Chapter 82: Chapter 78: Bells
"Watch out! This one’s no ordinary adult!"
Alton shouted a quick warning before charging forward, sword in hand.
The Earth Bear wasn’t slow. Despite its massive, bloated form making it look clumsy, it was actually quite fast. It closed the fifty-meter distance in just two or three seconds, clashing head-on with Alton!
Sword met claw. Alton’s face flushed red as he gritted his teeth, barely managing to hold his ground.
The Earth Bear’s strongest Attribute was Constitution, which meant its Strength wasn’t as terrifying as one might expect. Even though this particular bear was much larger than a typical adult, its Strength still didn’t exceed Alton’s, a Strength-type Professional.
If not for the pressure from its multi-ton body, Alton wouldn’t have had such a hard time blocking it.
The Ranger, Solan, fired an Arrow from behind, which accurately struck the Earth Bear’s chest.
However...
The sharp Arrow struck its thick fur and bounced off as if it had hit an iron wall, falling uselessly to the ground.
It hadn’t even managed to pierce the bear’s hide.
Solan clicked his tongue. "This thing is tough!"
The Earth Bear resumed its assault, swiping a massive paw at Alton.
Alton used the flat of his Sword as a shield to block the blow. He was forced back only half a step before they were locked in a stalemate.
"Slashing!"
But the Earth Bear wasn’t just facing one person. At almost the exact moment it attacked again, Lin Mo gripped his Sword with both hands and struck with all his might, bringing a Slashing attack down on the bear’s basin-thick arm.
The sharp edge of the Sword met the thick fur, and Lin Mo felt the force of his blow get dispersed. Half the attack’s power vanished instantly. The rest of it tore through the skin, only to be stopped by dense muscle, penetrating less than ten centimeters deep.
For an Earth Bear of this size, such a wound was neither light nor severe.
Ali attacked from the other side, her sharp Sword thrusting at the Earth Bear’s shoulder. She barely managed to pierce its hide.
’This thing...’
Alton was shocked. He had seen adult Earth Bears before. While they were certainly stronger than the average elite Demon, they were never this powerful.
It was clear, just as he had said when the fight began, that this was no Ordinary adult specimen.
If a normal adult Earth Bear had a Threat Level of 1, this one was likely 1.3 or even higher.
’Even Ali’s attack barely broke through its defense,’ Alton thought. ’If it were me, I’d only be able to inflict a minor wound at best.’
And for a Demon like the Earth Bear, with its massive size and powerful life force, trying to wear it down with such minor injuries was next to impossible.
Besides, the Earth Bear had far more Physical Strength than they did. If this fight dragged on, they would be the first to collapse from exhaustion.
Honestly, if Lin Mo hadn’t joined their party, Alton would be planning their safe retreat right now.
Fortunately, their party now had a blade sharp enough to pierce this Earth Bear’s defense.
"Everyone, create an opening for Lin Mo!"
Having quickly established their new battle plan, Alton strode forward to help Lin Mo block the Earth Bear’s counterattack.
Ali also moved in again, aiming the tip of her Sword at the Earth Bear’s eyes.
The Earth Bear’s hide might be tough, but its eyes were an undeniable weak point, forcing it to dodge hastily.
Ali’s actions clearly angered it, and it swung its left paw at the Half-Beastman girl.
Unable to dodge in time, Ali could only block with her Sword. The force of the blow sent her flying, Sword and all, until she crashed into a tree, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
Just as the Earth Bear was about to press its advantage, a figure suddenly shot past from the side. A moment later, a spray of blood filled its vision—its own nose had been sliced clean off.
The Earth Bear roared in fury and swiped both paws at Lin Mo.
Lin Mo sneered. He didn’t dodge or evade. Activating his [Tenacity] Skill, he held his Sword in one hand and met the bear’s attack head-on with his other fist.
BOOM—!
With a tremendous crash, Lin Mo’s body stood firm. The Earth Bear, on the other hand, had its right paw caught by Lin Mo’s sudden, tricky maneuver. The blade sliced open its paw, and blood gushed out like a fountain.
"Take this!"
Solan let out a sharp cry and released the bowstring. The Arrow shot forth.
Unlike the last one, this Arrow spun through the air, its tail trailing a faint white arc of light. He had clearly used a Skill.
While the Earth Bear was occupied, the Arrow accurately struck its left eye, burying itself deep within the socket.
"Nice shot!"
Alton exclaimed in praise as he took over for Lin Mo, once again shouldering the task of keeping the Earth Bear occupied.
Lin Mo activated Stealth again. He waited for an opportunity to strike at the places the Earth Bear’s fur couldn’t cover, ready to deliver a painful blow.
After a brief rest, the injured Ali rejoined the fight, looking for a chance to strike.
Although the Knight, Rick, and the Assassin, Carson, could do little in such a high-level battle, they constantly looked for opportunities to make surprise attacks and divert the Earth Bear’s attention.
Surrounded by the party, the Earth Bear was quickly forced onto the defensive, unable to handle the onslaught.
As its condition worsened, the Earth Bear seemed to realize that continuing the fight would be disastrous. Its rage subsided, and its one remaining eye grew clear.
After forcing Alton back with another swipe of its paw, it turned and fled.
"Trying to run?"
Lin Mo drew a dagger from his waist and hurled it.
WHOOSH—!
The dagger flew true, sinking precisely into the orifice below the Earth Bear’s tail.
AAROO~!
The Earth Bear let out a pained howl that sounded like a curse, but it didn’t slow down, continuing to flee for its life.
It was too fast. Alton couldn’t possibly catch up, and neither could anyone else in the party.
How could Lin Mo just stand by and watch the massive beast escape?
Stomping hard on the ground, he shot forward, rapidly closing the distance to the Earth Bear.
"Watch out!"
Alton’s shout of alarm came from behind. In the very next instant that his voice reached Lin Mo’s ears, the fleeing Earth Bear suddenly spun around. Its massive body glowed with a faint Green light as it opened its cavernous jaws and lunged for Lin Mo’s head.
Lin Mo’s pupils constricted. He instantly activated [Tenacity] as his right hand, gripping his Sword, executed a swift [Cross Slash] that slammed into the Earth Bear’s sharp teeth.
CRASH—!
The tremendous force, backed by several tons of weight, made Lin Mo’s arm tremble. The foul stench that assaulted him was enough to make his skin crawl.
’Good thing I was wary of this, and Alton’s warning helped,’ Lin Mo thought. ’Otherwise, I might have actually fallen for this bastard’s trick!’
The downward arc of his Sword sliced open the Earth Bear’s gums. [Tenacity] mitigated the force of the impact, allowing Lin Mo to quickly recover from the move’s brief paralysis. He followed up on its next movement, his left hand shooting out to grab the bear’s incoming paw.
The next moment, Lin Mo kicked out, striking the Earth Bear squarely on its two fist-sized "bells."
An explosion of pain caused the Earth Bear’s legs to buckle. Lin Mo retreated, and just as its massive body began to topple, he thrust his Sword through its open mouth, straight for the throat!
The Earth Bear finally ran out of strength, its resentful eyes filled with fury.
’This human is obviously very strong, yet he insists on using such dirty tricks, aiming only for my "vital points." He’s shameless to the core!’
