I Have a Task Log

Chapter 229: Chapter 228: The Real White Frost

Early the next morning, the group left Oak Heart’s home and headed toward Moss Stone Village.

There was a small path between Oakville and Moss Stone Village. Although it was far from an easy trail, Colin decided it would be more convenient to go to Oakville first before heading to Moss Stone Village.

With Oak Heart, a local, now part of the group, their journey went much more smoothly.

As he walked ahead, the vines blocking their path would slowly bend aside, clearing a way for them.

Colin suspected the Bearman knew some Druid Magic; he just hadn’t used any during their previous battle.

As they traveled, Aidan suddenly walked up beside Colin.

He asked nervously, "Mister Colin, do you think my team will be rescued soon?"

"Rescuing people from a Fire Giant’s stronghold is no easy task."

’Aidan hasn’t been with those teammates for long. He can’t be that attached to them.’

Realizing this, Colin understood the real meaning behind his question. He asked directly, "You mean you still want to be an Adventurer, and you want me to introduce you to a team?"

Aidan gave a bashful smile.

Colin furrowed his brow and thought for a moment.

After a moment, he asked, "Aidan, how old are you?"

"Me? I’m still young. Seventeen, but I’ll be eighteen soon," Aidan said. Walking beside them, Kase snorted smugly.

The Half-Orc then turned and said, "Pointy-Tail, Ice-Face, how old are you two?"

"Me? I’m twenty."

Kase’s face fell instantly. He turned to look at Ale.

The Half-Elf hesitated for a moment before saying, "Me... I’m over fifty, I suppose."

"Over fifty?!" Kase and Orelia exclaimed in surprise.

"Half-Elves can live for more than two hundred years," Colin said. "And their signs of aging are very subtle."

"In my tribe, living past fifty is considered pretty good. Remember the War Mistress? She was only in her sixties!" Kase finished, gulping as he stared at Ale as if she were some kind of monster.

Colin thought their reactions were a bit over the top.

He said, "You didn’t know Half-Elves have long lifespans?"

"Well, I’ve never dealt with a Half-Elf this old before. Actually, I don’t think I’ve dealt with many Half-Elves at all."

"It’s one thing to know it, but how can you not be surprised when a living example is standing right in front of you, Mister Colin?"

The two of them chimed in one after the other.

"Hold on, let’s get back to the point." Realizing the conversation had gone off track, Colin looked at Aidan and asked, "Are you sure you really want to be an Adventurer?"

The young man hesitated for a long time, unable to utter a single word.

"The last time you ran off to be an Adventurer was because of a fight with your father, wasn’t it? An irrational decision that didn’t end too well," Colin said. "To be honest, I don’t think becoming an Adventurer is a good choice for you. You’re still young and need more experience."

Aidan lowered his head, looking somewhat disappointed.

"Of course, if you insist, I’ll help you out. But not for free. After all, so far our relationship has been purely professional," Colin said. "To put it plainly, it’ll cost you. That’s your first lesson."

"Well..."

"That big lunk over there and I were broke, so we took a job escorting a merchant caravan. We ran into monsters and fought for our lives to protect the wagons. That’s how we met a well-connected coachman. The only reason we got our break later on is because we risked our necks to kill a Winter Wolf."

Colin shrugged. "We earned our chances with our lives. There’s no reason I should just hand one to you for free, right?"

Aidan hung his head.

"If you really can’t get along with your father, you could leave home and join the Militia for a couple of years. At least as a militiaman, you’ll be issued a set of gear. Once you’ve saved up enough to buy your own equipment, it won’t be too late to reconsider becoming an Adventurer."

Colin continued, "The Weston Clan is short-handed right now... there’s no need to rush into being an Adventurer, is there?" ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

Aidan understood that Colin was giving him advice and quickly said, "Thank you very much, sir."

Colin smiled but didn’t reply.

The group continued on, chatting as they picked their way through the dense forest.

They hadn’t gone much farther when Kase, mid-conversation, suddenly fell silent. Up ahead, Oak Heart also stopped in his tracks.

Both of them froze at almost the same instant, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily. Their expressions grew grim.

"What is it?" Colin quickly unslung the Giant Sword from his back and slipped on his Helmet.

"Something’s getting closer," they said in unison.

Just then, a faint CRACK echoed from the distance, like the snap of a breaking branch.

The sound was gone in an instant, but it served as a warning, putting everyone on high alert.

Kase asked, "There aren’t any more Beastmen around here, are there?"

"No. I can feel a rage like a thundercloud. Whatever is coming, it’s no friend!"

As he spoke, Oak Heart lowered his head and began to let out a pained growl. With a series of sickening cracks and pops from his bones, his body rapidly swelled, transforming into the shape of a giant bear. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

The others immediately understood what was happening.

Orelia drew her Kite Shield and stood protectively beside Ale.

Kase quickly pulled out a vial of Goblin Poison and tossed it to Colin. They both coated their weapons with the Poison.

The moment they finished their preparations, a rapid series of cracks began to echo, approaching them at incredible speed.

"ROAR!"

In an instant, a massive white bear’s head burst from the green shadows.

Several vines instantly wrapped around the white bear’s head, but they failed to slow it in the slightest. The vines stretched taut and then snapped one after another with sharp, cracking sounds.

The giant bear’s body was hidden behind several large, vine-covered trees. Though they couldn’t see it clearly, its head alone told them the beast was monstrously huge.

Oak Heart let out a roar that echoed through the forest and charged to meet the oncoming bear.

The two giant beasts slammed into each other.

Oak Heart, in his giant bear form, was sent stumbling backward from the impact. The others, standing behind him, scrambled to the sides to avoid being swept up in the collision.

The two giant white bears roared, swiping at each other’s heads with their massive paws. Their gaping maws snarled as they faced off, each looking for an opening to tear into the other’s flesh.

As the bears’ paws struck each other, they kicked up clouds of white mist.

The claws of the newly arrived giant white bear glowed with a faint blue light. Every swipe left a gash on Oak Heart’s body, clearly enhanced with some sort of magical attack.

The deep, guttural roars of the giant bears made one’s very organs tremble.

The muddy forest floor was gouged with deep furrows, and clumps of dirt flew everywhere.

Oak Heart was being completely overpowered!

Colin took a closer look. Oak Heart’s bear form stood three meters tall, but the other white bear was a full size larger—it had to be four meters tall!

’So this is the real White Frost? Were we mistaken from the very beginning?’

’No, there’s no point thinking about that now...’ Colin instantly entered his Sword Dance.