chapter 34: Mr. Bear

After walking Nobe to the time chamber, I should find a new name for it since it really doesn't look like a chamber, I naturally left. More like I forced to do so, the staff showed open hostility towards me the moment we showed up at the building's entrance, and once a gain Nobe got annoyed at it, but I left before he could say anything else. It seemed like he got the hint, he sighed and walked in the building with slumped shoulders.

"Haaaaaa.....Nobe, you need to get stronger and fast. I have a feeling that I may get you ragged into my fate."

I have no idea why I said that even more so when there was no one around me.

I decided to head to the forest, it was on the opposite of the time chamber, so the distance was quite something to cover. This 'school' was literally more of a city, I don't think I have clearly understood the sheer size of this place. Multiple buildings that had quite the flashy design, each looked excessively important, I had no idea what the held.

As mentioned before, the school has its facilities according to the cardinal directions, and each cardinal zone is huge enough on their own, they all hold their own lecture halls, training grounds, dorms, research facilities and among other things. Although as a first year I'm only granted access to mainly the east and south.

Each cardinal zone is an education center and nothing more, although at each cardinal point is a further point, for example the west is only accessible by 2nd and 3rd years as well as staff but beyond that is the 'Far west' where the forest is located and that is accessible by all. As for the Far north and east, I don't know what's there yet and since the south is the exit and entrance there is no 'Far'.

At the center of the school is the main building which dwarfs every other building owned by the school in size alone and around it are basically the same buildings each cardinal area possesses but of superior quality, of course it lacks lecture halls, since it isn't a school. It also has the highest density of stores and trade points, this is where all students commonly visit daily to buy basic materials, groceries, weapons and what not. And for some reason there is an auction house here.

Actually it is also a residential area for staff and more guys, I think. Well I did see some staff coming out of the school and return to what I assumed was their 'home', that was before I was 'detained'.

The forest is located in the far west, from what I read from the school forum, it's used for both relaxational purposes and training, a lot of beasts are let to roam free in the forest though only in its deeper parts, the info on the forum is very vague so I assumed that the beasts were contained and not allowed to cross through a certain point.

Well, 'I thought' but apparently the earthen elemental bear I was hiding from was giving me the impression that these guys really couldn't care less. I came to the forest to rest and relax but this big guy really seemed to love following me around.

Earthen elemental beasts are more focused on strength and defense. These features come naturally from birth, their annoyingly excessive strength can be judged from their size, the bigger the stronger as their size is caused by their naturally large muscle mass. As for the defense, their bodies are usually covered in patched of rocks both seen and unseen. Though their size too also represents harder skin and or hide but in some cases both.

Earthen beasts are usually lazy and don't attack first as compared to other elemtals beasts, actually if you do find one that is lazy and doesn't appear aggravated it will almost never attack you even when awake, as long as you don't approach it or show hostility.

The earthen bear that I encountered was big, like elephant size huge and naturally it's power really need not be guessed.

You see I wasn't running away from the thing, anymore, now I was hiding. Why? Because I realized that it had no intention to kill anything, it ignored anything and anyone in it's way and came after me specifically. Originally I was running away from it, we all were, but due to this straining weights on me my speed was limited but despite that I ran, as fast as I could.

I was still slower than most even after that, but at a point I realized that those who got a late start and were behind me were completely ignored by the bear, then some smart guy shouted that the bear was chasing something that one of us that continued running might possess.

We started taking different paths until I realized that the dam thing was after me. I had literally nothing in my pockets and nothing else on me, so I really questioned if it was after me specifically since technically there were a few people ahead of me, so I decided to climb some a tree.

Since we were on the outskirts of the forest, the number of tress were few so it's massive body had few to knock over compared to the start. Because it was catching up to me quite fast I thought that it would be smarter to use the last of the energy to climb a tree.

Thinking that I could finally take a dam break, Mr. Bear proves me wrong one more. The dam thing stopped at my tree and due to it's huge size it looked straight at me, I was exhausted and really didn't want to bother with climbing down then running again. So I just sighed in defeat, I said in between my greedy gasps for air.

"What?"

"Come with me." Mr. Bear responded.

The response took some time to register in my head, after a few seconds I forgot how to breath and looked at the giant thing in front of me and gawked.

"Did you just speak?."

For a moment I thought I was going mad, but it responded once more with a simple "Yes." Chocking on the air that I never took in I continuously looked at the bear.

'You didn't open your mouth.' I thought in surprise, last I checked you to open the dam thing to speak but I guess human logic doesn't apply to a bear.

Yeah, the staring continued. I had no idea what to say or to think and Mr. Bear seemed to have no intention of speaking to me hear, honestly I had intention to refuse his offer even if it was fake, for some reason My choices will always be the oddest, weirdest, and usually out of interest. And naturally if a giant bear offers to take you away and you have no way to defend yourself you agree.

After returning from the status effect of 'breathless', I jumped on the bear's back. I really didn't know if I was to walk or climb on him but since he made me run for my life I really didn't care if this made him uncomfortable. Seemingly taking my act as consent, Mr. Bear turned around.

"Hold on, tight."

And with words that confused me momentarily, Mr. Bear moved.

One would think that his speed would be not that fast considering his size, I thought the same thing, but would we all be proven wrong. With his hind legs slamming into the ground, Mr. bear accelerated at a speed that would live wind users offended. The speed of this over sized bear left both my fellow marathon runners and I speechless, me because I could barely breath with this air pressure and them because the amount of dust and earth he left in his wake covered the surroundings like a bloom.

It took us about 3 seconds to reach the deepest part of the forest and an extra 2 to reach Mr. bear's desired location. For some reason it dawned on me that no one used their element to escape the bear or even bother calling for help or alerting anyone, they all just ran or sat and looked on. Literally, everyone there had the ability to fight this thing and though they would lose terribly now that I have witnessed it's speed, they would have....oh, I see now, it's speed was enough to let us all now that we couldn't do anything to it well mainly the fact that it's an earth elemental beast at that, since they are known to lack speed and bend more towards strength no one want's to imagine the power behind even one of its swings.

Because I have been sealed, I'm unable to gauge the strength Mr. Bear or anyone possesses for that matter. So I'm guessing that since they could, they were aware that this thing wasn't even trying when it appeared, it's strength should really be a lot to make an entire group of people to lose their thought of fighting and chose fleeing instead.

'Despite that I really wonder where Mr. bear is taking me. And why did I decide to call him Mr. Bear?.'