Strength Beyond Measure

She quickly stood up, the bloodstains on the back of her pants too unsightly to ignore.

Steeling herself, she pushed that thought aside, stepped onto the sticky mud, and focused on finding the inner core.

The area was vast, and the inner core was only a tiny bead. She bent over and searched for a long time before finally shoving aside a massive severed arm to reveal a glittering pearl beneath it.

Found it.

She bent down, picked up the inner core, wiped it clean on her clothes, and swallowed it whole.

[Strength Beyond Measure]

Literal meaning.

Note: This ability requires a large amount of energy. I hope you are prepared to use it.

Level: Intermediate

In the past, Tu Ran would have found the phrase "I hope you are prepared to use it" considerate.

Now, seeing those words, she couldn't help but feel they were a taunt.

The message behind the taunt: Do you think you're invincible just because you gained this power? Dream on! With that frail body of yours, you can't even handle such a powerful ability!

Regardless, the inner core was already in her stomach, fused with her body, becoming a life-saving ability she could use at any time.

Whether to use it was up to her mood.

Having it was what mattered.

Tu Ran donned her gear and headed toward where Fatty was.

She needed to pick up Fatty and find a river to wash the blood off her pants as soon as possible.

However, she hadn't taken more than a few steps before she spotted Fatty flapping its wings, rolling swiftly toward her like a ball.

Seeing Tu Ran, Fatty yelled, "Boss, run! There are Win Snakes! Win Snakes! They've come out of their nest! Run!!"

What were Win Snakes?

Tu Ran had never heard of them.

But seeing Fatty's panic and its desperate sprint, she realized things might be serious.

She didn't ask questions. Activating "Instant Shift," she grabbed Fatty by the wing and carried it as she ran.

However, a dense swarm of black snakes ahead blocked her path.

Tu Ran's scalp went numb.

These snakes had smooth, eel-like surfaces that reflected light. Each one was about two meters long, as thick as an adult man's wrist, surging from all directions. Like a tide, they surrounded the pile of Kangzhu remains—already blown to pieces—along with Tu Ran and Fatty.

"What are Win Snakes? Why are there so many?"

Tu Ran backed up with Fatty, warily eyeing the countless Win Snakes closing in, and raised her machine gun.

Fatty's voice trembled as it rambled, "Fatty didn't know there were Win Snakes on this mountain! If Fatty had known, Fatty would never have brought Boss to this mountain!"

"Cut the chatter! Tell me what Win Snakes are afraid of! Why are there so many all of a sudden?"

Fatty sniffled and quickly said, "They're not afraid of anything. Relying on their numbers, they eat whatever they set their eyes on. Very few creatures they target manage to walk out alive."

"As long as they catch the scent of blood, they come out nest after nest. One nest alone has tens of thousands of them! This mountain... this mountain doesn't just have one nest—it's a snake den! The mountain's probably hollowed out by them. We're doomed!"

It was on the verge of tears.

While it spoke, the Win Snake horde advanced another dozen meters.

Tu Ran scanned her surroundings, looking for an escape route.

They were lured here by Kangzhu's flesh and blood.

With a mountain of meat lying around, they probably wouldn't pay too much attention to two little figures like her and Fatty.

"Are they venomous?" Tu Ran asked calmly.

"Huh? I... I don't think so."

She had never heard of Win Snakes being venomous, so they probably weren't.

That was a relief.

Tu Ran let out a small sigh.

Her combat suit could protect her from insect and snake bites, but Fatty couldn't.

She could escape on her own, but bringing Fatty along wouldn't be so easy.

She couldn't guarantee that no snake would touch Fatty.

As long as they weren't venomous, a bite or two wouldn't hurt.

"Stay still on me and don't move," Tu Ran said in a low voice.

"What?" Fatty didn't catch on.

Tu Ran ignored it. She reached behind her, pulled out an incendiary grenade, pulled the pin, and tossed it into the oncoming horde of Win Snakes.

The stench of scorched flesh instantly wafted up.

Flames spread quickly through the swarm, and in the flickering firelight, Win Snakes could be seen leaping and writhing.

The snakes not caught in the blaze scattered immediately, retreating from the towering flames.

A path of fire appeared before Tu Ran.

"Eek eek eek," Fatty snapped back to reality, its mung-bean-sized eyes bulging larger than eggs as it shrieked, "Boss, what are you doing?!"

Tu Ran couldn't be bothered to reply. She grabbed its wing and easily hoisted it onto her shoulder.

Fatty was stunned. When had it gotten so light?

Tu Ran charged into the flames.

She activated "Instant Shift," darting through the fire in the blink of an eye.

Without stopping, she sprinted away.

Fatty squeezed its eyes shut in terror. All it felt was a searing wave of heat rushing at it, mixed with the foul smell of burning, followed by wind howling past its ears.

It made it through the fire?

That fast?

It cracked its eyes open uncertainly.

What it saw was the forest whipping by at breakneck speed.

Boss was carrying it and sprinting.

Looking back at where they'd come from, the massive black tide of Win Snakes was already far behind them, leaving only a faint dark layer on the ground, along with black smoke curling upward.

Fatty imagined the Win Snakes writhing in the sea of fire—both thrilled and terrified.

Thrilled because it had escaped from a nest of Win Snakes, something it could brag about to other species.

Terrified because it worried the Win Snakes would come after it and Boss for revenge.

"Boss," it leaned close to Tu Ran's ear and raised its voice, "we need to get off this mountain fast. Win Snakes hold grudges. We burned so many of them; they'll definitely find a way to get back at us."

Tu Ran nodded. "I know. That's why I'm running."

She had already pushed herself to top speed. By now, they should be at the edge of the mountain and would reach the next one soon.

Using "Instant Shift" and "Strength Beyond Measure" together drained a tremendous amount of energy.

Plus, earlier she had expended a portion of her energy using "Landslide" against the Kangzhu. She drank some glucose afterward, but that only replenished part of it.

After running this far, Tu Ran could clearly feel her body rapidly depleting.

Just hold on a little longer. The next mountain was right ahead.

She needed to find a safe place before collapsing, because with Fatty's combat ability, it couldn't fend off any alien creature.

Finally.

"We made it!!" Fatty shouted excitedly.

Tu Ran dumped Fatty off her shoulder in relief.

Fatty tumbled a few rolls on the ground before steadying itself. It scrambled up and looked at Tu Ran with concern.

"Boss, you look terrible."

They were now at the edge of a wide, flowing river, with a sparse scattering of trees along the bank.