Ashen panicked. It was pure instinct, the fear of a teenager who had never once faced real danger in his life. Any situation like this was completely new to him.
"Talk to me, old man! What kind of 'something' is here?!"
He wasn't ready to die, not now, not like this. So Gaius had better start explaining, fast.
"Quiet, little one," Gaius said firmly. "Stop whining and draw ya bow. Now!"
His tone was sharp enough to portray a warning. Gaius wasn't taking the situation lightly, and neither should Ashen.
Ashen obeyed without hesitation. He grabbed his bow, pulled out an arrow, and nocked it in place.
"Wh-Where is it?!" he asked nervously, his voice trembling. He had no idea which direction to aim at.
"Ahead!" Gaius barked.
Unlike Ashen, the old man could sense the danger clearly. Something dark and heavy was pressing from within the bushes ahead, an unmistakable aura of killing intent.
Every one of Gaius's senses screamed at him to run, to move away before it was too late. But he couldn't. His body was too old, too slow to dodge the danger that was approaching.
Ashen, however… he was young. Fast. He could escape if he wanted to.
Gaius glanced at the boy, who stood with his eyes locked straight ahead, bow drawn tight, waiting for whatever was coming. He could run, Gaius thought grimly. But he isn't.
"When I tell ya to shoot, ya shoot. Got it?"
Ashen nodded quickly. He didn't need convincing. He couldn't sense or hear a thing in the thick silence, but he was more than happy to let Gaius take charge.
He stayed alert, bow ready, trying his best to listen for any sound, any movement. But the forest was still.
Too still.
"Now! Shoot!"
The sudden yell startled him, but Ashen reacted instantly. He let go of the bowstring with all his strength.
The arrow shot through the air, fast and fierce, whistling as it flew toward its target. A moment later, a thunk echoed through the trees, it had hit something.
But then came the sound of heavy footsteps.
From the bushes burst a beast, massive, snarling, and wild. An oversized boar, its skin dark and thick, its tusks long and sharp enough to impale. The arrow was still lodged in its forehead, but it had barely pierced the hide.
It didn't even slow down.
"Fire more arrows!" Gaius shouted.
Ashen was already moving. His hand reached behind his back, grabbing another arrow from the quiver. He fitted it quickly to the bow, pulled back, and released!
But the boar was too fast.
It charged like a blur, its hooves pounding against the dirt, shaking the ground beneath them.
"Leave the bow! Equip the dagger!" Gaius commanded.
Ashen didn't think twice. He dropped the bow and drew the dagger from his waist. His hands were trembling, but his grip was firm.
The boar was still coming, furious and unstoppable.
"Go! Attack! Slow it down, hit its body with the dagger!"
Ashen froze. 'Is this man insane?!' he thought in disbelief. There was no way he could tank that thing's charge!
But before he could even question it further, his body moved on its own, pure instinct. His legs carried him forward, faster than his thoughts could argue.
He met the charging boar head-on, dagger thrust out before him. The impact was brutal.
The force knocked Ashen straight off his feet, throwing him to the ground. His head hit the dirt hard, the pain shooting through every muscle in his body.
But there was no time to rest.
He forced himself up, breathing heavily, his hand still gripping the dagger tightly.
"What do I do next?!" he yelled toward Gaius, his heart pounding in panic.
Old man Gaius was the only one here who could actually guide him. Ashen knew nothing about fighting. He had never been in a real battle before, never even picked up a weapon in anger.
But now he was fighting for his life. Against a creature stronger, faster, and deadlier than any animal he'd ever seen.
"Find ya inner human instinct to fight on ya behalf!" Gaius shouted.
"…What?!"
Ashen stared at him in disbelief. He couldn't believe the old man had just said that. That had to be the dumbest advice in the middle of a fight.
But he didn't have time to argue. The boar was already charging again.
"Find my inner instinct?" he muttered under his breath. Then his mind flashed back to Gaius's earlier lesson about hunting, how he used his senses and instincts to survive.
Right. If Gaius could do it, maybe he could too.
And if he failed? Then he was dead.
Ashen didn't really have a choice.
He steadied his breathing, forcing himself to focus. The old man's voice echoed in his head. The first rule of hunting: Know your prey. Learn its nature.
Ashen studied the beast before him. This wasn't an ordinary boar. It was larger, faster, and far more aggressive than any animal back on Earth.
Its muscles rippled under its skin. Its tusks gleamed. Every stomp of its hooves sent a tremor through the ground.
But despite all that power, there was something he could use to his advantage.
Its intelligence.
The beast was strong, yes, but it was reckless. It moved purely on instinct, with no sense of strategy or control.
Ashen gritted his teeth. I can use that.
The boar let out a furious roar, kicking up dirt as it charged once more.
Ashen remembered the second rule of hunting: Predict your prey's next move before it takes it.
He forced himself to focus, ignoring the noise, the fear, the pounding of his own heart. What would a creature like that do next?
Obviously, a blind, straight charge.
Ashen reached behind his back, pulling out one more arrow from the quiver. He held the dagger in his right hand, the arrow in his left.
His knees bent. His breath steadied. He waited.
The beast thundered toward him.
Gaius watched from the side, eyes narrowing as he caught sight of Ashen's stance. The boy wasn't running anymore. He was standing his ground.
He could tell Ashen was planning something. What exactly, he didn't know, but he could see the fire in the boy's eyes.
"Aim for the belly!" Gaius shouted. "It's the weakest part of its body!"
Ashen nodded, his throat dry.
He swallowed hard, forcing down the fear that tried to take hold. The world around him seemed to fade away, leaving only the image of the massive boar charging closer and closer.
He tightened his grip on the dagger. The arrow in his other hand trembled slightly.
This was it.
His first real battle.
Win, or die.