CHAPTER 117: FRUSTRATION

Hades knew nothing about the beast before him.

It stood there, a hulking mass of muscle and fur, its body a little over two meters long. The creature gnawed lazily on a patch of moss, its dirt-brown coat blending with the forest floor. A short tail flicked back and forth, swatting away the flies that dared to land on it. Two pale tusks curved upward from its jaw, sharp and menacing even in the dim light.

Yet more than its size, more than its tusks, it was the weight of its presence that set Hades on edge. His instincts screamed—this was no ordinary hunt.

He had never faced a beast like this. Still, his training as an adventurer whispered guidance into his mind. He already knew where to strike.

The eyes...

Tightening his grip, he studied the branch in his hand. The tip was crude but sharp enough to pierce. Barefoot now, he moved with slow, careful steps, each one placed so the ground would not betray him.

The boar’s back was still turned, its attention buried in its meal.

Hades crouched low, his fingers brushing the earth. He scooped up a handful of dry soil, letting the grains trickle silently through his hand. His breathing slowed. His body was still.

Up above, Kaelith sat on a branch, her sharp eyes following him. Her red hair swayed with the breeze, and one brow arched as she watched the boy move.

Hades crept closer, inch by inch, the silence pressing against his ears. He stopped just shy of where his shadow would reach the beast. Then, in a sudden move, he drove the branch down onto a dried leaf.

Snap

The boar’s head jerked up, its bulky frame moving with shocking speed.

Hades flung the dry soil into its face.

"URGHO!"

The dust scattered across its eyes, but the beast was already charging—the trick did little more than anger it.

Hades leapt, his body twisting over the rushing bulk. He landed light on his feet, but the impact sent a tremor through his legs. He staggered, breath catching.

I haven’t recovered...

The ground shook under pounding hooves.

Hades sidestepped at the last instant, the boar thundering past him—SLIDE—its hooves digging into the dirt. It stopped short of a tree, muscles flexing, breath huffing in hot clouds.

Hades’ eyes narrowed. The beast’s gaze glowed red—not just dust, not just rage. Something else.

"Here it comes..." He spun the branch in his grip, then drew back, ready to throw.

The boar launched forward.

Hades hurled the branch like a spear, its sharp point aimed for the creature’s left eye.

TING!

A burst of mana flared across the beast’s hide. The branch exploded into splinters before it could pierce.

"Shit—!"

The boar slammed into him, tusks low, its speed magnified by the sudden surge of power. The impact crushed his stomach, tearing the air from his lungs.

His body flew upward. He twisted midair, but there was nothing to grab, nowhere to land—only the sharp ivory points rising to meet his fall.

Hades gritted his teeth as his body crashed down onto the beast.

White-hot pain ripped through him as the left tusk tore into his stomach, pinning him in place. Blood spilled down his side, warm and wet, but he didn’t scream—he wouldn’t give the beast that satisfaction.

From above, Kaelith flinched, her heart freezing at the sight. For an instant, she thought her son was surrendering. But then—her eyes widened.

Hades’ hand shot forward.

With a savage snarl, he drove his fingers straight into the boar’s eye, his thumb and index clamping around the soft orb.

"ARGHUOOO!" The beast shrieked, thrashing its head wildly. But Hades was locked too deep onto the tusk to be shaken off. His entire body clung like a vice.

Veins bulged across his arm as he crushed the eye in his grip, feeling it pop beneath his fingers. His other hand lashed out just as ruthlessly, burying into the second socket without mercy.

"AGHU! AGHU!" The beast roared in blind agony, staggering, blood and pus spilling down its snarling face.

Its hooves pounded the earth as it bolted, desperate, charging straight toward a tree.

Hades’ vision blurred, but he refused to let go. His hand seized the other tusk, his muscles screaming as he pulled.

"JUST DIE!"

With a brutal heave, he wrenched, tearing the head downward as he rammed the jagged tusk into the beast’s skull. Flesh split, bone cracked, and the forest shook with the impact.

The boar’s frenzy slowed. Its hooves dragged deep furrows into the soil, but its strength was bleeding away. Just inches from the tree trunk, its body collapsed with a heavy Dhak, the ground trembling under its weight.

Kaelith dropped from her perch, her boots sinking into the dirt as she landed. Without hesitation, her blade flashed—one clean strike severed the tusk pinning her son. She pushed the ivory aside and freed him.

Hades’ chest heaved, blood still wet on his clothes, but his crimson eyes never wavered. They locked onto the fallen beast, hunger flashing in their depths. To him, the carcass looked almost inviting, mouth-watering even without fire or spice.

"I passed, right?" he asked, voice low but steady, as if the wound in his gut didn’t exist.

Kaelith’s expression softened for a breath, then cooled again. She slid the tusk free and raised a vial. "You broke the rule, son."

The liquid hissed as she sprayed it over his torn flesh. Hades hissed too, teeth clenched, the searing pain flooding through him—then fading just as quickly. The wound knitted shut at a startling pace, pink skin closing over what had been a fatal gash.

"What do you mean?!" His voice contained his frustration. His hunger was growing now.

Kaelith calmly told him, "You fortified your muscles when you got stabbed and also when you pulled the tusk of the beast."

Hades clicked his tongue, she noticed it.

He turned towards the boar and said, "Just one bite won’t hurt-" his voice was cut off as suddenly the boar was suddenly lifted off the ground before Kaelith kicked it high into the sky—until it disappeared.

Hades growled, "Why the fuck do I need to starve?" Without knowing he was behaving differently.

Kaelith understood his feelings and she was quite sad that she had to treat her son like this.

But, "This is necessary, Hades. Unless you don’t learn how to control your mana, you can’t eat anything."

The training had just begun and the way things were going, Kaelith expected that her son might learn self control sooner than she initially anticipated.

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A/N:- Thanks for reading.