Cinder seriously considered absolving his agreement with Kode. It was just a verbal agreement anyway.
But, what was he supposed to do alone? He had gotten lucky and killed a boar on his own, but it would be difficult to do that again.
There was no harm in toughing it out and playing with Kode for a couple of hours. He just had to remember to pick his mom up at the hospital.
Cinder and Kode walked around without going in a straight path up the Mountain. There was no need to climb higher when they were already at a height where they would find monsters. If they climbed higher, they would just run into stronger monsters.
Stronger monsters also meant better loot and more Tokens, but only if they could kill them, which they couldn't. The only monster they were interested in was the same type of boar that Cinder had already hunted once.
It was a strong monster, infamous for killing the most newbies. But that was because it was more monster than the other monsters who were more animals. It didn't avoid the players. It looked for them and hunted them.
It was the easiest monster to find and hunt as long as they had the strength. And since Cinder had already killed one on his own, it made sense that they went for it.
It didn't take long for the two to find one, or rather, be found by one. This one scrambled over the grassy hill's gentle slope from afar to charge at Cinder and Kode. Its fur was a lighter shade than the one Cinder had killed, but it had kinder eyes.
Kode smacked Cinder on his shoulder.
"You remember the plan?"
"Of course."
"Great. Good luck!" Kode gave him a thumbs up before he started running away from the boar. He made sure to hide behind Cinder so that the boar wouldn't instinctively chase after him.
As planned, the boar targeted Cinder.
Cinder didn't like this plan. It felt like Kode was taking advantage of him despite him being more sensitive to pain and death as a Naturalist. But when he glanced back and saw Kode's slow run, he had to admit that Kode would barely be able to dodge the boar more than once or twice.
Cinder sighed and grabbed his mace properly. He faced the boar head-on. Right when the boar was about to crash into him with its tusks and tear him apart, Cinder threw himself to the side.
It was easier this time. He wasn't as scared as when he first saw the other boar, and he could more easily time it with this boar after getting a little used to the monster's speed. Dying once and coming back to life also helped him with his fear. There was no problem even if he died.
But getting hit would hurt, so he had to avoid that.
The plan was for Cinder to keep the boar's attention and deal whatever damage he could. And then, Kode would finish it off.
On the first charge, Cinder didn't find an opening to counterattack, so he let the boar go past him and come back for another.
But on the second charge, which he managed to dodge without needing to throw himself to the ground, Cinder saw an opportunity to strike. Before the entire length of the boar was past him, he swung his mace against the monster's hind leg. It was a bad hit, striking only the solid thigh muscle without doing much damage.
It did at least cause the boar some pain, and it turned around with a huff. Like a bull, it stopped and scraped its hoof against the ground before charging again.
And again, Cinder dodged with an inelegant spin before lashing out with his mace on the boar's other hind leg. It was another bad hit, but it was a little better than the first one, and the boar half-stumbled two steps before regaining its balance.
Cinder felt some confidence building. Once he got the hang of it, this was pretty easy.
It would take an eternity to kill the boar at this rate, but it would happen sooner or later. Besides, he wasn't alone.
The boar turned around for a fourth charge. It huffed and snorted angrily. Its eyes seemed to burn with frustration as it pointed its yellowed tusks at Cinder.
"Come on, coward," Cinder taunted it with a wave of his hand. He was getting cocky.
The boar charged again.
But this time, without Cinder noticing, it slowed down before running past Cinder. So, when Cinder dodged, it could swing its head in his direction and curve its trajectory.
The boar's weight and momentum made it impossible for it to turn on a dime and keep up with Cinder's sidesteps. But it was wide enough that it didn't need to take a sharp turn. It just needed to take a step to the side and brush against Cinder with its tank-like body.
Just like that, Cinder learned what it felt like to be tackled by a boar weighing several hundred pounds. It brushed against his shoulder, but that was enough to do some serious damage and send him flying.
"Aargh!" Cinder cried out as he landed. Unlike the last time, his pain wasn't over in an instant. It was the first time he had felt anything like it. He couldn't even describe it.
An overwhelming sensation that something was horribly wrong with his arm. That and pain was all he felt.
"Cinder!" Kode shouted. Cinder heard it.
Through the pain, he remembered the boar they were fighting. He had to get back up. He had to get away. As he put his intact hand on the ground to support himself, he felt the mace's handle.
"Behind you!" Kode shouted. At the same moment, an arrowed lodged itself in the boar's neck. It was far from enough to kill it when it could barely pierce the monster's thick hide. He wouldn't make it in time to shoot another before the boar trampled Cinder.
Cinder, without looking back, grabbed the mace with his intact hand. With all the strength he could muster, he swung it backward.