An autumn breeze rustles through the forest.
In the Brandivian Forest, far beyond the western walls of Ves-Dinas, leaves in shades of yellow, brown, and red blanket the vast woodland. The densely grown beech trees have shed countless leaves, covering the ground, while those still clinging to the branches have turned golden yellow and deep red, transforming the forest into its autumnal garb.
Beneath the shadowed, cool earth, where the sun is blocked by overhanging branches, the scent of damp soil mingles with the fragrance of dew-laden grass, adding a sweet aroma to the forest, different from that of flowers.
Amid the tranquil woods, the sound of something roughly pushing through the underbrush disrupts the peace.
A beast with thick, dark brown, bristly fur. Its head is large and short, with a thick neck that connects directly to its body, and a snout protruding forward with a nose at the end.
This wild boar, known as the Altus Boar, is a creature found in most forests and mountains of the Esteta Kingdom due to its remarkable reproductive and adaptive abilities.
With a body length of 5 to 10 cuibits (2.5 to 5 meters), a height of 5 cuibits (2.5 meters), and a weight of up to 400 to 700 stones (400 to 700 kg), the Altus Boar is a large wild boar, three to four times bigger than an ordinary forest boar. Besides its size, it has another distinctive feature.
Unlike regular boars, the Altus Boar has two pairs of tusks growing from its upper jaw. While it also has a pair of large tusks on its lower jaw like its relatives, the upper tusks grow in a unique shape, curving upward toward the forehead between the eyes. Their purpose is unclear, but in some individuals, they branch into two or three prongs near the eyes, resembling the visor of a knight's helmet. For this reason, some people call the Altus Boar the "helmet boar."
"Over here! Boar!"
Nia's voice echoes through the forest.
Grunt -
An Altus Boar, happily munching on sweet fruits while pushing through the bushes, reacts to the unfamiliar sound with a wary grunt and turns its body toward Nia, who is shouting from a distance.
"Wow! It's a huge one!"
Nia exclaims in admiration, jumping high on the spot to express the joy of spotting such a large prey.
Squeeal -
In contrast, the Altus Boar, whose peaceful morning meal has been interrupted, lets out an angry squeal and charges fiercely toward Nia, kicking up the ground.
With its mouth wide open, revealing teeth stained purple from berry juice, the enormous boar rushes forward with a threatening roar. Yet, Nia's face shows nothing but overflowing confidence.
Suddenly, the sunlight reflects off the sharp tip of the spear in Nia's hand, catching the charging Altus Boar's eye and making it flinch, but its momentum doesn't stop as it continues toward Nia.
In Nia's hand is not the usual two-handed sword '180 Gold Coins' but a 3-cuibit (1.5m) long boar spear. The spear has a leaf-shaped blade with a pair of lugs below the tip.
The broad, thick blade is designed to inflict a large wound upon impact. This spear, made for both combat and hunting, has lugs that prevent a stabbed boar from charging at the user and also stop the blade from penetrating too deeply. In battle, the lugs can be used to hook and pull an enemy's shield. The boar spear is a favored weapon among both hunters and soldiers in the kingdom.
For Nia's first official request as a registered adventurer in Ves-Dinas, the task is to hunt an Altus Boar.
The adventurer's guild in the big city is always full of adventurers looking for work.
At the guild's reception desk, a man noticed that Nia was a newly registered adventurer and asked about the first request chosen. Upon hearing it was to hunt an Altus Boar in the western forest, the man generously advised, "If you're going to hunt a boar, you should take a boar spear. They didn't name the weapon 'boar spear' for nothing. You can get a good one at the armory for about 15 gold coins."
Thanks to that kind senior adventurer's advice, Nia now holds the purchased spear. Though plain and unadorned, the long, sharp blade, over two hand spans in length, is finely honed, even in Nia's small hands.
'Come a little closer...!'
Measuring the distance between the charging Altus Boar and the spear, Nia grips the shaft tightly and raises an arm high above the head.
The gap between Nia and the Altus Boar closes rapidly. The ground seems to shake with the heavy footsteps of the massive boar, and the sound of its fierce charge echoes through the forest.
"Hiyah!"
Lifting one foot and then stepping forward, Nia hurls the spear toward the charging giant boar.
Twisting the waist and upper body in a dynamic motion, the boar spear flies from the small Droko's hand with incredible speed, as if launched from a ballista that uses twisted fibers to propel large arrows.
Crack -
With a loud, heavy sound, the thick tusks growing toward the boar's forehead snap, and the boar spear, aimed straight at its head, embeds deeply into the massive beast's skull.
After a short squeal, the boar collapses, its chin hitting the ground, and slides forward, still heading toward Nia. But the Altus Boar, its life thread severed, continues to slide until it finally stops in front of Nia, accompanied by a cloud of dust.
"Kihihihi. Got you, king boar."
With a gleeful laugh, Nia pulls the boar spear from the boar's head.
Unlike a regular javelin, a boar spear has a large, heavy tip, making it difficult to throw without considerable skill and strength. Typically, it is used for thrusting or swinging by hand.
The man at the adventurer's guild who recommended the boar spear probably didn't expect Nia to throw it at the charging boar's head instead of attacking from the side to target its vital spots.
Satisfied, Nia circles the dead Altus Boar, assessing its size, then stops and takes a deep breath. Exhaling, Nia shouts loudly.
"Karka! I caught one over here!"
Nia's voice rings through the forest. Startled by the shout, a few small birds take flight from their perches, and in the distance, the sound of a cart's wheels and horses' hooves can be heard.
"Nia!"
Sitting on a cart pulled by two horses, Gravel waves to Nia, who stands beside the Altus Boar's carcass, and drives the cart closer.
"What do you think? It looks bigger than the one you caught."
Nia crosses arms with a confident expression, waiting for Gravel's cart to approach.
"Hmm, let's see."
Gravel stops the cart and examines the fallen Altus Boar. Unbeknownst to Nia, Gravel's attitude and tone have become more relaxed over time.
Nia's ability to break down others' emotional barriers has worked its magic in a short period.
"Wow, this is quite a size... It might take a while to butcher it. From the wound, it looks like you used that new spear?"
"Yes. Master Iris said it's good to try different weapons. And the bald adventurer at the guild recommended the boar spear."
"Iris seems to be teaching well. Maybe I should try other weapons sometimes too..."
Gravel briefly touches the hilt of the sword at the waist, then moves the hand to draw a uniquely shaped short knife from the belt.
"What do you think? It's a new skinning knife I bought. I heard Altus Boars are quite large, so I got one specialized for skinning."
The knife has a thick, wide, black blade with a rounded, half-moon shape instead of a pointed tip, attached to a short handle—an unusual design.
"I used it to butcher the Altus Boar I caught before coming here. The shape is unique, so it took some time to get used to, but it performs well."
"Ooh!"
Nia stares at the skinning knife in Gravel's hand, trying to memorize its appearance for when they return to Ves-Dinas to buy one.
"You should wait until you're accustomed to your current knife before buying another."
Seeing Nia's face filled with desire to purchase, Gravel speaks while using the knife to skin the boar.
"Yes... yes... I was thinking of getting a spare."
"(Not planning to skip buying it, huh...) Even though you received quite a bit of money from the Grand Duke, you should still be frugal."
"I understand..."
Nia's shoulders slump as much as the mood, and Nia trudges closer to help with the butchering.
"Hmm. Just this once. A knife this good is indeed rare, so it's worth having one."
"Kihihihi, got it."
With Nia's joyful laughter in the background, Gravel and Nia focus on butchering the Altus Boar.
"The request was... the liver, gallbladder, heart, and as much meat as possible, right?"
"Yes, Karka."
Gravel recalls the request details while skillfully cutting between the skin and flesh with the sharp knife.
"Is the hide not needed? It seems like decent quality, even if a bit rough. Let's skin it cleanly and take it with us. The merchant guild might give us a fair price."
"Understood, Karka."
After repeating the process of skinning, cutting the meat, and loading it onto the cart several times, they finally move to a nearby forest stream to wash off the blood.
"Iris seems to be training you well."
Gravel observes the flow of mana in Nia's body while sheathing the skinning knife.
"Yes, Karka. Master Iris said that starting tomorrow, I'll learn Master Lecküchner's swordsmanship."
"Hmm? (Lecküchner? I've heard that name before...) Ah, that's great."
"Kihihi."
"Compared to when I saw you before, your mana has noticeably increased. Hmm... Soon, you might be able to handle level 1 magic..."
"Magic! Karka! Are you saying you'll teach me magic now!?"
Nia's eyes flash with excitement as Nia shouts toward Gravel.
"Haha. Not today, but I'll teach you the basic training methods for learning magic."
Although Gravel could easily teach Nia magic using spell imprints, Gravel wanted to teach Nia magic step by step from the basics.
Since joining Diala's cart to escort the statue, Nia had trained with Iris on the way to Ves-Dinas, and the results were remarkable. Not only had Nia's mana grown, but the ability to wield a sword had also improved rapidly.
It would be interesting to watch Nia grow gradually, gaining experience over time.