"Damn! There's another Wild Boar People."
"As expected, intelligence from the association is mostly unreliable." Fabian couldn't help but complain.
However, Raine found this different from the squad that encountered the Mutated Goblins he had seen before.
Faced with the unexpected appearance of a third Wild Boar, the few people complained but showed no great panic on their faces.
Fabian even made a joke about the association's intelligence reliability.
This made Raine sigh, realizing that even among lower-level squads, there is a significant difference in strength.
As for the issue of intelligence reliability, it further strengthened Raine's intention to analyze intelligence by himself in the future.
"Raine, I remember you said yesterday you could cast Freezing Ray twice, right?" Chris turned to ask.
"Yes."
"Good, the same spot as last time, okay?" Chris pointed to the slightly muddy ground due to the recent fight.
"No problem." Raine quickly understood Chris's meaning and agreed.
Clearly, Chris planned to use the same trick, to create an ice surface when the Wild Boar is about to charge in, making it slip.
Next, they would follow the same strategy to kill the third Wild Boar.
This strategy had already been tested once, its reliability was undoubted, and their coordination was expected to improve.
The only problem was Reina over there.....
So, although the enemy was near, Raine still asked Chris, "Um...is there a problem with Captain Reya?"
"Don't worry! No problem with the captain... damn!"
Chris, who was calmly answering Raine's question, suddenly changed his expression drastically!
He even cursed!
Huh?
Puzzled, Raine quickly looked up.
Accompanied by a series of branches snapping sounds.
He saw a robust Wild Boar, larger than the previous one and exceeding 1.9 meters tall, coming out of the dense forest like a bulldozer.
The nail hammer in its hand was no longer a simple wooden stick with a few iron nails but a heavy metal nail head hammer.
The hammerhead bristling with cold spikes was imagined to cause terrifying damage if it hit a human directly.
Most striking was the simple armored outfit on its body, plus a small flag stuck straight in its back.
"Wild Boar Warrior!!"
The last two words, "Warrior," Fabian intoned exceptionally high!
So high that it was almost ripping his vocal cords.
No need for Fabian's reminder, Raine, who had seen the Mill Town Monster Atlas, already knew the unusual nature of the Wild Boar before him.
The small flag stuck in its back actually serves as a badge of bravery within the Wild Boar people's tribe with a clear sense of level.
The more small flags there are, the stronger the strength!
But the problem is that while the flag symbolizes bravery internally among the Wild Boar people, for the Adventurer Squad, it virtually conveys doom.
Because the Monster Atlas clearly states that a Wild Boar from the Dead Water Clan with one flag is called a Wild Boar Warrior, with a Challenge Level of two!
Simply put, its combat power is roughly equivalent to three ordinary Wild Boar they just struggled to kill!
Yes, three!
It's even slightly higher.
It's easy to imagine the dramatic cognitive shock when an Adventurer Squad that thought the task was to target two Wild Boars suddenly finds the enemy becoming a Wild Boar Warrior plus two ordinary Wild Boars.
Precisely speaking, this shock is almost frightening!
However, Raine was the only one among the four whose expression was particularly distinctive.
Although slightly fearful, if observed closely, one would notice Raine's expression held more surprise!
Yes, if someone were observing from the side, they'd see Raine's expression was far more joyful than fearful at the moment.
"It's really a Wild Boar Warrior?"
"Weren't they said to almost never venture out of the Valley of Dead Water?" Raine couldn't help recalling a brief mention from the Basic Monster Atlas.
Yet, Raine's joy was short-lived as he immediately glanced at his three companions.
Though he coveted the Wild Boar Warrior's bloodline, he clearly knew he fundamentally couldn't take on the Wild Boar Warrior alone.
The battle mainly depended on how the elite squad members responded.
Of course, Raine knew well that given the current situation, it's fortunate Chris and the others haven't scattered yet.
This unexpected occurrence was quite significant.
Significant enough that even an elite squad would likely face collapse.
Huh?
Raine raised an eyebrow.
Because he noticed Chris and the others not only lacked intent to retreat but also showed firm combat resolve!
"Fabian, use the crossbow arrows to disrupt! Don't let it charge up!"
"Grande, you left, I go right!"
"Raine, don't forget the spellcasting!"
Saying that, Chris clashed his sword and shield together, knocking it a few times, and yelled loudly, as if taunting the opponent.
This scene made Raine redefine his understanding of the Howling Hunter Squad's elite status.
"Wait, is it because abandoning here means Reya will fall into peril?"
Raine quickly thought of a reason why the group didn't retreat.
But soon, he shook his head, dismissing the thought.
With the enemy at hand, his focus was essential.
Besides, for him, this was undoubtedly a good thing.
After all, he absolutely wouldn't get the chance to obtain the Wild Boar Warrior's bloodline without battling it.
Even if the final outcome might be unfavorable, it was still a chance, right?
"Damn humans... actually killed Thorn Fang's subordinates... fine, feel Thorn Fang's fury!"
The Wild Boar Warrior, here due to the death of his men, quickly got enraged by Chris's provoking actions, and roared indistinctly in a deep voice.
"Whiz!"
Just as the opponent rapidly approached and neared the targeted area, Raine unleashed a Freezing Ray.
Amidst the blue-white beam hitting the muddy, slippery soil, instantly, a large area several meters in front of the Wild Boar Warrior turned a bright white as a layer of centimeter-thick ice appeared.
It succeeded!
Just as Raine and the others thought the Wild Boar Warrior would follow the prior two Wild Boar's path, slipping on ice.
Suddenly!
Instead, it made a swift direction change with a rapid charge, skimming the four-five-meter diameter frozen ground edge, lowering its head, aiming its tusks, and rush Chris like a raging bull.
What!
"Iron Wall!!"
Chris's pupils shrank, he immediately crouched with bent knees, with both hands holding the shield, performed a sort of shield-related Combat Skill, placing the Kite Shield in front.
"Boom!!"
But confronting the Wild Boar Warrior's substantial momentum and impact force, Chris was instantly struck high into the air.
Chris fell heavily, sitting down on the grass, sliding a few meters before barely stopping; two deep tusk puncture marks clearly visible on the Kite Shield.
Seeing this, Raine wore a solemn expression.
He could distinctly see Chris's shield-holding left hand was visibly twisted, showing apparent signs of a fracture.
Just one collision rendered a Quasi-Warrior Adventurer executing a Combat Skill almost completely lose combat ability—is that what Challenge Level two combat power is?
Damn!
Nearby, Fabian also widened his eyes, with a hand crossbow aimed at the ice-covered area.
He thought the Wild Boar Warrior would slip on the ice, so he planned to shoot the crossbow when it rose again, thereby disrupting or even halting its second attack momentum.
But plans couldn't keep up with changes!
This miscalculation made the situation increasingly dire.