Chapter 24: The Bear Goes to Subjugate Tiger Wolves

I leave the Bear House and travel on Kumayuru.

There’s nothing wrong with using the Bear Shoes.

But lately, traveling on Kumayuru and Kumakyu has become my favorite method of transportation.

If I keep riding only one of them, they get moody, so I alternate between them.

While riding Kumayuru, I activate Detection Magic and survey the area.

My level has increased, and the detection range has expanded as well.

Countless monsters appear within my detection.

Could these be them?

“There seem to be two of them. Maybe a mated pair?”

I direct Kumayuru toward their location.

Kumayuru takes off running, weaving between the trees.

Branches and undergrowth are all pushed aside as Kumayuru charges through.

If I were running with the Bear Shoes, I wouldn’t be able to move like this.

There are wolves nearby, but I ignore them today and continue onward.

After a while, the Tiger Wolves’ reactions draw closer.

I tell Kumayuru to stop.

The sound of flowing water reaches my ears.

There must be a river nearby.

It seems they’re close to it.

I consider whether to dismount and approach quietly or continue riding Kumayuru.

If they attack me, that’s fine.

But if they run away, chasing them would be a hassle.

Especially since there are two of them.

If I were some hunter from a game, I’d probably approach while taking wind direction and scent into account.

Unfortunately, I don’t have skills like that.

Maybe I should just charge in with Kumayuru after all?

I instruct Kumayuru to head straight toward the Tiger Wolves.

Kumayuru breaks into a run.

A black shadow races through the mountains.

When Kumayuru reaches the river, I find two enormous tiger-like beasts resting by the water.

As soon as they notice us, they slowly rise to their feet.

“Gyurrrr.”

They observe us cautiously.

“They’re bigger than I expected.”

One is about the same size as Kumayuru.

The other is noticeably larger.

Maybe the smaller one is the female and the bigger one is the male.

I slowly climb down from Kumayuru.

After patting its face, I leave the smaller Tiger Wolf to Kumayuru.

I launch Wind Magic at the two Tiger Wolves.

With agile movements, they easily dodge it.

Kumayuru charges toward the female Tiger Wolf.

Meanwhile, I fire a flame spell at the male.

The Tiger Wolf dodges to the right and immediately charges at me.

Fast!

Unlike regular wolves, its speed and explosiveness are on another level.

The Tiger Wolf closes the distance in an instant.

I create an earth wall.

But it shatters effortlessly.

Hmm, normal magic doesn’t seem effective.

The Tiger Wolf closes in to pouncing distance.

I leap high into the air to escape.

The Tiger Wolf looks up and growls.

While taking advantage of my hang time to think things over—

The Tiger Wolf jumps.

“No way!”

Its sharp fangs come straight for me while I’m falling.

“Bear Punch!”

I smash my fist into the side of its open mouth.

The Tiger Wolf is sent crashing into the ground.

The moment I land, I fire countless ice arrows.

Every single one is deflected.

Just like the Goblin King.

Maybe ordinary magic can’t deal damage to enemies at this level with my current level.

In that case, I’ll try the same method I used against the Goblin King.

I create a deep pit in the ground and drop the Tiger Wolf into it.

Just as I approach the hole to attack—

The Tiger Wolf runs up the wall of the pit.

Using that momentum, its claws come slashing toward me.

I evade with a backward step.

Looks like pitfall traps won’t work.

Meanwhile, Kumayuru is fighting the slightly smaller Tiger Wolf.

Claw against claw.

Fang against fang.

The battle is completely even.

An ordinary bear would lose in terms of speed.

But my bear is fast.

Faster than a Tiger Wolf.

Its stamina is incredible as well.

Even after running all the way from town to this mountain, it shows no sign of fatigue.

Still, for that Tiger Wolf to be evenly matched with my bear, it’s stronger than I expected.

I leave that Tiger Wolf to Kumayuru and focus on the one in front of me.

I want its fur, so I’d rather not damage it too much.

What should I do?

“Water Bear.”

A bear-shaped mass of water appears.

The water bear charges toward the Tiger Wolf and firmly grabs it with both arms.

Then it presses the Tiger Wolf’s face into its own body.

The Tiger Wolf’s head sinks into the water bear.

Held down by the bear, it cannot move.

Large amounts of air escape from its mouth as it desperately shakes its head.

Bear-type magic really is powerful.

I glance toward Kumayuru.

It has already pinned down its Tiger Wolf.

I create a sphere of water and launch it at the beast.

The water sphere envelops the Tiger Wolf’s head.

Both Tiger Wolves struggle to escape.

But one is restrained by the Water Bear, while the other is held down by Kumayuru.

Neither can get away.

After a while, both stop moving.

Subjugation complete.

I store the Tiger Wolves in the Bear Box and head back to the Bear House.