Chapter Six: Basic Footwork Lv.2

The sound grew ever closer, like the relentless drumbeat of doomsday, making Chen Qi’s heart contract with oppressive intensity. Yet he did not turn around immediately. Instead, he drove his blade into the wild boar before him and, with a leap, landed atop its massive body before finally turning his head.

What he saw was another wild boar, even larger than the last, its enormous tusks and bristling mane exuding a sense of ferocity. But unlike the previous one, this beast’s body was wreathed in a faint red aura, making it appear even more savage and formidable.

The great Crimson-Striped Boar, upon witnessing its companion’s death, increased its speed, its charge down the slope toward the lowland like a bolt of thunder. After building up momentum for so long, its speed now rivaled that of a car on the highway, and in an instant, it was less than ten meters from Chen Qi.

Chen Qi had no intention of being hit by such a force. He activated his Focus Burst!

In that moment, everything became clear to him. The first Crimson-Striped Boar had run here not simply out of desperation but to lure him into a trap: this lowland was the territory of an even stronger boar. It had sacrificed itself as bait, creating a deadly situation for Chen Qi.

“How devious can a wild boar be?” Chen Qi thought, his mind racing. As the great Crimson-Striped Boar thundered toward him, he made a split-second decision to leap over its head.

His leg muscles tensed, nerves firing, and he sprang high, vaulting cleanly over the boar’s skull. In his heightened state of Focus Burst, he had chosen the perfect timing—he was directly above the beast, leaving it helpless to strike back as it thundered past beneath him.

But then, the crimson stripes along the boar’s back blazed. Mid-air, Chen Qi felt a tremendous force slam into him, hurling him away like a falling comet.

With a resounding crack, he crashed to the ground, the impact so great that he bounced twice before coming to rest, pain shooting through his body as though his bones would split apart. He managed a quick glance at his health: only 64% remained.

But there was no time to recover. The great Crimson-Striped Boar was already turning, charging at him again.

With the boar’s speed, he could not stand in time. All he could do was raise his blade, bracing it against the oncoming tusks.

A searing friction burned his back as the boar drove him along the ground, the pain intensifying with each passing moment, his blood slowly draining away.

Trapped in this dire circumstance, Chen Qi’s own ferocity was roused.

Suddenly, his left hand seized one of the boar’s tusks, while his right shifted the blade aside and hacked mercilessly at the beast’s exposed belly.

A gush of blood spurted as the blade struck home. The boar, though dominant, had no wish to trade wounds; with a violent toss of its massive head, it sent Chen Qi flying once more.

The world spun. Dazed, Chen Qi crashed to earth, his right hand losing its grip on the blade. In his final moments of consciousness, he managed to summon a Yun Zhi Powder.

As the dizziness faded, he wasted no time in swallowing the medicine, his health climbing back up to 45%.

But now, a shadow loomed over him. The great boar was standing poised above, ready to stomp down and crush his abdomen.

Unwilling to risk the side effects of Focus Burst again, Chen Qi could only grit his teeth and twist aside.

“I can dodge this!” he encouraged himself, twisting sharply to the right as the deadly hoof descended.

He had set his bottom line: if the stomp landed, he would unleash the Courageous Ode from his Soul Sanctuary for a last stand—his current health should be enough to survive a single blow.

The hoof crashed down, scattering sharp stones that grazed his face, but the boar missed. Relief flooded through him.

Enraged, the beast bellowed and stomped again, but Chen Qi rolled faster, dodging the attack once more. He realized with delight that his rolling technique had clearly improved—perhaps his Basic Footwork had just leveled up.

There was no time to look. He was sure the boar would strike again. Suddenly, his right elbow bent at an odd angle.

With a thud, he slammed his elbow into the ground, using the rebound to spring himself up and crash sideways into the bleeding belly of the great boar.

The boar, still mid-stomp, had not anticipated this move. Its soft underbelly took the full brunt of his assault.

At the moment of impact, Chen Qi drove his left knee with all his might, actually sending the great boar flying.

There was no time to retrieve his blade. Now was the time for ferocity.

Hair disheveled, Chen Qi charged at the boar, determined to keep it from rising.

With a heavy thump, the boar’s back slammed into the ground, its thick layer of fat making it bounce up again.

Chen Qi reached it in a heartbeat. As the boar opened its bloody maw wide, inspiration struck: he hurled his last fragmentation grenade straight into its mouth.

At the same time, his free hand summoned the AK-47 military bayonet, plunging it deep into the wound he had carved in the beast’s belly.

Blood and flesh erupted as he twisted the blade, and a deafening explosion sounded from within the boar’s throat. Chen Qi knew victory was at hand.

As expected, the Sprout Space quickly issued a system prompt:

[Your fragmentation grenade hit the vital point of the Crimson-Striped Boar King (Elite), dealing 87 points of explosive damage and 42 points of piercing damage.]

[Your AK-47 military bayonet hit the vital point of the Crimson-Striped Boar King (Elite), dealing 47 points of damage.]

[The Boar King suffered an additional 25 points of bleeding damage.]

[You have slain the Crimson-Striped Boar King (Elite).]

Draining the last of his strength, Chen Qi crawled over to collect the blue chest dropped by the boar before collapsing to catch his breath.

[You have obtained the Crimson-Striped Boar King’s Chest (Blue).]

To his surprise, the chest bore an extraordinary name. Gazing at the faint image of a wild boar embossed on its surface, Chen Qi knew this was no ordinary loot.

But he was too exhausted to open it right away—after nearly an hour of running and battling two boars, he had nothing left.

Lying on the ground, he glanced at his skills interface. As expected, [Basic Footwork] had leveled up to Lv.2, now on par with Basic Blade Techniques.

[Basic Footwork Lv.2] (Passive)

Skill Effect: Increases dodge rate by 6%; grants basic evasion and running techniques.

[Basic Blade Techniques Lv.2] (Passive)

Skill Effect: Increases blade damage by 9%; grants basic knowledge of blade techniques and usage.

...

After resting for a while, Chen Qi stood and began to butcher the two crimson-striped boars, storing most of the meat in his inventory space.

After a moment’s hesitation, he buried the remains of both boars together.

Beside the makeshift grave, Chen Qi chose to open the [Crimson-Striped Boar King’s Chest (Blue)].

A phantom boar roared as a piercing blue light shot forth!

[You have gained 1000 universal points.]

[You have gained 2 basic skill points.]

[You have gained the Boar King’s Insight Bone Necklace.]

[Boar King’s Insight Bone Necklace]

Origin: Azure Star Continent

Quality: Blue

Category: Necklace

Durability: 45/45

Requirements: Constitution 10, Strength 10, Agility 10

Equipment Effect 1: Boar King’s Insight (Active)

Boar King’s Insight: Upon use, reveals partial information about a target. The completeness of the information depends on the difference between your Constitution, Strength, Agility total and the target’s. (Costs 10 mana)

Note: This skill is especially effective against beasts.

Equipment Effect 2: Blood Surge (Active)

Blood Surge: Consumes 10% of max health to unleash a surge of blood energy at an opponent, dealing Constitution x3 damage. Cooldown: 10 minutes.

Equipment Effect 3: Boar King’s Blessing (Passive)

Boar King’s Blessing: Strength +1, Constitution +1, Agility +1

Rating: 170 (Maximum for Blue-quality gear)

Description: This bone necklace contains the lifelong insights of the Crimson-Striped Boar King, forged through countless surges of blood energy. It is a rare treasure. Though the Boar King died resenting its killer, seeing its own bones entwined with its beloved companion’s in death, its hatred turned to blessing. (Can a wild boar truly harbor malice?)

Sell Value: 3300 universal points