Alex decided to strike first.
The moment he made up his mind, he pushed off the ground and rushed forward with surprising speed, quickly closing the distance between himself and the Burrow Serpent.
However, the creature reacted instantly.
The moment it sensed danger approaching, its numerous small legs began moving rapidly, and its thick body twisted sharply as it started digging into the earth.
"Shit!" Alex cursed under his breath as he lunged forward, realizing that the creature was already trying to escape underground.
By the time Alex reached the spot where the serpent had been only seconds earlier, the ground had already sealed itself again. The creature had completely vanished beneath the soil.
Alex immediately began moving, running in quick circles around the surrounding area while carefully watching the forest floor.
He knew better than to stand in one place and wait for the creature to attack. If he became careless, the serpent could easily emerge directly beneath him.
'There's no way to predict where it will appear,' Alex thought while keeping his eyes focused on the ground. 'It could strike from anywhere.'
The forest floor appeared completely calm, with only fallen leaves and small plants covering the soil. Yet Alex knew that the monster was moving beneath it.
Then—
~Shhhk~
A faint sound suddenly reached Alex's ears.
His eyes immediately shifted downward, and he noticed a thin crack forming in the soil only a short distance from his feet.
Although he had been moving constantly, the Burrow Serpent was incredibly fast underground. In the blink of an eye, it had already caught up with him.
The ground suddenly burst open.
The Burrow Serpent shot upward with frightening speed, its long body lunging directly toward Alex as its mouth opened wide.
Sharp fangs were clearly visible inside its mouth, and a dangerous poison glistened across their surface.
For a split second, the creature was about to sink its fangs into Alex's leg.
Alex reacted instinctively and twisted his body toward the right at the final moment, barely avoiding the serpent's attack.
He immediately jumped backward and created some distance between himself and the creature.
"That was close..." Alex muttered as his heart began beating faster, finally understanding just how dangerous the serpent's underground attacks could be.
Hidden not far away among the trees, Mei Lin watched the entire scene unfold without interfering.
'He lacks real combat experience,' she thought quietly while carefully observing Alex's movements.
His reactions were not refined, and his footwork lacked precision. From what she could see, it was obvious that he had not experienced many actual battles before.
Still, Alex had managed to avoid a potentially fatal strike.
Meanwhile, the Burrow Serpent had not retreated very far after its failed attack. Because of Alex's quick movement, the two of them were now much closer to each other than before.
Alex immediately noticed the opportunity.
Without giving the creature enough time to dig into the ground again, he stepped forward and threw a powerful punch directly toward its body.
His fist slammed into the Burrow Serpent with considerable force.
The impact sent the creature flying backward before its body crashed heavily against the trunk of a nearby tree.
The serpent dropped onto the forest floor with a heavy thud, causing several leaves to scatter around its body.
For a brief moment, both sides remained still.
Alex used those few seconds to carefully think about his next move.
'There's no way I can reach it before it digs again,' he realized while watching the serpent cautiously.
He immediately took several steps backward, creating more distance between himself and the creature.
If the serpent managed to disappear underground while he was standing too close, it could easily attack him from below again.
That would be extremely dangerous.
As Alex continued focusing on the battle, another realization suddenly struck him.
'I'm not even using my Qi.'
Until this moment, he had been relying entirely on his physical strength rather than using the energy he had cultivated.
Without hesitation, Alex began circulating the Qi within his body.
The familiar energy immediately flowed through his meridians, strengthening his muscles while also sharpening his senses and improving his physical abilities.
Hidden among the trees, Mei Lin noticed the sudden change in Alex almost immediately.
'So he's finally using Qi,' she thought while watching him with greater interest.
At that exact moment, Alex noticed movement behind him.
A thin crack suddenly appeared in the soil.
The ground slowly began splitting open as the Burrow Serpent prepared to emerge once again.
But this time, Alex was ready.
Before the creature could fully burst out of the ground, Alex turned around and struck the cracking earth with a powerful punch.
His fist slammed into the ground at the exact moment the serpent attempted to surface.
The powerful blow disrupted the creature's movement and forced it to halt halfway through its attack.
Alex quickly stepped backward again, refusing to give the serpent an easy opportunity to attack him.
A few seconds later, the Burrow Serpent finally emerged from the ground completely.
However, the situation had changed.
Alex was now prepared for its attack.
The moment the creature appeared, Alex stepped forward and unleashed another punch, this time with Qi circulating throughout his body.
The impact was far stronger than his previous attack.
The serpent's body shook violently as the force struck it directly, and Alex immediately sensed the level of energy contained within the creature.
'Second Stage of the Foundation Realm,' Alex realized.
The Burrow Serpent was actually stronger than him by one stage, but Alex did not allow that realization to slow him down.
Before the serpent could recover from the previous attack, Alex continued his assault without giving it any chance to return underground.
One punch.
Then another.
Then another.
His fists repeatedly struck the creature's body, with every blow carrying the force of his circulating Qi.
The Burrow Serpent's body was thrown against the ground again and again, unable to properly recover under Alex's relentless attacks.
Alex continued until the creature could no longer resist.
Finally, the Burrow Serpent stopped moving.
Alex stood several steps away from the fallen creature, breathing slightly heavier than before as he stared at its motionless body.
'Is it dead?' he wondered while remaining cautious.
He slowly stepped backward instead of approaching immediately, keeping his eyes fixed on the serpent for several long seconds.
The creature did not move.
Not even a small twitch came from its body.
Only after confirming that the serpent was truly dead did Alex finally allow himself to relax.
The tension in his shoulders slowly disappeared as he released a quiet breath.
'So this is what a real fight feels like,' Alex thought while looking at the creature.
The battle had been dangerous and far more unpredictable than anything he had imagined while sitting inside the library reading books.
Yet despite the danger, a quiet sense of satisfaction settled within his chest.
He had survived.
More importantly, he had won.
Without wasting any more time, Alex knelt beside the Burrow Serpent and began extracting the useful materials he had learned about from the books.
Carefully, he removed the venom sac and then extracted the monster core hidden within the creature's body.
The process was not pleasant, but Alex forced himself to remain calm and focused because these materials could be valuable.
Once he finished extracting everything useful, he carefully placed the materials inside the bag he had purchased earlier.
After wiping his hands on the grass, Alex stood up and looked deeper into the forest.
His first battle was over.
Now he could continue his journey.
Alex began walking deeper into the forest once again, keeping his senses alert while carefully scanning his surroundings for both useful herbs and potential threats.
Now that he had experienced an actual battle, his movements carried slightly more confidence than before.
He no longer viewed every sound as something completely unknown, but he also understood that becoming careless would be a serious mistake.
Time passed quietly as Alex continued exploring.
After walking for some time, he suddenly sensed movement ahead of him.
Alex stopped and looked toward the trees.
A moment later, two creatures emerged from between the trees and immediately fixed their eyes upon him.
They were roughly the size of large wolves, with lean and tense bodies that looked built for quick attacks.
Alex immediately sensed their cultivation levels.
Both creatures were at the First Layer of the Foundation Realm.
The beasts did not hesitate.
Almost as if they had silently agreed with each other, both monsters suddenly lunged toward Alex at the same time.
However, this time Alex was far calmer than he had been during his battle with the Burrow Serpent.
His body moved almost instinctively.
He shifted toward the side, narrowly avoiding the first beast as it rushed past him.
At the same time, he stepped forward and smoothly pivoted his body, avoiding the second beast's attack with surprising ease.
His movements were faster and more controlled than the two creatures had expected.
Before either beast could fully turn around and launch another attack, Alex had already moved into position.
One swift strike landed.
Then another.
His fists, strengthened by circulating Qi, struck the beasts with precise force and left them little opportunity to defend themselves.
The monsters barely had enough time to react before Alex's attacks overwhelmed them.
Within only a few moments, both creatures collapsed onto the forest floor.
Silence once again returned to the surrounding area.
Alex remained still for a moment, carefully watching the bodies to make sure neither creature was still capable of attacking him.
The entire battle had lasted only a few minutes.
Compared to his earlier battle against the Burrow Serpent, this fight had felt almost effortless.
'Looks like I'm getting used to this,' Alex thought quietly as he relaxed his stance.
His first battle had forced him to think carefully about every movement, while this second fight had already felt much more natural.
Alex understood that his combat experience was still extremely limited, but at least he had taken his first step.
After a brief pause, Alex walked toward the fallen creatures and began extracting their monster cores, just as he had done with the Burrow Serpent.
Once he finished, he carefully placed both cores inside his bag before looking deeper into the forest.
There was still plenty of time left in the day.
And Alex had no intention of returning to Greenheart City just yet.