The dizziness from the teleportation gradually receded, and Bai Xuan abruptly opened his eyes.
The first thing he felt was the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves, stinging his eyes, and the damp air filled with the fresh scent of soil and greenery.
He was lying on his back next to a thicket, his body pressing down on a layer of moss.
Suddenly jolting awake, he flipped over and sat up, quickly raising the Goldsand Iron rod in his hand as he looked around alertly.
There were tall trees everywhere, tangled vines, and dense shrubs—a typical forest scene.
No ruined sealed space, no suffocating sensation.
“I'm out... I'm really out!”
An indescribable joy surged in his heart, and Bai Xuan almost shouted out loud, but his reason forced him to suppress the impulse.
He didn't know if this place was safe yet; he couldn't afford to expose himself.
He immediately checked the location information.
【Current Area: Valra Forest (Eastern Border of the Kingdom of Eluria)】
Valra Forest? Kingdom of Eluria?
Fragments of memory were stirred in his mind.
It seemed the original owner of this body had heard these two names in his scattered memories.
This should be the forest outside Klara Village, right?
“How did I get teleported here?” Bai Xuan lowered his head in thought, recalling the images from the final moments of the teleportation.
“That female mage tampered with the exit to prevent being tracked, making the teleportation random...”
Subconsciously, Bai Xuan reached into his pocket and touched the ring.
“Was it the Kunyuan Heavy Iron?”
That incredibly heavy metal material had emitted a gravitational pull that stabilized space during the teleportation, as indicated by the panel.
He had a faint feeling.
It was precisely because of this peculiar material that he had been unconsciously “anchored” amidst the coordinate turbulence, pulling him back to the place he was most familiar with.
“Whatever, it's good enough that I'm back!”
Bai Xuan let out a long sigh of relief, the long-accumulated tension and fear turning into a deep breath that squeezed out of his throat.
He punched the trunk of a nearby tree several times, feeling the hard wood, before he truly felt that he had escaped.
Once he had vented his emotions, the reality of his situation set in; he felt hungry again, and his mouth was dry and parched.
He carefully explored along the lower terrain, and before long, he heard the sound of rushing water.
Finding a clear stream, he used the panel to check the water quality. Once confirmed safe, he knelt down and drank greedily before filling his waterskin.
Then, he took off his clothes on the bank, washed himself in the water, and scrubbed his clothes to remove the stains.
Next, it was time to find food.
Relying on the original owner's meager wilderness experience, he identified some wild fruits and used the panel to confirm each one was edible before picking some sour and astringent fruits to fill his stomach.
He wouldn't starve for now, but he couldn't rely on this forever.
Which way should he go? The original owner had almost never left the village, so his geographical knowledge of the forest and the outside world was nearly nonexistent.
Bai Xuan thought for a moment and decided to head downstream along the creek; flowing water usually led to larger bodies of water or even human settlements.
He gripped the Goldsand Iron rod, raising his alertness to the maximum as he stepped into the dense woods.
He hadn't gone far when the bushes on his right suddenly shook violently without warning, and a dark shadow carrying a pungent stench lunged at his waist!
Bai Xuan's hair stood on end. Relying entirely on his enhanced reaction speed from leveling up, he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the impact.
The Goldsand Iron rod swept out in a counterattack, but it hit nothing but air.
He quickly stood up and looked at the attacker.
It was a boar-like creature about the size of a small calf, with protruding tusks and coarse bristles covering its body. Its eyes were blood-red, and it was huffing and puffing as it pawed at the ground, staring intently at him.
With a thought, he extended his mental power to investigate. The consumption was far smaller than when he had checked the Rock Core Guardian, almost negligible.
【Dreadboar Lv.3 (Awakened Rank)】
【Status: Hungry, Hunting】
【Health: 175/240】
【Mana: 5/15】
【Potential: 1-Star (Dust Crown Rank)】
【Trait: Impact Charge (Briefly and significantly increases straight-line sprint speed and impact force)】
Lv.3? Awakened Rank? Its health was only 240, and its mana was a mere 15? Bai Xuan quickly compared it to his own panel.
Lv.2, Health 205/205, Mana 95/95, plus the passive Strength Augmentation.
“Huh? That's it for Level 3?”
He almost laughed, feeling a bit dismissive. “Just a pig, and it knows how to ambush?”
The Dreadboar didn't care what he thought. Its hind hooves kicked hard, sending soil flying as it triggered its trait, 【Impact Charge】!
Its speed exploded instantly, charging like a small tank. The momentum was more than twice as fierce as the previous ambush!
Seeing this, Bai Xuan's competitive spirit was stirred instead.
“Just in time to test my current strength!” Instead of dodging, he took a firm stance, gripping the Goldsand Iron rod with both hands, intending to tank the hit!
“Bang—!”
The rod collided with the Dreadboar's hardest frontal bone, producing a dull, heavy thud.
The expected result of knocking it over with one strike did not happen.
Bai Xuan felt an incredibly tyrannical force travel up the rod. His arms shook violently, and his palms went numb.
He couldn't hold his ground at all, staggering back several steps. He only stopped after his back slammed heavily into a tree, and his health dropped slightly.
【Health: 204/205】
Meanwhile, the Dreadboar simply shook its head to clear the dizziness. Its eyes grew even redder as it pawed the ground again, preparing to charge.
“Hiss—” Bai Xuan took a sharp breath, his arms trembling slightly.
Panel attributes were the foundation, but this fellow's charging momentum and way of exerting force weren't a simple comparison of numbers!
His stance just now was completely that of an amateur. He had the strength but didn't know how to deflect or guide the force, causing him to suffer a setback.
“I can't take it head-on; I need to use technique.” He set aside his dismissiveness, his gaze turning serious.
The Dreadboar charged again.
This time, Bai Xuan didn't meet it head-on. Instead, timing it perfectly, he nimbly stepped forward and to the side to dodge the thrust.
Twisting his body, he swung the Goldsand Iron rod like a baseball bat, slamming it hard against the Dreadboar's exposed flank as it overshot!
“Oink!” The Dreadboar let out a pained howl, staggered by the blow.
The rhythm of the battle began to shift.
Bai Xuan no longer used brute force to clash head-on. Instead, he utilized his relatively agile movements and weapon advantage to circle the boar.
He specifically targeted the boar's soft spots: its eyes, nose, and joints.
He was fully focused, adapting to the Dreadboar's attack patterns and adjusting his footwork and power delivery, gradually converting his newly acquired strength and speed into actual combat ability.
The Dreadboar's repeated charges were neutralized. It was covered in wounds, its health steadily declining, and it became increasingly frantic and restless.
【Health: 87/240】
It realized that the figure before it was not easy to provoke. Beyond the rage in its blood-red eyes, a hint of cunning actually flickered.
After another feinted charge was dodged by Bai Xuan, the Dreadboar didn't immediately turn back. Instead, it used the momentum to pull a few steps of distance away.
It suddenly reared up on its hind legs, letting out a sharp screech. The pair of hideous tusks in its mouth suddenly glowed with an ominous gray-white light!
Seeing the Dreadboar suddenly change its combat style, Bai Xuan realized something was wrong.
The Dreadboar jerked its head, and from those gray-glowing tusks, three crescent-shaped gray air blades suddenly shot out!
The air blades were sharp, slicing through the grass on the ground instantly wherever they passed!
“This pig actually has a ranged attack?!”
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