Suddenly, Lucas noticed that the black bear seemed to have attacked something, then roared and ran toward him. Lucas was instantly scared out of his wits and cursed himself inwardly. Curiosity really did kill the cat! Only this time, it wouldn't be a cat that curiosity killed, but me, Lucas, a living, breathing person.
Lucas could no longer spare a thought for whatever rare natural treasures might be there. In this situation, saving his life came first.
Although Lucas was no slow runner as a sixth-rank warrior, the black bear was even faster. Seeing it about to catch up, he desperately wished his parents had given him a few extra legs. He immediately unleashed the greatest potential of his life, clearly feeling his heart pounding frantically as he ran.
Just as Lucas decided that even if he died, he would die on his feet, he swiftly turned and adjusted his stance, preparing to fight the black bear. Then he saw it throw something at him. Without a second thought, Lucas knocked it down with a thrust of his spear.
Lucas was about to bring his spear back around and unleash the strongest strike he could manage since comprehending Wielding Something Light as Though It Were Heavy, but when the black bear came within a dozen or so meters of him, it swerved. Then, with a mocking look on its face, it ran off in another direction!
Lucas was still puzzled by the black bear's turn, but his face soon darkened terribly. Now he could see what was chasing it: a kind of bee-like third-level magical beast.
Now Lucas understood why the black bear had not attacked him at the start. The creature must have been busy stealing honey. It now seemed that what he had just shattered with his spear was a chunk of honey belonging to these third-level magical beasts. His strike had splashed some of the honey onto him.
Watching these third-level magical beasts attack him, Lucas now understood the mocking look the black bear had worn as it left. He had lived for nearly eighty years, yet he had never imagined that one day he would be outwitted by a magical beast like a black bear.
Lucas had no choice but to turn and keep running. Although these bee-like magical beasts were only third-level magical beasts and their overall attacking power was not particularly strong, they had venomous stingers. Being struck by those things was certainly not something Lucas wanted to endure. Even the black bear, with its thick fur and hide, had been unwilling to suffer those attacks and had chosen to flee instead.
But Lucas soon discovered that a black bear cub was following him as well. He had not noticed the little fellow earlier. Now, as he ran, Lucas used his spear to knock down some of the bee-like magical beasts catching up to him.
Without caring whether the black bear cub could understand him, Lucas shouted at it, "Damn it, your mother ran that way!"
After shouting, Lucas found that it had indeed done no good. The round little fellow came bounding happily toward him. Naturally, Lucas had no time to bother with the cub now.
Lucas was also glad that he had comprehended an attack resembling raindrops. His spear techniques could now pick off one or two of these bee-like magical beasts. But the magical beasts pursuing him were so densely packed that he simply could not kill them all.
After running some distance, Lucas jumped into a small pool he had passed earlier. Pools like this were formed by accumulated rainwater and were not very deep. No magical beasts occupied it, and there was wet silt inside from the rain.
After rolling over, Lucas hurriedly smeared silt all over his body. The black bear cub copied him, jumping into the silt and coating its entire body in mud.
Lucas could not worry about the black bear, which might come looking at any moment, and buried himself directly in the silt. Once Lucas and the cub were covered in mud, masking the smell of honey, the bee-like magical beasts circled near the small pool for a while before flying away!
Seeing that the bee-like magical beasts had left, Lucas climbed out of the pool.
Despite all his care, his attacks earlier had left an opening, and those bee-like magical beasts had still managed to sting him. His exposed back now burned with pain. It seemed he had been attacked while running away. Looking at the nearly meter-tall black bear cub still at his feet, Lucas grew even angrier. He challenged magical beasts day in and day out, yet today he had been outwitted by one!
Still, Lucas had no intention of settling the score with this little fellow now. Once the black bear shook off the bee-like magical beasts, it would certainly come looking for its child. Staying here was definitely very dangerous. Although he had briefly wanted to take the cub away with him, bringing a magical beast cub that was already nearly a meter tall would make escaping very troublesome. Besides, its mother was probably nearby, so he could not linger.
With that thought, Lucas simply left, ignoring the black bear cub. But he discovered that it was still following him.
Lucas stopped, intending to change direction. Since the cub had followed him in the direction he had just taken, that was most likely the direction of its home. He certainly could not go toward the swarm now, nor could he go in the direction the mother bear had taken. Going that way would be courting death. Lucas did not want to become the dung the black bear passed the following morning.
Now he had no choice but to leave in the opposite direction from the one he had just taken. After running a few steps, Lucas found that the little cub was still following him. When he sped up, it sped up. When he slowed down, it slowed down.
Knowing he was in danger now, Lucas decided to stop worrying about it. If you want to follow, then follow. Lucas guessed that it had only recently left its mother and was curious about everything.
During the danger earlier, the cub had also fled blindly in panic. When the mother bear ran off, it had failed to keep up, so it had followed Lucas, who had been fleeing in the same direction as it. Following him now was most likely a self-protective survival instinct after abruptly becoming separated from its mother. Once it heard its mother's voice, it would leave him.
But after walking for roughly a dozen minutes, Lucas still had not heard any sound of the mother bear coming to look for it. His courage immediately grew. Since you started this, don't blame me for returning the favor.
Lucas picked up the black bear cub and coated it in another layer of mud. Then he held it in his arms and began running faster in his chosen direction.
At the same time, Lucas said inwardly to the cub, You can't blame me for this. You're the one who followed me. If you want to blame anyone in the future, blame your mother. She was the one who tricked me first!
Before you continue