Chapter 81: Chapter 77: Earth Bear
This was Lin Mo’s second time entering the Deep Forest Area of Loran Forest.
The last time, he had been pursuing a Cursed Cat Demon. He was later surrounded by a group of Goblins and, by a stroke of luck, stumbled into a Secret Realm.
Although the rewards had been plentiful, Lin Mo still vividly remembered the perils of the journey.
Fortunately, his current team was far stronger than he had been back then, so even if they ran into those Goblins again...
’No, I can’t be that unlucky.’
Lin Mo shook his head. Though he was eager to grind his Skill Levels, he would much rather complete the mission safely.
With his Skill Level panel, getting stronger was just a matter of time. There was no need to rush and constantly put himself in harm’s way.
The Demons were far more numerous in the Deep Forest Area than in the outer regions, which was only to be expected.
Along the way, they had encountered two groups of Goblins. One group was led by a sub-adult Mutated Goblin. Deeper in, they also ran into a sub-adult Bloodthirsty Wolf.
The Wolf Bone Sword in Lin Mo’s hands was crafted from the bones of an adult Bloodthirsty Wolf. A sub-adult’s was worth significantly less, but its parts were still considered rather valuable materials.
The team had six members in total, and each carried a large backpack. This meant they didn’t have to limit themselves to harvesting only the most expensive materials from monsters. Instead, they could take everything of value, including the Wolf Hide, Wolf Fangs, and Wolf Claws.
These materials were worth a Gold Coin or two.
The search for the Earth Bear wasn’t going smoothly. Before they knew it, noon had arrived.
"Let’s take a break."
Alton called a temporary halt to their journey.
The midday summer temperature was simply too high. Even Professionals found it hard to be completely unaffected. Factors like fatigue and heat, which could easily impair judgment, were things to be avoided as much as possible during an adventure.
Besides...
"Earth Bears are diurnal Demons. If we don’t find one in the morning, it’s best to encounter it closer to dusk. By that time, after being active all day, its Physical Strength won’t be as high."
This was all knowledge worth remembering. Lin Mo took out his carbon black pen and jotted it down in his small notebook.
His Monster Atlas was the beginner’s edition, the *Loran Forest Outer Area Monster Atlas*, and it didn’t cover the Deep Forest Area.
’Next time I go to the Association, I’ll have to ask Lena if there’s an upgraded edition of the new Adventurer’s complete strategy guide set.’
Lin Mo opened his panel to check his current stats.
[Name]: Lin Mo
[Profession]: Warrior Level 1
[Attributes]:
Strength: 14
Agility: 10
Constitution: 9
Spirit: 5
Magic Power: 0
Aside from his Spiritual Attribute, his other Attributes were already very high, with each one nearing the level of a Professional. His stat panel was truly impressive.
As for his Skill Levels...
[Skills]:
Slacking Off Lv5 (max)
Slashing Lv5 (max)
Shield Strike Lv1 (0/10)
Stealth Lv4 (80/100)
Cross Slash Lv4 (33/100)
Tenacity Lv1 (8/10)
These were all the skills Lin Mo currently possessed.
In the recent encounters, he had experimented again with the properties of his Tenacity skill.
First off, his previous theory—that it was triggered by "Collision" and not necessarily by "getting hit"—was correct. However, when it came down to specifics, not every collision would increase its Skill Level.
Colliding with low-tier Demons like Ordinary Goblins took roughly ten impacts to increase the Skill Level by 1 point. That meant he’d have to use the skill five times, which was completely inefficient.
However, clashing with a sub-adult Mutated Goblin granted 1 point of Skill Level for every two confrontations, meaning a single use of the skill was enough to raise the Skill Level by exactly 1 point.
He had already tested it on an adult Elite Level Demon yesterday—every single confrontation with one granted Skill Level.
After some experimentation, his Tenacity Skill Level had reached 8/10, meaning it was about to level up for the first time.
As a green-colored, Excellent Level skill, it should be like Stealth and Cross Slash, granting another boost to his Constitution upon reaching Level 3.
As his power grew, the speed at which he trained his skills increased. ’Surely that day won’t be too far off,’ he thought.
After a good, long rest, the team didn’t set off again until around three in the afternoon.
After traveling through the forest for a while and searching for over an hour, the group noticed that the frequency of both Demons and ordinary animals had dropped significantly.
"It’s been more than half an hour since we’ve seen a Demon, hasn’t it?"
After they had carefully advanced through the forest for a while longer, Solan suddenly spoke up.
"True."
Alton gripped his weapon, already on high alert. "We’ve likely entered the territory of a powerful Demon."
Whether it was the Earth Bear’s territory, however, remained to be seen.
Demon distribution maps only provided a general area; they couldn’t help them pinpoint their target’s exact location.
But then...
Ali suddenly stopped and walked over to a nearby tree.
SNIFF... SNIFF...
She leaned close to the tree, her nose twitching. Her keen sense of smell picked up crucial information from the lingering scent in the air and on the bark.
"It’s an Earth Bear, no doubt about it!"
Ali recognized the scent because she had encountered a sub-adult Earth Bear on a previous adventure. The way the master of this area had marked its territory allowed her to confirm the creature’s identity.
"Given an Earth Bear’s habits, it should be returning from its hunt around this time. Everyone, prepare for battle!"
Shortly after Alton spoke, a thunderous roar echoed from the nearby forest.
Clearly, the Earth Bear, returning from its hunt, had discovered the intruders in its territory.
Without another word, the team members instantly adjusted their formation. Solan moved to the rear, drawing his bow and nocking an arrow, while Carson ducked into the bushes, waiting for a chance to strike.
Rick and Alton stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the front of the formation, flanked by Ali and Lin Mo.
Everything was ready. Just then, the Earth Bear appeared before them, its steps heavy and deliberate.
The Earth Bear that appeared before them stood nearly three meters tall at the shoulder and was over six meters long. Its weight was conservatively estimated at six or seven tons. Its gaping maw was large enough to swallow a man’s head whole, and its neatly arranged teeth looked like a row of sharp daggers.
But its most striking feature was its coat of earthen-yellow fur. The hair was long and thick, like a heavy coat of armor draped over its body.
This was the Earth Bear’s most famous trait—a tough hide and thick flesh, granting it incredibly high Defense Power.
Without a doubt, this was the greatest challenge of their adventure yet.
ROAR!
Seeing the intruders before it, the Earth Bear let out an enraged roar. The next moment, it began charging toward them with heavy, pounding steps.
Its massive frame, like a small mountain, was overwhelmingly intimidating!
