Puppet slowly rose to his feet, his arms hanging limply at his sides. Both of his forearms had been broken by that single strike.
Before completing a true breakthrough in level, the gap in sheer power and strength was absolute.
Yet under such intense stimulation, the Mutated Tissue became nearly feverishly active, rapidly multiplying and spreading as it gradually approached the threshold of transformation.
But it was not enough. He needed a little more time, and more external stimulation.
The middle-aged man looked at him. "Well? Remember now?" Seeing Puppet stand there in silence, he added, "Not talking? Then I suppose I'll have to break all four of your limbs. Let's hope your mouth is as tough as the rest of you."
Almost the instant he finished speaking, Puppet felt the world spin. The attack from across from him came too quickly—so quickly that he could barely react. Before the sound had fully reached his ears, his entire body had already been sent flying.
That kick should have shattered his waist and hips outright. But his Mutated Tissue reacted on its own, driving his elbow downward while the muscles throughout his body writhed to disperse the force. Under that blow, only his elbow shattered and several ribs broke. After being blasted away, he crashed through several trees in succession with a series of bangs.
He was finally stopped by a massive tree, but the impact sent him bouncing off at an angle, crashing down and dragging down vines and brush with him. Along the path he had plowed through, several heavily damaged trees creaked and toppled, either catching on other trunks or smashing into the grass and soil. Flocks of birds scattered in alarm, while all kinds of insects crawled out from the dirt and hurried away.
Puppet lay facedown