Chapter 62: This is Level 9?

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: This is Level 9?

Hearing his shout, the two of them—though unsure of his plan—acted without a moment’s hesitation, trusting him completely based on their previous battles.

Zoya’s figure moved like a ghost. With a few light leaps, she silently withdrew from the heart of the fight.

Hulk, meanwhile, slammed his Shield forward in a [Shield Bash], staggering the sow leader and creating the perfect stage for Hesia. He then used the momentum to fall back.

The moment they both pulled back—

Hesia raised his Right Hand, and the surging Magic Power that had just recovered within him gushed forth!

[Enhanced Earth Spike Skill]!

A massive stone pillar, several times thicker than an ordinary Earth Spike, erupted from directly beneath the sow leader’s abdomen. With irresistible force, it launched the creature’s heavy body ten meters into the air!

"ROOAAR—!!!"

The sow leader let out a terrified shriek, its limbs flailing uselessly in the air as it completely lost its balance.

As everyone watched, it began to plummet!

Without a moment’s pause, Hesia released his Magic Power again from his Right Hand.

[Earth Spike Technique]!

A sharp Earth Spike shot up with perfect precision, directly in the path of its falling throat.

"SQUELCH!"

"CRACK!"

As the heavy body landed, the Earth Spike shattered on impact. At the same time, however, it had undeniably punched a hole clean through the creature’s throat.

It twitched twice in the pool of blood before all signs of life vanished.

[Earth Spike Skill Proficiency +3, Level 2 (18/20)]

Up in the tree, Laila stared blankly at the brilliant sequence of spells and pinpoint predictions, forgetting to even lower the longbow in her hands.

She no longer had any doubt about Hesia’s earlier claim that he could cast the Earth Spike Technique twenty times in a row.

But still...

’What the hell? Is that really a Level 9 Mage Apprentice?!’

’And that giant stone pillar that sent it flying... what the hell kind of Magic was that?’

’How could a Level 9 guy possibly learn a spell of that level?!’

Belte, sitting on the ground applying bandages, wasn’t thinking that deeply. All he knew was that his new teammate was absurdly strong! And badass beyond belief!

"Galen! My brother!" Belte exclaimed, pumping his fist. "You’re a damn Giant Dragon in a Mage Robe! Tossing that pig into the air like a pebble and then killing it! That was so... damn... cool!"

Though he had to admit, the other man’s faded linen clothes didn’t much resemble a Mage Robe, that didn’t stop him from wanting to curry favor with him.

Hesia felt a little awkward at the over-the-top praise and just gave a helpless smile.

Laila leaped lightly from the tree, brushed the dust off her Leather Armor, and walked over to Hesia.

"Hey, you. I know you’ve got a lot of Magic Power, but you don’t have to show off like that."

"But the captain already said so, remember? The quest reward is split evenly by headcount, not by kill count."

Hesia smiled, knowing she was only teasing.

He was about to reply when he noticed Zoya standing a short distance away.

’Is her gaze, hidden beneath the shadows, still faintly sweeping over my lower body?’

It made a strange feeling stir inside him again.

Just then, Hulk sheathed his Shield Sword and walked over.

A smile touched his lips as he watched his teammates banter.

"Let’s start cleaning up the battlefield. This fight was more dangerous than we anticipated. The number and ferocity of the Thorny Wild Boars were beyond our expectations."

"But high risk means high reward. This pack of Thorny Wild Boars is loaded with good materials."

The moment he heard "clean up the battlefield," Belte, who had been sitting on the ground, was instantly energized.

He shot to his feet with a "WHOOSH," only to pull at his wound and grimace in pain.

Laila shot him an exasperated look. "In your condition, you should just stay put. Don’t let your wound tear open. The money we make won’t even be enough to buy a Healing Potion."

Belte waved his hand dismissively. "What’s a little injury like this! The joy of collecting loot can cure any pain!"

Although they were called Thorny Wild Boars, the thorns on their backs weren’t actually very valuable.

The truly valuable materials were of three main types.

First was the single large piece of Thick Hide from their backs, spines and all. After being treated with a special potion, it became a high-quality material for crafting Fine Leather Armor and could even provide a certain amount of Reflective Damage.

However, only the Thick Hide from the two largest boars—the male and female leaders—could fetch a good price.

Second were their thick, curved tusks. They were high-quality materials for making daggers, short swords, arrowheads, or certain Special Ornaments. Their texture was hard, and once polished, they revealed a natural, wild pattern that was quite popular among some Adventurers and collectors.

Finally, there was the heart. A Thorny Wild Boar’s heart would continue to beat for a short time even after death. This kind of Demon heart was known as a "Wild Heart" and was the core ingredient for concocting Frenzy Potions.

It was also used in a few obscure magic rituals.

Of course, the boar meat could also be sold, but all Adventurers knew that only the tender flesh of the younger pigs was sought after. The meat of an adult boar was tough and gamy; no one would touch it unless they were starving.

Hesia was completely clueless about how to process a Demon’s corpse.

He was about to go watch Belte to learn the process, but the big man was busy crudely snapping off tusks with brute force. He turned his head and yelled, "Brother Galen! With you watching me, I feel too embarrassed to just butcher these spoils. You should ask Laila to teach you. Her technique is the best of all of ours—of course, that’s assuming you can handle her sharp tongue."

Hesia had no choice but to walk over to the Female Ranger, who was processing another boar.

Laila was crouching beside the massive sow leader’s corpse. Her movements were as smooth as flowing water, her small skinning knife flashing up and down as she deftly dismantled the valuable parts with astonishing efficiency.

"What’s up?" she asked as Hesia approached, her hands never ceasing their work.

"Belte said you’re an expert at butchering Demons, so I wanted to learn from you."

Laila’s hands paused at his words. She looked up and shot him a glance.

Though Hesia’s performance in battle had completely earned her respect, her sarcastic habits weren’t so easy to break.

"Oh? So Belte pawned another chore off on me?" she huffed. "What’s this? Does our great and powerful Mage need someone to teach him where to stick his knife?"

Before Hesia could answer, she kicked a relatively intact patch of hide on the boar’s side with the toe of her boot.

"Watch closely. I’m only doing this once, so don’t blame me if you can’t get it."

The tip of the skinning dagger in Laila’s hand spun lightly, and she swiftly began to peel back the hide from the boar’s relatively vulnerable neck.