Chapter 120 - 119: The Boar-Catching Squad
Chapter 120: Chapter 119: The Boar-Catching Squad
Within an enclosure surrounded by high fences, several massive wild boars could be seen running rampant.
Zelir narrowed his eyes and counted.
’Hmm... five in total.’
They frantically dug up the ground with their hard snouts, tearing the entire plot of land to shreds.
All the crops were ruined. From time to time, the boars would shove each other, fighting over berries that fell from the branches.
"Alrighty then."
Watching the scene, Zelir drew the brand-new Longsword from his waist.
This time, he didn’t plan on using Magic. He wanted to thoroughly test his Swordsmanship.
"Time to get to work!"
...
Marcus had brought over a small stool and was sitting by the fence. Madam Ersha was sitting there as well.
"Madam Ersha, how’s this year’s harvest?"
Marcus glanced at the distant wheat fields. "From the looks of it, it’s a bountiful year."
"A blessing from the gods."
At the mention of this, Madam Ersha’s worried face finally broke into a smile.
"The rain has been good this year, and so has the sun. If it weren’t for these damn wild boars, the harvest would be another twenty percent larger."
"We’ll take care of it," Marcus said with a nod.
"After the autumn harvest festival, we’ll have to get busy storing the grain, smoking jerky, and pickling vegetables to prepare for winter."
Madam Ersha glanced at the sky and lamented.
"The autumn winds come earlier and colder each year. The old-timers in town say this winter might be an especially cold one, so we need to prepare early."
"Yeah, winters are tough."
Marcus nodded, deeply sharing the sentiment.
It wasn’t just farmers; it was the same for Adventurers like them.
A cold winter meant that missions would become more dangerous.
Deep snow, bitter cold, stiff limbs.
Whether it was Demonic activity or the harsh weather, everything posed a huge Challenge.
Some Adventurers who weren’t brave enough to take on missions in the winter even had to find temporary work as manual laborers just to get by.
The two of them continued to make small talk.
Finally, Madam Ersha couldn’t hold back any longer.
"By the way... aren’t you going to help your teammates?"
"They asked me to stay on the sidelines and watch," Marcus said with a shrug.
「Inside the enclosure.」
Zelir lowered his stance, assuming a standard horse stance with his Longsword held high above his head.
He stared intently ahead, his breathing steady, waiting for the right moment.
The enraged herd of wild boars quickly selected their new targets.
They had originally intended to flee. After all, the humans in front of them were brandishing sharp weapons and looked menacing—not people to be trifled with.
They were completely different from the foolish boy a few days prior, who had only been able to wave a pitchfork and shout.
However, whenever the boars charged toward the gap they had smashed in the fence, several deadly Feathered Arrows would suddenly shoot out from an angle, precisely cutting off their escape route.
With no other choice, the boars could only let out furious squeals and turn all their rage on the two humans inside the enclosure.
"Watch closely, Zelir!"
Gray shouted.
At the same time, the largest of the boars was pumping its short legs, charging fiercely toward him.
With a nimble step, Gray slid forward and to his left, deftly dodging out of the way.
In the instant he passed the boar, he flicked his wrist in a swift upward slash!
SWISH!
The boar’s underbelly lacked the protection of a thick hide, and the sharp blade tore it open with ease.
A wide gash appeared in an instant, and blood sprayed out.
The boar shrieked and charged forward a short distance before its legs began to stagger uncontrollably. It then crashed headfirst to the ground, twitched a few times, and fell still.
The entire sequence was seamless.
Zelir took a deep breath.
He knew he didn’t possess Gray’s veteran experience or nimble footwork, so he had to opt for a safer method.
Recalling the Half-sword Technique Gray had taught him, Zelir switched to a reverse grip with his right hand and grabbed the leather-wrapped section of the blade’s Strong Sword Body with his left.
With this change in grip, the Longsword instantly became a Short Spear.
Another wild boar was now charging fiercely at Zelir.
A wild boar’s combat prowess was not to be underestimated.
Three or four hundred pounds of body weight, surprisingly fast running speeds, and two sharp tusks protruding from its snout.
The destructive force of this combination, in some ways, made it even more difficult to handle than many [Simple] Level Demons.
Zelir didn’t try to meet it head-on. The instant before the boar crashed into him, he dodged to the side as well.
At the same time, Zelir put his entire body weight into a powerful downward thrust with both arms!
The piercing power of this Thrust was no joke.
SQUELCH!
The Longsword plunged into the boar’s thick spine, the blade sinking nearly a foot into its body!
"AWOOOO!!!"
The boar let out a piercing shriek, its immense momentum carrying Zelir, still attached to its back via the Longsword, several staggering steps forward.
Its muscles spasmed violently, and it thrashed its body madly, trying to throw the hateful human off.
Zelir put his strength into it again, twisting the hilt and churning the blade violently within the boar’s body!
The motion completely destroyed its internal organs.
The boar’s struggles ceased abruptly, and it collapsed to the ground with a thud.
"Whew..."
Zelir pulled out the Longsword, bringing with it a spray of warm blood.
"Ha, not bad."
Gray’s voice came from nearby. "Starting to look a little like a Swordsman."
Three surviving boars remained inside the enclosure.
Seeing their companions killed so easily one after another, they fell into a complete frenzy, madly launching a Charge at both Zelir and Gray simultaneously.
But it was all for naught.
Gray repeated his earlier tactic, nimbly dodging the boar’s Charge before landing a precise backhand stab into its eye socket.
Zelir dispatched another boar in the same manner as before.
Now, only the last boar remained.
Its frenzy and ferocity were now useless; all that remained in its heart was terror.
It had clearly realized how terrifying these humans were. It no longer dared to Charge at them, instead crashing about inside the enclosure like a headless chicken, searching for an escape.
Zelir and Gray had no choice but to give chase.
But the panicked boar was surprisingly slippery and fast, nearly managing to escape through the gap several times.
Valles leaned against an intact section of the fence.
He watched the disheveled boar-chasing duo out of the corner of his eye, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips.
Finally, a brilliant blue light illuminated the farmstead.
A Rhombus Missile shot out at extreme speed, instantly overtaking the boar.
BOOM!!!
The immense Magic Power exploded, and with a deafening bang, the boar was blown to smithereens. Not even an intact chunk of meat could be found.
In truth, a single Wind Blade Technique would have been enough to finish the job, but Zelir was clearly peeved. He had no intention of letting the boar he’d been chasing for so long get off easy.