Day 83, The Reason for the Wild Boars' Frequent Visits (A bonus chapter for Daoist Sanwu)

The noise was far too loud. Being disturbed in the middle of a dream made it incredibly easy to lose one’s temper—and that was exactly what had happened to me. I drew my pistol and hefted my axe, then stormed outside in fury.

If it was the wild boars causing trouble again, I was determined to teach them a lesson this time. After all, making an example of one to warn the others was still an effective tactic. Ever since the great boar had been killed, things had been peaceful for a while. Apparently, they had forgotten the pain as soon as their wounds healed.

Yet when I stepped outside, the scene before me was completely different from what I had imagined. There was indeed a wild boar beyond the wall, but it was locked in a standoff with two honey badgers as swift as lightning.

The difference in their sizes was enormous. I could hardly understand why they had been entangled for so long. Given the boar’s strength, dealing with such small animals should not have been difficult, should it?

The fight began again. The two honey badgers growled as they circled the boar, darting back and forth. Judging by their movements, they seemed intent on crawling beneath its belly. I did not dare approach too closely, so I hid beside a large tree and watched from a distance, afraid that if the boar noticed me, it might vent its anger on me instead.

But the longer I watched, the more astonished I became. These honey badgers were nothing like I had imagined. They actually knew how to use tactics!

One of them distracted the boar from the front. The boar naturally had no fear of a head-on confrontation. I saw it toss the tiny honey badger aside with its tusks several times. On a few occasions, its tusks had clearly pierced the honey badger’s body. Yet, to my surprise, the creature seemed completely unharmed. It simply sprang back to its feet and threw itself into the battle once more.

The other honey badger repeatedly slipped beneath the boar’s belly. From the way it moved, it seemed intent on tearing at the boar’s hind legs and groin. Naturally, the boar was not about to leave such a vulnerable area exposed. It kept shifting its position, trying to drive away the honey badger that was attempting to bite its testicles.

“Hiss!”

I truly had not expected this little creature to be so formidable. Even the wild boar could do nothing about it! It was also obvious that the boar had no desire to keep tangling with the two honey badgers. Several times, it tried to leave, but each time the honey badger serving as bait blocked its path and drew its attention.

That honey badger was utterly reckless. Even when the boar sent it flying several yards, even when it was shoved a great distance across the ground, the moment the boar stopped moving, it would immediately scramble back up and attack again.

It was a complete daredevil!

What surprised me even more was its skin. An ordinary small animal should have been torn open after being gored by a wild boar like that. Its tusks might even have punched bloody holes through it. But this honey badger was completely unharmed. Perhaps its skin was simply thick enough to explain its arrogance.

The wild boar grew increasingly furious. Although the honey badger had failed to bite its testicles, it may have decided to vent its frustration by taking several savage bites out of the boar’s belly. The honey badger might not have been large, but I had personally seen one chew through half of a large snake in just a few minutes. Its teeth had to be extraordinarily sharp.

The pain made the boar let out several agonized cries. Then it charged forward in fury once more. This time, the honey badger blocking its path was struck and sent flying sideways, landing more than five yards away.

After hitting the ground, it rolled several times. Surely it had to be injured now…

The other honey badger continued chasing the boar from behind, showing not the slightest concern for its “injured” companion. When I looked back at the one that had been thrown aside, I was astonished to find that it had already gotten back to its feet and was chasing after the boar as well.

I remained hidden beside the tree, watching intently until the three animals disappeared into the depths of the forest.

If I had not witnessed it with my own eyes, I never would have believed that such adorable creatures could be so ferocious. Eating snakes was one thing, but they even dared to provoke a wild boar—and not only had they provoked it, they had actually frightened it into running away!

This…

The two honey badgers had been gone for some time, but I was still stunned by their ferocity. It was hard to imagine that adorable little Lightning would become so savage after growing up.

Just as I was preparing to leave and return to the treehouse, the two honey badgers came back.

They ran straight to the small shrubs bearing black fruit and began eating excitedly. Only then did I understand why they had clashed with the wild boar. The reason had to be those black berries. The last time I had been attacked by the boar, I had been picking the very same fruit.

There was no doubt that wild boars liked eating these berries. Unfortunately for this one, it had encountered the two honey badgers. After their fierce struggle, the boar had been forced to flee with injuries.

But the honey badgers were truly too formidable. Even after the boar had run away, they had chased it for a while before returning. No wonder the notebook had specifically described them as “troublesome.”

I could not help feeling fortunate that I had not fought with that honey badger the last time. Against a small animal that looked weak but was actually so vicious, it would be all too easy to suffer an unexpected defeat.

Perhaps because I had edged slightly closer, one of the honey badgers noticed me. It raised its head and stared fixedly in my direction.

To avoid a pointless confrontation, I immediately stopped moving. I stood perfectly still and slowed my breathing as much as possible.

The other honey badger noticed something unusual as well and turned to look in the same direction. At that moment, I regretted approaching them merely to figure out why they had fought the wild boar. I had never expected them to detect me from such a distance.

The seconds crawled by. Sweat began to bead on my forehead. Though I had a gun and an axe, getting into a fight for a reason like this would be utterly meaningless.

Fortunately, after staring at me for nearly five minutes and seeing that I made no move at all, they gradually relaxed their guard and lowered their heads to resume eating.

Of course, I still did not move. I would wait until they left.

It was a good thing I remained still. Even while eating the fruit, the two honey badgers occasionally lifted their heads to look over at me, clearly not entirely reassured.

Once they were gone, I would chop down every one of these small shrubs covered in black berries. It was precisely because these plants grew here that they had attracted the wild boars and honey badgers.

Those twenty minutes or so were agonizing. At last, the honey badgers finally left, and my stiff legs had begun to go numb.

Fortunately, I had not aroused their hostility. After looking around carefully, I quickly grabbed my axe and rushed toward the shrubs. After several swings, I finally cut down all the plants growing together.

Naturally, I could not let the fruit go to waste, but I would never pick it here again.

I gathered up the branches heavy with black berries and ran quickly back to the treehouse. Only after closing the door did I let out a sigh of relief. I placed the plants on the floor, sat down, and slowly picked the berries, no longer needing to worry about any unexpected danger.

Now the wild boars should stop coming here to cause trouble, right?

I could not help feeling rather pleased with myself.