Chapter 16: Crimson Boars.

The next day.

The sun had already risen, its light slicing through the gaps in the thick forest canopy above, casting golden beams onto the damp ground below.

The air was muggy and smelled faintly of moss, wet bark, and old rain. Every step Ethan took squished against the soft, muddy earth. His boots were already caked in dirt, and the sleeves of his tunic were damp from brushing past dew-covered leaves.

He trudged forward, eyes scanning the underbrush, ears perked for any sound that might hint at nearby beasts. But there was nothing. Not even a single peep from any beast.

"This is so boring..." Mary groaned, floating lazily a few feet above the ground, arms behind her head like she was lounging on an invisible couch.

"This is supposed to be your training arc!" she complained, dropping down and floating backward in front of him, face to face. "Where are the beasts? The blood? The danger? You’re supposed to find some beasts, slay them, celebrate your victory with a feast ."

Ethan sighed. “That’s just barbaric.”

Mary ignored him. “You’re in a magical forest, Ethan. Do something.” She poked his cheek. “I told you to be careful, not stagnant. Fight a monster, win in a cool way, and then celebrate with some dramatic monologue or something. That's how it’s supposed to go.”

"Don’t you have anything better to do than float around and pester me?" he muttered, brushing her hand away.

“Nope.” She gave a smug grin and flashed a victory sign. “If I go back, grandma will dump a mountain of homework on me. So I’m just gonna stay here and be your charming company.”

Ethan gave her a flat look before stepping over a large tree root and continuing on. “Some higher being you turned out to be. You're just a lazy student.”

"Hey!" Mary flew beside him, frowning. "You don’t need to be so sneaky with your insults!”

"I am pretty sure that I just insulted you directly, not sneakily." Ethan replied smugly.

Mary crossed her arms, puffing out her chest as if trying to regain her dignity. “You should be grateful. A beautiful woman like me, willingly keeping a brat like you company in this soggy mess of a forest? That’s a blessing. Instead all you do is complain.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “If you’re so beautiful, maybe convince one of your admirers to do your homework for you. Why hide here with a brat like me?"

“Hmph. Do I look like someone who takes advantage of innocent hearts?” she huffed, nose in the air.

Ethan actually slowed down a little, mildly impressed. “Wow. Didn’t expect that answer. Guess I underestimated you."

“Besides,” she added with a pout, arms still crossed as she floated around him like an annoying orbiting moon, “I already tried. Had the guy wrapped around my finger too.”

Ethan blinked. “You actually tried it?”

“Yup. But somehow, grandma always finds out. I don’t even know how—like she has magic senses just for me or something. She doubled the homework every time.”

He stared at her blankly and shocked. " Then what about not being someone who takes advantage of innocent hearts?"

"Eh, who cares." Mary replied, dismissing his thoughts.

Ethan looked at her like she’d grown another head. “So you tried cheating, got caught, multiple times… and then just gave up?”

Mary pouted. “It’s called cutting losses. That woman’s like an all-seeing hawk! I have limits, okay?”

He stared at her for a moment longer before turning back to the forest path. “Out of all the possible magical guides, why her? Just what sin did I do to deserve this?”

Mary pointed at him. “Hey, I heard that! That was rude, you know?”

But Ethan had already moved ahead, ignoring her as his eyes swept the thick greenery for movement.

Mary crossed her arms again, hovering behind him with a sulky look. “I bet that’s why you died single.”

A vein twitched on Ethan’s forehead. “For your information, I had a fiancée.”

“Oh?” Mary’s ears perked up, a playful grin forming. “And what happened to this fiancée?”

Ethan didn’t respond immediately. His steps slowed as his eyes lingered on a distant rustle—but it was just a squirrel. With a sigh, he said, “She left when my family lost everything.”

Mary’s expression softened. “Ouch. That sucks.”

A pause.

Then she grinned again. “Don’t worry. Just combine your fire and make a green lotus flame to avenge yourself!”

“Wrong show,” Ethan said flatly.

Mary snickered. “Still, sounds cool.”

“No need to pity me,” he muttered, stepping over another twisted root. “I had a girlfriend before I died.”

Mary tilted her head. “Wait, so you had a girlfriend?”

Ethan gave a small shrug. “Two, actually.”

Mary blinked. “You had two girlfriends after your fiancée left?”

“Mmhm.”

She hovered silently for a second. “…I’m starting to think you’re the villain.”

Ethan chuckled under his breath and said nothing.

Suddenly he stopped in his tracks, his body tensing. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, every instinct on high alert.

Mary immediately quieted, sensing the shift in atmosphere.

Ethan stepped lightly over fallen logs and patches of moss, moving with experienced precision. His mind worked quickly, recalling the behavioral patterns of beasts he had studied in his past life.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Then, he saw them.

A pack of Crimson Boars prowling near a stagnant pool.

{Crimson Boar: A rugged, mutated boar with scarlet-tinted tusks and embered hide, the result of volatile laboratory experiments. Known for its unpredictable, burning fury, it charges through dense forests, destroying everything in its path. Its only real weakness? A poor sense of smell and hearing.}

Ethan’s eyes narrowed as he analyzed their positions. "Two on the left, three on the right. Their formation isn’t tight—if I can lure one away, their numbers will scatter."

Two of the boars wandered dangerously close to where Ethan was hiding, sniffing around absentmindedly. This was his chance. But their numbers were still too many to take head-on.

A small, confident smirk tugged at Ethan’s lips. Strategy had always been his strong suit, even in his past life, when his raw power could not keep up with his tactical mind.

He drew Nightbane, his signature blade. The weapon’s sleek black surface shimmered faintly, absorbing the dim light in an almost unnatural way.

Taking a deep, controlled breath, Ethan surged from his hiding place.

With quick, precise moves, honed by years of practice and battle instincts that had come rushing back, Ethan took on the nearest beasts. In one smooth motion, he sliced off their head, silencing them before they could warn the others.

Without missing a beat, he slipped back into the shadows, eyes already locked on the remaining three.

"Nice job," Mary whispered. "Just keep ambushing them like that. It’s working great."

But Ethan wasn’t happy with just that.

Sure, stealth kills were effective, but that wasn’t why he was here. He wasn’t just after points—he was here to get stronger, to bring back the battle senses he’d once mastered.

Instead of hiding again, he stepped forward, letting the remaining boars catch his scent.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Mary yelled. "Are you crazy?!"

“I came here to fight,” Ethan replied, voice calm. “Besides, I don’t know why, but I always seem to want to do the opposite of what you say.” He grinned and then turned his attention back to the boars, who had now noticed him too.

The boars wasted no time. With angry grunts, they charged, their massive bodies crashing through the trees and brush.

Ethan dodged the first two easily, sidestepping their rush. As the third one charged, he swung Nightbane in a wide arc, cutting deep into its hide. But the cut wasn’t deep enough. The boar let out a roar of fury, its eyes wild with rage as it came at him again, even faster this time.

Ethan smirked and stepped aside just in time.

CRACK!

The creature slammed into the tree, leaving it splintered and tilting. Dazed, it staggered.

Ethan didn’t hesitate.

He stretched out his hands in front of him and took a deep breath. Suddenly, a huge burst of fire shot out from his palms, quickly engulfing the boar. The flames spread all over its body, burning its fur and skin, and within moments, the beast was completely destroyed.

The remaining two boars, now furious after watching their packmate fall, bellowed and charged at him blindly.

Ethan tried the same trick again, stepping aside to force one into the tree.

But this time, things went wrong.

The boars didn’t just crash into the tree—they tore straight through it, splintering the trunk like it was made of paper. Looks like the poor tree couldn’t handle the weight of two charging boars.

Ethan’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit.”

Before he could move, the beasts lunged at him again, tusks aimed straight for his gut.

Thinking fast, Ethan grabbed two small vials from his pouch. As the boars closed in, he threw them at them, the glass shattering on their thick hides. He quickly set them on fire.

A small explosion went off, smaller and more controlled than before. It wasn’t strong enough to kill, but it was enough to throw the boars off, stopping their charge.

Ethan took a sharp breath, gripping Nightbane tightly.

“Alright, you two,” he muttered, stepping forward. “Let’s finish this.”

----------------------------------------

Nightfall.

Ethan is now sitting near a campfire in an open area. The sky was clear, both from clouds and tree barks. Since he came to this forest, this is the first time he was able to clearly see the forest.

The stars were shinning brightly, illuminating the whole sky. Anyone who saw the scene would be filled with happiness. But for some reason, Ethan looked incredibly mad as he kept quiet and feasted on the boar meat he hunted before.

Across the fire, Mary sat with eyes full of remorse, frantically apologizing.

"I’ve said sorry a million times. Why are you still so upset?" she pleaded.

"Well lets see." Ethan began. "You refused to tell me the full extent of the systems usage. Is that a good enough reason for you? Or do I need to say more?"

"Well, I did not tell you because I wanted to feel like a hero saving a damsel in distress. You know, like how I helped you when you were hesitant to use your precious storage ring to store the beast corpses." Mary tried to justify but only made Ethan pop a vein on his head.

"Besides I though it was obvious that all system has a storage space. You would know if you read more novel." she added. "You should be grateful that you have infinite storage space from the start. In some novel, you start with one cubic meters of space, you know?"

"I could have appreciated it if you informed me about it before." Ethan shot back.

"Sorry" Mary apologized with puppy eyes. "This really is the last time. I promise."

"Alright, fine. Just stop looking at me with those eyes." Ethan waved his hand, signaling her to stop. "Just tell me about the systems capabilities now. Lets start with system points, alright? You never told me anything about it."

"Oh, system points." Mary fidgeted for a while as if to remember. Then, finally giving up, she made a book appear out of white mist, titled 'All you need to know about the System' and stated to read it.

"Did you seriously just pull out a manual?" Ethan questioned.

"Ah, here it is. It’s written here that you can use the system points to reveal the status window of those whose stats are twenty points above you." Mary started.

"What? There was such a restriction? I thought you could see anyone's stats for free." Ethan asked puzzled.

"Nope!" she chirped. "Oh, and you can also use system points to upgrade your abilities."

Ethan froze. "Wait, what?"

"Only stolen or acquired ones, though. You can’t improve your innate abilities. Bummer, right?" She casually flipped another page. "Oh, and you can spend system points to buy items from the system bringer. Which means me!" She grinned, clearly proud of herself. It was like looking at a toddler who came for rewards after burning the whole house.

Ethan did not speak for a while, shock in his face. He could not believe what he just heard, nor could he decide where to begin from.

"So let me get this straight." Ethan finally spoke. "Previously, YOU told ME that the systems main feature is showing status windows, stealing skills and giving mission and the rest are insignificant. Right?"

"Yes." Mary replied very slowly realizing where this is going.

"Then when exactly were you going to mention that I can’t see the status of someone if their stats are twenty points above mine? And in what bizarre world do system points become so trivial that you forgot to mention their importance?" Ethan asked sarcastically.

"I forgot," Mary murmured, almost whispering.

"And why did you forget?"

"Rather than forget, it’s more like I didn’t know exactly." She laughed awkwardly. "Like you said yesterday, I wasn’t the best student. I was supposed to memorize everything before being deployed, but who cares? You can always learn on the job, right?"

"Besides I was deployed abruptly, way before I was supposed to be deployed, so it's not completely my fault." Mary said pointing her finger, as if teaching.

Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering something under his breath before opening his status window.

"Hmm? What are you looking for?" Mary asked puzzled.

"The report button" Ethan replied, a cartoon-ish vein popping on his forehead. "I want to change the person in charge of me."

"Wait, why would you do that?" she asked in a panic. " It's just a silly mistake. Did all the time we spent together mean nothing to you?"

"Nope, not a single damn thing."

"Don’t do it," Mary pleaded, grabbing his arm and practically crying. "I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll even study. Just please, don’t report me."

"You didn’t study before. What makes you think you will now?"

"Please. If you complain, my grandma will literally kill me. Worse, she will sent me to boarding school." she begged. "Besides, you might get someone worse than me. Don't you know that you should be content with what you have?"

"Worse than you? I highly doubt it. Now let go of me," Ethan said, pushing her hand away.

"I’m not letting go until you promise not to complain," Mary insisted.

"I will complain. Now, let go," he ordered firmly.

And so, as the night stretched on, the bickering continued, marking the end of Ethan’s second day in the forest.

(Stay tuned for more arguments, exasperation, and questionable decision-making. Mary's sweet idiot-ness is of course included.)