The First Mount

However, Blade was still wrong.

The white horse turned and ran, even sprinting faster than it ever had in its life. But the Domesticated Sow was much faster than he had imagined.

The Domesticated Wild Boar dug in with all four hooves and charged, kicking up clouds of dust as the ground trembled beneath it. In almost an instant, it was right behind the white horse. Then it lowered its noble head, gathered strength in its legs, and leaped at the horse's rump.

Crash!

Could you imagine it? A pig weighing at least eight hundred pounds, moving like a shooting star, slamming into the rump of a white horse that weighed no more than three hundred pounds. What a sight that must have been.

The scene was almost too beautiful to behold.

The white horse let out a mournful whinny and collapsed to its knees. It didn't even get the chance to sing "I Surrender." Its poor, short life as a horse had ended just like that. It had never even managed to woo a single mare before it died. How utterly tragic.

And this time, Blade finally failed to hold on to the reins. He toppled off the white horse, his slender, frail body unable to react in time. He landed headfirst, making intimate contact with the ground. His neck twisted to one side, and he breathed his last.

One collision, two lives lost!

Shawn was dumbfounded.

Rick was dumbfounded.

The white horse beneath Rick trembled all over.

The Domesticated Sow looked triumphant, holding its proud head high.

It was at that moment that the Arcane Missiles Shawn had released earlier made intimate contact with the Domesticated Wild Boar.

Yes, complete, intimate contact. A direct hit to the face! Right in the face! Right in the face...

Shawn's mouth fell even wider open. A sudden sense of foreboding washed over him.

The Domesticated Sow had never imagined that a missile would slam into her face at the proudest moment of her life.

A golden flash from the Brass Collar around her neck formed an invisible mana shield that blocked the Arcane Missiles, but the Domesticated Sow was still furious.

How dare someone hit her in the face?

She was the beauty pageant champion, fighting champion, racing champion, push-up champion...the winner of every competition in the Elwynn Forest Domestic Pig Contest—and the only recipient of a first-place prize!

Couldn't they see that the Brass Collar around her neck was that very prize?

The greatest domesticated sow in all of Elwynn Forest, the magnificent "Princess," was furious.

She lowered her noble head slightly and dug in with all four hooves, preparing to teach the one who had angered her an unforgettable lesson.

Shawn saw Princess pawing at the ground nearby and felt his whole world crumble.

He cast Eye of Insight on the Domesticated Sow, and felt even worse.

"It's just a domesticated sow. How can her challenge level be so—so high? Level 8!"

Yes, the Domesticated Sow in front of him had a challenge level of 8. If he compared her to a Warrior, she would be at least a level 6 mid-tier Warrior.

How could there be such a terrifying domesticated sow?

Some information suddenly surfaced in the depths of Shawn's memory.

"Good heavens, this pig... This pig can't be the most famous sow in Elwynn Forest, the legendary 'Princess,' can it?"

Princess was just a name, but every human player remembered her glorious figure vividly.

Back then, she and her two lackeys had been so hard to handle, so alluring, so sexy...

All right, so terrifying.

Shawn knew all too well that at his current level, facing "Princess" could only end one way: defeat.

"This is bad."

Shawn was close to tears.

He turned around and saw that Rick had already run off. He was gone, gone, gone...

"That shameless Rick! Just wait till I see you—I'll make you pay!" Shawn gritted his teeth in anger.

Was he really going to have to face the Domesticated Sow alone?

Was his life in this new world about to end beneath the hooves of a Domesticated Wild Boar?

Just then, Shawn suddenly remembered something.

Something good.

A good thing he'd gotten from the lucky draw after clearing "Murloc Shoal."

He'd thought he wouldn't need it anytime soon, but he'd never expected to use it today, right now, on that Domesticated Sow.

"Ghost Reins, blue-quality, rare equipment. Can be used on any creature with a challenge level no higher than 10 to tame it as your mount. And because it is possessed by a ghost, the mount's strength will increase to varying degrees."

Shawn took out the Ghost Reins and braced himself.

When the Domesticated Sow charged at him, Shawn dodged neatly and slipped the Ghost Reins around her neck.

It was the finest display of agility the young mage had ever managed in his life.

The Ghost Reins truly lived up to their reputation as a product of the Space Garrison: everything they made was a masterpiece.

Once the reins were around the Domesticated Sow's neck, she quickly stopped in her tracks and turned around. A trace of struggle flashed in her eyes, but it soon vanished, replaced by utter docility.

She walked gracefully over to Shawn, bent her forelegs slightly, and performed a proper pig's bow.

From then on, the Domesticated Sow named "Princess" became Shawn's first mount.

Of all the many resounding titles Shawn would earn in the future, his most famous one—the first—had finally come into being.

"Pig-Riding Mage, Shawn Feathermoon!"

The Ghost Reins worked like a charm, taming the Domesticated Sow in no time. While possessed by a ghost, the Domesticated Sow's strength had also changed significantly.

"Name: Princess."

"Race: Domesticated Sow."

"Attributes: Strength 22, Agility 25, Stamina 20, Intellect 2, Spirit 5."

"Class: Mount."

"Equipment: Brass Collar (green-quality, uncommon equipment; first-place prize in the Elwynn Forest Domestic Pig Contest), Ghost Reins (blue-quality, rare equipment)."

"Skills: Cabbage Rooting, Skyward Kick, Ground Ram, Full-Rage Sprint, Domesticated Sow Lion's Roar."

"Movement Speed: 80."

"Challenge Level: 10."

Yes, you read that right! With the Ghost Reins' bonus, the Domesticated Sow's movement speed had reached 80, far faster than the average warhorse's 60. Her challenge level had also risen to 10.

Shawn was deeply disappointed by the mount's species, appearance, and temperament, but he was very satisfied with her attributes and skills. At the very least, riding this Domesticated Sow was far more impressive than riding an ordinary warhorse.

Shawn swung himself onto the pig, pulled the reins with both hands, and shouted. The Domesticated Sow dug in with all four hooves and raced toward Goldshire like a shooting star.

"Charge! Catch that traitor Rick, who abandoned us in the face of danger! Root him in the butt! Kick him in the face! Teach him a good lesson!"

When the Pig-Riding Mage arrived in Goldshire, he was met by everyone pointing and staring. Their comments were full of teasing about the imposing, mighty "Princess" and the delicate, gentle Shawn.

"Hey! Isn't that the orphan Old Saldean brought here? He's actually come back riding a domesticated sow? Good heavens, how much does that sow weigh? At least six hundred pounds, surely?"

"Don't be ridiculous! She must weigh at least eight hundred pounds! That's the biggest pig I've ever seen. Even the Boar King that wandered onto my farm the year before last wasn't as heavy!"

"How did little Shawn tame that domesticated sow? It's unbelievable!"

"Shawn the Pig Rider! Hmm, that's a good title. A very good one! I think from now on, everyone should call him 'Shawn the Pig Rider'!"

"By the way, what's Shawn's last name? Anyone know? I think Shawn could make up his own surname. How about Shawn Pig Rider?"

"Great idea, great idea!"