Chapter 75: Strength
“I actually managed to trigger three treasure chests!”
Ye Da stroked his chin, analyzing which direction would be most suitable given the remaining time.
Hot springs? Volcano?
It seemed to be where Ning Qingcheng was located.
Ye Da wondered if Ning Qingcheng would be there, and at the thought, his heart stirred with excitement.
But the hot spring pool was five kilometers away—far too distant. Even if Ye Da hurried over now, it would be impossible to make it in time.
Better to check it out tomorrow.
For now, he’d skip it.
As for the territory of the Mighty Gorilla to the north, Ye Da didn’t even consider it. First, the name alone suggested formidable strength; second, fifteen hundred meters wasn’t exactly close. With dusk approaching, Ye Da had no choice but to seek out the nearest option.
Looking around...
It appeared the most suitable place was the wild boar’s territory, five hundred meters to the south—a quick trip for Ye Da.
Moreover, his Stone Skin had been upgraded, yet he hadn’t had a proper battle yet, and he was genuinely curious about his own combat prowess!
This was the perfect chance to test it against the wild boar.
Wild boars were not considered ferocious beasts—if he lost, it wouldn’t be too disastrous!
Decision made, he set out!
Ye Da adjusted his gear, donned the black iron armor and helmet, and swiftly advanced toward the thickets.
“Snort!”
“Snort, snort!”
From afar, Ye Da heard the sounds of pigs snorting and the scraping of wood from within the waist-high grass.
He was puzzled—why was there a sound like wood being sawn?
Better take a look first!
Ye Da didn’t immediately reveal himself. Instead, he crouched low, parted a few blades of grass, and peered toward the source of the sound.
He saw a giant wild boar, as large as a small hill, scratching itself against tree bark.
The sound wasn’t made by humans at all—it was the wild boar shedding bark as it rubbed against the tree!
Ye Da drew a sharp breath.
The bristles on the boar were so stiff, they resembled steel brushes.
But what shocked Ye Da most wasn’t the sawing sound—it was the wild boar’s size. “Small hill” was no exaggeration.
The boar was as large as a hippopotamus.
The smallest hippos weighed nine hundred kilograms; normal ones could reach three or four tons.
Faced with such a...
Boar?!
Ye Da honestly wasn’t sure if he could fight it.
“Hachu!”
Just as Ye Da was devising his tactics—whether to confront it head-on or employ traps and trickery—Little White’s nose was tickled by the grass, and the wolf cub sneezed!
The crisp sneeze wasn’t loud, but it drew the attention of the Wild Boar King, who abruptly stopped scratching and stared directly at Ye Da’s position.
Sniff, sniff!
At that moment, Ye Da’s heart skipped a beat.
A sense of impending doom!
If his memory served, pigs’ sense of smell was even keener than dogs’.
Sure enough...
“Rustle, rustle!”
“Rustle, rustle, rustle!”
After sniffing toward the thicket, the Wild Boar King began pawing the earth with its forelegs, preparing to attack.
The instant Ye Da saw this, he understood—
It was about to charge!
“Scatter!”
Hiding was pointless.
Ye Da shot up and shouted to the two wolf cubs. The three of them immediately dispersed in different directions!
Though this tactic wouldn’t stop the Wild Boar King’s charge, more targets would at least confuse its choices.
“Boom!”
“Boom, boom, boom!”
As expected...
The Wild Boar King hesitated halfway through its charge.
Ye Da seized this moment of indecision, dashed to the boar’s side, and, with his stone-covered fist, slammed it down on the boar’s skull!
The sound of bones cracking rang out!
“Roar!!”
The Wild Boar King cried out in agony.
Blood poured from its seven orifices as it crashed to the ground!
“Woof, woof!”
“Woof, woof, woof!”
The two wolf cubs, hearing the commotion, rushed over to attack.
By the time they reached the Wild Boar King, it had already fallen!
The two could only circle the boar, barking incessantly, occasionally biting it to see if it was truly dead or merely feigning.
But the Wild Boar King lay motionless, letting them bite at will.
Clearly, it was dead beyond any doubt!
“When did I...”
Ye Da stared at the giant wild boar, four or five times larger than his own one-point-eight-meter frame, his eyes filled with disbelief.
“Become this strong?”
Though...
He knew the power of his stone fist was considerable.
Still, he hadn’t expected that a creature of such size couldn’t withstand even a single blow.
Just one punch, and the Wild Boar King was finished!
“Swish!”
Moments later...
The Wild Boar King transformed into three spheres of light before Ye Da.
Sixty units of pork, five units of boar offal, and a gray beast core.
He stuffed the pork and offal into his backpack, which immediately filled up its storage slots. Looks like he'd have to carry the treasure chest himself later.
This upgraded storage backpack still wasn’t enough!
It was frustrating.
If only the backpack could be upgraded as quickly as his abilities.
Ye Da crushed the beast core, and a surge of warmth rushed into his left forearm, instantly covering it with a layer of skin.
Now, only his left upper arm remained.
One more beast core, and Ye Da could break through again, becoming a second-tier Black Iron Warrior.
He wondered what enhancements the second tier would bring.
Ye Da was curious.
He hadn’t expected to level up so quickly—he hadn’t even fully explored his first-level abilities, and now he was on the verge of reaching level two. Tonight, he’d have to study his abilities carefully!
But for now...
He’d better look for the treasure chest!
Ye Da had originally come here hoping to find the chest directly, avoiding a conflict with the wild boar if possible.
But who could have guessed the boar would be so easy to defeat?
Of course...
Maybe Ye Da had overestimated his enemies and underestimated himself.
Only now did Ye Da realize he was actually quite powerful!
A Wild Boar King weighing three or four tons, dispatched with a single punch!
He really...
Had he become a One-Punch Man?
“But...where is the treasure chest?”
With the boar out of the way, Ye Da no longer needed to be so cautious. He searched the thicket openly.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t find the treasure chest, but he did discover another material he urgently needed!
[Mud Pool: This is a wild boar’s favorite! Mud helps wild boars avoid insect bites and regulate their temperature—it’s a natural mud bath.]
Mud?!
Ye Da needed mud to upgrade his stone house.
He approached the mud pool, and while he wasn’t paying attention, Little White leaped in and began rolling around!
“Good grief!”
Seeing Little White jump into the mud pool, Ye Da almost regretted having the wolf cub!
Luckily, Little Gray was well-behaved, staying on the shore and watching Little White with envy, wagging its tail furiously!
Of course...
Little White had now become Little Black.
“Good boy!”
Ye Da rubbed Little Gray’s head, saying, “That mud is for pigs to roll in. If you roll in it, you’ll turn into a pig!”
“How about we eat pork together tonight?”
“Woof, woof!”
Little Gray replied.
Little White, hearing Ye Da’s words, suddenly popped its head out of the mud, tilting it at Ye Da with a “Woof?”—a look that clearly said, “Are you seriously planning to eat me?”