Ordinary person + adrenaline = ?

"?"

Washana did not understand what the so-called power of the Trailblaze actually was. However, her country's officials had told her that the [Astral Express] Himeko summoned had been at maximum level from the very beginning.

After giving it some thought, she quickly figured it out. This had to be an ability granted by the max-level train.

Once her future self raised her train's level, she would surely be able to do it too.

"Can you put people inside?"

Taco had clearly noticed the Miaomiao Suitcase in Himeko's hand as well. He had had plenty of questions about her weapon before, but had never asked them.

Now that he had the chance, he had to investigate properly.

"You can, but it might be a little dangerous."

"Does the weight change after you put something inside?"

Taco would have struggled even to lift a cabinet that big, yet after stuffing it into her suitcase, Himeko still carried it as though nothing had happened. It was as if she were holding ordinary paper documents rather than a suitcase containing a huge cabinet.

A moment later, however, Taco felt his question had been unnecessary. Himeko had held the cabinet in one hand, opened the suitcase with the other, and forcibly stuffed it inside.

Whether its weight changed or not seemed irrelevant to her.

The infirmary was not particularly large. Apart from the lobby, it had only three rooms.

One served as a consultation room, while the other two were wards for people who felt unwell but did not need to go to the hospital.

"I thought there'd be treasure chests or something."

Himeko was a little disappointed. This was nothing like a game.

She explored every room. Apart from finding a howling patient in one ward who lunged at her, trying to tear her to pieces, only to be smashed into the wall with a single blow of her suitcase, there was nothing else worth exploring in the infirmary.

"Are there no ordinary locals here? Why is everything that moves a monster?"

Himeko shook her head slightly. A kill notification appeared, and she received a few more inconsequential items.

Things that could upgrade the train were worth less than a packet of instant coffee in Himeko's hands.

Other people still had to work hard to level up, but there was no higher level for the Astral Express.

Just as the three were about to leave, Amerika's Duncan was lying on the ground not far from the infirmary, furtively trying to get away with as little noise as possible.

Thanks to conditions in their country, Amerikans had quite an advantage when it came to street fights.

After entering the amusement park, he had killed four contestants in succession and earned considerable rewards.

He had even dealt with a level one danger alone, and found a strangely shaped pistol at the Spinning Teacups. It felt soft to the touch, and he could even feel a pulse beating within it.

[Pistol: Level one danger. Gains one point of energy per hour, storing up to six points. Each shot consumes one point of energy and can inflict heavy damage on level one dangers.]

Passing the infirmary, he had intended to keep his distance and avoid attracting the red-nosed doctor's attention, only to spot the doctor's dismembered body along the way.

The cuts were clean, with traces of scorching, matching perfectly the wounds left by Himeko, the Crimson Beast the commentators spoke of.

That gave him a new idea.

The stronger a contestant was, the greater the reward for killing them.

After killing his first contestant, Duncan had received a strength boost that let him split bricks with his bare hands.

That contestant had been scrawny, with a Guardian Deity barely at one star. The reward for killing him had also been the smallest of all his rewards.

The strongest had been a contestant from Africa with a three-star Guardian Deity. Besides attacking him himself, Duncan had lured him into the Ferris Wheel, relying on the dangers within to finish him off.

After killing that Black man, Duncan had received a skill as his reward.

[Adrenaline Surge: For the next minute, your strength, speed, and reactions increase by 500%. Cooldown: 12 hours. (Ordinary person + adrenaline = ?)]

His previously unremarkable fighting skills had also been enhanced by the other rewards. Now that Duncan had a ranged attack, increased strength, and enhanced fighting skills, he did not think he was much weaker than Himeko.

So he crouched outside the infirmary, hoping to see whether he could make a move against Himeko. Then he heard a crash from inside. A monster in a hospital gown sprouted from the wall, only to be pulled back by a red-and-white figure, followed immediately by the sound of a running saw.

"I should be able to do that too with Adrenaline Surge active. But she can do it without an enhancement skill."

Duncan abandoned his plans.

"Nobody said contestants have to fight each other to the death. Better go around."

Duncan, who considered himself the strongest contestant, began crawling away.

[Get up! What are you doing?! Go fight them!]

[Fight them, my ass. Duncan can't even guarantee a win against a level two danger right now. Himeko was rated a level five danger.]

[Having a contestant like you is a disgrace.]

[Get up! Don't forget our pride as the Beacon of the World!]

[Why leave? Can't he go team up with her? Duncan's already strong. If he teams up with Himeko, he can go anywhere he wants.]

[Exactly. If he can't handle Himeko now, he should stick with her first, then wipe them all out once he's strong enough!]

Duncan did not know what the chat was thinking, and even if he had, he would not have cared in the slightest.

A bunch of idiots dared to order him around when he was the warrior charging into battle for them?

But before he had crawled far, he felt as though something was blocking his path.

He looked up to find a red-and-white fox in a coat standing in his way.

"Hello there."

Himechi Cat revealed the chainsaw inside the suitcase and offered a polite greeting.

"What are you?! Neon's Guardian Deity?!"

Duncan immediately backed away several steps, gripping his pistol tightly and pointing it at Himechi Cat.

"No, that's not right. Neon's Guardian Deity has nine tails, and it's yellow. It doesn't look like you. And you can talk, too. Are you an Amusement Park Monster?"

Having figured it out, Duncan pulled the trigger without hesitation. Two bullets shot out, only for Himechi Cat to casually block them.

The pistol that could inflict heavy damage on level one dangers posed no threat whatsoever to Himechi Cat, setting alarm bells ringing in Duncan's mind.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately activated [Adrenaline Surge]. His gaze sharpened, and he abruptly looked off to one side.

"Quick, do it!"

Himechi Cat turned to look as well, but there was nothing where Duncan had been looking. By the time Himechi Cat turned back, Duncan had burst into the fastest sprint of his life, racing off in another direction.

"God! That was at least a level three danger, and it can just wander around the park! Good thing I'm smart!"

After sprinting several hundred meters in one go, Duncan paid no attention to where he was going. Focused entirely on escaping, he ducked into a building, relieved that he could run so fast.

Little did he know that the area he had charged into was the Wax Museum. As he entered, another wax figure appeared inside.

Just like the original, who had gained a 500% boost from activating his skill, that wax figure had the same boost to all its attributes.

The difference was that when Duncan's adrenaline wore off, the wax figure remained exactly as it was, without weakening in the slightest.