In the late morning, Aestus felt a gust of wind carrying a putrid smell of decomposing flesh. Orkan also smelled the stench and spat on the ground. They looked around, searching for the source but with no success. They pressed forward, slower now, keeping their eyes peeled. The smell grew worse, making Orkan nauseous and causing Aestus' eyes to water slightly. Suddenly, the two young men heard a loud, hoarse roar. They froze in place, trying to locate the source of the sound. Orkan nudged Aestus, pointing to the left. About 50 meters away, there was a carcass of dark green color. At first, Aestus thought it was a dead animal, but then he noticed that the carcass was moving. That's when he realized what it was: the necrobear. He had heard accounts of it from other Hunters, but he hadn't imagined it would be such a horrific sight accompanied by such a strong stench.

The Creature was enormous, over 2 meters in length. Its fur was gray, with large patches of missing hair and open wounds, revealing a good portion of its bones and some internal organs. The necrobear walked slowly, limping and with spasmodic movements in its head. Its mouth drooled profusely, with grayish saliva dripping from teeth that were too big for its head. Judging by the slow and erratic movements of the Creature, Aestus believed it would be an easy fight, as there wouldn't likely be much reaction from the opponent. He even felt some pity for the Creature, which seemed to be suffering just from waddling through the forest. They hadn't confirmed the contract with their contact in town, but if that Creature was the target, they would already be in luck. If not, it would serve as good training for the hunt.

Orkan and Aestus exchanged glances, nodding their heads in agreement. They didn't want to talk and risk attracting the Creature's attention. They left their backpacks on the road and materialized their weapons. Confident after winning several consecutive battles with little effort, the two Hunters lunged at the necrobear without much planning, aiming to surprise and quickly defeat it. However, the necrobear proved to be a formidable opponent, not to be underestimated. This would be an important lesson that the two Hunters would learn the hard way.

Orkan reached the Creature first, landing a strike on its right side. The necrobear, however, didn't seem to feel any pain. It turned much faster than anticipated, delivering a powerful swipe to the Rogue's torso. Orkan was thrown far away, hitting his head against a tree trunk and falling to the ground. Aestus could see that his friend was unconscious and bleeding profusely. He couldn't even tell if Orkan was alive or not. The Knight focused, trying to push the image of his injured friend out of his mind and concentrating on the necrobear. The Creature made eye contact with Aestus, turning towards him.

Before Aestus could take any action, the necrobear charged toward him, reaching him in seconds and striking him with a powerful headbutt. The young man fell to the ground, losing all his breath and dropping his sword, which landed far away. Aestus struggled to get up, trying to catch his breath, but the necrobear reached him, placing its front paws on his shoulders. Before he could materialize his sword, the Creature sank its teeth into his neck with great force. Aestus could only think that his adventure had barely begun, and this would be his end. Darkness engulfed his mind, like a blown-out candle.