Chapter 10 — The Edge of Control
The forest wasn't quiet today.
Birds scattered from the canopy, their cries sharp and urgent. The underbrush trembled in the distance — heavy, rhythmic footfalls that didn't belong to any low-level beast.
I tightened my grip on my wooden spear, my breathing slow, measured.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
I'd come for a simple hunt — a Rank 1 hare or maybe a weak wild boar to test my control.
Instead, the system's voice whispered a cold truth:
[Warning: Mid-level Profound Beast Detected — Stonehide Boar, Elementary Profound Rank 4]
Rank 4.
Two levels above me.
One mistake away from death.
The Decision
I should've turned back.
The smart move was to retreat, train longer, and return when I was stronger.
But survival wasn't just about caution.
It was about testing the edge — finding the limit before the storm arrived in two years.
And right now, this was the edge.
The Encounter
The boar crashed into the clearing like a landslide, tusks sharp, eyes glowing faintly with profound energy. Its hide shimmered like dull stone, thick enough to turn my crude spear if I didn't aim perfectly.
I didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Not until it lowered its head and charged.
Flow and Focus
The world slowed.
Breath in.
Breath out.
Energy flowed — steady, smooth — just like in the Northern Water Tribe.
At the last moment, I stepped aside, the boar's tusks grazing my shirt as I spun.
My spear lashed out, guided by that perfect, calm flow — striking the soft joint just behind its front leg.
The beast roared, more enraged than hurt.
The Fight
The next five minutes were chaos.
Dirt flying.
Tusks slashing.
Every dodge a hair too close to disaster.
But I didn't panic.
Every time my heart threatened to race, I forced my breath steady.
Every time my grip slipped, I adjusted — calm, controlled.
And then, finally, after a dozen cuts and near misses, the opening came.
One perfect strike.
The spear drove deep, right into the vulnerable spot under its jaw.
The beast fell.
Aftermath
I collapsed next to the carcass, chest heaving, arms trembling.
Pain throbbed in my ribs where a glancing blow had caught me, but I was alive.
Barely.
The system chimed:
[Combat Analysis: Stonehide Boar defeated.]
[Experience Gained: Combat Integration +4%]
[Energy Synchronization: 38% → 46%]
[Warning: Micro-tears detected. Rest recommended.]
The Lesson
Dragging the carcass back to the city was hell, every step a reminder of how close I'd come.
But the weight felt different this time.
Not just heavy — earned.
And that night, as I lay in bed, bandaged and exhausted, I understood something my simulations had hinted at but never made real:
Power without control was suicide.
But power with control?
That… was survival.