Martial Era: Starting With The Strongest Talent-Chapter 179: Hol Bear Woods
But the size alone didn’t capture how dangerous the creature truly was.
Hol Bears were classified as Level 5 Hell-Class monsters.
Even experienced martial artists treated them with caution.
Remedy and Felecia both stiffened the moment the beast stepped onto the path.
Their hands moved slightly.
Not drawing their weapons yet, but close enough to do so instantly.
The bear simply stared at them.
Its golden eyes studied the two women for nearly a full minute and the forest held its breath.
Then, the massive creature slowly turned around.
And continued walking down the trail.
Remedy blinked and Felecia glanced at her.
Then smirked.
"Relax, Angel."
She gestured ahead with her chin.
"We’re on the right track."
Remedy’s gaze dropped to Felecia’s hands.
More specifically, to the gauntlet she had already activated.
Remedy raised an eyebrow.
"You should learn to follow your own advice."
Felecia pretended not to hear her.
She simply continued walking down the trail.
Remedy followed.
The Hol Bear ahead of them walked at a slow, steady pace.
As if guiding them deeper into the forest.
Soon, another bear joined the trail.
Then another.
And another.
The deeper they walked into the forest, the more Hol Bears appeared.
Massive golden figures emerging silently from the trees.
None of them attacked.
None of them even looked hostile.
They simply joined the procession.
Walking in the same direction.
Gradually, the two women found themselves surrounded.
Dozens of enormous golden bears moving through the forest together.
The ground trembled softly beneath their combined weight.
Even the forest itself seemed quiet.
As if the entire wilderness was watching.
Despite standing out among the creatures, the two martial artists continued walking calmly with the procession.
They didn’t stop.
They didn’t question it.
They simply followed the trail.
And soon, they reached their destination.
****
At the heart of Hol Woods lived the ruler of the forest.
He sat before the mouth of a massive cave.
And he was far larger than the others.
Where the ordinary Hol Bears were the size of small cars, this one was even bigger.
A true boss monster.
The other bears that filled the forest were merely mob and elite units beneath him.
Yet despite his massive size, the ruler didn’t look particularly fierce.
He looked... old.
Long golden fur hung like a beard beneath his jaw.
His shoulders were broad, but his posture carried the quiet heaviness of age.
At first glance, someone might even mistake him for a weakened creature.
That would be a fatal mistake.
Because even aged, the ruler of Hol Woods was still a monster that commanded the entire forest.
As the procession arrived, the other bears immediately stood on their hind legs.
And one by one, they bowed toward the ruler.
Remedy and Felecia exchanged a brief glance.
Then they followed suit.
The giant bear opened its jaws.
ROAR!
It released a deep roar that shook the entire forest.
The sound rolled through the woods like thunder.
Birds fled.
Leaves trembled.
And then, everything went quiet.
A strange silence spread through Hol Woods.
Moments later, a sound drifted out from the cave behind the ruler.
Music.
Soft at first.
Then gradually clearer.
This was the reason all the Hol Bears gathered here every day.
Inside the cave, a rare resource was produced.
Golden Bear Rum.
A strange drink brewed by the ruler of Hol Woods himself.
Every bear in the forest knew its value.
And every day, they gathered here for it.
As the music grew louder, the bears began to move.
But their movements were... strange.
Their front paws lifted.
Their hind legs shifted.
Even their massive heads swayed.
They moved in rhythm with the music echoing from the cave.
Almost like they were dancing.
Monsters.
Creatures born for destruction.
Beasts that normally tore through flesh and bone without hesitation.
And yet, they were dancing.
Dozens of massive Hol Bears swayed and stomped to the rhythm of the music echoing from the cave.
Their paws lifted.
Their heads bobbed.
Their heavy bodies moved with surprising coordination.
It was a bizarre sight.
If Adam had been here, he probably would have been disturbed by it.
Actually, knowing him, the moment he saw the bears dancing, he might have started a massacre.
Even though he had been trying to improve himself, those instincts were still there.
Which was exactly why Remedy had been against him joining this mission.
At that moment, the old bear, turned his golden gaze toward Remedy and Felecia.
The look was clear.
Felecia stepped forward immediately.
"Stop zoning out, Angel."
She rolled her shoulders and started moving with the rhythm.
Her feet shifted across the ground as she matched the beat perfectly.
Then she flashed Remedy a grin.
"We’ve got a dance battle to win."
Remedy sighed.
But she stepped forward as well.
The music coming from the cave was upbeat and funky, demanding sharp movements and precise timing.
For ordinary people, keeping up with the rhythm would have been difficult.
But Remedy and Felecia were martial artists.
Their bodies moved with effortless control.
But the bears weren’t backing down either.
After all, you couldn’t normally teach a bear new tricks.
But add alcohol to the mix?
That changed everything
The old bear slowly began moving through the dancing crowd.
His role was simple.
Imhe was the Judge.
Whenever he stepped in front of a contestant and roared directly at them, that meant they were out.
This strange competition only allowed ten winners each day.
That was the maximum amount of Golden Bear Rum the old bear could distribute.
So one by one, contestants were eliminated.
The old bear walked through the crowd, calmly observing.
A roar here.
Another roar there.
Bears dropped out of the dance circle one after another.
Several times, the old bear passed by Remedy and Felecia.
Each time, he simply kept walking.
It was obvious.
With the way they moved, both women were strong contenders for the final ten.
But the bears clearly didn’t like that.
