Chapter 267: One shot kill
The carriage was already making its way toward the village where Roxanne had grown up.
It was one of the four defensive pillars that safeguarded the head village from any threat.
From that alone, Luke could already tell the settlement had to be far larger than their own, with a stronger force of warriors standing guard.
The thought only made him even more eager to see it with his own eyes.
Still, there was no point rushing.
The horses couldn’t travel at full speed. The forest path was uneven, and the passengers were all women unaccustomed to long journeys.
Because of that, Luke had instructed the driver to take his time as they traveled through the forest.
"I’ve never been this far away from the village before," Laila muttered, peering through the carriage window.
A sea of towering trees stretched in every direction. The steady buzz of insects filled the air, blending with the distant songs of unseen birds hidden among the branches.
"The scent of the soil tells me it might rain soon," Monica said, a faint smile curling on her lips.
The forest floor remained cool beneath the shade of towering trees, yet the air itself felt warm and heavy.
There was barely any wind.
It was the kind of stillness that often came before rain.
"Tch... it’s so difficult to lie down."
The complaining voice immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Luke frowned at Thea.
Couldn’t this woman stay quiet even while trying to sleep?
Roxanne let out a soft sigh before saying, "Here, take this."
She held out the cushion Luke had given her earlier.
Luke shot Roxanne a disapproving look, clearly unhappy that she was giving it away.
She responded with nothing more than a sheepish smile.
Before she could say another word, Thea snatched the cushion from her hands.
Thea hugged it against herself, settling into a comfortable position. The tension gradually melted from her face as she closed her eyes and let out a satisfied hum.
Finally some peace.
Luke sighed in defeat.
Without another word, he opened the shop, bought another cushion, and handed it to Roxanne.
"You didn’t have to..." Roxanne said softly.
But she already knew by his expression that he wasn’t going to argue with her for this.
Smiling helplessly, she accepted the cushion, tucked it behind her back, and leaned against it with a quiet sigh of comfort.
"Where do you keep pulling these things from?" Laila muttered, once again astonished to see him produce yet another item out of thin air.
Luke chuckled.
"Didn’t I tell you? It’s all magic."
Roxanne tilted her head. "I’ve never seen the chief do anything like that."
Luke flashed a grin.
"That’s because only I can."
After all, no one else had the System.
"Luke is the best," Monica chimed, her smile stretching from ear to ear.
There wasn’t a trace of doubt in her voice.
She was genuinely proud of her mate.
Just then, the carriage driver spoke up.
"This part of the forest is home to many bears. Please don’t open your food baskets, and keep your voices low."
Luke gave a small nod.
"Understood."
He appreciated the warning.
This side of the forest was completely unfamiliar to him. Unless he enhanced his senses to search the surroundings, he had no way of knowing what dangers lurked nearby.
If possible, he wanted to avoid any confrontation.
Not because he couldn’t handle it, but because every battle would slow their journey and waste valuable time.
More importantly, he didn’t want his mate to witness him hunting.
The women of this world were strong, both physically and mentally. Even so, if a pack of bears decided to charge at the carriage, the aftermath would be anything but pleasant.
Thankfully, every woman, or at least those still awake, fell completely silent as the carriage entered the denser part of the forest.
Just as the driver had warned, this area felt unnaturally quiet.
The constant buzzing of insects had faded. Even the birdsong had disappeared, leaving behind a suffocating silence that weighed heavily on the air.
Then...
Krrk.
The carriage slowed.
Luke’s head snapped toward the front.
The driver had gone rigid, his hands frozen around the reins as the carriage rolled to a complete stop.
"No..." Roxanne whispered, her face losing color as she realized what had halted them.
Monica’s expression turned pale.
Laila’s eyes widened in alarm.
Standing directly in their path was a gigantic bear.
It had risen onto its hind legs, towering nearly three meters into the air. Thick black fur covered its muscular body, making it look even larger than it already was.
Its small, predatory eyes remained fixed on the carriage.
Watching and waiting to hunt.
Luke let out a quiet sigh before gently moving the driver’s shoulder aside.
"It won’t take long."
Before anyone could stop him, he burst out of the carriage.
"Luke!"
Monica instinctively tried to chase after him, but Laila quickly grabbed her arm and held her back.
The massive bear let out a thunderous growl as it saw the human sprinting straight toward it.
It rose even higher on its hind legs, lifting both enormous paws before bringing them crashing down.
Luke closed the distance in a flash.
Then he leaped.
The bear’s paws slammed into the ground, trying to crush him in midair.
Swish.
His speed exploded.
In a blur, he slipped past the attack, appearing directly before the beast’s face while still airborne. His knees tucked in as he extended one hand forward, fingers pressed tightly together as compressed energy gathered at their tips.
"Say goodnight."
Snap.
The instant his fingers snapped, the condensed force erupted forward.
Boom!
Blood, flesh, and shattered bone exploded into the air.
The bear staggered backward, its head completely erased by the devastating blast.
Fortunately, Luke’s speed had already reached the point where not a single drop of blood touched him.
Thud.
The gigantic body collapsed onto its rear before toppling lifelessly onto the forest floor.
It never got the chance to roar in pain.
Never swung another claw.
Death claimed it in an instant.
Luke exhaled softly.
He dusted the dirt from his clothes, sprayed a little perfume to mask the metallic scent lingering in the air, then grabbed the carcass and dragged it off the trail.
Only after clearing the road did he make his way back toward the carriage.
"Woah..."
The first thing that greeted him was four pairs of stunned eyes.
Even Thea had awakened, apparently roused by the sharp snap of his fingers.
The carriage driver was the first to find his voice.
"As I suspected. With you accompanying us, there’s no need for extra protection."
Luke laughed.
"That’s true. Though I’d rather not run into trouble too often."
The driver nodded before climbing back onto his seat.
Luke returned to the carriage, acutely aware that all four women continued staring at him.
For them, it hadn’t even looked like a battle.
It was a complete annihilation.
The bear had never stood a chance.
Laila was especially shaken.
She had heard countless stories about how much stronger her brother had become, but hearing about it and witnessing it with her own eyes were two completely different experiences.
Luke settled back into his seat as the carriage resumed its journey.
Turning toward Monica, he smiled.
"So? Like what you saw?"
Monica nodded slowly.
"When you told me before that bears weren’t really a threat to you, I wasn’t sure whether to believe you."
She looked at him with admiration shining in her eyes.
"But now... I understand exactly what you meant."
Luke chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.
After all, who didn’t enjoy being praised by beautiful women?
Luke certainly wasn’t an exception.
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