The voice belonged to none other than Alfie, who had parted ways with them.
How did they end up here?
Remus glanced at Bucky, his expression one of surprise, mirroring Bucky’s own puzzled look.
The cave strayed from their intended path to the assessment venue, not just slightly off-route, but requiring a significant detour.
It was an area usually abandoned, rarely frequented by beasts or humans alike due to its scarce resources. Yet, here they were, confronted by an unexpected presence outside the cave.
Outside the cave, a dense forest sprawled into the distance.
Behind them, a cliff soared 100 yards into the sky, its face sheer as if cleaved with a knife and ax. Devoid of trees, the cliff was draped in a tapestry of herbaceous plants, lending it a deceptively lush appearance.
At the foot of the cliff stood a giant black bear-like beast.
The black bear was extremely tall, standing over 20 feet.
If it were in the city, it could almost reach the windowsills of the third floor when it raised its hand. Its fur stood up, gleaming with a cold light, resembling spears. Its eyes were crimson, looking extremely ferocious.
In front of it stood Bartholomew, with spirit energy leaking out of his hand, forming a spear.
On both sides were Pierce and Gerard, with long knives forming in their hands.
Alfie was walking in the air above, materializing an iron chain.
The four of them stared intently at the black bear, ready to strike at any moment.
Although they were still on their way to the assessment, killing a beast was much more valuable than fighting against people.
Fighting people was just a matter of honor, wasting spirit energy for nothing. Killing a beast, however, could yield an inner core in which the replenishment from would be much greater than the consumption of spirit energy.
Growl!
The black bear’s roar deepened to a menacing growl, its breath rolling out in visible waves that made the very air quiver.
The black bear, like any other, would never willingly surrender its inner core. Such a sacrifice would not only nullify hundreds of years of cultivation but also court death itself. If it fought, perhaps it could still survive.
“You beast, since you won’t spit out your inner core voluntarily, then die!” Bartholomew roared.
Then, his body quickly moved forward, the spear in his hand shimmering with spirit energy, stabbing straight at the black bear’s neck.
At the same time, Pierce and Gerard also moved quickly, flanking left and right.
Alfie swung the iron chain down, which extended nearly 100 feet as if it were hanging from the sky.
Just by taking action, it was not difficult to see that the four of them were extremely taciturn.
The black bear did not sit idly by.
Its cultivation surpassed Bucky’s by a wide margin, its prowess honed over 500 years of survival in this monstrous land. Such longevity marked it as no ordinary adversary.
Cornered with no path of retreat, its eyes blazed an even deeper red.
A thunderous roar erupted, its force vibrating the ground beneath their feet. The trees ahead trembled and swayed under the power of its voice.
The black bear’s assault did not end there.
Suddenly, hundreds of its fur bristles transformed into deadly projectiles. Like a volley of arrows, they sliced through the air, aiming with lethal intent at Bartholomew’s party.
The four did not retreat. Instead, their spirit energy leaked out wildly and formed into barriers in front of their weapons.
Meanwhile, inside the cave, Remus analyzed, “They didn’t notice us, so it’s most likely just a coincidence…”
He reasoned that if the beast was aware of the cave’s existence, it would have surely taken the fight inside. The confined space would limit their movements, diminishing their combat effectiveness significantly.
Bucky nodded.
Observing Bucky’s reactions, Remus’ fondness grew.
With a playful smile, favonovel.com inquired, “Are you acquainted with that monster outside?”
If Bucky knew the black bear, favonovel.com could go out and help. After all, favonovel.com didn’t like the four of them as they were too scheming. If favonovel.com went out, favonovel.com could simply find a reason to retaliate against them.
Visit VIRTUAL NOVEL for more available chapters of this title!
