Two weeks had passed since Zamel began his preparations, using every moment to improve his chances of success. In that time, he had gathered valuable information about the giant boar—the final obstacle standing between him and freedom.
The first thing he learned was its habits. The boar would leave its cave for only short periods, hunting any creature near its territory. If no prey was available, it would resort to foraging, using its two massive tusks as shovels to unearth root vegetables and mushrooms. It even used magic to locate food underground. The creature was a glutton, often hauling large amounts of food back to its cave.
From these observations, Zamel deduced that the boar likely had an attribute in Earth Element. To confirm this, he went out to find and lured a slightly weaker beast into its territory to watch them fight. Turns out, his suspicion was correct.
However, the knowledge he gained about its offensive abilities did not make him feel any better. The giant boar possessed two attack skills related to its elemental attribute and what was even more alarming was its precise control over the element. He witnessed thow it manipulated the ground to drift mid-charge, allowing it to turn sharply and avoid crashing. This meant that using trees and cave walls as traps to force the giant to a collision was out of the question.
He also discovered the function of the small horn between the boar's eyes. It served as a catalyst for its two ranged attacks. The first skill was a short-range blast of sharp stone shards, similar to a shotgun. The second skill, which was by far its most dangerous attack, involved forming a long stone spear and launching it like a missile with deadly accuracy over a great distance.
Fortunately, the giant boar did not seem to possess any buffing abilities to enhance its strength, defense, or speed. Additionally, it lacked any crowd-control skills that could stagger or immobilize its enemies.
He continuously lured countless beasts toward its lair. This approach allowed him to both study the boar's combat prowess and weaken it over time. He started by sending in lone predators, but they proved ineffective. The boar was built to counter solitary hunters, and most importantly, he uncovered its primary strategies for both offense and defense.
Its first method of attack was a sudden burst of speed, attempting to impale its target with its massive tusks before they had a chance to dodge. If that failed, the boar would engage head-on, baiting its opponent into a strength contest. Any beast that took the bait would immediately be blasted at point-blank range by its stone shard attack. The sheer force of this ability was devastating at close range—often killing its target outright or severely injuring them.
As for its long-range stone spear attack, Zamel discovered it through sheer luck. One day, while he and Ulfram were hunting for food, a large hawk-like bird with gray feathers and black talons suddenly swooped down to attack them. Coincidentally, they were near the boar's territory, and the bird was unaware of the danger lurking nearby. He was lucky enough to lead the bird to the giant boar, who was outside of its cave at the time and was trying to find food.
The giant boar quickly detected the large bird without discovering Zamel and his first bond because the bird was too distracting and made no effort to hide its presence. The moment the bird came into view, the boar—having already activated its second skill—fired the stone spear without hesitation. The unlucky bird had no time to react and was impaled mid-flight.
Zamel quickly retreated, concealing himself as he watched the boar haul the bird's corpse back to its cave—along with the mushrooms and root vegetables it had gathered.
Having confirmed the boar's habits and abilities, Zamel and Ulfram wasted no time training themselves by hunting countless beasts to improve their proficiency in their respective skills.
Days passed as they tirelessly hunted lone predators and even boldly fought beasts in groups. Through these battles, Zamel quickly gained experience with his only attack skill—Predatory Strike—which enhanced both his attack power and speed, regardless of whether he was thrusting, slashing, or striking with his weapons.
He also trained his only stealth skill, which was Prowl. This skill boosts his first strike against his foe as long as they didn't detect or aware of Zamel, this greatly enhances his attack power further giving him more chances of success in killing the boar.
While his two perception skills were also proved invaluable. Share Senses heightened his awareness, allowing him to detect monsters lurking nearby and track their movements more effectively. In combat, it helped him read his enemies, giving him precious moments to anticipate their attacks and react accordingly.
However, his most weirdest skill—Predator's Instinct—proved to be the most valuable in combat. Like Share Senses, it enhanced his perception, pairing it with the boost he can get while using his first perception skill, his senses became more formidable, although at a cost, the information he can gather while using his senses is a bit too much against his mind which causes him to have a headache.
But he didn't hesitate to use both of them at the same time, reasoning that the better he can handle these two skills, the more effective he can become in combat.
Now, what made Predator's Instinct so strange was that, not only did it boost his fives senses —sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch—it also enhances his "sixth sense" which was his gut feeling that warns hims from approaching danger, even if he couldn't detect where and who it will came from.
For example, during his early, unsuccessful attempts at hunting, he resorted to eating berries he found growing in the forest. Suspecting that it might be poisoned he activated Share Senses but didn't sense anything suspicious in the berry, so he deactivated it and used Predator's Instinct. Instantly, a deep, unsettling feeling of dread crept over him, as if his instincts were screaming at him to stop. To test his intuition, he hesitantly brought the berry to his lips—only for the warning sensation to flare up even stronger. Without hesitation, he tossed the berry away.
Ulfram—curious about his master's reaction—sniffed the berry before devouring it without issue. Did he find out why he had that feeling, through their bond, Zamel learned that the berry indeed contained poison, though its potency was slightly weaker than Ulfram's own venom. He even informed through their connection in delight that the berry was actually delicious, carrying an intensely sweet flavor.
When Zamel asked about the specific effects of the poison, Ulfram responded with confusion. To him, poison is poison—there were no distinctions and through their bond, Zamel could sense his first bond silently judging him for asking such a simple question.
Disappointingly, Zamel hadn't gained any skills related to throwing weapons, although he had significantly improved his accuracy and technique with the wooden spears he had tirelessly carved and practiced with.
However, it wasn't just Zamel who had grown stronger over the past two weeks—Ulfram had undergone explosive growth. Previously the size of a small dog, he had now grown to an imposing stature, comparable to a large canine. His claws and fangs had lengthened and sharpened, giving him a far more menacing appearance. His scorpion-like tail had also extended, becoming more flexible, and its venomous thorn had transformed—now resembling the deadly tip of a spear.
Ulfram had also gained valuable experience in his skills. During their moments of rest, as they communicated through their bond, Zamel discovered that his companion possessed three skills
The first was his only stealth skill, one that Zamel had witnessed Ulfram using on their very first day in the forest. However, it was far superior to Zamel's own stealth skill. Unlike Prowl, which merely lessened the sound he made while also enhancing the offensive power of his sneak attacks and giving him information to be more sneaky, Ulfram's skill not only muffled his movements but also allowed him to blend seamlessly into his surroundings, altering the color of his scales to camouflage himself.
The most unsettling aspect, however, was that when Ulfram activated his stealth, even when Zamel knew exactly where he was, it felt as if his companion's very existence had been erased—as if he had vanished from reality itself.
Ulfram's second skill was one of his attack skill—it enhanced the potency of his venom while also boosting his attack power and speed. This made it highly effective in bypassing enemy defenses and inflicting deep wounds, ensuring his venom could take hold.
However, his third skill was by far the most valuable, one that would determine the success of Zamel's plan. This ability granted Ulfram control over his venom, whether inside his own body or within an enemy. He could delay its activation, keeping it dormant within his target, enhance its potency with his magic, and even direct it toward specific organs to maximize its lethality.
Zamel was thrilled upon learning this and quickly revised his plans. Now, he began hunting and foraging for the foods the giant boar preferred, tossing them near the cave entrance and observing its reaction. Fortunately, the creature never bothered to inspect the food—it simply gathered everything and carried it inside.
He repeated this process multiple times, and each time, the boar continued to collect the offerings without suspicion. Growing confident, he instructed Ulfram to inject a minuscule amount of venom into one of the freshly hunted corpses before tossing it toward the cave once more. As expected, the boar—oblivious to the danger—hauled the tainted food inside without a second thought.
Encouraged by this, Zamel gradually increased the amount of venom in the food with each attempt. Still, the giant boar consumed them eagerly, never stopping to inspect its mysterious meals.
However, there was a critical limitation to Ulfram's ability—the farther he was from his venom, the harder it became to control, and if he moved too far, he would lose his connection to it entirely.
Concerned that this could jeopardize the plan, Zamel instructed Ulfram to direct his venom toward the boar's bladder each time he detected that it had entered the beast's body so that it could flush the venom out of its system. This required immense concentration and effort, but Ulfram handled it flawlessly, even going so far as to practice maneuvering his venom through the boar's internal organs.
Through this process, Ulfram not only honed his control over his ability but also gained a detailed understanding of the giant boar's anatomy, further increasing their chances of success.
With their progress, Zamel was satisfied with the level of proficiency they had gained through training. He was now confident that he could face the beast and had already begun the final phase of his preparations.
Currently, Zamel stood hidden among the branches of a tree, observing a family of beasts before him. Beside a majestic waterfall, a pack of wolves lay resting, claiming the area as their den. They lounged beside the water after a successful hunt, unbothered by the deafening roar of the cascading falls.
There were twelve wolves in total—eight adults, one of whom led the pack, and four pups. Their sleek blue fur shimmered in the sunlight, and they were equipped with two pairs of razor-sharp claws and formidable fangs. The breathtaking scenery, coupled with the elegance of the wolves, created a scene that looked like a masterpiece painted by a grand artist.
But Zamel gazed at them with cold determination, unmoved by their beauty. To him, they were nothing more than bait—pawns in his plan to kill the giant boar.
Right now, he was alone. He had left Ulfram behind to focus on controlling the venom inside the giant boar, which they had been steadily poisoning through tainted food over the past few days. Ulfram's task was to keep the venom dormant until Zamel had fulfilled his role.
Not wanting to waste another moment, Zamel hurled one of the wooden spears he had crafted at one of the pups. The spear cut through the air, flying unimpeded toward its helpless target.
The wolves barely had time to react before the spear found its mark. A sharp yelp echoed through the clearing as the pup collapsed, impaled. Blood pooled beneath its small frame, and its once-bright eyes dimmed into lifelessness.
A furious howl erupted from the pack, their sorrow turning instantly into rage. Five of the adult wolves immediately rushed toward the direction the spear had come from, while the remaining three stayed behind to protect the surviving pups.
When the enraged wolves reached the area, they found nothing but the faint scent of their prey.
Meanwhile, Zamel—the true culprit—was already fleeing at full speed. There was no guilt in his heart. He needed to push the wolves to the edge of their fury, ensuring they would act on instinct alone as they chased the monster responsible for their loss.
Zamel moved toward the cave from a different direction, deliberately avoiding the false trail he had laid to mislead the wolves toward the giant boar's lair. Before reaching the wolves' den, he had already scattered countless clues carrying the odor of another boar—one identical to his intended target.
Minutes passed by and he was able to reach the cave of the giant boar just in time before the wolves appeared in front of the entrance of the wolves.
The alpha, a wolf larger than the others, stood at the front. Its majestic blue mane rippled like the deep ocean, and its claws and fangs were noticeably sharper and longer than those of its packmates. It locked its gaze on the cave, where the scent of its target was strongest.
Throwing back its head, the alpha let out a thunderous howl, quickly joined by its packmates—a chilling announcement of their arrival.
Deep within the cave, the giant boar stirred. It had sensed the intruders trespassing on its domain. Stepping out into the open, it faced the wolves, seeing their aggression as a direct challenge to its dominance.
The alpha growled, its piercing eyes radiating fury. The other wolves swiftly moved into formation, surrounding the boar from all sides.
The boar, however, remained calm—its vigilant gaze analyzing the threat before it. Though the wolves were strong, it could tell they were weaker than itself. Their numbers posed the only real problem, but aside from that, the beast was confident it could handle them.
As the tension reached its peak, the wolves lunged toward the boar.
The battle had begun.
Hidden in the shadows, Zamel—the mastermind of this deadly encounter—watched the unfolding chaos with an unwavering gaze. His eyes searched for the right moment to strike.