CHAPTER 64: LEMME JOIN

The boss boar rose from the ground with deliberate weight, its massive frame casting a shadow over the herd.

To Lanz’s mild surprise, it wasn’t a scarred male that took charge, but a towering female, her presence dwarfing the others around her.

She carried herself with authority that needed no explanation, and every movement of her body radiated command.

"HRRRUUNGGGH!"

The sound that erupted from her throat was deep and brutal, a guttural roar that rolled through the clearing with the force of thunder trapped beneath the earth.

The vibration of it shook the grass and startled birds from their perches, carrying not only power but intent.

It was a signal, an announcement, and it snapped the herd into immediate awareness.

The sleeping boars, caught off guard by the sudden eruption of noise, jerked awake with alarm, their eyes wide and their bodies tense.

For a brief moment confusion rippled through them, the uncertainty of prey animals that did not yet understand where the danger lay.

That hesitation lasted only until the boss released another bellow, this one lower, colder, carrying a command that left no room for argument.

The startled boars straightened in an instant, their panic dissolving into sharp readiness.

They moved with a precision that spoke of drilled instinct, the kind of unity only possible under a leader who had forced them to act as one rather than scatter as individuals.

Under her control, the herd reshaped itself.

With a series of grunts, the boss ordered the females inward.

They responded immediately, forming a tight circle with their heavy bodies shielding the smallest of the group, the boarlets.

The boarlets, wide-eyed and trembling, were herded to the very center where no strike could reach them without breaking through the outer layers first.

The line of mothers closed around them with unwavering discipline, their tusks bared and their weight planted firmly into the ground.

The boss turned her attention outward then, issuing another sharp call that cracked through the air like stone grinding against stone.

The males answered in perfect unison, their bodies moving into position without hesitation.

Thirteen of them aligned shoulder to shoulder, their massive forms locking together to create a wall of muscle and tusks directly facing the side where the wolves advanced.

Their stance carried no drop of fear, only determination, each one pressing hooves into the dirt and lowering their heads to create an unbroken barricade.

The entire herd was no longer a scattered group of beasts caught in surprise. It had transformed into a formation of precision and discipline, every individual slotted into their role with purpose.

The air grew heavy with the weight of their readiness, and for a moment, even the growling wolves hesitated at the sight of prey that stood with the discipline of soldiers.

The boss boar took her place at the very front, her tusks glinting in the faint light, her scarred eye fixed on the black wolf that led the opposing pack.

Her stance radiated the promise of violence, her body rigid but ready to explode into motion the moment the first wolf crossed the invisible line between the two sides.

Meanwhile, Lanz stayed crouched on the tree limb, the rough bark pressing into his palms as he leaned forward to get a better view of the battlefield, that’s about to commence, below.

His eyes flicked between the boar formation and the wolves spreading themselves into position, and the grin tugging at his mouth was almost impossible to suppress.

’Holy sh*t,’ he thought, the words ringing in his head with the kind of excitement that made it hard to stay still. ’This is about to be absolute cinema.’

The urge to throw both arms into the air in celebration nearly overwhelmed him, and it took actual effort to keep his body steady.

He took a deep breath, focusing instead on counting the predators stalking into the clearing.

His eyes moved quickly, lips parting slightly as he whispered the numbers to himself.

Twenty-two regular gray wolves prowled forward, their lean frames shifting with each step.

Just behind them, three larger white wolves stood out, slightly bulkier and clearly ranked higher than the rest.

Then, of course, his attention landed on the centerpiece of the entire pack — the alpha, the massive black wolf that dwarfed even the boars in stature.

Its dark coat rippled with each measured step, and the air seemed to bend around the force of its presence.

Lanz’s grin widened.

He muttered to himself, almost unconsciously, "Should I do it? I mean... it’s risky. It’s so damn risky. But, man... it’ll be so cool though."

His eyes gleamed with the reckless idea bouncing around in his skull, and he tilted his head slightly, weighing the insanity of it all.

A long exhale slipped past his lips, dragging into a whisper that sounded more like a curse than an answer. "F*ckkkkkkkkk... I’mma do it. I’m gonna f*cking do it."

In this situation, the smartest decision would obviously be to just sit back, let all the actual fighters wear themselves out, and then step in at the end to mop up whatever was still crawling around.

That would be the practical approach, the safe choice, the kind of move that makes sense if you have even two brain cells to rub together.

But let’s be real, when does anything ever go that smoothly?

..... let’s just let the scene play.

Grunts and growls poured into the clearing, the sound colliding in the air until it was nothing but tension sharpened into noise.

One side stood firm to protect their ground, unwilling to let a single intruder pass, while the other advanced with the single-minded intention of claiming what wasn’t theirs.

Everything in the scene pointed toward an inevitable clash, a brutal collision that neither side intended to walk away from quietly.

Both the boars and the wolves were seconds away from tearing into each other when the entire moment broke apart in the most ridiculous way possible.

From above, a black figure dropped out of the tree line, landing in the open with a level of flair that had no business being there.

His boots hit the dirt, his body rose smoothly, and instead of fading into the chaos, he stepped directly into the middle ground between the two sides as though the entire standoff had been arranged for him, and him, alone.

Lanz straightened his posture, dusted himself off without a hint of shame, and began walking with steady steps toward the exact spot where both packs’ aggression collided.

The wolves snarled, their eyes narrowing in confusion, while the boars stiffened, their heavy bodies shifting in hesitation at the sudden intruder.

Neither group knew what to make of the interruption, because no sane creature — or person, for that matter — would willingly step into the line of fire.

Unfortunately for them, this idiot was not sane, at all.

He kept walking until the distance separating him from both sides shrank to a single meter.

That was the point where even the alpha and the boss boar, leaders who had been seconds away from launching their orders, stopped dead to look at him.

The air that had been packed with nothing but violent energy was now threaded with pure disbelief.

The corner of Lanz’s mouth tugged upward, his eyes flicking between the armies of fur and tusks staring back at him.

He didn’t flinch or hesitate, and certainly didn’t give either side the satisfaction of fear.

Instead, he opened his mouth, his tone casual to the point of arrogance, and let the words spill out.

"Lemme join in on the fun, guys," he said, his voice cutting through the thick air with a mix of mockery and eagerness.

His hand moved almost lazily, but the sharp sound of steel rang out as his blade materialized into existence, its weight settling perfectly into his grip.

He rolled his shoulders once, loosening his body in preparation, his smirk refusing to fade.

The absurdity of it all hung in the silence.

Two packs had assembled with the intention of ripping each other apart, and instead of blood hitting the dirt first, the focus shifted to one idiot who decided to insert himself in the middle of it all.

Lanz didn’t care though.

He thrived on that attention, on the disbelief painted across every pair of eyes now locked on him.

And in his head, the thought repeated with pure satisfaction — if he was going to crash this fight, then he might as well make it unforgettable.

End of Chapter 64.

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ALT SYSTEM — USER PROFILE: ZERO

Level: 15

EXP: 39 / 150

Next Reward: Quick Sever

Global System Tracking: DISABLED

World Rank Association: UNLINKED

Stats:

STR: 20 | AGI: 10 (Affinity) | VIT: 5 | DEX: 5 | INT: 17 | WIS: 5

[Available Stat Points: 0]

[Derived Stat — MANA: 90 / 90]

Skills:

[Crimson Slash Lv. 1]

[Phantom Stride Lv. 2]

[Instinctive Blade Lv.1]

[Predictive Guard Lv.1]

[Skill Fusion Menu: Active]

[Dev Tree: Tier 0 Access Granted]

[Developer Node – Fusion Core Anchor: Active]

[Skill Slot Available — Unassigned]

Equipment:

Aged Blade Fragment (??? Rarity) (Bound)

Training Ring (+1 VIT)

Bag :)

Ring of Genorya - ???