Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 128 (Patreon)

Chapter 128: Facing Defeat

In moments of dire straits, the will to survive compels one to struggle.

Chased by a ferocious bear, even with the understanding that death is inevitable, there remains a try for survival.

Upon seeing Luo appear, would the others remind him to run for his life? That's unlikely.

As the carefree woman mentioned, it would just mean another addition to the funeral.

A Hand Bear of capture level B is not something even top hunters would recklessly confront without full preparation.

Luo's strength, equivalent to the peak of second-rate hunters and still short of top-tier, faced the formidable Hand Bear without a trace of fear. Instead, there was the thrill of finding prey.

In the original lore, among the dangerous species mentioned, Luo could only recall the Chimera Ants. Rare beasts or magical beasts were scarcely detailed, making it hard to gauge their formidable nature.

Luo approached the bear, his aura shifting from Ten to Ren, as he unleashed a surge of energy through his aura nodes since arriving in the Amarlo Jungle.

The sight of Luo not fleeing but advancing caused one thought in the fleeing group's minds:

Has he lost his mind?

Though that was their thought, they couldn't afford to care more, focusing solely on their escape.

Failing to escape meant meeting the same fate as the twenty-plus before them, crushed and devoured by the bear.

Suddenly, the bear that toyed with its prey ceased its pursuit, its beastly gaze fixating on Luo from above, displaying a human-like wariness.

Unaware of the concept of Nen, the bear sensed something different in this seemingly insignificant human, posing a greater threat than those previously consumed.

Though unable to see Luo's energy flow, it faintly sensed his aura, a testament to magical beasts' superior intellect over rare beasts.

"It seems troublesome…"

Luo, noticing the bear's halt and focused attention, wondered if his use of Ren had drawn its notice. Could the bear actually see aura?

Quickly dismissing the thought after concentrating aura in his eyes and seeing no energy flow on the bear, Luo stopped, meeting its gaze, which held a human-like coldness.

As the others passed by Luo, noticing the bear's pause and its focus on him, they saw an opportunity for escape.

"Have you lost your mind? Run!"

The woman with the safety helmet, passing by Luo, attempted to drag him along.

With the bear not pursuing, it was the perfect moment to sprint away.

Intending to pull Luo along, she found herself rebounding as if he were an immovable post.

"No need to worry about me."

As the woman looked on in surprise, Luo's voice reached her without him looking back.

Stunned, her volume spiked, "Are you out of your..."

She stopped midway, covering her mouth as realization hit, and cautiously eyed the terrifying bear.

Suddenly, the bear roared skywards, its cry rippling across the calm lake.

The men ahead had already dashed into the forest, while the woman, shaken, uttered a curse before fleeing.

"Don't worry about me; that's actually for the best," Luo thought, a bitter smile on his lips, relieved of the potential burden.

The bear then moved, its massive stride causing the ground to tremble.

As it swung its arm, the swift motion created a sonic boom.

Luo retreated several steps, the bear's paw striking where he had been, sending a shockwave through the ground and forming a crater.

Witnessing the bear's power, Luo realized a direct hit, even with aura protection, would result in severe injury.

Despite the disparity in their sizes and even with the enhancement of aura, confronting the bear directly was virtually impossible, relying solely on the power of God's Hand.

Determined, Luo saw the bear advance again, preparing another swipe.

Avoiding a direct confrontation, Luo used his aura to propel himself forward, closing in on the bear.

"Boom!"

The bear's swipe missed, creating another crater, but noticing Luo at its feet, it retracted its arm and aimed a stomping blow.

Luo dodged, then leaped, his palm morphing into a blade, a crescent moon-shaped energy blade aiming at the bear's ankle.

"Thud!"

His palm partially sunk into the bear's ankle, stopping short of a clean cut.

The anticipated result didn't occur, leaving Luo stunned.

He had expected his strike to sever the bear's ankle, gaining an advantage, but God's Hand's effect was insufficient, cutting only a third deep.

Caught off guard, the bear kicked forward, sending Luo flying into the forest, crashing through several trees before stopping.

The woman hiding behind a tree shrank back at the sight.

Luo's decision to stay, she thought, prevented her from fully escaping, curious about the outcome. Yet, she saw Luo, as if possessed, charging at the bear.

"Now he's flattened, right?" she lamented, recalling their normal interaction in Amarlo

Village two days ago, now seemingly reckless.

As she considered leaving, a shadow emerged from the forest, Luo, unharmed.

"Damn, is this guy made of iron?"

Seeing Luo fine, the woman was dumbfounded.

Luo, unaware of the woman's presence, watched the roaring bear intensely.

Merely thrown, not directly hit, and protected by aura, he was unscathed.

"God's Hand couldn't sever its ankle."

Taking a deep breath, Luo faced a setback with God's Hand, which had been unbeatable till now, against the bear.

"Regardless, I must sever its ankle," he thought, eyeing the bear's right ankle for another attempt.

The Hand Bear, a challenge even for top hunters, wasn't easy to defeat.

God's Hand's failure to sever the bear's ankle was due to its abundant life energy, akin to a Nen user's aura.

Unlike humans, magical beasts hardly lose life energy through aura nodes, unable to utilize this innate powerful life force.

What they lack in usage, they compensate by locking this energy within, growing stronger with age and enhancing bodily strength.

The bear's internal life energy acted as a barrier, resisting Luo's God's Hand.

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