Chapter 51: Power Increase, Testing

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Power Increase, Testing

Seraphina Sullivan stared at the remaining Power Apples in her hand, an eager impulse surging within her.

’Since one had such a great Effect, eating another one should be fine, right?’

She hesitated for a moment but couldn’t resist the temptation. She took out another glistening green fruit and took a bite.

After she swallowed the second apple, the warm current was even more turbulent than before.

Seraphina could clearly feel her muscle fibers reorganizing and her bone density increasing. It was as if her entire body had been infused with limitless Power.

She tried lifting the table inside the RV with one hand and did it effortlessly!

It felt as light as a styrofoam board.

’This is amazing...’ Seraphina was thrilled. As if possessed, she picked up a third one.

However, shortly after she finished the third apple, something strange and sudden happened.

Seraphina suddenly felt an abnormal sense of expansion from within her body. It wasn’t the fullness of being overstuffed, but rather the feeling that every cell was being forcibly charged with Energy, on the verge of bursting.

The sensation was instantly followed by a wave of pain.

"Ugh..." She doubled over in pain, cold sweat beading on her forehead.

Her Power was indeed growing wildly, but her body was starting to send out dangerous signals.

Veins bulged under her skin, her muscles twitched uncontrollably, and even breathing became difficult.

’What in the world is happening?’ Seraphina thought, struggling to endure the discomfort. ’Is it because my body can’t keep up with the explosive surge in Power?’

She suddenly remembered the Item Identification mentioning that a person could only withstand the transformation from a maximum of five Power Apples.

She was already having an adverse reaction after only her third, which clearly meant she had consumed too many in a short period, and her body hadn’t had time to adapt.

’I can’t eat any more...’ Gritting her teeth, Seraphina returned all the remaining apples to her Space.

Although she could theoretically eat two more, she had to wait until her body had fully assimilated her current Power before continuing.

The pain came on quickly, but it also faded just as fast.

Forcing herself to stand up, she began doing simple stretches inside the RV, trying to help her body adapt to this explosive new Power.

She was careful with every movement, afraid she might accidentally wreck the RV if she used too much force. With her current Power, that was no joke.

The Effect of three Power Apples was truly astonishing.

Seraphina tested it out. She could now easily lift at least 200 kilograms with one hand and leave a clear fist print on a steel plate with a single punch.

Even more impressively, her explosive strength had increased several times over. A light leap could send her more than three meters into the air.

’This Power... it’s insane.’ Seraphina looked at her fist, both excited and terrified.

’I’ve practically developed Monster Power!’

’I can’t imagine how terrifying my Power would be if I kept eating them.’

She decided to train hard and only consider taking the fourth apple after she had gained full Control over her current Power.

As for now...

Seraphina glanced at the lightening sky outside. She stretched her limbs, and her joints let out a series of crisp CRACK sounds.

"I think I’ll go out and use some real combat to get used to my new Power."

Seraphina muttered to herself, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

’I can’t sleep anyway. Besides, Flora is still digesting the [Poisonous Fang]. Who knows if she’ll be starving again when she wakes up.’

Thinking of Flora’s astonishing appetite, Seraphina couldn’t help but sigh. ’Judging by Flora’s appetite, I’ll have to stockpile a lot more supplies from now on.’

Seraphina felt that her need for food would only increase in the future.

’Yup, I’ll have to put Flora to work when she wakes up.’

She swiftly packed her gear, stepped out of the RV, and skillfully stored the entire vehicle in her Space.

In the early morning of the red mist world, everything was bathed in an eerie, dark red glow. The rustling of insect swarms could be heard intermittently in the distance.

Seraphina began to purposefully seek out Insectoid Monster targets. This would allow her to test her newly acquired Power, complete the system’s collection mission, and stockpile food for Flora—killing three birds with one stone.

...

CRACK!

A crisp snapping sound rang out.

Seraphina vaulted into the air, easily landing on a dilapidated billboard over three meters high. A silver light flashed in her hand as her Silver Needle Sword shot out like lightning, precisely striking a giant, circling moth.

The moth had a wingspan of over two meters, yet it was powerless against her sword. It was instantly pierced through a vital spot and crashed heavily to the ground.

[Ding! Successfully collected Mutated Moth x1]

[Collection Count: 128/100]

’After my Power increase, combined with the speed boost from the Body Transformation Pills, my combat prowess has really grown.’

Seraphina landed lightly on her feet, looking at her handiwork with satisfaction.

Insectoid Monsters that used to require the help of [Sleeping Fragrance] and [Sweet Fragrance] and took some effort to defeat were now almost all one-hit kills.

She stored the moth’s carcass in her Space and suddenly heard a dense RUSTLING sound nearby.

Following the sound, she saw several jet-black beetles emerging from the ground. Each one was the size of a washbasin, its carapace covered in sharp spikes.

’Just in time.’ A cold smile touched the corner of Seraphina’s mouth.

She didn’t use her Silver Needle Sword this time. Instead, she wanted to test her raw Power. She bent her knees slightly, then exploded forward, launching herself toward the insects like a cannonball.

BOOM!

With a single punch, the first few beetles in her path were blasted into pieces, their shell fragments flying everywhere.

Seraphina followed up with a sweeping kick, snapping three beetles pouncing from the side in half.

Her movements were so fast they left afterimages. Each strike carried astonishing destructive force, and in the blink of an eye, she had annihilated the entire group of Mutated Beetles.

[Ding! Successfully collected Mutated Beetle x3]

[Collection Count: 151/100]

Seraphina flicked the insect fluids from her hand, feeling the surging Power within her.

The transformative Effect of the three Power Apples far exceeded her expectations. She was now practically a human weapon.

However, she also noticed that overusing her Power caused a slight soreness in her muscles, indicating that even with increased Power, she still needed to replenish her Energy.

’Onward.’ She regulated her breathing and headed deeper into the city.

The Insectoid Monsters she encountered along the way became her test subjects.

As the battles continued, Seraphina’s Control over her Power grew more and more adept.

She discovered that by combining the speed granted by the Body Transformation Pills, she could now perform many maneuvers she wouldn’t have even dared to imagine before.

For example, running on Walls or leaping across a three-to-four-meter-wide broken bridge.

These were things she couldn’t have even dreamed of doing before.

Just as Seraphina was focused on collecting the various insect carcasses...

Suddenly, a deafening explosion echoed from the other side of the city.

She snapped her head up and saw a massive Fireball rising into the sky in the distance. Thick smoke billowed toward the clouds, staining the already dark red sky an even more somber shade.

’What’s happening over there?’ Seraphina narrowed her eyes. Her Analysis Glasses automatically adjusted their focus, but the distance was too great; she could only see blurry figures darting about in the firelight.

Seraphina hesitated for a moment, then decided not to meddle.

After all, in this perilous dungeon, meddling often meant taking unnecessary risks.