The wild boar monster's strength didn't lie in brute force or speed.
Its real threat was its bizarre leaping power and absurd durability.
Even after being pierced twice by Earth Spikes deeply, it was still teeming with vitality.
The monster staggered awkwardly as it fled toward the outskirts, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.
Ur followed closely behind, tracking the blood path, but he was careful not to get too close. After all, a cornered pig could still be dangerous.
He didn't want to risk a dying beast suddenly turning around and lashing out. But even though he slowed his pace deliberately, he still caught up pretty quickly.
The blood loss was starting to take its toll. At first, the monster had managed to pull away using bursts of energy. But now, it was running out of steam fast.
After all, not every creature can bleed for seven days straight and live to tell the tale.
The more blood it lost, the more unsteady its gait became.
Eventually, the wild boar monster could barely stand. It staggered with every step, looking like it would topple over at any moment.
Seeing this, Ur was tempted to strike.
More than once, he considered attacking, but in the end, he restrained himself.
What if this pig lashes out in its final moments and injures me?
With that thought in mind, Ur chose to tail it cautiously instead.
Thirty minutes passed.
The boar monster wobbled forward for a solid thirty minutes, always on the verge of collapsing, but never quite falling.
It was enough to drive Ur mad.
Just when he was about to lose patience and finally attack, the boar, who had been acting half-dead this whole time, suddenly darted its eyes around.
Then, in one swift motion, it bolted into a nearby wooded hill.
Ur: "…"
The hell?! Isn't it illegal for animals to turn into scheming bastards after civilization starts?
Ur's handsome face turned a little green as he watched the boar vanish into the woods.
These days, men don't act like men, and women don't act like women.
And now even pigs were no longer pigs.
Is there no honesty left in this godforsaken world?
Ur felt betrayed by reality itself.
Back when he only watched anime, he used to think this fantasy world was full of naïve idealists, sometimes unbelievably so.
But now?
A pig just outsmarted him.
So what about the real powerhouses of this world?
This incident made Ur realize one thing.
This world… was dangerous.
He had once hoped to rely on his modern knowledge and IQ to dominate this world. So much for steamrolling the world with "superior transmigrator intelligence."
In the blink of an eye, he'd gone from a "prodigious chosen one" to a "weak, pitiful, helpless... but also kinda hungry" transmigrator.
It's all that damn pig's fault. If not for it, how could I have ended up like this?
Utterly unwilling to take the blame, Ur shoved the responsibility onto the wild boar monster.
Maybe it's not that everyone in this world is sharp… maybe this pig's just an outlier.
As soon as that possibility crossed his mind, his expression turned serious again.
It's definitely a monster. I have to finish it off today. Otherwise, it'll become a serious threat in the future.
Ur's eyes hardened with resolve.
Originally, he had been considering not going into the woods. Even if there was no such thing as "don't enter forests at night" in this world, that didn't mean it was a good idea.
But now, he had no choice.
Sure, the pig was smart.
But it wasn't human; it couldn't treat its wounds.
So, even after escaping into the woods, the blood trail continued clearly.
Ur followed the trail into the forest.
And sure enough, the deeper he went, the more unnerving things became.
It was every bit as creepy as expected.
Pitch black.
Dead silent.
Even the smallest sounds echoed like thunderclaps.
Ur felt like a tightly wound spring, flinching at every rustle. If this went on much longer, he worried he'd mentally snap before even finding the monster.
Luckily, that didn't happen.
Shortly after entering the forest, he reached the end of the blood trail. Following it closely, Ur spotted the wounded boar monster huddled in a small cave.
It was covered in mud. Because of the mud's sealing effect, the bleeding had noticeably slowed.
Ur had hoped to launch one final sneak attack and end things cleanly.
But that idea was impossible now.
Setting aside terrain and range, the boar's alertness was on a whole different level now.
Wild animals had way sharper senses than humans. The only reason his previous ambushes had worked was that the boar had grown too cocky.
But now?
Forget surprise attacks. The moment Ur so much as shifted a leaf, the boar's head snapped up, scanning the area with cold, wary eyes.
Seeing this, Ur gave up on sneaking around and walked out in the open.
The moment it saw Ur, the boar's expression twisted with rage.
It rose slowly to its feet, muscles tensing. One hoof scraped at the ground menacingly. A guttural growl rumbled from its throat.
Ur stepped forward cautiously, eyes locked on the creature, slowly adjusting to find the maximum spellcasting range.
Suddenly, a roar exploded in the air.
The monster charged.
The boar roared and lunged at him, jaws wide and tusks gleaming.
"ROAAAAAR!!"
The sudden ferocity startled Ur, delaying his casting speed by a second or two.
But fortunately, he'd kept his distance for this exact reason. Before the monster could close the gap, Ur's magic circle lit up brilliantly.
A blue glow lit up the darkness. Magic power surged.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three bullets of water shot out from the circle like high-speed projectiles.
Basic Water Magic, Water Bullet!