The logistics warehouse wasn't too far from my house, so after roughly ten minutes of walking, I arrived at a place that seemed like an abandoned warehouse.
Around the warehouse were men and women, less privileged like me, walking about, trying to earn a living for themselves.
Glancing towards the far-off distance, I noticed a truck that was being loaded. Around the truck were three men with light bulletproof vests on their bodies.
After some deliberation, I approached them. The moment I reached them, I spoke without an ounce of hesitation.
"I'd like to join the escort team for tonight."
The moment my voice resounded, the three men who were casually discussing paused their movements and turned to look at me.
The first man, with a round face, scrutinized me closely and shook his head dismissively.
"You're not fit for the work, boy. Give it up."
"I'd like to join the escort team for tonight," I reaffirmed, signaling that I didn't want to deliberate on my actions.
The second man, who looked slightly muscular, paused while looking at me, and noticing the resolution in my eyes, he shook his head and muttered under his breath.
"Kids who think they can make quick bucks."
The third man clicked his tongue, then pointed toward a distant room.
"Go pick a protective vest over there. We'd be going in thirty minutes. Get yourself a weapon to protect yourself there as well."
After he finished advising, the trio no longer paid any attention to me as they continued their discussions.
Swiftly, I walked to the room and picked a protective vest along with a spear before returning to them.
They glanced at me for a few seconds but didn't say anything about my choice of weapon.
Time gradually drifted by, and as the time for our departure drew nearer, so did the pounding of my heart increase.
This would be the first time I'd be facing a dungeon beast. I didn't know what to expect, and I wasn't certain if I was strong enough to handle this.
I'd prepared enough, so I'd just see everything through. I can't remain a coward forever.
Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the first man from before.
"Get into the truck, we'd be going!"
Snappily, I turned around and realized that the other two were already at the back of the truck, just beside the goods we were meant to escort.
Taking a deep breath, I entered the truck and found a place that was slightly more comfortable than normal before taking a seat.
The man who had called me crosschecked everything briefly before shutting the door tight, submerging us all in darkness.
I felt the vehicle vibrate slightly before feeling it begin to move.
Gradually, the truck moved with little to no obstruction. Along the way, my mind couldn't help drifting when suddenly…
Bang!
The sound of something heavy colliding with the truck sliced through the silence of the night.
"There's a monster up front!" a voice came through something akin to a speaker, and it was clear that it was the driver informing us.
"Got it!" one of the men shouted before taking what seemed to be a sharp rod and slamming the door open.
The other two followed behind him.
They didn't bother much with me, as they were probably thinking I'd be deadweight or a burden. However, I still followed behind them.
Taking out the E-rank dagger from my back and holding the spear I had taken earlier, I quickly caught up to them.
Arriving at the front of the truck, my breath caught in my throat as I noticed the monstrosity I'd only seen on television!
A massive boar that towered about six meters tall, with dark red eyes and sharp brown tusks dripping drool and saliva.
The boar growled at us as it slowly approached.
"Everyone be on high alert! It's likely a level 2 demon boar!" one of the men shouted, and I noticed the three men circling the beast, ready to strike at any time.
Pondering slightly, I quickly hid slightly behind the truck and activated my Eye of Insight to study the traits of the beast.
[Boar Devil: Level 3 (Injured)]
[Skills: Sonic Roar, Earth Rupture.]
[Warning: Dangerous!]
"What?" I was startled at the fact that the boar wasn't a level 2 beast as they thought but one at level 3. Although it was injured, its strength couldn't be underestimated!
Besides… if such a beast could be injured… then what about the beast responsible for injuring it?
Just as I had this thought, a terrifying howl resounded, piercing through the night sky.
Awooooo!
Bright red eyes that sent chills down my spine appeared from the woods.
Before I could react, a scream echoed.
Bang!
The boar had attacked. With a stomp of its foot, the ground where one of the men stood caved in. Taking advantage of the sudden chaos, the boar rapidly approached with large strides and sent a claw slamming in his direction.
Bang!
The man could barely defend himself before his head was smashed apart like a watermelon.
The other two froze in shock at the sudden assault. Meanwhile, the driver and the passenger who were watching everything unfold widened their eyes in terror and shock.
"It… it's an ambush!"
Clang!
The sound of a wolf's sharp claws digging into the truck echoed in their ears.
Meanwhile, back at the scene of the fight, the boar turned around and scanned its surroundings before its gaze landed on me.
Growling, it approached with slow and steady steps. In no time, the boar was already upon me, its claw slamming down with brutal efficiency.
Rolling on the ground, I managed to dodge the attack, but in the process, I dropped the spear I was holding. However, due to my tightened grip on the dagger, I didn't drop it.
The boar stomped its foot on the ground, and I felt the earth tremble fiercely. Just as I was about to stand up, I lost my balance.
The boar rushed up to me and slammed its paw forward.
Seeing my life flash before my eyes at such a massive paw heading my way, I instinctively used a skill. The only skill I had.
Just as I expected the boar's paw to strike me, as I had already closed my eyes and awaited my death, I felt everything freeze.
Seeing that I wasn't dead yet, I slowly opened my eyes and noticed that the boar was just inches away from me, its claw barely inches from my face.
I could feel the threat of death engulfing me, but at the same time, a realization dawned on me.
Glancing down, I noticed a tiny strand of shadow connecting us together.
The shadow was slowly thinning out as though it might snap at any moment.
Understanding what had happened, I hastily used my trembling hand to slam the dagger into the chest of the boar.
At the same time, the string of shadow finally snapped in half. At that exact moment, I hastily withdrew my dagger and dodged rapidly toward the back.
Roarrrr!!!
The boar's pain-filled scream echoed throughout the night sky.
A red notification from the system appeared in my line of sight.
[Skill has gone into cooldown.]
[Cooldown Time: 5 seconds.]
Immediately, my heartbeat shot up.
The boar turned its glowing red eyes to stare at me, and I could feel the intense hatred bubbling within them.
'You've got to be kidding me. I have to survive against that thing for 5 seconds?'