What was supposed to be a common brawl turned into a bloody incident.

Fights among mercenaries happened quite often, but it was rare for them to result in death, as there was usually no vested interest compelling them to kill. Moreover, there was an unwritten rule among mercenaries to support each other in times of trouble outdoors.

"Wait and see, this isn't over!" the mercenaries of the Wild Wolf Fox group threatened as they hurriedly carried Solik out of the tavern.

Of course, the matter wouldn't end there.

Having their mercenary publicly disarmed and injured in a tavern, how could the "Wild Wolf Fox" let this go? That very night, the mercenary group's two vice-captains, "Wild Wolf" Eluda and "Fire Wolf" Aseya, led over 200 angry Wild Wolf Fox mercenaries to block the door of the Blood Thorn Mercenaries, demanding the handover of the culprit and compensation.

Knowing they were at fault, the "Blood Thorn" could not simply hand over the person responsible without losing face in the mercenary world. Tristie was particularly furious, as the incident had started over his weapon. He led the Blood Thorn mercenaries out of the gate, ready to confront the Wild Wolf Fox members head-on.

A large-scale melee between the mercenaries was about to erupt.

However, neither the group leader of the wily fox Valerio nor Kirkel showed up, and although there was much shouting and confronting, no one dared to make the first move.

The standoff between the two groups quickly alerted the city guard.

The intervention of the city guard prevented the battle from occurring, but the presence of an eighth-level war academy strongman, Captain Kunto, was needed to mediate the situation.

The enchanted longsword that had sparked the dispute between the two sides had disappeared in the chaos, leaving Blood Thorn's argument without proof. The only evidence left was Salik's attempt to steal a weapon from a Wild Wolf Fox mercenary, leading to the brawl and Solik being severely injured in the confusion.

Kirkel, the clearly at-fault leader of the Blood Thorn Mercenaries, had no choice but to concede, compensating the Wild Wolf Fox with four hundred gold coins to settle the matter.

Although the battle did not take place, the incident laid the foundation for ongoing friction between the mercenaries, with minor skirmishes continuing for a considerable time.

Both mercenary groups suspected the "Blue Temptress" Mercenaries of instigating the conflict, although they remained uninvolved and did not show any evidence of participation.

Little did they know, the whole affair was orchestrated by Tony and Arthur, two troublemakers. Their scheme was cut short and sternly halted by Kaines and Randal before they could profit from the ensuing chaos. Arthur, still a child, underestimated the transparency of his cunning plan, which would have been immediately exposed had he profited from it.

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Kaines and Randal realized they had underestimated Arthur, who always managed to surprise them.

The tavern incident restored a delicate balance among the three B-level mercenary groups in the city of Hua Ores, with mutual antagonism but no decisive action against each other.

Meanwhile, Arthur, the instigator of the incident, was swiftly moving through a dense oak forest, nimbly jumping over bushes and tangled vines.

Dressed in a dirt-yellow level one mercenary leather armor made from an unknown beast's hide, with fur trims visible, and a blue headband tying up his shoulder-length black hair, Arthur's physique had significantly strengthened compared to when he first joined the mercenaries.

Running, Arthur drew a dark iron bow from his back, and almost simultaneously, an arrow flew from the bowstring.

Ahead of the flying arrow, a Blackback Boar was busily digging at a large oak tree, leaving deep grooves in the hard roots with its sharp tusks every time it dug.

The Blackback Boar, a level one magical beast, was not very intelligent but extremely temperamental. Its tusks were as lethal as high-quality spears, and its thick hide was as tough as iron armor. An adult Blackback Boar, weighing half a ton and the size of a calf, could become uncontrollable in a frenzy, overwhelming two or three human warriors of the same level. Despite the risks, hunters and mercenaries prized its hide, meat, and tusks, venturing into danger to hunt it.

Hearing the arrow's whiz, the Blackback Boar stopped digging and turned around. The arrow struck its neck, flipping the beast onto the ground due to the immense force.

However, the boar quickly stood up, shaking its head and dropping the arrow to the ground, indicating the powerful shot had only caused a superficial wound. Noticing Arthur, the boar let out a pained roar and charged at him.

Arthur, running at full speed, did not slow down, continuously firing arrows from his bow. Three arrows shot out in quick succession, almost forming a straight line towards the Blackback Boar.

"Triple Star Burst!" a surprised shout came from the branches of a nearby tall oak tree. "Elia, that stingy guy, actually passed on his special skill to that kid."

"Aren't you the one who even gave up your life-saving 'Shadow Stealth'? How could he be so at ease otherwise?"

"I lost a bet to him, Tony. I've always been the most trustworthy in the mercenary world. But who would've thought he'd learn so fast?"

Hiding in the tree were Tony and Angus. This was Arthur's first solo outing, a trial suggested by Randal. Only through the dangers of battle and survival could the strongest mercenaries be forged. Yet, Randal couldn't bear to leave Arthur entirely on his own and sent Tony and Angus to secretly follow.

"Isn't it too dangerous to let him face a level one magical beast alone?" Angus worriedly remarked.

Tony, wiping his nose, confidently replied, "Just watch. This kid is a genius. It only took him half a year to achieve aura-through-body, becoming a first-order warrior. How many years did it take you to toughen your body and achieve aura-through-body, three or five?"

While the two bickered in the tree, Arthur had already discarded his bow and arrow, confronting the Blackback Boar up close. The previous three arrows had hit nearly the same spot, with the last arrow penetrating deeply into the boar's neck, causing it to bleed profusely as it ran.

Arthur had thoroughly enraged the level one magical beast. As the boar charged, aiming its tusks at Arthur's midsection, Arthur skillfully dodged at the last moment, avoiding the deadly attack.

Facing the beast as it turned to charge again, Arthur weighed the hunting knife in his hand, a smirk on his face...