Extra's Rise: I Stole All The Women In The Hero's Party-Chapter 18: Timberstead Fields

The western fields of Timberstead were usually a peaceful sight — rolling golden fields, wooden fences, and farmers tending to their crops.

Today, however, the place was a mess.

Zayn noticed it immediately when his foot landed on something soft and squishy.

What the —

He lifted his boot and found himself stepping on a half-eaten fruit, its juices smeared across the dirt.

"Ugh, gross," he muttered, lifting his leg and shaking it wildly, trying to fling the sticky remnants off.

No luck.

The fruit refused to be exorcised.

Kara smirked as she walked past. "Looks like the boars already claimed this territory."

Zayn shot her a glare, still flailing his foot like some kind of possessed idiot.

Tobias, as usual, was unimpressed.

"Can you not?" he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We're here to slay monsters, not perform some kind of weird dance ritual."

Zayn grumbled, finally giving up on his struggle. "Fine, fine. Let's get this over with."

Tobias closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, a faint golden glow flickered across his pupils.

'Here we go.' Zayn thought.

The Hero of Knowledge scanned the fields, his eyes flicking from one direction to another as if he could see beyond the visible world.

Finally, he pointed outward, gesturing to different areas of the field.

"We split up," Tobias instructed. "Bran, you take the north side near the broken fences. Kara, check out the eastern fields — there's a trampled area there, which means activity. Elisse, you stay back and act as support if anything goes wrong. Zayn — "

Zayn crossed his arms. "Lemme guess. I'm going — "

"West," Tobias finished.

Zayn grinned. "Knew it. West has always been my lucky direction."

Tobias adjusted his glasses, clearly ignoring him. "Kill as many Dire Boars as you can and bring back their tusks as proof."

Bran cracked his knuckles. "Sounds like a plan."

"Don't get trampled," Kara added, smirking.

Zayn rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine."

Tobias told them they would meet back here in an hour.

With their paths set, the group split up, each heading toward their designated hunting ground.

#####

Zayn hadn't been walking for more than five minutes when he heard it — a deep, guttural snort, followed by the sound of hooves pounding against the dirt.

He turned just in time to see it.

Holy crap.

The Dire Boar was huge — easily the size of a small horse, its dark bristled fur standing on edge as it locked eyes with him.

Its tusks gleamed in the sunlight, curved like deadly hooks, and its breath came out in heavy, angry puffs, as if Zayn had personally offended its ancestors.

Which, considering what he was about to do, wasn't entirely inaccurate.

"Alright, piggy," Zayn muttered, loosening his shoulders as he shifted into a stance. "Let's dance."

The boar charged.

Zayn barely had time to react before the beast was barreling toward him, kicking up dirt and dust with every stomp.

But instead of dodging — instead of running like a normal person — Zayn did the stupidest thing possible.

He ran toward it.

At the last second, he jumped — leaping over the beast's head and using its thick skull as a springboard.

The boar snorted in confusion as Zayn vaulted into the air, twisting his body as his Goblin Sword gleamed in the sunlight.

And then, with a single fluid motion —

He descended.

The sword sliced clean through the boar's neck, severing its head in one swift strike.

The body collapsed with a heavy thud, dust rising from the impact.

For a moment, there was only silence.

Zayn landed gracefully, flicking the blood off his blade before grinning to himself.

"Man," he said, placing a hand on his hip. "That was badass."

Then a system notification popped up in front of him.

[Would you like to Devour the 'Dire Boar'?]

Zayn raised an eyebrow.

"Oho," he muttered, interest piqued. "Now we're talking."

Without hesitation, he selected 'Yes'.

The moment he did, a red aura slithered out from the fallen boar's corpse, swirling through the air before merging into him.

[You have gained the passive skill: Boar's Endurance (E-Rank)]

[Soulforge is active – Boar Soul has been claimed]

Zayn blinked.

"...Okay, that sounds kind of cool."

But before he could fully appreciate his new ability, something else caught his attention.

Another snort.

He turned his head —

And saw three more Dire Boars standing a few meters away, staring at him.

One of them pawed the ground aggressively, snorting in clear challenge.

Zayn sighed, rolling his shoulders.

"Alright," he muttered, twirling his sword. "Guess we're doing this the hard way."

And with that, he charged forward.

[Elsewhere in the Fields...]

Bran's battle cry echoed through the fields as he slammed his axe down, splitting a boar in two with a powerful cleave.

Kara, on the other hand, was using her earth magic, spiking the ground beneath her enemies and watching with amusement as they were impaled on jagged stone.

Elisse, staying back, muttered a prayer, sending out a wave of blessed energy that kept her allies invigorated and focused.

And Tobias?

Tobias was taking notes.

Sitting on a nearby fence post, watching the battle like a professor observing students, he adjusted his glasses before muttering,

"Interesting. Their combat efficiency is improving."

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Because of course he was analyzing them instead of fighting.

[Back to Zayn...]

The last boar fell with a final slash, its body hitting the ground with a dull thud.

Zayn wiped his brow, panting slightly. "Phew. Alright. That's four down."

His system notification popped up again.

[Would you like to Devour the 'Dire Boar'?]

"Yes, yes, of course," he muttered, accepting without hesitation.

[Soulforge is active – Boar Soul has been claimed]

Zayn grinned.

"Alright," he muttered to himself. "Now we're talking."