Continuing their escape deep into the forest for about twenty minutes, the trees became denser, and some grew impressively tall. Having temporarily lost their pursuers, Lin Chen put down Xia Lu, gasping for air. Even as a level 11 warrior, carrying a person and running for so long was exhausting.
"Let's rest a bit! I don't think they'll catch up now," Lin Chen said, lying down in the bushes, breathing heavily. However, he knew they weren't truly safe yet, as their escape mission hadn't been completed.
Having just arrived in this world, Lin Chen had already used three high-concentration gas potions, five unstable potions, one sight disruption potion, and a healing potion. Even for him, this was a considerable loss, as these potions represented a fifth of his inventory – a costly expenditure.
"I'm sorry for being a burden. If you had escaped alone, it wouldn't have come to this," Xia Lu said with deep guilt, seeing Lin Chen lying tiredly in the grass.
Even a fool would know that the Hungry Wolf Bandits targeted her specifically. Otherwise, why would they send 300 bandits just to rob a small, backward village?
"You helped me before. Now, I'm just returning the favor. Don't feel guilty," Lin Chen reassured her, waving his hand nonchalantly. Though the loss of potions was painful, as a master alchemist, he could easily recreate them given the materials. He believed in repaying debts and favors.
"But the help I gave you was nothing compared to what you've done for me. You almost lost your life and wasted so many high-level potions..." Xia Lu continued, still feeling remorseful despite Lin Chen's indifferent demeanor.
Suddenly, a beastly roar interrupted their conversation. A robust wild boar with sharp tusks, resembling long knives, charged out of the forest towards them.
Stolen novel; please report.
"Damn it! A third-stage mid-level magical beast, the Sabretooth Boar!" Xia Lu exclaimed in alarm. Without chanting the complex spells, she waved her wand, and an arcane missile the size of a fist flew towards the boar.
"Sabretooth Boar, Lv24," Lin Chen noted, surprised. Although Xia Lu was a Lv25 mage, she would be in trouble if the boar closed in. This was the real world, not a game, where fatal attacks meant more than just losing HP.
In games, a sword slash to the neck might only be considered a critical hit with extra HP loss. But in reality, even a Lv60 warrior would perish if a child slit their throat.
Now at level 11 with four skills – uppercut, weapon mastery, cleave, and kick – Lin Chen realized his inventory's powerful equipment was unusable for his level.
With no choice, he bravely confronted the boar, as protecting the mage was an unwritten rule, both in games and reality, regardless of his lower level.
"Kick!" Using his strongest available skill, Lin Chen kicked the boar with a whooshing sound.
Kick: A move that pushes the target back, consuming 7 MP with a 5-second cooldown, learnable at level 10.
The kick hit the boar, halting its charge. Although the boar's strength resisted being kicked away, Lin Chen's attack stopped its momentum.
Xia Lu, who had initially only cast an arcane missile, was shocked to see Lin Chen confronting the boar. How could he, a newly promoted novice swordsman, withstand a Sabretooth Boar?
Rapidly, Xia Lu raised her wand, chanting a series of fireball spells.
"Uppercut!" Lin Chen charged, throwing an uppercut at the boar's head.
Uppercut: A quick left hook that increases attack power by 20%, with a 5-second cooldown and 5 MP cost, learnable at level 3.
Lin Chen, a pure player in the game, had never used the uppercut before. His level 10 character had been leveled up through life-skill quests in the village. The uppercut, though adding 20% attack power, was less effective given Lin Chen's level 11 status and basic gear.
The world of "Scourge" differed from other games in its skill system, which added a percentage of the character's base attack power instead of a flat increase. This system made gear and potions immensely valuable.
For example, a level 50 character with 2000 base attack and a legendary weapon adding 1000 attack would have 3000 attack power. If a skill added 80% attack, the total attack power would reach 5400, a significant increase.
That's why top-tier gear and potions in "Scourge" were exorbitantly priced. A potion like the Iron Armor Guard Potion Lin Chen used, which added 3800 physical defense, became even more potent when combined with defense skills.
Back to the fight, as Lin Chen
's uppercut hit the boar, causing it pain, Xia Lu had her fireballs ready.
"Get out of the way!" she shouted, releasing a volley of basketball-sized fireballs at the Sabretooth Boar...