Chapter 467: The Mountain Giant Bear

“Helag Merlin: Strength 45.2, Agility 45.6, Constitution 45.7, Spirit 79.5, Magic 100%.”

Helag glanced at his status panel, noting that all his physical attributes had surpassed forty points.

He suspected this wasn’t solely due to the demonic aura but also because it became harder to improve as his attributes increased.

Compared to when he first arrived in this plane, Helag’s physical attributes had significantly improved.

The increased difficulty in further enhancement was expected.

Helag searched the man’s body, finding only some gold and silver coins, nothing of real value.

After dealing with him, Helag continued his journey, planning to find a place to spend the night.

The bird the man had summoned seemed to have a scouting function, but Kramer hadn’t fully demonstrated his abilities before Helag took him down.

The next morning, Helag set off again on horseback.

After five days of travel, he finally reached Fireland Ranch.

The ranch boasted a vast expanse of grassland, home to cattle, sheep, and horses, all tended by ranch staff.

At the ranch entrance, Helag presented the parchment.

The ranch owner, a weathered man named Bowen, appeared to be in his fifties or sixties, with a pipe in his mouth.

Bowen took the parchment, glanced at it, and then at Helag, saying, “It’s a three-month job. If you leave early, you get ten gold coins. Stay the full three months, and you get twenty.”

Bowen wanted to clarify the terms upfront to avoid disputes later.

Few exorcists stayed the full three months; most left after a short time, a fact Bowen was accustomed to.

Helag nodded. “Understood.”

Bowen led Helag to a wooden cabin, his accommodation.

Meals were provided by the ranch, two per day.

Helag’s job was simple: he wasn’t involved in daily ranch management.

The animals were cared for by dedicated staff, who handled grazing and other tasks.

Helag’s sole responsibility was to fend off or kill demons during attacks, minimizing losses.

For two weeks, life at the ranch was peaceful.

Watching the animals graze on the plains brought a sense of tranquility.

The ranch employed five people, all ordinary individuals.

Two had been adventurers, who, after earning some money, bought the ranch to retire.

Bowen was said to have been a powerful adventurer with a wealth of experience.

Helag often saw Bowen with his pipe, sitting by the ranch, staring at the animals, lost in thought.

He could sit like that for an entire afternoon.

In his cabin, Helag followed his routine of meditation, making progress during this time as another star formed.

In his mind, the third constellation lit up with the twenty-ninth star.

Helag glanced at the sky outside, continuing his meditation.

Looking at the unfamiliar stars, he wondered if meditating on stars from different planes would have any effect.

So far, everything seemed the same, with no noticeable differences.

As Helag meditated, he thought about how he hadn’t encountered a single demon in two weeks.

He decided that if no demons appeared soon, he’d leave, not wanting to waste more time.

He had waited this long because Bowen mentioned that with autumn approaching, demons might come to forage for winter.

But after two weeks, not a single demon had shown up.

Late at night, Helag opened his eyes and looked out the window.

A brown giant bear approached the ranch with heavy steps.

Peering through the wooden fence, it drooled at the sight of the cattle, sheep, and horses.

This wasn’t an ordinary bear but a demon, standing five meters tall on its hind legs.

With a casual swipe, it effortlessly smashed a section of the fence.

The commotion quickly alerted the ranch staff, and Bowen rushed over, gasping at the sight of the giant bear.

“A Mountain Giant Bear!” Bowen recognized the demon.

Mountain Giant Bears were high-level demons with immense physical strength.

Their thick hides made them impervious to ordinary weapons.

Bowen couldn’t fathom why a Mountain Giant Bear would appear here, as they didn’t typically roam this area.

This was a plain, not the mountainous terrain where such bears usually lived.

But there was no time to ponder; action was needed.

“Run! Once it’s full, it should leave. Don’t provoke it. Tell Helag not to get himself killed,” Bowen instructed his staff.

Seeing the Mountain Giant Bear, Bowen had lost hope of dealing with it.

Though Helag was an exorcist, Bowen doubted he could handle the bear.

Even high-level exorcists struggled with such creatures, let alone Helag, who seemed like an apprentice.

Bowen hoped to minimize livestock losses.

But given the bear’s size and hunger, heavy losses seemed inevitable.

“Mr. Helag isn’t in his cabin…” reported a young man sent to fetch Helag.

“Not there? Maybe he ran off. That’s probably for the best…” Bowen mused.

“Boss, he’s over there!” Bowen’s old friend, Maha, pointed toward the bear.

Following his gaze, Bowen saw Helag approaching the Mountain Giant Bear with his sword.

The bear noticed the approaching human, roaring and drooling.

“Damn fool! Get back here!” Bowen shouted urgently.

Helag turned and smiled. “It’s fine. I can handle it.”

Bowen, seeing Helag’s reckless confidence, was at a loss for words.

“Let’s get out of here,” Bowen sighed, not wanting to witness the young man’s demise, planning to recover his body later, if there was one.

“Boss, look…” Maha didn’t move, still watching the bear.