MIAC: Chapter 7

~First Battle!~

Following the directions given on the map, Zhenayng started his journey to that town marked with a huge ‘wall’ picture on the map. The sky was gradually getting dark, but he didn’t worry. He had enough confidence in his abilities, although it was yet to be battle-tested. Due to that reason, only he exercised caution as thus his traveling speed was extremely slow. 

Or else with base stats that of a Foundation Building expert, even his walking speed would have surpassed a car’s speed. It’s not only about his slow speed, but also the terrain was quite difficult to traverse in some parts. With everything concerned, Zhenyang moved every step with the utmost concentration. 

He had already discovered that due to cultivating this Astha Siddhi, all his base stats of body had been upgraded, including his six senses. Smell, touch, vision, hearing, taste, and the mysterious sixth instinct. That’s right, he discovered that the so-called sixth sense was nothing but human instincts. Although he couldn't claim that he had the sharpest of instincts, he could still steer clear away of dangers due to this very instinct that honed for seven times already as it doubled every time he completed a great 40th cycle of Garima. 

Due to this very danger instinct, he was able to accurately perceive danger during his nightly activities of cultivation near the pool. Quite a few times, he avoided getting ambushed by snakes and other bizarre creatures in there. Though, he didn’t dare to fight with them at that time, afraid that it will attract the eagle’s attention despite it being the night time. Even now, due to his particularly enhanced sixth sense, he dared to leave the cave during night time, when it was recommended in every novel that moving at night was no less than courting disaster. 

Anyway, after arriving at dense forest area with even road, Zhenyang decided to retire for the night. There was thick foliage gathered in the ground. Zhenyang remembered the autumn festival back at his home when he saw it making his eyes a little misty. He was feeling homesick already. 

“If I ever find the one who responsible for that purple orb, I will first break all their front row teeth before anything,” Zhenyang vowed with frustration. Then he gathered the leaves on the ground, making a makeshift bed. After that, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the bed, trying to feel any living creature with them. This was the way he found to actively use his sixth sense. According to those novels, this sixth sense could be the legendary Divine Sense, but he can’t be too sure about that. Until he meets a human and makes everything clear, he can only go with assumptions made out of an abundance of novels he read all his life. 

After making sure that there were no insects on the ground that could pose any threat to him, Zhenayng laid flat before covering his body with the fallen leaves, completely burying himself save for his nose and eyes. After laying motionlessly for a few seconds, various thoughts entered his head, all of them about this new world. After long hard thinking, he came into a conclusion, 

“I was too naïve!” 

He was thinking about how confidently he swaggered a few hours before, believing that his strength was invincible. He hadn’t battle-tested his capabilities, and yet he allowed himself to feel complacent and prideful, swaggering about in this vast, dangerous forest. Despite promising himself to not fall into those typical MC traps, he still nearly fell into one. Confidence is one thing, but overconfidence is lethal.

“It’s a good thing I didn’t meet any animal on the way, or else right now, I would have been in the process of being digested inside some creature’s stomach.” Then Zhenyang sighed, exhaling all his negative thoughts. Promising himself to not repeat the same mistake tomorrow, he slowly closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep. 

…

Boom!!

“Uff!!!” Zhenyang woke up to the worst wakeup call ever. Before he even realized what happened, he was thrown to a distance by something hard-hitting his sides. He went through a few thick trees, breaking them in the process before hitting the ground hard enough to make a body shaped impression on the ground. 

“W, what was that?” after rudely awakened from his dream of being pampered by a few heavenly fairies, Zhenyang stared at the preparator, only for him to double-take. In front of him stood a golden pig as big as a buffalo back in the earth. Its snout seems longer than a typical pig, too, and there were two big teeth jutted out of its lower jaw. These teeth especially looked intimidating, with a pointy tip and rugged edges. 

“That teeth look like it could puncture a hole in a steel wall!” Zhenyang concluded after looking at the dreadful body part of the creature before him. He slowly stood up while lightly rubbing his left side. It was there where he felt pain initially, only he no felt any now. The pain vanished sometimes ago when he was busy admiring the exaggerated pig’s teeth. 

Snort!!

The pig snorted when it saw the audacity of the human to stand before it exhaled air deeply, before rubbing its hooves against the ground, digging a hole on it. It seems to prepare itself to stab Zhenyang to death with its teeth. 

“You want to fight, right?” Zhenyang looked at the pig right in the eye. The fear he felt before vanished into thin air as confidence returned to him. The confidence whose source was the quick recovery after getting attacked by the creature unaware. He determined that he can fight with this pig with his own strength without depending upon his multiplier. He clapped his hands, making a come heather motion with them, before shouting, “So do I! let’s see who is stronger!” 

As if it understood what Zhenyang shouted, the pig dug its front hooves into the ground before throwing itself towards Zhenyang, who also did the same. Clenching his fist tightly until veins were visible, he stepped forward before propelling towards the boar, the ground beneath cracked and destroyed the overwhelming force he released due to forceful push. 

In midway, both Zhenyang’s fist and the boar's head collided with each other. 

Boom!!

A huge booming noise was heard as shockwaves originating from the collision created a strong wind that blew the nearby foliage around as they circled around them both. The force of the collision threw both him and the boar back. Zhenyang managed to balance himself by leaning back a little. His practice with Tai Chi came in handy by helping him control his body better. 

After that, he looked at his fist, which was painted red with blood-red. Then he looked at the boar that still didn’t get up after falling down from the collision force. The winner was decided by just one bout. He was stronger than the boar and thus killed it with his full power punch, without the usage of the multiplier. 

Narrowing his eyes, he squatted down and wiped his fist on the ground, getting rid of the blood on them. Then he stood up and went near the boar before lifting its head quite easily. There was a fist-sized hole in its head, from where blood was gushing out unceasingly. The thing had died already, but its body still twitched when Zhenyang touched it. 

“I am indeed stronger, haha! My first battle in the new world, and I am the uncontested winner. Nice! It seems the power I gained from practicing Astha Siddhi is indeed real. Now, if only can I figure out the rank of this boar, I can accurately judge my power in comparison to this world.” 

Despite what he was mumbling, he was still happy and a little proud in his heart at his accomplishment. He also felt a little relieved. At least he wasn’t complete weak in this new world. At the very least, he was stronger than this golden boar.