However, everything in his vision was normal; the snowy ground was flat, and the dead branches were silent.
Yet, in his spiritual perception, that feeling of being watched still persisted.
“Still no movement...”
He quickly analyzed the situation in his mind, slightly relaxing his tensed bowstring, but his vigilance did not fade.
“It shouldn't be that they deliberately restrained their presence.”
“Then, the greater possibility is that their current distance... is much further than last time.”
“Or perhaps...”
His gaze swept across the crowd below the slope who were tensely setting up traps and waiting in ambush. “It is because we have safety in numbers this time. With three Brass Rank experts in our squad, whatever is in the dark is wary, so its ‘attention’ and killing intent toward me have dispersed and faded quite a bit.”
Whichever the case, the lack of an immediate threat was ultimately a good thing.
Matthew slowly adjusted his breathing, keeping 【Eagle Eye Gaze】 in a ready state that could be activated at any moment. This allowed him to avoid over-consuming his life energy while ensuring he could react instantly.
“Should I inform Instructor Calm and Porter?”
As soon as the thought arose, Matthew dismissed it.
First, he simply could not explain how he had discovered the other party's traces.
Could he just say he had practiced the 【Elemental Meditation Method】, which enhanced his Spirit and allowed him to perceive the gaze?
Such an ability was far too eye-catching; he well understood the principle that a tall tree attracts the wind.
Moreover, he was far from a towering tree right now, and what was coming was no gentle breeze. Exposing himself rashly carried too great a risk.
Second, even if the instructor and Porter did not pry into the source of his information, what if the hidden entity did not pose an actual threat, or simply never appeared?
A groundless warning would be enough to severely damage his credibility within the squad, a cost that was simply not worth the gain.
Most importantly, the group would not choose to give up just because of an unknown threat.
The arrow was on the string and had to be shot!
As the sky gradually darkened, a massive dark shadow slowly walked over from not far away.
Each of its steps stepped heavily onto the snow, making a loud crunching sound, clearly quite relaxed in its surroundings.
The massive dark shadow gradually drew closer, its heavy footsteps growing clearer in the silent forest. Finally, the massive body of the mountain giant bear fully revealed itself in everyone's sight.
The giant bear's body emerged completely from the shadows of the forest.
Seeing such a colossal beast for the first time, Matthew could not help but let out a silent gasp in his heart.
“Holy crap...”
When this mountain giant bear walked upright, it stood over three meters tall, carrying a pressure not much different from a truck driving straight toward him.
Beneath its thick, dark brown fur, its shoulders, back, and limb joints were covered in a rock-like, dark gray thick hide, demonstrating the origin of its "mountain" name.
On its massive head, its tiny eyes flashed with a fierce light. Its half-open mouth revealed worn tusks, and saliva dripped onto the snow.
At this moment, the giant bear seemed completely unaware of the danger lurking on the side, quickly walking toward the entrance of its lair.
Although it was gradually growing dark and light was scarce,
relying on the enhanced vision from 【Eagle Eye Gaze】, Matthew saw several dark red bloodstains on its fur, and its gait carried a faint, almost imperceptible sluggishness.
‘Is it injured?’ Matthew wondered. ‘What could possibly inflict such damage on it in the outer perimeter of the forest?’
Although the blood had clearly coagulated, this amount of bleeding was definitely not something an ordinary creature could cause. What could possibly inflict such visible wounds on this colossal beast in the outer forest?
However, there was no time for him to ponder further.
The mountain giant bear took heavy strides, walking straight toward the cave entrance.
And there, the traps carefully laid by Finch lay hidden.
A trap set by a Brass Rank Class holder who specialized in this path would undoubtedly inflict significant damage, even on a mountain giant bear.
Once it was injured, dealing with the subsequent battle would naturally become much easier.
However, if the traps failed to work, Finch's role as a trap specialist would be greatly diminished, and the entire team would have to prepare to pay a much heavier price.
“Roar!”
Right at that moment, a roar filled with pain and fury exploded from the cave entrance. The commotion was so loud that it could probably be heard throughout the entire outer forest!
Matthew felt a surge of joy and immediately channeled 【Eagle Eye Gaze】 to look toward the source of the sound, his hand tightening on the bowstring.
He saw one of the mountain giant bear's forepaws firmly clamped by a device embedded in the snow, which gleamed with a metallic chill.
At a glance, the device resembled an ordinary bear trap, but it was currently biting deeply into the giant bear's thick flesh, causing it to let out wails of agony.
‘Is this a trap set by a Brass Rank Class holder?’
A trace of doubt crossed Matthew's mind. ‘It doesn't look much different from the bear traps I saw in my past life...’
However, the subsequent scene dispelled his doubts.
In its pain, the giant bear tried to break free with brute force, but the "bear trap" remained absolutely motionless. Instead, it bit even deeper as the beast struggled, its power clearly far exceeding any trap from his past life.
Matthew's pupils contracted slightly.
This was by no means an ordinary piece of equipment; a normal bear trap could never pierce the defense of such a magical beast.
His mind raced. The craftsmanship of this era probably couldn't produce such a sophisticated mechanism either.
This was most likely a "trap combat technique" deployed by Finch.
Almost at the same instant the giant bear was injured, Porter and Calm, who were lying in wait on both sides of the cave entrance, charged out like arrows released from a bowstring.
The two moved as fast as lightning, lunging at the target from the left and right, giving the colossal beast absolutely no room to breathe.
Two sword lights flashed like lightning, slashing precisely onto the mountain giant bear's thick shoulders and back.
However, the expected scene of flesh and blood tearing open did not occur.
The blades only sliced through the outermost layer of tough fur, and dark red beads of blood slowly seeped from the two shallow gashes, quickly freezing in the cold air.
Matthew saw this clearly from his high vantage point, and his heart turned cold.
“No wonder they emphasized beforehand that Black Iron Ranks shouldn't participate in direct combat... Even a probing attack from Brass Ranks can only do this much!”
Although Porter and Calm had clearly not exerted their full strength, the defensive power of this giant beast was already staggering.
Below,
the arm Porter used to hold his sword felt slightly numb from the recoil, and he was equally astonished.
He was not without experience fighting large magical beasts; he had even participated in hunting the "Steel-Maned Boar King," which was renowned for its defense. Yet, the toughness of this mountain giant bear's hide before him was even a cut above.
‘This beast's hide is simply too thick...’
‘However, everything is proceeding as anticipated. Keep steady.’
He frowned slightly, quickly adjusted his stance, and exchanged a solemn look with Calm.
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