If You Don't Want Others Riding Roughshod Over You, Be Hard on Yourself!

Insect-type monsters had always been particularly troublesome, and mantis-type monsters were even more so.

Their slender bodies, tough carapaces, and scythe-like forelimbs brought Vinina unprecedented pressure the moment they clashed.

Compared to this Crimson Mantis, the six H-class Monsters she had faced at once during the Martial Artist practical examination now seemed utterly insignificant.

But Vinina was no longer the same as she had been then!

"Ha!"

Her spear danced before thrusting fiercely forward. Driven by terrifying force, the alloy spearhead instantly tore through the Crimson Mantis's hard carapace. As she withdrew the spear, she used its shaft to block the Crimson Mantis's swinging forelimbs and force it back.

Then she thrust again.

The Crimson Mantis, attempting retaliation, was forced back once more, and another hole appeared in its carapace.

Green blood seeped out and dripped onto the dust-covered ground.

That was the advantage of a spear!

The saying that every extra inch of length brought extra strength was perfectly demonstrated in close-quarters combat with cold weapons!

"Final strike!"

Vinina stepped forward. After a series of rapid feints, her footwork blurred into an afterimage. She evaded the Crimson Mantis's attack, then instantly drove force through her entire body. Her slender, fair hand clenched the spear shaft before she thrust violently forward!

Squelch!

This strike hit the Crimson Mantis directly in the head!

When the alloy spearhead first touched the carapace, the resistance was immense. But after the spearhead penetrated roughly halfway, the resistance suddenly plummeted. The entire spearhead sank in, then she swiftly pulled it free and retreated sharply!

Green blood instantly sprayed out.

Amid the blood, traces of white brain matter could faintly be seen!

The battle was over.

Though the Crimson Mantis's forelimbs were still swinging wildly and mindlessly, the instant its head had been pierced by the spearhead, its death had already been decided.

The entire battle had lasted less than a minute.

Even the War Eagle Squad Soldiers who had kept an eye on Vinina amid their own fighting fell silent. Li Xun and Justin, who had watched from start to finish, exchanged a glance before the same word slipped from their mouths:

"Freak!"

The process of collecting materials went smoothly.

After the War Hawk Captain chopped off the Crimson Mantis's two most valuable forelimbs, the group quickly withdrew from the battle. They hid in various locations, and only after confirming that it was safe did the group of thirteen quietly return to the rooftop of the fourteenth floor of the residential building.

Throughout the process, Vinina displayed her strength in greater detail—she was among the best at the Advanced Warrior level!

She was even slightly stronger than some of the Soldiers in the War Eagle Squad!

Though they were also Advanced Warriors and possessed more combat experience than Vinina, when the gap in combat experience was not significant, fighting technique and physical fitness mattered more in battle.

And in both respects, Vinina was no weaker than them—in fact, she was far stronger.

After all, the battle intent tempering her will and scouring her body over the past several days had not been for nothing.

The process had been agonizing, but its effects were extraordinary. Vinina could not determine exactly how much her Punch Power and speed had increased, but they had probably nearly doubled.

Moreover, the Soldiers who supplied her with battle intent were all iron-blooded Martial Artists who had climbed up through blood and fire. Under the uninterrupted twenty-four-hour tempering and impact, she was able to maintain absolute calmness of mind in battle.

As for fighting technique...

There was simply no comparison.

What Vinina practiced was Annihilation, an ultimate technique created by Hong, Earth's strongest fighter. Even though she had yet to grasp its basics, her fighting technique was still beyond anything these Soldiers from the military could match.

With those two factors combined, Vinina's performance in combat was naturally no worse than theirs.

And that changed the Soldiers' attitudes.

Previously, they had only regarded Vinina as a wealthy young lady. Even if she had promised to transfer them from the garrison military district into the Polenas Family's private forces, they had merely acknowledged her status and actions. As for Vinina herself, they had not truly thought much of her.

That was perfectly normal.

Because in Swallowed Star, whether on present-day Earth or in the vast universe they would enter in the future, the fundamental rule was always the bloody law of the jungle.

Strength was what truly mattered!

Without strength, no matter how distinguished one's status was, one could never earn genuine recognition!

Now that Vinina had displayed her strength, the most immediate change was that the battle intent which had once been savage, violent, and impossible to control seemed to have become more compliant.

That was immensely helpful to Vinina.

Not because it made the ordeal of using battle intent to temper her will and scour her body any easier, but because it made the battle intent easier to guide!

Though the process remained difficult and the result was still failure, at the very least, Vinina's will no longer collapsed outright beneath the impact of that violent, surging battle intent.

That was a good sign.

So after confirming that she could preserve her will under the battle intent scour of nine Warrior-level Soldiers, Vinina immediately included the War Eagle Squad's captain, Li Xun, and Justin within the range from which she drew battle intent.

The result?

It overflowed again.

But it was not a big problem. She just had to adapt.

Vinina paid no attention to the unnatural flush that appeared on her face beneath the impact of battle intent. Enduring the onslaught, she began practicing the force-generation techniques within Annihilation.

She had a feeling that if she could master the force-generation technique of the first level of Annihilation, she would be able to confront Beast General level monsters head-on!

With that thought, Vinina's spear thrust out repeatedly. Again and again, she tried to layer another burst of hidden force atop the motion of wielding her spear, causing its power to soar, but she could never manage it.

Because a spear thrust ended in an instant. To unleash a second burst of force internally while her body was simultaneously generating the first burst in that very instant was simply far too difficult.

Even Lord Luo in the Original Work had first mastered it only between life and death.

Yes, between life and death!

Vinina's eyes instantly lit up.

When someone stood between life and death, the body's instinct for survival would drive both body and mind to their peak in an instant, allowing them to accomplish things that were normally impossible—even surpassing their own limits!

That was the fundamental logic behind the saying that there was great terror between life and death, but also great opportunity.

So if Luo Feng could do it, why couldn't she?

Danger?

There would be plenty of danger in the future. In the vast, boundless universe, where could there possibly be absolute comfort?

True powerhouses could not emerge from comfort. Without experiencing true life-and-death battles, how could one speak of becoming strong?

If you didn't want others riding roughshod over you, you had to be ruthless with yourself!