[Stoneback Boar]
[LVL. 4 HP: 200]
[These beasts are the result of arcane radiation seepage from ancient ruins within the Wym Forest. Their hides have calcified into a natural, thick armor, making them highly resistant to blunt force and low-tier magical attacks. They rely on devastating charge attacks to break through defenses. Weakness: Sustained magical force.]
Level 4. With 200 HP, these creatures were far beyond the pathetic Level 1 spiders. With their resistance to low tier magic attacks, It would take a lot of [Mana Bolts] to kill just one. Facing four of them with a 30-minute timer meant he had to burn through spells, all while dodging their charge attacks. This was the first true test of his talent.
He immediately took an offensive stance, his staff held out in front of him. The four Stoneback Boars had executed a near perfect tactical flank. Two approached from the front, snorting steam and scraping the ground with their hardened hooves, while the other two rapidly circled to cut off his escape back down the path.
Klein was cornered. He had to fight right here, right now, to protect the carriage and Dr. Morrow.
But... He didn't seem to mind, as he saw this as another chance to level up.
[Mana Bolt.]
He didn't waste time aiming at the massive head of the nearest boar. Instead, he targeted the visible flesh between their legs, hoping to disrupt its charge. The yellow bolt struck, sizzling harmlessly against the stone-like hide.
[Note: Stoneback Boars have great resistance to low tier magic attacks.]
-5!
[Stoneback Boar]
[LVL. 4 HP: 195/200]
Just only 5 mana damage! Klein was truly up for a challenge, as the damage was negligible, but the boar still stumbled.
[24 Mana Points Consumed!]
Klein began to chant internally, focusing his boundless mana on the sheer rate of fire. His staff glowed yellow as he started spamming the attack, creating a constant stream of energy bolts aimed at the lead boars.
Mana Bolt! Mana Bolt! Mana Bolt!
...
Mana Bolt!
-5! -5! -5!
...
-5!
The two lead boars roared, pain finally registering as the repeated magical impacts chipped away at their armor. One of them committed to the charge, its razor-sharp tusks aimed directly for Klein's midsection.
Klein sidestepped, moving with the agility granted by his 7 AGI, though small but effective. The boar's massive body scraped past him, narrowly missing the carriage.
"Klein! Look out!" Dr. Morrow shrieked, pressing herself flat against the carriage wall.
[Stoneback Boar]
[LVL. 4 HP: 100/200]
One hundred damage was already done to the boar, but Klein was starting to feel the heavy strain. The twenty continuous casts of [Mana Bolt], and the non-stop firing was pushing his body's limits despite his [Infinite Mana.]
Klein didn't look at her. He saw the opening. As the boar struggled to turn its heavy, armored mass, Klein slammed four rapid Mana Bolts into its flank.
Mana Bolt! Mana Bolt! Mana Bolt! Mana Bolt!
-5! -5! -5! -5!
The boar roared in pain, its movement visibly slowing. But the distraction cost him, as the two flanking boars rushed in, attempting to pin him between them.
He knew he couldn't survive a single hit from these Level 4 monsters. He had to maintain distance and focus fire.
He quickly spun, leveling his staff at the nearest flanker. He didn't fire a single bolt; instead, he held the spell's charge, as the tip of his staff flared brighter, the yellow deepening to a bright gold.
He was pushing the limits of the spell, by trying to fire four times in the time it usually took to fire one.
Mana Bolt!
...
Mana Bolt!
A torrent of four bolts erupted in a single, near simultaneous burst, slamming into the flanker's face.
-5! -5! -5! -5!
The sudden, concentrated damage rattled the boar, forcing it to skid to a halt. The sheer speed of the spell spam was overwhelming its defenses.
Klein's tactic was simple, his [Infinite Mana] meant he could treat his single damaging spell like a fully automatic weapon, and his zero cooldown allowed for seamless rapid fire. He was turning a simple low damage attack into a concentrated, magical shotgun.
He targeted the first charging boar, which was nearly done turning around. He poured eight continuous spells into its head.
Mana Bolt! Mana Bolt! Mana Bolt! Mana Bolt! Mana Bolt! Mana Bolt! Mana Bolt! Mana Bolt!
The continuous barrage of magical force was too much for the calcified hide to withstand. The head armor cracked, showering the ground with fragments of stone. The boar let out a final, pained squeal before its massive body collapsed, sliding to a stop just a meter from the carriage.
[Killed Level 4 Stoneback Boar! Gained 25 experience points.]
[EXP: 45/300]
Twenty-five EXP! His gauge jumped instantly. He now only needed three more kills to gain Level 4, when coupled with the +200 EXP he will get after completing the task.
Three boars remained, and they were far more cautious now, moving in a tighter circle around him, no longer rushing in recklessly. They now knew he was dangerous, as the boars were now terrified. They had faced slow casting Mages and clumsy melee fighters, but they had never encountered a Level 3 novice capable of generating a series of magical attacks non-stop.
Klein smiled, a genuine smile that felt strange on his virtual face. Thirty minutes? He needed less than ten to finish the job.
He turned his full attention to the three remaining targets. The air around his staff began to crackle and hum with the immense energy of the [Infinite Mana] talent. The path ahead was about to become a kill zone.
[Mana Bolt.]
And a kill zone it was, as Klein didn't waste a single second to initiate a barrage of Mana Bolts at the remaining boars.
He increased his focus, as his previous instantaneous barrage of four Mana Bolts was now dwarfed by his current barrage of six instantaneously.
Mana bolt! Mana bolt!
...
Mana bolt!
He kept spamming non-stop, the boars shrieking in pain.
A few minutes passed, as the barrage of mana bolts continued.
He had 18 minutes left in the timer, but then this happened—
[Killed Level 4 Stoneback Boar! Gained 25 experience points.]
[Killed Level 4 Stoneback Boar! Gained 25 experience points.]
[Killed Level 4 Stoneback Boar! Gained 25 experience points.]
...he had killed them all.
[EXP: 120/300]
...
Ding!
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 4!]
[Skill: Mana Bolt has reached Level 4!]
[Equipment: Wooden Staff has reached Level 4!]
[You have gained 5 attribute points!]
Ding!
[Mini boss challenge— The Stoneback Boars, Completed!]
[Rewards gained!]
[Skill Unlocked: Stone Blast (New Tier 1 Earth Spell)!]
[Stone Blast LVL.1]: Deals 40 points of physical (earth) damage to target, with a 15% chance to apply a temporary 'Slow' effect. Consumes 20 Mana points. Cooldown: 1 second.
Klein lowered his staff, breathing deeply, as his avatar felt exhausted from the sustained effort. But he was relieved to see his progress. He was moving at a steady pace; for someone who just started the game a day ago (using real world time here), he was faring pretty well.
He quickly opened his status screen to check the results:
----
[PLAYER STATUS: MAGE - Lv. 4]
...
EXP: (20/400)
....
Skill: [Mana Bolt LVL.4]; Deals 48 points of damage to target, consumes a total of 32 Mana points and has zero cooldown.
Skill: [Stone Blast LVL.1]; Deals 40 points of physical (earth) damage to target, consumes 20 Mana points. Cooldown: 1 second.
[Attribute Points:] 15 (5 from Level 2, 5 from Level 3, 5 from Level 4)
-----
"Incredible," Dr. Morrow said, as she had watched Klein defeat all the boars in less than 15 minutes. "Your Mana? It has to be enormous to be able to do that. Anyway, count yourself lucky to be gifted with that talent."
"Well," she continued, pulling herself together and adjusting her robes. "This shit show certainly confirms your capabilities. And I believe that was the last dangerous section. Let us proceed."
They continued down the path, the last few hundred meters of the Pilgrim's Path very peaceful and quiet.
....
Arrival at Silverpeak,
The forest finally opened up, as they were greeted by a functional, highly defended small forest town. This was Silverpeak.
Unlike Aethel Town's cobbled streets, Silverpeak's roads were packed dirt, and its buildings were organized around specific purposes— a large, centrally secured warehouse for resources, a cluster of sturdy barracks, and one imposing three story structure clearly designated as the Research Station. The town was definitely bustling with NPCs in leather armor.
Dr. Morrow's face lit up with pure joy, as she said, "We made it! Oh, Klein, you have no idea what a relief this is! Everything is intact!"
The carriage pulled up to the front entrance of the research station, where a pair of guards immediately recognized Dr. Morrow and saluted.
Dr. Morrow turned to Klein, her hands fluttering with excitement as she reached into her inner robes and pulled out a heavy purse and a tightly rolled parchment tied with a silver ribbon.
"Klein, you have earned every coin, and more," she said earnestly.
She handed him the purse. "Here is the fifty gold coins as promised, and a bonus thank you for the sheer speed of your work."
Ding!
[50 Gold Coins Added to Inventory.]
"And this is the Scroll of Minor Teleportation. It's a rare find, truly."
[Error! Item: Scroll of Minor Teleportation, couldn't be added to inventory!]
That meant Klein had to hold the [Scroll of Minor Teleportation] in his hands.
[Side Quest — Safety Escort Dr. Morrow, to Silverpeak, Completed!]
[Rewards gained!]
[Reward: +50 EXP Gained! +70 Reputation at Sliverpeak gained!]