Fortunately, Jem happened to see a stone boulder nearby. He crouched and hid on it. Then, he peeks ahead.

He could not charge in right away as he had no decent weapon to fight it. With him was just the DIY claw knife. He believed that on certain occasions it might not be useful enough, but still better than nothing.

Jem was gradually learning on this survival journey. He must be mindful of what he could and couldn’t do. Always stay focused and stay cool-headed. Also, he needed to practice alertness. He believed that one wrong move was a straight path to the afterlife. So, he had to be careful.

The stone boulder was huge enough to cover his whole body. He was thankful for it, regardless. Thanks to it, it blocks the shining emerald crystal in his possession. Especially that he could not get rid of it as he needed it as a source of light.

The stepping noises and the growling sounds were coming closer and closer.

It didn’t take long when the beast finally revealed its figure.

<A ranked-C Adult Brown Swine>

The trader’s voice rang at the back of his mind, giving him input about the beast.

Seeing that it was bigger than the previous swine, Jem agreed with the trader’s words.

This brown swine wasn’t only huger; it also looked more ferocious. It had more furs on its body and even on its face. The furs are darker in color than the little swine. It also had two protruding tusks from its mouth that were pointing above. Its eyes looked fiercer, and the claws on its limbs were longer and looked sharper.

Before Jem Hansen could think of a plan, <Watch out, host!> he heard a warning from the trader.

Boom!

The sudden impact shattered the boulder, sending Jem sprawling on the mud.

He could not believe it. He just blinked once and the enemy had already broken the boulder where he was hiding?!

Unbelievable!

Jem groaned in pain and coughed up as he tried to get up. Blood and mud dripped from his head down to his face. 

The trader’s warning came so late.

Jem peered ahead and saw the boulder turned to smithereens. A chill creeped out from the bottom of his heart as his eyes widened in bewilderment. 

Regardless, there was no time to daze. He saw the Adult Brown Swine’s claws gleaming in bright color.

“What kind of ability is that?” He asked in a mutter.

<Be careful, host. That ability is known as Smite.>

<It is an ability that boosted one’s power.>

He got a reply from the trader. ‘This trader was truly a reliable partner,’ Jem Hansen thought. Nonetheless, that [Smite] ability sounds dangerous!

Not only that, but since it boosted its claw’s power, it also boosted the speed of its leap. No wonder it shattered the boulder in a blink of an eye. Jem believed so.

Though, he had no time to ponder as the Adult Brown Swine was already preparing for another attack. Jem readied his knife.

The gleaming of the enemy’s claws was very striking, especially that the surrounding was quite dim.

Before Jem knew it, the Adult Brown Swine was already in the act of brandishing his claws.

‘Truly fast!’ He shouted in mind, shocked by the enemy’s speed.

Jem hurriedly blocked it using his knife. Along with a high-pitched tone of scraping was the flying of sparks.

At that moment of impact, his hand and arm turned numb by the overwhelming power that transmitted from Adult Brown Swine’s attack. Aside from that, he had to use his [Fortification] ability as he feared his knife would break.

Multiple attacks followed after blocking it. 

To escape, Jem allows his body to be pushed away by the force of the beast’s attack to increase their distance.

Because of the mud, he slid a few meters away from the enemy.

After using his [Fortification] ability, he spent 10 Ex-energy, leaving him with only 45 points.

Facing the enemy, Jem stood straight with a grin on his face. He held in his hand the DIY knapsack. He was trying to provoke it.

The beast made a momentary stopped from chasing him.

When Jem Hansen noticed a twitch on the Adult Brown Swine’s face, Jem grinned further. It was supposed to be a toothy grin, but who cares. He had holes in his teeth. He was toothless, for God’s sake!

Right at this moment, he activated his [Intimidation] ability.