The trek down the mountain road was grueling, but by the time the group crossed the threshold back into the border town, the heavy mantle of night had completely failed. Dragging the titanic carcass of the Silver-Horned Boar through the dusty streets immediately drew a crowd.
Whispers erupted from the onlookers. Many of the local merchants and lower-class laborers recognized Mary and her children, knowing full well that the small family possessed neither the numbers nor the raw strength to fell a high-tier beast like this. Their eyes naturally shifted to the ragged, dirt-caked boy walking beside them, his shoulders slouched under the weight of a blackened piece of scrap metal. Ethan looked incredibly fragile, his clothes torn and his posture weak, making the feat look entirely abnormal. The contrast was striking, instantly generating a wave of intense curiosity among the crowd.
