Chapter 548 Wild Boar, Copper Rock, Evolution

Tremors.

Fine patters of dirt sifted down from the domed ceiling of the earthen burrow, dusting Xia Nan's soft, fluffy fur.

Beside him, similarly startled awake by the beast roars echoing from outside, the wolf pups whined and shivered, huddling tightly together as if that could grant them a shred of security.

Possessing normal human cognitive faculties, the current Xia Nan naturally didn't panic aimlessly like his littermates. Maintaining basic calm, he assessed their present predicament.

Judging by the low growls of wolves filtering in from outside and the absence of adult coyotes in the den...

In all likelihood, some ferocious and aggressive beast had intruded near the burrow.

So, should he continue staying inside the den?

The moment the thought surfaced, Xia Nan immediately dismissed it.

On one hand, if the pack truly came under attack from some beast, there were generally only two outcomes:

Either the beast would be driven off by the pack, or the pack would be routed by the beast.

If the former happened, needless to say, it would be a false alarm;

But if things took a turn for the worst and the adult coyotes were killed, then the pups hiding deep within the burrow would become trapped turtles in a jar.

With movement restricted by the terrain and their bodies tiny and frail, facing a ferocious beast capable of routing the wolf pack, none of them had any ability to resist except Xia Nan.

On the other hand, Xia Nan wasn't the type to sit idly by in the face of imminent danger and leave his safety entirely to fate.

Thoughts flickered through his mind, and his decision was already made.

Extending a paw to nudge aside the trembling ball of fluff crowding against him, he carefully crawled outward.

Before long, a round, furry head poked out cautiously from the entrance of the burrow.

Gray-blue wolf eyes gazed in the direction of the commotion.

It was the dead of night, and the only light source was the silvery moonlight filtering through the gaps in the canopy above.

But as nocturnal creatures, they naturally possessed excellent night vision.

Xia Nan was thus able to see everything unfolding on the field clearly.

It was an adult wild boar.

Under a meter tall at the shoulder, its coarse, stiff bristles were coated in dried mud and pine resin, forming a natural suit of armor that tightly concealed the dense, thick muscle beneath its hide.

The female's relatively short tusks curved only slightly upward. Accompanied by the shrill squeals characteristic of a boar, wisps of faint steam could be seen rising from its opening and closing snout.

They appeared to be in a standoff.

A full six coyotes currently encircled the wild boar in an ambush formation, front limbs bent, bodies crouched low in an attack posture, baring their teeth and growling.

Xia Nan observed very closely.

He could see several smaller, blurry figures lurking in the bushes behind the wild boar.

"She's also leading a few piglets?"

The pungent stench emitted by the boar flooded his nostrils with every breath. As his black, moist nose twitched, a thoughtful expression crossed his furry face.

It had to be acknowledged that the situation was far from optimistic.

Although they held a clear advantage in numbers—practically "six against one"—they were, after all, only coyotes. Facing a powerful woodland beast like a wild boar, which was akin to a forest tank, hunting it was out of the question; even breaking through its defense was entirely uncertain.

Under normal circumstances, when coyotes encountered an adult wild boar in the wild, turning tail and running was their only option.

Right now, for the sake of their territory and the pups in the burrow behind them, they were forced into battle, attempting to drive the intruder away.

Xia Nan didn't know how the fight had started.

For the coyotes, a wild boar wasn't on their hunting menu, and they had no reason to provoke one;

And for the wild boar, in this resource-rich forest, there was no reason to attack a pack of carnivores unprovoked.

But in the wild, for wild animals operating on survival instinct, that was often how things went.

Most likely, this sow leading her piglets hadn't even known about the coyotes' existence beforehand. Attracted by the scent of the fawn corpse, she had wandered near the burrow in the middle of the night.

Sensing a formidable enemy approaching, the coyotes naturally couldn't remain indifferent, which simultaneously provoked the sow's ferocity.

And so, it had escalated into the current standoff.

Xia Nan knew full well that the six coyotes of his pack were no match for that sow.

With strength that was formidable even among wild animals, the boar didn't even need any tactics—just charging straight into them.

Given the coyotes' small frames, a mere graze would likely inflict severe injury.

The only variable on the field was himself.

After testing his combat techniques thoroughly during the day, Xia Nan had developed a relatively clear understanding of this body's combat power.

Extreme high attack, low defense.

On one hand, the skill combination of [Heavy Tide] + [Fang Hunt] + [Gravity Etch], even with its power scaled down due to the overall reduction across all six core attributes, was still a dimensional-strike level of crushing force against wild beasts, or even some low-Challenge Rating monsters.

But on the other hand, quite contradictorily...

This physical body of Xia Nan's was a coyote pup less than a month old, having just been weaned.

Fragile in the extreme.

Even though he held [Ember Echoes] as a trump card—the condition to trigger its second phase was entering a near-death state, not resurrection from death.

With his frail body, if he took a direct hit from that wild boar, he would likely bypass "light injury" and "heavy injury" altogether and ascend straight to heaven.

But—honestly speaking, with this pup's body, separated from the protection and sustenance of the pack, could he truly survive in this perilous primeval forest?

One had to realize that although [Gravity Etch] had its cooldown and usage count somewhat improved after being maxed out, it couldn't be used indefinitely.

Moreover, unleashing [Fang Hunt], [Heavy Tide], and other combat techniques consumed his already meager stamina.

Xia Nan needed a relatively stable and safe environment to grow.

At the very least, he had to pass the pup stage and develop enough to sustain multiple casts of [Fang Hunt] in a short window before he could consider leaving the pack.

Taking everything into account, the little furry wolf hiding at the burrow entrance made up his mind.

Taking advantage of the night, he slipped stealthily into the bushes to the side.

...

Only now did Copper Rock barely understand what had happened.

It had to be that damn "Algae Scale" Dodd!

Only the organizer of the Moon-Tide Banquet would have the time and opportunity to make preparations on Stodd Island beforehand.

And only a desperate outlaw like him would dare forcibly drag numerous adventurers—including the "Raging Tide Warband" and the "Windforged Squad"—into such a ritual secret realm.

Although as a dwarf, his race wasn't known for sharpness or intellect in the eyes of the world, and he truly had little interest in books and scholarly matters, he was, after all, a veteran adventurer who had tempered himself in the Southern Isles for many years. Relying on his experience and judgment, after his initial panic, he had pieced together a general picture.

"Algae Scale" Dodd, the notorious sea pirate, had likely used the gathering of adventurers ahead of the banquet to perform a massive mysterious ritual on Stodd Island for some unknown purpose.

Dragging him into this Secret Realm and turning him into a beast.

And judging by his floating perspective in reality...

Not just himself, but Boss Tieg, other members of the Raging Tide Warband, and many members of the opposing Windforged Squad were likely all affected by the ritual.

"Damn scaled mongrel, what the hell is he trying to pull?"

Scraping the grass indignantly with his hoof, Copper Rock cursed inwardly.

Compared to Xia Nan's predicament as a coyote pup, the bearded dwarf from the Raging Tide Warband had far better luck.

He had reincarnated into the body of a wild boar piglet.

Although he had lost the combat techniques and equipment he had accumulated over the years, the wild boar's robust constitution and the care of an adult meant he didn't have to worry about surviving in the jungle.

As long as he stayed behind the adult sow, both rest and food were guaranteed.

Using the entire day, Copper Rock had formulated a rough plan in his mind.

First, since Boss Tieg and the others had most likely entered this Secret Realm as well, he needed to regroup with them as quickly as possible.

Without combat techniques and equipment, the numerical advantage of a party would play an unimaginable role in this savage, beast-infested world.

Second, regarding the culprit, "Algae Scale" Dodd:

For someone to go to such lengths to turn the entire island into a ritual ground, there was definitely a clear objective.

Advancing his class? Or pleasing a deity?

Regardless, since it affected him, Copper Rock would never let the bastard have his way.

Of course, before all that, he needed this piglet body to grow up quickly.

Once it developed to the point where it could move safely across most jungle zones, he could begin searching for his comrades from the Raging Tide Warband.

"Roar—"

A low growl fraught with menace drifted from ahead.

Hiding deep in the brush, Copper Rock poked his piglet head out and glanced at his foster mother, not feeling particularly worried.

As an experienced Class Holder, he had already assessed the situation accurately.

Those six coyotes stood zero chance against an adult wild boar.

Bluntly speaking, even if the boar lay down and let them attack, the coyotes' claws and teeth might not even penetrate the mud armor matted onto its bristles.

Don't be fooled by the standoff; once the fuse burned out, the fight would end in an instant.

"Gurgle—"

Copper Rock's stomach, which had only recently been filled, let out an involuntary rumble.

Waves of hunger surged from it.

Perhaps due to the ritual, his energy was consumed rapidly, leaving him constantly hungry.

Those coyotes might look scrawny with little meat, but there were plenty of them, and their nearby den might even contain a few pups.

That should be enough to sustain him until dawn.

Hiding in the bushes, Copper Rock thought to himself.

But the situation on the field suddenly shifted.

With her piglets behind her, the sow was clearly losing patience.

Facing the threat of the coyotes, a savage glint flashed across her yellowish beastly eyes.

Her thick, short snout puffed out two streams of scalding air. As her four legs churned, she charged straight at the largest coyote alpha at the front.

Her massive body was unstoppable, carrying the foul stench unique to wild beasts, leaving deep hoofprints in the soft turf, blurring into a shadowy streak under the moonlight.

Fortunately, the coyote alpha had already prepared to dodge, muscles coiled, focus sharp.

With two sideways bounds, it snarled and dodged laterally.

The boar's abrupt charge shattered the fragile equilibrium on the field.

The circling coyotes rushed in, attempting to tear into its flesh.

But just as the two adventurers on the sidelines had predicted, the coyotes could barely pierce the boar's outermost hide.

And not every coyote could dodge the boar's charge like their leader.

Predictably, once the first coyote was tossed into the air by the snout and heavily injured, the situation would deteriorate in an instant.

Needing a healthy and complete pack to sustain him until maturity, Xia Nan certainly couldn't wait until the adult coyotes suffered actual casualties.

Long before, while the standoff was still underway, he had circled around in secret. Using his underdeveloped pup claws, aided by [Tidal Stabilization], he quietly climbed into the tree canopy.

Gray-blue wolf eyes hid among the foliage, observing the situation with combat experience.

Seizing the brief window of stiffness as the boar braked after its charge...

He leapt down from the sky!

From the perspective of dwarf Copper Rock in the nearby bushes, he only felt a sudden explosive crack overhead.

Branches shook violently, moonlight rippling.

A small ball of furry dark shadow hurtled downward from the canopy at speeds far exceeding an ordinary beast.

A thin wisp of energy, darker than the night, swirled around it, faintly outlining the shape of a wolf beast.

And then, with pinpoint precision, it landed squarely on the boar's nape!

"Buzz—bang!"

An ochre-red radiance flashed fleetingly in the forest.

Like a bloom of fireworks igniting and extinguishing in an instant.

The natural armor of dried mud and resin, the tough hide, dense muscle, and thick bone—under the ravages of force energy that bypassed physical defense—proved no sturdier than paper.

Mingled with shattered bone and flesh, blood exploded!

As if bitten by an invisible beast, when the ochre-red light retracted, a massive hemispherical crater had been carved into the boar's nape.

Half the neck, along with part of the hindbrain, was blasted to pieces in an instant.

The wild boar didn't even have room to struggle.

Its four hooves twitched once, eyes rolled back, and it collapsed into eternal slumber.

In the next second, the [Night Mother's Gaze] feat effect attached to the descending [Fang Hunt] triggered!

Several wild boar piglets huddled together, staring dumbly, suddenly shuddered.

And then, as if terrified by a horrific shock, they let out shrill squeals and fled madly into the dense forest behind them.

Fortunately, Copper Rock passed the [Night Mother's Gaze] check.

Unfortunately, precisely because he passed the check and wasn't immobilized by fear...

While the other piglets had already scurried into the woods, he remained frozen in place.

Staring wide-eyed, he watched a blood-drenched furry pup crawl out from the wound of the dead adult boar.

His pig eyes met those blood-stained, gray-blue wolf eyes.

"Roar!!!"

In the next second, a coyote that had noticed the rustle in the bushes pounced on him.

Excruciating pain in the neck.

Powerless to resist.

Death.

And right at the moment the wild boar possessed by Copper Rock lost its life...

In the distance, Xia Nan, having caught his breath, also spotted the corpse lying in the brush.

As well as the glowing blue mote of light floating above it—identical to the radiance emitted by a Deep Sea Resonance Stone.