Reincarnated with an SSS-rank Tamer System: My Harem of Villainesses-Chapter 12 - Hunt in the Forest

The next morning arrived faster than Adam expected.

He stood before the entrance to the forest, the same place where he had first appeared in this world two and a half weeks ago. Ravenna was by his side, holding a small backpack with provisions she had prepared.

"Your Excellency, are you sure you do not want me to accompany you?" Ravenna asked with evident concern in her voice.

Adam shook his head while adjusting the steel sword at his belt. It was no longer a wooden one like those for training; this one was real and sharp. "No. This is something I must do alone."

Ravenna pressed her lips together but nodded. "Then... please, be careful."

Adam took the backpack and slung it over his shoulder. "I will be back before dusk."

Without another word, he entered the forest, leaving Ravenna behind.

***

The forest was silent, too silent. Adam walked cautiously among the trees while his eyes scanned the surroundings for any movement. Nox remained hidden within him, but he could feel his alert presence.

’System,’ he called out mentally as he moved forward. ’Any clues as to where to find an E-rank beast?’

[Tamer System]

[Keep heading north for about two kilometers. There is an area where beasts usually congregate near a stream. You should find something there.]

Adam nodded and changed direction, moving with firm but silent steps. During his training over the last few weeks, he had recovered a large part of his combat instincts, and his ability to move without making noise was one of them.

After walking for nearly half an hour, he heard the sound of running water. He approached carefully until he saw the stream the system had mentioned.

And there, drinking water, was a creature.

It was a boar, but not a normal one. It was huge, the size of a small bear, with tusks protruding from its mouth and dark fur that looked as hard as armor. Its red eyes shined with a savage ferocity.

’Is that an E-rank beast?’ Adam thought as he watched from behind a tree.

[Tamer System]

[Correct. E-rank Boar. High raw strength, moderate speed, low intelligence. Perfect for your first real combat in this world.]

Adam smiled slightly and drew the sword from its sheath with care. The metallic sound was barely audible, but the boar heard it regardless.

The creature snapped its head up and turned toward where Adam was, growling with a guttural voice that made the air vibrate.

"Great," Adam murmured as he stepped out from his hiding place and dropped into a combat stance. "Let’s see how strong I am now."

The boar did not wait. It lunged forward with surprising speed, its hooves striking the ground with force as it charged directly at Adam.

Adam did not retreat; instead, he took a side step at the last second, dodging the onslaught by centimeters, and as the boar passed by his side, he pivoted his body and slashed with his sword, aiming for the beast’s hind legs.

The edge connected and blood splattered, but the cut was superficial. The boar’s fur was tougher than it looked.

’Shit, it’s like cutting through leather,’ Adam thought as he retreated several steps.

The boar grunted in pain and rage before turning again, more furious this time. It charged once more, but Adam was already prepared.

He dodged to the right while driving the sword into the boar’s side with all his strength. This time the cut was deeper and the creature shrieked, veering off its path and crashing against a tree.

Adam did not give it time to recover. He lunged forward and attacked with a direct thrust to the boar’s neck, but the beast turned its head at the last moment, causing the sword to only cut its ear.

The boar counterattacked with its tusks, lunging toward Adam’s legs. He jumped back, but he wasn’t fast enough, and one of the tusks grazed his thigh, tearing the fabric of his pants and leaving a bleeding gash.

"Son of a bitch..." Adam growled as he felt the sting in his leg, but he didn’t stop.

Taking advantage of the fact that the boar was off-balance from its own failed attack, Adam leaped onto its back and drove the sword with both hands directly into the base of the beast’s neck, piercing the tough fur and sinking deep into the flesh.

The boar shrieked with a high-pitched, harrowing sound as it tried to shake Adam off, but he clung to the sword with all his might, sinking it even deeper while twisting the blade inside the wound.

Finally, after several seconds of struggling, the boar stopped moving and fell to the ground with a thud.

Adam climbed off the lifeless body, panting and with his sword still in hand. He looked at his wounded leg and clicked his tongue.

[Tamer System]

[Mission completed!]

You have defeated an E-rank beast.

[Reward: +100 XP]

[Level 10 ➜ XP (150/100)]

He sat on a nearby rock and checked his leg. The cut wasn’t deep, but it was bleeding quite a bit. He took a bandage from the backpack Ravenna had prepared for him and wrapped it firmly around his thigh.

’That wasn’t bad,’ he thought as he looked at the boar’s body. ’But it wasn’t easy either. If it had been D or C rank, I’d probably be dead.’

[Tamer System]

[Do not belittle yourself, host. For your first real combat in this body, you did quite well. Even though you almost had your leg ripped off.]

Adam smiled bitterly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

He stood up from the rock and began walking back toward the mansion while Nox finally emerged from his hiding place and materialized on his shoulder, sniffing the air with curiosity.

"Yes, yes, I know you smell the blood," Adam murmured as he stroked the little dragon’s head. "But we’re not going back for the boar. I don’t feel like carrying it."

***

Days later.

Adam was standing in his room, looking at himself in the mirror as he adjusted his training clothes. Tomorrow was the day. The day he had to face Dorian in a duel.

He had spent the last three days training without rest, pushing his body to the limit now that he had leveled up and meditating for hours to strengthen his mana core as much as he could.

But even so, he knew it wouldn’t be enough.

Dorian was an academy instructor, an experienced mage with years of combat behind him. Adam, on the other hand, had only been training in this body for three weeks.

’This is going to be difficult,’ he thought as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The door opened and Ravenna entered with a tray of food. "Your Excellency, you must eat something. You will need all your strength tomorrow."

Adam opened his eyes and looked at the tray. She was right. He couldn’t fight on an empty stomach.

He sat on the bed and began to eat in silence while Ravenna remained standing by his side.

"Your Excellency," Ravenna said after a moment. "I believe in you. You have changed much in these weeks. I am sure you can do it."

Adam looked at her from the corner of his eye and then smiled slightly. "Thank you, Ravenna."

He finished eating and handed her back the tray. Ravenna withdrew with a bow, leaving him alone again.

Adam lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Nox appeared by his side and curled up on his chest as usual.

’Tomorrow,’ he thought, closing his eyes. ’Tomorrow I’ll see if all this training was worth anything.’

’Or if I end up humiliated in front of my entire family.’

With that last thought, he let himself drift into sleep as night fell over Shadowend Mansion.