Chapter 10: The Killer Bear
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It was not until Tanjiro came in that Li Xia realized he had been sitting there for more than an hour without noticing.
The fragrance of food already filled the air outside. Tanjiro looked at his father’s once-pale, gaunt cheeks and saw that they had taken on a trace of color.
He was deeply moved. It was wonderful that Mr. Sherlock had come to see his father... His father must be very happy too.
The gratitude in his gaze toward Li Xia was unmistakable.
Li Xia, however, was utterly bewildered. He had no idea what had caused that whole string of favorability increases.
Shared meals were always a joy. At Li Xia’s suggestion, they did not serve the food in separate portions, but instead found a long wooden plank to use as a table.
Everyone gathered around it to eat together. Perhaps the Kamado household had not been this lively in a very long time.
Bright smiles adorned the faces of the Kamado children. Even Tanjuro seemed infected by the mood and could not help smiling.
Murata regaled them with stories of the outside world. The slightly exaggerated tales were clearly to the children’s liking, and the atmosphere around the table grew livelier by the minute.
The children’s laughter and cheerful voices were the finest of wines, and before long, everyone was intoxicated by them.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Li Xia noticed that Tanjuro’s complexion had improved yet again. A thought began to form in his mind.
Tanjuro’s diminished vitality... Could part of the reason be that he had been starving?
By “starving,” he did not mean that Tanjuro had gone without food. Rather, there had once been a peculiar prohibition among the common people:
The Meat-Banning Edict.
In other words, ordinary people were forbidden to eat meat... and the ban was not lifted until modern times.
Sun Breathing consumed an enormous amount of energy to begin with. Combined with years of malnutrition... It would have been strange if Tanjuro had not suffered a decline in vitality.
“...Yes, boiling it should be enough. It would be even better with some ingredients added. Dietary nourishment is gentler than medicinal nourishment.”
Under Li Xia’s guidance, Kie prepared the nourishing tonic soup from his memories and gave it to Tanjuro.
At last, Li Xia was certain. Tanjuro’s present condition was unquestionably due in part to prolonged malnutrition.
As for the two prerequisites, there were naturally many ways to restore vitality.
The rice ball he had used on himself, along with the tonic medicine that replenished vital energy, naturally qualified as the highest-grade reward.
In short, he had won beyond measure!
The vitality he had lost could not be restored in a short time, but Tanjuro, possessing the Transparent World, could already sense the subtle changes taking place within his body.
This left him somewhat regretful. Under the circumstances, if he refrained from fighting, he could live for a few more years; if he fought, he would still die.
If possible, he would much rather slay the bear himself than have things proceed as they were now, as though they were merely the terms of a transaction.
Thus, he decided to do what little he could. For example, he agreed to take Li Xia to find the bear’s whereabouts.
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In the silent forest, the only sound was the rustling of fallen leaves beneath their feet. Although Tanjuro still looked frail enough to be blown away by the wind, he moved through the forest with astonishing speed.
“We’re almost there...”
After searching the area with his eyes, Tanjuro led Li Xia to a depression on the side of a cliff.
Bears possessed an extremely keen sense of smell, even sharper than a dog’s, so Tanjuro had deliberately chosen a position downwind.
“It’s over there. There’s a cave—”
Li Xia followed the direction of Tanjuro’s finger and saw that, indeed, a pitch-black cave opened in the cliff below.
The wind carried scents from far away. Tanjuro’s gaze remained calm as he looked toward the dense forest and spoke softly:
“It’s almost here.”
Two scarlet points of light appeared in the forest first. Then a shadow slowly emerged.
When it finally came fully into view, Li Xia could not help drawing in a quiet breath.
What an enormous bear!
Even on all fours, it was several times larger than the polar bears Li Xia had seen at the zoo.
He estimated that it would stand more than four meters tall, with a weight easily exceeding one ton.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled across its fur, which gleamed like polished oil.
Li Xia suspected that an ordinary demon would be no more than an infant before this colossal beast.
No wonder Tanjuro had refrained from fighting. Without using a Breathing technique, killing it would truly be difficult.
He quietly drew out the scroll, aimed it at the approaching giant bear, and activated it.
[Comparing the intelligence attributes of both parties. Determining... Determination successful.]
[Man-Eating Bear]
[Top Predator of Mount Kumotori]
[Vitality: 100%]
[Mental Power: 100%]
[Physical Strength Assessment: 2 (Tier One—Carbon-Based Organism)]
[Strength: 17 (Increasing this attribute increases physical strength)]
[Dexterity: 8 (Increasing this attribute improves attack speed and reaction speed)]
[Intelligence: 2 (Increasing this attribute improves spell-model construction and complex fuzzy calculations)]
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[Spirit: 4 (Increasing this attribute raises the maximum mental-power limit and reduces the energy cost of releasing abilities)]
[Constitution: 12 (Increasing this attribute improves healing ability, cardiopulmonary function, and other forms of endurance)]
[Skills: Crushing Paw Strike, Bite, Charge, Piercing Roar]
[Description: The Man-Eating Bear is exceptionally fond of the royal jelly unique to Mount Kumotori. This wondrous liquid nourishes it, allowing it to gradually grow into the mountain’s apex creature.]
The Man-Eating Bear slowly entered the dark cave. At that same moment, the sun sank below the horizon, leaving only a smear of crimson in the distant sky.
Li Xia stood up. With a single glance, Tanjuro understood and nodded. Then he turned and began walking back the way they had come.
“How is it?”
Tanjuro’s voice was soft. Had they not been close by, it might have been drowned out entirely by the rustling of leaves.
He was naturally asking about the result of Li Xia’s use of the scroll. Having experienced its effects firsthand, Tanjuro now possessed absolute faith in these “mysterious spells from a foreign land.”
“Strong...” Li Xia’s steps were heavy, mirroring his mood. After a pause, he added, “Very strong.”
The sky grew darker, making the moonlight all the more brilliant. The moon hung at the edge of the heavens like a jade disk, and the entire forest was draped once more in a veil of silver.
“In a direct confrontation, our odds of victory are practically zero.”
It seemed that the gap between the incomplete version of Sun Breathing and the complete version was enormous. Otherwise, the Hall would not have used such a monster to maintain balance.
Li Xia drew a deep breath. He felt the blood throughout his body begin to boil. It had been a very, very long time since he had experienced such a sensation.
After losing both his parents, he had felt as though he had “died.” It was not until he entered the trial and encountered his first demon that things changed.
The shock of hovering between life and death had been like an AED. He felt that he had “come alive” again, and he had finally found a goal. He wanted to continue onward through this wondrous world.
He wanted to witness more magnificent realms and pursue the limits of possibility. Even if he died halfway there, it would still be better than shrinking back at the starting line.
“Mr. Tanjuro—”
Li Xia stopped walking. Beneath the moonlight, his dark-brown eyes seemed to shine. Within them burned a determination and sincerity strong enough to astonish even Tanjuro.
“When we get back, let’s begin learning the Dance of the Fire God!”
A faint smile appeared on Tanjuro’s gaunt face.
“All right!”
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1. Monthly Votes 2. Recommendation Votes
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