Kuma-Kuma Bear! (1)

It was time to free a certain bear… 

Gray ran with conviction, every step curse-fueled, a huge grin on his face. This power was invigorating! Yet, he knew he couldn't take it for granted either. 

Target the Ravenous Rabbits? → A disbunnied Gray! 

Thus, he made sure not to become complacent. 

Then in no time at all, he managed to return to a certain Small Pond, one that was currently empty. The weird part was that there were improvements?! 

"W-What the heck is this?!" 

Gray couldn't help but cry out. Back then, he had strictly ordered the Hunters not to mess with the Bear, but he sure hadn't expected this! There was now a bright glowing sign: 

Endangered Specie!

Absolutely no Hunting!

Any Question? Ask Teacher Gale! 

Was it the hunters who had put that here?! They sure had done a good job! At this moment, Gray made a mental note to treat them to sushi or something ~ if that even existed here. 

"Good. Just missing the Main Character!" 

"Bun? Bun?"

The Ravenous Bunnies were getting restless. They didn't know why, but something here scared the hell out of them! They could smell evil lurking as if… 

"OY, TEDDY! WHERE YOU AT?!" 

Gray's shout echoed wildly. 

At this moment, some faraway newbies shuddered in fright. What kind of dumbass would shout like that in the Hunting Grounds?! It was a surefire way to...

— SWING! SWING! —

A mantis came out of nowhere!

Its whole body looked like a weapon of slaughter. 

Two ginormous scythes for arms, mandibles that would have given a nightmare even to a T-Rex, and a lean body optimized for cutting fools into millions of pieces! 

But it barely had entered the clearing that…

"Bun-Bun-bun-Bun-Bun!" The thing was stared down by so many bunnies that its body slowed down to a crawl! Seeing this, Gray gave a victorious grin as he SMASH! 

He slammed its angular head with a certain Pet Rock!

At this moment, the combined power of his curse-powered body, the weakened monster, and the Soul-Pond OP Pebble culminated into one incredible attack! 

— SMACK! SWOOSH! CRASH! — 

The creature was sent crashing into a ginormous tree! 

Oh, but it didn't just crash. It got embedded into it, the bark exploding under the massive force. Seeing this, the bunnies cheered. This was their invincible master! 

But the cheers were short-lived… 

— SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! — 

Three flashes later, the ancient tree… was utterly cut open?! Heck, the solid trunk looked like paper in the face of this monster's scythes. That's when it gave a vicious screech. 

But Gray and the bunnies had been ready! 

— Curse! Curse! Curse!… SMACK! SWOOSH! CRASH! — 

— Curse! Curse! Curse!… SMACK! SWOOSH! CRASH! — 

— Curse! Curse! Curse!… SMACK! SWOOSH! CRASH! — 

Curses quickly followed, Gray smacking the ever-living shit of the enemy right into a nearby tree! Alas, there was an issue… 

With every repetition, the curses would grow weaker and weaker. By now, the poor bunnies were covered in sweat, their tiny bodies trembling faster than a Durac*ll Rabbit! 

The creature gave a savage smile.

Smacked around? It barely hurt! Cursed? Soon, it would be free! Very soon, the delicious-looking humans and bunnies would be in its belly! 

"H-Holy shit! Am I even handsome to beasts?! Look at its eyes!" 

But that's when the creature rushed at the arrogant human, its eyes glowing wickedly. BEHEADING STRIKE! With this, the target would die and—

"Sigh. Aren't you a tad too foolish, little mantis?" 

"Bun?! Bunnnn!" 

The poor bunnies saw the shadow of death, the mantis flying toward them. But that's when they heard their master… chuckle?!

"Dumbass, I wasn't attacking you. I was merely knocking."

"ROAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!"

— EARTH SPIKE! — 

Just like that, it was the end. 

The Mantis's body was suddenly impaled.

Even in its last moments, the poor Mantis never understood what had happened to it. It was GAME OVER for it. That's when a small mountain came closer. 

Thud— Thud — Thud! 

Its mere footsteps sent the calm pond rippling. 

That's when it appeared in all its glory. Teddy, the Rampaging Bear! The latter couldn't help but give Gray a strange look, its gargantuan maw hanging wide. 

"ROAARRR?!" 

"Bun-Bun!" 

For a moment, the Bunny Legion and the Bear shared a look, instantly determining the hierarchy. In such a fight, the bear would 100% win, an unkillable existence! 

All it would have to do to kill them was to wave a paw. It was an apex predator that none would dare—

"Goddammit, you sure took your sweet time! Don't you know the saying, when receiving guests, one should answer within three knocks?!" Gray… criticized it?! 

That's when the bear rose a paw larger than the sky and— 

"ROAARRR!" Gave an aggrieved expression. 

Who had asked the weird human to visit while it was hunting?! Had it not been for it already being on its way back, who knew if it would have made it back in time?! 

"Alright, fair enough. So, how was it? Did you test the limits of the chain?" 

"Roar!" The bear nodded… tracing a surprisingly intricate map in the ground with its claw. 

W-What kind of civilized bear was this?! But just when they thought they had seen it all, Gray pushed it even further. 

"So that's the range, eh? Rush there and wait for it to activate. As soon as the Soul Chain holding you prisoner activates, I'll try to crack it. Ah, but I also got you something." 

It didn't take long for Gray to give instructions, leaving the bunnies utterly confused as the creature departed. W-Why did it seem like this bear was an old friend of their master?! 

"Hehe, let's just say I made this guy a promise…" And it was time to keep it, if possible. As for all that was left right now? Wait for everything to be in place. 

The it, in this case, was a gigantic bear rushing through the forest like a madbear, using all its energy to go even faster! 

It felt the soul chain tugging at its soul. It felt It wrap around its heart. It felt it all tightening. And yet, it didn't fucking stop! 

"ROOOAARRRRR!" 

And that's when it happened… 

IT BURST THROUGH ITS PRISON LIKE A COMET! 

Just in time to come face to face with shellshocked students…