Beast Taming: The Beginning of Hatching an Ancient Dragon

Chapter 31: Black Tusked Boars

After Li Chang’an left, the volunteer returned to his post in a daze. Seeing his state, a companion couldn’t help but ask, “What did that new Beast Tamer do to make you look like this?”

The volunteer explained the situation, and his companion nodded in understanding. “Ah, I see. Well, people like that show up from time to time.”

The volunteer was even more confused. “There are still such reckless fools these days?”

His companion chuckled and asked, “Did that Beast Tamer seem a bit different from the other newcomers?”

The volunteer nodded. “Yes, he seemed more… seasoned.”

His companion clapped his hands together and smiled. “That makes sense. You haven’t been here long, so you wouldn’t know. That young man is from the Hunter’s Guild.”

“The Hunter’s Guild? Why would someone from the Hunter’s Guild come here?”

The companion explained some of the loopholes and workarounds that existed between the two organizations, leaving the volunteer speechless.

“The Hunter’s Guild’s exams are really that difficult? No wonder some hunter trainees come here to train.”

The volunteer’s complaint reminded his companion of something from the past. He murmured, “But it’s precisely because of these rules that hunters become so strong, allowing us to live in peace, isn’t it?”

The volunteer didn’t catch what he said and asked, “What did you say?”

His companion smiled. “Nothing. Just keep an eye on that young man in the future. Recommend some challenging tasks to him, but filter out the ones that are too difficult.”

The volunteer nodded thoughtfully.

After accepting the mission, Li Chang’an quickly used a map app on his phone to locate the mission site and find the fastest route.

“Head east for sixty miles from Red Rock City to Anyang Village in the neighboring county-level city.”

Red Rock City was large, a prefecture-level city. The entire Donghuang Kingdom was vast, with Red Rock City alone being about one-third the size of the entire northwest region from his previous life. Province Z was several times larger than Europe from his past life.

Given the distance, taking a taxi to the mission site wasn’t feasible. Instead, Li Chang’an opted for an air taxi. The air taxi industry in Donghuang was highly developed, and long-distance flights were even cheaper than taking a cab.

Fortunately, there was an air taxi service right next to the Beast Tamer Association. After paying a little over 500 credits, Li Chang’an booked a round-trip air taxi package.

A pilot flew a car-sized aircraft and took Li Chang’an to the mission site.

“How long do you need?” the pilot asked.

Li Chang’an checked the time—12:15 PM. “Come pick me up at 5:00 PM sharp.”

The pilot acknowledged and said, “I’ll be here at five. If you need to leave earlier, contact the service number on your badge, and they’ll let me know.”

With that, the pilot left.

Li Chang’an went to the village committee and showed the village chief his Beast Tamer badge, using its projection function to display the proof of his accepted mission.

The middle-aged village chief, after seeing the proof, said, “I’m Ma Jun, the village chief of Anyang Village. Young man, are you sure you want to take on this mission? It’s really dangerous.”

The worry and distrust on Chief Ma’s face were evident. Li Chang’an understood his concerns. If something happened to him, the village would also be affected.

So Li Chang’an took out his Hunter Trainee certificate and said, “I’m also a Hunter Trainee. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Seeing this, Chief Ma felt slightly reassured. The older generation still held a great deal of trust in hunters. However, Li Chang’an’s age was still a concern, so Chief Ma decided to accompany him.

The two arrived at the vegetable field where the Black Tusked  Boars frequently appeared. Li Chang’an took out his wooden katana.

Chief Ma’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw the wooden katana. “What the… it’s made of wood? This is a joke, right?”

Just as Chief Ma was about to protest, a commotion erupted from the forest across the field.

“Young man, run!” Chief Ma tried to pull Li Chang’an back, but Li Chang’an dodged his grasp.

Seeing this, Chief Ma could only stomp his foot in frustration and hide behind a tree. “If something happens to this kid, at least I can collect his body for his parents.”

Li Chang’an’s gaze was fixed on the direction of the noise, his right hand already gripping the hilt of his katana.

A one-meter-tall Black Tusked Boar emerged from the bushes, followed by four others of similar size. They charged toward the field, ready to feast.

Li Chang’an drew his katana. Facing these massive creatures, the man who had once been afraid to even kill a chicken in his past life felt not a trace of fear. Only boiling blood and a cold heart.

Step and slash!

Li Chang’an’s blade struck the forehead of the leading Black Tusked  Boar. The boar let out a pained squeal and retreated, whimpering in agony.

The other boars reacted and charged at Li Chang’an with their tusks aimed forward.

Cross-slash!

Using the cross-slash’s ability to slightly alter his position, Li Chang’an deftly dodged the boars’ charges. The cross-slash’s diagonal cutting motion also allowed him to build up most of his blade’s momentum.

By now, the leading boar had recovered. Its half-meter-long black tusks glowed with a yellowish light. It was preparing to use a skill!

While dodging, Li Chang’an caught the boar’s movements out of the corner of his eye.

Earth Spikes!

A dozen thirty-centimeter-long spikes of earth shot up from the ground beneath Li Chang’an.

Using the length of his katana, Li Chang’an slashed downward at one of the boars, using the recoil to propel himself out of the range of the spikes.

His blade’s momentum was fully charged.

The other boars began to mimic their leader, some gathering yellow energy around their tusks, others glowing white all over.

Earth Tusks! Charge!

Li Chang’an wasn’t about to let them unleash their skills.

Take them down one by one!

Spirit Slash!

Li Chang’an swung his katana in a wide arc, performing a large horizontal slash. The intimidating aura around him rapidly dissipated.

“The Spirit Slash is troublesome because the movements are too big. If you’re not careful, the enemy can exploit your openings and catch you off guard,” Li Chang’an thought to himself.

However, with his strong mental focus and innate talent for sensing, he was quite adept at timing his attacks.

Three consecutive Spirit Slashes interrupted the boar gathering Earth Tusks. Then, with a spinning slash, he used the recoil to sidestep another boar’s charge.

The white blade was fully charged.

The thrilling scene left Chief Ma, who was watching from afar, utterly stunned.

“Good heavens! This kid is amazing. Even the eldest son of the second family, who’s in college, isn’t this skilled!”

The other three boars joined the fray, charging again and again. The boars had realized that gathering their skills took too long, leaving them vulnerable to interruption. It was better to rely on their powerful bodies and use their most effective skill: charging.

Li Chang’an noticed this, but his white blade was already fully charged. This attack wasn’t just going to hurt—it was going to be devastating.

One boar left itself open, and Li Chang’an’s blade cleanly severed its left foreleg. The boar, now missing a leg, skidded across the ground, leaving a deep, long gouge.

The other boars, seeing this, redoubled their efforts, charging even more frequently.

The pressure on Li Chang’an increased, but so did the sharpness of his blade’s momentum. What had once required time to prepare was now becoming as easy as a basic attack.

His [Dexterous Mind] talent was operating at full capacity, countless inspirations flooding his mind.

Slash! Slash!

In a casual swing, Li Chang’an decapitated one of the boars, and his wooden katana showed no signs of damage. The white light on the blade had grown much brighter, almost blinding.

“Strength +2.”

The Hunting Notes delivered good news. Li Chang’an felt the muscles in his arms tighten and grow stronger.

Chief Ma, seeing the glowing blade, was transported back to his childhood. Back then, Anyang Village was newly established, and it was frequently harassed by magical beasts.

Once, while urinating in the fields, he had been attacked by a black snake-like beast. A group of passing hunters had saved him. Chief Ma vividly remembered that one of the hunters wielded a weapon similar to Li Chang’an’s—a large, long blade that glowed with the same blinding white light.

“So this kid really is a hunter!” Chief Ma muttered in disbelief from behind the tree.