Everyone responded loudly in agreement. When faced with the wrath of the heavens, they seemed helpless. But upon hearing the roar of the wild beasts in the mountains, these men who lived at the foot of the mountain—most of whom made their living by hunting—actually calmed down.

A few people risked entering the house and brought out the weapons they usually used.

These weapons were mostly three-pronged hunting forks or long-handled spears with red tassels. Only Jason Clark stood at the entrance of the village, holding a broadsword, looking imposing and majestic.

The men guarded the front row at the entrance, while the women and children were not to be outdone. They too picked up some simple weapons—sticks, hoes, or rakes—and nervously watched the direction of the mountain.

“Boom, boom, boom…”

Countless thunderous footsteps, like drums, came from the mountain.

As these footsteps sounded, everyone on the field tensed up.

Very soon, more than thirty large and small black bears charged down the mountain toward the village, letting out frenzied howls. Stimulated by the shaking earth and the stormy sky, these overlords of Bear Wolf Mountain seemed to have gone mad.

Jason Clark watched coldly. More than ten men each held a hunting bow, but none drew their bows yet—they were all waiting for the village chief’s command.

The thirty-some black bears, upon seeing the humans ahead, became even more frenzied.

Their speed suddenly increased as they ran along the village path. However, just as they were about to reach the village, more than ten of the leading black bears suddenly dropped low and disappeared.

At the village gate, a rather large pit trap had been dug.

The trap was cleverly set: a few humans or a single black bear stepping on it would have no effect, but when a large number of black bears stepped on it at once, the supports below instantly collapsed.

In just that instant, the attacking black bears lost half their fighting strength.

The remaining black bears, though furious, had not lost their wits. Except for a few unlucky ones who couldn’t stop in time and fell into the trap by inertia, the rest circled widely and continued charging into the village.

“Fire…” Jason Clark raised his brows slightly and commanded calmly.

At the same time, he exerted his arms and drew his hunting bow to a full arc.

The next moment, more than ten arrows shot out in succession.

Though the men’s archery skills varied, they all lived at the foot of Bear Wolf Mountain and made their living by hunting. At this distance, they could definitely hit their targets.

However, the power of the hunting bows was limited. Although none of the arrows missed, except for a few that struck the black bears’ eyes or noses, they could not kill them on the spot.

The black bears were fast. Jason Clark and the others had only managed to shoot two volleys before the bears were upon them.

Four more black bears fell, but the remaining nine became even more ferocious and violent. They swung their massive paws, slapping down hard.

“Kill…”

Jason Clark shouted, raising his broadsword and slashing fiercely.

The remaining men charged forward together, meeting the bears head-on with their weapons.

Behind them were their women and children. Before they died, they would not retreat a single step.

However, the strength of the black bears was beyond what humans could match. Although none of these men were weak—they were all hunters who had fought wild beasts and seen blood—still, in the chaos, one black bear broke through their line of defense.

This particular black bear was especially burly, its eyes gleaming with a cunning and savage light. It already possessed considerable intelligence and knew that the people behind were the easy targets.

A commotion broke out among those behind. Several elderly people gripped their weapons tightly. Though old and frail, they still had their experience from youth. They huddled together, pointing the sharp ends of their weapons at the black bear.

But the black bear’s intelligence and strength exceeded their expectations. With a sweep of its huge paw, it knocked their weapons aside and, like a boulder, charged forward, about to rush into the group of women and children.

A still somewhat childish voice shouted. A sturdy, tiger-headed young boy swung his stick and struck straight at the bear.

The black bear casually swatted at it. For such a weak stick, it didn’t even care.

However, at that very moment, something unexpected happened.

The boy’s stick suddenly paused in midair, narrowly dodging the bear’s massive paw at the critical moment, then shot out again, jabbing fiercely at the bear’s nose.

“Awooo…”

The black bear let out a shrill, pained cry, and its huge paw swung again.

This time, it was too fast. The boy had no time to react and was struck along with his stick. The powerful blow even sent his body flying.

Chapter Two: Accidental Injury