Hidden in the dense forest, the leader of the Wild Goblins reluctantly looked at the "prey" clad in Armor. Even if they attacked en masse regardless of casualties, there was still a chance to kill the opponent, but the cost seemed too great. If they continued to lose their kin, they wouldn't be able to survive in this dangerous forest...
After much consideration, he had no choice but to abandon the enticing spoils of war.
A cacophony of cackles erupted from the woods, and upon hearing the retreat command, the Wild Goblins on the clearing threatened Leon and his two companions with fierce roars before slowly retreating back into the dense forest.
Watching the figures of the Wild Goblins gradually disappear, it took several minutes before the surroundings were completely quiet and Leon and his companions could finally relax and breathe deeply.
Being able to make them retreat knowing the difficulty was already the best outcome.
Despite appearing to handle these small monsters splendidly, that was just a state driven by a short burst of adrenaline.
After all, being mere mortals, prolonged confrontation with these small creatures—already exhausted from days of fleeing—would have inevitably drained their strength. They would have sooner or later become injured due to exhaustion just like Lokhak who nearly got caught in a trap just moments ago.
"Don't let your guard down yet, Wild Goblins are cunning, we need to be wary of them counterattacking before dawn," Azeryan warned his companions not to be complacent.
The group retreated to the campfire side., recovering their strength while on alert, they continued to watch the dark forest intently, waiting for daylight.
After an agonizing indefinite wait, just when the three were gradually convinced the Wild Goblins had left for good, Leon suddenly heard a faint rustling sound from the forest ahead.
"...Do you guys...hear anything?"
No sooner had he finished asking than the sound became clearer.
It was not just the sound of running brushing against branches and bushes, but also mingled with the familiar screams of the Wild Goblins.
The fearful screams of the Wild Goblins grew louder, and the ground faintly trembled until, accompanied by a thunderous sound of trees being knocked down, the cries abruptly stopped.
— ROAR!!!
A roar that shook the forest sounded like a boulder smashing into the water.
The faces of the three turned instantly pale.
Even without knowing what the terrifying roar represented, they understood it was not something they could handle.
"Run!! Throw away anything in the way, run!" Without a moment to explain, Leon immediately discarded the useless pitchfork that presented no aid but a hindrance in facing such danger. Freeing his hands, he grabbed a torch from beside the campfire, and they started running, their backs turned to where the deafening roar came from.
At this point, they could no longer worry about encountering other threats while running into the forest at night.
As soon as Leon heard that distinct roar, fear drove the memories of his original owner to surge forward, luckily reminding him of what the roar represented.
It was a bear's call...but not an ordinary bear.
"What...what is that? A tiger? A bear?" Lokhak couldn't help but shout.
"Stop asking, just run! Don't stop for a second!" Leon loudly called out, urging his companions to flee for their lives.
His and Azeryan's linen clothes quickly got torn from the dense bushes and undergrowth as they crossed the rugged terrain. Even if they accidentally fell and got covered in bruises, they would immediately get up, enduring the pain.
Soon, the torch was lost somewhere, and Leon gasped for breath in the darkness, trying to ensure his companions were still by his side. Losing the light, they had to slow down until the trees around gradually thinned out and the moonlight became visible. Only then could they again accelerate their escape.
If it were just an ordinary bear, though dangerous, they might have retreated calmly using the torch and the weapons in hand, not in such a disarray.
But the monstrous beast behind them with its earth-shaking roar had fundamentally passed beyond the range of ordinary beasts. Staying even a second within its territory would be an exceedingly foolish and dangerous act.
Horror Mountain Bear.
That was a creature as large as a full-grown African elephant found on Earth, rumored to have skin and flesh so tough that steel swords could hardly make a scratch. This seldom-seen forest monster was even worshipped as a deity by remote villagers. In his memories, the original owner had the fortune to witness it from afar just once while following his father deep into secluded mountains.
Even if it was just a distant glimpse across a cliff, he could never forget the terrifying vast figure.
Let alone them, three boys scavenging and fleeing on the road, even a regular army wouldn't dare challenge this true lord of the forest.
Thank goodness, as long as they could quickly escape the range of the Horror Mountain Bear...
!Boom rumble~... Bang~!
Leon listened to the suddenly clear sound of trees falling behind him, felt the increasingly urgent trembling of the ground beneath his feet, and a chill ran through him in an instant.
What's happening? Was the Horror Mountain Bear chasing them?
Was their trio the target of the Horror Mountain Bear?
Why?
Suddenly recalling the Wild Goblins that had also suffered earlier, Leon found the answer.
—The scent of blood!
"Damn!" he couldn't help but curse through gritted teeth, there was no doubt, it was the smell of blood from the many Wild Goblin corpses they had killed that had attracted the monster.
Was it for food? Or was it protective behavior?
That didn't matter anymore, listening to the increasingly alarming rumbling of running behind him, Leon felt cold sweat breaking out in urgency, the important thing was their legs could not outrun the Horror Mountain Bear getting closer and closer.
What should they do?
How could they escape this monster that was about to catch up...
"...ahead... there's a river ahead!" Lokhak, running at the front, turned back breathlessly to inform everyone, "Swim across or go around... uh—!!!" He was startled into momentary speechlessness by the vast, horrifying shadow from behind everyone.
Turning his head, Lokhak, as if his body's potential had been activated, increased his pace even more, fleeing like the wind.
Following Lokhak's direction, Leon's gaze sharpened, indeed there was a river ahead, reflecting the hazy moonlight, its rushing waters loudly flowing, unknown to where.
"Jump into the river!" Leon shouted without thinking.
The river was turbulent, but they had no time for hesitation.
Not even daring to look back to check how close the gigantic creature was to them now, the trio reached the riverbank and without stopping, leapt one after the other into the raging waters—
Bang!
Bang!~ Bang!
The three young men entered the water and in the blink of an eye, were swept downstream by the rapid current.
...
...Boom rumble.... Boom rumble...
The heavy running sound gradually stalled at the riverbank.
Roooar—!!!
The ferocious King of the Forest emitted a terrifying roar that vibrated through the wilderness.
The giant bear lowered its massive head, it could still smell the scent of those invaders who had entered its territory, slowly fading away; the river water could not block its keen sense of smell.
But it slowly lifted its head, gazing towards the distant end of the river, the Horror Mountain Bear instinctively took a few steps back.
The domain at the end of this river, even the King of the Forest, would fear.
...