Chapter 9: Forest Face-Slap
Asher crossed the shallow riverbed, his boots splashing through the cool water.
He kept [Feline Agility] active, his footsteps making absolutely no sound as he entered the dense forest.
The thick canopy of oak trees blocked out most of the direct sunlight, casting long, dark shadows across the forest floor.
Through the trees, the smell of burnt wood and sulfur grew stronger.
[Current Viewers: 3,820]
[User_Tim99]: Sounds like someone’s casting Fireball over there. The explosion was huge.
[LootGoblin]: Ten bucks says Gideon’s party is wiping. They looked like total posers.
[MinMax_Andy]: A four-man party at Level 7 should handle a Level 6 Boar easily, unless they pulled an Elite or a pack variant. If they triggered a pack link, their frontline is probably shredded.
Asher slipped behind a massive oak tree, using his [Shadow Perception] to peer through the thick brush into a wide clearing.
The scene was a complete disaster.
Gideon’s party was backed up against a rock wall.
Their clean, polished iron armor was covered in black soot and deep scratches.
The mage in the back was frantically drinking a blue mana potion, his hands shaking so badly he spilled half of it down his robes.
The priest was pale, his glowing wooden staff flickering weakly as he tried to channel a low-grade healing spell.
In front of them wasn’t a standard Iron-Tusk Boar.
It was a massive, scarred beast, easily twice the size of the ones Asher had just farmed.
Its bristles weren’t dark gray; they were a dull, oxidized red, and its twin ivory tusks were wrapped in thick, jagged ridges of bone.
A dark orange name tag floated above its head.
[Monster Name: Razor-Back Alpha (Level 8 - Regional Elite)]
[Health: 720 / 950]
"Hold the line, you idiots!" Gideon roared, his broadsword trembling as he held it in a defensive guard.
His health bar was sitting dangerously low, flashing red at 25%. "Priest! Where is my heal?! My shield durability is at zero!"
"I’m trying! My cooldown is still resetting!" the priest screamed back, his voice cracking in terror.
The Razor-Back Alpha let out a deafening, metallic roar, slamming its front hooves into the dirt.
The ground shook.
It lowered its massive head, the jagged bone tusks aiming directly for Gideon’s shattered iron chest piece.
It was the same lethal charge tactic, but with nearly triple the kinetic force of a standard boar.
"Move! Dodge it!" the mage yelled, scrambling backward.
But Gideon’s legs were heavy from a localized "Fatigue" status effect. He couldn’t move out of the way in time.
He closed his eyes, bracing for the impact that would inevitably force his character into a death state, resetting his progress back to Level 1.
BANG!!!
A massive, ear-splitting metallic crash echoed through the clearing.
Gideon didn’t feel his ribs shatter. He didn’t feel his character health drop to zero.
He slowly opened his eyes, his breath catching in his throat.
Standing right in front of him, blocking the massive seven-foot Alpha boar with nothing but his bare, mud-stained chest, was Asher.
Asher’s feet were dug deep into the forest soil, his hands resting casually inside his pockets.
The Alpha’s jagged ivory tusks were pressed hard against his ribs, but the beast had stopped dead in its tracks, its front hooves sliding through the dirt from the sheer shock of hitting an immovable object.
A tiny blue number floated above Asher’s head.
[HP: 264 → 252 (Physical Damage Blocked by Ironhide)]
"What... what the hell...?" Gideon stammered, his jaw dropping so low it nearly hit his chest armor.
"You... you no-shirt beggar... how are you alive?!"
The chat box in Asher’s vision exploded into a literal wall of text.
The viewer count instantly breached the 4,000 mark.
[User_Tim99]: FRAME PERFECT SAVE! THAT WAS EPIC!
[LootGoblin]: Look at Gideon’s face! He looks like he just saw a ghost!
[NoobSlayer]: Streamer literally just stood there with his hands in his pockets! The absolute disrespect!
[Whale_Watcher]: This is peak face-slapping. I’m dropping a rocket for that timing!
Ding!
[User_Whale_Watcher sent a Gift Rocket! "Keep flexing on these clowns, Chronos!"]
[Received 100 Stream Points (SP) from User_Whale_Watcher.]
[Current Balance: 1160 SP]
Asher didn’t look back at Gideon.
He kept his eyes locked on the massive Alpha boar, which was currently shaking its head in absolute confusion, its small red eyes blinking wildly as the rebound effect of [Ironhide] scrambled its brain.
"You guys look like you’re having a bit of trouble with your farm," Asher said smoothly, his voice echoing clearly over the sounds of the crackling forest fire.
"Don’t worry. The Vanguard has arrived. You can take a break."
"You arrogant brat!" Gideon hissed, his face turning bright red from a mix of embarrassment and anger.
"That’s a Level 8 Regional Elite! You can’t tank that with no armor! Get out of the way before it kills us all!"
"Watch me," Asher smiled.
He pulled his right hand out of his pocket, gripping the hilt of his steel vanguard sword.
With a sudden, explosive motion, he activated [Feline Agility], the blue vapor flaring around his boots as he stepped inside the Alpha’s dazed guard.
The steel blade cut through the dim forest light like a streak of silver lightning.
SLASH.
[CRITICAL HIT.]
[You have dealt 52 Physical Damage.]
[Razor-Back Alpha: 668 / 950 HP]
The Alpha let out a furious roar, its massive tail whipping around as it tried to stomp Asher into the dirt.
But to a pro-gamer like Asher, a staggered elite monster was just a giant training dummy.
He slid between its massive legs, his steel blade leaving deep, bleeding gashes across its soft underbelly with every single pass.
SLASH. SLASH. CRUNCH.
Gideon and his entire party stood frozen against the rock wall, their weapons lowered as they watched a naked Level 5 player completely solo a monster that had almost wiped their entire guild squad.
Asher wasn’t even dodging; whenever the Alpha managed to land a stray kick or a headbutt, the blunt force simply bounced off his charcoal-dense skin with a dull thud, leaving his health bar virtually untouched.
"His defense... it doesn’t make sense..." the mage muttered, his staff dropping into the mud.
"Is he a hidden boss? Is his character bugged?"
"Fifteen seconds," Asher called out to the camera drone, his voice completely calm as he executed a flawless three-hit combo across the Alpha’s neck. "That’s all it takes to clear the field."
With a final, heavy horizontal sweep, Asher channeled his full 19 Strength into the blade.
The steel sword sliced cleanly through the Alpha’s thick throat armor, severing the main artery.
SPURT.
The massive Razor-Back Alpha let out a final, choking gasp, its giant legs collapsing beneath it as it crashed heavily into the dirt, kicking up a massive wave of leaves and dust before going completely still.
[Regional Elite Target Defeated! Experience Gained: 450 / 600]
[Current Experience: 930 / 600]
[Level Up! Level 5 → Level 6. All baseline attributes increased by +2.]
[HP and MP fully restored.]
[Maximum HP increased: 264 → 296]
The golden ring of light expanded from Asher’s feet, clearing away the smoke and dust in the clearing.
He stood over the massive carcass, his sword resting casually over his shoulder as the deep purple mist of the Elite soul began to pool around his boots.
He turned his head slightly, his silver eyes locking onto Gideon, who was still trembling against the rock wall.
"Hey, Gideon," Asher smiled, pointing his left hand toward the purple mist.
"I think that makes ten hides for me. You can start taking off those iron boots now."
