Volume One, Chapter 10: Bear Da?

Hearing that deafening roar, Zhuang Fan didn’t hesitate for a moment and turned to run back. If the campus beauty had given him water, there was absolutely no need to risk going to the riverbank. After all, that place lay deep within the forest, fraught with unknown dangers along the way.

At his current weak state, he certainly did not want to take unnecessary risks. Besides, with this big rabbit, his food supply should be sufficient. As for water, if it ran short, he could shamelessly ask the campus beauty for more. If that failed, he could trade food or materials he gathered with her; surely she wouldn’t refuse.

Although Ke Mengyao often appeared aloof, she was kind-hearted. During university, Zhuang Fan came from a poor rural family and struggled financially, so he applied for a scholarship. At first, he didn’t even know how to fill out forms on a computer. All of this, Ke Mengyao helped him with personally—handling his paperwork meticulously and securing every possible aid for him. Zhuang Fan had always been deeply grateful for her assistance.

Now, recalling how he had just doubted her intentions out of petty suspicion, his face flushed with shame, burning hot.

“Awooo~” The monster’s cry rang out again, snapping his thoughts back. This roar was much louder than that of the blood-rabid rabbit, filled with such overwhelming power it seemed able to intimidate the entire forest.

Just from the sound, Zhuang Fan knew this creature was not one he could provoke.

“Awooo~” Another howl echoed, carrying an endless sense of oppression through the woods.

The forest birds were terrified, fluttering up into the sky to escape. Zhuang Fan was startled. He distinctly felt the monster drawing nearer. At this pace, he would soon be caught.

He hurriedly checked himself for any traces of the blood-rabid rabbit’s blood. There were a few drops. But could the monster’s nose be that keen? How was it tracking him so closely? By scent? Or something else? Since he had stored the rabbit in his system backpack, logically the creature shouldn’t be able to smell it.

Then, suddenly, an idea struck him.

He glanced at his right hand and saw the wooden stick was covered with the rabbit’s blood.

“Damn!” he cursed softly, frustration flooding his heart. He had been too careless. Now, what to do? Throw away the wooden stick? But it had cost him five units of wood to craft, and discarding it so easily felt wasteful.

Zhuang Fan hesitated.

Suddenly, a thought sparked in his mind. He picked up a fallen leaf and rubbed it vigorously across the wooden stick, then hung the leaf on a nearby tree. Next, he quickly took out a vine from his backpack, freed up a slot, and stored the blood-stained stick inside. Then, he pulled it out again.

As expected! The bloodstains on the stick had vanished.

“Ha! I’ve exploited a loophole in the system!”

Overjoyed, he hurriedly put his bloodstained clothes into the backpack and took them out again. The bloodmarks on the clothes disappeared without a trace as well.

Afterward, he quickly wiped his entire body with dirt and sand from the ground to further eliminate any lingering scent that might attract the monster.

Dressed in clean clothes, Zhuang Fan ran forward some distance. Spotting a tree with a low branch, he climbed up without hesitation. Fortunately, growing up in the countryside made him skilled at climbing trees since childhood.

When he reached a higher branch, he threw the vine over it and used it to pull himself up slowly. In no time, he was about ten meters above the ground.

He didn’t climb higher, knowing clearly the monster was already nearby.

“Awooo~” The terrifying roar came again as the monster stopped where Zhuang Fan had hung the leaf.

His heart leapt into his throat, and he held his breath, not daring to make a sound.

The monster sniffed repeatedly, searching desperately for its prey. But since Zhuang Fan had cleverly erased all traces of himself, the creature found nothing.

It seemed furious, growling continuously.

Zhuang Fan, hiding on the opposite side of the tree, felt his heart race wildly. He didn’t dare peek at the terrifying beast and silently prayed for it to leave soon. Every second stretched into an agonizing eternity.

Suddenly, a loud crash thundered like a bolt of lightning, ringing in his ears.

A massive tree toppled with a thunderous crash.

Zhuang Fan stared in disbelief. This was a towering ancient tree, hundreds of meters tall, too large for several people to embrace, yet the monster had felled it effortlessly?

What kind of creature possessed such terrifying strength?

As the monster howled again, more giant trees crashed down in succession. It was venting its fury recklessly.

At one point, a falling tree headed straight toward Zhuang Fan, terrifying him nearly out of his wits. He prayed fervently to evade this calamity. Fortunately, the tree barely missed him, crashing heavily to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

After the dust settled, Zhuang Fan finally caught sight of the monster’s true form.

A colossal bear!

Its reddish-brown fur gleamed under the sun, its massive frame towering nearly six or seven meters tall when standing upright.

With a gentle swipe of its enormous paw, surrounding trees toppled as if they were fragile saplings.

Zhuang Fan quickly used his identification skill.

[Scarlet Primordial Bear (Superior Grade): ???]

He swiftly took a photo and sent it to Ke Mengyao, not quite sure why. Perhaps in this moment of dire peril, his heart feared dying silently and wished to leave a trace of his existence. Or maybe he hoped that upon seeing this fearsome beast, she would remain vigilant should they encounter it in the future.

As for Zhong Xiahong, that girl was timid beneath her tough talk; it was better not to frighten her.

The Scarlet Primordial Bear had now arrived beneath the tree where Zhuang Fan hid.

His heart clenched tightly, drowning in cold waves of terror.

With just a slight lift of its head, the bear could discover him. Or with a single paw strike, Zhuang Fan would fall along with the tree.

Either way, he stood no chance of survival.

A fierce urge to urinate surged within him, threatening to overwhelm his control. He clenched his legs tightly, summoning every ounce of strength to hold it back.

Eyes shut tight, he dared not look at the horrifying creature so close, silently praying:

“God above, please bless me! Tao Ancestor, please bless me! Bodhisattva of Compassion, please bless me! Buddha, please bless me! Almighty God, please bless me! All gods, please protect me...”