Chapter 317: Chapter 317: Single Person Challenge
When it comes to muscle growth.
In the Holy City, it is unlikely to find another person on par with Winry.
She has limitless potential for muscle fiber growth.
It seems that in Winry’s genetic system, there are no gene sequences limiting the growth of her muscle fibers, which allows for her muscle density to increase indefinitely.
Accordingly…
Winry must have a body capable of controlling muscle tissue that’s dozens, if not more, times greater than a normal person’s.
At the same time, she needs a powerful circulatory system to pump enough oxygen to each muscle cell.
Like a complementing system, Winry was born possessing a perfect body for muscle growth.
Starting at the age of five, under the standard requirements of an apprentice, she completed various blacksmithing tasks in the Underground Furnace… It seemed like training in the art of forging, but in reality, it was honing her body.
A decade or so later, Winry’s body had been honed into a “human weapon”.
Still, there was one step left to complete.
That was “real combat”.
Winry, stepping out of the Underground Furnace for the first time, participating in knight training.
Through real combat, the refinement of her body was completed… Especially her final battle with the Giant Ghoul- Lord Stuart, matured her body completely.
So much so, that when she returned to the Holy City, she slept for a whole week.
During her sleep, a formless force field spread out, affecting the blacksmiths nearby who were unable to lift their hammers and converged on the blacksmith room where Winry was located.
The old blacksmith laughed heartily at this scene.
This was also one of the reasons why the old blacksmith agreed to let Winry join Han Dong and the others to enter the high-risk Fate Space.
Like a small iron hammer striking a fully ripe watermelon that’s about to crack.
With a light smack…
For a moment…
A rain of blood descended at the Abyss Arena.
The first general sent by the Strange Tales, “Meat Heap – Tokugawa Shigekuni”, was killed in a single hit.
However, the blood rain couldn’t reach Winry’s body.
Because as soon as the rain approached her, it instantly evaporated.
In the center of the arena, Winry was obscured by thick white fog due to the heat emanating from her body and the steam created by the evaporating rainwater.
Through the steam, one could faintly see a muscular monster wielding a hammer, its body radiating a deep red glow.
“Did Winry go easy on me when we sparred?”
Mia stared at the scene, feeling as though she had become the weakest member of the team.
As for Han Dong, he was wearing a hearty smile.
He was not mistaken, the uniqueness of Winry was certainly unparalleled in the Holy City, and her potential for future growth is limitless…
“However, this is not some kind of training ground… It’s an S level Strange Tale’s domain.
Hopefully, she can hold out until the tenth round… then the pressure after will be much less.”
Without giving Winry much time to rest.
Once the rain of blood ended.
The “Abyss Butcher” sent out the second minion.
Its nature had completely changed, this time it was a woman resembling a centipede, emphasizing flexibility… no more frontal physical confrontations with Winry.
Of course, Winry’s flesh is not a joke.
Whenever the enemy avoided her attacks and tried to stab her from dead angles, they were unable to penetrate even the outer layer of her tempered body.
In the end…
With a heavy blow of her hammer to the ground, Winry caused a brief earthquake effect.
Seizing the opportunity.
Combined with the black glove formed by Duo Zeya, she caught one of the enemy’s legs and dragged them in front of her.
Hit them with the hammer…
In the following matches, Winry achieved victory through her monstrous ‘strength’ and ‘vitality’.
But there were problems as well.
Winry, in her state of maximum muscle density, was burning through energy at more than ten times the usual rate… Were she a common person, she would have long collapsed from exhaustion.
Winry was surviving through a near terrifying function of her lungs and extraordinary stamina.
When the eighth competitor appeared.
Han Dong quickly gestured for Winry to forfeit and have someone else step up.
Upon seeing the eighth person, Winry was startled… This competitor was different from the previous butchers whose abilities relied on their physical body.
The one who entered was a woman dressed in a white gown with black hair cascading to her shoulders, a pig head mask over her face… She had no legs and floated to the center of the stage.
A ghost-like monster that once fell victoriously under the butcher’s blade.
“Huff… Huff…”
The moment Winry stepped off the stage, she immediately collapsed.
“I’m sorry… I couldn’t keep going.”
“You did great. It’s time to let your teammates handle the rest.”
After helping Winry onto a chair, Mia applied the herbal remedy they had prepared beforehand onto her injured skin.
At the same time, she took out an ability potion right from her knowledge of herbology and helped Winry take it.
“Jester, you’re up.”
However, the jester was nowhere to be found. “Oh dear… Wouldn’t it be better to let the girl with the demon sword handle this ghostly tale? I need to conserve my energy.
Just in case you can’t defeat the butcher, I still have a contingency plan to get us out of here.”
Mia said, “Nicholas, let me handle this… The demon sword needs to ‘feed’, and it seems quite eager about the opponent on stage.”
Indeed.
The demon sword in Mia’s hand was slightly trembling.
“All right.”
Since Winry knocked down seven opponents in a row, the subsequent matches became significantly easier.
Mia bagged five battles.
Abe clinched six.
The jester only seized one.
In total, they have won 19 battles in the individual duel mode.
Next.
Following the rules of the individual matches, the S-level monster ‘Abyss Butcher’ personally appears in the twentieth fight.
Except for the jester.
The team members were injured to some degree and had mostly exhausted their energy…
As Han Dong was about to step onto the competition stage, a devilish glint flashed through the Jester’s eyes.
Just then… Smack!
Han Dong, who was about to enter the ring, turned around and struck the Jester’s shoulder.
“Don’t you dare try anything while I’m up… If you touch my teammates, the tentacles that are injected into you will be activated.
In less than a second, you will fall into total madness.
It might even affect your original body in another World of Fate, understand?”
“Oh, you’re always afraid I’ll stir up trouble… Am I that sort of person? Hurry up and face the butcher, I’m waiting for you to defeat him and gift me his body.”
“Behave.”
Han Dong gestured to his teammates to keep an eye on the jester’s actions.
The moment Han Dong stepped foot into the coliseum,
The atmosphere of the Abyss was once again transformed.
The ground rumbled.
The ring, built of flesh and blood, crumbled, and the debris scattered into the molten lava underneath.
In its place rolled a hollow iron floor.
As the battle progressed, the temperature inside the ring continued to rise… The iron forge ground would gradually turn red with heat, leaving no suitable place to stand.
A chainsaw engine’s roar sounded from right across Han Dong.