Building Confidence

Chapter 19: Building Confidence

When the massive form of the Green Wolf Demonic Beast vanished completely into the darkness before dawn, along with the suffocating pressure it carried, an eerie silence settled around the small courtyard. Chen An leaned back against the cold courtyard gate, the torch flame in his hand flickering gently in the weakening night breeze, illuminating his sweat-soaked yet unusually bright face.

His wildly pounding heart gradually calmed, but a brand-new, blazing emotion surged and churned in his chest, replacing the earlier fear—a sense of power, of control, a newfound confidence born from a profound understanding of his own situation!

He, Chen An, a mortal with no strength to truss a chicken, had just faced down a primordial beast that could easily tear him apart!

This wasn't luck or chance, but the result of a thorough grasp and decisive application of the "Absolute Safe Zone" rules. He was no longer a snail passively curled in its shell, but a guardian holding both shield and spear, standing on invincible ground! This realization, like quenching steel, forged his days of panic and unease into hard iron.

"As long as I'm inside this courtyard, I'm safe." That sentence was no longer a cold system prompt but a belief surging through his veins. Within these walls was his kingdom, his domain of law!

Daylight grew brighter, and dawn's glow tore through the night's last defenses. Chen An tossed aside the nearly spent torch, took a deep breath of the crisp morning air, and felt his chest fill with renewed strength. He was no longer content to merely hold this patch of ground; he wanted to actively understand and explore this "territory" of his and its surroundings, turning the unknown into the known, marking potential threats.

A rigorous mindset, like an engineer surveying terrain, replaced his earlier tourist-like curiosity. He needed data, a map, a survival strategy grounded in reality.

He was no longer satisfied with passive observation. He found a long, tough vine and tied a stone of moderate weight to one end. Standing inside the courtyard gate, he swung the stone like a pendulum, throwing it in different directions and distances outside, carefully listening to the sound of it landing or hitting obstacles, observing whether its trajectory deviated abnormally at any point.

To the east, the stone flew about fifteen meters before falling into grass—normal sound.

To the south, also about fifteen meters, it hit a tree and bounced back.

To the west, when the stone crossed about ten meters, Chen An keenly noticed it seemed to strike an extremely thin, invisible membrane, emitting a barely audible "puff" sound. Its trajectory faltered almost imperceptibly before continuing downward. This distance seemed closer than where the giant python and Demon Wolf had stopped!

To the north, the test results were similar to the west—the boundary was also around ten meters.

This discovery invigorated Chen An! The safe zone's range wasn't strictly bounded by the courtyard walls but formed an invisible spherical (or cylindrical) force field centered on the courtyard, with a radius of about ten meters (slightly farther east-west, slightly shorter north-south)! This field perfectly enveloped the courtyard, including the space above (otherwise flying beasts would have invaded from the air long ago).

He tested repeatedly, confirming the stability of this range. This meant he wasn't completely confined within the walls; the ten-meter buffer outside the gate was theoretically relatively safe too! Of course, he wouldn't step out lightly, but this provided a theoretical basis and a sliver of operational room for any extremely cautious future activities at the edge (like setting traps farther out or observing specific areas).

With the concept of boundaries established, he began re-evaluating his surroundings with a more professional eye. He no longer vaguely felt "outside is dangerous" but started assessing by zones and factors.

He found burnt charcoal and a relatively flat thin stone slab and began drawing the most primitive "Surrounding Terrain Threat Assessment Map."

* Due East (facing the courtyard gate): Mostly open grass and sparse shrubs, with relatively good visibility. Threats: ground-prowling small-to-medium Demonic Beasts (like the rabbit-like creature earlier). Threat Level: Low-to-Mid. Advantage: Easy to observe, suitable for setting ground traps.

* Southeast: Slightly undulating terrain, connecting to the shrubbery with red berries. Threats: Herbivorous or omnivorous small beasts attracted here, plus venomous insects possibly lurking in the bushes. Threat Level: Mid. Note: Berry resource point.

* Due South: Near the relatively sparse woodland. Threats: Beasts active at the forest edge, like the wolf-type beast's kin, or large birds. Threat Level: Mid-to-High. Note: Trees may provide cover but also hide danger.

* Southwest: Cliff shadow zone, dim light, jagged rocks. Threats: Shade-loving or cave-dwelling venomous insects, snakes, or bizarre creatures (like the earlier insect nest). Threat Level: High. Strategy: Absolutely avoid approaching; key area for visual monitoring.

* Due West (insect nest direction): High-risk zone! That cave is a clear insect swarm nest, with constant and dense threats. Threat Level: Extremely High. Strategy: Strictly prohibit any provocation or approach; try to avoid line of sight in daily activities.

* Northwest: Connects to denser primeval forest, deep and unfathomable. Threats: Unknown large Demonic Beasts, possible miasma or bizarre plants. Threat Level: Extremely High (Unknown). Strategy: Temporarily listed as forbidden zone, only for distant observation.

* Due North: Higher terrain, sound of a stream. Threats: Water sources inevitably attract many creatures, including predators coming to drink. Threat Level: Mid-to-High. Note: Water source is a potential resource but also a high-risk area.

He used charcoal on the stone slab to sketch a simple map, marking directions, main terrain features, and threat levels. This crude map symbolized a qualitative leap in his understanding of the surrounding environment—from vague to clear.

Combining the map, he reassessed his earlier discoveries:

* Water Source (stream): Extremely high importance, but equally high risk. Short-term, well water sufficed; the stream was a strategic reserve, not to be approached unless necessary.

* Berry Bush: Potential supplementary food source, to be used cautiously after confirming non-toxicity. But also a risk point attracting small beasts—needed weighing.

* Woods: Source of building materials and fuel, but the edge was dangerous. Needed planning for safe woodcutting (e.g., using long-pole tools from within the safe zone).

After finishing all this, the sun was nearing noon. Chen An stood in the courtyard, looking at the "strategic map" on the stone slab, which had condensed a morning's effort, his heart filled with a sense of control. Fear stemmed from the unknown, and when the unknown was gradually transformed into known parameters and markers, fear lost its soil to grow.

He was no longer the poor wretch thrown into the primordial wilderness, trembling in fear. He was the lord of this small kingdom, the guardian of its rules, the observer and analyst of his environment. Though his strength remained meager, his will and wisdom had already begun to carve his own mark upon this desolate land.

Confidence, like a seed sown in the courtyard's soil, quietly took root and sprouted in the safe ground.

(End of Chapter 19)