The stillness of the forest shattered.
The boar's eyes snapped open, pupils contracting into slits of pure, unfiltered rage.
A guttural, ear-splitting ROAR tore through the air. Leaves trembled. Birds scattered from the trees in a flurry of desperate wings.
Ricky didn't wait.
Escape.
His wings, delicate yet powerful, whirred into a frantic rhythm.
The boar lunged.
A shadow swallowed him whole. Ricky barely had time to react before an invisible force gripped his entire being—bloodlust. A predatory pressure so dense it was like a physical weight, squeezing the life from him, locking his limbs in place.
His body froze mid-air.
Oh, fuck, no… Move!
Ricky's mind screamed at his muscles. A shudder ran through his tiny form, his willpower just enough to snap the invisible chains binding him.
He pushed his wings harder.
His small frame shot upward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
The boar, still drunk on rage, let out another thunderous roar and leaped.
Its massive mouth gaped open, revealing jagged fangs thick enough to snap bones like twigs.
Ricky's heart almost leaped out of his chest.
The sheer force of the boar's breath crashed into him, a scorching gust thick with rot and decay.
His wings faltered for a split second.
No, no, no, move! Keep going!
Panic surged through him. The blood infusion had burned through tens of days of lifespan already, veins pulsing like writhing snakes beneath his exoskeleton. He felt like he might burst at any moment.
Then—
The world tilted.
A near miss.
The boar's teeth snapped shut—inches from Ricky's body. The force of its jaws sent a shockwave through the air, rattling Ricky's tiny form.
But he was free.
BZZZZZZZ!
His wings beat with desperate speed, propelling him high, high, HIGH into the sky—beyond the beast's reach.
Below, the boar crashed back to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust and shattered earth.
It wasn't done.
Its body tensed, muscles bulging beneath its thick hide. A dull gray light flickered along its skin, turning it into something even tougher—metallic, unyielding.
Then—
It charged.
Like a living battering ram, it tore through the forest. Trees splintered, earth shattered, and anything in its path was annihilated.
Ricky gawked.
"All this… over a few measly days of lifespan?"
The boar didn't care. It was mindless in its wrath.
"Petty bastard."
But no matter how furious it was, it couldn't fly.
Ricky, finally beyond reach, felt the tension in his body ease. His size shrank back to normal as he deactivated Blood Infusion, exhaustion crashing over him in waves.
The moment he spotted the courtyard walls in the distance, relief flooded him.
As if on cue, the boar skidded to a halt, stopping just a few meters from the entrance.
It stood there, snarling, seething, but unmoving.
Something about the courtyard repelled it.
Ricky didn't care to question why.
He found a secure corner, curled up, and slept.
---
The Kingdom of Eldros stretched endlessly, a land steeped in legend and power.
Once, this world belonged to Demonic Beasts—towering monsters that saw humans as nothing more than cattle.
But then, he appeared.
A man who bent mana to his will, carving a domain from the jaws of extinction.
His name would be etched into history—Ethan Eldros, the First Magus.
He built a kingdom upon his conquest, a beacon of human resilience amidst a world of fangs and claws.
At its heart lay an expanse of untamed wilderness.
Thousand Beasts Emerald Green Forest.
A place where both monsters and magi found sanctuary.
Where the strong thrived.
And the weak… perished.
---
Mount Harrier Village
Survival in this dog-eat-dog world was a cruel gamble.
Wars. Beasts. Plague.
A common man's life was struggle.
Disease could mean certain death—medicine was scarce, and healers demanded a fortune for their services.
So when word spread of a miracle healer, the desperate flocked in droves.
---
A line stretched outside a small wooden clinic, a crowd of mothers cradling feverish children in their arms.
The air buzzed with whispers.
"Please… just hold on a little longer."
"Healer Kurtas will save them…"
Unlike the usual chaos of village gatherings, the atmosphere here was eerily quiet.
Desperation had a way of silencing people.
Not far from the scene, a young man in chainmail stood watch.
His sharp brows furrowed, a hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
Something felt wrong.
His grip tightened.
Just then—
"Hehehe… what's got a Radiant Knight trainee so tense?"
A voice—aged yet firm.
The young man slowly turned, he was familiar with the voice.
An old man with a wooden sword approached, his wrinkled face filled with amusement.
"Old Man Jung…" Jack Velcrast muttered, caught off guard.
He hadn't even noticed the old man's presence, until he spoke.
But the concern in his gut quickly overshadowed his surprise as he remembered something important.
"It's been days… Teacher hasn't returned. Do you think something happened to him?"
For a moment, the old man's expression darkened. But he quickly shook his head.
"A Second Order Knight like him? Bah. What could possibly threaten him?"
Then, as if reminded of something, his gaze drifted to the clinic.
His easygoing demeanor hardened.
"I think… something's wrong with that healer."
Jack didn't argue.
His own instincts told him the same.
"…I've already contacted my sister. A team should arrive soon."
Old Man Jung exhaled, relief evident in his stance.
This village… his home…
If something happened to it—
He wasn't sure he could bear it.
.....
Time continued to flow like water, it had been some days since the incident with the boar.
After a few days rest, Ricky had almost completely recovered.
Hia body hung mid-air as he eyed the man on the ground.
The feeling of danger had greatly reduced.
Realizing this Ricky had decided to explore the man's body today.
Just at this moment, Ricky proboscis violently twitched.
"Damn that spider seemed to have grown stronger.." Ricky legs involuntary twitched.
While the threat radiated by the man had decreased, the threat posed by spider had proportionally Increased.
Ricky wonder what did spider did to quickly grow stronger.