This Surprise Was a Big One

"Shit! There's another Boarfolk."

"Sure enough, the association's mission intelligence is usually unreliable," Fabian grumbled.

But Rain noticed that this team was different from the one he had seen encounter a Mutant Goblin.

The third Boarfolk had caught them off guard, and they complained about it, but none of the three looked particularly panicked.

Fabian had even found time to mock the association's intelligence.

Rain couldn't help thinking that even among low-ranking teams, the gap in strength could be enormous.

As for the reliability of mission intelligence, this only strengthened his resolve to analyze it for himself in the future.

"Rain, you said yesterday you could cast Freezing Ray twice, right?" Chris asked, turning to him.

"Yes."

"Good. Same spot, one more time. Can you do it?" Chris pointed to the ground, now muddy from the fight.

"No problem." Rain understood immediately and agreed without hesitation.

Chris clearly intended to repeat their earlier tactic: form a sheet of ice just as the Boarfolk charged in and send it sprawling.

Then they would kill this third Boarfolk the same way.

The tactic had already passed one test in combat, so its reliability was hardly in doubt. Their coordination might be even better this time.

There was just one thing bothering Rain: Leia...

So despite the enemy bearing down on them, he asked Chris, "Um... will Captain Leia be all right?"

"Don't worry! The captain will be fine... Oh, fuck!"

Chris, who had been answering Rain with perfect composure, suddenly went pale.

He had even cursed.

Huh?

Rain hurriedly looked up.

Branches snapped and cracked in rapid succession.

A hulking Boarfolk burst from the dense woods like a bulldozer. It stood over six feet tall and was even bigger than the ones they had just fought.

The hammer in its hand was no crude wooden club with a few nails driven into it. It was a heavy mace made entirely of metal.

Its broad head bristled with spikes that gleamed coldly. Rain could scarcely imagine the damage it would do if it struck someone head-on.

Most striking of all, the creature wore simple armor, and a small upright banner rose from its back.

"A Boarfolk Warrior!!"

Fabian's voice rose sharply on the last two words.

So sharply that it almost sounded as though his vocal cords might tear.

Rain needed no warning from Fabian. Having read Mill Town's monster compendium, he already knew this Boarfolk was no ordinary foe.

The small banner on its back was a mark of valor among the Boarfolk tribes, whose members observed a strict hierarchy.

The more banners one bore, the stronger one was!

To the Boarfolk, the banner proclaimed valor. To an Adventurer team, though, it spelled disaster.

The monster compendium stated it plainly: a member of the Deadwater Clan bearing one small banner was known as a Boarfolk Warrior, with a Challenge Rating of two!

Put simply, one of these creatures had roughly the combat strength of the three ordinary Boarfolk they had just fought so hard to kill!

That was right. Three!

It might even be a little stronger than that.

A team that had expected to face two Boarfolk had suddenly found itself up against a Boarfolk Warrior as well as two ordinary Boarfolk. It was hard to overstate the shock.

In fact, shock hardly covered it. This was terrifying!

But of the four of them, Rain wore the strangest expression.

There was some fear in it, certainly, but a closer look would have revealed far more delight.

Yes, anyone watching him would have seen that delight far outweighed fear on Rain's face.

A Boarfolk Warrior?

Didn't the Beginner Monster Compendium say these things almost never leave the Deadwater Valley area? Rain recalled a line the book had mentioned only in passing.

Yet even as excitement rose in him, Rain glanced at the three beside him.

He coveted the Boarfolk Warrior's bloodline, but he stood no chance against it alone.

The outcome of this fight would depend mainly on how the elite team responded.

Of course, Rain knew that if Chris and the others didn't scatter at the sight of it, that alone would be impressive.

After all, this surprise was a big one.

Big enough that even an elite team would probably fall apart.

Huh?

Rain raised an eyebrow.

Chris and the others showed no sign of retreating. If anything, they looked determined to fight!

"Fabian, harass it with your crossbow! Don't let it build up speed!"

"Grand, take the left! I'll take the right!"

"Rain, don't forget your spell!"

As he spoke, Chris banged his sword against his shield several times and shouted at the Boarfolk Warrior, apparently trying to taunt it.

The sight gave Rain a new appreciation for just how capable the Whistling Hunters were.

Wait. Is it because retreating here would leave Leia in a desperate situation?

Rain immediately saw one reason they might refuse to retreat.

But he soon shook his head and put the thought aside.

With a powerful enemy before him, he needed to concentrate.

Besides, this was clearly a good thing for him.

If they didn't fight the Boarfolk Warrior, he would have no chance of obtaining its bloodline.

It might not work out in the end, but at least he had a chance, didn't he?

"Damn humans... You killed Tusk's underlings... Now feel Tusk's wrath!"

The Boarfolk Warrior had come to investigate its subordinates' deaths, and Chris's taunts quickly enraged it. Its deep voice came out as a slurred roar.

Hiss!

As it charged into range and was about to reach the target area, Rain fired Freezing Ray.

The blue-white beam struck the wet, muddy ground. In an instant, a broad patch a few yards ahead of the Boarfolk Warrior turned white beneath a layer of ice several inches thick.

Got it!

Rain and the others expected the Boarfolk Warrior to slip on the ice, just as the previous two Boarfolk had.

But suddenly!

It swerved and accelerated, skirting the edge of the ice. Head lowered and tusks thrust forward, it charged Chris like a raging bull.

What?!

"Iron Wall!!"

Chris's pupils contracted. He immediately bent his knees, braced himself, and gripped his shield with both hands, using a shield Combat Technique to hold the Kite Shield before him.

Bang!!

But the Boarfolk Warrior hit with tremendous momentum. The impact hurled Chris into the air.

He landed heavily, fell back onto his rear, and slid several yards across the grass before finally stopping. Two deep holes pierced the Kite Shield where its tusks had struck.

Rain's expression turned grim.

He could clearly see that Chris's shield arm was bent at an unnatural angle. It was broken.

One charge had all but taken a near-warrior Adventurer out of the fight, even after he had used a Combat Technique. Was this the power of a creature with a Challenge Rating of two?

Damn it!

Fabian's eyes were wide. His crossbow was still aimed at the patch of ice.

He had expected the Boarfolk Warrior to fall. His plan had been to shoot as it got back up, disrupting its next attack or even stopping it outright.

But the plan had fallen apart in an instant!

That one miscalculation had made their situation catastrophically worse.