Chapter 19: Go Mad! The War Pig

The same scenery, in the eyes of different people and under different mental states, can be picturesque or repulsive.
To Neo, the jungle was undoubtedly the former. He loved it and understood it well; to him, every fallen leaf, every rock outcrop, every bend in the stream, and every ray of sunlight carried beauty. Running through the jungle brought no burden at all—instead, he could find various aids wherever he went.
But to the hunters, it was the latter. What they saw were layers upon layers of complex obstacles—hooks, bumps, barriers, traps… The jungle was nothing short of a collection of natural traps!
These natural traps might not cause serious harm to the hunters, but minor injuries were inevitable. More importantly, they accumulated over time, like a swarm of bloodthirsty mosquitoes that harassed them relentlessly—the more they tried to get rid of them, the more they bothered them!
Anxiety and anger spread among the hunters, turning them into people filled with deep resentment. They had already been ignited by their own fury, craving to release it, and this desire grew stronger by the moment. Unconsciously, they transformed into devastating storms, using force to carve a path forward. Thus, their enemy was no longer just Neo but the entire jungle…
Datha was the only hunter who could still maintain restraint. Watching their reactions, he wanted to stop them, but just as he had been unable to resolve the problem of the furious dogs before, he now couldn’t calm hearts completely blinded by anger with mere words. These already unruly people would ignore any advice.
Moreover, Datha had foreseen this outcome when he first planned everything. Loosening the chains on these enraged beasts could only lead to complete loss of control. His wisest choice was to make the most of this situation and turn it to his advantage, ignoring any potential damage. After all, if others were hurt, it was their loss; if he died, it was his fate. It was only natural for those who ignored his advice to pay a heavy price.
While continuing to endure and wait for the right moment, Datha secretly accelerated his pace. He needed an ideal position to ensure he could seize the opportunity promptly when it came.
And when Neo led the hunters into a denser, more difficult part of the jungle, the long-awaited chance for Datha finally arrived!
There was only this one area in the primeval forest, at the northern foot of the South Fragrant Leaf Forest—this was why Neo insisted on taking the risky crossing through Valley V.
The terrain here was fairly good, with few slopes, most of which were gentle. Yet it was utterly unsuitable for sightseeing, as there wasn’t even a decent spot to rest. Even in winter, when the leaves were gone, the thick branches of the forest still blocked most of the sunlight, creating a gloomy, shadowy landscape.
Wind was an unwelcome guest here, so thin, scattered patches of snow remained intact as they fell, resembling patches of light or clusters of silver stars scattered on the withered leaves, standing in sharp contrast to the darkness of the forest.

Fallen leaves covered all the gaps between the trees, with an average thickness of over 1 meter. Just by looking, it was difficult to distinguish between solid and empty spaces; everything appeared even. Yet stepping forward might reveal rotten, sharp tree stumps protruding from the trunks or slippery, sharp rocks. The cold, damp air was filled with the scent of decaying leaves. This place was clearly more conducive to the growth of dark forces than any other, and it often served as an ideal habitat for dark mages (a general term for spellcasters who wield and study dark powers). But hunters disliked it—completely! Especially in the eyes of the charging demon dogs, there were nets and walls ahead. To tear through these nets and break through these walls required such a high cost that even their frenzied state made it extremely difficult for them. Meanwhile, their prey—the damned, infuriating pest that ran tirelessly for over 40 minutes without slowing down—could move smoothly through these nets and walls. This made the hunters wonder if it could turn into a shadow or if it had serpent or rat blood in its veins; otherwise, how could it pass through those gaps in the trees that even children would find hard to navigate? The obstacles—layer upon layer of barriers that left no time to think of a response while running at high speed—led the already enraged demon dogs to simply charge wildly and directly, with a determination to destroy everything in their path, even at the cost of their own lives. Love it, treat it gently, and it will offer help everywhere; hate it, treat it harshly, and it will become a weapon everywhere. Faced with such brutal invaders, the jungle showed its fangs and claws in its own way. Hiss! The sound of a blade cutting through leather—as a demon dog’s abdomen was torn open by a few-centimeter-long piece of broken wood, creating a nearly meter-long wound from which blood sprayed. Thud! The sound of a sharp object piercing flesh—as another demon dog’s right front paw was pierced by a wooden thorn hidden under the fallen leaves. When it tried to lift its paw again, it pulled up a rotten piece of wood, causing it to trip and fly backward, rolling thirteen times. Crack! A simple bone-breaking sound—as the dog’s center of gravity shifted to one limb, which then slipped into a slippery crack, causing the limb to break under its own weight and inertia. Howl! Howl!… There was no pain in the demon dogs’ howls—only anger. Their injuries only fueled their wildness until they exhausted themselves and died. Wild boars, symbols of bravery, became the preferred motif for the family crests of many nobles proud of their martial achievements in history. The attribute name “War Boar” means: as tenacious as a wild boar in battle, unyielding, fighting to the death, and fearless! Since this attribute requires genetic support, it is not extremely rare but still considered a rare talent. Generally, such attributes can be found in true berserkers, while the demon dogs possess a demonic version of this attribute—completely eliminating the instinct to survive, allowing intense emotions to erupt like a volcano, suppressing all other sensations and turning these monsters into utter killing machines.

Thus, the evil trainers among the dark forces wielded a razor-sharp whip—swinging, coiling, and striking, causing blood to flow profusely. The whip inflicted damage on enemies and stimulated the magic dogs; combined with specialized spells, it could rapidly elevate the dogs’ combat strength to its peak, making them terrifying. Yet now, this terror often led to self-harm. The jungle, the enemy of the magic dogs, was home to masters who relied on patience, strategy, and adaptability to overcome any challenge! Blood and wounds, clashes and howls heightened the intensity of the chase, igniting the fighting spirit in all participants. The relentless determination of the pursuers and the unyielding resilience of the fugitives were fully displayed in this pursuit, making the struggle for life and death even more brutal in this jungle. There was always a price to pay, but the magic dogs’ willingness to risk their lives allowed them to maintain speed and avoid the time wasted by evasive maneuvers. Thus, they could quickly catch up to their targets and launch deadly attacks, just like lions and leopards pouncing from behind antelopes while in motion. And this was the moment Datha had been waiting for! Having endured for so long, Datha erupted violently, his level 6 skills instantly becoming apparent. In a short time, he overtook several corrupted beings and magic dogs ahead and headed straight for Neo. At that moment, Neo was using the terrain to avoid the dogs’ attacks. The dogs’ strength was rapidly declining due to injuries and their own explosive efforts, but this period was also the most dangerous for Neo. Based on experience, he had about ten minutes to hold out. Another issue was that the magic dogs were only part of the pursuers; the corrupted beings and their leader posed even greater threats. Neo had to reserve some strength to deal with their sudden attacks, making those “ten minutes” even more difficult to endure. Using every trick in his arsenal, Neo strived to maintain a stable and high level of performance. While running, he dodged, jumped, and used feints to mislead his attackers. He let trees take the brunt of attacks to protect himself or reduce their impact, and even used himself as bait to take light injuries, thereby defusing deadly attacks or buying precious time or advantageous positions. Under such circumstances, Datha’s assault was undoubtedly the final blow for Neo. In fact, Neo had never neglected to identify his pursuers. Back in the V-shaped valley, when he took the rope, he grinned at Datha—not only to provoke him but also to firmly remember this most threatening figure’s appearance and even his aura. So Datha gradually closed the distance between him and Neo during the chase, and Neo quickly noticed this and considered the possibility of what might happen next. But that was all. Due to the gap in strength, Neo couldn’t come up with any particularly effective countermeasures; he could only stay prepared, vigilant, and adapt to each attack. Datha rushed forward swiftly, reducing the distance from over 20 meters to less than 10 meters, continuing to close in without attacking.

Neo instinctively sensed Datha’s intent to kill him with a single strike. At that moment, all he could think was that he must not let this guy get close under such circumstances!
Bang! Neo used the magic flintlock again, its slight noise echoing far through the dense forest.
Though the distance was short, the power of the magic flintlock was not enough to cause serious trouble to someone as strong as Datha, and Neo was well aware of this. So, while stopping the enemy was secondary, the real purpose was to cover the armor-piercing dart thrown by his other hand.
The triangular steel dart had three blood channels, with a small tuft of gray soft feathers at its tip to ensure stability in flight. It was a military-grade weapon, engraved with the eagle emblem of the Eagle Knights. It was one of the few items left behind by Knight Adrian before he left—only six in total.
Neo had developed the ability to use both hands skillfully; his arms were equally agile and strong. With the grinding rune “Fal,” his strength had been greatly enhanced, which undoubtedly helped in adding power and speed to his weapon throws. Most importantly, most of his combat stats remained at the standard level of a Level 3 warrior, which created considerable confusion among opponents who didn’t know much about him—especially during the first attack.
Neo made good use of this this time. He deliberately feigned inexperience, making Datha think he lacked confidence in throwing his armor-piercing dart and needed the flintlock’s help. Datha fell for it.
With Datha’s abilities, he could predict the approximate impact area of Neo’s shot the moment Neo aimed. Avoiding it at such close range was impossible, but he could definitely defend himself. The bullet hit Datha’s left chest, only piercing the skin before getting stuck deep in the muscle, causing little blood loss.
At the moment Neo fired, Datha also noticed the small movement from Neo’s other hand.
Datha had underestimated the throwing power of Neo’s dart and lacked military knowledge, having no understanding of weapons. He didn’t realize that the dart, with its icy aura, already possessed immense power. He assumed that since he wasn’t afraid of the flintlock bullet fired at close range, he certainly wouldn’t be afraid of a lowly thrown weapon.
By the time Datha realized the dart’s extraordinary force, it was too late to dodge or block. The dart pierced through his raised left arm, which he had raised to block, with a “thud!” Blood sprayed out along the three grooves in the dart, as if a bright red flower had bloomed on his body. It was only because his left arm helped reduce the dart’s force that it didn’t go through completely; otherwise, the injury would have been far worse.
The physical resilience of a Level 6 professional was beyond what ordinary people could achieve. Moreover, Datha followed a path of melee combat where his body itself became a weapon, making him almost inhuman. So even with such an injury, all Datha felt was intense pain in an area around the wound, as if it were being scorched by fire. Additionally, his ambush failed halfway.
Frustrated, Datha summoned his magical breath at the last moment and swung his claw, unleashing a dark evil blade slash.
This was an energy slash similar to the knights’ light blades—a concentrated beam of pure energy that could shatter wood and stone, heading straight for Neo.

Neo did his utmost to keep Datha at a distance, fearing exactly this kind of attack—since he currently had no ability to counter it, and being hit would surely spell disaster! The closer Datha got, the smaller the chance of dodging such attacks, and the fewer objects he could use to weaken them.

As for this attack, it was launched in haste from a distance, and at least six trees along the way weakened its power. So Neo took a risky gamble, choosing to endure this attack that was already fading by the time it reached him.

It was like being struck by a great sword—Neo was sent stumbling forward several steps. His back saw his hunting bow break, the scabbards of his dual swords cracked, and his flesh was torn open, leaving deep wounds.

*Ah…*

Neo gasped in pain. The aftereffects of the strike still shook his internal organs; his vision darkened, and he nearly fainted.

“Hahaha!” Seeing Neo’s miserable state, Datha laughed maniacally in revenge. The wounds caused by his spear seemed less painful now.

Not far from Neo, a demonic dog with a lizard-like head took the opportunity to pounce, opening its maw wide to bite at Neo’s waist and ribs.

But Neo quickly drew the sword on his back and swung it, splitting the dog’s mouth open by more than an inch. Its tongue, throat, and jaws were severely damaged; it sprayed blood, rolled on the ground, and was clearly dying. Neo, too, further tore his own wound from the forceful movement, blood gushing out. Yet he said nothing and didn’t flinch, continuing to run.

Seeing Neo’s tenacity, Datha lost his laughter. He violently pulled out his spear still coated in blood, ignoring the gushing wounds, and threw it hard onto the ground. With a roar, his face twisted in fury as he chased after Neo again. He believed his next attack would be Neo’s death blow.

Meanwhile, Neo entered a state of multitasking—dodging and escaping while using the powers of his “Wolf Bloodline” to heal himself, and calculating how many more of Datha’s attacks he could withstand.

This time, risking injury to avoid revealing his skills as a skilled warrior, and with his opponent making another miscalculation, it should be possible to succeed once more.

Avoiding direct attacks and using magic firearms along with fake and real spears might allow him to fend off 1–2 more attacks.

Creating an opportunity to take a hit from the immortal demon and using that to block attacks—maybe that could count as one more…

Soul and flesh, wisdom and strength—in this cold winter jungle, a battle between life and death was unfolding.

The raging flames of battle boiled their bloods, turning slaughter into their only desire, and it would continue until a decisive outcome was reached.