Free Web NovelChapter 57: Lin Yuan’s Wilderness
ROARR!!
The monstrous roar rumbled across the Academy Great Forest like thunder, chasing countless birds away from the canopy. Dry leaves rained down in a rustling rhythm as the earth beneath Lin Yuan’s feet trembled violently. A suffocating, predatory pressure descended upon the disciples. Neither Chen Ming nor Huo Ren dared to draw a full breath.
"We need to defeat this Stoneback Wild Boar..." Lin Yuan murmured, clenching his fists.
"Stoneback Wild Boar? What the fuck is that name?" Chen Ming frowned, darting his eyes toward Lin Yuan. "Don’t name the beasts as per your convenience and their appearance."
"You both are focused on its name?" Huo Ren grunted, cutting through the argument. "Look at that boar..!"
A few paces away, the Stoneback Wild Boar slowly scraped its gigantic tusks against the dirt. The faint sparks burst from the friction of tusk and ground, casting a shimmering, jagged light over its crimson eyes as they locked onto the three tiny disciples. Its murderous intent was suffocating.
"Rank Four," Chen Ming whispered, a bead of cold sweat cutting a clean line through the dirt on his forehead. "Why the hell is something like that inside the academy grounds..."
"It doesn’t matter why," Lin Yuan said, his voice was calm and calculating, unbothered by the beast’s low rumbles before attacking.
While the others instinctively took a step back, Lin Yuan’s sharp eyes darted over the massive beast from head to toe. He took in the details with a cold, analytical precision: the dense, stone-like plates of armor on its spine; the jagged crack splitting its left tusk; the fresh blood dripping beneath its leg; and the half-healed claw marks stretching across its massive shoulder.
"It’s injured," Lin Yuan announced, a cunning smile crawling on his lips which he stroked his chin once.
"What?" Chen Ming glanced over, his hands quivering under the pressure.
"The blood on its left leg," Lin Yuan pointed out, lowering his stance slowly and defensive at the same time. "It isn’t another beasts’, and the wounds are fresh. It fought something stronger before it stumbled into the academy boundaries. It was filled with pure, unadulterated rage. It isn’t at full strength now."
"So we can defeat it?" Huo Ren asked, a desperate spark of hope in his eyes.
"No. Even crippled, it is still far beyond anything the three of us can defeat in a direct clash." Lin Yuan muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Scatter and attack strategically!"
The warning was barely out of his mouth when the Stoneback Wild Boar stomped its foreleg, shattering the earth under its leg. With a deafening boom, it charged, moving with the terrifying speed of a blasted cannonball.
The three disciples rushed in different directions, throwing themselves into the low crouch just as the boar smashed straight through an oak tree. The thick trunk immediately exploded into thick wood splinters. Chen Ming swallowed hard, staring vehemently from beside a bush. A single direct hit would have pulverized every bone in their bodies.
As the boar slowly turned its massive body around, its breathing sounded like a raged rattling.
"Interesting," Lin Yuan murmured, observing the rise and fall of its flanks. "The injuries are slowing it down. It exhausts quickly."
"Yeah..." Chen Ming sneered, understanding Lin Yuan’s words instantly. "If we outlast its stamina, we have a chance."
But the boar wasn’t waiting. Lowering its head, it let out another ear shattering roar and lunged again; this time aiming its massive tusks at Huo Ren’s side.
"Ohhhh.. What the hell!" Huo Ren cursed as he sprinted toward a narrow gap between two enormous boulders. The beast’s strides are so heavy. Each massive stride of the boar shook the forest floor, closing the distance with terrifying speed. Just before the tusks could spear him through, Huo Ren threw himself into a desperate tumble, sliding beneath a large, fallen tree trunk.
The gap was too small for a massive beast like Stoneback Wild Boar. With a strong crash, its armored shoulder slammed into the trunk, sending splintered wood flying into the air.
"Chen Ming, now!" Lin Yuan shouted, gesturing to Chen Ming.
Chen Ming rushed on to a nearby rocky slope, understanding the plan without needing details. Chen Ming gritted his teeth, pushing a large boulder with a frenzied cry with every ounce of strength he possessed.
The boulder struck the boar’s wounded leg with an impactful crunch. The beast stumbled, roaring in agony. It was only a minimal movement, but it was sufficient for Lin Yuan.
He rushed forward, his movements devoid of the panic that held the others stiff and frantic. There was no hesitation; he had only pure, cold calculation.
’It’s left eye darts slower,’ Lin Yuan analysed, rushing hard to the right.
The boar’s head jolted around, its instincts understanding the sudden movement as Lin Yuan intended to move. Twenty paces ahead stood a jagged stone pillar, bulging out of the earth like a broken tooth. Lin Yuan sprinted straight toward it, looking like cornering himself.
"Lin Yuan, no!" Chen Ming screamed, realizing the counter attack could be too late.
Ten paces. Five. Three.
The Stoneback Wild Boar let out a triumphant rumble, sensing victory. Then, just before the impact, Lin Yuan vanished. He simply crouched his weight, sliding smoothly under a twisted, jagged tree root.
The boar’s sheer momentum betrayed it. Unable to halt suddenly, the massive beast crashed face-first into the jagged boulder expeditiously.
A burst of blood and shattered rock echoed throughout the forest. The impact stumbled its tusk into the ground vehemently. The beast thrashed wildly sideways, its terrifying strength ripping cracks through the boulder as it tried to wrench itself free. Its pure rage rattled across the surroundings.
"It’s stuck!" Chen Ming yelled, scrambling down the slope immediately.
"Not for long," Lin Yuan muttered calmly, crawling out from under the roots. "Huo Ren, push the boulder!"
Without a second thought, Huo Ren sprinted from his hiding spot, threw his weight against the opposite side of the fractured stone structure, and pushed with everything he had. The weakened rock groaned under the push, cracked completely, and gave way.
Several tons of solid boulder collapsed directly onto the Stoneback Wild Boar’s neck and shoulders with a scoffed, crushing thud. A choked roar escaped the beast’s throat before the boulder crushed it down. Thick blood began to pour continuously from under the boulder, staining the ground red. A vehement breath rippled out even from the crushed pulp of the flesh.
"It’s still breathing..." Chen Ming whispered, terrifying by its will power.
Lin Yuan walked toward the spasming beast, his expression emotionless. He looked down into the furious, lethal eyes of the beast.
"You possess strength worthy of admiration," Lin Yuan whispered softly, picking up a long, spear-like broken tree branch from the side path. "But strength without judgment is merely another weakness."
With a quick backward jerk, he thrust the broken wood through the beast’s injured eye, piercing it deep into the brain.
The boar’s movements stopped instantly. The final roar died in its mouth like a muffle, replaced by a rattling sigh as its massive body twisted once before stopping.
Silence returned to the Great Forest, with only the sound of the ragged breathing of the three young men. Dust settled over the massive corpse. For a few minutes, no one spoke.
"We..." Chen Ming stared calmly at his hands, then at the dead monster. "...we killed a Rank Four, Hahaha!"
Huo Ren fell onto a nearby rock, his knees giving out as the adrenaline rush began to fade. "I thought we were dead. I really thought we were done today. Hahaha, Sigh!"
"No," Lin Yuan said, tugging a bloody, flesh-dripping branch out of the boar’s corpse. "We simply refused to become prey."
He stared up toward the canopy, observing that the four Emerald Sickle Mantises that had been hovering on the sky were gone.
"They knew," Lin Yuan murmured, staring at the sky. "They were waiting for something else to finish the kill so they could scavenge."
"So even the insects have brains... Hahaha," Chen Ming let out a raspy, exhausted laugh.
"The cleverest predators rarely fight first," Lin Yuan grunted, crouching down to touch the cracked armor plates of the boar. An unsettling thought crossed his mind as his fingers traced the older claw marks on its shoulder.
"What’s wrong?" Chen Ming asked, understanding the expression on Lin Yuan’s face.
"This beast should never have been this deep inside the academy forest which is sealed," Lin Yuan said, his gaze turning toward the outer forest. "Someone or something, intentionally drove it here into the forest."
****
"Finish it now!" Ying Yue yelled, her frantic eyes locked on to Gu Fang Xin.
Boom!
Gu Fang Xin punched a Rank 2 Venomous Lizard. The lizard instantly slammed onto the tree vehemently, thick blood splashing around the trunk.
"Don’t fucking order me around!" Gu Fang Xin bellowed, ignoring the dead corpse which was sliding down the tree trunk.
"Hahaha...! Let’s move forwards, guys," Chen Yu Ming muttered, patting Gu Fang Xin and Ying Yue’s backs.
