My SSS-Rank Gluttony Talent: I Can Evolve Limitlessly-Chapter 41: Mutated Dark Fanged Boar

Growl!!

As if in response to his words, another loud growl echoed from the cave, and Riley’s eyes narrowed.

Then... it emerged.

A massive black boar slowly trudged out of the cave, its crimson eyes burning with rage.

Its nostrils flared, exhaling streams of dark smoke that writhed unnaturally in the air.

It glared at Riley, already recognising him as an enemy.

’Wow... to think I would stand in front of you someday.’ Riley thought, a wry smile appearing on his lips.

The creature was enormous, standing nearly two meters tall at the shoulder.

Its hide was coated in layers of thick, bristle-like fur, so dense it resembled woven iron wires.

Each movement sent faint ripples through its armored skin, as though layers of muscle were compressed beneath a fortress of flesh.

Two grotesquely long fangs jutted out of its upper jaw, curling forward and almost touching the ground.

They were wide and crude, more like tusks carved by a lunatic than natural fangs.

Veins of red light pulsed through them, shimmering faintly with energy.

Black smoke continued seeping out of its skin, covering the monster in a strange black cloud.

The light around it seemed to be devoured by the strange dark cloud, giving the monster an even more ominous presence.

Growl!

It growled again—deeper, angrier—its hooves stomping the stone ground hard enough to send cracks rippling across the floor.

Riley didnt flinch though, simply staring at it with a wry smile.

His eyes flicked up, locking onto the transparent tabs floating above the monster’s head.

[Greater Boss Monster: Mutated Dark Fanged Boar]

[Level: 20]

[HP: 2700 / 2900]

"So it’s a greater boss..." he muttered under his breath.

He took another glance at the monstrosity before him, and a strange glint flashed across his eyes.

He easily recognised this monster, all too well trom his past life.

This very creature—the exact same variant—would appear about three weeks from now.

Not in a monster area, or even a dungeon... but in the real world.

It had begun with a strange crack—long, jagged, and black as sin—appearing in the center of Kindale, a huge city in the northern continent.

The people around it had been stunned to terror, their minds unable to comprehend how such a crack would abruptly appear out of now where.

But then, they hadn’t gotten the chance to wallow in their thoughts, or even bring out their phones to take pictures before they boar emerged.

With smoke snorting from its nose, it had attacked anyone it set its eyes on, flattening everything in its paths.

Before the police even arrived, hundreds had already lost their lives, and countless of properties had been destroyed.

But even when the police had arrived, their weapons barely did any damage against it.

Even explosives barely put a scratch on it, and whatever little damage they made to the monster would be instantly healed by the dark smoke clouding it.

In the end, an evacuation had to be declared, and the few survivors remaining were taken out of the city.

But then, the decision was too late. Hundred had also been dead, thousands injured, and the rest scarred for the rest of their lives.

Riley hadn’t been there when it happened, since he lived in the southern continent, but he heard it on the news.

The monster was never defeated by the military, not until a few days later, when one man arrived and finally defeated the monster all by himself.

That man was none other than Terry, and from that day, he became known as the strongest hero of humanity.

Riley exhaled slowly, eyes never leaving the beast that glared at him from across the stone floor.

He remembered the footage—grainy and shaky—from the handheld cameras of news reporters and survivors alike, all capturing the chaos of that day.

He remembered watching Terry on the screen, standing alone in front of the same monster, his figure blurred by smoke and fire.

He was shirtless, battered, and burned—but still standing tall.

That was the moment Riley had gained immense respect for him. Not because Terry had defeated the boar—but because he had done it when no one else could.

Because he had faced it without hesitation, while others ran for their lives.

That single broadcast had changed everything.

The shocking appearance of the black rift and the mutated boar had shaken the world to its core.

But it also ignited a frenzy, a desperate search for answers.

It was around that time Riley had first decided to enter Apocalypse.

He wasn’t alone. Millions more had followed, trying to understand the connection between the mysterious new game and the real-world threat.

And they had found connections. Lots of them.

Veteran players—those who had entered Apocalypse earlier—were the first to point it out.

The boar that attacked Kindale had been very identical to the boss monsters within the game, and even the same floating tab format had appeared in the real world.

The implications were terrifying.

People had speculated, theories running wild on how a monster from a supposed game could infiltrate the real world.

But at the time, none of it really mattered. Because when the boar appeared, no one had powers, neither could anyone wield mana.

Everyone had been helpless, including those who possessed great powers within the game.

Riley’s eyes narrowed slightly.

That was the difference, the point that changed everything.

The first to awaken had been Terry.

No one knew why it was him. No one knew what triggered it. But a few days after the boar attack, he had awakened the exact same talent his character had in [Apocalypse], along with his level and attributes.

That power was what he used to fight against smoke, overpowering the monster’s regeneration and then defeating it.

After that day, the floodgates opened, and more people started awakening.

Some called it divine intervention. Others called it science gone wrong. But whatever the cause, the game had bled into reality—and the lines between both worlds started to blur.

And then... more rifts started opening.

All across the globe—in cities, forests, oceans—unnatural cracks split open the sky and ground, spilling out horrors that should have remained in code and pixels.

Monsters roared into existence, demolishing buildings and claiming lives. Governments collapsed, militaries failed, and cities turned to ash.

Humanity spiraled into chaos, and from there; a new era was ushered into the world.

"Terry was the one who defeated you then." Riley muttered. "But now... it’ll be me."

As if the monster understood the taunt, it let out another growl, stomping its hind limbs against the ground.

Swoosh!

It suddenly charged at Riley, its massive hooves pounding like war drums against the ground.

The black fog around its body flared outward, surging forward like it was reacting to its anger.

But Riley didn’t even blink.

"Tch."

He scoffed lightly, and his body rapidly blended into his the world around him, vanishing from the boar’s sight.

[Skill Activated: Stealth]

BANG!!!

The boar reappeared where he previously stood within seconds, smashing its huge, curved fangs against the ground.

The ground broke apart, chunks of rocks exploding outwards, with cracks spiderwebbing from the point of impact.

The boar was momentarily stunned by Riley’s disappearance, but before it could recover or turn around—

Riley struck.

With a fluid motion, he rolled to the side, his footsteps as light as air, and lunged straight at the beast’s neck.

In a blink, he was right in front of its thick neck, the place where its defenses were weakest.

His grip tightened around the hilt of his dagger, and without hesitation, he plunged it forward.

The dark smoke surrounding the monster writhed violently, trying to repel the blade—trying to stop him from piercing flesh.

It was like shoving his weapon through a curtain of mud, slow and heavy.

But Riley didn’t stop.

His Strength had already surpassed what it had been in the past, and even the mist that could stop blades and bullets were no match for him.

Shlck!

The dagger tore through the thick hide, ripping past muscle and smoke alike as it sank deep into the beast’s neck.

Growwwwllll!!

The boar’s pained roar echoed like thunder, shaking loose dust from the cave ceiling.

A bright notification flashed in the air above it.

—733.1! [Critical Hit!]

However, Riley didn’t let go.

He held fast to the embedded blade even as the monster thrashed violently, its massive body bucking and rearing in fury.

It slammed itself into the ground, kicked up chunks of rock, and shook its head wildly, trying to fling him off like an annoying insect.

But Riley’s grip didn’t waver.

"Sorry, big guy," he whispered with a wide, excited smirk. "You’re not getting rid of me that easily."

He swiftly spun his body, leaping atop the beast’s back.

The monster shrieked again, trying to buck him off—but Riley had already moved.

He quickly plunged his other dagger into the boar’s eye, and the monster shrieked loudly in response.

Splosh!

Riley suddenly pulled out the blade, and blood sprayed out of the eye.

—733.1![Critical Damage!]