14: Chapter 14 The First Battle with the Flameclaw Beast

The wind in the forest seemed to freeze at this moment, leaving only the faint rustling of leaves and the vague whimpering from the dense thicket in the distance.

The wind carried the scent of humans.

The larger Velvet-Tusk Boar, which had been lying down in a relaxed manner, suddenly tensed its body.

Its pair of short-furred ears shot up, and its nostrils twitched rapidly.

"Hmph!"

It let out a low growl, rolling over and standing up with heavy swiftness, shielding the cub that was still ignorantly gnawing on a potato.

Muscles bulged beneath its rough, grayish-green skin. The pair of seemingly fluffy green velvet tusks lifted slightly, with a faint cyan luster flowing at the tips. Its eyes were instantly filled with wild vigilance and undisguised hostility.

It stared fixedly at Zhang Zhi and Lin Chen as they slowly approached from outside the forest.

Zhang Zhi ignored this, skillfully pressing the switch on the law enforcement recorder on his chest, and the red indicator light glowed faintly.

He took a step forward, his tone steady, his voice echoing clearly in the forest clearing:

"You have illegally entered a human residential area and caused damage to private property."

"I am giving you one last chance. Turn around immediately and return to the mountains the way you came, and I will not pursue this further. If you refuse to cooperate..."

The large Velvet-Tusk Boar let out an even deeper grunting sound from its throat, its front hooves restlessly pawing at the ground, sending dead leaves flying.

Instead of retreating, it protected the cub behind it even more tightly, assuming an obvious defensive and deterrent posture.

"Then there's no other way."

Zhang Zhi shook his head with regret, the relaxed expression on his face completely vanishing as his gaze suddenly sharpened. "Zhuifeng, Lanfeng!"

"Awoo—Woof!"

The Qinglan Hunting Dog raised its head and let out a clear, long howl as a faint cyan light suddenly emerged around its body.

Invisible air currents, difficult to track clearly with the naked eye, swirled out rapidly with the swing of its front paws as if they had a life of their own!

Whoosh—

The air currents were not an attack; instead, they quickly rotated and wove around the two Velvet-Tusk Boars, forming flexible and sturdy invisible wind walls.

The wind walls precisely separated the large Velvet-Tusk Boar from its cub, like an invisible cage, trapping them in two independent areas about three to four meters in diameter.

The small Velvet-Tusk Boar was clearly terrified by this sudden turn of events.

It stopped gnawing on the potato and spun around in panic, its four hooves pawing helplessly at the fallen leaves and mud on the ground, making a rhythmic tapping sound.

"Hmph!"

The large Velvet-Tusk Boar was equally enraged and couldn't help but let out an angry roar, lowering its head to ram into the wind wall separating it from its cub.

The cyan light on its pair of green velvet tusks flared up, and energy spikes a foot long suddenly extended, stabbing fiercely into the invisible air current.

Thud!

A dull impact sound rang out.

The wind wall rippled violently like water, but it blocked the Velvet-Tusk Boar's charge and tusk attack.

The Velvet-Tusk Boar charged and stabbed repeatedly, but each time it was bounced back or its force was deflected by the flexible air current, unable to break through the seemingly invisible but incredibly sturdy barrier.

It let out roars of anxiety but soon realized it had to deal with the Qinglan Hunting Dog to escape, so it turned and charged toward the latter.

Zhang Zhi unhurriedly commanded the Qinglan Hunting Dog to face the challenge, while simultaneously turning his head to say to Lin Chen:

"I'll handle the big one with Zhuifeng; it won't be breaking out anytime soon."

"I'll leave the small one to you and the Flame Claw Beast. Don't worry, I'll be watching from the side and can step in at any time if there's an accident."

Although he had only contracted this Qinglan Hunting Dog this year, after some nurturing, it already had Rank 2 strength, making it more than a match for this similarly Rank 2 Velvet-Tusk Boar.

If everything went smoothly, the battle should be over within three minutes.

As for that Rank 1 cub, it was perfect to hand over to Lin Chen, who clearly had an unusual relationship with Director Li.

However, the opponent was a wild pet with plenty of feral nature; its aggressiveness and combativeness would be stronger than a pet raised in a breeding house from a young age. Winning this battle wouldn't be easy.

If Lin Chen's battle didn't go well, he could offer a few pointers when the time came, which would naturally bring the two closer and establish a tall image of himself in Lin Chen's heart.

"Hmm, as expected of me." Zhang Zhi marveled at his own idea.

At the same time, Lin Chen was focused intently on the small Velvet-Tusk Boar that had been isolated.

This fellow was much smaller than the large Velvet-Tusk Boar, but it was much sturdier than the Flame Claw Beast.

By now, it seemed to have recovered from its initial panic, staring straight at the approaching Flame Claw Beast. Heavy white steam puffed from its nose, and its front hooves kicked the ground irritably, sending mud and grass clippings flying.

"Gagu!"

The Flame Claw Beast let out an excited low growl, the fur on its neck bristling slightly, and sparks flew from its claws.

In an instant, it crouched low, assuming a standard combat stance, its deep green eyes locked onto its opponent.

The air seemed to solidify, with only the slight hissing of the wind walls and the heavy breathing of the two young pets.

The next moment, the small Velvet-Tusk Boar initiated the attack.

"Hmph!"

Perhaps desperate to escape, or perhaps fear had bred courage, it let out a childish but sharp squeal and kicked off with its hind legs. Its sturdy body shot toward the Flame Claw Beast like a grayish-green cannonball.

The momentum of the charge carried a brute force that could not be underestimated, making the ground tremble slightly.

The velvet tusks by its mouth lit up with cyan light again. Although the extended length and intensity of the light were far inferior to the large Velvet-Tusk Boar, the tips were still sharp, pointing straight at the Flame Claw Beast's chest!

It's coming!

Zhang Zhi's gaze quietly shifted to Lin Chen.

He had seen too many novice Beast Tamers in their first battle—faces turning pale, breathing becoming rapid, commands being shouted out of tune or getting stuck in their throats, and the tactics they had memorized being completely forgotten. They either let their pets waste stamina with random long-range attacks or stood there dazed and helpless.

He had been just like that back then.

However, Lin Chen was very calm.

His gaze closely followed the trajectory of the Velvet-Tusk Boar's charge, his body leaning forward slightly.

"Don't rush."

Through telepathy, Lin Chen issued his first command.

This was his first battle with the Flame Claw Beast, and he had to be cautious.

"Gagu..."

The eager Flame Claw Beast obeyed Lin Chen's command, holding back its restless flames. Its four claws dug into the ground, and its muscles tensed like a loaded spring, waiting only for the attack command.

Twenty meters, ten meters, five meters...

The wind from the Velvet-Tusk Boar's charge had already reached it, and the tips of those glowing cyan tusks seemed as if they would touch the Flame Claw Beast's fur in the next moment.

Now!

"Er Huo, Flame Breath Bullet." Lin Chen's eyes sharpened.

"Gagu!"

The Flame Claw Beast had long been prepared. Almost at the same moment Lin Chen's command fell, its chest expanded, and it suddenly opened its mouth. A fist-sized energy ball churning with orange-red flames whistled out.

Seeing the fireball approaching, the small Velvet-Tusk Boar's pupils shrank in the middle of its full charge. Its animal instinct made it subconsciously dodge to the side.

It twisted its body with frantic effort, trying to change direction, but because its inertia was too great and the distance too close, its movement was ultimately half a beat too slow.

Bang!

The solid fireball didn't fully hit its head, but it slammed hard into its left shoulder.

The flames instantly exploded. The scorching heat and impact made the Velvet-Tusk Boar let out a cry of pain. Its charge came to an abrupt halt, and its entire body was thrown into a stumble to the right, nearly falling over.

The smell of burning fur came from the hit shoulder, which was now charred black; it was clearly a significant injury.

"Go now, use Sharp Claws."

Lin Chen's command didn't pause for a second.

The real world was not a turn-based game; once the opponent showed a weakness, one had to press the advantage.

The Flame Claw Beast launched the moment he gave the order, its strong hind limbs exploding with incredible power. Taking advantage of the moment the Velvet-Tusk Boar was unsteady and distracted by pain, it pounced!

The distance between the two vanished instantly.

The Flame Claw Beast's right front claw was raised high, and the already sharp claw tips were suddenly covered by a layer of keen light, tearing through the air and striking with a short, sharp whistle!

The Velvet-Tusk Boar tried desperately to turn its head to dodge, but the injury and loss of balance affected its reaction.

Slash!

Accompanied by the sound of hide being sliced and the Velvet-Tusk Boar's even more shrill cry of pain, three deep gashes were instantly ripped open from its cheek to the base of its ear.

The intense pain and continuous strikes left it completely panicked and dazed, nearly losing its will to resist as it instinctively shrank back.

"Again, Flame Breath Bullet." Lin Chen's thought rose once more.

Just as Sharp Claws ended, the Flame Claw Beast's chest heaved again, and scorching breath was already gathering in its throat.

The second fireball slammed solidly into the Velvet-Tusk Boar's exposed chest and abdomen at near-zero range while it was in a state of panic.

Thud!

An even duller explosion sounded.

The small Velvet-Tusk Boar was blown off the ground, tumbling and crashing into the invisible wind wall behind it before being gently bounced back to the ground.

It lay limp on the ground, charred in several places, its cheek bleeding, its chest and abdomen heaving violently as it let out pained whimpers.

The entire battle, from the moment the Velvet-Tusk Boar launched its charge to when it lay incapacitated, took less than a minute.

[Defeated a Rank 1 pet, gained 3 Experience Points]

Looking at the fallen opponent, the predatory light in the Flame Claw Beast's eyes had not yet faded. Its combat instinct made it subconsciously take a step forward, raising its Sharp Claws toward the Velvet-Tusk Boar's neck, seemingly wanting to deliver a final blow to end its life.

"The battle is over." Lin Chen spoke slowly.

This fellow had lived in the wild since it was young; even after staying in a breeding house for a while, its ferocity was still considerable.

The Flame Claw Beast's movement instantly froze. It looked back at Lin Chen, then at the dying Velvet-Tusk Boar on the ground, and finally lowered its claws.

Lin Chen glanced over at the Qinglan Hunting Dog, which was still in a fierce battle with the large Velvet-Tusk Boar, and asked:

"Brother Zhang, do you need our help?"

Zhang Zhi remained silent.