A Sudden Turn

There were no fearsome beasts on the mountainside, and the hunt was easy and monotonous. After bringing down two wild rabbits, Buggy headed back to where they had started. It was already nearing dusk.

A large piece of game lay beside Shuma as he got the pot ready and added the seasonings. Mohji sat cross-legged on the ground, head bowed and eyes closed in deep thought.

As Shuma cooked the soup, he remembered to pat Mohji on the shoulder. "You lost, Mopi ingredients."

Mohji picked up a bundle of bamboo beside him and set it in front of Shuma, unwilling to give up. "But this bamboo really is sweet and delicious. It's every bit as good as seasoning!"

Shuma shook his head and pushed the bamboo away. "It's too sweet and cloying. It doesn't go with my cooking at all."

"Damn, but it really is delicious..." Mohji had been drawn to the bamboo in the woods and spent ages chewing on it. Only at the last moment did he remember his contest with Shuma. With nothing to show for himself, he had tried to pass off the bamboo as an ingredient, only for Shuma to reject it.

Buggy walked over and set down the two rabbits. The next part was surely up to the chef.

He looked up at the mountaintop. They just had to get the so-called Lord Bear Spirit to finish Shuma's cooking as soon as possible, right? Aside from being excessively spicy, Shuma's food tasted quite good. Compared with the famous chefs of the East Blue, it held its own. Getting it approved by a somewhat intelligent beast shouldn't be difficult.

Gradually, the soup in the large pot began to boil, the slices of meat bobbing up and down as the aroma of meat spread through the air. This time, Buggy watched closely. At the very end, Shuma had added some strangely shaped chili peppers. That was probably why his cooking was so spicy.

"Shuma, you seem to really like spicy food?"

"Huh, spicy? But I've eaten this since I was little, and I think it tastes great!"

As Shuma answered, he fanned the fire beneath the pot with all his might. Waves of mouthwatering fragrance wafted out even more strongly, rising into the air with the thin white smoke.

Had he completely lost his sense of taste when it came to spice...? Buggy was speechless.

Before long, faint bear roars drifted down from the mountaintop. The forest erupted into commotion as countless birds, badly frightened, took to the air in a frantic rush.

The drawn-out roar continued for a full minute before gradually fading away. The mountain fell quiet once more.

Shuma looked up toward the summit. "The Great Matriarch said that after we hear Lord Bear Spirit's voice, we should wait a little while. Then he'll appear."

He sat upright, his expression solemn. Buggy and Mohji asked no questions and sat just as he did.

Thud... thud...

In the dense forest, the ground trembled in a steady, rhythmic pattern, each shudder sending a chill through them.

Is he here...? Buggy turned to look over his shoulder. A pair of terrifying, cold red eyes emerged from the darkness. Then a massive, powerfully built bear came walking out of the shadowy woods on all fours, its wild brown-gray fur and the imposing aura of a ruler of the forest on full display.

What felt somewhat out of place was the small bear cub sitting on the gray bear's back. It looked soft and fluffy, its forelimbs in its mouth as it made indistinct little sounds. Its innocent eyes were filled with curiosity about everything. If some young women saw such an adorable creature, their hearts would probably melt.

"What a chilling presence... No wonder he's the island's totem." Buggy instinctively grew wary. "Mohji, as the beast tamer, what do you think?"

Mohji hugged the bundle of slightly sweet bamboo tightly. Perhaps he was so nervous and frightened that he spoke very slowly. "Cap--tain--Bug--gy--I--"

Buggy was speechless. Don't give me that sloth routine right now, damn it!

Maybe it was because he was sitting beside the fire, or maybe it was because this was his first time seeing Bear Spirit, but beads of sweat the size of beans began to form on Shuma's forehead. They trickled down his cheeks and dripped onto the ground.

The warnings and sayings the adults around him had repeated since he was a child had etched his reverence for Lord Bear Spirit into his soul. His nervous, uneasy excitement swelled like an inflating balloon, then suddenly burst inside him. The overwhelming emotion filled his heart, and he felt so happy he could almost faint.

Looking at the two unreliable men beside him, Buggy tensed the muscles in his body. Instinctively, he was already prepared to fight. He couldn't rule out the possibility that the dangerous brown bear might suddenly attack.

The brown bear strode toward them, each step leaving a deep print in the soft earth. Its crimson eyes settled on the steaming pot and its fragrant contents.

Then it carefully brought the cub on its back around to the front. Bracing itself upright on its two strong hind legs, it looked down at the three of them as if with the contempt of a king. It picked up the large ladle from the pot with its huge paw and, like a human, scooped up a spoonful to taste.

Every eye was fixed on the gray bear. For a moment, each of them had different thoughts.

Shuma's thoughts: "That's great! Lord Bear Spirit is drinking the food I made!"

Mohji's thoughts: "That bear is... is twice as big as Richie! It's just an animal, so why does its presence make even a beast tamer like me feel afraid?"

Buggy's thoughts: "What a chilling presence. If it attacks, what chance do I have of winning...?"

The gray bear swallowed, and the soup went down smoothly. Then the ladle in its paw clattered to the ground. Its face suddenly twisted into a ferocious grimace, its crimson eyes fixed on the three of them as it let out a deafening roar filled with fury.

Without hesitation, Buggy grabbed the two beside him and hurriedly backed away. Frowning, he said, "Shuma, did you put something in the soup that you shouldn't have?"

"Huh? Doesn't Lord Bear Spirit mean my cooking is delicious?"

"Even stupidity has its limits..." Buggy took a fighting stance. "Looks like one of us is going down today. If you don't want to die, get ready to fight!"

The gray bear lumbered toward them, its massive body like a small mountain. Then it clenched a paw larger than a washbasin and smashed it down with blinding speed.

Buggy's eyes turned cold. His dagger flashed in his hand as he braced his right foot behind him, digging it into the earth, ready to strike the instant his opponent showed an opening.

In that split second, Shuma darted to one side and tackled Buggy to the ground. Mohji was knocked down too, and the three of them tumbled down the mountainside.

Boom!

Dust billowed as the spot where Buggy had been standing was blasted into a terrifying crater nearly half a meter deep. The gray bear pulled back its paw, roared furiously, and chased after the three of them.