Chapter 15: Combat

The soldiers had just surrounded the Mud Boars when the adults detected the danger, emitting repeated, low-pitched howls to alert their companions of the enemy's approach. Soon, the rest of the Mud Boars also noticed the intruders. The air carried the scent of iron (weapons) and blood, which their keen noses could not deceive, even without seeing the enemy. The young Mud Boars stopped their playful running and quickly scurried toward the adult boars, their protectors, to seek safety.

At this moment, the captain, realizing the prey had become alert, without hesitation waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to attack. "Charge!" he roared, hurling his javelin with all his might at a sturdy Mud Boar. Instantly, dozens of javelins and over a dozen arrows whistled through the air toward the targets already marked by the hunters. The javelins embedded themselves deeply into the prey, regardless of size, while the arrows pierced through the thick mud armor of the boars, claiming their lives.

This initial assault wiped out the majority of the adult Mud Boars in the group, with only a few farther away escaping the first wave. The surviving adults, ignoring the agonized cries of their wounded companions, frantically called out to the scattered younglings, trying to lead them away from this nightmarish place. However, the fully encircling soldiers repeatedly drove them back with long blades and axes, toying with the prey and delaying their deaths to provide combat experience for the two newly arrived mages.

Seeing the situation under control, Shaoke urged the two mages beside him, "Don't be shocked by this; it's perfectly normal. You'll gradually get used to it." He spoke urgently, "Alright, start preparing your spells. The soldiers won't keep the prey surrounded for too long without killing them. After all, letting the survivors howl could attract more of their kind or even higher-tier magical beasts. Calm your minds, take it slow, don't rush—you'll succeed." Shaoke then gently reassured them.

Mage Kiya slowly steadied his excitement and unease stirred by the hunt, beginning to chant in the ancient magical tongue for his most familiar offensive spell. Streams of magical energy gathered at the tip of his staff through his gestures, forming a green, viscous orb about the size of two or three adult fists. After hovering briefly at the staff's tip, it shot toward one of the remaining Mud Boars. In less than a hundred meters, the green orb struck a Mud Boar's back, immediately emitting a sizzling corrosion sound and releasing wisps of bluish smoke.

"Acid Splash"—more akin to highly concentrated sulfuric acid from Earth—was enhanced by the ancient magical tongue, making it even more potent.

The Mud Boar hit by the "Acid Splash" let out mournful howls as large chunks of flesh rapidly melted from its back, exposing the stark white spine. In no time, the entire boar was corroded, leaving behind only remnants of bone and scattered flesh.

The surrounding soldiers, witnessing the new mage unleash such a powerful spell, cheered loudly. In their eyes, no matter how noble one might be, only by demonstrating strength and the ability to protect them could one truly earn their recognition. Otherwise, who knows when the soldiers might leave you alone deep in the forest to avoid going on missions with you.

The remaining Mud Boars, seeing their companions die again, grew even more frenzied. Ignoring the hunters' encirclement, they charged outward repeatedly, heedless of casualties. The captain, sensing the danger, decisively ordered the soldiers to kill the magical beasts, no longer keeping them alive for the new mages to practice on. Continuing like this risked casualties among the soldiers under the maddened boars' assaults—a situation the captain wished to avoid. Moreover, any escapees might attract a large swarm of Mud Boars. The soldiers faithfully carried out the captain's orders, and the few remaining Mud Boars, including the younglings, were quickly slain with long blades and javelins, ending this lopsided battle without a single soldier injured.

Seeing this, Shaoke thanked the soldiers and declared that the mages would claim none of the spoils, leaving everything to the soldiers. This announcement delighted the soldiers even more than the earlier thanks, and their pace quickened slightly under the drive of profit.

While the soldiers gathered the spoils, Shaoke praised Mage Kiya for his successful spellcasting. Mage Kiya, suppressing his excitement, expressed his gratitude: "Mage Xueye, this is all thanks to you. Without your encouragement, my spell might not have succeeded. Thank you for your help, Mage Xueye."

"Heh, it's nothing, Mage Kiya. After a few more battles, you'll truly adapt to such environments. In the future, if there are newcomers, you can help them in the same way!" Shaoke adjusted his cloak, indicating it was unnecessary.

Shaoke then turned to Mage Yija, whose face was flushed red. "Don't be nervous. During the first real battle, there are always various external influences that can lead to mistakes in spellcasting. Many mages can't avoid this. Don't dwell on it. Didn't I say? During my first battle, I was completely stunned, my mind blank, forgetting all the incantations and gestures."

It turned out that while Mage Kiya was chanting his spell, Mage Yija, after some internal struggle, also began his incantation. However, perhaps due to excitement, unease, or nervousness, he made a mistake with the gestures near the end, causing the entire spell to fail. The failure left Mage Yija looking dejected and ashamed, forcing Shaoke to comfort him to prevent a mage—perhaps a future full-fledged wizard—from falling into despair.

Shaoke thought to himself, "Well, it looks like I'll have to play nursemaid for a while. Could Mage Yija be a woman in disguise? Hmm, that would be too cliché. Can't see the neck—hopefully not a woman. If it is a woman, there's probably some background, which could be dangerous."

Under the captain's leadership and with Shaoke's declaration that the mages would take no spoils, the soldiers quickly cleaned up the battlefield. Since this mission was primarily to give the two mages combat experience, they decided not to continue hunting today. After all, mages new to the battlefield needed time to adjust. Thus, the battlefield was thoroughly cleared. The soldiers didn't worry about carrying too much, which might slow their march. On the captain's orders: the pristine tusks were forcibly wrenched from the ugly heads of their owners by strong soldiers and placed in prepared large pouches; the dull magic crystals were hacked out of the beasts' brains with axes and stored in oak boxes lined with soft velvet; the bloody hides were completely stripped from the magical beasts, quickly sprinkled with a powder prepared by the physicians for tanning, then simply treated and preserved; the still-warm, clean blood was collected in various-sized ceramic bottles, mixed with gem powder to prevent coagulation, and carefully placed in separate small pouches carried on their persons.

To Shaoke, it seemed every soldier was the type to wield a blade in hand and carry wine at the waist. Fortunately, there wasn't too much clean blood, sparing the soldiers from being forcibly labeled as drunkards by Shaoke. Even in the cold north, almost everyone was a drinker—except for the mages.

Seeing the soldiers pick up the last youngling's corpse, Shaoke lightly waved his staff to signal the captain that the mages were ready to move on.

Noticing this, the captain shouted at the loudly laughing soldiers, "Stow your prey, form up! Scouts, head to the front and scout carefully! You few, come protect the mages. Look at yourselves—you're soldiers defending your homeland! You're starting to look like low-tier mercenaries. Pull yourselves together, quickly! Be alert for sudden magical beast attacks. Everyone, get ready for combat! You lot... Imperial soldiers, put away that box, or next time you'll be carrying ten roasting racks on the march!"

The captain loudly berated the overly excited soldiers. Their disorderly discipline greatly annoyed this strict officer. Though this happened after every battle, the meticulous officer tirelessly roared each time, hoping they would break this bad habit to avoid future dangers arising from it.

Under the captain's furious shouts, the soldiers quickly carried out his orders. The scouts went ahead to reconnoiter, those assigned to protect the mages swiftly took their positions, and the remaining soldiers quickly formed a defensive formation, hastening their pace toward the temporary camp. Fortunately, the fog had mostly dissipated by now, significantly speeding up the march.

Watching these elite soldiers, Shaoke couldn't help feeling they were undervalued. These border garrison soldiers were far more formidable than those guarding large cities. A border soldier could quickly take down five or more city guards of the same level without activating their aura. Sometimes, Shaoke wondered if he could mold these soldiers into his own special forces. But considering his current status, he felt it unnecessary. A mage—at least a powerful one—would never lack strong shields. Of course, Shaoke hadn't reached that level yet, but he was confident in becoming a powerful spellcaster. This wasn't just due to his efforts but also because of his unique, otherworldly understanding of magic.

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It seems there will be a power outage tomorrow and the day after, so updates might not be possible. Making up for it with an extra chapter today; the other will be posted once power is restored.