C13 The Wild Boar King

"Alright, alright!" Landry conceded, "I don't think we have any deep-seated hatred here, but there's no need for us to both suffer losses. Let's keep things friendly—good relations mean good business."

The man of silence's expression eased a bit, and he nodded in agreement. Matthew, too, set aside the chair he had impulsively grabbed.

"I'm Landry," he said, offering a somewhat insincere smile as he saw Matthew and the man of silence acquiesce. "Pleased to meet you." He extended his hand to shake with Matthew, who seemed wary of the man of silence.

Matthew gave his hand a cursory shake and introduced himself, "I'm Matthew."

The man of silence remained still, his demeanor towards the other players markedly different from that of an NPC. Matthew sensed an excessive caution in him. Wasn't it said that killing players in the Mysterious Realm would brand you with a red name?

"Tong Wenwen," the man of silence introduced himself in a deep tone.

"Now that we're acquainted," the man of silence said, though his unfriendly attitude made Landry retract his hand awkwardly, "I inadvertently stirred up trouble with the Wild Dog Pack. You're here on a mission too, right? We could collaborate. In this scenario, it's better to assist one another. Let's put the past behind us and pretend it never happened."

Matthew nodded, responding earnestly, "What happened earlier was a matter of circumstance; it's difficult to assign blame. As for working together, let's not. After a short wait, it's best we go our separate ways."

Landry had previously run towards Matthew and his group while being chased by the Wild Dog Pack, revealing his true colors. Coupled with the man of silence's demeanor, Matthew felt that the dynamics between players were more complex than he had imagined. He was not keen on collaborating with someone whose actions could be unpredictable, especially when there might be unknown risks involved. Even if he was overthinking it, caution was warranted—there was no telling if Landry might have ulterior motives.

"That's fine," Landry said, understanding that cooperation was off the table. He chuckled awkwardly, realizing it would be challenging to glean any information from Matthew and the man of silence, who was clearly experienced. Although killing players resulted in a red name, and those who entered the Mysterious Realm were only there in consciousness, the penalties for a red name were not severe. Moreover, there was a chance to claim all of a player's possessions after killing them in the Mysterious Realm. Despite the high risk, some were willing to take the chance. After all, those who could enter the Mysterious Realm were at the apex of the external food chain.

The noise outside had quieted down. "I think the Wild Dog Pack must have moved on; we can head out now," Matthew said, eager to distance himself from this man. It was crucial to figure out the reason behind the man of silence's demeanor sooner rather than later, or else he'd be at a disadvantage.

As he spoke, Matthew reached out and unlatched the door. Landry, relieved, drew his knife and peered outside.

Matthew cautiously swung the wooden door open, only to be startled by the sight that greeted him. The ground in front of the mill was strewn with the bodies of the wild dogs. The earth was painted red, and the stench of blood was enough to turn one's stomach. The Wild Dog Pack that had been pursuing them lay dead, their bodies scattered haphazardly across the blood-soaked ground, as if a massacre had taken place.

Amidst the carnage stood an enormous wild boar, a wild boar king, to be precise. This beast was at least three times the size of the one they had previously encountered. Its massive form was daunting, its fur like steel needles stained with blood. The exaggerated tusks protruding from its mouth were terrifyingly sharp. This creature was the architect of the slaughter before them.

Matthew and Landry had barely opened the door when they caught the wild boar king's attention. Sensing their gaze, the beast's eyes flashed with a sinister scarlet light.

This was bad.

They had only managed to deal with the smaller wild boar thanks to the man of silence's adept handling, and he had already fired one arrow, leaving only two remaining.

As the wild boar charged, Matthew and Landry didn't hesitate to slam the mill door shut. But the moment they secured it, a thunderous crash echoed from behind. The boar's massive tusks had easily penetrated the door, the tips stopping mere centimeters from Matthew's head. Startled, he quickly dodged to the side.

With a grunt, the boar thrust its head upward, ripping the door apart as if gutting it. Had Matthew's reaction been any slower, he would have been killed, and death here meant failure in the Mysterious Realm. He wasn't ready to accept that fate. Landry, too, looked on in horror. They had narrowly escaped the Wild Dog Pack only to face an even more formidable foe in the wild boar king.

"Ka! Ka! Ka!"

The wild boar king was relentlessly slamming into the door. The wooden barrier was barely holding up, with cracks spreading across the surrounding walls. Matthew, Landry, and the man of silence instinctively stepped back, their hearts racing as they watched the door quiver on its hinges.

"This won't do. It's going to break through sooner or later!" Landry exclaimed, "We need to come up with a plan, or we're not going to make it out of here!"

He turned to the surprisingly composed man of silence and urged, "Your bow—get it out now, or we're finished!"

"You distract it. My bow takes a long time to charge, and this space is too cramped," the man of silence replied calmly.

"Distract it?" Landry scoffed as if the idea was ludicrous. "If I could do that, don't you think I would've run off already?"

"Just do it! It's the only way!" Matthew bellowed, "His arrows are limited. If you don't want to die, get moving!"

"Damn it!"

Landry swore under his breath, recognizing that there was no room for secrets in such a dire situation. He summoned two heroes, Kurt and Arthur, sacrificing two meat shields to make space for them. In the Mysterious Realm, the conditions for reviving heroes were incredibly stringent, but Landry had no time to fret over the loss. He glanced at the man of silence and said, "I'll draw it away, but you better make your shot count."

With a grimace, Landry muttered a prayer for divine protection. Then, with a determined stance, he led the two heroes out into the fray.

No sooner had they emerged than Kurt was toppled, his health bar depleted. Landry dashed madly to the side, the heroes buying him precious seconds. Finding a spot at a safe distance, he taunted the boar.

"Hey, you beast! Over here!" he yelled defiantly.