staggered by the assault, remained formidable adversaries, prowling with vines quivering in anticipation.

Nix braced himself as his scaly chest heaving from the exertion. Frost crystals flaked around his claws, remnants of his most recent [Ice Claw] skill strike.

Across from him, one of the wooden bears paced steadily, bark-like plates clicking with every step it took, greenish sap oozing from the cracks in its flanks where he had landed a few telling blows.

The second wooden bear focused intently on Little White, vines coiled around its forelimbs, deep scrapes scarring its bark from the wolf’s earlier lunges.

Little White spared a quick glance at Nix, eyes flashing in acknowledgment. Their synergy still felt rough, but each passing moment let them adapt further.

Where once they had crisscrossed or misstepped, they now found ways to avoid tangling each other’s lines of attack. Neither needed to speak to know that they planned to escalate their offense.

“Now.” Nix’s telepathic voice cut across the tension, low but decisive.

Little White responded with a curt nod. The silver moon wolf darted around the perimeter of the clearing in a blinding streak of motion, hooves pounding from the wooden bear behind him.

He was capitalizing on his advantage in agility, luring his opponent away from the second bear.