Chapter 18 - Chapter 18: Ambush and Uncontrolled Fury (Fight Part 1)

The opportunity arose on the third day of tracking. The Iron Skin Boar, after a morning of foraging roots, went to the muddy clearing near the stream - exactly where Gù Ti?nháo had prepared his main trap, the camouflaged moat. Hidden in dense vegetation in favor of the wind, the heart of Ti?nháo beat like a drum of war against its ribs. He watched the colossal beast enter the clearing. It was even more intimidating up close - a mountain of bristled muscles, covered in thick, gray leather that looked more like metal than skin. His little red eyes shone with wild intelligence and malice, and his curved, yellowish prey dripped mud as he sniffed the air. Ti?nháo took a deep breath, forcing calmness over his nerves in shambles. He had chosen this place carefully. The moat was positioned on a natural trail leading to the stream. He had also prepared a distraction - a piece of Rock Mouse meat that he had left near the opposite edge of the clearing, hoping to attract the boar's attention away from the moat as he approached. The boar grunted, sniffing the air, and seemed to smell the flesh. With an impatient snort, he began to trot towards the bait, following exactly the path that Tiannháo had foreseen. Now! Ti?nháo concentrated, his muscles tense. He waited until the boar was almost over the camouflaged moat. Crack! The sound of the branches and leaves covering the gap breaking echoed in the silent clearing. With a smile of surprise and fury, the front legs of the Iron Skin Boar sank into the hole. The beast was too heavy, and the moat, although not deep enough to hold him completely, caused him to lose his balance and fall aside with a deaf thud. This was the moment of Ti?nháo! Exploding from his hiding place, he used all the speed his Level 2 and Stimulation Guide could give him. He did not aim at the impenetrable leather of the back or flanks. His target was the eye - one of the few known vulnerable spots. He jumped on the partially fallen body of the boar, the hunting knife shining coldly. He struck a swift and precise blow toward the little red eye of the beast. But the Iron Skin Boar, despite its mass, reacted with surprising speed. Even though he fell and panicked, he shook his head violently at the last second. Ti?nháo's knife narrowly missed his eye, nailing himself to the extremely thick skin just below him. The blade penetrated only a few centimeters before being stopped with a creak, as if it had reached metal. A deafening roar of pure agony and fury exploded from the boar. The pain, even if superficial by its patterns, completely drove him mad. With a titanic effort, he struggled, using his monstrous force to rise out of the pit, ignoring the pain in his prey front legs. Ti?nháo was thrown away like a rag doll by the force of the boar's movement. He hit hard against the trunk of a tree, impacting him by stealing his breath and sending stars dancing before his eyes. His knife was torn from his hand, remaining uselessly embedded under the eye of the enraged boar. Disarmed. Wounded. Faced with a colossal beast now completely enraged. The plan had failed catastrophically in the first step. The Iron Skin Boar rose completely, plucking the knife from its face with a head movement and throwing it away. Blood flowed from the superficial wound, but it just seemed to feed his anger. His red eyes fixed on Ti?nháo, who struggled to get up, the pain exploding in his back and head. There was no warning. With a grunt that made the ground shake, the boar attacked. It was not an awkward onslaught; it was a missile of pure brute force and murderous intent. Ti?nháo barely had time to react. He threw himself aside, adrenaline overcoming the pain. The boar's prey passed inches from his body, hitting the tree where he was moments before with an impact that made the entire tree shake and wood chips fly. Ti?nháo rolled, desperately searching for his knife, but could not find it in the undergrowth. The boar turned around, its agility surprising to its size, and attacked again. This time, Tiannháo was not fast enough. He tried to dodge it, but the boar's massive head scraped him on the flank. It was not a direct blow from the prey, but the sheer force of the impact was like being hit by a sledgehammer. He heard a sick snap of his own ribs and was thrown into the air, landing forcefully in the mud of the clearing. An excruciating pain ran through his left side. Breathing became difficult, each inspiration an agony. He tried to get up, but his legs did not obey immediately. He could taste the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. The boar snorted, turning to the final blow. His little red eyes were fixed on fallen Ti?nháo, the promise of imminent death in them. Panic threatened to swallow Ti?nháo. He was seriously wounded, unarmed, and facing a beast that seemed invulnerable. Death seemed inevitable. But then something inside him refused to give in. The image of his brothers' contempt, the memory of the pain of his training, the determination forged in two lives - all of this came about, pushing the panic backwards. He wouldn't die there. He wouldn't die like garbage. With a supreme effort of will, he ignored the blistering pain in his ribs and forced his body to roll again, just in time to avoid the boar's prey that descended where his head was a second earlier. The prey was deep in the mud. As the boar struggled to free his prey for an instant, Ti?nháo saw his chance. Not to attack, but to survive. He crawled desperately towards the edge of the clearing, towards the narrow passage between the rocks where he had prepared his rope ties. He was his only remaining hope.