Chapter 60: Wild Charge

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Wild Charge

[Earth Spike Skill Proficiency +2, Level 2 (12/20)]

After taking care of the two annoying small fries, Hesia took a moment to catch his breath.

Under the effect of his Earth Affinity, wisps of Magic Power flowed endlessly from the ground beneath his feet, nourishing his nearly depleted reserves.

Even so, casting the Earth Spike Technique repeatedly—especially two Enhanced Earth Spikes—had nearly drained his Magic Reserve. Waves of weakness and Dizziness washed over him.

However, the Thorny Wild Boar leader, with its terrifyingly tenacious Life Force, was already charging again, giving him no chance to rest.

It scrambled up from the ground, ignoring the mangled wounds and flowing blood on its body. The pain seemed to have transformed into its strength.

Its front hooves began to paw at the ground, its body lowering slightly. Its muscles tensed like a fully drawn bow.

A dark red flow of energy, like fine blood vessels, faintly pulsed beneath its gnarled muscles.

Not only was the boar tough-skinned, but the violent aura it now radiated made even the distant Hesia’s heart skip a beat.

It was preparing to launch a final, all-or-nothing blow.

Seeing this, Hesia’s pupils contracted. He unleashed every last bit of his remaining Magic Power without reservation!

One after another, Earth Spikes shot up from the ground along the boar leader’s charge path, trying to stop the frenzied beast.

But the leader ignored them completely. Without dodging or evading, it charged head-on into the oncoming Earth Spikes!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

CRACK!

CRACK!

In an instant, dirt flew and stone spikes shattered!

Hesia frantically squeezed out every last drop of his Magic Power, veins bulging on his forehead.

If he couldn’t stop this thing, he was definitely going to die here today!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Finally, after shattering several more Earth Spikes, the Thorny Wild Boar leader’s charge began to slow. It was eventually stopped dead by a row of spikes. The immense inertia sent it skidding backward before it staggered, toppled onto its side, and was knocked unconscious, just a few meters from Hesia.

Hesia’s vision went black. His mind felt completely drained as a powerful wave of Dizziness struck him, and his legs gave out, nearly causing him to collapse.

"Master! That hedgehog-pig isn’t dead! It’s trying to get up!" Bruce shouted anxiously from the side.

Hesia gritted his teeth, forcing his weak legs and spinning head to steady themselves.

"Bruce! Get its attention! Don’t get close, just lead it in the opposite direction!"

"Leave it to me!"

Bruce kicked off powerfully with his hind legs and rushed toward the struggling boar leader.

He nimbly circled the behemoth, barking loudly as he ran:

"Stupid pig, my master really did a number on you, huh? After we butcher you, I’ll have bones to chew on tonight!"

"Though you look pretty stringy. Your meat’s probably tough and gamy. We’ll have to marinate it with a lot of spices, otherwise this old dog might not even bother taking a bite!"

After yelling for a while, he suddenly realized his opponent was a wild boar and couldn’t understand human speech at all.

So, he decisively switched to his "native tongue."

"WOOF! WOOF WOOF! WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF!"

But whether it was human speech or dog barks, the boar had no idea what this little pest was yelling about.

It did, however, very clearly feel the provocation coming from something at the bottom of the food chain.

It struggled to its feet, shook its massive head, and locked its sights on Bruce, preparing to Charge again.

Bruce, however, was extremely nimble. He maintained a safe distance, dodging left and right and causing the boar’s repeated lunges to miss.

Just as the boar leader grew agitated by Bruce’s taunts and gathered its strength for another sprint—

A figure wreathed in dust and wind came rushing forward at astonishing speed!

It was Hesia!

In the boar leader’s field of vision, the Caster who had been on the verge of collapse moments ago was now holding a strange dagger. He charged head-on with a ferocity that surpassed even the boar’s own.

In the blink of an eye, Hesia was upon it.

He channeled all his strength into the dagger in his hand and plunged it into the side of the boar’s neck, which was exposed as it turned toward Bruce!

PSHHH—!!!

Boar blood gushed out.

The powerful impact from Wild Charge actually sent the massive beast flying back several meters.

Hesia himself was thrown backward by the terrifying recoil, tumbling several times across the ground before coming to a stop.

"Cough, cough..." Hesia scrambled up awkwardly, feeling like every bone in his body was about to fall apart.

’Thank goodness... I ate that Split Hoof Beef earlier and my Physique was enhanced,’ he thought with relief. ’Otherwise, the recoil from Wild Charge alone would have probably crippled me.’

Not far away, the Thorny Wild Boar leader twitched futilely in a pool of its own blood before finally stopping breathing altogether.

[Notice: Extraction mechanism has been upgraded]

[Current Extraction Mode: Extract Two, Choose One]

[You have extracted the following traits by killing the Thorny Wild Boar—]

[Thick Hide]: Your body has been tempered by the wilderness, strengthening your muscles and bones. Your skin is as tough as leather, allowing you to negate a portion of physical impact based on your Physique attribute.

[Fury and Suffering]: Blood and pain awaken the furious power within you. Damage taken is temporarily converted into your Power. The more you are injured, the stronger your attacks become.

’This Thorny Wild Boar has such a high drop rate? Another trait dropped?’ Hesia was overjoyed, but then it hit him. ’Extract Two? I must have hit level 10 without realizing it!’

He quickly scanned the two options. Fury and Suffering seemed like a powerful ability for turning the tables in a desperate situation, but he mainly needed the Wisdom Attribute, not Power.

’Besides, what Mage could refuse the chance to become a tank?’ Hesia didn’t hesitate for long and decisively made his choice.

[You have selected the trait—Thick Hide]

[Physique +2]

’Both of these traits can directly increase a base Attribute?’

This discovery invigorated him.

He quickly turned to look at his teammates to the west, worried they might be injured, but also worried the fight over there might already be over.

However, the battle over there was still raging fiercely.

Hulk had intercepted the newly arrived sow leader.

The injured Belte was fighting a smaller boar. Despite his wounds, every swing of his blade drew blood, and he had his opponent on the defensive.

Zoya was in the most trouble, being chased by a full four boars and forced to rely on her agile footwork to constantly evade them.

Laila, in the tree, had become the most crucial fire support. Her arrows rained down from above, disrupting the four boars’ pursuit. Two of them already had Feathered Arrows sticking out of their eyes and necks.

"My teammates are really pulling their weight."

Hesia felt the small amount of Magic Power that had just recovered within him. It wasn’t nearly enough to cast the Enhanced Earth Spike Skill, but he could just barely manage a normal Earth Spike Technique.

’Start with the small ones. Pick them off one by one!’

He tightened his grip on his dagger and locked his gaze on the boar fighting Belte.

He lowered his stance slightly.

Wild Charge!

...

Belte was completely focused on the Thorny Wild Boar in front of him.

He narrowly sidestepped a gore from the beast’s tusks, his Broadsword swinging down in the same motion to slash at its thick shoulder blade, leaving a moderately deep wound.

However, the injuries he had sustained earlier from the Thorn Burst prevented him from wielding the heavy Broadsword as freely as before, inevitably hampering his assault.

Every time he exerted himself, the movement would pull at his wounds, sending sharp stabs of pain through him.

Although he still held the upper hand in the skirmish and had managed to inflict several wounds, he didn’t dare let his guard down. The injuries on his own body served as a stark reminder—