Five months later.
Sparse snowflakes were already drifting in the air above the Bokala Mountains.
This heralded the coming of winter to the Anzetta Great Plateau, and the beasts began to hunt in groups, preparing for the long and harsh winter.
The forest rustled, and gray figures darted quickly through the trees.
Their protruding snouts, inverted triangular, eerie blue eyes, and sharp teeth all revealed their identity: Dire Wolves.
One of the top predators in the dense forest, and masters of pack hunting tactics.
Ahead of them was a panicked herd of deer, fleeing for their lives with hooves pounding.
The pack of wolves, however, seemed unhurried. The strongest Dire Wolf leading the pack let out a long howl, and the other Dire Wolves responded with soft howls.
This wolf pack, numbering over ten, cooperated with each other; some drove the deer herd from directly behind, others flanked them, and some had even disappeared, gradually forming an open, pocket-like formation.
After tens of minutes of pursuit, the wolf pack held absolute initiative. Without expending too much stamina, they drove the disoriented deer herd to a mountain pass.
The forest deer, panicked by the wolves' relentless advance, regarded the pass as their last escape route and rushed into it en masse as if grasping at a lifeline.
In this chaotic situation, even small fawns were trampled to death.
But they didn't realize that what they thought was a lifeline was actually a trap.
"Awoo—woo—"
Once the entire deer herd had entered the valley, the Wolf King let out an excited long howl. The Dire Wolves that had disappeared earlier now appeared at the other end of the valley. The wolf pack had completely surrounded the entire deer herd, over thirty deer, within this narrow pass.
The deer herd was now in complete disarray, bumping into obstacles everywhere, only to find menacing wolves eyeing them from all directions.
And the wolves, with their eerie blue pupils gleaming, surged forward impatiently.
For a time, blood splattered and wails echoed, filling the valley with the smell of gore.
Ultimately, the leading stag, using its large antlers, broke through the wolves' blockade on the other side, leading over ten deer to escape, leaving behind more than ten fresh carcasses in the valley.
The wolf pack's goal had been achieved.
The Dire Wolves rushed forward, vying with each other, tearing at the deer's flesh and blood, eager to feast before winter to ensure their survival through the extremely cold northern winter.
And the Wolf King chewed on the most succulent internal organs, savoring this carefully prepared, hard-won meal.
A mist began to rise in the valley.
At first, the wolves didn't pay it much mind, but as the mist grew thicker, engulfing the entire pack in a hazy, indistinct state where they couldn't see each other, they began to panic.
Mysterious dark figures occasionally flickered through the mist.
"Crunch, crunch"
It was unclear whether it was the sound of wolves crunching deer bones, or wolves being crunched.
And then came a cacophony of wolf howls from the mist, perhaps hunting commands, or calls to attack, or permission to eat; to the wolves, they seemed illogical, yet they held meaning.
If a knowledgeable mage were here, they could easily identify this as merely the Prestidigitation trick—creating some extra sounds and sensations through magic.
Unfortunately, these beasts were unaware, only instinctively panicking at the unknown, even losing some of their rationality.
"Awoo—"
The Wolf King stood up alertly, letting out long howls, calling to his companions.
The wolves also howled in confusion, confirming each other's general locations.
But the thick fog blurred their vision, and noisy, strange sounds appeared, making them unable to distinguish directions or obtain any effective information.
The Wolf King suddenly noticed a strange sound from above.
Whistling like wind.
He instinctively looked up, but his pupils only reflected blazing flames.
"Boom—"
【Killed Adult Male Dire Wolf, gained 200xp】
【Killed Adult Male Dire Wolf, gained 200xp】
【Killed Adult Male Dire Wolf, gained 200xp】
【Killed Adult Female Dire Wolf, gained 200xp】
【Killed Dire Wolf Leader, gained 700xp】
"A great harvest, not a single one escaped."
Ke Xiu Si lightly exhaled a puff of sulfur-scented hot air, then stretched his wings.
A crimson figure soared over the valley, circling above the forest.
The Red Dragon transformed into a formidable hunter, looking down upon the many creatures in the forest, continuing to search for his next prey. What ordinary people would avoid as fierce beasts, he saw as walking experience packs.
Beside the bushes on the ground, a massive Ferocious Wild Boar was rooting through the soil, searching for anything it could eat.
Whether it was the juicy roots of ferns, small snakes about to go into hibernation, or even clods of earth containing special elements, all would become food for this wild boar.
This Ferocious Wild Boar stood over two meters tall at the shoulder; from a distance, it looked like a small mountain.
Its tusks, like two scimitars, extended from either side of its mouth. Beneath its thick fur was a layer of thick fat, and the fur itself was covered in hardened mud accumulated over years.
Ordinary iron swords could not even cut through this natural armor, and only the most experienced hunters dared to challenge such a formidable beast.
"Oink oink."
The Ferocious Wild Boar couldn't help but snort.
It snorted out a clump of mud, then continued rooting downwards with its rough snout, rummaging around until it finally unearthed the pupa of some unknown insect.
The Ferocious Wild Boar, as if it had found a treasure, hastily swallowed this precious protein.
Suddenly, it noticed the faint figure of a small snake in the grass not far away, slithering away as if fleeing.
"Oink!"
The Ferocious Wild Boar trotted after it with light steps.
The small snake appeared and disappeared, luring the wild boar to the side of a cliff.
As the plump beast scurried forward with short, quick steps, eager to gobble it up, the snake's shadow vanished again.
A dark shadow fell from above the cliff.
Magic Missile
Several arcane orbs struck directly onto the wild boar's thick hide, inflicting undefendable, unstoppable magical force damage.
The Ferocious Wild Boar couldn't help but let out a painful wail, followed by the frenzy of being wounded.
"Beast Rage!"
Its eyes glowed red with fury, the fur on its high back suddenly bristled, and it spun around, searching for a target to attack, its hooves kicking up dust from the ground.
"Hoo hoo—"
This state was similar to the characteristics of a Barbarian; in this state, the wild boar's strength and constitution would receive terrifying bonuses.
Even more terrifying, it would become fearless of pain and tireless. Many adventurers, thinking they had severely wounded it, were bitten in half by its tusks in its rage.
However, this enraged beast looked around again and again, but could never find a target, nor could it detect the source of the attack, only able to vent its excessive, surging rage in all directions.
"Boom!"
"Boom! Boom!"
It violently slammed its massive body against the cliff, shaking down chunks of shattered rock, and used its sharp tusks to pierce the earth and churn up trees.
Several minutes passed.
When the frenzy ended, the giant beast lay on the ground, exhausted.
The surrounding environment was a mess; shattered rocks were everywhere, the earth was torn up, and the cliff face was covered in cracks.
And it seemed to have recovered from the anger of being wounded, leisurely gnawing on grass roots on the ground.
"Ignis (Flame Arrow)!"
A fiery arrow descended from above, scorching its fur black.
Immediately after, a red figure swooped down from the sky, directly clinging to its towering back.
"Awoo..."
The Ferocious Wild Boar let out a cry-like wail, but no longer had the strength to get up and fight.
It could only allow the Red Dragon on its back to bite through its spine with sharp fangs and teeth, cleanly ending its life.
This once undisputed ruler of the dense forest, whom no one dared provoke, died so ignominiously.
【Killed Adult Ferocious Wild Boar, gained 1100xp】
【Your level has increased to 2】
Tearing through the tough hide, scraping away the thick fat, revealing the bloody fresh meat beneath.
Ke Xiu Si didn't bother to heat it much; he just tore off a piece of fresh meat from the loin area and chewed it down.
A Red Dragon has its own unique digestive system, capable of eating virtually anything. Most of what it consumes is converted into nutrients for growth, and the rest into abundant elemental energy, with very little waste.
"Very chewy pork, just a bit too tough."
With a mouthful of blood, the Red Dragon didn't forget to offer his evaluation.