Chapter 005: Dust Explosion and Slaying

Generally speaking, the temperature and color of flames are closely related. When the temperature is not high, combustion is incomplete, and the flame appears darker. So, while black flames may look cool, their temperature typically does not exceed 300 degrees Celsius. Red flames, on the other hand, must reach around 1000 degrees Celsius, and blue flames are even hotter.

There's a saying on Earth: " Furnace fire turning blue ", meaning that blue is the highest degree a flame can reach under ordinary conditions. In such cases, the temperature usually exceeds 2000 degrees Celsius, hot enough to melt iron.

Given this, things might get a bit tricky...

Richard furrowed his brow even deeper. According to the original plan, this Fire Bear shouldn't have been so powerful; its flames should have extinguished after burning for just a moment. But now there's been an unexpected turn of events...

However, it's not really a big deal.

Unexpected things happen; it's only a real surprise if there are no contingency plans.

Since the Fire Bear is so strong and its flames so intense, why not give it a little help?

Richard squinted his eyes and looked towards Tuku and his men in the distance.

At this point, Tuku's group was barely holding on. The Fire Bear was engulfed in flames half a meter high, like a burning pile of wood, and the heat could be felt tens of meters away. The iron armor they wore was scorching hot, causing sweat to pour out and then evaporate instantly, making their throats feel like they were on fire due to dehydration.

But that wasn't the worst part. The most severe issue was that the Fire Bear's anger was escalating, threatening to go out of control at any moment. If it went berserk, then...

Even the fierce Tuku couldn't help but feel a bit worried.

Just then, Richard shouted from a distance, ordering, "Retreat and scatter the flour."

"Hmm? Yes, sir." Tuku's group was momentarily stunned but quickly reacted. They fired all their arrows at the Fire Bear before retreating, not forgetting to follow Richard's instructions to scatter the flour they carried from their bags towards the Fire Bear.

They didn't understand why they needed to bring flour, but they did as Richard had said.

Bleached flour floated down from mid-air, covering the area around the Fire Bear within a ten-meter radius like snowfall.

The enraged Fire Bear was momentarily taken aback, stopping in its tracks, looking curiously at the flour, and its flames subsided slightly.

The flour continued to be scattered, increasing in concentration around the Fire Bear.

The Fire Bear didn't understand the situation at all, but the anger it felt before had vanished, and its flames extinguished completely. Out of curiosity, it tried to catch the floating flour but failed, scratching its head in confusion.

More flour fell, creating a dense fog that completely enveloped the Fire Bear within a ten-meter radius.

Inside, the Fire Bear playfully swiped at the flour, but an increasing sense of danger grew in its heart. As time passed, this feeling became more intense.

The Fire Bear grew agitated again, its flames wanting to reignite, but a deep, instinctual sense of danger stopped it and urged it to leave the flour-covered area quickly.

With a low growl, the Fire Bear prepared to charge out.

But it was too late. A burning arrow suddenly shot into the flour-filled space—from afar, Tuku and his men were lying on the ground, covering their ears, while in the distance, Richard slowly lowered a crossbow.

"Roar!" The Fire Bear roared in fury.

"Whoosh!" The burning arrow flew into the flour-filled area.

A small flame ignited some flour particles in mid-air, rapidly spreading until the entire flour cloud was ablaze in an instant.

In a very short time, a certain concentration of combustible dust burned quickly in mid-air, releasing intense energy, resulting in a dust explosion.

"Boom!" A deafening explosion erupted, like a thunderclap on a clear day, causing Tuku and his men to feel their ears ringing as they lay on the ground.

Everything around was hit by a powerful shockwave. Small branches snapped, dense grass was flattened to the ground, and flying stones hit tree trunks with a "ping-ping" sound. Even Richard, in the "absolute safe zone," had his noble robe lifted and rustling before it fell back down.

After a long while, the dust settled. Richard squinted towards where the Fire Bear had been.

The flour in mid-air had completely disappeared. The charred ground lay bare, with the Fire Bear collapsed, unable to even stand, clearly having lost all strength to resist.

"Continue with the plan," Richard commanded after a glance.

"Yes." Without hesitation, Tuku's group picked up their reinforced crossbows, aimed at the Fire Bear, and pulled the triggers.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" Several rope-tied arrows pierced through the Fire Bear's body, pulling tight and completely binding its movements. The Fire Bear struggled but had no strength left, only managing slight movements before its front limbs drooped in defeat.

Seeing this, Tuku grinned savagely, slowly drawing the heavy knight's sword from his back.

"Thud, thud, thud!" Clad in iron armor, Tuku began to run, accelerating.

"Thud, thud, thud!" His heavy steps echoed as he ran faster and faster, reaching the Fire Bear in no time. With a fierce look, Tuku unhesitatingly thrust the knight's sword into the Fire Bear's chest. The powerful force combined with his momentum drove the blade deep into the bear's heart.

With a "puff," bright red blood spurted like a fountain from the wound, splashing all over Tuku's face. The Fire Bear twitched a few times and then closed its eyes for good.

"Master Richard, the Fire Bear is dead," Tuku reported matter-of-factly, wiping the blood from his face.

"Good," Richard nodded, acknowledging the fact. He stepped closer to inspect the Fire Bear.

Previously, due to the Fire Bear's danger, Richard had kept himself in the "danger zone" and hadn't observed closely. Now, up close, Richard saw that the Fire Bear's fur was a reddish-brown color.

"So, it's a type of brown bear?" Richard muttered to himself, conducting a rough examination of the Fire Bear based on Earth's bear characteristics.

He crouched down, pried open the Fire Bear's mouth, and examined its teeth.

"One, two, three, four..." Richard counted.

Soon, he confirmed that the Fire Bear had 42 teeth. The relatively small carnassial teeth indicated weaker tearing ability, while the large molars suggested strong grinding capacity. The noticeable regression of the premolars behind the canines were also typical characteristics of a brown bear.

Standing up, Richard checked the Fire Bear's forearms and shoulders. He saw pronounced muscle bulges on its shoulders and neck, with short, stout forearms and claws over ten centimeters long that couldn't retract. These were all typical features of brown bears on Earth.

So, it indeed belonged to the biological classification of a brown bear.

Richard confirmed this in his mind, narrowing his eyes as he surveyed the Fire Bear's body.