Zephyr sighed. "So poor… Even poorer than the bears."
Paimon cheered, "Traveler, you're getting stronger again!"
Zephyr warned, "Stay alert. Slimes tend to move in groups. There should be more nearby."
Just as he finished speaking, a noticeably larger slime bounced out from the forest.
It didn't attack immediately. Instead, it stayed in place, as if it was gathering energy.
"Interrupt it! It's trying to take off!"
Paimon gasped, "And touch the sun?!"
Zephyr twitched at her words but didn't respond. He sprinted toward the slime and unleashed a series of heavy attacks, disrupting its skill. Then, he quickly climbed up a large tree and, using a powerful plunging attack, stabbed the slime straight through, killing it instantly.
——
Paimon exclaimed, "One-shot kill?! So cool!"
Lumine, however, frowned. "Why are you climbing trees again?!"
Zephyr explained, "Because it's more efficient for killing monsters.
Now that the game has become reality, we have to think logically. Anemo Slimes can be pierced with a sword, but your strength isn't enough—you need to charge your attack.
So, if I jump from a tree, I can use centrifugal force and gravity to increase my sword's potential energy. That way, the downward strike can pierce through a Anemo Slime in one go.
Makes sense, right?"
"Of course not! If a heavy attack can already pierce a Anemo Slime, why bother with a plunging attack?!"
Paimon interjected, "Traveler, I think the player has a point. He's doing it for your sake."
"…?"
"Think about it! Heavy attacks consume stamina, right? And if you run out of stamina in battle, you're basically done for. So, the player deliberately chose a stamina-free plunging attack. Isn't that super considerate?"
"If climbing trees didn't also cost stamina, I might have actually believed that!"
Zephyr nodded. "Paimon, sometimes you really do speak my mind. I'll give you an extra squirrel leg tonight."
"Yay! d(≧▽≦)b"
"Wait, hold on. Looks like we won't need to eat squirrels tonight—we've got a feast coming."
"A feast?" Paimon turned to follow Zephyr's gaze.
Her eyes immediately sparkled with excitement.
"A wild boar!?"
"Traveler, Player, go! Take that boar down!"
Lumine scoffed, "And who was it yesterday that called me cruel for killing squirrels?"
Despite her words, she had no intention of letting the boar go.
Zephyr was the only one staying calm. After all, he hadn't spent weeks wandering in the wild, starving.
"A wild boar is great and all, but the problem is how to take it down."
In the game, wild boars would run when discovered, and after a short time, they'd simply despawn.
In reality, the boar wouldn't disappear—but it would run.
So they needed to take it down immediately.
But Zephyr wasn't too confident. He was a melee fighter, not an archer, so catching it would be tricky.
The best method would be setting up a trap, but with an empty inventory, that wasn't an option.
Zephyr surveyed the terrain. There were two large mountains to the north and south, leaving only an east-west path.
"I got it."
"I have a bold idea."
Paimon asked, "How bold? Let's hear it."
"As you can see, there are mountains to the north and south, leaving only this path between east and west. My plan is for Paimon to attack the wild boar from the east, forcing it to run west toward us. Then, Lumine will slide in and stab it to death."
Lumine nodded. "Good idea. I'm in."
Paimon protested, "Paimon is not in!"
"Why not?"
"Why do Paimon have to drive the boar? It might not be a monster, but it's still strong! What if it charges at me and injures me?"
"No worries. If you get injured, we'll just cook you along with the boar."
"Do you even hear yourself?!"
Zephyr coughed. "I mean, out of all of us, only you can fly. If we tried sneaking around to the other side, the boar would spot us right away."
"…You have a point. But what if it attacks me instead of running? Or what if it runs east instead of west?"
Zephyr replied flatly, "Then that's your problem. If you let it escape, you'll be our lunch today."
"Don't say terrifying things in such a casual tone!"
Paimon shivered but ultimately gave in to their pressure—plus, her own desire for a feast won over her fear.
"Fine, Paimon will do it. But how Paimon is supposed to attack it?"
"That's the easy part." Zephyr tossed a weapon from his inventory. "Just pretend to attack. You don't have to hurt it—just scare it into running our way."
"Alright…"
"Paimon is going."
"Safe travels~"
Paimon hesitantly clutched a spear and flew toward the boar.
Since she was high up, the wild boar didn't notice her presence.
She took a deep breath and suddenly dove down. "Hyaaah! Witness my Salted Fish Thrust!"
However, as if it had foreseen the attack, the wild boar leaped backward, dodging the strike. Still, it was clearly startled and bolted straight ahead.
Lumine cheered, "Nice one, Paimon!"
Zephyr smirked. "Now it's our time to shine. Areready?"
"…Speak Properly."
"Let's go, baby!"
"…Properly."
Nicedie!"
Zephyr unleashed a powerful skill, launching the boar into the air. With a pitiful squeal, it was dead before it hit the ground.
Paimon flew back, staring in shock. "What happened to the slide attack plan?!"
Zephyr shrugged. "Did you really believe that? You think boars are that easy to catch?"
In the game, wild boars might just be regular beasts, but they had one very annoying ability: Charge.
Let's be realwho hasn't been rammed by a wild boar in-game? Whether you're a level 1 newbie or a level 90 veteran, everyone has been bulldozed at least once.
With Lumine's current HP, getting hit would be bad. Worse yet, the charge had a hard CC effect, meaning the boar would've just run off if she got stunned.
So Zephyr had no choice but to burn a big move to take it down.
"Alright, alright. Let's eat."
Paimon had more to say, but as soon as she heard the word eat, all complaints vanished.
Half an Hour Later
"Wow, this smells amazing~" Paimon's eyes sparkled. She could barely contain herself.
Lumine was a bit more composed but still swallowed hard.
Zephyr also gulped, though his thoughts were slightly different. Man, Paimon's expressions are adorable.
Just as they were about to dig in, an unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out.
"Wait, there are people here?! Whoa, that smells so good!"
...