Alex crouched behind a massive oak tree, watching the creature through a gap in the foliage. His leg throbbed from yesterday's close call with a Thornback Stag, but he ignored it. This was different. This was bigger.
The Razorback Boar was the size of a small car.
Its hide wasn't just thick. It was layered with overlapping stone-like plates that covered its back, sides, and head. The plates gleamed dully in the filtered sunlight, looking more like armour than skin. Curved tusks jutted from its snout, each as long as Alex's forearm and wickedly sharp.
[RAZORBACK BOAR - LEVEL 5]
[HP: 120/120]
[ABILITIES: CHARGE, TUSK GORE, IRON HIDE, TREMOR STOMP]
[WEAKNESSES: UNDERBELLY (SOFT TISSUE), JOINTS (LIMITED MOBILITY), EYES]
Level five. Double Ember's health pool. And that armour...
Ember radiated eagerness. She wanted to attack. The fire mane along her spine burned brighter, reflecting her desire to hunt.
"Not yet," Alex whispered. "We need to understand what we're dealing with."
The boar was rooting through the underbrush, tearing up plants with its tusks. Every movement was deliberate, powerful. When it shifted position, the ground trembled slightly under its weight.
This thing is built like a raid boss tank. High HP, high defence, probably hits like a truck. In a MOBA, you don't try to burst down a tank. You kite it, peel it, or ignore it entirely and go for squishier targets.
But Alex couldn't ignore this one. The boar had territory that overlapped with good hunting grounds. And more importantly, its essence core would be valuable. Armoured beast essence might give Ember defensive capabilities to balance her aggression.
So how do I kill a tank when I'm playing an assassin-bruiser hybrid?
Alex studied the creature's movement patterns. The Analyse ability showed weaknesses, but exploiting them was another matter. The underbelly was exposed when it reared up or fell. The joints had gaps in the armour plating. The eyes were vulnerable but small targets.
I need to force it into a position where those weak points are accessible. Can't do that in open combat. It'll just charge and gore me.
Ember shifted restlessly beside him. Her impatience was growing. The wolf instincts wanted action.
"I know, girl. Soon."
Alex spent another twenty minutes observing. The boar had a routine. Forage in one area, move to the next, pause to scent the air, repeat. It was territorial but not actively aggressive unless provoked.
Okay. I've got the pattern. Now I need a plan.
The smart move would be to find different prey. Something easier. Something that wouldn't risk his life.
But Alex had been playing it safe for too long. He was level two, Ember was still early in her evolution, and they needed to push harder if they wanted to survive in this world.
Calculated risk. That's what separates good players from great ones.
"Alright. Here's the play: I'll draw its attention, make it charge. You flank from the side and hit the joints with Fire Bite. We're not trying to kill it in one engagement. This is reconnaissance. We learn its moves, then disengage."
Ember sent back understanding mixed with frustration. She wanted to win, not retreat.
"We're not strong enough yet. This is information gathering. Trust me."
Alex picked up a heavy rock and stepped out from behind the tree. The boar's head swung toward him immediately, small eyes locking on.
"Hey! Over here!"
Alex threw the rock. It bounced off the boar's armoured head harmlessly, but the creature snorted and pawed the ground.
Aggro established. Come on, chase me.
The boar charged.
Alex had played enough games to know what a charge looked like. The wind-up, the moment of commitment, the trajectory. He waited until the boar was three seconds from impact, then dove to the side.
The boar thundered past, tusks missing him by inches. Its momentum carried it into a tree trunk with a massive crash. The tree shuddered, bark exploding outward.
Holy shit, that would've killed me instantly.
"Ember, now! Hit the back legs!"
The Flame Wolf darted in from the side, jaws glowing with heat. She bit down on the gap between armour plates at the boar's hind leg joint.
The boar squealed in pain and spun faster than Alex expected. Its massive body twisted, and one tusk caught Ember's shoulder, throwing her aside.
[EMBER HP: 34/40]
Alex felt the impact. Sharp pain, confusion. But Ember was already rolling to her feet, snarling.
The boar fixed its attention on the new threat. It charged at Ember.
"Get back! Don't engage directly!"
But Ember's wolf instincts took over. Instead of retreating, she dodged to the side and attacked again, going for the same wounded leg.
She's not following orders. The aggression is making her reckless.
The boar spun again, but this time it used its new ability. It reared up on its hind legs and came down hard.
[TREMOR STOMP ACTIVATED]
The ground erupted. A shockwave radiated outward from the impact point. Alex, standing twenty feet away, felt the earth buck beneath him. He lost his footing and fell hard.
Ember, closer to the epicentre, was thrown into the air and crashed against a boulder.
[EMBER HP: 28/40]
Damn it! Area-of-effect ability. I didn't account for that.
The boar, seeing both enemies down, made a choice. It charged at Alex.
Alex scrambled to his feet, but his ankle twisted wrong. Pain shot through his leg. He couldn't run.
I'm about to get gored by a monster pig. This is how I die. Again.
The boar was five feet away when Ember slammed into its side. The Flame Wolf had recovered faster than the boar expected, and she used her full body weight to hit the creature's wounded leg joint.
The joint buckled. The boar's charge turned into a tumbling roll as its leg gave out. It crashed to the ground, armour plates scraping against stone.
"Ember, disengage! Now!"
This time, she listened. The Flame Wolf bounded back to Alex's side, positioning herself between him and the boar.
The boar climbed to its feet, favouring the wounded leg. It snorted, sizing up the two enemies.
Alex met its gaze, his heart hammering. His ankle throbbed. Ember was down to 70% health. The boar was barely scratched.
This is a losing fight. We got the information we needed. Time to go.
"Retreat. Slowly. Don't turn your back."
They backed away, keeping eyes on the boar. It watched them go but didn't pursue. Smart enough to know its leg was compromised, unwilling to chase enemies into unknown territory.
When they were safely out of the boar's territory, Alex collapsed against a tree. His ankle was swelling, turning purple.
Sprained. Maybe fractured. And we didn't even seriously hurt that thing.
Ember limped over, her own shoulder bleeding where the tusk had grazed her. Alex felt her frustration and shame. She'd been hurt. She'd failed to protect him.
"Hey, no. You did great. You saved my life back there." Alex scratched behind her ears despite the pain. "We got what we came for. Information. That boar has a charge attack, an AOE stomp, and probably other abilities we haven't seen. Now we know."
Ember's emotions shifted from shame to determination. She wanted another chance.
"We'll get one. But not today. Today we recover and plan."
Alex examined his ankle more carefully. Definitely sprained, possibly worse. He could put weight on it, but walking would be slow and painful.
Great. Injured and miles from my cave. This world doesn't give you a break.
They limped back to the cave together, Alex using his spear as a makeshift crutch. The journey took twice as long as normal.
By the time they arrived, both were exhausted. Alex's ankle had swollen to twice its normal size. Ember's shoulder wound had stopped bleeding but looked painful.
Alex used his healing supplies, the limited herbs and bandages he'd scavenged, to treat both their injuries. Then he used Bond Healing, sharing some of his HP to restore Ember's.
[HP: 25/45]
[EMBER HP: 40/40]
Worth it. She needs to be at full strength. I can rest.
As night fell, Alex sat by the fire and stared at his swollen ankle. The pain was constant now, a throbbing reminder of his fragility.
In MOBAs, when you die, you respawn. When you take damage, you heal after leaving combat. When you make a mistake, you learn and try again next match.
Here? One mistake means permanent injury. Or death. There's no retry button.
He looked at Ember, who was curled up by the fire, watching him with those intelligent black eyes.
"That boar is still out there. Stronger than us. Better equipped. And we need to kill it if we want to grow stronger."
Ember sent back agreement and determination.
"So we do what I always did in ranked matches when I faced a hard counter: we adapt. We study. We find the exploit."
Alex pulled out a piece of charcoal and began sketching on a flat stone. A crude diagram of the boar, noting armour weak points, movement patterns, ability cooldowns.
The boar is a tank build. High defence, high HP, area control with the stomp. In game terms, you don't beat a tank by trading damage. You beat it with sustained DPS, positioning, and exploiting windows of vulnerability.
The Tremor Stomp has a tell. The rear-up. If I can bait that out and dodge, there's a window while it recovers. The charge is predictable. Straight line, can't turn mid-charge. And that wounded leg is now a permanent weak point.
I need better tools. The spear isn't going to cut through that armour. I need traps. Leverage. Environmental advantages.
Alex worked through the night, ignoring his pain, planning every detail of the rematch. By dawn, he had a strategy.
It would be dangerous. It would require perfect execution. And if anything went wrong, he'd probably die.
But that's the game I'm playing now. High stakes. No continues.
Time to git gud.
...
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[LESSON LEARNED: RECONNAISSANCE PREVENTS DEATH]
[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: TACTICAL PLANNING - REVIEW ENEMY PATTERNS TO FORMULATE STRATEGY]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: +15]
[EXPERIENCE: 113/150]
Alex stared at the notification. The system had rewarded him for surviving. For learning.
Even failure teaches. I just need to make sure I survive long enough to apply the lessons.
He looked at his crude battle plan sketched on stone. Tomorrow, after his ankle healed enough to move, they'd gather materials. Build traps. Prepare the battlefield.
And then they'd face the Razorback Boar again.
This time, they'd win.
Or die trying.