Late in the afternoon, Clayton had just finished his training and crafted several magic scrolls. With everything done, he finally had some free time.

Feeling a bit bored, he decided to check on the seeds he had planted a few days ago. Unfortunately, the condition of the plants was discouraging. Seeing this, Clayton let out a long sigh.

He looked around for something interesting to do but found nothing that caught his attention. Since the air outside was freezing cold, he decided to head back inside.

Just as he was about to step through the door, a tree branch suddenly fell from above and struck him. Startled, Clayton let out a shout and looked around, trying to figure out who had thrown it. He was sure it wasn't a natural fall—there were no trees nearby.

He quickly stepped outside and scanned the area but saw no one suspicious. Just as he was about to investigate further, a strange sound echoed:

Squeal! Squeal!

A not-so-large wild boar emerged from the bushes, charging straight at Clayton like a predator spotting its prey.

Clayton was shocked but instinctively dodged to the side.

Boom!

The boar's momentum was too strong, and it crashed into the fence, smashing it to pieces.

Clayton stood frozen, unsure what to do. The boar quickly got back up and locked eyes with him, its gaze burning with wild intensity.

The look in the boar's eyes sent chills down Clayton's spine. Oddly enough, its expression reminded him of a perverted old man from one of those weird Japanese films he'd seen once.

Feeling deeply uncomfortable, Clayton dashed into his yard, trying to put some distance between himself and the creature. But luck wasn't on his side—the boar chased him in.

Worse, it was absurdly fast—faster than Clayton himself.

As the gap closed, the beast seemed fixated on Clayton's rear with disturbing enthusiasm. It lunged forward and rammed at full force.

Clayton's face went pale. In a panic, he activated the Water Circulation Armor spell, nearly draining his entire mana pool.

His body was instantly covered in a thick layer of circulating water, like a magical astronaut suit.

Thunk! Boom!

The boar's tusks slammed directly into Clayton's backside. Fortunately, the watery armor absorbed the blow, preventing serious injury—though Clayton was launched like a rubber ball, crashing hard into the wall of his house.

His body hit the wall with a loud thud, and though he wasn't seriously hurt, the impact left him dazed and barely able to stand.

The boar charged again, not giving him even a second to breathe.

"Damn it!" Clayton cursed.

He had run out of mana—casting another spell was out of the question.

But he wasn't about to give up. He quickly pulled a magic scroll from his pocket. It was freshly made—the ink hadn't even dried yet. Still, the core function was intact.

He channeled the last of his mana into the scroll. A burst of black smoke shot toward the boar.

Though the creature continued charging as if unaffected, a closer look revealed the blazing light in its eyes was dimming—as if veiled by mist.

Its movements grew unstable.

Clayton sighed in relief and activated another scroll.

Snap!

A water projectile blasted into the boar's body. But its thick hide held firm. Only a few strands of hair were dislodged—at least it made contact.

Boom!

The beast rammed into the fence again and staggered. The dazed state from the smoke effect seemed to fade.

Clayton quickly used another scroll, once more cloaking the boar in black smoke.

This time, the boar stopped moving. Seeing an opening, Clayton commanded his mini skeletons to target its vital points.

Snap!

Water projectiles struck its chest, eyes, and groin.

A shrill scream echoed.

SQUEAL!

The beast thrashed violently, crashing into everything around it, its eyes bloodshot with hate. Its gaze shifted—from creepy old man to full-blown psychopath straight out of a horror movie.

Steam poured from its ears, nose, and head. It roared in fury and charged at Clayton, completely unhinged.

Panicked, Clayton activated another Pollution Scroll—black smoke surrounded the creature again. But this time, the effect was noticeably weaker.

Clayton realized something was wrong. He used a second scroll—still no effect. Only after the third did the boar begin to lose focus again.

He was relieved, but he knew it wasn't over. The boar began trembling violently, as if it were resisting some internal force.

Then it hit him—the beast had incredibly strong willpower. He immediately used another scroll.

At last, the boar stood still, its eyes blank and unfocused.

Seeing his chance, Clayton ordered his skeletons to finish the job before it recovered.

Snap! Snap!

More water projectiles struck the beast.

Boom!

It crashed into another wall and remained down longer than before.

Clayton didn't give it time to recover. He and his skeletons continued the assault until every drop of mana was spent.

The area turned into a war zone—debris and smoke filled the air.

When the dust settled, Clayton saw the boar lying in a pool of blood, unmoving.

He waited a few moments… and it remained still. But instead of feeling relieved, Clayton stayed tense and cautious.

To be sure, he fired his last magic pistol.

Snap!

Grrrr…

Suddenly, the boar stirred again, rising with terrifying determination. Clayton's eyes widened. But before he could react, the creature collapsed and moved no more.

Clayton approached carefully. After checking its vitals in every way he could, he confirmed it—there was no sign of life.

Finally, he could breathe easy. The monster was truly dead.

As things calmed down, some neighbors arrived, asking about the incident. Clayton gave them a brief explanation.

Soon after, a group of people appeared—among them, Arthur, who rushed in with a worried expression. His concern eased once he saw Clayton unharmed.

"Clayton, what happened here?"

"I was attacked by a wild boar. Maybe it came down from the mountains looking for food—because of the winter."

"Tell me everything, from the beginning."

"Well… at first, a tree branch hit me out of nowhere… I looked around to see who did it, and then suddenly…"

Clayton recounted the entire event in detail.

Those listening seemed to understand the situation.

But Arthur's expression was different—his face showed a mix of thoughtfulness and suspicion.

When Clayton mentioned the mysterious falling branch and the boar's odd behavior—like it had already been provoked—Arthur immediately thought of one name:

Bravus.

"…Was this really just a coincidence?" Arthur muttered under his breath, uncertain.