As Kyoma emerged from the waterfall, he was immediately met with a palpable sense of danger that emanated from the surrounding area of the Southern Forest. The hissing of giant snakes could be heard, but their whereabouts remained unknown, likely concealed by the dense foliage. The loud roars of monsters competing for food and territory only added to the tense atmosphere. Additionally, the thick mist that enveloped the area greatly reduced visibility, putting Kyoma at a disadvantage due to his lack of experience in the wilderness. Without any stealth or defensive abilities, he was essentially an easy target for the stronger predators lurking in the area.
Despite the dangerous environment, Kyoma was undeterred. He knew that achieving greatness often required taking risks. Since he had hit a bottleneck in his Yin and Yang Punching Art, he understood that the only way to break through it was through life and death battles. With this in mind, Kyoma began to search for monsters in the surrounding area.
Kyoma was aware of his disadvantage in unfamiliar terrains and did not recklessly wander around. Instead, he minimised his aura and noise and used the thick foliage and tree bark as cover while searching for isolated monsters that he could defeat. If he encountered groups of monsters, he would hide in a tree or a bush until they had passed. Occasionally, he found opportunities to ambush single monsters, but there were always others nearby that could be attracted by the sound of battle. As a result, progress was slow, and Kyoma had to patiently explore the area for opportunities.
Eventually, Kyoma spotted an opportunity to take on an isolated monster. It was a Mosshead Hermit, a slow-moving creature that travelled alone and was completely covered in layers of dirt and moss. The creature was massive, roughly the size of a large boulder that would require the arms of five adult humans linked together to hug it completely. It stood at a towering height of 2.5 meters and boasted incredible defence. Before approaching the Mosshead Hermit, Kyoma carefully scanned his surroundings one last time to ensure there were no other monsters in the area. As he moved closer to the creature, it quickly sensed him as a threat and tried to attack him by using its large pincer claw to grab him.
The sudden appearance of the giant claw caught Kyoma off guard. He quickly realised that the monster was actually a giant crab, which made sense since he was near the riverbank. The sharpness of the claw made it clear to Kyoma that he could not afford to be caught even once, as it would mean certain death. Kyoma leapt to the side, narrowly dodging the claw as it came at him with lightning-fast speed. He knew that he had to stay agile and find openings to close in on the main body of the monster, while continuously evading the deadly claw.
Kyoma expertly dodged the relentless attacks of the Mosshead Hermit and was able to quickly adapt to its movements. Utilising his improved physique and agility, he moved with the speed and grace of a skilled ninja. As he became more familiar with the creature's attack patterns, he found a momentary opening and closed the distance between them in an instant. Without hesitation, Kyoma unleashed a punch using the principles of the Yin and Yang Punching Art.
The body of the Mosshead Hermit trembled violently upon being struck by Kyoma's punch, as an immense amount of energy rippled through its shell. However, the soft dirt and moss accumulated on its body absorbed some of the impact, while its sturdy shell beneath the dirt dissipated the rest of the force from Kyoma's attack. Since Kyoma had limited time to channel the full extent of the Yin and Yang Punching Art, the force he could exert was insufficient to penetrate both the layered dirt and hard shell of the Mosshead Hermit.
Kyoma leapt backwards to dodge the Mosshead Hermit's sweeping claw after landing a punch. Although the punch had generated a lot of energy, the Mosshead Hermit remained unharmed as its soft dirt and moss covering had absorbed much of the impact, and its hard shell had dissipated the rest. The only visible effect was that some of the dirt had been cleared from its shell. It was clear that the Mosshead Hermit was not a weak opponent, unlike the aquatic creatures Kyoma had encountered previously. It would not be an easy adversary to defeat.
Kyoma learned a lot from the close combat encounter with the overwhelmingly superior opponent. He realised that his bottleneck in the Yin and Yang Punching Art did not stem from a lack of force or poor control of energy flow, but rather from his inability to unleash it effectively under adverse conditions. He compared it to basketball, where one could master dribbling through solo practice and execute impressive tricks, but struggle to perform effectively when facing skilled opponents and the added challenges they pose.
Kyoma realised that he had only partially mastered the Yin and Yang Punching Art, as he could not summon the punch at will but had to focus on channelling the energy into a punch. A true master of the technique could unleash the punch from any position, not just a fighting stance. Kyoma's task now was to work on multitasking - controlling the flow of energy while simultaneously closing the distance to the Mosshead Hermit.
Kyoma utilised the natural surroundings to his advantage, utilising trees and rocks to evade the slow and cumbersome attacks of the Mosshead Hermit. However, as time wore on, the commotion caused by the prolonged skirmish would inevitably attract other monsters, posing an imminent danger to Kyoma. With this knowledge in mind, Kyoma quickened his pace, throwing all of his might into his battle with the Mosshead Hermit. As the fight dragged on, Kyoma's movements grew increasingly agile and fluid, as if he were only just getting accustomed to his own enhanced physical abilities. This was hardly surprising, given that Kyoma had spent the previous week relentlessly honing his strength through the practice of the Yin and Yang breathing technique. It was akin to a child suddenly growing into a hulking adult, requiring time to fully acclimate to the vast increase in power.
Kyoma's punches were now hitting the Mosshead Hermit more frequently and with greater force. He had improved his technique to the point where he could complete a full-powered Yin and Yang punch in just over a second, a significant improvement from before. As Kyoma continued to fight, he felt as though he was on the verge of a major breakthrough. Suddenly, one of his punches landed with such force that it broke through the hard carapace of the Mosshead Hermit, causing blue blood to spill out. The damage seemed to enrage the creature, causing it to enter a berserk state. Its attacks became faster and wilder, with its massive body charging towards Kyoma, seemingly intent on crushing him.
The previously silent Mosshead Hermit let out a barbaric howl that sounded like what a crab would make if it had a vocal cord. It launched unpredictable and wild attacks towards Kyoma, who had to continuously retreat backwards. The Mosshead Hermit even brought out its second claw, which it had not used at all during the entire battle. With two gigantic claws attacking, Kyoma had no choice but to keep retreating. "This is bad," Kyoma thought as he was given no room to breathe under the onslaught of the Mosshead Hermit's rampage. He retreated and retreated until he reached the riverbank, where he began to lose ground quickly. Kyoma knew that if the battle continued in the river, he would lose all his advantages - his smaller physique and nimbleness.
The sound of the Mosshead Hermit's claw rang out in rapid succession, as it made several attempts to grab Kyoma with its enormous pincers. Kyoma retreated backwards towards the river, but the once-controlled battle had suddenly become frenzied and life-threatening. With each step he took, the massive creature charged forward two steps, its colossal body aimed to crush Kyoma. The two giant claws also blocked Kyoma's escape routes on either side, occasionally swooping in to attack. This was a dire situation for Kyoma, with no other option but to keep retreating until he finally felt water splashing against his feet from the river. Kyoma was now facing the looming threat of death for the first time in the battle.
Kyoma knew that the end was near; one more step and he would be submerged in the river. The Mosshead Hermit, being an aquatic creature, would undoubtedly finish him off in the water. The thought of death so close made Kyoma's stomach fill with a sense of desperation. With no other options left, Kyoma made a split-second decision to put everything on the line. He poured all his energy into a single punch, not like any other he had thrown before. This time, he felt a different kind of energy flowing inside him, something he had not experienced during his week-long training. It was as if a volcano was about to erupt, as he unleashed the power of the Yin and Yang breathing technique, coupled with the Yin and Yang Punching Art.
Kyoma took a deep breath, compressing the air in his lungs until it ignited into flames within his body. As he exhaled forcefully, steam billowed out of his nose and mouth. Simultaneously, Kyoma unleashed the Yin and Yang Punching Art with impeccable timing, propelling his fist with unparalleled momentum towards the Mosshead Hermit. The impact shattered the creature's shell as if it were made of delicate glass, but Kyoma's fist did not lose its speed as it hurtled towards the heart of the Mosshead Hermit.
The force of Kyoma's punch was so immense that it cleaved the Mosshead Hermit cleanly in half, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The shell closest to the point of impact shattered into countless fragments, while blue blood sprayed in all directions.
<+6908 experience points>
After flawlessly executing the Yin and Yang Punching Art, Kyoma experienced an inexplicable ordeal. He felt as if his entire body was being burned from the inside out, and indescribable pain surged through him. The pain from his broken fist bones was nothing compared to the agony of his insides being charred by the raging energy that was forcefully trying to escape. However, the rewards of levelling up proved to be a saving grace as a soothing sensation, like holy water, extinguished the pain inside his body and healed the accumulated damage. It was like experiencing both hell and heaven at the same time as the pain and healing struggled against each other. One moment was intense pain, while the next was a peaceful lullaby. This process repeated until both the pain and the enjoyment from levelling up cancelled each other out.