Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 193 - 48 Earth Bear Mountain_1

Chapter 193: Chapter 48 Earth Bear Mountain_1

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There were two types of magical beasts, and their total number did not exceed fifty. However, one clash between them carried the momentum of thousands of soldiers charging, this was the threat of a group composed of Gold Rank beasts.

Looking at their body size and weight, the Ironback Wildebeests were obviously at a disadvantage. They were less than three meters long and weighed only seven to eight hundred kilograms, considerably smaller than the earth bears. However, when the wildebeests charged together, the tide turned. The four earth bears, although stronger, were knocked over and trampled on by the wildebeests in a round of attacks. They rolled on the ground repeatedly before they could regroup. The contempt they had previously shown had completely vanished, they were now circling the wildebeest herd cautiously, looking for opportunities.

"Moo~~~~" The wildebeests regrouped, their roars displaying sharp teeth and sharp claws, their red eyes fixed on their adversaries, and their huge nostrils exhaling clouds of white breath.

"Roar~~~~" The earth bears were not outdone; their roars were louder than the wildebeests. The four bears were continuously slapping the ground with their front paws, making the earth echo with thuds. The Legendary Rank earth bear, which had remained still, suddenly moved. Its bear paw, much larger than those of its counterparts, was raised high and then slammed into the ground. This casual slap caused the earth to vibrate. No, it was more than a vibration. At the point of vibration, spikes formed from rocks pierced upwards heavily into the bellies of the leading wildebeests.

"Hmm, no wonder they are called Ironback Wildebeests." The earth spikes pierced the wildebeest’s abdomen but were slid off by the scales. However, a white mark was left on the brown belly of the wildebeest under the attack, with faint traces of blood seeping out beneath it. Seeing this, Pannis murmured, "It appears the defensive ability of its abdomen is significantly weaker than other parts."

"I’ve never witnessed a scene like this," Elrad said. "It seems, just as you said, that they too have weaknesses."

"Every creature has its weaknesses, and the Guardians are no exception," Pannis said with a slight smile. "Now, let’s see how this herd of wildebeests counterattacks."

The Ironback Wildebeests were not intimidated by the first attack; they roared and charged again, beating the ground thunderously and splitting into three teams to rush towards the earth bears. The earth bears were prepared this time, their eight front paws simultaneously lit up with earth yellow light. The wildebeests in the first row felt their body weight multiply, their muscular legs struggling to carry their heavy bodies, and their speed greatly reduced. The wildebeests in the second and third rows, without this sensation, maintained their original speed and predictably smashed into the first row of wildebeests, making the whole herd tumble over each other.

"The earth bears are so smart," Lina, lying next to Pannis, whispered in awe. "They actually used this method to break the charge of the enemy."

"This tactic seems familiar," Catherine tilted her head thoughtfully, then said to Dora, "You remember, right? In our history of war classes, they talked about the year 937 in the Fourth Epoch. The Somra Kingdom defeated Chareyne Kingdom’s five thousand cavalry with only fifty Lower Rank Mages and twenty thousand light infantrymen, using this same tactic. It even made it into the tactical manual for Mage vs Cavalry battles."

"Right, that teacher Falar was always boasting about it, saying it was a groundbreaking, epoch-making, and great invention. Ha! It turns out they learned it from magical beasts," Dora snorted and mocked. "One day I’ll deliberately go back and have a good discussion with that guy about it."

Meanwhile, as the humans were leisurely chatting, the battle among the magical beasts was becoming more intense. The wildebeests, having learnt their lesson, no longer charged indiscriminately. Instead, they lunged at the earth bears and wrestled with them using their teeth and claws. This choice was exactly what the earth bears wanted as these large and lazy creatures preferred close combat, skillfully wielding their huge bear paws in melee with the wildebeests.

"Hey, Pannis," Lina nudged Pannis’s shoulder, "Who do you think will win?"

"Hmm, that’s hard to say," Pannis stroked his chin contemplatively, "The wildebeests’ strengths lie in their speed and defense, while the earth bears excel in attack, but their defense is not bad either. You see, the wildebeests’ teeth, when biting the earth bears, can barely pierce through the bear’s fur and fat defense. But for the earth bears it’s just a tickle. On the other hand, most of the bears’ attacks either miss or make no significant damage. Look, the Legendary Rank earth bear has made a move, it hit an wildebeest. As I thought, it’s the same, it’s not easy to hurt an Ironback Wildebeest without targeting its abdominal weak point. So, it’s hard to predict the outcome."

"What do you predict?" Lina persistently asked to satisfy her curiosity, "What’s the most likely outcome?"

"The most likely outcome?" Pannis sneered, "If everything goes as expected, it should be a long-drawn-out battle. Eventually, both sides will end up exhausted, retreating to recover. However, in this way, the bulls would still be considered victorious as they defend their turf."

"We should be on our way too." Elrad observed for a while longer. Watching as the intensity of the fight escalated further, many trees were continually losing branches and leaves due to the impact. A few even broke and fell as a result of the battle. Retreating a distance backward, he crouched and said, "They’re too engrossed in their fight to pay us any mind, making this the perfect opportunity to traverse the Earth Bear Mountain. At two in the afternoon, instead of setting up camp, we’ll cross over the mountain in one go, leaving the earth bear territory and heading towards the edge of Raccoon Valley."

The ten of them squatted down and crawled for nearly a hundred meters before they finally stood up when they were far enough from the forest clearing. Even though watching the fight had been thrilling, being hidden among a large group of Gold Rank magical beasts and a Legendary magical beast wasn’t as pleasant. The oppression caused by the magical beasts had everyone on edge, which is why they used various topics and jokes to alleviate their tension.

Just as Elrad had mentioned, after walking a few hundred meters to the west, they could see the silhouette of Earth Bear Mountain through the gaps between the trees. Information from the Night Owl that descended from the tree revealed that Earth Bear Mountain wasn’t tall. It only had two peaks, with the taller one barely measuring up to eight hundred meters, while the shorter one was about six hundred meters. The mountain was densely covered with trees, no different from a typical forest.

"So, what do our experts say?" Dora leaned against a big tree, gulping down half a bottle of water. While fanning herself with one hand, she asked, "Do you have any plans for traversing Earth Bear Mountain?"

"We just need to avoid being detected by the earth bears," said Elrad. "There’s no need for a detailed plan. We can take it easy as if we’re on a common hike."

"And what if we do get detected?" Catherine asked, as she pulled out a small and compact locational device styled with conspicuous goblin elements. After observing the sky for a while, she sighed in disappointment and returned it to her backpack, "Are there any precautions we should take in case we’re discovered?"

"The only thing we need to consider is ensuring we don’t get injured," Elrad responded. "Earth bears can detect the smell of blood from two kilometers away. If there’s too much blood, it will attract nearby bears. No amount of scent-removing powder will be of any use."

"Oh yes, if we do get discovered, try not to engage. Kill the opponent as quickly as possible and leave promptly. If you encounter more than one earth bear, withdraw immediately." Catherine added, "Earth Mole, especially you. Don’t burrow into the ground. The earth bears likely possess a plethora of Earth-attribute magic, which means it could be impossible to escape by burrowing."

With no one offering further comment, Catherine signaled with a wave of her hand, and the small troop began their climb up the rugged mountain under Elrad’s leadership. There were no roads in the mountains. Cutting through Shining Forest to build one was impossible. All they could do was wield their machetes to carve out a path, forming a dense formation as they clung to the brushes and tree branches for support while ascending.

"Dora, don’t touch that." Pannis, who was crawling behind Dora, suddenly pulled forcefully at her ankle, causing her to fall flat to the ground. Her hand, initially stretched out to grab a tree branch for leverage, ended up grasping at thin air.

"What’s wrong?" Dora, understanding Pannis’s method of handling emergency situations, wasn’t angry but rather confused. "Is there a problem?"

"Look closely." Pannis picked up a dead twig and poked at what Dora was originally aiming for. Under the horrified gaze of the others, the upright twig began to melt like it was being dissolved. The melted liquid rushed along the point of contact onto the twig Pannis held. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t liquid but rather countless tiny bugs, around one centimeter in size. The bugs swiftly clambered onto the twig, their tiny jaws crunching the wood were clearly audible. Pannis quickly tossed the twig towards a tree. By the time it reached the tree, the twig had morphed into a puff of dust and disappeared completely. With their support gone, the bugs gathered on the nearest tree, quickly regrouping to take on the shape of a tree branch.

"What the hell is that?" Lina jumped away from the tree, her hand covering her mouth in revulsion. "What...what...what’s going on with this thing?"

"Bone-eating worms, a species of bugs known for their camouflage." Pannis explained as he continued to climb, keeping a safe distance from the bugs. "They often disguise themselves as a tree branch and can maintain the appearance for several days. If touched, they will swiftly pounce onto the prey and burrow into their body, feasting until they’ve consumed the prey entirely. Their teeth are extremely sharp and can pierce even thin metals. They can squeeze through the smallest gaps, meaning ordinary armor can’t protect against them. The only solution is to create an Aggression Shield immediately to push them away, failure to do so would spell doom. But if I recall correctly, these creatures usually reside in Butterfly Valley. Strange to bump into them here."

"We’re currently venturing along the edge of the Earth Bear Mountain, exactly on the border with Butterfly Valley," said Elrad. "Even though Butterfly Valley is quite a terrifying place, this borderline here is relatively safe. Let’s continue. We’re almost over the first peak."