Smack! Smack! Smack!
Three Water Bullets slammed directly into the boar monster's face, exploding on impact and forcing a pained howl from its throat.
As Ur's magic grew stronger and his mastery deepened, even the most basic spells were becoming far more potent in his hands.
"ROAR!!"
The boar monster shrieked madly. Its cries no longer resembled anything like an ordinary pig's squeal. Veins popped in its bloodshot eyes as it glared at Ur with unfiltered hatred.
Though the sudden volley of water bullets had stopped its charge, it did nothing to quell the creature's bloodlust. It only made it even more ferocious. After pausing for just a few seconds, it roared again and launched another charge straight at Ur.
"Basic Water Magic,Wa—" Ur instinctively began to chant, but he couldn't even form the magic circle.
In the blink of an eye, the monster had already closed the distance—now just five meters away.
The sudden burst of speed stunned Ur.
His face paled.
His mind went blank for a second.
It was a painful reminder.
He still lacked actual combat experience.
In tense, life-or-death moments like this, making the right decision instantly was not easy.
Fortunately, Ur's body reacted before his brain could.
With a burst of strength from his legs, he dove to the side just in time.
Bang!
The boar monster slammed into the tree behind him, shaking the trunk with a thunderous crash.
"ROAR!!"
But it didn't stop. It turned on a dime, snarling with blood-red eyes, and launched a third charge at Ur.
And this time, Ur couldn't dodge in time.
Crash!
The boar's tusks crashed into his thigh.
Ur was sent flying and tumbled hard onto the ground.
A sharp, searing pain exploded through his leg. It felt like he'd been hit by a speeding truck. His bones were nearly shattered.
The moment I get back… I'm learning hand-to-hand combat, for real!
Clutching his bleeding leg, that was the first clear thought that came to Ur's mind.
The truth was, with his current physical condition, he could have dodged that last charge. If he'd only known how to move properly.
But Ur's past life had been in a peaceful world.
Aside from a few scuffles when he was a kid, his body had never learned the instincts of battle.
"Rrghhhh…" The boar monster growled low.
After knocking Ur to the ground, it was ready to press its advantage and skewer the damn human for good.
Its body froze mid-step.
A sudden surge of pain ripped through its abdomen and lower body, halting its movements.
The mud it had used to plug its wounds had bought some time, but now, under the strain of intense movement, its gashes tore open again.
Ur could now vaguely see its intestines hanging from its stomach wound.
"ROAAAAR!!"
Sensing something wrong, the monster gave off a string of threatening roars. But behind those roars, it was slowly backing away.
It was trying to retreat.
The transformation into a monster had boosted the boar's intelligence, but with that came a fear of death it had never had before.
And right now, the boar knew; if it stayed here and kept fighting, it would die.
Its fighting spirit wavered. The murderous aura began to dissipate.
Ur's eyes gleamed. He drew in a sharp breath and began gathering what little magic he had left.
With a wave of his hands, a yellow magic circle rapidly formed beneath the boar's hooves.
Basic Earth Magic, Pitfall!
The moment the circle appeared, the boar realized something was wrong.
But it was already too late.
The ground beneath it vanished. In the blink of an eye, a massive pit several meters deep opened up, and the boar tumbled in with a panicked scream.
Ur brought his hands together once more.
Lower-Tier Magic, Earth Spike!
At the bottom of the pit, the yellow circle lit up. A sharpened earth spear shot up from the ground.
Squelch.
A massive spike of earth pierced straight through the monster's body.
"SKREEEEE!"
Its twitching corpse hung skewered on the stone spear. After a few final jerks, its limbs flailed briefly, then fell limp.
"Haaah…" Ur let out a long sigh.
That combo had taken everything he had.
Truth be told, it was his last resort.
If this set of spells hadn't worked, he'd have been the one lying in a pool of blood.
His magic was completely drained. Even the system's status panel showed his mana had hit zero.
His whole body ached with weakness and fatigue.
Magic, after all, was energy, intimately tied to the body. And now that he was drained, he felt like collapsing right then and there.
But just as that thought crossed his mind—
Rustle. Rustle.
A faint sound came from up ahead.
Ur's eyes snapped open, heart skipping a beat.
He forced himself to stay alert, slowly turning toward the sound. Then he saw it.
Another wild boar, one that looked exactly like the first monster.
It staggered out from deeper in the forest.
"Oh no…"
The moment Ur laid eyes on it, he knew.
This was bad. Very bad.
This new boar had magic power too.
The same type as the previous one.
It wasn't hard to guess. This was either its mate or another member of its tribe.
And worse, it was already intelligent.
Even after spotting Ur, it didn't back away.
Instead, it cautiously approached the edge of the pit.
Seeing this, Ur's heart dropped. A suffocating sense of impending death closed in on him.
No! I can't let it see the other boar's corpse. I have to strike first!
His mind made up, Ur forced his drained body to move. He began pushing himself to squeeze out every last drop of magic.
Right then, the second boar must've noticed Ur's actions. It stopped investigating the pit and started walking toward him.
Ur's panic surged.
He clenched his jaw, forcing his mind to focus. His spirit burst outward as he frantically constructed a magic circle.
The boar came closer.
And then, a flash of magical light burst to life in front of Ur!
But at that very moment, a vast, overwhelming black aura of magic exploded into view.
Boom!
The enormous surge of power devoured Ur's vision and filled his entire field of sight.