Chapter63

He found it funny, honestly, how much things had changed in just a few days. 'Back then I was barely surviving against a two-Shard, running for my life and getting tossed around like a ragdoll,' he thought, a small smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.
'And now I'm standing in front of a monster that's actively evolving, waiting for it to finish so I can cut it down.'
He crouched low, tapping the flat of his blade against his shoulder while keeping his eyes locked on the boar's face. "Come on," he said, his voice carrying just enough to cut through the heavy air. "Show me what you got."
The boar responded exactly how he expected, its hooves digging into the ground before it launched forward like a cannonball, the ground shaking with every step while its tusks aimed straight at his chest.
He met it head on and sprinting straight at the charge, the distance closing so fast that the air felt like it was compressing between them. At the last second he planted his foot and jumped, the boar's tusks passing just under his boots while he twisted mid-air and landed squarely on its back.
The monster thrashed immediately, bucking and spinning while trying to throw him off, but his legs locked around its thick neck while his free hand grabbed a handful of bristles to anchor himself.
'This thing has amazing durability,' he thought, feeling the dense muscle under his knees while the boar slammed itself against a tree trying to dislodge him. 'My sword barely scratched it, so how about this instead.'
He let go of the bristles with his right hand, pulling his arm back while mana surged into his left fist, the energy building fast and hot until his knuckles started glowing faintly.
"Let's see how tough your face is," he muttered, then drove his fist straight down into the back of its skull with a lot of force.
The impact hit like a hammer, the boar's entire body going rigid for a split second before its legs buckled. It slammed face-first into the ground, the force cracking the ground outward in a spiderweb pattern that sent dirt and rocks flying.
He jumped off before it could recover, landing a few meters away while the dust settled around the crater where its face had just been.