Mark didn't have a map of the Enchanted Woodlands so he didn't know where they were at this moment. He was curious how the hunters were navigating their way through the forest. He hadn't seen them taking out a map once since they started their journey.
Mark walked up to Kevin and asked. "Kevin, how do you guys know which path to go? It's like you know the forest like the back of your hand."
Kevin grinned at him as he replied. "So you're curious about that." He pointed his finger at the sky and said. "Every night, the scouts would observe the stars and use them as a guide. The forest is always changing so we need to follow the stars so that we won't get lost. Tonight, I will teach you how to use the stars as a guide."
"Oh, that's amazing! Thank you!" Mark couldn't wait to learn this method since it would help him immensely in his future endeavors. There might come a time when he would be once again lost in the forest, but if he learned the method used by the hunters to navigate the path, he wouldn't have to worry about getting lost.
"Just do a good job cooking our meals!" Kevin laughed heartily.
"No problem!" Mark readily agreed.
Nothing out of the ordinary happened in the morning so Jason commanded the hunting party to rest for an hour to take their lunch. After all, Body Strengthening cultivators like them need more nutrition than normal people so they have to eat a lot.
Mark became busy, but he didn't feel tired. "Here you go, everyone." He said as he evenly distributed the food.
While everyone was eating, someone suddenly asked. "Wolf, who taught you how to cook?"
Hearing this, Mark raised his head and thought about the vague image of his mother from his childhood memories.
She was a very jolly person and she taught him a lot of things. Sadly, his parents had a major conflict which resulted in their divorce. Mark had never seen her again since then. "It was my mother who taught me how to cook, but it was only later when I started living by myself did my cooking became better."
Everyone sensed the melancholy in his voice so they no longer continued with the topic.
"I'll get some fresh air before we go." Mark stood up and walked away from them.
Looking at Mark's desolate back, Kevin turned his head and glared at the hunter who asked the question. "Why did you have to ruin his mood?"
"I-I didn't know that it was a sensitive topic."
Meanwhile, Mark stood beneath a towering tree. He looked tiny compared to it and even now, he was still fascinated by the sight of these majestic trees.
He leaned on the tree and stared at the horizon as he breathed in a deep breath of fresh air. "I feel better now…"
Not long later, Jason's voice drifted into his ears. "Let's get moving!"
Mark went back to the camp.
"Are you okay?"As soon as he returned to the group, Kevin asked him, while the others stared at him in silence.
Mark smiled and nodded. "I feel better now."
"That's good. We are almost at the location so you have to stay alert." Kevin warned him with a serious voice.
Mark nodded upon hearing his words.
Three hours passed by in the blink of an eye. The hunting party was already getting closer to their destination.
"Stop!" Jason suddenly signaled for the group to stop moving. His face was grave as he stared in a certain direction. "It's here! Take out your weapons!" He shouted.
Everyone immediately grabbed their weapons upon hearing his command. They followed Jason's gaze and saw the silhouette of a huge creature moving towards them.
"It's the Black Scaled Boar!"
"Hold your positions! Archers, shoot it once it's within your range! The rest of you, wait for my signal!" Jason grabbed his spear and adjusted his stance while eyeing the incoming beast.
Mark took out his shield and sword.
He could feel the ground trembling more intensely as the Black Scaled Boar got closer to the group. From the tremors of the earth, he could already tell the massive weight of the creature.
'We are going to fight that beast?! Just how can we beat it?!' Mark was alarmed when he finally got a clearer look at the Black Scaled Boar.
It was a creature that looked entirely different than what he had imagined. Other than its boar-like features, its body was covered in black scales. Two sword-like tusks in the shape of a crescent protruded at the corners of its mouth.
At this moment, the archers finally released their arrows. The boar had already entered their range so they quickly sent multiple shots in its direction.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As if unafraid by the arrows, the Black Scaled Boar didn't even show any signs of slowing down its charge.
The arrows struck the boar's massive body, but they merely bounced off.
"Aim for its eyes!" Seeing this, Jason shouted urgently.
The archers aimed for the boar's eyes, but because of its fast movements, they were having a lot of trouble targeting it.
A few arrows were about to pierce its eyes, but the boar suddenly released a wave of Qi that changed the arrows' trajectories.
"What?!" Everyone was stunned when they saw this.
Meanwhile, Jason furrowed his eyebrows. 'I knew this would happen.' He thought to himself as he raised his spear in midair. "Follow the plan!" He shouted to the group.
The party has been planning how to take down this massive beast since they entered the forest. They were aware that it was impossible to kill it using conventional methods so they came up with a strategy that would increase their chances of success.
Everyone quickly moved into position according to what they had planned.
Some people grabbed thick metal chains from their storage bags and threw them towards the boar's legs. The other hunters distracted the boar to prevent it from noticing their plan.
"Restrict its movements!" Jason shouted as he led the Second Level Body Strengthening cultivators to attack the boar.
Mark was among the people who were tasked to distract the boar. His legs shook as he stared at the creature that stood at a towering height of over 15 meters. 'If a Third Level Spider-Grade mystical beast is already this scary, what about the beasts that are stronger than this thing?!'
"Don't just stand there, kid! Keep moving!" Kevin's voice came from behind him and it made him recover from his fear.
Rooaarrr!!!
Mark turned his head and saw that Jason had managed to inflict a blow into the boar's face.
The boar wanted to stomp the hunter that attacked it, but it found itself unable to move because of the chains that restricted its legs.
Roooaarr!!
The beast became frantic and it exerted more strength. The hunters responsible for pulling the chains were thrown off by its unexpected surge of strength.
"No! Hold it down! Don't let it escape!" Jason shouted anxiously. The other hunters would be powerless against the boar because of the massive difference in their strength.
"I'll stall it! Go and grab the chains!" Jason lunged at the boar and pierced its head with his spear.
More wounds started to appear on the face of the beast and it further fueled its rage.
Rumble! Rumble!