New Talent

The city gates groaned shut behind them. Four soldiers. One mission. 

Ethan surveyed the terrain. It was his second time in the forest.

"I should take charge," Ethan said. "I've survived these patrols once before."

Chen nodded. But the others didn't seem to agree.

Taylor stepped forward. "Survived by running, you mean?" His lips curved into something between a smile and a snarl. "Left your whole team to die while you saved yourself."

Ethan's fingers tightened on his weapon. The accusation stung, not because it was true, but because the original Ethan had died out here just yesterday. These replacements had no idea they were standing where their predecessor's blood had soaked into the earth.

"Going alone is suicide," Ethan said.

"Better alone than with a coward." Taylor turned to the others. "We split up. Cover more ground that way. Stay within sight of the walls if you're smart." He glanced at his spear, then at the forest. "Meet back here in six hours. Don't try anything heroic."

Chen hesitated, looking between Ethan and Taylor. 

"Wait up," he called, jogging after Taylor. "Two sets of eyes are better than one."

The remaining soldier, Zhang, didn't even speak. Just picked a direction and vanished into the trees.

Perfect.

Ethan waited until their footsteps faded.

Ethan did not walk 100 meters before he heard a sound.

A branch snapped to his left.

Ethan froze.

Twenty meters away, a Razorback Boar

"Razorback Boar, their talent is Iron Enhancement. They could coat their tusks with iron, increasing their already, formidable power." Ethan muttered.

The Razorback Boar was as talented as the Shadowfang Wolf, with an F+ Grade Talent, their rank was also the same.

The boar did not give Ethan a chance to strategise before its muscles tensed and its hooves dug into the hearth, as it prepared to launch.

Its Iron-enhanced tusks gleamed as it launched forward with explosive force. The ground erupted beneath its charge, soil and stones scattering.

Ethan activated his Enhanced Speed talent.

The world shifted, and the boar's movements became more distinct and more readable. He twisted aside as the boar thundered past, its tusks missing him by centimetres. The displacement of air alone made his clothes snap.

His spear darted forward, seeking the boar's flesh. 

The boar pivoted with unexpected agility, catching the spearhead on its tusks. Metal screamed against metal. 

Sparks flew. 

"Clang"

The impact travelled up Ethan's arms, nearly wrenching the weapon from his grip.

They reset positions and circled around each other. 

The boar's eyes tracked his movements. 

After several exchanges of strikes, Ethan realised that with each failed strike his spear was becoming more dull while leaving his opponent relatively unharmed.

The boar charged once again. 

Ethan dodged, countered, and met the same metallic defence. His enhanced speed kept him alive but accomplished little else. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he analyzed the situation he was in. 

His attributes told the story - the agility of 23 meant he could avoid death and harm, but the strength of 10 left him unable to penetrate the boar's defences.

The pattern continued. 

Charge. 

Dodge. 

Strike. 

Sparks. 

Each exchange brought them closer to an inevitable conclusion. Ethan's stamina would fade. His speed would falter. The boar would gore him through.

Unless.

The spear clattered to the forest floor. The boar's charge faltered momentarily, instincts warning of a trap. 

Ethan embraced the transformation, letting it flow through him like water. His bones shifted, and his muscles and ligaments realigned. 

His perspective lowered as his form changed to that of the Shadowfang wolf.

Where a human had stood, a Shadowfang Wolf now crouched. The boar's small eyes widened, its primitive brain struggling to process the impossibility of a human becoming a ferocious beast.

Then its combat instincts reasserted control. 

Enemy was enemy, regardless of shape.

The boar's next charge carried even greater fury. Ethan's wolf form leapt aside. His jaws snapped at the boar's flank as it passed, teeth finding purchase where the spear could not.

Blood sprayed. 

The boar squealed in pain and rage. It spun with shocking speed, tusks sweeping in a deadly arc. Ethan disengaged, feeling the wind of their passage. His wolf transformation had higher strength than his body, and he had finally drawn blood, but the boar's strong hide had prevented serious damage.

They circled again, each reassessing their opponent. The boar's blood marked the soil, and the wound was causing it pain, it hadn't suffered ever.

The boar altered its strategy, making shorter charges with quicker turns. Its tusks swept through complex patterns, forcing Ethan to expend more energy dodging. Each near miss, made Ethan sigh in relief, he really didn't want to feel those tusks in his body.

Ethan's wolf instincts merged with human tactical awareness. The boar was trying to tire him, but in doing so, it revealed patterns. Its turns favoured the right side. Its tusks swept predictably. Most importantly, its Iron Enhancement Talent didn't cover its eyes.

He waited for the next charge, timing his dodge perfectly. As the boar started its favoured right turn, Ethan lunged left. His jaws found the soft flesh behind its jaw, just below the ear where the iron enhancement was weakest.

Blood filled his mouth as his teeth punctured vital arteries.

.