CHAPTER 34: MOUNTAIN BEAR

"That makes two of them."

From a slightly distant spot, Arthur observed everything with cold eyes. To avoid attracting attention, he surrounded his body with thorny roots, leaving a small gap to see through.

"I need to speed things up a bit." Calmly, he pulled out the wooden tube he had crafted, followed by a set of metal needles coated with a deadly poison. He loaded a needle into the tube and aimed it at the strongest nearby person, Nerian.

A thunderous roar!

Suddenly, a loud roar echoed, followed by a faint tremor in the ground. Arthur was stunned, as were all the soldiers present. Before they could understand what was happening, they saw Archie, who had been sent to scout the perimeter, running toward them like a madman. Behind him was an enormous bear, several times larger than an elephant. It was the same bear Arthur had seen before.

Arthur’s eyes widened in shock when he saw the bear. But unlike the soldiers who were gripped by deep fear and awe, he was overjoyed, so much so that he involuntarily burst into manic laughter.

"This makes things easier." He put away the tube and needles into [Dimensional Storage] and watched the exciting show unfold before him.

...

"Mountain Bear?!" Everyone screamed in horror. Nerian quickly conjured a massive earth wall. But he didn’t stop there—he cast several more spells in succession, summoning additional walls to strengthen the defenses. Tarian wasn’t idle either; he cast a Fire Barrier spell, coating the earth walls with a blazing layer of intense heat.

Everyone knew the barriers wouldn’t hold the bear for long. They swiftly mounted their horses, but due to earlier monster attacks, many of their horses had died, forcing them to share the few that remained. This slowed them down slightly. Tarian, ever the cunning one, cast the Flame Hand spell, forming a massive hand of fire that shoved Chadwick off his horse. He took his place and rode off at full speed.

Chadwick hit the ground and rolled a bit before regaining his senses and getting to his feet. He was stunned and angry at what had happened. Still, he didn’t stand idle, he moved quickly to mount a horse, but everyone had already fled. No one remained but him.

His face froze, mouth agape, unable to contain his shock. He hadn’t expected this, he had been betrayed in the most trivial way possible.

"Damn you! You sons of bitch*s!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, trying to vent some of his frustration. Helpless, he raised his sword. Running wasn’t an option; he was far too slow to outrun a Mountain Bear.

Crash!

Crash!

The bear smashed through the walls in its path like they were made of crackers. The flames clung to its fur but were quickly extinguished by a faint magical layer that enhanced the bear’s defense. The bear could bolster its defenses with magic, making it a terrifying enemy for both mages and Boundless.

"Damn it... I’m finished." That was the only thought in Chadwick’s mind as he watched the massive bear charging toward him. His mind went blank, his strength fled him, but suddenly, Archie appeared, grabbed his hand, and pulled him along while cursing, "Run, you bastard!"

Chadwick stumbled, but without realizing it, he started fleeing with Archie. However, they were far too slow. In mere seconds, the bear closed in.

Tears streamed down Archie’s face in thick rivulets, and he made an expression resembling that of a crying child, completely absurd when paired with his brutish features.

Even in this life-threatening crisis, Chadwick was bewildered. He had never seen the mountain-like Archie with such a ridiculous expression.

’Damn it, why do I have to die in such a pathetic way? Damn that bastard Arvan. I never should’ve followed the orders. Bandits, my ass. Who even cares anymore...’ While running, Archie unleashed every curse he knew and cried over his miserable luck.

During that moment, the bear reached them. Chadwick shouted, "Let’s fight to the death! I won’t die like a coward!" He turned and leapt toward the bear, but Archie grabbed him by the leg, yanked him back, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and kept running at full speed while hurling curses.

"You bastard! Screw honor! If you’re so eager to die, don’t drag me down with you. Wait for the right moment to strike so you can distract it and let me escape!" Carrying Chadwick as he ran was easy for Archie thanks to his powerful body, even while still holding his heavy metal shield.

"Let me go, you coward! Let’s fight! Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? How will you face your family with such disgrace?!"

"You idiot! If I’m dead, who the hell will care?"

Within seconds, they were bickering loudly as they ran. Amid their shouting, Archie flung off his armor, which allowed him to run faster.

Off to the side of the bear’s path, Arthur ran stealthily. Thanks to the monster repellent, the bear didn’t notice him—it focused only on the humans ahead. Arthur’s face showed disappointment as he watched the two idiotic soldiers. If he couldn’t get them out of the bear’s path, his plan would fail. The soldiers would have enough time to escape.

Without hesitation, Arthur poured all the power he could into the magical tool. He summoned several thick, thornless roots that shot toward Archie and Chadwick with tremendous speed.

"Let me go, you bastard!" Chadwick punched Archie in the face with a softened blow to avoid hurting him. Despite his chivalrous talk, he didn’t really want to face the bear—he desperately prayed they could escape.

He raised his head and looked back at the bear. When he saw its ferocious face and bloodshot eyes, he trembled uncontrollably—and, in truth, wet himself slightly. This only angered him further. Archie felt the warmth on his shoulder but said nothing and kept running.

Suddenly, a wooden root appeared in front of them out of nowhere. Archie tried to dodge it, but due to his high speed and short distance, he couldn’t.

"Shit," he cursed in panic. If they tripped on anything, the bear would catch them.

But the moment the root touched his body, he felt it wrap around him. Before either of them could process what was happening, their surroundings changed rapidly. Their bodies spun through the air, and in what felt like an illusionary instant, they found themselves in a different place. Before they could even take in their surroundings, roots began wrapping around them, forming a thick cocoon.

In that fleeting moment, before they were completely encased, they saw a majestic figure standing beneath them—m, cloaked in deep black garments and wearing a blank wooden mask. It was barely a second, maybe less, but it was burned into their minds and would stay there for a long time.

On the ground, Arthur looked up at the large cocoon hanging from the tree and sighed. Then he glanced at the bear, who had stopped in place and was visibly wary. Arthur had enveloped them in the cocoon to mask their scent. If this didn’t work, the whole plan would collapse.

The raging bear looked around with deep fury. It began sniffing the air but caught no human scent nearby—only a few small monsters and, in the distance, a large group of humans. Agitated by the monster enrager’s effect, the bear didn’t think twice—it immediately chased after the distant humans. Driven by rage, it increased its speed to ensure its prey wouldn’t escape this time.

Monsters instinctively hated humans, they were their natural enemies and greatest threat. So, when a monster and a human were both in sight, a powerful beast would always go after the human first.

Huff...

Arthur exhaled in relief, then immediately began running, following the beast’s trail. He needed to make sure everything would go according to plan. If not, he’d be forced to improvise something else.

And so, the sun began to set—marking the start of a long, very long night.