They Wanted a Hero. They Made a Monster: Born at the Bottom
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 53: Trust Me, I Know Best
The footsteps of eight black-robed figures echoed between the stone walls.
The cavern was completely dark, yet none of them lit a torch or cast Illumination. Darkness appeared to have no effect on them.
After several minutes, Rakus suddenly stopped at the head of the group.
His nose twitched beneath the shadow of his hood. In addition to blood, the air now carried the rank odor of a wild beast.
A moment later, Rakus chuckled.
He saw through the quarry’s little trick immediately and dismissed it.
“Clever, but this isn’t true wilderness. What kind of monster could possibly...”
Still speaking to himself, Rakus rounded the final corner.
Ahead stood a giant bear as tall as a two-story building. It narrowed its eyes at the intruders and slowly rose.
“Lord ... Rakus?”
One of his subordinates spoke hesitantly behind him. Rakus’s mind raced.
The enormous bear looked familiar, but he could not recall its species.
Its size alone suggested that it was not weak.
They had to recover the Sacred Codex. Without it, Rakus could forget about his elevation ritual. He would also face severe punishment.
The cavern had no branching passages. The little thief had to be hiding somewhere inside.
Ultimately, this wilderness lay close to areas frequented by humans. It was not a true frontier or part of the Deep Strata. The local monsters should not be especially high level.
Rakus was LV40 and had seven subordinates.
While he tried to compare their strength, the bear lost patience.
Under ordinary circumstances, it might have hesitated before attacking so many people. Now nameless rage filled its mind, and it wanted nothing more than to kill the intruders who had disturbed its sleep.
The bear roared, raised both paws, and slammed them down as it activated a skill.
[Gravity Field LV6] In an instant, a force nearly twice their body weight pressed down on every black-robed figure. Caught unprepared, they all staggered.
The distinctive skill made Rakus cry out.
“A Tyrant Bear!?”
He quickly recovered his reason.
Under the Gravity Field of a fully grown Tyrant Bear, neither Rakus nor his subordinates could possibly remain standing this easily.
Did that mean this two-story giant was only a cub?
Rakus immediately spoke to steady his followers, whose courage had wavered at the name Tyrant Bear.
He had already noticed one of them preparing to flee. If they survived, Rakus would deal with the coward later!
“Don’t panic!
“It’s only a cub or a lesser subspecies. Fight properly, and we can kill it!
“Remember, none of us will escape punishment if we return empty-handed!”
His words had some effect. The black-robed figures barely calmed themselves and prepared to counterattack.
Smack!
The bear’s paw flattened the robed figure on the far right just as he raised his staff.
LV6 Gravity Field could not crush them directly, but it robbed them of agility.
Those with greater strength could force themselves to move under the pressure. A mage needed every ounce of effort merely to stand, never mind dodge an enormous paw.
The group had barely formed ranks when the instant death of one member threw them back into panic.
Some charged ahead in blind rage. Others retreated and tried to avoid the fighting. The man who had considered running now fled outright.
“Useless fools!”
With a furious curse, Rakus transformed into a bat wrapped in black mist and flew behind the deserter.
He returned to his original form, seized the man’s head from behind, and bit into his neck.
The victim tried to push Rakus away with both hands, but the difference in strength made resistance useless.
His struggles weakened until only a drowning whimper remained.
Rakus, his mouth covered in blood, threw aside the newly desiccated corpse.
“Attack! Anyone who takes another step backward dies by my hand!”
The absolute command crushed the others’ final hesitation.
They had no choice. Even as another unfortunate fighter was swatted into the wall and reduced to a groaning heap of flesh, the survivors forced themselves to charge.
Rakus did not remain idle. He raised one hand and pulled the blood from his dead subordinates.
Drawing the blood from the man who remained barely alive naturally killed him as well.
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