Determining the Battle Limit

After they had walked for about an hour, a guard scouting at the head of the group suddenly stopped and raised his left hand, signaling a halt.

Sean immediately raised his right hand, signaling everyone behind him to stop.

Following the guard's gaze, they saw a patch of shrubs about fifty yards ahead trembling slightly. Through the gaps between the branches and leaves, a strip of grayish-brown hide briefly flashed in the light.

Su Lin narrowed his eyes and studied it carefully for a moment, confirming that the hide belonged to an Ironback Wild Boar.

Its entire body was covered in coarse, stiff, grayish-brown bristles. A thick layer of horny armor bulged across its back, its edges dark brown, making it look as though it wore a natural suit of plate armor.

Tusks curled out on either side of its lower lip, each about as long as an adult's finger, with thick roots and faintly yellow tips. Judging by its size, it stood about half a person's height. Both the thickness of its back armor and the length of its tusks indicated that it was at least five hundred years old, but definitely no older than six hundred.

According to the Soul Beast field guide published by Spirit Hall, Ironback Wild Boars were fairly common earth-attribute Soul Beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest. They fed on grass roots, tubers, nuts, and tender shrub shoots. They were not particularly aggressive by nature, but once provoked, they became quite irritable.

Their defenses ranked above average among Soul Beasts of the same level. Their back armor could cushion physical and energy attacks to a certain extent, but they were slow and clumsy at turning. As long as you did not stand still and let them ram you, they were not too difficult to handle.

Beside him, Sean frowned, Soul Power surging around him as he prepared to act. Su Lin, however, raised a hand to stop him, then called softly, "Pikachu."

Pikachu's ears perked up, and he darted out from beside Su Lin's feet. At that moment, the Ironback Wild Boar seemed to sense a threat. It abruptly raised its head toward Pikachu, spread its thick legs slightly, and assumed a defensive stance. The horny armor on its back drew a little tighter as its muscles tensed.

Pikachu gave it little time to react. Golden lightning surged from beneath his fur and gathered at the tip of his tail, condensing into an electric arc as thick as a little finger that shot out and struck the Ironback Wild Boar squarely in the flank.

The electric arc burst with a short, sharp crack, scattering a small ring of golden sparks across the boar's flank. The shock made the Ironback Wild Boar shudder all over. It let out an angry, muffled roar, scraped its hooves hard against the ground twice, then hunched down and lowered its head, tusks pointing forward, and charged straight at Pikachu.

Although it was not fast, a body that massive still exerted considerable pressure once it charged. Its shoulders snapped several low shrubs along the way with a series of cracks, sending wood chips, dead leaves, and dirt flying in all directions.

Pikachu swayed and dodged to the side. The Ironback Wild Boar barreled through the spot where he had just stood, snapped two shrubs, and charged several more steps before it managed to stop. It turned clumsily, trying to lock onto its target again.

Seizing the opening, Pikachu decisively unleashed Energy-Charging Thunder Shock. The golden lightning around him rapidly gathered and compressed, forming a bright golden sphere over his body. After charging for about two breaths, a bolt of electricity as thick as an adult's arm blasted out in front of his forepaws, striking the side of the Ironback Wild Boar's belly where its back armor offered no protection.

With a dull thud, the Ironback Wild Boar hit the dirt on the spot, all four hooves twitching uncontrollably. It had clearly received quite a shock.

The guards around the perimeter froze for a moment, clearly not expecting such formidable combat strength from this palm-sized golden Soul Beast. Sean was inwardly surprised as well. He had thought he would have to step in to provide support. Even he would have needed some effort to handle an Ironback Wild Boar nearly four hundred years old, yet Su Lin's Soul Beast had dealt with it so cleanly.

He really was the future of Wealth Village!

[Your battle report has been generated]

[Your Pokémon Lightning Rat went through an easy battle, defeated an unremarkable opponent, and gained 10 experience points]

Hmm, using Tang San as the yardstick for combat strength, the Ironback Wild Boar was roughly two-thirds of a San. Converted that way, Tang San currently had the combat strength of two five-hundred-year Soul Beasts, about the level of a rank twenty-four or twenty-five Soul Grandmaster.

Calling that strong did not cover it. It was downright absurd.

In any case, Su Lin admitted that he could not manage that at present.

He picked Pikachu up and held him in his arms again, and the group continued deeper into the forest.

For the next stretch of time, they essentially repeated a cycle of "find a Soul Beast-send Pikachu into battle-wrap up and move on."

From Thorn Porcupines over four hundred years old to Midnight Mantises adept at concealment... the forest held many kinds of Soul Beasts, most between four hundred and five hundred years old. Occasionally, they also encountered Blazing Tigers around six hundred years old.

After every battle, a line tallying the experience would pop up on the panel. The numbers fluctuated from single digits to the teens, varying slightly according to the opponent's strength and the duration of the battle.

By the time the sun climbed to its zenith and slowly began slanting westward, Pikachu's experience bar had gained close to a hundred-odd points that day.

And after easily dealing with the twelfth Soul Beast over five hundred years old they had encountered that day, Su Lin confirmed something extremely important.

There really was a limit to Pikachu's daily battles, just like the so-called stamina bars in games.

Within a given period, he could only gain experience from his first ten battles. Once he exceeded that limit, subsequent battles no longer yielded any experience.

That made things much simpler. Su Lin could handle the weaker Soul Beasts himself and let Pikachu act when they encountered higher-level ones.

He could also use low-level Soul Beasts to practice, honing his use of Perplexing Track Step and Electric Arc until both were solid, without neglecting either side.

It would only be twenty battles or so altogether, which they could finish in a day no matter what. One trip in and one trip out would work out just right, with a return to town every two days to replenish their supplies. It could hardly be more perfect.

"Uncle Sean." Su Lin turned and beckoned to Sean, who was keeping watch nearby. "Let's call it a day. We'll camp here tonight and head back first thing tomorrow morning."

"All right."

Sean answered and immediately made a crisp hand gesture behind him. The guards quickly converged from their spread-out fan formation.

They soon selected a slightly elevated clearing sheltered from the wind. First, they cleared away the dead grass, fallen leaves, and dry branches nearby to avoid trouble from an accidental fire during the night. Then they split up and took out tent frames and waterproof oilcloth. In just fifteen minutes, three sturdy marching tents stood ready, with a roaring campfire built in the center.

Dry wood crackled in the flames. The orange-red firelight illuminated everyone's faces and drove away the forest's nighttime chill.