LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 8: Tutorial.5
I completely ignored the group of nine people preparing to attack and continued banging my head against the tree, letting out loud screeches. It was a terrible move on my part, as I gave the humans enough time to strike.
Three mana bolts, followed by a lone arrow shot at my flank, finally made me notice the other humans. The mana bolts caused small explosions upon hitting me, leaving holes and burning my skin, while the arrow seemed unable to penetrate my flesh.
Now, with new and more accessible targets, I began stomping toward the group. No one, not even Xavier, had any intention of facing me head-on, so they all started running toward the trees.
This prevented me from attacking them, as I futilely tried to impale anyone. They kept dodging, using the trees to hide, taking advantage of my difficulty making sharp turns and maneuvering properly, which gave me time to try to find a new vantage point.
I climbed a branch and from there began shooting arrows at them. The arrows I shot pierced my thick skin and embedded themselves in me, quite differently from Wyatt's arrows. Again, I tried to attack, but ended up crashing into the tree, causing more damage to myself than to anyone else.
What followed seemed like an eternity of me shooting at the boar, while the spellcasters fired mana bolts whenever possible. The warriors tried to keep the beast's attention on them, making loud noises and waving their hands and swords at it.
Everything seemed to be working very well until we all heard a scream. I saw that Abigail had fallen onto something and was now lying face down on the ground, just a few meters from the boar. She seemed completely disoriented from the fall and didn't even seem to be trying to get up.
The boar was stupid, no doubt, but at least smart enough to recognize a vulnerable prey when it saw one, as it immediately shifted its attention to her. Xavier tried to run to help her without hesitation, but he was too far and too slow when the beast attacked Abigail.
He didn't even try to impale her with his tusks; he simply charged at her, his massive hooves crushing the ground with each step. As he ran over her, a loud snap was heard, followed by Abigail screaming in pain.
Before the boar could turn around and attack her again, Xavier finally reached it and drove his sword into its side, penetrating nearly a third of the blade. The strike made the boar instantly shift its focus to him, completely ignoring the woman screaming.
With a quick strike of its head, the boar smashed its tusks into the heavy warrior, sending him flying backward and crashing into a tree with a loud thud, leaving his sword still embedded in its side. However, this entire sequence of events allowed Bruno to reach Abigail and start dragging her behind a tree.
From where I was, still shooting arrows at the beast, I saw everything. There was nothing to be done about it, I thought, as I continued my attack. I should at least take advantage of the space created by the woman's incompetence.
The beast was already looking like a porcupine, with all the arrows sticking out of it, and the mana bolts burning its flesh. It started to move noticeably slower. It snorted loudly, now glaring at Bruno with its red eyes, who was covered in Abigail's blood.
Before the beast could charge recklessly again, it was hit in the eye by another arrow I shot. Trying to grab another arrow, I realized my quiver was empty, while the boar attacked the tree I was in once more. Blood was visibly pooling in the underbrush, and the boar itself seemed to have been dipped in a bath of red paint. Two more mana bolts struck the beast in its hindquarters, and Wyatt was still shooting arrows, but causing only minor damage.
The beast was now on its last legs, and the warriors finally felt confident enough to get closer. They all began stabbing it, except Xavier, who had been thrown against the tree with considerable force earlier. He was still conscious but struggling to rise.
With a few more stabs, the warriors' swords and the continued loss of blood finally made the beast fall.
You killed [Irontusk Boar – lvl 10] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level. Experience shared with the rest of your group. 302 CP earned.
'DING!' Class: [Deadly Shot] reached level 3 – Status points allocated, +1 free point.
I felt the warm glow of the levels, but I decided that worrying about the notifications could wait. I jumped down from the tree and ran to where Abigail was lying. Beatrice was already with her, using her healing magic. As I got closer, I was initially relieved that she was still alive, until I saw the lower half of her body. One of her legs was completely ruined, while the other was entirely missing from the knee down. The enormous weight of the boar had crushed her completely, turning her into pulp.
"Use the healing potions too!" Henrry shouted, grabbing one of his and handing it to Bruno while supporting her head. Bruno quickly uncorked the bottle and poured the red liquid into Abigail's mouth.
The effect was immediate. The crushed leg began healing rapidly, and Evan quickly grabbed it, positioning it properly, ignoring the screams of the former receptionist. The leg healed, but the situation with the severed leg was less favorable. Although the wound closed, no new limb grew.
I walked slowly, holding an empty bottle in my hand. Judging by my condition, I should have consumed a healing potion too. Abigail had lost consciousness, probably due to the pain, and the group's mood was even darker than before. There was no post-victory celebration this time.
"We need to move. This much blood will surely attract something," Henrry said with a sigh. Bruno and Evan decided to carry Abigail, supporting a shoulder on each side. The two badger bodies had been knocked over when the boar charged at them, and honestly, no one felt like searching for them. Unless they had been completely stomped on by the jeep-sized beast, of course.
As we started walking, I grabbed my quiver and began conjuring more arrows in case another fight broke out. We couldn't let such a small setback interrupt our hunt. There was still daylight left.
Once four arrows were generated, Lucas and Beatrice slowed down and ended up walking by my side. I was confused about what they wanted until Lucas turned to me and looked me in the eyes.
"…Why did you do that?"
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