I continued my monster hunt in the Braveheart Kingdom's forest. It's been three weeks of intense training here from dawn till nightfall.
At this point, Envi—the system assigned to help me—got so bored he left me to level up alone. His laziness was off the charts. If he could turn into a human, I'd probably teach him a lesson myself.
Each session, I pushed myself to my limits, driven by the need to grow faster and stronger. I had to improve quickly. I knew I'd broken my promise to Lilia; each night I came back well past midnight. Strangely, though, every time I returned, Lilia was awake in the garden, sipping tea as if waiting for me. I'd been sneaking back in by climbing the roof to avoid her.
Between Lilia and her son Mark, they made things pretty tough for me. Did they really hate Naoki this much? I couldn't understand it.
I had to get stronger—fast! I was certain Mark had received special training from the Patriarch and might have even mastered the entire Blackmore Swordsmanship. Just imagining it sent a chill down my spine.
No matter what, I had to defeat him. I couldn't afford to fail, not when my own mother's life was at stake!
...
This morning, I headed north to the forest as usual. By now, it had become routine. Starting with a jog to warm up, I felt my muscles come alive, ready for a day of monster-slaying.
I ventured deeper than usual this time, as I was already level 30. My goal was to reach level 35 before my inevitable showdown with Mark, who, no doubt, was leveling up as well.
Six hours in, though, something felt off. Monsters, especially trolls, were unusually sparse.
I pushed further in, trying not to overthink it.
...
Clang! Clang!
I heard the sounds of combat coming from deeper within the forest.
Following the noise, I found a group of five locked in a fierce battle against a massive boar.
Three men and two women made up the group. The men looked like knights, wielding a large sword, a bow, and a heavy shield. The two women seemed to be magic knights, one armed with a staff and the other with a magic-infused sword.
Two of the men—the shield-bearer and the archer—were gravely injured. Blood covered them as they struggled to remain standing.
The boar they fought was unlike any I'd seen before: a monstrous, blood-red wild boar with massive tusks jutting upward from its mouth.
Tiba-tiba notifikasi quest muncul:
----------
[!!!NOTIFICATION!!!]
Side Quest: Help the knight group defeat the mini boss.
Reward: You can get a strong allies & you will get 10 Goddess Point.
Failure Penalty: The mini boss will go berserk and destroy nearby villages.
----------
....
What is this? Even without a quest, i will help them. But this quest strengthened my determination to save them.
"I don't recognize this thing. Hey, Envi, wake up! I don't know about this mini boss monster." I tried nudging Envi, but he was still dozing.
"...Hey, did you hear me?!"
Just then, the wild boar charged the group.
GROH! GROH!
One of the magic knights cast a protective shield around the group, but the boar kept ramming until the barrier cracked.
"Ugh, you lazy system! Idiot!" I rushed forward, blocking the boar's attack just before it broke through.
"…!! Who are you?" the magic knight girl asked, her face a mix of hope and despair.
The group slumped to the ground, clearly exhausted. But I could see a faint glimmer of hope returning to their eyes.
"Me? … Just a passing knight." With a swift motion, I knocked the boar back.
"Questions later. Get out of here! I'll handle this beast." I couldn't protect them and fight at the same time; they'd only get in the way.
"Alright, but those of us still able to fight will help." The dark blue-haired magic knight girl began to gather herself.
The shield-bearer and the archer were moved to the edge of the forest, under a massive tree, guarded by the red-haired magic swordswoman. The remaining knight with the greatsword joined the magic knight girl and me to face the wild boar.
"GROH! GROH!"
The boar charged at the three of us once more.
"<Support magic: Haste!>" The magic knight cast a spell that lightened our bodies, increasing our speed.
The knight swung his greatsword to counter the boar, but it overpowered him, throwing him back. The boar then turned its tusks on me.
I dodged the charge as it smashed into a tree, knocking it down in a single hit. That would've been me if I hadn't moved!
I launched my favorite attack, <Kazekiri>
The blade of air hit the boar's hide, but it barely left a scratch. Its skin was as tough as stone.
"Hey, you useless system! If you keep slacking off, I'll report you to the goddess!" I shouted at Envi.
"Huh? Wh-what? Can't a system enjoy a nap? Don't you know naps are crucial?" Envi grumbled, finally waking up.
"That applies to humans! You're a system, you don't need sleep… Now, hurry and help!" I reprimanded him as I dodged the boar's relentless charges.
"What's the problem? It's just a wild boar! Just slice it with your katana, and it'll go down." Envi yawned dismissively.
I decided to give it a shot. Timing its charge, I swung my katana in a vertical slice.
"Ugh!..." I didn't expect its hide to be so tough—it deflected my blade, throwing me back several meters. Was my swordsmanship still too weak?
The boar charged again. I leaped over it just in time.
"Wait a sec… Nao, are you blind? Check its status. That's no ordinary wild boar—it's a Big Wild Boar! It's a higher species and the ruler of this area, like a mini-boss!" Envi yelled, berating me.
"Who said it was a normal boar? That was your idea! But you're right; I didn't check. A mini-boss, huh?" My heart pounded. This was my first encounter with one.
"Relax. Try your katana skills this time," Envi advised.
"Magic knight, boost my attack power," I called to the girl.
"
The Big Wild Boar charged again, tusks bared, and I steadied myself with my iai stance. When it closed in, I released—
My blade clashed with its tusk, sending sparks flying.
"Ugh, this beast is stronger than it looks!" But I saw a crack forming on one of its tusks. Encouraged, I held my ground.
At that moment, three trolls emerged from the forest, rushing toward us.
"These cowards had to pick now to show up!" Envi grumbled.
I shoved the Big Wild Boar back and dodged the trolls. The knight with the greatsword sliced at one of them, drawing the others away.
I turned to face the Big Wild Boar again, but suddenly, it shifted its rage toward the trolls, charging straight at them—and the greatsword knight in its path!
"Not so fast!
"Thanks, Lyra!" the greatsword knight braced himself.
But then the Big Wild Boar accelerated and leapt like a bullet.
"…Ugh!!"
The knight was thrown against a boulder, his body crushed instantly.
I was shaken to my core. This was the first time I had ever seen someone die so horribly right in front of me.
My legs were frozen...
I couldn't move an inch...
This world is not a game!
it's painfully real....
What should I do?!!
"No! Rowan!!!" Lyra screamed, collapsing to her knees in despair alongside her friends.
"Stay strong, NAO! Let's avenge that man!" Lyra's desperate cry, combined with Envi's urging, snapped me out of my haze.
"That damn boar!" I growled, fury blazing in my veins.
I unleashed my attack.
Blackmore Swordsmanship: KAZEKIRI!!!
My strike drew its attention, and I launched a follow-up attack.
The boar lunged with its tusks, but right before we clashed—
BAM!
"…!!!"
The boar's body exploded as a massive stone axe struck it from above.
"Nao… watch out!" Envi shouted.
From the treetops, an enormous troll—twice the usual size—descended, landing on the now-dead boar.
"A Troll King…? And they're fighting over territory? That's why they came out!" I was frustrated, losing the mini-boss kill. It would have brought a lot of EXP points.
"Focus, idiot. Let's take it down!" Envi urged.
I examined its status. "Troll King, huh?" As expected, it was level 35, higher than mine.
The Troll King looked terrifying, its massive, scarred, dark-green body adorned with crude ornaments. It wielded an enormous stone axe, nearly half its own size.
"KYAAAAH!!"
Suddenly, I heard Lyra scream. The Troll King had ambushed the others! Its crushing blow had killed both the shield-bearer and the archer, leaving the magic swordswoman gravely injured.
"No, Freya!"
"Tristan… Baldric… they're already gone…" Lyra gasped, her voice trembling as she stared at her two fallen comrades, lifeless on the ground. Freya lay close by, barely hanging on, her breathing shallow.
"LYRA! Quickly, heal her! Use all your magic to stabilize her and set up a barrier! Focus on saving her—I'll handle this damned Troll King myself!" I shouted, giving Lyra a determined look.
I won't let anyone else die here.
Just then, the Troll King leapt into the air, swinging his massive axe down toward me. His movement was shockingly agile for his size, and I hadn't expected him to attack from above!
"Nao, hang in there!" Envi called out, his voice pressing me on.
It's time to go all out.
Even though his hit threw me back, slamming me hard against a tree, I managed to regain my stance, using the tree's trunk as a foothold. I gathered every ounce of strength and speed, launching myself straight toward the Troll King before he could follow up. I won't give him a single chance.
<Katana Style Technique: Inazuma!>
My strike sliced his left shoulder, drawing blood but not cutting deep enough.
"Tch… So close!"
The Troll King roared in pain—then started laughing. His eyes burned with a crazy light, and his twisted grin made him look more like a psychopath than a monster.
This wasn't normal. He didn't feel like a simple mini-boss; he was more like a powerful boss from a high-level area!
...
...
--Continued to next chapter--