Chapter 15: Is it Over?

The place to fetch water was not far from Luo Pei’s camp. After turning past a protruding rock wall, a small stream appeared. This was the main reason why Luo Pei chose this open space to rest instead of going through the small woods where they had hunted a giant beast last time. Although there were other suitable camping spots further ahead, they were too far from the water source. Luo Pei did not want to risk letting a few team members leave the hunting party alone for too long to fetch water, as a Level 2 Magic Beast was not something ordinary people without basic professional levels could handle.

Since the destination was close, Snow appeared much more relaxed. He rambled along the way, “Thomas, look at this mess. If it weren’t for that guy Old Strom, we would have reached Naka Canyon long ago, set the traps, and prepared to go home. We could have had a bowl of hot pumpkin milk soup tonight. How could we have traveled so little in a whole morning? Hmm… I think it’s too late to return to the village today. We might have to camp in the wild for a night.”

Hearing Snow’s constant complaining, Isaiah Thomas simply said indifferently, “Mr. Strom was also thinking about the safety of everyone.” His coldness was not because he had a problem with Snow, but simply because that was his nature.

Snow knew his companion was naturally cold and did not mind much. He continued to complain, “Chee… what safety? I think he’s just an old fool making a fuss over nothing. Who knows if there are even any Magic Beasts here? Old Strom is only a Level 1 Magic Apprentice; it wouldn’t be surprising if he was mistaken!”

It seemed Snow felt deep resentment toward the tension on the journey and did not feel much respect for Old Strom, the Magic Professional. This showed Old Strom’s usual status in the village, though it was also possible that Snow just really loved pumpkin milk soup.

Just as Snow was complaining, a sudden change occurred!!

A huge shadow instantly covered the two of them. Suddenly seeing a giant bear the size of half a house appear in front of him, Snow instantly forgot his complaints. Holding the water bucket, he stood there dazed in front of the giant bear, watching a bear paw—which was twice the size of his head—slam down toward him.

If this paw hit its mark, anything would be turned into a little pancake…

Amidst the whistling wind, the roar of the beast, and this extreme unexpected turn of events, Snow completely forgot to defend himself. He even forgot to dodge and just stood there stupidly. The fear of death gripped him tightly, making his body completely unable to react.

Fortunately… not everyone was like him…

Fortunately… he had a companion by his side, a companion capable of preventing a tragedy…

With a loud boom, the giant paw hit the ground…

However, the moment the giant beast appeared, a faint, silver light flashed across Isaiah Thomas. In the next moment, his body moved instantly. He grabbed Snow and pushed off with his legs, retreating like a gale. He instantly pulled back several meters, narrowly dodging the impact of the bear paw in the nick of time.

With a light “swish” sound, Snow felt his body become light. In an instant, the giant bear seemed to retreat “backward.” He finally realized that he had been pulled away by Isaiah Thomas, and only then did he scream in extreme terror.

Over at the camp, the moment before the giant bear appeared, Luo Pei and Old Strom, who were talking, suddenly froze. They both stood up tensely and immediately sprinted toward the stream without a word. The other hunting team members were naturally confused by their mysterious behavior.

In reality, this was because Professionals possessed perceptions beyond those of ordinary people. Old Strom was a Level 1 Magic Apprentice, and Luo Pei was a Level 3 Swordsman. Although their perceptions were not exceptionally strong, they felt it immediately when the giant bear appeared!!

—However, neither Luo Pei nor Old Strom noticed that a few seconds before they sensed it, Luo Yan, who was “playing” on the other side, had suddenly looked up and turned sharply toward the rock wall!

…In less than a few seconds, Luo Pei and Old Strom reached the ridge. At that moment, Snow’s scream echoed from afar.

Hearing the scream, both thought Snow and Isaiah Thomas had been killed. Their expressions changed again, but after turning past the rock wall, they both sighed in relief at the same time.

Looking at the furious Pinecone Bear from a distance, although Snow and Isaiah Thomas were covered in dust and looked quite miserable, it was clear they were still alive…

As long as they were alive, it was fine!

They hoped they weren’t too badly injured!!

These two thoughts flashed through the minds of Luo Pei and Old Strom. However, they were overthinking it this time. Isaiah Thomas and Snow had actually dodged the center of the attack; they had simply been knocked off balance by the strong wind and the resulting shock. They had tumbled on the ground like rolling gourds, which was why they looked so dusty and miserable. In fact, let alone being injured, they probably hadn’t even scratched their skin.

Although he wasn’t hurt, Snow was so terrified by the sudden event that he was half-paralyzed on the ground, waving his hands wildly and making meaningless noises. Isaiah Thomas performed much better. He stood with one knee slightly bent in a half-squatting, half-leaping posture, his left hand open and his right hand gripping the wood-cutting knife tightly. His eyes were fixed on the giant beast. Although he knew it wouldn’t be effective, he maintained the best posture for attacking…

This performance caused a flash of strange admiration to cross Old Strom’s face. Luo Yan, who arrived shortly after, watched with a sparkle in his eyes.

[Looking at this composure, this kid is quite a character!]

However, the Pinecone Bear obviously would not stop attacking just because a “character” was standing in front of it. Having missed its strike, the giant beast roared in anger. Its forearms extended as it stood up on its hind legs, charging toward Isaiah Thomas and Snow with a thunderous sound, determined to flatten the two boys into pancakes.

Seeing this, Luo Pei let out a fierce roar: “You bastard, how dare you!!” Immediately, a blinding golden light erupted from his body. Holding his longsword, he crashed straight toward the monster the size of half a house.

One should not assume Luo Pei was a weak scholar just because he had been doing clerical and administrative work. In fact, Luo Pei was a standard Level 3 Swordsman. In terms of rank, he was one level higher than the magic beast before him. He was also one of the only two low-level Martial Artists in Talim Village. Dealing with a dozen strong men would be a piece of cake for him.

As Luo Pei ignited his Battle Aura, his speed instantly became faster than a galloping horse. He flashed past Snow and Isaiah Thomas; both felt a burning sting on their faces. In a blur, Luo Pei had already reached the giant bear. Holding the sword with both hands, he chopped down heavily toward its “chest”—since he couldn’t reach the head. After the sword slashed through, Luo Pei did not stop. Amidst a teeth-grinding friction sound, he dropped his shoulder and stomped his foot, using his forward momentum to slam his whole body into the beast’s embrace!

A dull thud sounded. With the enhancement of Battle Aura, this solid “collision” was powerful. Even with the Pinecone Bear’s massive size, it was knocked off balance. With a muffled howl, it stumbled back three steps and landed on its buttocks. Fire immediately ignited in its eyes; it clearly felt significant pain.

However, the Pinecone Bear lived up to its reputation as a freak whose physical combat strength rivaled a Level 4 Magic Beast. Even with Luo Pei’s strength being one level higher and enhanced by Battle Aura, the longsword failed to cut through its hide; it only managed to hit it “painfully.” Suddenly, the muscle-bound “bear” roared and stood up abruptly. With blood-red eyes and claws bared, it charged at Luo Pei. Its expression was hideous and terrifying; it seemed to hate the bastard who had hurt it to the extreme.

A terrifying aura emanated from the muscle-bound “bear.” Snow and Isaiah Thomas, standing behind Luo Pei, felt as if their whole bodies were pressed down by ten thousand pounds. Forget fighting back; even struggling to move was difficult. In contrast, Luo Pei remained unmoved. Seeing the beast pounce, he centered his breath and spoke. The golden light on his body instantly grew thirty percent denser. He shouted, stepped back to deflect the force, and put all his strength into his arms, swinging the longsword in a wide arc to slash back at the muscle-bound “bear”!

Exclamations erupted from the surroundings. The muscle-bound “bear” dragged its heavy body forward like a steamroller. Without even looking at the descending sword, it let out a terrifying roar and swung its forearm with all its might, colliding with Luo Pei like a baseball bat.

Instantly, Luo Pei felt an unstoppable force coming from the opposite side. Before he could react, he was sent rolling away, flying several meters through the air before slamming hard into the ground. For a moment, he felt as if his whole body had fallen apart. Every joint was groaning, and his head was spinning with all sorts of noises, leaving him completely disoriented.

Fortunately, Luo Pei had performed a self-preserving movement to deflect the force. Otherwise, this single blow would have been devastating. Even if he hadn’t died on the spot, his internal organs would likely have been severely injured, leaving him unable to fight.

Somewhere behind him, Luo Yan covered his face and looked down helplessly. Poor dad, even if you are confident in your arm strength, don’t make things hard for yourself by trying to compete in strength with a Pinecone Bear… how awkward.

However, Luo Pei’s “death-defying” action won Old Strom enough preparation time.

Uttering obscure syllables from his mouth, his voice filled with a low, explosive power, Old Strom’s hands moved rapidly like butterflies among flowers, quickly forming incantations. His ring and pinky fingers curved slightly, while his thumb, index, and middle fingers faced each other. His palms first faced outward, then retracted and pressed down. After the bases of his palms collided and slowly pulled apart, a dense fire element condensed into a peculiar pattern between his hands. Bright red flames leapt and rose, and the scorching heat hit his face, making his cheeks turn slightly red.

In less than five seconds, as the last strange rising tone was uttered, Old Strom pushed his hands forward with all his might. A Small Fireball the size of an adult’s fist instantly flew with a streak of red light straight toward the terrifying beast. Just at that moment, the Pinecone Bear had swung its arm to knock away Luo Pei. Caught off guard, the fireball hit it squarely in the chest. Although the sizes seemed completely disproportionate, the damage caused by this fireball was no joke.

A loud bang sounded, followed by a scream!!

Looking across in surprise, Snow and Isaiah Thomas could clearly see the corners of the furious muscle-bound “bear’s” mouth twitch. On the fur that had remained unscathed under the Battle Aura attack, there was now a distinct charred black patch. They could even see white smoke curling up from there.

—The books were right. The magic resistance of a Pinecone Bear is practically negative. A mere Level 1 “Small Fireball” caused such obvious damage. If this had been a Level 3 “Explosive Fireball,” wouldn’t it have been killed on the spot?

Roar roar roar roar~~

Hit by this attack, the beast the size of half a house let out another furious roar. The entire open space seemed to tremble under the sound. A series of noisy sounds erupted around them as small animals living nearby rushed out of the woods to flee for their lives.

But it had no time to show off. Seeing his attack succeed, Old Strom’s confidence surged. He immediately began flipping his hands to form spell seals. Although he was only a Level 1 Magic Apprentice and could only cast Small Fireballs, decades of practice had compressed the activation speed of this magic to an incredibly short duration. After a few seconds, a dozen Small Fireballs hit the beast in succession.

Now the muscle-bound “bear” was truly unlucky. Facing such a flurry of Small Fireballs, it had no way to avoid them. The dense rain of fireballs blasted it into a series of screams, leaving it completely powerless to resist.

At that moment, a long sigh drifted over: “Blame this damn fate!” Looking at the beast that could only sway its massive body in place under the attack of the Small Fireballs, a look of pity flashed across Old Strom’s face, but his attacking movements did not slow down. The dazzling movements of his hands suddenly paused. Then, a “Giant Small Fireball” the size of an adult’s head slowly appeared in his hand, and he threw it heavily toward the beast.

Compressed Small Fireball… an upgraded version of the Level 1 Small Fireball…

Luo Yan opened his eyes in surprise. He hadn’t expected Old Strom to have such strength. This “Compressed Small Fireball” was a mutated product after a Level 1 Small Fireball was cultivated to the fourth stage. To train a Level 1 magic to the fourth stage showed how diligent Old Strom had been.

Boom boom boom boom boom boom~~

The “Giant Small Fireball” hit the beast hard, causing a violent explosion that completely engulfed the upper body of the muscle-bound “bear.” People could see the beast trembling continuously. A terrifying blast of air created a piercing whistle, and chaotic weeds, soil, and clumps of earth tumbled and danced in the air, occasionally shot out like arrows by the surging air currents.

After a while, the roar of the explosion finally passed. As the dust gradually cleared, the figure of the beast appeared. It stood up on its hind legs with forearms spread wide, its blood-red eyes staring at Old Strom with intense hatred. Its body was covered in charred wounds. It stood still for a moment and finally let out one last wild cry before its heavy body crashed to the ground with a loud thud.

“Aooo ooo ooo ooo~~”

[The last scream of the beast reached the people’s ears, sounding incredibly piercing, filled with immense resentment and a heartbreaking sorrow that made everyone’s scalp tingle. Even the cry of a mourning ape would not be more tragic than this.]

I just wanted to avenge the people who killed my mate; I just wanted justice from the murderers who destroyed my happy life…

The smell of burnt flesh quietly diffused.

Is it finally over?