Confidence Takes Root

Chapter Nineteen: Confidence Takes Root

When the massive figure of the Green Wolf Demonic Beast finally vanished into the darkness before dawn, taking that suffocating pressure with it, an eerie silence settled around the Small Courtyard. Chen An leaned against the cold courtyard gate, the flame of the torch in his hand flickering gently in the fading night breeze, illuminating his sweat-damp yet unusually bright face.

His pounding heart gradually calmed, but an entirely new, fiery emotion surged through his chest, replacing the fear from before—it was a sense of strength, a sense of control, confidence unlike anything he had ever felt, born from a profound understanding of his own situation!

He, Chen An, an ordinary man who could not even truss a chicken, had just forced back a Primordial Wilderness Demonic Beast capable of tearing him apart with ease!

This had not been a fluke or a stroke of luck. It had been based on a thorough understanding and decisive application of the rules of the "Absolute Safe Zone." He was no longer a snail passively curling up inside its shell. He was a guardian standing invincible, shield and spear in hand! This realization tempered him like steel, hammering the panic and unease of the past several days into something hard and unyielding.

"As long as I'm inside this courtyard, I'm safe." Those words were no longer a cold system notification. They had become a conviction flowing through his veins. Within the courtyard walls lay his kingdom, his domain of law!

The sky gradually brightened as the dawn tore through the final defense of the night. Chen An dropped the torch that was nearly burnt out, drew a deep breath of the crisp morning air, and felt his chest fill with renewed strength. He was no longer content merely to hold on to this tiny patch of land. He wanted to actively understand and explore his "territory" and its surroundings, turning the unknown into the known and marking out potential threats.

A rigorous mindset, like an engineer surveying terrain, replaced his former tourist-like curiosity. He needed data, a map, and a survival strategy based on reality.

He was no longer satisfied with passive observation. He found a long, tough vine and tied a moderately heavy stone to one end. Standing inside the courtyard gate, he swung the stone out like a pendulum, hurling it beyond the gate in different directions and to different distances. He listened carefully to the sounds of it landing or striking obstacles, watching to see whether its trajectory deviated strangely at any point.

To the east, the stone flew about fifteen meters before dropping into the grass. The sound was normal.

To the south, it traveled roughly fifteen meters as well, struck a tree, and bounced to the ground.

To the west, when the stone had traveled about ten meters, Chen An keenly sensed that it seemed to strike an extremely thin, invisible membrane. It gave a nearly inaudible "puff," its trajectory faltering in a barely perceptible pause before it continued downward. This distance seemed somewhat closer than the point where the giant python and the Demon Wolf had stopped before!

To the north, the result was similar to the west, with the boundary also lying around ten meters away.

This discovery lifted Chen An's spirits! The range of the Safe Zone was not strictly bounded by the courtyard walls. Instead, it formed an invisible spherical—or perhaps cylindrical—force field centered on the courtyard, with a radius of roughly ten meters, slightly farther east and west and slightly nearer to the north and south! This force field perfectly enveloped the courtyard, even including the space above it. Otherwise, flying Demonic Beasts would have invaded from the air long ago.

He tested it repeatedly and confirmed that the range was stable. This meant he was not completely confined within the courtyard walls. In theory, the ten-meter buffer outside the gate was relatively safe as well! Of course, he would never step out casually, but this provided a theoretical basis and a sliver of room for extremely cautious edge activities in the future, such as setting traps farther away or observing specific areas.

Once he had a concept of the boundary, he began reexamining the surrounding environment with a more professional eye. He no longer simply felt that "the outside is dangerous." Instead, he began evaluating it by region and by factor.

He found some charred wood and a relatively flat, thin stone slab, then began drawing the most primitive "threat assessment map of the surrounding terrain."

* Due east (the direction the courtyard gate faced): Mainly open grassland and scattered shrubs, with relatively good visibility. Threats: small- and medium-sized Demonic Beasts that moved stealthily along the ground, such as the rabbit-like creature from before. Threat level: low to moderate. Advantage: easy to observe and suitable for setting ground traps.

* Southeast: The terrain was slightly undulating and connected to the shrubbery with the red berries. Threats: herbivorous or omnivorous small beasts drawn there, as well as poisonous insects possibly lurking in the shrubs. Threat level: moderate. Note: berry resource point.

* Due south: Near the woodland where the trees grew relatively sparsely. Threats: Demonic Beasts active along the forest edge, such as wolf-like Demonic Beasts or large birds. Threat level: moderate to high. Note: The trees could provide cover, but they could also conceal danger.

* Southwest: The shadowed area beneath the cliff face, dimly lit and filled with jagged rocks. Threats: shade-loving or burrowing poisonous insects, snakes, or strange creatures such as the insect nest from before. Threat level: high. Strategy: Absolutely avoid approaching; keep this area under close observation.

* Due west (the direction of the insect nest): High-risk area! That cave was a clearly defined nest of insects, with a constant and dense threat. Threat level: extremely high. Strategy: Strictly prohibit any form of provocation or approach; avoid looking in this direction during daily activities whenever possible.

* Northwest: Connected to denser primordial forest, deep and unfathomable. Threats: unknown large Demonic Beasts, possible miasma, or strange plants. Threat level: extremely high (unknown). Strategy: Temporarily designate it as a restricted area and observe it only from a distance.

* Due north: The terrain was higher, and the sound of a stream carried over. Threats: A water source would inevitably attract large numbers of creatures, including predators coming to drink. Threat level: moderate to high. Note: The water source was a potential resource, but also a high-risk area.

He used a charcoal block to draw a simple map on the stone slab, marking the directions, major terrain features, and threat levels. This crude map nevertheless symbolized a qualitative leap in his understanding of the surrounding environment, from vague impressions to clear knowledge.

Combining it with the map, he reevaluated his previous discoveries:

* Water source (stream): Extremely important, but equally dangerous. For the short term, the well water was sufficient. The stream would serve as a strategic reserve, and he would not approach it unless necessary.

* Berry bushes: A potential supplementary food source that could be cautiously used after confirming they were not poisonous. But they were also a point that attracted small beasts, so the risks had to be weighed.

* Trees: A source of building materials and fuel, but the edges were dangerous. He needed to devise a safe logging plan, such as using long-handled tools from within the Safe Zone.

By the time he finished all this, the sun was already nearing noon. Chen An stood in the courtyard, looking at the "strategic map" on the stone slab that embodied an entire morning's work, his heart filled with a sense of control. Fear came from the unknown, but when the unknown was gradually transformed into known parameters and markings, fear lost the soil in which to grow.

He was no longer the pitiful wretch whom fate had cast into the Primordial Wilderness, leaving him to shiver helplessly. He was the lord of this tiny kingdom, the guardian of its rules, and an observer and analyst of his surroundings. Though his strength remained insignificant, his will and wisdom had begun carving his own mark into this desperate land.

Confidence, like a seed planted in the courtyard, quietly took root and began to sprout in the safe soil.

(End of Chapter Nineteen)