Chapter 226: Chapter 225: The Giant White Bear
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, the group remained in the trees while Kase and Aidan went to check on the spot where they had left the bait yesterday.
More than half the day passed.
Kase returned to the base of the tree and shouted, "The bait’s been dragged away! We saw bear tracks!"
Colin immediately led Ale and the others down the tree trunk, following Kase and Aidan to the place where they had set the bait.
They made their way through the dense, seemingly endless forest until they reached a clearing.
The area was a small puddle, and the surrounding mud was stained with patches of blood. Around the bloodstains were remarkably clear beast tracks.
"See that? This is a big one," Kase said excitedly, comparing his own palm to the print on the ground. "Remember that first Winter Wolf we killed? The claw marks on its belly were this big!"
Staring at the tracks, a series of questions suddenly popped into Colin’s mind.
’White Frost has a bounty on its head for attacking caravans and travelers, but it also attacked a Wolf Pack led by a Winter Wolf before.’
’If this bear was sent here by Lady Rime to cause trouble, why would it fight a Wolf Pack led by a Winter Wolf? Did Lady Rime make a mistake in her command? That seems unlikely.’
Colin quickly found his answer.
’Just as the Supreme Forest itself can affect mortals, the winter blight must also be affecting the creatures here. It would be no surprise if it drove a local bear mad.’
’If it’s been driven mad, it’s probably in a state where it can’t distinguish friend from foe.’
"Should we wait for it to be asleep before we approach?"
"There’s no need. Bears are very alert and wake up easily even when sleeping, especially with so many of us."
"Will that Goblin Poison come in handy later?"
"Against a bear? I doubt it’ll do much. Their bodies are who knows how many times stronger than ours," Kase said with a laugh. "But we have to at least try. If it works, this’ll be easy."
Colin asked, a bit worried, "The bear won’t ambush us, will it?"
"A normal bear isn’t that smart," Kase said. "But since it’s you saying it, we should be a little careful. After all, the curse from the Goddess of Fortune is no joke."
"You’re never going to let that go, are you? Get out of here," Colin said with a laugh.
Led by the two experts, Kase and Aidan, the party followed the bear’s tracks.
They walked for another few hours.
"We’re close. Get ready," Kase, who was at the front, suddenly said.
The group hid their unneeded baggage. Kase used three vials of Goblin Poison, applying one to his Refined Javelin and two Arrows, and the other two vials to six of Aidan’s Arrows.
Because the Poison required a certain dosage to be effective, three vials were only enough for that many items, a fact that made Colin’s heart ache a little.
Once they were fully prepared, Kase led the team forward stealthily.
Although the trees in the Supreme Forest were quite dense, a breeze still blew through the woods.
Kase licked his finger, then glanced at the moss on the surrounding tree trunks. He led the group to a position upwind, then advanced, pausing every ten steps and creeping forward bit by bit.
Colin, following behind, was also completely focused, avoiding the dry twigs and fallen leaves underfoot. He did his best to step on rotted leaves or mud to avoid making a sound.
After circling around a few large trees, a giant beast slowly came into view.
It was a snow-white giant bear, several dozen meters away from them.
The bear would probably stand nearly three meters tall. It looked a bit like a polar bear, but its head was slightly larger and its limbs were much stockier, with its forelimbs being noticeably thicker than its hind legs.
The creature was currently leaning against a fir tree, rubbing its back vigorously. It looked content and comfortable.
In a nearby clearing was a pile of bone fragments, which must have been the bait Kase had set up yesterday. The creature had literally crushed the boar’s bones to suck the marrow.
’For a giant bear like this, a bounty of several hundred Gold Coins is indeed reasonable.’
Kase turned his head to look over, and Colin nodded in response.
Then Colin gently patted the small hand resting on his shoulder. He looked back at Orelia and shook his head, signaling for her not to cast [Devout Shield].
In a fight against a single opponent like this, Kase, as an Ancestral Guardian, was quite reliable. Orelia could save her energy to provide support with [Guiding Bolt] or for healing after the battle.
Just then, the giant bear suddenly stopped.
It looked around, its black nose puffing out clouds of white vapor. It must have sensed something.
Colin wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he suddenly felt that the bear’s eyes didn’t seem like those of an ordinary beast... They held a hint of intelligence, like the sled dogs that were crossbred from Winter Wolves.
Kase acted decisively, nocking an arrow to his bow.
He drew, and with a release of his arms, an arrow went SWISH as it shot toward the giant bear’s chest.
However, the arrow that should have pierced the giant bear’s body was sent flying, as if it had hit a stone wall.
The white bear let out a furious roar and charged toward the group.
The rest of the party reacted quickly. Three Cantrips were cast instantly. Red and gold [Flaming Arrow]s slammed into the giant bear’s chest, while a [Sacred Flame] appeared above its head, searing the massive beast’s shoulder.
Kase shot another Poison Arrow, but it too was deflected by the thick fur.
Only after his teammates had launched their attacks did Aidan fire his first arrow, but it also failed to do any Damage to the giant bear.
"Something’s not right! How is its hide so thick?!" Kase shouted.
Colin looked closely.
Although the arrows Kase had just fired had hit the giant bear, they had all been deflected. The beast’s fur was still snow-white; it seemed not a single drop of blood had been drawn.
Colin studied the giant bear carefully and noticed that their Magic attacks seemed to have had some effect.
’It feels like... it’s possible...’
A thought suddenly flashed through Colin’s mind.
He quickly shouted to Kase, "Use the Ice Short Spear, not your axe! It’s a Beastman! Remember, don’t let him bite or scratch you!"
"What are you talking about? How are we supposed to not get scratched?" Kase yelled back.
"Just don’t worry about that for now," Colin said quickly.
The giant bear grew even more enraged from the ranged attacks.
The dozens of meters vanished in an instant, and the massive beast was upon them.
It lunged at them, its massive, blood-red maw wide open.
Colin, who had drawn his Giant Sword, took a quick glance. The bear, now standing, looked to be three meters tall and was built like a brick wall.
Kase threw his last Poisoned Javelin, but the Javelin, like before, was deflected by the fur.
The Half-Orc paid it no mind. With a great roar, he entered a [Frenzy] and charged straight to meet it.
Colin made a hand gesture.
[Silver Light Sharp Words] took effect instantly, weakening the giant bear’s attack while strengthening Kase’s abilities.
