Chapter 6: Acquiring the Skill "Steel Reinforced Bones"

"Hey, big dumb bear, over here!"

Li Meng emerged from the bushes, shouting at the Earth Demon Bear.

"Roar!"

The Earth Demon Bear let out a roar and charged towards Li Meng, panting heavily.

Its massive body rushed into the bushes like a heavy tank.

Li Meng, hiding in the bushes, quickly ducked deeper into them.

Suddenly, the ground beneath the Earth Demon Bear gave way.

The bear tried to stop itself, its hind legs clawing at the earth, but it was too late.

The momentum of its charge sent the Earth Demon Bear tumbling headfirst into a trap.

"Got it, got it!"

Li Meng crawled out of the bushes, delighted, and ran to the edge of the trap.

The Earth Demon Bear lay on its back in the pit, disoriented.

It scrambled to its feet and roared at Li Meng above it.

It tried to climb out but couldn't find any leverage.

"Bear meat, bear meat!"

The goblin underlings cheered as they rushed out from their hiding places.

"Gobumeng, Gobumeng!"

They shouted loudly near the trap, their eyes greedily fixed on the Earth Demon Bear.

Although the bear was terrifying, in the goblins' eyes, it was now just a large piece of meat.

"Throw in the moles stuffed with poisonous mushrooms!"

At Li Meng's command, the goblin underlings quickly got to work.

Each of them carried two blood-soaked moles and threw them into the trap.

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One, two, over a dozen moles were tossed in.

The Earth Demon Bear seemed wary, ignoring the bloody moles and struggling to climb out of the pit.

"Boss, what if it doesn’t eat them?"

Li Meng sneered coldly, his eyes flashing with disdain.

A mindless beast couldn't be that clever.

"It will eat them. Let’s go!"

Li Meng turned and walked away into the distance.

The goblin underlings, confused, followed him.

Were they really giving up the bear meat just like that?

Li Meng left but didn’t go far.

He led the goblins to a large tree about fifty meters from the trap and stopped there.

"Stay quiet, and wait!"

Li Meng sat under the tree and instructed the goblins.

The goblins exchanged glances before lying down to sleep.

After three days of work, they were utterly exhausted.

Li Meng watched the trap, a glint of excitement in his eyes.

Less than an hour later, agonized roars of pain erupted from the direction of the trap.

The pitiful cries echoed through the forest, piercingly mournful.

The goblins, startled awake by the bear's howls, sat up abruptly.

The Earth Demon Bear struggled in the trap for over half an hour before the cries finally ceased.

"It’s done. Let’s go!"

Li Meng stood up and dashed towards the trap.

The goblins scrambled to follow.

When Li Meng arrived at the pit, he saw the Earth Demon Bear lying lifeless.

The system confirmed its death.

"Don’t eat the internal organs!"

Goblins had strong resistance to poison but consuming the organs would still make them suffer for days.

Li Meng jumped into the pit, landing on the bear's belly.

He raised his claws and began ripping at its hide furiously.

The other goblins followed, jumping into the pit and feasting on the corpse.

The trap couldn’t hold goblins.

The soft soil allowed their claws to dig in easily, letting them climb out.

This was why Li Meng dared to jump in.

In no time, the Earth Demon Bear's body was gutted.

Li Meng pulled out its massive heart and began gnawing on it.

"Boss, here’s the shiny stone you like!"

Gobuda approached with a half-fist-sized magic crystal.

The crystal was brown, signifying earth attributes.

Li Meng accepted the crystal and put it away.

"Gobuda, how’s the bear meat?"

Gobuda nodded eagerly.

"Delicious! I've never eaten such tasty meat."

"Then go eat your fill."

Gobuda quickly turned back and resumed eating.

The pit soon filled with a heavy scent of blood.

[Devour skill activated, acquired skill: “Steel Reinforced Bones.”]

[Steel Reinforced Bones: LV1 (Strength +20, Defense +20, Agility +5)]

A warm current surged through Li Meng’s body.

His muscles and bones crackled audibly.

Li Meng flexed his hands, excitement written all over his face.

He was stronger now!

"Boss, I… I can’t eat anymore!"

In less than two hours, the goblins were all bloated, their bellies swollen.

Looking into the pit, less than a fifth of the bear's body had been consumed.

Gobuda approached, clutching his stomach.

"Boss, there’s so much meat left. Can we stay here for a few days?"

The goblins' biggest dream was to eat their fill.

Eat, sleep, repeat — the life every goblin desired.

Today, under their boss's leadership, they had finally eaten to their hearts' content.

Not just any meat, but that of an Earth Demon Bear, something goblins rarely hunted.

At this moment, all the goblins gazed at Li Meng with pure admiration.

"No, the blood from the bear's body will attract other powerful beasts. Eat up and let’s go!"

Bear meat was valuable, but the heavy scent of blood made Li Meng nervous.

He feared a stronger beast might emerge from the forest.

"Boss, let’s cut off some good meat to take with us!"

"No! If the leader finds out we hunted an Earth Demon Bear and ate it first, we’ll be in trouble."

Li Meng’s words made the goblins shrink in fear.

The Earth Demon Bear was a treasure.

If they brought leftover meat back, the leader would surely take it all.

"Let’s go find the hunting party!"

Li Meng climbed out of the trap quickly.

The goblins followed closely, afraid to linger.

They looked back at the corpse in the pit with greedy eyes but feared the leader more.

"Hurry up, keep moving!"

Under Li Meng’s urging, the goblins reluctantly left the trap behind.

In the following days, Li Meng stayed focused on finding the hunting party.

The hunting party’s outings didn’t have fixed durations, but they rarely exceeded half a month.

If they stayed out too long, it would anger the leader.

If they returned late and empty-handed, the hunting party leader would be replaced.

Fortunately, goblins had a keen sense of smell, allowing them to avoid dangerous beasts.

Their journey went smoothly. By the second day, they finally found traces of the hunting party.

"Boss, boss, I smell it! It’s goblin droppings!"

Walking in the forest, Gobuda pointed north, hopping excitedly.

He looked at Li Meng, hoping for praise.