Satisfied with what they obtained from each other, Shye and Seira chatted casually and marched merrily towards their destination: The Side Birch Forest.
Soon enough though, Shye suddenly recognized the surrounding areas.
After all, this area was the place where he, the benefactor, was kicked in the teeth, betrayed by the dastardly adventurers he saved.
'Hoh?' Shye looked around curiously, confirming shortly after that this was the area where he was chased around by the Winged Boarger.
As for Seira, she was quite nervous.
Well, the damned Boarger can rip her apart easily so the fear in her heart was understandable.
If not for Shye, she wouldn't even dare loiter on the safe path near this place.
Winged Boargers are quite territorial creatures, hence, it didn't take long for them to hear something that made Seira tremble in fear—her heart racing wildly.
"HYAAAARRR!!"
A primal high-pitched roar resembling the squeal of a boar and the roar of a tiger reverberated across the forest, almost making Seira jump up in fright.
Shye immediately recognized that the roar came from a Winged Boarger, promptly drawing out a greatsword in his right hand, and an elemental staff in his left—raring to throw it down with the darned creature.
Shortly after, a winged silhouette burst out from the dense shrubbery on the left, landing menacingly in front of them.
Shye stared at it for a few seconds.
"Hoh? So we meet again, you bastard." He said with an elated yet partially crazy smile on his face.
He recognized the creature's deep snout wound.
After all, it was inflicted by none other than him.
As for Seira, her disposition was nowhere near as collected as Shye's, trembling in fear were her legs as she tried her hardest to assume a battle stance.
Shye quickly glanced at her, inwardly commending her bravery as he noticed her efforts.
He didn't have the luxury to look around for too long though.
Shortly after tilting its head and roaring in anger upon recognizing the young man in front of it, the Winged Boarger fiercely pounced toward the two of them.
Swiftly deciding to make an all-or-nothing bet, the boarger roared proudly, making the muscles on its tiger's torso swell, seemingly trying to escape the confines of its thick skin.
It looked horrifying after its transformation, however, Shye wasn't fazed.
He knew that the Boarger was on its last legs.
Shye didn't stop firing spells—not for a second, blazing embers, freezing thorns, sharp winds, and vicious rocks hurtled toward the transformed creature, producing a cacophony of chaotic sounds—explosions and screeches.
Unfortunately, this time, none of the projectiles hit.
It seems that the transformation drastically increased the creature's physical capabilities.
Pouncing around in a zigzagging motion, the Winged Boarger masterfully dodged all of Shye's skills, gradually reducing the distance between the two of them.
Seira wanted to help, however, after the Boarger transformed, she knew that it would be impossible for her to do so, hence, she decided to behave in the background, praying for Shye's victory.
As the Winged Boarger arrived in front of Shye, it seemingly flashed a menacing smile as if to say "got you!", ripping the air surrounding its paw as it swiped downwards with ferocious momentum.
Unfortunately for the flying f*ck, Shye was waiting for this exact moment.
With his elemental staffs already aimed in front, Shye used his skill, [Blink Lv.3], and reappeared a few meters away.
'Fire Bomb Assault!'
'Frozen Thorn Barrage!'
A flurry of exploding fiery balls and lethally sharp frozen shards materialized out of thin air, fiercely shooting towards the Boarger whose paws were slightly embedded in the ground after missing its attack big time, exposing its entire body to the fierce onslaught of fire and ice.
*BOOM* *SPURT* *BOOM* *SPURT*
The frozen shards embedded themselves deep into the creature's flesh while the modest-sized fire bombs exploded, ruthlessly tearing and charring its flesh apart.
Shye's ferocious barrage continued for seven seconds, causing Seira's mouth to gape and her eyes to almost pop out of their sockets.
Since the boarger was covered by gray smoke, it was impossible to see what happened to it.
However, Seira was sure as hell that it wasn't breathing anymore.
After all that? No way.