Chapter 42

"Go, Valkyrie!"

"Kui! Kui!"

In response to my words, Valkyrie's sprinting speed increased even more.

I was barely hanging on to avoid being thrown off, but I managed to turn my head to look back.

With a rumbling sound, the giant boars were running after us.

It seemed that the lead boar, which had been hit by my shotgun attack, was chasing us with bloodshot eyes, clearly not intending to forgive me for the attack.

Still, the speed at which the giant boars ran was incredible.

They were chasing us, neither getting closer nor farther from Valkyrie.

The phrase "charging like a wild boar" truly fit the situation, as they were charging with fierce momentum.

Given their enormous size, the pressure of being pursued was considerable.

"Right on target. Now, jump, Valkyrie!"

However, this chase was exactly what I had anticipated.

I never intended to decide the battle with my magic from the start.

Rather, my greatest weapon was not my magic, but Valkyrie, my summoned beast who acted alongside me.

"Kui!"

Valkyrie, running at high speed, let out a cry.

This was not just a simple cry, but the casting of a spell by Valkyrie.

Her speed, which was already fast, increased even more.

The scenery around us blurred as we moved at an incredible pace.

Valkyrie had used [Body Enhancement], a simple spell that sends condensed magic power throughout the body to temporarily boost physical abilities.

Unlike when I used it to fetch water as a child, the effect was tremendous when used by Valkyrie, a fully grown horse-type beast.

Even with the same rate of enhancement, the base physical abilities were different, so the increase in Valkyrie's abilities was much higher.

With her enhanced physical capabilities, Valkyrie leaped as if kicking the ground.

How far did she jump?

I felt as if we were floating in the air.

Then, with a thud, we landed on the ground.

I nearly fell off Valkyrie's back.

Boom.

I was struggling to hold onto Valkyrie's body to avoid falling off when a tremendous sound came from behind.

After landing, Valkyrie continued to move forward for a while before slowing down and turning back toward the source of the sound.

There was a large hole.

Or rather, it was too big to be called a hole.

It was a crack in the earth, as if the ground had split open.

The crack was nearly 10 meters wide and very deep.

In fact, this was a pit I had prepared in advance.

A giant boar with such a massive body would not be affected by ordinary attacks.

So, what was the solution?

My answer was to use the enemy's strength against them.

Valkyrie would lure the enraged giant boar, which had been provoked by my magic attack, to the edge of the crack and then leap over it.

However, the enraged boar, chasing us blindly, would not be able to jump over the crack and would inevitably fall into it.

"Yeah, it doesn't seem to be alive."

I said this as I looked down into the bottom of the crack from atop Valkyrie.

The boar must have hit its head against the opposite wall of the crack when it fell.

The boar was lying at the bottom of the crack, bleeding profusely from its head and lifeless.

The one I had attacked and the other young boars were also dead.

It was unfortunate, but there was no other way.

At least I would make sure to enjoy the meal.

"Alright, let's head back, Valkyrie."

And so, my first battle came to an end.

* * *

"Really, you actually managed to defeat the giant boars. I can't believe it."

"You did well, Ars. You really are my brother."

When I returned and reported the defeat of the giant boars to Madock and Baito, they were both surprised.

In fact, Madock didn't expect me to actually defeat them.

I later learned that he had been trying to figure out a way to drive them back into the forest.

"Well, at least it's over now."

"What are you talking about, Ars? The giant boars won't just stop with those few."

"Huh?"

"There are other giant boars that ravage the fields. If they come out again, I'll have to rely on you, brother."

Hey, hey.

What are you talking about, you damn brother?

I don't want to keep digging huge holes and being chased by giant boars every time.

I thought it was over, but it's not over at all.

And so, I began to be called out every time giant boars appeared.

Thank you for reading.

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