Chapter 15: Rampant Bear Leader

Iron-red trees stood tall and dense, midday sunlight filtering through the lush branches and leaves to cast mottled patches of light and shadow upon the young Red Iron Dragon.

"My Lord, subduing the Earth Rampant Bear Xiong Qun will allow you to establish a firmer foothold in the wilderness sooner."

Moberl spoke in a rough, gruff voice.

Garos scrutinized the sycophantic bear offering schemes before him, his tail lightly tapping the ground as he pondered thoughtfully.

Moberl's proposal appeared loyal on the surface, but actually harbored selfish motives.

—It wanted to use his hand to eliminate the old Rampant Bear and take his place as the leader of the Xiong Qun.

After all, it had not undergone the Dragon Vein transformation.

For a familiar like this, its loyalty was tied to benefit.

Garos, however, did not mind this.

Sometimes, a familiar possessing desire and selfishness is easier to control and manipulate; if one has no desires or needs, the possibility of betrayal is actually greater.

Moreover.

All intelligent beings possess selfishness, seeking their own interests.

Garos could accept this little scheme of Moberl's.

It was willing to follow him, and had not fled while he was away previously because it felt that following him promised a brighter future and a broader path ahead.

However.

Appropriate reminders were also necessary.

This Rampant Bear before him looked honest and simple, with a bear face that appeared kind, but was actually agile-minded and possessed high intelligence, at least far smarter than his dragon younger brother and younger sister.

"You are my first familiar. Once I subdue the Xiong Qun, I will entrust them all to your management."

Garos spoke with a half-smile, uttering words that filled Moberl's bear face with joy.

"Thank you for your trust, Dragon Lord! I will ensure their loyalty! I will not fail your expectations!"

The Rampant Bear's eyes shone brightly as it patted its chest, the sound booming.

"But."

Garos suddenly shifted his tone, his gaze turning cold and his voice low: "You want management rights? Fine, I will give it to you, but you must bear the corresponding responsibility."

"If the Xiong Qun offers even a shred of resistance or betrayal to me, I will first break your bear legs."

Moberl's bear ears twitched, a flicker of fear flashing in his eyes.

"Uh... Great Dragon Lord, I suddenly do not wish to be the leader of the Xiong Qun. After you subdue them, I can coexist with them as equals."

Moberl scratched his head and said with a sheepish bear face.

"The Xiong Qun still needs a leader. I have already decided it is you. This is not a discussion."

Garos settled the matter with a final verdict.

Moberl wore a bitter expression, his mood deeply conflicted; on one hand, he feared punishment should management go wrong, while on the other, he harbored the ambition to become the leader of the Xiong Qun.

Back then, when he was discovered secretly courting a young female bear, beaten by his old father until he was critically injured and near death, and thrown out like trash, he had sworn that sooner or later he would reclaim what he had lost and dominate all the female bears.

Ten years in the east of the ridge, ten years in the west of the ridge; do not bully a young bear for being poor!

Ambition ultimately overshadowed fear.

"Thank you for your trust; this will be my honor."

Moberl lowered his head and spoke in a low voice.

The sun slowly tilted westward, gradually sinking into the embrace of the distant mountains, as night replaced the dim yellow sunset, covering the sky in an endless expanse.

Amidst the thick darkness, the young Red Iron Dragon spread its wings high among the clouds, soaring and gliding; the wild wind brushed against his massive and powerful wings, rustling loudly as they waved.

Shortly after.

Garos hovered over the mountain ridge, gazing down with lowered eyes.

The mountain ridge, densely covered with coniferous forests, appeared in his vision; the coniferous fir trees were numerous and dense, with lush branches and leaves, while the ridge itself was somewhat low and could not be considered towering.

This place was the habitat of the Xiong Qun.

Garos circled in the sky, his gaze sweeping inch by inch over the ridge and the coniferous forest, quickly discovering an unnatural clearing at the foot of the mountain, along with many dark, gloomy caves—precisely the Xiong Qun's nest.

Although it was already late at night, the Xiong Qun was not resting in their nest.

Bear-like creatures resembling Moberl were on the clearing in front of the caves.

Some rubbed against rocks to scratch an itch, others lay on the ground dozing, while some sharpened their teeth on sharp stones; there were also four or five bear cubs chasing and playing with their short legs.

And among these Rampant Bears.

One stood out as exceptionally tall and strong.

Its shoulder height exceeded ten meters; its bear arms were thick, its frame broad and waist round, resembling a bear-shaped mountain; merely sitting on the ground, it radiated an aura of danger.

In terms of size, this Rampant Bear surpassed Garos by far.

Moreover, the fur on its body did not resemble that of an ordinary Earth Rampant Bear; besides deep yellow fur like rocks, it was intermingled with some dark red fur that swayed like flames when the wind blew.

This Rampant Bear, besides the Earth element, seemed to also possess the Fire element.

And its identity was equally obvious—it was the Rampant Bear Leader.

Life Grade Detection Technique!

A faint glimmer flashed through Garos's black dragon eyes as he gazed fixedly at the Rampant Bear Leader.

Life Grade: 10

At the same time, the Level 10 Rampant Bear Leader seemed to sense something; it suddenly raised its head, looking up at the night sky, its gaze piercing through the cloud cover to lock precisely onto Garos.

Roar!

Rising to its powerful body, the Rampant Bear Leader's fur bristled, making it appear even stronger, and it threw its head back to roar, emitting a deep, thunderous bellow.

It had discovered the presence of the young Red Iron Dragon.

As the roar sounded, the bear cubs, as if receiving some signal, one by one ran back into the caves under the protection of the mother bears.

The entire Xiong Qun grew wary.

"A level-10 Berserker Bear Chieftain—its perception is sharper than any monster I've encountered before."

Garos circled in the sky, gazing down at the Xiong Qun below with lowered eyes, weighing the situation in his mind.

Up to now, the highest-level fierce beast monster Garos had hunted down was level 8.

Among them, some were strong and some were weak—the weak ones couldn't even take a single hit from Garos, while the strong ones could tangle with him for a short while, leaving a few minor wounds on his body.

Going further up, level-9 and level-10 fierce beast monsters—

Garos had never encountered them.

Life level can't fully measure combat power, but it's a useful reference.

On average, every life level brings a substantial boost. A creature with a low life level isn't necessarily weak, but one with a high life level is definitely not to be trifled with—the higher the life level, the stronger it is.

Level 10. That's the average level a 25-year-old adolescent red dragon possesses.

Of course, a level-10 red dragon is definitely far stronger than an Earth Berserker Bear, but a level comparable to an adolescent red dragon still shows that the Berserker Bear Chieftain is a powerful monster.

Against a level-10 Berserker Bear Chieftain, Garos didn't have full confidence.

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

But injuries would be unavoidable, and they might not be light ones.

In truth, serious injuries would further stimulate Garos's adaptive evolution, but the risk was high. He no longer had a powerful backer to shelter him, no fallback. If he ran into another strong enemy while wounded, he'd fall into an extremely dangerous situation.

The Sair Wilderness held too many dangers.

Powerful monsters and fierce beasts were everywhere, along with the armies stationed by the various nations of the Lotharn Federation.

Even mindless beasts know that when hunting, they should avoid getting injured as much as possible.

Compared to momentary thrills and danger, Garos preferred steady, reliable growth—aiming to live longer. He was still young, just a seven-year-old juvenile dragon, and his talent was excellent, his prospects bright. There was no need to be impatient.

"Now isn't a good time. I can't guarantee a sure win."

"I'll wait a little longer. I'm about to break through to level 8."

Garos didn't linger any longer.

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

Watching the dragon's retreating figure, the Berserker Bear Chieftain also looked away.

Its bear face showed not a trace of Heavy and solemn tension. It didn't return to its cave either, simply flopped down on the open ground ahead and dozed off—very relaxed.

Judging from Garos's size, it was just a tiny juvenile dragon.

It didn't even fear an adolescent dragon. If a juvenile dragon dared cause trouble here, it'd take just one Xiong Zhang. If the other party was looking to die, it wouldn't mind tasting whether dragon meat was salty or bland.

(End of this chapter)