The World of Mercenaries

Chapter 10: Bear Wrestling

The early summer on the Frozen Continent has its own unique charm.

The night is brief, with the sun setting in the northwest and rising shortly after in the northeast, casting the sky with radiant auroras. The Red Moon barely rises before it fades with dawn, leaving the Black Sun starkly visible against the vibrant aurora.

The daylight stretches long, and the White Sun bathes the land with warm light, melting the winter’s accumulated snow. Meltwater drips from rocks, mountains, and trees, forming small streams along the Dragon’s Fang Mountain highway. Along the southern bank of these streams, colorful daisies bloom, and butterflies, vibrant with hues, hurry through the fleeting summer to pollinate the flowers.

Walking down the road is a young boy dressed in white from head to toe—seal fur pants, rough linen shirt, and a snow beast vest. On his back, he carries a massive white sword that stands taller than he is.

This is Amy, on his first journey away from home, but soon abandoned by his companions.

Leger, ever the curious instructor, quickly noted his apprentice's remarkable agility. To test him, he subtly cast a minor spell—a Level 1 earth spell called “Rising Earth”—causing the ground to heave and c***k unexpectedly along Amy’s path. To Leger's amusement, Amy continued to walk along the uneven ground, sometimes chatting with Leger and Chi Hanfeng, deftly evading every unexpected rise and dip with an effortless, almost instinctual grace.

As a Neutral Mage, Leger highly valued harmony with nature. He had long observed that Amy possessed the three vital qualities that most neutral mages revered: agility, physical resilience, and a strong spirit. Leger was delighted to have such a promising apprentice.

To further develop Amy's skills, Leger suggested that Amy travel ahead alone for half a day, with Leger and Chi Hanfeng following. They would regroup at an inn near Dragon’s Fang Mountain if no major issues arose.

The highway is generally safe, with passing merchants and armies having long scared off most wildlife. Chi Hanfeng, aware of this, agreed with the plan—though he couldn’t resist adding, "It’ll be good for him to go on ahead. Besides, you know Leger’s been in that tower for nearly a century without seeing a woman... I won’t go into details, but... Anyway, if Amy’s out of sight, maybe you can help him catch up on the local rates for such services!”

At this, Chi Hanfeng mounted his wolf familiar and swiftly disappeared from view, much to Leger's disapproval.

Armed with a basic mage’s handbook from Leger and a few silver coins from his uncle, Amy set off alone. Six days into his journey, he glanced back but saw no sign of his uncle or his teacher. Sometimes merchants passed him along the road, but the life of a traveling merchant was strict: keep moving quickly, speak little, reach the inn before dark, and treat everyone as a stranger. Amy found such a solitary routine tedious.

Suddenly, he heard a child’s voice panting, “Run, Greenie… faster…” followed by the sound of trees swaying, as if something large had crashed into them.

Amy jumped over the drainage ditch on the right side of the highway and drew his Ice Blade, advancing cautiously into the forest.

There, he spotted two enormous white bears crashing through the snow-laden underbrush. Each swing of their massive paws toppled trees as they pursued a small, dark-haired boy who looked about Amy’s age, maybe even stronger. As the boy ran, he shouted, “Don’t come any closer! It’s dangerous! Run along the forest line!”

Amy hesitated but, seeing how concerned the boy was, felt a surge of determination. Sheathing his sword, he sprinted over, grabbed the struggling bear cub from the boy’s arms, and ran toward the highway.

Upon reaching the drainage ditch, Amy hurled the two bear cubs across the highway, barely giving the boy a chance to react before he picked him up by the leg, swung him around, and let him fly across.

"Put me down! I can jump… wha—” The boy’s protests ended in a graceless crash as he hit the ground face-first on the other side of the ditch.

Then, the small green dog by the boy’s side bit onto Amy’s pants, growling in apparent anger—or was it more like excitement? The little dog looked at Amy expectantly, even raising its right leg as if making a request. It seemed to walk upright on its hind legs, a clever little creature that intrigued Amy. With a quick motion, Amy scooped up the dog and leaped across the ditch.

The two bears closed in. The male bear prepared to leap, but Amy drew his sword and made a few quick slashes, warning the bear to stay back. The bear, sensing the danger, waved its paw in the air, conjuring an icy blade that shot directly at Amy.

He gaped in disbelief—did these bears naturally know ice magic?

"Ice Blade!" Amy shouted, summoning a larger ice blade to counter the bear’s attack, pushing the wall of ice toward the beast. The male bear, unused to such resistance, took the full brunt of the impact, and red blood began to stain its white fur.

With a furious roar, the wounded bear’s eyes turned blood-red as it howled in pain and rage.

The mother bear, with her enormous maw open, charged from the other side. Amy ducked just in time, slipping under the male bear's legs to escape.

Amy’s luck didn’t hold long; the male bear stepped onto his sword, pinning it to the ground. Amy had to think fast—he leapt back over the ditch, baiting the bears to follow, and then, with a quick flip, leaped back across once again, creating distance. This time, he shouted, "Ice Blade—Snowstorm!"

Though Snowstorm isn’t known for its power, it’s an ice spell that traps enemies’ feet in layers of ice, immobilizing them temporarily. The wounded male bear struggled to free itself, unable to escape the spell’s grip.

The mother bear, less affected, lunged again. Amy tightened his grip on his sword and swung at her. His blade left a deep gash along her shoulder, freezing the wound and nearly paralyzing her front leg.

But with a swipe, the mother bear knocked the Ice Blade out of his hands.

Without a weapon, Amy was forced to dodge and roll as she charged at him, swiping her massive paws. He narrowly avoided a crushing attack, and when he finally saw an opening, he reclaimed his sword and stood his ground.

Just then, a projectile whistled through the air and struck the mother bear. She collapsed with a resounding thud.

“Watch out for the other one!” came the voice of the dark-haired boy.

The male bear, enraged at the sight of his fallen mate, roared with fury and broke free of the icy restraints. He leaped toward Amy, who held his sword steady and thrust it straight at the charging beast’s chest. The blade pierced deep, pinning the bear as it slumped forward, claws tearing into Amy's shoulders before finally falling into the ditch.

With one last, desperate growl, the bear climbed partway out of the ditch, still glaring fiercely, as Amy stood, sword raised, too shaken to move.

**Excerpts from Chi Yizi's Treatise on Dragon Cavalry **

Dragons, as a species, are classified into three major types:

Ancient Sacred Dragons: These mythical creatures are believed to be the only upper-tier beings to have walked the human world. Among them, the most famous in the past three centuries was Tymurgelsay, the Ice Green Dragon, who served as the mount of Sainted Dragon Knight Halke Daqingshan during the Gods' War. Ancient Sacred Dragons wield unparalleled magic and can assume human form, though they lack self-control in youth, displaying childlike curiosity and devastating, random bursts of magic.

Common Dragons: Created by the Dragon God Pyrolot as companions to the gods, these dragons possess high intelligence and mastery over a single element. Although inferior to Sacred Dragons, they remain formidable and are often ridden by those with divine or demonic ancestry, giving rise to the prestigious Dragon Riders. Each nation counts between one to ten of these rare warriors.

Terrestrial Dragons and Subspecies: The common Dragon Cavalry seen in military forces are not true dragons but terrestrial dragons or draconic offshoots like sand lizards and swamp crocodiles—failed creations with limited abilities but robust survival traits.