Ethan was starving after merely a couple of hours.
But, in the same way his body healed and performed unnaturally, it also required more fuel, especially if he wanted to recover his strength to satisfy the single daunting objective of this trial.
'So what do I eat…?'
His question seemed to prompt the forest to produce his next foe, as moments later, he sensed movement in the trees beneath him.
It started with heavy footsteps, then snorting and deep breathing.
Ethan froze.
A massive shape emerged from the underbrush - a hulking beast with a thick, bristled hide and curved red tusks that looked more like weapons from hell than teeth.
'A boar?'
It had dense muscles and was massive, with scars all over its body. Its eyes were small, beady, and dark as it rooted through the forest floor before turning toward the river.
'That's one big beast... and those red tusks.'
It lumbered closer to the water, grunting as it drank.
Thankfully, it didn't have enhanced senses like the Ulfen and seemed completely unaware of him, or at least pretending to be.
'There's no way this is a coincidence.'
The timing was too perfect, with the system giving him a hint on how to recover, and then it made an appearance. Aside from that, so far, he had only encountered one beast at a time, as if they were stages of a game.
He was certain this forest had plenty more beasts, many of which would treat him as nothing more than a snack, yet this was only the third he'd laid eyes on after hours.
It felt… curated.
Like someone was watching, guiding, and enjoying the show.
Ethan swallowed.
He didn't have the luxury of questioning it.
A window appeared above the beast's head.
{Beast Status}
{Race: Bloodtusk Boar
Growth Stage: Prime
Beast Rank: E+
Strength: 16
Speed: 16
Stamina: 16
MP: 6/6}
'I guess the race name makes sense, but those stats...'
Ethan knew taking down this thing would not be easy.
Its attributes were balanced with no obvious weaknesses. It was also stronger than both the beasts he had faced so far, at least in terms of stats.
His grip tightened on the rock in his hand. Perched in a small tree, Ethan held his breath as the boar finished drinking and turned back toward the forest.
This was his chance.
'If I don't eat… I definitely won't last.'
And night was coming, which he was sure would make this hell even worse.
'Fuck it,' he prepared himself. 'It's not like shit can get much worse.'
He waited, and time seemed to slow.
One step.
Another.
The moment the boar was within range and directly beneath the tree he was in, Ethan leapt.
'Beast Assimilation!'
Wolfy's power surged through him mid-fall, and his body sharpened, instincts screaming.
He raised the rock overhead and brought it down with everything he had.
Crack!
The impact reverberated up his arm, shooting into his shoulder before rattling his entire body. Pain exploded through his wrist, which took the brunt of the shock.
It felt like smashing a pebble against a boulder.
The boar barely staggered.
Its skull absorbed the blow, hide thick, bone dense.
'So much for a surprise attack.'
It let out a furious grunt, shaking its head as Ethan landed hard in front of it. His knees screamed in protest, his ankles nearly buckling, but he regained footing and quickly backed away.
Up close, the beast was terrifying.
Easily over a hundred kilograms of muscle and rage.
Its blood-red tusks angled toward him, their points reflecting light and causing Ethan's heart to skip a beat.
Their eyes locked, the beast's breath was hot and intense.
'Maybe I should've stayed in the tree.'
The thought barely finished before Ethan turned and ran.
Straight for the river.
Facing that thing head-on in his condition was suicide. He sprinted while the boar was still recovering from being stunned by his attack, lungs burning, legs screaming.
He dived into the water without hesitation, greeted by a wave of cold.
The current tugged, but he pushed through, swimming hard.
In just a few seconds, he crossed it, hauling himself onto the opposite bank and scrambling to his feet.
'Thank God,'
His heart pounded, but he was glad some aquatic beast hadn't bitten him. The boar stood on the other side, snorting furiously as it locked eyes with him again.
Ethan laughed, breathless.
"Hah - fuck you, piggy. What, scared of water?"
The boar stared at him for a moment, then it jumped into the river.
Ethan's heart dropped.
Wild boars were excellent swimmers, and he learnt that the hard way.
The beast tore through the river with terrifying speed, water churning as it crossed faster than Ethan had.
"Oh, shit-!"
Ethan didn't wait to admire its swimming ability.
He turned and ran as fast as his legs could carry him, deeper into the forest.
This side felt wrong and caused him to feel on edge, but behind him thundered hooves and fury, so he couldn't exactly turn back.
He zigzagged between trees, hoping the dense forest would slow it down.
Boars were fast, but they were bulky and shouldn't turn well, right?
But he quickly found out that no matter how hard he tried, getting away from the Bloodtusk Boar wasn't going to be easy...
-
Ethan ran.
Branches whipped past his face, roots blurred beneath his feet, and his lungs burned like they were on fire. But behind him, the forest thundered.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Each impact of the boar beast's hooves echoed through his bones.
With Beast Assimilation active, there was no escaping it.
He could hear it - every furious snort, every heavy footfall tearing up the earth.
He could smell it - hot, musky, wild rage closing in fast.
Too fast.
'It's right on me.'
Within seconds, it was practically breathing down his neck.
Running like this was pointless.
Even at his best, he couldn't outrun or outlast this beast in a straight chase. And right now? He was exhausted, half-starved, bleeding, and running on borrowed strength.
'If I keep this up, those red tusks will...'
His mind snapped into focus.
'So what do I have that the wild piggy doesn't?'
Another heavy breath sounded behind him, this time uncomfortably close.
'…A fucking brain.'
He formulated a plan in a heartbeat and committed to it instantly.
The boar surged forward.
Ethan felt a tusk graze his hip, tearing fabric and skin alike. Pain flared, but instead of panic, a wild grin spread across his face.
A grin that said he'd either die spectacularly…
Or flip this hunt on its head.
He sprinted straight toward a tree.
Not just any tree.
The thickest one he could see.
'Keeping chasing. Come closer.'
The boar's field of view was dominated by his back - his body blocking everything ahead of it.
And even if it wasn't, wild boars had terrible eyesight.
They were near-sighted, had poor depth perception, and relied more on smell and momentum than vision.
That was exactly what he needed.
At the last possible second, just before he was about to get skewered after running face-first into the tree, Ethan jumped. He sprang straight up and threw his legs wide, forcing them apart mid-air, almost doing a split.
The world seemed to slow as his plan came to fruition.
Beneath him, the boar charged straight through where he'd been a heartbeat earlier.
It didn't stop simply because it couldn't.
Momentum carried it forward, then...
BOOM!
The crash shook the forest.
Its crimson tusks struck first, slamming into the tree with monstrous force. Instead of snapping, the hardened ivory bit deep, embedding itself into the trunk.
The impact rattled the beast from head to spine.
It let out a stunned, furious squeal.
Meanwhile, Ethan landed on its back casually, the boar's bristled hide pricking his skin.
"I can't believe that actually worked," he muttered, half laughing.
But celebrating could wait, and he leapt off immediately.
This was the best-case scenario he had foreseen in the plan that he had formulated on the fly.
Either the tusks would break, eliminating its primary means of attack. Or, like now, the boar would be stuck.
"Thank God again," Ethan breathed.
The boar thrashed violently, trying to rip its tusks free as the tree groaned under the strain.
Ethan scanned the ground desperately for something he could use.
There were no rocks, sharp branches, or even a bone; he would take anything after losing his weapon crossing the river.
"Shit. Come on, come on…"
Before him, the boar roared, muscles bulging as it tore at the tree, fury building.
"Damn, this piggy is durable," Ethan growled. "And fucking angry."
That's when his eyes dropped and locked onto its legs. They were thick and muscular, but still very much exposed when compared to its massive upper body.
It was the only weakness he could see, and he was going to exploit it as best as he could...