Anomaly

Slap!

Slap!

Slap!

Three Water Bullets struck the boar "monster" directly in the face, erupting in violent explosions that forced it to howl in agony.

As Ul's Magic Power grew and his mastery of magic deepened, the same spell wielded vastly different power in his hands.

"ROAR!"

The boar "monster" bellowed wildly, its roar utterly unlike an ordinary pig's squeal.

Bloodshot veins slowly crept into the boar "monster's" eyes as it glared at Ul with burning hatred.

Though its charge had been halted by Ul's three Water Bullets, this did not make it abandon the attack. Instead, it only stoked its savagery further. After a few seconds' pause, it suddenly accelerated and charged at Ul once more...

Basic Water Magic—Water...

Seeing the boar charge again, Ul instinctively moved to cast a spell, but this time he couldn't even finish sketching the Magic Circle before the boar "monster" had closed to within less than five meters of him.

The sudden assault startled Ul so badly his face drained of color, and even his mind went blank for a fleeting moment.

He still lacked combat experience, after all. Especially under pressure, he could hardly make the most correct judgment in an instant...

Fortunately!

At the last moment.

Ul's body acted before his brain did. His legs pushed off, and he sidestepped the attack.

Thud!

The boar "monster's" body slammed into a large tree behind Ul with a resounding crash.

"ROAR!"

After hitting the tree, the boar "monster" didn't pause for an instant. It spun around, eyes bloodshot, and launched its third charge at Ul...

And this time!

Ul ultimately failed to dodge.

"BAM!"

The boar "monster's" two tusks smashed violently into Ul's thigh, sending him crashing to the ground.

A searing pain shot through his leg instantly.

Ul felt as if his thigh had been hit by a car—it nearly broke.

"When I get back this time, I have to find some martial arts to train in properly!"

Clutching his bleeding thigh, a thought suddenly surfaced in Ul's mind.

In truth, with his current physical condition, he could have dodged the boar "monster's" charge just now. But he simply didn't know how to evade...

After all, the world Ul had lived in before was a very peaceful era. Aside from a few childhood memories of fighting, his body had never been inscribed with the memory of battle.

"Grrr..."

The boar "monster" growled low.

After knocking Ul down, it prepared to press its advantage and gore this damned human to death. But just then, a sudden sharp pain shot through its belly and groin, forcing it to halt its movements.

The boar "monster" had used mud to temporarily slow the bleeding from its wounds, but with its attack, the injuries burst open again. Faintly, Ul could even see the intestines deep inside the gash on its belly...

"ROAR!!"

The boar "monster" sensed danger and kept letting out threatening growls.

Its limbs began to creep backward...

It wanted to retreat.

After transforming from a beast into a "monster," though the boar's intelligence had increased, it had also grown more and more afraid of death...

Now, the boar "monster" understood clearly that if it kept fighting here, it would very likely die.

With fear in its heart!

The boar "monster's" fighting spirit began to rapidly dissipate...

Seeing this.

A sharp gleam burst from Ul's eyes. Magic Power gathered within him in an instant. As his hands moved, a earthen-yellow Magic Circle quickly took shape beneath the boar "monster's" feet...

Basic Earth Magic—Earth Sink Magic.

Almost the moment the Magic Circle appeared, the boar "monster" sensed something was wrong, but it was already too late.

The earth beneath its feet vanished instantly.

In the blink of an eye!

A pit several meters deep opened up under the boar "monster." It only had time to let out a single scream before its entire body plummeted straight down.

Just as the boar "monster" fell into the pit, Ul's hands moved again, suddenly pressing together.

Low-rank magic—Earth Spike!

Deep within the pit, a earthen yellow Magic Circle bloomed with light, and a spike of earth rapidly emerged from within it. With a faint "thud," the boar "monster's" body was pierced clean through...

"Oink~ Oink~~"

The boar "monster's" body hung suspended on the Earth Spike, twitched a few final times, and then its limbs went limp, dangling lifelessly.

"Hah!"

Seeing that his all-out combo had finally taken down this boar, Ul couldn't help but let out a heavy breath.

To be honest!

This combo was already Ul's last resort.

If this combo couldn't kill the boar, then Ul himself would be in danger.

Because at this moment, the System Attribute Panel showed that Ul's Magic Power had completely hit zero, and Ul himself could feel the weakness in his body.

Magic Power was a form of energy, closely tied to the body's own vitality. Now that his Magic Power was exhausted, Ul clearly felt the weakness and emptiness within him—a sensation that even gave him the urge to just collapse and sleep right there.

But just as this urge arose!

Suddenly!

A rustling sound came from up ahead.

Hearing this noise, Ul's heart jolted in alarm. He quickly forced himself to stay alert and slowly focused his gaze on the source of the sound...

The next second!

A boar that looked remarkably similar to the "monster" boar staggered out from the depths of the forest.

"Not good!"

The moment he saw this boar, Ul sensed something was terribly wrong.

Because on this boar, he also felt the presence of Magic Power—and it was the same type of Magic Power as the previous boar "monster." If Ul wasn't mistaken, this boar was most likely the mate or a kin of the one he'd just killed...

This boar clearly had intelligence, because even though it spotted Ul, it showed no intention of leaving. On the contrary, it warily began approaching the pit in front of Ul.

Seeing this!

Ul's heart sank. An unprecedented aura of death gradually closed in around him.

"No, I can't let it see the boar's corpse. I have to strike first!"

Having made his decision, Ul gritted his teeth against the emptiness inside him and began desperately wringing out every last drop of his Magic Power...

And just then!

That boar seemed drawn by Ul's movements, temporarily abandoning the pit and starting to walk toward him.

Seeing this!

Ul's panic intensified. His Mental Power erupted wildly as he frantically began constructing a Magic Circle.

The boar's figure drew closer and closer...

Suddenly!

A magical light flared to life in front of Ul.

But the very instant that light appeared...

With a thunderous crash!

A vast, surging wave of black Magic Power abruptly materialized before Ul's eyes, flooding his entire vision...