Heading to the Ark World, Suppressing the Integration Movement / Unleashing Potential, Talulah's Transformation

"Since eating it won't turn someone into a monster, why is it still called a Monster Cell?"

After listening to Mobius's explanation, An Xiu asked in confusion.

"Because the essence of Monsterization is a process of stimulating potential. I merely removed all the physical mutations that occurred during that process."

As she spoke, Mobius pointed at the golden vial placed beside the Monster Cell.

"As for this, I named it the Limit Break Potion. It is also a product I created while researching Monsterization."

"I mentioned before that the essence of Monsterization is a process of stimulating potential. Since potential has been stimulated, that naturally means the original limits have been broken through."

"Based on that principle, I created this Limit Break Potion. Its effect is simple: drinking it allows the user to break through their original racial limits and gain a higher ceiling."

"No side effects?"

"None. If I had to name one issue, it would be that both of these have limits. According to the power scale of the One Punch World, they only work on beings below God-tier."

Heading to the Arknights World, Suppressing The Reunion

Looking at the two items before him, An Xiu could not help drawing in a sharp breath.

Potential-stimulating Monster Cells and Limit Break Potions—if neither had side effects, didn't using them together amount to an infinite-leveling cheat?

Although they only worked on beings below God-tier, that was still practically a direct ticket to becoming a top-tier powerhouse. According to the power rankings from the forums in An Xiu's previous life, if these two items could be used without limit, they could directly pile someone up to the peak of Dragon-level monsters—roughly the level of Tatsumaki from the original work.

Absolutely insane. An Xiu had never expected that after only half a month in the One-Punch Man world, Mobius would create something this absurd.

"Under normal circumstances, they definitely cannot be used infinitely. The Monster Cell and Limit Break Potion before you are both specially made after my second round of improvements. Producing one set requires a great deal of time and effort."

"As for ordinary Monster Cells that stably stimulate potential and ordinary Limit Break Potions, they are not difficult to make and can be mass-produced. However, without my second round of improvements, each person can only use them once. So naturally, the higher a race's innate potential and the stronger the user, the better the results."

"For ordinary people with little potential, even after taking Improved Monster Cells and Limit Break Potions, their strength would probably only rise to the level of a Tiger-tier monster. In terms of the Hero Association, that would roughly be from the upper ranks of B-Class to the middle or lower ranks of A-Class."

Seemingly seeing through An Xiu's thoughts, Mobius added at the right moment.

"That is already incredibly impressive. Mass-producing combatants at the Tiger-tier monster level would be a considerable force even if they were just cannon fodder, let alone that being the result when used on ordinary people with the worst potential."

"If they were used on races that already had greater potential than ordinary people and were stronger to begin with..."

An Xiu thought of the Terra superhumans in the neighboring Arknights World, the Adventurers of the DanMachi world, and the sorcerers of the Jujutsu Kaisen world.

If these people were given improved Monster Cells and Limit Break Potions, even mass-produced versions, the effects would probably be quite outrageous.

He looked up at Mobius and found that she wore the same expression. Clearly, she was also extremely interested in the idea.

In that case...

"Want to go test the effects in another world?"

An Xiu extended the invitation.

He did not want to stay in this damn One Punch World for even another second. Rather than watching those giant freak monsters bare their teeth every day, he would rather visit other worlds and feast his eyes on beautiful girls.

And when it came to beautiful girls, the most outstanding among the four worlds An Xiu had opened was undoubtedly Arknights.

Though it was a bit chaotic, there were simply too many beast-eared girls. After having his eyes polluted for half a month by all kinds of bizarre monsters in the One-Punch Man world, An Xiu desperately needed beautiful beast-eared girls to cleanse his soul.

"Since it is my master's invitation, I do not mind gathering some experimental data from other worlds. So which world are we going to?"

"Let's go to Arknights."

An Xiu answered without hesitation.

"Sure. There are indeed quite a few races in that world that interest me, but I need to make some preparations before we go."

Mobius had no objections. She nodded as she spoke.

Several hours later, Arknights World.

Ursus Snowfield, outside a village.

Stepping through the portal, An Xiu and Mobius instantly went from their research base to this frozen land swept by howling winds.

The frigid environment had little effect on An Xiu and Mobius now, but aside from the weather, the locals did not seem particularly friendly toward their arrival either.

"Who are you people?!"

The Shield Guards, who were patrolling outside the village in orderly steps while carrying Shield Cards and wearing heavy protective clothing, immediately shouted upon discovering An Xiu and Mobius, who had suddenly appeared there.

After hearing the Shield Guards' cries, the other patrol members also rushed over and confronted the two of them.

"Are these people The Reunion?"

Based on the surroundings, An Xiu concluded that he and Mobius were most likely on the frigid Ursus Snowfield. Although there were quite a few people before them, aside from the first few Shield Guards, the rest showed almost no discipline. Their weapons were varied as well. Calling them Ursus government troops or guards would be a stretch. They were most likely The Reunion.

After all, according to the original setting, Ursus government troops or guards did not seem likely to patrol outside some tiny village.

"I never expected that we appeared in an alley when we went to the One-Punch Man world, yet we appeared right in front of the natives' faces when we came to the Arknights World."

As the members of The Reunion gradually closed in on him and Mobius in a loose encirclement, strands of azure electricity emerged from An Xiu's hand. Then several bolts of lightning were violently unleashed.

In an instant, every nearby member of The Reunion, including several Shield Guards, lost the ability to resist and collapsed to the ground.

The enormous commotion also stirred the previously quiet village. More members of The Reunion rushed out from within to investigate.

"What should we do next?"

An Xiu asked Mobius beside him.

Mobius shook her head.

"What else can we do? Since we have already made a move, we might as well see it through. There also happen to be two experimental subjects in The Reunion that interest me."

As she spoke, Mobius mobilized her power. Dark green spikes materialized out of thin air, firing into the crowd and causing massive explosions.

Meanwhile, inside the village, in a broken wooden house that could barely block out the cold wind, Talulah was worrying over The Reunion's supplies for the coming period. She had short white hair, wore a military uniform, and possessed an exceptionally dashing, heroic air. Upon hearing the commotion outside the village, the Dragonewt immediately stood and rushed out.

"What happened?"

Outside, FrostNova and Patriot, who had also come out after hearing the disturbance, both shook their heads.

"It seems... there are intruders... They are very strong... Be careful..."

Patriot spoke in a hoarse, halting voice.

"Could it be that the Ursus military discovered we were resting in this abandoned village and came to wipe us out?"

Thinking of that terrible possibility, Talulah's expression tightened. She immediately rushed toward the source of the noise outside the village.

Patriot and FrostNova intended to follow, but before either of them could move, the sounds of explosions shifted from outside the village to within it.

BOOM!!!

Talulah, who had just rushed out, was sent flying back even faster by a green hand that materialized from thin air, crashing through the house where she had been moments earlier.

"Where are you going, my dear little mouse? Don't tell me you came looking for me on your own?"

PS: There will be another chapter before midnight. The author is working hard on it.

Potential Stimulation, Talulah's Transformation

"Talulah!"

Seeing Talulah sent flying, FrostNova hurried toward the collapsed house, while Patriot raised his great shield and held his spear, blocking the two intruders.

"Who... are... you people..."

Looking at Mobius and An Xiu, who were still dressed in a formal gown and light clothing despite standing amid ice and snow, completely unaffected by the bitter cold, Patriot's gaze was extremely grave.

His answer came in the form of countless spikes suddenly erupting from the ground.

Having already sensed the danger, Patriot leaped aside with all his strength and avoided the attack. At the same time, red light flared brilliantly within his hollow eye sockets. He gripped his spear tightly and hurled it at Mobius.

BOOM!!!

Carrying immense force, the spear kicked up a howling gust as it shot straight toward Mobius like a meteor.

But before the attack could reach her, a green hand suddenly appeared and firmly caught the spear in midair.

"Not bad strength. To achieve this purely through racial talent, a pure-blooded Wendigo truly has some research value."

Mobius casually praised him and controlled the hand to throw the spear back.

Power at least several times greater than when Patriot had thrown it erupted, and an intense sense of danger instantly flooded Patriot's entire body.

With no intention of taking it head-on, Patriot quickly dodged away from the spear's trajectory. The unblocked spear flew out of the village, whistling through the air before striking the distant snowfield with a tremendous crash.

Unfortunately, Mobius clearly did not intend to give him any more chances. Before Patriot could regain his footing, a thick snake tail burst from beneath the ground and lashed viciously across his body at incredible speed.

Although he raised his shield in time to defend himself, the once-sturdy shield was shattered into fragments like paper beneath the tremendous force of Mobius's summoned snake tail. Patriot was sent flying, smashing through a large section of the village houses, and like Talulah, was buried beneath the ruins.

Talulah, who had just been pulled from the house's wreckage by FrostNova, saw this and her pupils contracted sharply.

"Patriot!"

Scorching dragonfire erupted. Talulah charged toward Mobius and An Xiu at incredible speed, but she had barely made it halfway when a green hand materialized from thin air and seized her body.

At the same time, several bolts of lightning struck around FrostNova behind her, forcing FrostNova, who had intended to act, to stop where she was.

"Alright, The Reunion's leader is in my hands now. If you do not want any more unnecessary sacrifices, tell the others to retreat obediently."

Mobius controlled the green hand, pulling Talulah before her as she spoke.

"You wish!"

Talulah wanted to rebuke her like that, but Mobius seemed to see through her intentions first. She directly summoned a mass of energy and sealed Talulah's mouth shut.

"So, what is your answer?"

Without looking at Talulah again, Mobius turned her gaze toward FrostNova and Patriot, who had just forced himself out of the rubble.

"All personnel... retreat!"

There was no other way. Talulah had been captured by the enemy. Even though FrostNova and Patriot possessed the resolve to fight to the death, they did not dare act rashly now.

Under FrostNova and Patriot's command, the members of The Reunion who had not yet joined the battle began withdrawing and gathering up the wounded from the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Mobius and An Xiu brought Talulah, FrostNova, Patriot, and the other important members of The Reunion into a village house that was barely intact.

"Speak. What do you want?"

After entering the house, Talulah found that she could speak again after Mobius's physical silencing. Her face immediately turned cold as she spoke.

Although she did not know where Mobius and An Xiu, these two people who had suddenly appeared, came from or what identities they possessed, since they had the power to easily defeat both her and Patriot yet had not killed them immediately, they must have wanted something.

Talulah had already made up her mind. If they intended to use The Reunion to achieve some unspeakable goal, then even if it cost her life, she would not let them succeed.

FrostNova and Patriot stood silently beside her, clearly having made the same decision.

Who would have thought that in response to Talulah's questioning, Mobius merely tossed Talulah onto the ground before throwing several chunks of flesh at them, each resembling a constantly beating heart.

"My demand is simple. Eat them, and you may live."

Looking at the Monster Cells on the ground, which kept pulsing as though they were living creatures, Talulah's face filled with revulsion.

"Who would eat such disgusting things? What exactly do you want?"

"Little Mice have no room to choose. Eat these Monster Cells, and you can keep living. If you refuse... I do not mind making The Reunion disappear from this land forever."

Faced with Mobius's threat, Talulah fell silent.

"If I eat one, will you let The Reunion go?"

Just as Mobius had said, against Mobius and An Xiu, who could easily defeat all of them, obeying was their only option if she did not want every member of The Reunion in this village to be buried alongside her.

"Do not worry. I have no interest in the ordinary members of The Reunion. As long as you cooperate obediently, the others will be fine."

A cold smile rested on Mobius's face. Although Talulah's instincts already told her that this was definitely a trap, the fact remained that if she did not want the other members of The Reunion in the village to die with her, she had never had a second choice from the start.

With that thought, Talulah steeled herself. She picked up a Monster Cell from the ground, stuffed it into her mouth, and forced herself to swallow it.

In an instant, scorching heat erupted from Talulah's body. The house they occupied was set ablaze in the blink of an eye, while the temperature across several thousand meters surged violently. The snow melted madly, and even the ground beneath Talulah's feet began turning into magma.

"What... is happening?!"

Enduring the pain of her potential continuously being stimulated within her body, Talulah dropped to one knee and stared at the scene before her in disbelief.

The moment she swallowed the Improved Monster Cell, Talulah could feel her power skyrocketing! Surging! Exploding!

It was no exaggeration to say that at this moment, she felt capable of easily defeating more than a dozen of her former selves, and even now, her strength was still soaring without pause!