Chapter 51: Monster Boars
[Iron Boar]
[Level 8]
[Type: Monster]
Arthur stared at the system notification above the boars’ heads.
Level 8. These were the highest-level monsters he and John had come across yet, and there wasn’t just one of them but two.
They pawed at the ground like living anvils, their backs covered in that thick iron hide.
"I’ll take the one on the left," John said calmly.
Arthur nodded.
Their usual fighting style wouldn’t work here. He could tell right away. As strong as John was, there was no way he could tank two level 8 Iron Boars at once while Arthur whittled one of them down.
Well, maybe he could, but John wouldn’t come out of it unscathed.
Besides, Arthur was more than capable of taking one of the boars on by himself.
He’d poured all of his extra stat points into strength and agility just for this, and even if he wasn’t as strong as John, he was definitely faster.
So the moment John stepped forward, Arthur stretched out a hand, conjuring a [Water Arrow].
The boar on the right swung its head, its nostrils flaring as if it could sense the incoming danger, before its eyes locked onto Arthur. The moment the azure arrow shot forward, its hooves slammed the ground as it hurled itself towards the tiny human.
...But the boar had only taken a few steps when John stepped in and opened his mouth.
"ROAAAAR!"
The sound he let out wasn’t just loud... it was ear-piercing.
Even the white mist around John seemed to thin from the shockwave, as both boars snapped their gazes toward him.
[Taunted]
[Strength Reduced]
Arthur could see the status condition above the boar he’d targeted displayed by a system message, just as his [Water Arrow] slammed into the creature’s side with a bang.
...It didn’t pierce through. The arrow just burst into drops of water that scattered into the mist, before dispersing into nothingness.
Still, that was just the beginning.
The boar staggered for what looked like half a second before charging at John again, as if it hadn’t even felt the attack just now.
Meanwhile, the boar on the left lunged at John too, a battle cry of its own leaving its mouth.
John angled the tip of his spear and planted his feet to the ground, as he prepared to meet the incoming mass of steel head-on.
But Arthur didn’t slow down. He stretched out his palm again as a second arrow took shape, before he fired it straight at that boar.
"BOOM!"
This time, his arrow seemed to have some effect. It landed right above the boar’s snout, where the bone thinned, drawing out a few droplets of crimson blood. The Iron Boar jerked and staggered back, finally halting its charge. But then, to Arthur’s surprise, it shook its head like a dog clearing water and rushed forward even harder.
Luckily for John, [Roar]’s effect only lasted five seconds.
The moment it wore off, the boar seemed to snap out of its daze, and whatever fury had driven it towards him was instantly gone, as the beast snapped its head back to Arthur. It seemed that the two arrows it had tanked had only served to infuriate it even more.
It lunged forward, only for a third [Water Arrow] to slam cleanly into its snout, drawing another line of blood. Despite the hit however, the boar didn’t stop. It let out a shriek but barreled through it, its feet plowing a groove into the ground as it tried to skewer Arthur with its tusks.
Arthur hurriedly moved to the side, just in time as the boar thundered past him, its tusks only a few inches away from piercing his stomach.
Despite its size, this thing was fast. Way too fast!
Still, Arthur didn’t stop. His mana surged forward as another arrow formed at his fingertips. Then, once again he let it loose, hitting the boar in the gap under its jaw.
This time, blood sprayed like a fountain, painting the mist a bright crimson.
And yet the Iron Boar merely faltered for a second. Its murderous eyes stayed locked on the small human as it launched into another charge.
Finally, Arthur’s eyes narrowed.
The more he fought them, the more he realized that despite their level advantage, these boars were actually way weaker than the Howler.
Granted, they were still very strong, and Arthur knew he had to stay on his toes to avoid those deadly tusks, but his [Water Arrows] were clearly working here.
Unlike the Mountain Howler, which had dodged everything and seemed nearly invincible, this thing was actually taking damage. The wounds were shallow, but Arthur could see them piling up on the boar’s body, slowly but surely. The only issue was that his own mana was draining fast as well.
From the corner of his eye, Arthur caught a glimpse of John’s fight too.
Unlike him, John met his boar head-on, as if it was a contest of strength. He planted his feet down and gripped his spear with both hands as he braced himself. When the beast rammed into him, it was like watching a mountain collide with a wall.
John barely avoided those horns that tried to pierce through his stomach and twisted his body, as he drove the spear tip straight into the boar’s chest. The boar roared, bucked, and tried to throw him off, but John stayed clamped on it like a bear that wouldn’t let go. [Roar] rang through the air again, before the white spear tip finally drew a bit of blood.
But that’s when it happened.
The moment John’s voice rang through the air again, Arthur’s boar went stiff.
Arthur saw its eyes turn red, its next charge faltering for a second. Its body wanted to turn for John even as its eyes stayed fixed on Arthur.
...But that half a second of hesitation was enough to seal its fate.
Arthur stretched out his palm and fired a [Water Arrow] straight at the creature’s eye.
The boar tried to lunge again, instinctively trying to dodge the incoming arrow, but Arthur didn’t give it a chance. He was too close to miss the shot.
His arrow landed into the boar’s eye with a sickening wet crunch that reverberated through the battlefield.
...The boar spasmed, its legs skidding violently across the gravel as it let out a deafening shriek.
Its remaining eye stared hatefully at the tiny human, before the light inside it gradually dimmed and its body went still.
[Iron Boar defeated. +44 EXP]