Six wild boars were peacefully grazing, with the two parents chewing on the grass while their four piglets nursed beneath their mother.

  Careful not to startle the family during their final meal, I slowly revealed myself. The first to notice me was the rgest of them all, whom I assumed to be the father.

  As soon as he spotted me, the father boar turned in my direction, adopting an intimidating stance.

  Now that I got a closer look, I realized just how massive he was—standing at five feet tall, while I was only two feet, the same height as the piglets. The mother, on the other hand, was slightly smaller, around four feet tall.

  "Heh... don't underestimate me just because I'm small," I said, shifting into a fighting stance.

  The piglets flinched at my movement, quickly scurrying behind their mother, trembling from my mere presence. However, both the father and mother boar remained unfazed, showing no signs of intimidation.

  Despite my confidence, hesitation crept in. This was my first real battle in this world, and fighting on all fours was still unfamiliar to me. But my dragon instincts burned with excitement, urging me to fight at all costs. So, I held my ground, waiting for the father boar to make the first move.

  My top priority was to analyze my opponent's abilities. Just like the red deer I had encountered before, which had the power to fly and escape, these boars might possess hidden and dangerous abilities as well. I needed to observe and understand their capabilities before making my move.

  Locked in an intense stare-down with the father boar, I realized he wasn’t moving either—standing as still as a statue, just like me. He was waiting for me to make the first move.

  So, we have the same idea, huh? I thought to myself.

  With no other choice, I decided to act first, but I remained on high alert.

  I crouched into a pouncing stance, ready to dash forward, and—

  Whoosh!

  With my immense strength, I surged forward in an instant, appearing right in front of the father boar. He flinched at my sudden burst of speed, instinctively thrusting his tusks upward—but he missed.

  Thanks to my dragon eyes, I could see his movements in slow motion. I swiftly dodged to his side before his tusks could even graze me.

  Now, with his fnk wide open, I seized the opportunity to strike. My razor-sharp cws, sharper than any bde, sshed at him—

  Cng!

  The impact echoed as my cws met his skin, but instead of tearing through, I barely managed to leave a scratch. His rock-hard hide was far tougher than I had anticipated.

  As my attack barely left a scratch on its tough hide, the father boar swung its head in a powerful swipe, aiming to strike me.

  Before the attack could nd, I swiftly leaped backward, using my wings to gain distance and evade the blow.

  "What a tough hide you’ve got—tougher than steel, I’d say. Is that your ability?" I asked, somewhat amused.

  My dragon blood was boiling with excitement. At this moment, the only thought in my mind was to defeat this beast.

  However, in my intense focus on the father boar, I had completely forgotten that he wasn’t alone.

  Suddenly, a tremor ran through my feet, sending a shockwave through my entire body. A blur of movement caught my eye—before I could react, I realized the mother boar was charging straight at me.

  BOOM!

  A massive explosion erupted upon impact, carving out the ground where I had just been. Trees in the surrounding area were toppled and reduced to splinters.

  "That was close..." I muttered.

  Fortunately, I had evaded the attack on instinct the moment I sensed the tremor. My sharp reflexes kicked in, allowing me to leap into the air and instantly take flight using my wings.

  I looked down at the mother boar, still emerging from the thick smoke as she slowly stepped forward.

  At that moment, I realized just how powerful and resilient these boars were. I hesitated, contempting whether to continue the fight. Facing two fully grown wild boars at once was proving to be troublesome. Their combined attack just now was incredibly lethal—had I been hit, I wasn’t sure if I could have endured the damage or if it would have killed me outright.

  They were massive, which made them slower, but with two of them working together, the fight became much more difficult… Hmm.

  I quickly weighed my advantages and disadvantages, analyzing the odds in my mind. Just then, I caught the sound of rustling bushes. A realization struck me—the piglets were hidden.

  But with my dragon eyes and sharp senses, I immediately pinpointed their exact location through their subtle movements, confirming their presence.

  If I can’t take down one of the adults, then I should go for the piglets instead.

  Choosing the easiest target was also a viable option. Even though they were still young, their size was more than enough to satisfy my hunger.

  My thoughts sted only a few seconds before I made my decision—I would go for the smaller ones instead. Why struggle against the strong when the weak are within reach?

  For a brief moment, my human logic surfaced, and I couldn't help but appreciate it.

  I soared toward the piglets' hiding spot, gliding smoothly like a falcon. As I neared my target, the sound of heavy footsteps suddenly echoed in the distance—

  THUD! THUD! THUD!

  Realization struck me—I had made a critical mistake once again. I had failed to keep my focus on my true opponents.

  Like a massive boulder hurtling toward me at full speed, the father boar charged with relentless fury, his bloodshot eyes locked onto me. For a brief moment, I was frozen in shock—

  BOOM!

  The impact sent me crashing through trees and smashing into boulders before I finally came to a stop, smmed against a massive tree, left hanging.

  Pain surged through my entire body. My scales were shattered, my wings twisted and clearly broken, and blood poured from my wounds.

  And i fainted.