Killing the Wild Boar King
Everyone was shocked by its terrifying defense. Even modern compound bows couldn't hurt the beast. If they encountered a creature like this with no trees around, they would face ten deaths and no chance of survival.
Seeing that their attacks couldn't break through its defense, the wild boar king led the other boars toward the trees where the exploration team stood.
"Your compound bows have too low a draw weight to break through its defense. Attack the adult boars first. I'll find a way to deal with the wild boar king."
The others could only choose to trust the exploration team captain.
The wild boar king noticed that the attacks had shifted to the other adult female boars, with marked effect. The pain kept the boars from daring to advance.
The wild boar king could only take the lead itself. Its first target was the tree where the Avatar stood. Perhaps it thought the Avatar's earlier attack posed some threat. It gave the other boars a few low grunts, then launched a fierce attack, charging toward the tree where Wang An stood. It rushed up and slammed its enormous body into the ring-cupped oak.
Seeing its attack, the Avatar immediately tightened his grip on the oak's trunk.
Bang! A muffled sound rang out.
The wild boar king's collision sent the oak swaying, and the Avatar could clearly feel that the tree had tilted a little. Its roots had also risen slightly from the ground.
At the wild boar king's command, the other boars charged to the trees where the other team members stood and began digging at their bases, intent on toppling them.
The Avatar knew this couldn't go on. As the wild boar king charged at Wang An's tree again, he took a compound crossbow out of his space and activated [Precision], predicting the wild boar king's next position.
He took the appropriate stance and pulled the trigger. The bolt plunged straight into the wild boar king's skull. The sudden, searing pain brought it to a halt, and it let out one agonized wail after another.
It shook its head wildly, trying to dislodge the bolt from its eye. But the bolt used this time was far more powerful than the arrows from a compound bow. It had lodged in the wild boar king's skull and wouldn't come out so easily.
But even such a grievous wound didn't end its life.
Realizing it couldn't shake the bolt loose anytime soon, the wild boar king prepared to flee.
How could the Avatar let this chance slip? He immediately switched to a second compound crossbow and fired another bolt with the skill. This time, it shot straight into the wild boar king's eye and came out the other side.
After losing its vision, the wild boar king began charging around in panic, sometimes ramming the trees where the exploration team stood. Several trees tilted because the other boars had dug beneath them. After the Avatar attacked the wild boar king, the team members had been warned to "hold tight to the trunks," so they weren't shaken off.
The other boars scattered out of the wild boar king's way as it rampaged. Those that failed to dodge were either trampled underfoot or tossed to the ground, leaving the ground in a mess.
Once the others had steadied themselves, they pressed their advantage and continued attacking the wild boar king. Only then did everyone realize that the exploration team captain had inflicted those terrifying wounds. Looking at the two deadly bolts lodged in the wild boar king, they all sucked in a cold breath. How had the captain done it?
The oak where the Avatar stood was at the very back of the group, and his back had been to everyone when he attacked. He had also put the compound crossbow away immediately afterward, so none of them knew he had used it.
He immediately turned around and used the compound crossbow to continue attacking the wild boar king's wounds while it was still in the middle of the group. As the saying went, strike while he was down and take his life. The others followed suit.
The other boars saw the wild boar king being surrounded and attacked from all sides, but could do little except gather around it and drag it away. After several more rounds of arrows, the herd finally dragged it out of the exploration team's shooting range.
The Avatar was certain the wild boar king was unlikely to survive. Its brain had been injured, and only a miracle could let it recover from damage of that extent.
Only after the herd retreated did the exploration team climb down. The ground beneath the trees was a mess, churned into mud by the constant trampling of so many boars. The team members had taken off their backpacks earlier because they needed to climb the trees.
Some of the tent poles inside might have been snapped underfoot. Fortunately, the ground here was relatively dry, and the food inside hadn't gotten wet and was still edible.
Following the traces of the boars' retreat, the Avatar determined the direction of their nest. He immediately took out a map, directed everyone to run up the mountain to the north, and agreed on a meeting place with them.
He needed to check on the herd, the state of its nest, and where it went afterward. Under everyone's worried gazes, he urged them to get moving quickly, in case the boars turned back.
He followed the herd's trail, feeling his way along until he reached a hollow among the hills. A flourishing great ring-cupped oak stood above it, and the ground beneath was covered with hay, fallen leaves, branches, and the like. The same materials had been put together overhead to form a crude "roof." It was probably the herd's nest.
From a distance, he could see the enormous wild boar king lying in the nest. Blood continued to flow from its arrow wounds, and its vital signs were already extremely faint. The Avatar observed carefully and saw six black meteorites beside the wild boar king. Two of them had no markings and had already been used.
It seemed this was a wild boar king with at least multiple classes.
But just as the Avatar was wondering how to lure the herd away and retrieve the Class Change Stones inside, he suddenly heard the wild boar king let out a low roar. The Avatar was somewhat startled, but then noticed that the markings on one of the four unused Class Change Stones were gradually dimming until they vanished completely.
I wonder what class that boar just took to pull itself back from the brink of death.
But if that was the case, the Avatar certainly wouldn't allow the terrifying creature to live.
He took a compound crossbow out of his space, used his skill again, fixed on his target, and pulled the trigger. The bolt entered through the previous wound to the brain and pierced straight through it in one shot. The boar's body stopped moving; it couldn't have been more dead.
After confirming that the wild boar king was dead, the Avatar packed up and climbed a nearby tree. Before long, a group of boars charged out of the hollow, searching everywhere for the one who had ambushed it.
While the boars were away, the Avatar slipped into the nest. Several nearly grown boars and one adult female remained inside.
As soon as he encountered them, the Avatar used his compound bow to fire three arrows in quick succession, severely wounding them. He put the bow away, took out a machete, and walked toward them.