Wasteland Lord: Starting from Thirty Days to Live

He had seen clearly what had just happened on the bridge: two young men had used themselves as bait, and one of them had even bravely blocked dozens of monsters.

His courage shocked Vittorio, and also puzzled him.

He knew that humans were strange animals; sometimes they were as timid as mice, and other times they were incredibly bold.

In the past, when we lived in peacetime, everyone was just as mediocre and weary.

When such a thing actually happened before his eyes, he realized that there really was such explosive power and such willpower in the human body!

Could this be the "will to survive" that Edmund was talking about?

While Vittorio was pondering, the battle below intensified.

The Bone Bear had thick hide and flesh; Isolde was agile and swift; Edmund was powerful and heavy.

However, Isolde and Edmund were fighting two against one, and the Bone Bear's strength was only at the level of a second-tier magical beast.

Edmund and Isolde are both at the peak of the Shaping stage, equivalent to the strength of a level 2 magical beast. Edmund has even reached the half-step Heart Forging stage.

So it's quite easy for the two of them to take on one.

Before long, the bone bear was being beaten so badly that it was howling in pain and bleeding profusely.

Edmund had already seen through his weakness.

"It's the back!"

He roared beneath the city walls, in a voice that everyone could hear.

"His swinging motion was sluggish, suggesting an injury to his back, specifically behind his head and above his spine!"

Vittorio followed his lead and began to observe as well.

Indeed, as he said, there was a large area of ​​ulceration behind the bone bear's spine, but it was not obvious because it was covered by black fur.

Although Edmund discovered its weakness, the bear was too tall, and its back was difficult to approach for the time being.

The two had no choice but to stand at the bottom and trim the bear's feet.

Isolde tried to jump up, but was always stopped by the bear's paw and could not move forward.

At this moment, everyone had the same thought in their minds—if only someone could jump up to their back and attack that weak point directly!

Vittorio suddenly had a bold idea, one that even he himself found a bit daring.

What if he goes?

To be honest, even he himself thought it was somewhat impossible.

Since arriving from the capital, he had been under the protection of others almost the entire time due to his physical condition.

Even during those two months in the Reach, training with Edmund, it was mostly just sparring with wooden stakes, with no real combat experience.

"If I go, can I really do it?" Vittorio couldn't help but ask himself.

But before this question could be answered, an opportunity presented itself.

With another heavy blow from Edmund, the bear staggered backward, howling in pain, and crashed heavily against the city wall.

His back was completely exposed to Vittorio's view, and right next to Vittorio was the rope that Isolde had just used to swing down from the tower.

Now all Vittorio needs to do is grab the rope, jump down, and land directly on its back to deliver a fatal blow.

But the question is—does he dare?

This battle was destined to be won. Even if he didn't jump down, the bear would still die. It would just mean a loss of more manpower and a few more bloodshed for the two knights.

As a lord, he could have stood high on the city wall, watching the show and giving his opinions.

He had absolutely no reason to jump.

But most importantly, he might not dare to jump.

Just like the survival creed of John, that coward—do not do things that are unnecessary, do not do things that are dangerous, do only what is most beneficial to survival, and do everything out of absolute reason.

Even if people call me a coward and laugh at me, I'll accept it.

Because he was never a hero. He was just a coward who feared death.

It was like William choosing to cover the rear alone, acting like some kind of hero, talking about completing the mission.

Why sacrifice your own life?

Wouldn't that be the biggest fool?

For a moment, Vittorio's emotions were in turmoil, as if a roundtable council was arguing endlessly in his mind, unable to reach a consensus.

However, the opportunity was fleeting and wouldn't wait for him to think it through before he could make a decision.

A few seconds later, the bear recovered from the dizziness of being knocked down and struggled to stand up.

Jump!

I still won't jump!

It all comes down to a single thought!

Vittorio's hand unconsciously tightened around the rope, and he pulled John's sword directly from his waist.

With a curse in John's astonished gaze, he leaped off the city wall.

The instant he jumped, he felt his heart pounding, as if he were living for the first time.

He finally realized that being a lord and being a hero seemed to be two different things.

Being a lord and strategizing can certainly give him the satisfaction of planning every step of the way.

But the thrill of being a hero made his blood boil and his heart pound!

It was at this moment that the pattern on his arm, which had remained unchanged for so long, suddenly started to shine!

In an instant, the wind whistled past his ears, blowing his hair all the way up to the top of his head.

He felt the ground getting closer and closer, and the back of the bear beneath him getting closer and closer as well.

With a heavy thud on his feet, he felt himself landing on a patch of coarse, dark hair.

He had reached the back of the bone bear.

The stench here was unbearable. Not the stench of animals, but a putrid smell—like the smell of rotten meat that hadn't healed properly and was constantly exposed to bacteria.

He looked toward the source of the smell, which was precisely the weakness Edmund had pointed out.

At this moment, the bone bear also recovered from the dizziness of being knocked down.

Its lifeless, pure black eyes flashed, as if it also realized that something had climbed onto its back.

It stretched out one of its paws to scratch, but Vittorio jumped and narrowly dodged it.

Unable to find the little thing hidden on its back, the bone bear began to shake its back violently, hoping to shake it off.

Vittorio grabbed the bone spur on its back with his other hand, using the strength he had gained over the past two months to hold on firmly, and then slowly made his way toward that weak spot.

Edmund and Isolde witnessed this scene clearly from below.

A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the two men, especially Edmund.

But now was not the time to talk, and Edmund immediately discussed tactics with Isolde.

"He's already jumped up. This monster's really agitated right now. Looks like we've found the right spot. We'll harass it from the sidelines and prevent this ugly thing from interfering with him!"

Isolde agreed, and the two knights charged forward again, swords in hand.

At this moment, Vittorio had reached the bone bear's weak point.

That is hidden behind his head, above his spine, which, if we use a human anatomy analogy, is roughly equivalent to the bottom of the back of the head and the upper part of the neck.

A foul stench emanated from the place, and when he looked inside, he nearly fainted.

Below, there were thick tendons of some unknown material, like needles and thread, forcibly connecting the exoskeleton to the bear's fur.

The Bone Bear isn't actually a "bone" bear!

Is its current form actually a result of human intervention?