Chương 255: Things that go bump in the night (I)
Swarms of strange, boar-like monsters three times larger than average and large-tusked Wooly Mammoths squealed and rushed head-first into the thick crowd of soldiers. There weren't just a handful, but thousands screaming and stampeding into the camp.
"Wild Boars! Fight for your lives!" The soldiers cried out in panic. Nobody expected a night raid so quickly upon entering the Dark Continent. What was more mind-boggling was that they didn't even hear the boars until the last minute.
"Kill them before they cause chaos!" General Liam shouted; he scrambled out of his tent with half his armor on.
Soldiers scrambled into formation, trying to direct the charge of the boar's attack. They didn't want the monster to go in any deeper than necessary, especially because of their camping equipment and supplies. Quickly, they set up a defensive line against the boars; their spears were stuck out like spikes to prevent them from completely charging at them. Many got skewered by their head, while the others broke through, causing havoc around their surroundings.
Tents were torn apart, equipment was thrown around, and even supply wagons were toppled. The sheer chaos the Wild Boars caused wasn't just a simple dispute. They specifically seemed to head straight toward the supplies without a second thought.
"Stop them!" General Liam ran forward, his sword in his hand, and swung into the boar's head that was running straight at him. With a thunk, the sword sliced through, breaking into bone, and cutting the boar's flesh in half. "Don't let them come any closer!"
Adventurers stationed at the back of the army also heard or saw the chaos at the last moment. So when they saw and heard the explosion on the east side of General Liam's army, they knew something was wrong.
Players scrambled up on their feet, partially donned armor, and ran towards the carnage source. When they arrived, they saw the battle between the elven army and the swarms of Wild Boars that was taking place. The Wild Boars weren't like anything anyone had ever seen; they were fast, powerful, large, and brilliant.
As Zero and his group rushed toward the sound, what he saw made him stare in complete disbelief. Soldiers and Wild Boars were squaring off with one another. Then, a message appeared in front of Zero's face.
Wild Boar
Level 175
They are herd-type monsters who only come out at night. Sometimes their herd can grow to five thousand, depending on the location and if there is a herd leader in the group. If there is a herd leader, the herd can swell up to ten thousand in one fell swoop. These boars have caused endless amounts of vegetation to disappear in a day, sometimes even causing the terrain to shift into open deserted plains.
Zero was alarmed at the sheer possible number of boars that it could go up to. The sheer number of the monsters could easily be the same or even more than the Land Shark attack back in the City of Terra. This only meant there was a possibility of even more monsters stronger into the Dark Continent, possibly even three to five times more in than the attack here, making it a terrifying thought.
With his night vision, he could see countless boars swarming toward them in an endless stream. Still, he didn't back down; he was bent on quelling his hungry stomach first before it affected his performance and health.
Valiant, Sekka, Leaf, Zeraph, and Reed worked together, covering each other's backs. Valiant and Sekka were the main force that took dozens of Wild Boars effortlessly, working perfectly in sync. But, of course, they first had their fill of free food and changed gears when they couldn't eat too much. Zeraph, at times, would sneak in an attack to draw large numbers away if there were too many, but even still, all of them did a good job of slaughtering their enemies without getting overwhelmed.
Valiant would aggressively attack and kill the boars as many as possible. He would then resurrect the boar into a Boar Zombie to help create dozens for backups. They were less powerful than the original ones, but they did their job of slowing down the charges and opening up opportunities to counterattack. Meanwhile, Reed backed up Valiant by luring the boars towards Valiant to their demise.
Sekka, with her light ability, would buff and set up party protection around them, giving them the extra boost of speed and power that their party needs. Zero and Agnis were given the same buffs, giving Zero an exhilarating adrenaline-like high. Sekka, too, would use overwhelming strength, allowing them to combat their enemy easily. Finally, the leaf would dip in and out, riding, jumping, rolling, and even dodging out of harm's way from any boar without much trouble.
Zeraph leisurely walks through the thick crowds of soldiers, adventurers, and even the boars. He would draw his sword at inhumane speed, cutting the boar in multiple strikes and cutting the boar with every movement, careful not to use more energy than he needed to. His attacks were just as powerful as the dragons, making him a force to be reckoned with.
"It seems we solved our food shortage," Agnis smirked. "You ready?" She pulled out her bow and knocked an arrow.
"Born ready." Zero charged forward, his teeth dangerously gleaming with anticipation. He could smell the sweet scent of boar's meat tickling his nose, making him drool. Dinner was here, and he would feed himself until he burst.
"Good." Agnis let loose an arrow, hitting squarely in one of the oncoming boar's head. It squealed and tumbled forward.
Zero's head lunged forward and snapped up the boar into its mouth. His teeth were crushing against the bones while the boar screamed in pain. With a last-ditch effort, the boar struggled to get out of Zero's jaw, but he didn't allow it. Instead, his hunger made his dragon instinct kick in even faster, enjoying the pleasing taste of fresh blood and meat running down his throat.
This was one taste he couldn't easily forget, especially for a dragon that did not need cooked meat. In his Origin form, he liked his meat raw most of the time, but what he liked the most was the excitement of the hunt. The endorphin-like feel was ten times more potent than in his human body; the crushing of bones, the screaming of fear, and the taste of blood and meat spiked his hunger.
With a couple more crunches, he swallowed up the mash-up pieces of the boar and swallowed it in a couple of gulps like an alligator. Unfortunately, his shredded teeth weren't the best at chewing, so he had to swallow them into chunks. The food slowly went down his throat and into his stomach; he wasn't satisfied with the boar he had eaten.
The boar's size compared to him didn't even come up to a full-sized female human, not even filling up a third of his stomach, and the meat was slightly sweet, making him want more.
Finally, his raptor-like eyes zoned in on his second prey, where a group of soldiers surrounded the boar with pikes. Reaching his claws out, he slammed the boar ruthlessly against the ground.
The soldiers cried out in alarm at the sudden interference from Zero and gazed up at him with a startled expressions.
"What?!" One of the Elven soldiers cried out before he stumbled backward onto his butt. A loud boar squeal sounded, followed by a squishing-like sound.
"Stand back!" Agnis called out. "Zero's hungry!"
The elves scuttled away in panic, fearing to be part of a dragon's meal. When they saw Zero pick up the boar with one hand and chomp down, they turned pale when they saw the spurt of blood with half of the boar's body missing.
"Bring them over to Zero!" Agnis jumped off Zero's back; she did a perfect diving roll with her bow. She fired at another charging boar from the left when she got up. The boar stumbled and fell onto the side but quickly got back on its feet. "He'll deal with them!"
"Got it!" The elven soldiers nodded, and their expressions returned to their stiff, cold selves. The elves ran towards their other fellow soldiers.
"Round them up! The Dragon is hungry!" An elf with blond hair shouted while he ran around.
"Bring them this way!" He waved the others to follow.
The elves around Zero changed tactics into a hit-and-run, dragging the boar towards Zero as if their butts were on fire. Zero snapped his jaws at any nearest boar with one gulp, using his claws to rip them in half, leaving behind countless corpses of the dead boars. He even used his tail as a whip, wrapping around them like a lasso and pounding them into the ground until they stopped moving.
Zero happily ate his dinner without holding back; the Dragon in him wouldn't let him off with simple small meals; it wanted him to tear through bones, eradicate its prey, and even roar with excitement. The problem was that the more he ate, the more he still wanted more from the meal. Even when fifty went into his belly, he was still hungry.
Angrily, he raised his head, drew in a sharp breath, and roared. His roar echoed out into the plains with a thundering voice. Every Wild boar in a three-mile radius temporarily froze out of fear, their gaze turned towards Zero, debating if they should attack. Then, just when his echoing roar quieted, another deeper voice called back in challenge.
You have issued a territory battle. Territory battle has been accepted.
You have learned the Dragon's Challenge.
Zero knew the one who answered back was a boss who ordered the Wild Boar to attack. The boss monster was issuing a territory challenge back at Zero, not liking how he was here in its domain. Without a second thought, Zero answered back with as much force as he spewed a torrent of red flames into the air, brightening up the area and telling the boss where his location was.
"What the hell did you do?" shouted Agnis in alarm. "You just compromised everyone's location!"
Zero spat out a couple more breaths of fire, then his chest rumbled, and he turned towards Agnis. Then, with a half smile and rows of teeth showing, he let out a barking laugh.
"Too late for that now. The moment I stepped in on the boss's location, it became a territory war, and I'm not going to back down now." With a spew of hot air, Agni's white hair fluttered erratically behind her.
"Are you serious?" Agnis furrowed.
"Damn it, does it mean we'll have more opposition the further we go?"
"Yes."
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