With a shoulder height exceeding 250 centimeters and a weight measured in tons, its body was so massive it was hard to believe it belonged to the same species as a Great Wild Boar.
Its highly raised, sturdy back ridge was practically a small mountain.
The wedge-shaped protrusions resembling horns on either side of its spine were actually spinal bones thick enough to pierce through its skin, coupled with its knotted, block-like muscles, capable of unleashing terrifying, flood-like power at any moment.
Two plumes of white steam shot from its nostrils, a premonition of the 'Mighty General's' fury.
Gordon's mouth tasted bitter as his peripheral vision caught sight of the tragically dead female Great Wild Boar nearby.
He had probably killed its little lover, no wonder it was so enraged.
Don't turn around!
Fleeing now was a path to death; a human's straight-line running speed could never match that of the Great Wild Boar King.
Maneuvering around it, looking for an opportunity, was the only option.
Forcing himself to calm down by adjusting his breathing, Gordon, shielded by his buckler, pulled out an egg-sized spherical item from his satchel with the smallest possible movement.
He desperately wished it was a Sonic Bomb or a Flash Bomb; those lovely little things could buy him a lot of time.
Unfortunately, he hadn't brought such expensive tools, or rather, tools that were expensive for him as a Trainee Hunter.
This was just the most common Paintball.
With a flick of his arm, the Paintball accurately struck the Great Wild Boar King's back ridge, splattering a large amount of fluorescent red, paint-like liquid that covered the Great Wild Boar King's fur.
At the same time, a pungent odor diffused into the air.
This was a tool Hunters used to mark target monsters.
Monster Hunters, specially trained, could accurately track targets by distinguishing the scent and following the traces of paint dripping on the ground or rubbing against rock walls and vegetation.
Of course, Gordon's purpose in throwing the Paintball at this moment was not just for tracking.
It was to further enrage the Great Wild Boar King, forcing it to Attack—an arrow not yet loosed from the bowstring is the most terrifying.
And for the Great Wild Boar King, this 'Attack' caused no damage, but it was extremely insulting.
It was roughly equivalent to someone urinating on its head with a strong smell.
The massive tusks violently swayed a few times with the Great Wild Boar King's head movements.
Its short but strong forelegs pawed at the ground, and with a furious roar, it lowered its head and charged towards Gordon like a steam locomotive, rumbling as it went.
Suppressing the urge and fear to dodge to the side, Gordon repeatedly told himself it wasn't time yet.
If he rolled too early, it would give the monster distance to adjust its direction, and if he hadn't had time to get up, it would be a disaster.
The young Hunter lowered his body, muscles tensed, staring intently at the rapidly approaching behemoth.
"Now!"
His tensed body sprang out like a coiled spring.
Gordon dove and rolled to the right, successfully dodging the potentially fatal blow; the violent airflow generated by the Great Wild Boar King's body even blew up the turf, leaving a mess in its wake.
Before he could even let out a sigh of relief.
Having just finished rolling and not even fully standing, Gordon felt a strong gust of wind behind him.
The Great Wild Boar King, whose charge had missed, stopped in time, twisted its body, and raised its enormous tusks, swinging them towards the Hunter.
"Damn it! It's several times bigger, but its agility is so much higher than a regular Great Wild Boar!?"
Gordon gritted his teeth and held his round shield in front of him, barely managing an impact-resistant stance, and was sent flying backward like a kicked ball.
Crashing to the ground, Gordon, unable to complete a proper landing, felt his brain buzzing, and his shield-holding right arm was in excruciating, bone-breaking pain.
Feeling as if his whole body had fallen apart, he desperately wanted to lie on the ground and catch his breath, but he knew this was not the time.
Another full-force charge from the Great Wild Boar King was already upon him.
It was too late to get up now, so Gordon could only use all his strength to roll a few times to one side, narrowly dodging this latest surprise attack at the last second.
However, how soon would the next Attack come? In one second? Or two seconds?
Was he going to die here?
Just as Gordon, who didn't even have the luxury of standing up, was about to fall into despair, a crashing sound of breaking trees and the Great Wild Boar King's roar came from not far behind him.
Not knowing what had happened but finally getting a moment to breathe, Gordon endured the severe pain and got up, only to find that luck seemed to be on his side this time.
The Great Wild Boar King, somewhat disoriented in its rage, had actually crashed head-on into a giant tree as thick as two people embracing.
The most absurd thing was that the tree was actually broken!
However, the Great Wild Boar King was clearly not doing well either.
Its steps were wobbly, as if it were drunk, seemingly in a dazed state.
This was undoubtedly the best time to escape!
However, Gordon once again stopped his impulse to turn and run.
From the Great Wild Boar King's forceful head-shaking, it would recover from its dazed state in a few seconds at most.
How far could he run in that time? Ten meters? Or twenty meters?
Indeed, in the dense jungle, his agile body had an advantage over the wide and heavy Great Wild Boar King, but he was also injured now, and his right arm might even be fractured.
If he ran directly, could he really get away?
"I must inflict some injury on the Great Wild Boar King, at least to hinder its movement!"
Gordon roared, venting the fear in his heart, tightly gripping his Hunter's Knife in his left hand, and rushed behind the Great Wild Boar King, aiming for the Great Wild Boar King's Achilles tendon.
Without holding back any strength, he delivered what was likely the heaviest blow since he began his Hunter training.
The heel area, not covered by thick fur, was indeed one of the Great Wild Boar King's weaker defensive points, but that was only relative.
The Hunter's Knife, which was more like a chop than a swing, successfully cut through the not-too-thick skin but did not sever the Great Wild Boar King's Achilles tendon as Gordon had hoped.
The blade only managed to cut halfway in before being firmly stuck by the rock-hard muscles and Achilles tendon.
But this blow truly hurt the Great Wild Boar King.
Just recovered and conscious, it let out a miserable howl, and supported by a terrifying core strength unimaginable to humans, it suddenly turned its head back, and its thick tusks once again sent Gordon flying.
Under the massive force of the impact, Gordon, who rolled and crashed to the ground, couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Gordon, whose strength had been completely scattered by the shock, gritted his teeth, struggled to lift his head, and stared intently with gradually blurring vision at the Great Wild Boar King charging again.
The law of the jungle dictates the strong prey on the weak; since he was powerless to achieve victory, as a loser, witnessing the end of his own life was also a kind of ending.
However, just as the young Hunter was about to be trampled into meat paste, a strange horn sound rang out.
"Doo-doo~ Doo-doo~ Doo-doo~"
The Great Wild Boar King turned its head irritably, its attention temporarily diverted.
At the same time, several small figures, alternating white and brown, approached Gordon, who was lying on the ground, with an agility far beyond human capability.
They haphazardly lifted him onto a simple wooden cart and disappeared into the dim forest in the blink of an eye.
Only the Great Wild Boar King, momentarily disoriented, remained, roaring to vent its fury and unwillingness.
"Gao ao ao ao ao!"
To all who pass by, please hit the favorite button~