GRUUA! - 67
Greg had probably fallen while rushing down from the wagon, tearing his pants and hurting his knee in the process.
But he hadn't stopped to think about himself.
He had simply gotten back up and searched for medicine, doing everything he could for the horse.
Bell quietly looked at Greg.
…
He slowly got up and walked toward the horse. Looking over its body, he noticed the bandages wrapped around its wounds.
He then turned to Greg and said, "We'll help you bury the horse."
Marc slowly got up as well, wiping his watery eyes before nodding.
Greg turned to look at Bell and Marc. There was still sadness in his eyes, but a soft smile formed on his face as he nodded.
Greg went to his wagon and returned with two shovels. Marc looked at one of them, examining it for a moment before smiling and telling Greg that he could use that one and give the other to Bell.
Bell smiled and nodded, accepting the shovel.
Marc then reached out his right hand and began flowing mana through it. As the mana gathered in his palm, he stretched it outward, slowly shaping it into a shovel. But Marc didn't stop there. He continued controlling the mana, compressing it until it became a solid, dense rock.
And just like that, he had created a solid rock shovel.
"Oooo!" Greg exclaimed, clapping his hands as he watched.
Marc smiled proudly before gripping the shovel properly with both hands.
"Alright, where should we dig?" he exclaimed.
Greg found a suitable spot nearby. Trees surrounded the area, but the branches above left an open space where sunlight could reach the ground.
Both Marc and Bell nodded, and the three of them began slowly digging the hole.
Juro got up and dusted off his hands before walking a little deeper into the forest.
"Teacher Juro! Where are you going?" Marc called out.
Juro simply smiled.
"Gotta use the bathroom."
He waved casually before continuing farther into the forest.
As he walked with both arms behind his head, Juro suddenly felt a presence ahead of him.
A smile slowly formed on his face.
"Took you long enough."
..
Back at the burial site, Greg glanced toward the direction Juro had gone. "Do you think your teacher will be fine out there? Shouldn't we call him?"
Bell and Marc stopped digging for a moment and looked at each other.
Then they smiled.
"Nah," they both replied.
Greg looked slightly shocked by their response, but Marc quickly added, "Teacher Juro will be fine. He's really strong!"
Greg smiled at Marc.
"Then I guess there's no need to worry."
..
Back in the forest, a presence moved between the trees ahead of Juro. As it came closer, its silhouette grew larger and larger.
Finally, the creature revealed itself.
"Ah. Of course it'll be a Goherb," Juro said, staring at the creature in front of him.
The Goherb stared back at him as it slowly moved forward.
Juro chuckled before raising both hands and stepping to the side, deliberately luring the creature farther and farther away from the children.
While luring it farther away, Juro casually talked to the Goherb.
"You're hungry, aren't ya? That strong mana you felt must've been tasty, huh?"
He continued teasing the creature as they moved deeper into the forest.
The Goherb only growled in response, growing more and more impatient. Finally, once Juro decided they were far enough away, he dropped both of his hands to his sides. "Alright… I feel like I'm getting old, so let's brawl this out, Goherb!" Juro exclaimed as he stretched his arms.
The Goherb let out a powerful roar before lunging straight toward Juro, headfirst and without hesitation.
Juro smiled.
He lunged forward as well, turning his body and driving his right shoulder straight toward the Goherb.
BOOM!
The impact echoed through the forest.
The Goherb's charge was stopped dead by Juro's shoulder ram.
Caught completely by surprise, the Goherb tried pushing forward with all its strength, its legs digging into the ground as it struggled to overpower him.
But the man in front of it wouldn't budge.
"Heh. Feeling overpowered?" Juro teased.
He pushed forward with his shoulder, forcing the massive Goherb backward. Its heavy body skidded across the ground, leaving a long trail in the dirt.
The Goherb quickly backed away and braced itself again.
This time, it roared.
"GRUUUAAA"
As the roar left its mouth, its entire body lightly shone for a moment.
"Ehhhh… that's unfair. Using magic when I can't?" Juro complained, still wearing a smile.
The Goherb lunged forward again.
But this time, its speed had doubled.
The creature came charging at Juro with even greater weight and force than before, turning its already powerful body into an even heavier threat.
But to the Goherb's surprise, Juro simply wound his right arm back, stretching it behind him.
Then, as the creature drew close, he thrust his arm forward.
His hand opened.
And caught the Goherb's head.
BOOM!
A much louder impact erupted through the forest, sending a brief shockwave outward from the point of contact.
Yet Juro had stopped the entire charge with a single hand.
The Goherb continued pushing forward, its magically enhanced body straining against Juro's grip. Its legs dug into the earth as it desperately tried to move, leaving deep skid marks beneath its feet.
Juro didn't move.
He simply smiled, holding the Goherb's massive head back with one hand.
The Goherb refused to give up.
It roared even more aggressively.
"GRUUUAAA"
Juro's smile faded into an annoyed expression.
The roar was deafening, especially with the creature's head so close to him.
Still holding the Goherb back with his right hand, Juro raised his left arm and formed his hand into a fist.
The Goherb opened its mouth again.
"GRRU—!"
"Shut up!"
Juro immediately slammed his left fist down onto the Goherb's head.
BOOM!
The impact was so powerful that the Goherb's charge stopped instantly. Its legs were driven firmly into the ground, digging into the earth beneath it as its entire head violently shook from the force of the blow.
For a moment, the massive creature could do nothing but stand there, its brain rattled by Juro's slam.
Juro then brushed his hands together.
The Goherb quickly snapped back to its senses, shaking its head before glaring at Juro and letting out another angry roar.
Juro once again slammed his fist straight down onto the Goherb's head.
BOOM!
Its legs were planted deeper into the ground, and the impact left the creature dizzy once more.
But as soon as the Goherb managed to snap back, it roared again.
Juro slammed his fist down once more.
BOOM!
Again, the Goherb recovered.
Again, it roared.
And again, Juro slammed his fist down.
This repeated around five times, with each blow driving the Goherb's massive body farther into the ground. By the end, the creature was practically dug deep into the earth, its legs buried from the repeated impacts.
"Gruaa…"
This time, the Goherb didn't dare to roar as loudly anymore.
Juro looked down at the Goherb and stared at it for a moment before smiling, seemingly having something in mind.
…
The Goherb
The Goherb is an aggressive creature found throughout Demanas, known for its enormous physical strength, dense body, and reckless charging behavior. It normally moves on all four of its limbs and stands approximately 7 feet (2.1 meters) tall when on all fours, while weighing around 2,011 kilograms.
Its body is covered in thick, dense green fur, beneath which lies a powerful combination of heavily developed muscles and substantial layers of fat. While the Goherb's muscular build gives it considerable strength, its large reserves of fat are equally important to its physical fighting style. Rather than being a weakness, the additional mass allows the creature to turn its entire body into a devastating weapon.
When confronting an enemy, the Goherb will often charge directly at them using pure brute force. It does not rely on complicated tactics or evasive movements. Instead, it accelerates forward and throws its entire weight into its target, attempting to either overpower them completely or knock them violently to the ground. Its massive body makes a direct charge extremely difficult to stop.
The Goherb is naturally durable, but its head is by far the strongest and most reinforced part of its body. Generations of using its head to ram enemies, obstacles, and other objects have resulted in an adaptation that allows the creature to withstand tremendous impact without seriously injuring itself. This makes the Goherb's charge even more dangerous, as it can deliberately use its head as a battering weapon.
Once its prey has been brought down, the Goherb uses its razor-sharp teeth to tear into the victim and feed. It is a pure carnivore and is capable of consuming creatures much larger than ordinary predators would attempt to hunt.
The Goherb also possesses an unusually strong sensitivity to mana. It can detect the presence of mana in its surroundings and is particularly attracted to strong sources of it. Because of this instinct, humans who possess noticeable amounts of mana can become targets. A Goherb will attack and consume a human without hesitation when it detects mana emanating from them.
Despite its immense strength, the Goherb is not naturally known for exceptional speed. However, it possesses a specialized form of magic that allows it to increase its movement speed by roughly two times. While the enhancement is modest compared to the speed of faster creatures in Demanas, it is more than enough to make the Goherb's already devastating charges significantly harder to evade.
The Goherb is therefore a creature built around one simple principle: overwhelming force. Its mass, reinforced body, powerful limbs, durable head, mana sensitivity, and speed-enhancing magic all complement its brutal charging behavior, making it a terrifying predator at close range.