CHAPTER 38: The Price of Momentum
"Just as expected."
The thought flashed through Zodac's mind in the sliver of time that separated life from death.
The war hog charged like an unstoppable force of nature—five hundred pounds of warped muscle, iron-hard hide, and murderous instinct compressed into a single, furious trajectory. The ground trembled beneath its hooves, trees blurring past as it lowered its tusked head and committed fully to the kill.
Zodac did not retreat.
At the very last instant—so close that he could smell the hot, rancid stench of blood and beast—he twisted his body sideways. His foot slid against loose soil, his muscles screaming in protest as he forced them to obey. The wind of the creature's passage tore at his clothes, threatening to drag him along with it.
Then his arms moved.
Kogestu sang.
Not at the head.
Not at the neck.
Zodac brought the blade down at an angle, targeting the war hog's left leg just above the joint—where armor thinned and raw strength gave way to necessity.
The katana bit deep.
Blood exploded outward in a violent arc, dark and steaming as it splattered across bark, leaves, and Zodac's armor.
*RRROOOOOAAAARARRRR!*
The sound that followed was less a roar and more a scream—an expression of shock as much as pain. The war hog's momentum betrayed it. It tried to correct its charge, to pivot and crush its prey beneath its weight, but a creature built to run forward had lost the limb that anchored its speed.
Its wounded leg buckled.
The beast veered wildly, hooves digging trenches into the forest floor as it struggled to compensate. Blood poured freely now, slickening the ground beneath it. The war hog spun once, twice, then slammed shoulder-first into a massive tree with catastrophic force.
*THUMP.*
The impact echoed through the forest like thunder. Leaves rained down in a cloud as the tree bent grotesquely, its trunk splitting with a tortured groan. The war hog collapsed against it, the tree half-crumpled, the beast pinned awkwardly as it thrashed and snarled.
Zodac straightened slowly, chest heaving.
He turned to face it.
The war hog lay on its side now, massive body shuddering as it tried to rise. Its injured leg dragged uselessly beneath it, bone cracked, muscle torn beyond immediate repair. Still, its red eyes burned with undiminished hatred. Foam and blood dripped from its tusked mouth as it slammed its head repeatedly against the bent tree, desperate, enraged, refusing to accept defeat.
*Graaaaaggggghhhhhh…*
The sound was lower now—ragged, furious, defiant.
Zodac exhaled.
"Let's end it," he said quietly.
There was no triumph in his voice. Only resolve.
He adjusted his grip on Kogestu, placing both hands firmly around the hilt. His steps were measured as he approached, boots crunching against broken branches and churned soil. Blood smeared the ground beneath his feet, sticky and warm.
The war hog snapped its jaws at him, teeth clashing inches from his leg as it lunged weakly. Even crippled, it was terrifying—its bulk alone could crush him if it managed one last charge.
Zodac stopped just outside its reach.
"I know," he thought calmly, eyes scanning its form, "your head and back are armored. My blade won't pierce there easily."
His gaze dropped to the thick, exposed throat—strained, unprotected, pulsing with furious life.
"But you still breathe."
The war hog roared again, gathering what little strength it had left.
Zodac moved.
"Kogestu—Whirlwind."
Mana surged through the blade, the katana glowing faintly as power gathered along its edge. Zodac stepped forward and swung upward in a clean, decisive arc, starting low and rising with controlled ferocity.
The blade cut through flesh and bone as if slicing mist.
For a fraction of a second, the war hog's head remained attached—eyes wide, mouth open mid-roar.
Then it separated.
The head spun through the air, trailing a ribbon of blood before landing several feet away with a wet, final thud. The massive body convulsed once, twice, then collapsed fully to the ground.
Silence followed.
Zodac stood still as blood sprayed across his armor and face, warm droplets pattering against metal and skin. He lowered Kogestu slowly, the blade dripping crimson.
*Sigh.*
The sound escaped him before he realized it.
Relief washed over his battered body, loosening muscles clenched tight for far too long. He raised his arm and wiped blood from his cheek with the back of his hand, then let out a quiet, almost amused chuckle.
"Satisfying," he muttered.
His gaze drifted to the fallen head of the war hog, still bleeding into the soil, tusks stained dark.
"But if I keep surviving like this," he added, shaking his head faintly, "I may need to study myself more closely."
He turned fully toward the severed head and extended his hand.
"Hectorgon."
A massive hexagonal shield manifested beneath the head, lifting it cleanly from the ground. The construct hovered for a heartbeat before shrinking rapidly, compressing the head into a dense form of energy and matter before vanishing entirely.
The system panel flickered to life before his eyes.
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**ELEMENTAL WOOD — LV 19**
**(NEW ASSET CREATED)**
**(NEW ASSET ACQUIRED)**
**WAR CREST**
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Zodac's lips curved upward.
"Nice."
He glanced back at the hulking corpse, now nothing more than inert meat and bone. There was still value here—far too much to waste.
He knelt beside the body and began working with practiced efficiency. Using Kogestu, he carefully separated the war hog's hide—thick, armored, and scarred from countless battles. Each cut was deliberate, preserving the integrity of the material. Once freed, he stored the hide within his inventory, already calculating its worth.
"Traders will fight over this," he murmured.
When the hide was secured, Zodac sat back against a tree trunk, exhaustion finally catching up to him. His breathing slowed gradually as RAYGUST materialized in his hand, its familiar weight grounding him.
He pressed the blade into the corpse and began carving.
Chunk by chunk, he removed dense sections of mana-rich flesh and fed them into the orb embedded in his arm. The orb pulsed faintly with each offering, drinking deeply.
The system responded.
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**
Unstable Form of Mana
**
**
Purest Form of Mana
**
**
**
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Zodac paused mid-motion.
"Dark Mana?" he repeated quietly.
His brow furrowed as he stared at the notification. He resumed feeding the orb, eyes never leaving the panel.
"What exactly is dark mana?" he asked under his breath.
The orb pulsed more intensely.
"Whatever it is," Zodac said slowly, a spark of excitement igniting in his eyes, "this monster is loaded with it."
Chunks of flesh vanished into the orb one after another. The dark mana bar climbed steadily, glowing brighter with each addition. The air around his arm grew heavier, charged with something oppressive and volatile.
"This could be dangerous," he admitted, voice low. "But it could also be power."
Minutes stretched into nearly an hour as he continued the process, draining the war hog until a massive cavity remained in its torso. At last, the system chimed.
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**
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The orb flared briefly, emitting sharp, crackling sparks before stabilizing.
Zodac leaned back, breathing deeply.
"I need to get rid of it all," he said quietly. "Who knows what kind of catastrophe a creature like this could cause if left untouched."
Satisfied, he rose to his feet. With a final series of precise strikes, he cut the remaining carcass apart and left it scattered across the forest floor, a warning to lesser predators.
He cleaned his blade, sheathed Kogestu, and adjusted his pack.
Without another glance back, Zodac turned and continued toward the next town—stronger, scarred, and carrying power he did not yet fully understand.