After having a conversation with Marietta, Mei Li accepted the mission — to lead them to a different realm with a similar environment. The once serene and beautiful morning plantation suddenly turned ominous.

Some flowers were now busted, trampled by something up ahead. There they were, the Deadly Boars, with their large bodies and tusks curving upwards, giving them an aura of devastation.

There were four of these formidable creatures, all identical in size and appearance. Mei Li readied her bow and arrows, while Liu Han take a deep breath once again, and released all his nervousness. Determined not to disappoint Mei Li, he mustered all of his skills and abilities.

"Watch their movements carefully," Mei Li cautioned. "The mission's difficulty level has escalated. It's now in the Hard tier."

Fair enough. With the mission rewards increased it was only relevant that the difficulty level went up as well. Liu Han clenched his hand and stepped forward, catching the attention of one of the creatures. The Boar's eyes glowed red amidst its black fur as it exhaled gas from its sides. Its hind legs shuffled in place, preparing for a swift charge towards Liu Han – an acceleration not too high but enough to send a shiver down both their spines.

Mei Li quickly raised her bow and knelt beside Liu Han, providing composure for her attacks. The Arrow of Light shimmered with a golden hue, shooting with an undeniable amount of speed.

However, she didn't launch just one attack; she struck multiple times. Upon closer inspection, the arrows hitting the Boar didn't inflict significant damage but had a certain effect. The monster no longer ran; each attack gradually depleted its stamina, and if it were to be completely drained, the next attack would leave it dazed.

Witnessing a golden opportunity, Liu Han swiftly lunged at the creature before him, delivering a forceful punch that consumed half of his stamina. His clenched fist made contact with the Boar's tusk, causing its white-yellowish teeth to crack and regain consciousness.

Liu Han had expected his attack to inflict significant damage, but to his surprise, it only brought the monster's HP bar down to around 80%, leaving him vulnerable to a powerful counterattack that sent him soaring into the air.

"Liu Han!" Mei Li shouted, rushing to the spot where Liu Han landed.

Grimacing in pain, he had suffered considerable damage, especially from the Boar's tusk striking him. With only half of his HP remaining, he knew he couldn't afford to let his guard down and had to exercise extreme caution.

Struggling to get back on his feet, he found himself confronted by two Boars charging toward him. Furrowing his brow, he wiped the blood from his mouth and steeled his determination, charging forward to engage them.

Using his excellent skill, he spun his body and unleashed a powerful kick that exerted force on the enemies before him. The blast of wind managed to slightly diminish their HP and disrupt their foundation.

Hence, one of the Boars veered off course and collided with its companion, sending both of them crashing down amid a cloud of dust. Unable to see through the haze, Liu Han became even more cautious.

Emerging from the billowing dust, a monstrous figure raced toward Liu Han with incredible speed, ready to deliver a powerful blow. Liu Han braced himself, preparing to dodge the attack.

However, a mesmerizing yet ominous melody filled Liu Han's ears — it was Mei Li reciting her ultimate skill incantation.

"Luxa Statera!" As she charged, a bright light shoots forward, swiftly homing in on the Boar.

The devastating force of Mei Li's ultimate skill sent the Boar reeling, and it collapsed, writhing in pain as the radiant arrow engulfed its body. The flames continued to inflict damage over time until the monster's HP completely vanished.

Impressed, Liu Han turned to Mei Li and urgently shouted, "Watch out!"

Startled, Mei Li quickly checked behind her and saw the Boar about to strike. With incredible agility, she executed a high somersault, defying the abilities of an average human. Her remarkable acrobatic skills were not to be underestimated.

While airborne, Mei Li readied her arrows again and fired three of them toward the Boar below with tremendous force, propelling herself backward to create distance.

The creature groaned in agony, its HP diminished significantly, now standing at around 60%. Mei Li landed gracefully in a crouched position, quickly rising to prepare for her next attack.

She then slid forward while shooting her arrows. However, this time, as one arrow was about to be released, suddenly two beams of light appeared beside it, soaring together towards the rotating Boar.

She continue the move when her skill struck the monster in front, causing it to screech, reducing its HP by 30% – and keeping the burn effect attached. Starting to shoot again, Mei Li emerged victorious from the battle.

However, after catching her breath, she realized that there was still one more Deadly Boar engaged in a fierce fight with Liu Han. Despite the young man using all his skills, he still couldn't defeat the monster. The gap in power between Mei Li and Liu Han was evident in the level of damage they inflicted on the Boars.

Nevertheless, with Liu Han's unwavering efforts, he managed to bring the monster's HP down to about 50%, though he was growing fatigued from continuous stamina usage. 

Without asking for help, Mei Li went to assist him, but this time, she refrained from using her high skill. It was because she had already exhausted her MP by frequently using skills that consumed it, and as an Archer class, her MP regeneration was exceptionally slow. As a result, Mei Li opted to use simple bow skills with limited impact, even resorting to basic attacks to buy time while deftly evading, making the most of her remaining stamina.

Liu Han himself began to open his inventory and consume the [Curcuma Herb] potion, which increased stamina regeneration by 20%. Though not a significant boost, it allowed him to return to the battle more quickly.

Even though his stamina wasn't fully replenished, he forced his body to run toward the Deadly Boar, which was currently focused on Mei Li. He struck the monster's body with a clenched fist, causing the Boar to stagger, and at the same time, Liu Han used both his feet to push himself backward, pushing him away from the creature.

Creating a sufficient distance between himself and the Deadly Boar, Liu Han regained his focus as the monster shifted its attention to him. He widened his stance, preparing to make a move. Gradually, Liu Han's right fist gripped, releasing a cloud of steam. 

With every ounce of strength, depleting his once-filled stamina entirely, Liu Han yelled out with utmost intensity, launching his ultimate skill. "Gale Force Punch!"

A mighty blow of wind surged from Liu Han's outstretched hand, directed forward, piercing through anything in its path. The force was so immense that it seemed to cleave the very earth itself, instantly slaying the Deadly Boar upon impact. 

The billowing smoke obscured Mei Li's vision, leaving her almost unable to see anything but swirling dust. She stood frozen, utterly still, until finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Amidst the astonishment, a notification caught her attention, almost making her jump for joy.

[Congratulations, you have achieved Level 10!]

[Unlocked Buff Skill (Blessing of Seillane)]

[Unlocked Passive Skill (The Swift Archer)]

Confused, Mei Li quickly checked her skills menu.

[Blessing of Seillane: Increases stamina by 30 points and reduces stamina consumption by 30%. Accelerates MP Regeneration by 30%. Lasted for 30 minutes. Cooldown: 3 hours.]

[(Passive) The Swift Archer: Whenever you dodge and leap, it enhances skills damage by 30% and removes the burn effect. Immune to slow debuffs.]

Excitement welled up inside her as she read about her newly acquired powers. With the Blessing of Seillane and The Swift Archer Passive, Mei Li knew she had become an even more formidable force to be reckoned with.

The young man was panting, checking his right hand which was still emitting smoke. He never expected that his ultimate skill would cause such immense damage, even though the Deadly Boars were three levels above him.

[Congratulations! You have completed the Bounty Mission!]

[Received rewards from the assignment.]

[Returned to the original location: 10 seconds.]

Liu Han collapsed instantly, sitting on the soft ground while double-checking his inventory. All the rewards were there. Although it didn't level him up, being able to unleash his best abilities was enough to make his days meaningful. Especially to not disappoint Mei Li.

[You are returned to Marietta Farm: Light-Verse.]

In an instant, what lay before Liu Han changed dramatically. He stood there, mesmerized by the sudden transformation of the realm. He found himself back in front of NPC Marietta herself – with the plantation still lush and healthy.

The bewildered young man was aroused by Mei Li's harmonious voice, turning his gaze towards her.

"Would you like to come along?" She offered, already taking steps to leave.

"Um... Where to?" Liu Han was flustered, not knowing where Mei Li was heading.

"To Baturia, of course," her cheerful expression showed no sign of fading from her charming face. "I still have one more bounty mission left to take."

Liu Han pondered for a moment. He also needed to go to the city to sell the loot he acquired. Moreover, this was his first time receiving bounties, and there were two more available that would be a loss if left unclaimed.

The young man nodded with a smile and replied, "Alright... I just remembered that I have something to sell."

After that, they left together.

To be continued...