As it turned out, boars were not simple opponents. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say they were too simple as opponents. At least, they seemed to be more motivated by the food before them than they were scared of the fire Chef made under them. Not only did they not run away like the giant bear had, but they just kept eating his food! His! This was unacceptable for the goblin, so he pulled out his knife.

He sharpened it before charging at the closest glutton, aiming to stab deeply into its side, but it actually responded to his approach. It backed off, squealing with a deep and throaty voice as it gathered up the other three to face him.

Not good. But maybe I can get them out at least.

Chef backpedaled slowly towards the cave entrance as the four boars prepared to charge him. All five of the creatures in the cave moved at the same time, the strategic genius known as Chef making the best move he could. The goblin sprinted out of the cave, running towards the nearest tree with four boars in hot pursuit.

He wasn’t proud to be once again hiding in a tree while a creature looked up at him with impotent fury, but at least this time he didn’t have to climb as high. Besides, this was all part of Chef’s plan. He had discovered some time ago that he could actually use Set Temperature on his cooking implements and his food, but he’d only ever used it that way to cool them down enough for eating. Not that he ate the pots and pans, obviously.

So, Chef followed this thought experiment to its obvious conclusion, casting the spell on his knife while envisioning it becoming red hot. He didn’t succeed as first, but remembering how hard it was with his other spells, he knew that it was just a matter of focus. Then another stroke of brilliance came to him, activating Set Temperature at the same time as he went to sharpen the blade.

It worked! The blade heated up to incredible temperatures as over a dozen points of mana fell away in an instant. The stupid creatures had just began to turn and wander back to his cave to eat his food. Now was the time to strike.

And so, like a drop bear, Chef leapt off the branch, knife in hand, and screamed as he descended onto the nearest boar. It moved of course, but gravity along with proximity allowed him to actually get in a hit even if it wasn’t as good as he had originally imagined it would be. The blade easily penetrated the creature’s hide, sizzling as it punched deep into its hind leg.

The animal screamed in pain as its brethren began to turn around, prepared to reengage the enemy. Of course, Chef pulled the knife out and scurried back up the tree. They stared at him for a while this time, one of the critters bleeding out slowly and unable to escape with half its leg almost entirely missing. Now he just had to wait and do it agai—

The tree shook violently as the boars charged it head first repeatedly. It reminded Chef of his battle to the death with Chief, except this time he had climbed whatever tree he reached first. Unfortunately for Chef, this tree would not be able to take repeated headbutts from boars.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

He had to figure out how to get out of this one and fast. On the one hand he could try and actually fight the things head on. He had his steaming knife along with a skill to go with it. His stats and skills were much higher than they’d ever been before and he genuinely didn’t know how strong he actually was.

But then again, he could just run away again.

Compelling argument, me.

He leapt off the tree right as the boars impacted the trunk, making his way towards the next closest option that was at least a little bit thicker. Sadly, it was not to be. The creatures were fast, faster than him by a long shot once they’d gained speed, and the first among them was able to catch up to him just before he reached safety. He felt the press of tusk on his back and spun to lessen the blow, falling over onto the ground a distance away as blood rolled down his side.

He couldn’t let them get a single good hit in or he’d be dead. Goblins didn’t hunt boars for this specific reason, not that every goblin would be deterred by a little goring. They died if they tried, of course, but his species as a whole wasn’t the best at self-preservation.

The next two came charging at him before he could get up, but Chef was used to fighting while on the back foot. He rolled diagonally past them as they approached, moving into their range before they dropped their heads for the goring. Then, as the boar passed him, he willed the temperature and sharpness of the blade to rise even higher, ignoring the pain as he slashed across the charging creature’s belly.

A yelp of pain, sizzling meat, and rapidly pooling intestines spelled the end for the creature as Chef slowly got up while holding the knife. The one with the injured leg was nowhere to be seen as he prepared to face off with the last two.

*Ping*

Congratulations! You have killed something!

They, however, had decided that enough was enough, escaping the clearing entirely. Chef grabbed the dead boar by its hind legs and dragged it over towards the cave. Then he stood there, speechless and amazed.

The injured boar had wandered back into his cave and was devouring his food supplies. Piles of food had been in the cave thanks to all of his foraging. At least four full cauldrons worth if not more. Half of them were gone.

Instinct took over as primal fury drove Chef to act. He snuck up on the creature, not making a single sound until it was too late, the knife plunged into the creature’s throat as it hungrily gobbled up the food he had so painstakingly gathered across days.

*Ping*

Congratulations! You have killed something!

The notification rang hollow. There was no joy to be had here in the cave of crushed dreams and shattered hopes. A couple of silent tears streamed down Chef’s face as he wondered what he ever did to deserve this. He didn’t have an answer, unable to remember anything bad he’d ever done in his life. Truly, life was unfair.

Chef began to wordlessly carve up his newest kills as he prepared himself for yet another week of foraging and cooking. But hopefully, this time he wouldn’t end up with strangers invading his home.