Dire Bear Chief

Ironwood trees stood tall and dense, and the noon sun filtered through their thick branches and leaves, casting mottled patches of light and shadow across the Red Iron Dragonet.

"My lord, subduing the Earth Violent Bear pack will help you gain a foothold in the Wilderness much faster."

Mobel said in a rough, booming voice.

Garos scrutinized the flattering Dire Bear before him as it offered its suggestion. His tail lightly tapped the ground as he pondered.

Mobel's proposal appeared loyal, but it concealed selfish motives.

—It wanted to use his hand to eliminate the old Dire Bear, replace him, and become the leader of the bear pack.

After all, it had not undergone Dragon Vein Conversion.

For followers like this, loyalty was tied to profit and interest.

Garos did not particularly mind.

Sometimes, followers with desires and selfish motives were easier to control. Those with no wants or needs were actually more likely to betray him.

Besides.

All intelligent creatures had selfish motives and sought their own interests.

Garos could accept Mobel's little scheme.

It was willing to follow him, and it had not fled while he was gone because it believed following him promised a brighter future and broader prospects.

However.

It still needed to be properly warned.

The Dire Bear before him looked honest and simple-minded, with a thick, guileless bear face. In reality, it was quick-witted and rather intelligent, at least far smarter than his dragon brother and sister.

"You are my first follower. Once I subdue the bear pack, I will place them all under your management."

Garos spoke with a faint smile, saying words that filled Mobel's bear face with delight.

"Thank you for your trust, Dragon Lord. I will ensure their loyalty and never disappoint you!"

The Dire Bear's eyes shone brightly as it pounded its chest with booming thuds.

"However."

Garos suddenly changed his tone. His gaze turned icy as he said in a low voice, "You may have authority if I grant it to you, but you must shoulder the corresponding responsibility."

"If the bear pack shows even the slightest resistance or betrayal toward me, I will break your bear legs first."

Mobel's bear ears twitched, and a trace of fear flashed through his eyes.

"Uh... great Dragon Lord, I suddenly do not want to be the leader of the bear pack anymore. Once you subdue them, I can live alongside them as an equal."

Mobel scratched his head and said with a sheepish grin.

"The bear pack still needs a leader. I have already decided that it will be you. This is not a negotiation."

Garos settled the matter once and for all.

Mobel wore a pained expression, deeply conflicted. On one hand, he feared being punished if he managed the pack poorly. On the other, he harbored ambitions of becoming its leader.

Back when he had secretly courted a young she-bear and been discovered, his old father had beaten him until he was gravely wounded and near death, then thrown him out like garbage. At that time, he had sworn that one day, he would reclaim everything he had lost and possess every she-bear.

Thirty years east of the ridge, thirty years west of the ridge—do not mock a poor young bear!

In the end, ambition smothered his fear.

"Thank you for your trust. It will be my honor."

Mobel lowered his head and spoke softly.

The sun slowly sank westward, gradually slipping into the embrace of distant mountains. Night replaced the dim sunset and spread across the endless sky.

Within the deep night, the Red Iron Dragonet spread his wings amid the high clouds, soaring through the air. Fierce winds swept over his huge, powerful wings, making them rustle loudly with every beat.

Not long afterward.

Garos hovered above a mountain ridge and gazed down.

A ridge densely covered in coniferous forest appeared in his vision. Fir trees grew thickly there, their branches lush and flourishing, while the ridge itself was somewhat low and far from towering.

This was where the bear pack lived.

Garos circled through the sky, his gaze sweeping inch by inch across the ridge and coniferous forest. He soon spotted an unnatural clearing at the foot of the mountain, along with numerous dark caves—the bear pack's den.

Although it was already late at night, the bear pack was not resting in the caves.

Bears resembling Mobel gathered in the clearing before the caves.

They rubbed themselves against rocks to scratch their itches, lay on the ground dozing, or sharpened their teeth against pointed stones. Four or five bear cubs trotted about on short legs, chasing and wrestling with one another.

Among these Dire Bears.

One was especially enormous and powerful.

Its shoulder height exceeded ten meters. Its arms were thick, its body broad and stout, and it resembled a bear-shaped hill. Even while sitting on the ground, it radiated a sense of danger.

In terms of size, this Dire Bear far surpassed Garos.

Its fur also differed from that of an ordinary Earth Violent Bear. Besides deep yellow fur resembling stone, it had streaks of dark red fur that swayed like flames in the wind.

This Dire Bear seemed to possess not only earth-element abilities, but fire-element abilities as well.

Its identity was obvious—it was the Dire Bear Chief.

Life Level Detection Technique!

A faint glimmer flashed through Garos's black dragon eyes as he stared at the Dire Bear Chief.

Life Level: 10

At the same time, the level 10 Dire Bear Chief seemed to sense something. It abruptly raised its head toward the night sky, its gaze piercing through the clouds and locking precisely onto Garos.

Roar!

The Dire Bear Chief rose to its feet. Its fur bristled, making it seem even larger, and it threw back its head with a thunderous roar.

It had discovered the Red Iron Dragonet.

As the roar rang out, the bear cubs seemed to receive some kind of signal and hurried back into the caves one after another beneath the protection of their mothers.

The entire bear pack became alert.

"A level 10 Dire Bear Chief. Its senses are sharper than any monster I have encountered before."

Garos circled in the sky, looking down at the bear pack while weighing his options.

So far, the highest-level ferocious beast or monster Garos had hunted was level 8.

Some had been strong and some weak. The weak ones could not withstand even a single strike from Garos, while the strong ones could tangle with him briefly and leave a few minor wounds on him.

As for level 9 and level 10 ferocious beasts and monsters.

Garos had never encountered them.

Life Level could not completely measure combat power, but it was still highly useful as a reference.

On average, every increase in Life Level brought a massive improvement. A creature with a low Life Level was not necessarily weak, but one with a high Life Level was certainly not easy to deal with. The higher the Life Level, the stronger it was.

Level 10. That was the average level of a twenty-five-year-old Adolescent Red Dragon.

Of course, a level 10 Red Dragon was certainly far stronger than an Earth Violent Bear. Still, a level comparable to an Adolescent Red Dragon proved that the Dire Bear Chief was a powerful monster.

Garos was not completely confident in facing a level 10 Dire Bear Chief.

If they fought to the death, he might win in the end.

But getting injured would be unavoidable, and the wounds might be serious.

In truth, severe injuries could stimulate Garos's Adaptive Evolution even more, but the risks were great. He no longer had anyone to protect him or any route of retreat. If he encountered another powerful enemy while injured, he would be placed in an extremely dangerous situation.

The Ser Wilderness contained far too many dangers.

Powerful monsters and ferocious beasts were everywhere, and there were also armies stationed by the various nations of the Lothern Federation.

Even mindless wild beasts knew to avoid getting injured while hunting whenever possible.

Compared with temporary stimulation and danger, Garos preferred to grow in a safer, steadier manner and live longer. He was still young, only a seven-year-old Hatchling Dragon, and his talent was excellent. His future was bright, so there was no need to be hasty.

"Now is not the right time. I am not guaranteed to win."

"I will wait a little longer. I am about to break through to level 8."

Garos did not linger.

With a beat of his dragon wings, he quickly vanished into the night.

Watching the Dragonkin fly away, the Dire Bear Chief also withdrew its gaze.

There was not a trace of seriousness or tension on its bear face. It did not return to the cave either, instead lying directly in the clearing ahead and dozing off, completely relaxed.

Judging from Garos's size, he was merely a tiny Hatchling Dragon.

It was not even afraid of Adolescent Dragons. If a Hatchling Dragon dared to cause trouble here, one swipe of its paw would settle it. If the other party wanted to die, it would not mind tasting some dragon meat.