Free Web NovelChapter 38: Chapter 32: First Test of Skill
Tang Mo had been quite comfortable in the small warehouse for the past few days.
The cafeteria’s main doors were locked, and no one usually went out. Except for the occasional brave student who had escaped and knocked on the door, requiring someone from upstairs to come down and open it, people generally didn’t come to the first floor.
Song Qing and Li Lanlan did come to visit once, but Tang Mo had already stored away everything in her room by the time they arrived.
Seeing Tang Mo looking well-fed and well-rested, they were much more relieved.
Li Lanlan had secretly told Tang Mo that Song Qing wasn’t doing well lately. Because An Yang couldn’t afford to offend Wenqing, he didn’t dare to get close to Song Qing in public.
Song Qing had a rather straightforward personality and couldn’t wrap her head around the situation. Even if she could, she wouldn’t be able to accept this side of An Yang.
Tang Mo could only feel helpless as she listened. Even if she and Lanlan could see the situation clearly, it was useless if the person involved couldn’t. When it came to matters of the heart, outsiders really couldn’t be of any help.
The messages she had sent to Qin Ling these past few days had all gone unanswered. Tang Mo was worried, but there was nothing she could do, so she could only channel more of her energy into training.
One night, just as Tang Mo was about to get into her warm bed to sleep, she heard the sound of heavy breathing coming from outside the warehouse door.
Tang Mo moved closer to the wall, listening carefully...
’It’s a mutant beast, no doubt about it.’ Tang Mo listened for a moment longer. ’Just one.’
Knowing a mutant beast was just a wall away, Tang Mo couldn’t possibly sleep soundly. She simply sat up on her mattress and began to train her spiritual power instead.
Her spiritual power had been skyrocketing these past few days. While practicing with her blade, she had even developed a method of concentrating her spiritual power into her right arm. This made her blade movements much more fluid, increasing her combat effectiveness by several levels.
However, with her current spiritual power, she couldn’t maintain it for very long.
Still, ten seconds was enough to turn the tide of battle. Tang Mo wasn’t greedy; she was improving herself one step at a time.
’Perhaps, with my current abilities, I might just stand a chance against a single mutant beast...’
Listening to the sounds made by the mutant beast outside, a bold idea suddenly formed in Tang Mo’s mind.
Once this idea took root and sprouted in her heart, it became impossible to suppress.
’Maybe? Why don’t I give it a try?’
’If I really can’t win, I can still escape, can’t I?’
’My spiritual power is abundant right now, I have a blade and even a gun, and this is the stage when the mutant beasts are at their weakest.’
Tang Mo had been training for so long; she was eager to find out what her current level truly was.
Tang Mo tiptoed to her warehouse door, crouched down against it, and took the blade out of her Space, placing it by her feet.
She pressed her ear to the door and circulated her spiritual power to enhance her hearing.
Tang Mo could now clearly hear the mutant beast’s breathing. In her past life, it wasn’t that she had never encountered mutant beasts, but those were always team operations. This was her first time facing a mutant beast one-on-one.
Tang Mo wasn’t unafraid of the terrifying mutant beast, which was over two meters long with a horrifying physique and appearance.
But just like her attitude toward death, she had to face it even if she was scared. You couldn’t move forward without overcoming your fear.
Picking up the blade and gripping it tightly, Tang Mo straightened up and darted to the side of the door.
At that moment, she desperately wished her spiritual power was stronger. Then she could spread it out to scout the situation outside, which would be far safer for her.
But now, she only had one option: open the door and face it.
Taking a deep breath, Tang Mo gently opened the door a crack and peeked outside.
Just as she thought, the mutant beast outside was lowering its head, searching for food. Any fresh flesh and blood was on its menu.
Fortunately, this mutant beast’s body wasn’t particularly large. Tang Mo breathed a small sigh of relief.
The sizes of mutant beasts varied. The difficulty of facing one just over two meters tall versus one over three meters tall was simply incomparable.
This particular Basic-level Mutant Beast had just emerged from the mist not long ago, so its five senses weren’t very sharp yet. It hadn’t noticed Tang Mo’s movements.
Gripping her blade tightly, Tang Mo circled around behind the mutant beast and stabbed at its soft belly.
Before the mutant beast could react, it felt a sharp pain as blood began to pour from its abdomen.
’My Strength still isn’t enough,’ Tang Mo thought with a frown.
A mutant beast’s head and tail were its hardest parts, and its entire body was covered in mucus. Only its abdomen was soft enough to be a weak spot.
Tang Mo’s strike enraged the mutant beast but failed to hit a vital point. It unleashed its full combat power in an instant, scrambling rapidly toward her on its four short, three-toed legs.
Tang Mo shot forward a few steps and bent down, dodging the sweeping blow of the mutant beast’s massive tail.
Relying on her flexibility and agility, she circled to the mutant beast’s other side, then leaped toward its belly, putting her entire body and the blade into the attack.
Using the impact from her own weight, she ruthlessly plunged the blade into the mutant beast’s stomach. In an instant, half the blade sank in.
It was a risky move, but without it, Tang Mo’s Strength alone was insufficient to deal a fatal blow to the mutant beast.
The longer this dragged on, the more stamina she would consume, and the more disadvantageous it would be for her.
The intense pain caused the mutant beast to throw its head back and let out a deafening roar.
The sound was especially piercing in the night, loud enough for everyone hiding in the cafeteria to hear, but no one would come out.
People now held a natural fear of mutant beasts, making it difficult for them to muster the courage to confront one, even in large numbers.
’This is bad. That roar will attract more mutant beasts. I have to end this quickly!’ Tang Mo resolved in her heart.
In an instant, Tang Mo struggled to channel all her spiritual power into the arm holding the blade. Then, with all her might, she dragged it downward, trying to tear a larger gash in the mutant beast’s body.
The pain drove the mutant beast mad, sending it into a frenzy.
It lowered its massive, tusked head, opened its great maw, and lunged forward to bite Tang Mo.
Tang Mo glanced up, estimated the distance, and instead of pulling the blade out, she leaned her whole body back to dodge, all while applying even more force with her hands.
Because of her constrained posture, the mutant beast’s frenzied attack didn’t manage to bite off the human’s head as it had intended.
Instead, its long fangs barely grazed Tang Mo’s arm that was gripping the blade, leaving behind a bloody mark. frёewebηovel.cѳm
Tang Mo gritted her teeth without a sound and pulled back with all her strength.
SQUELCH! The mutant beast’s belly was sliced open, and its innards spilled all over the ground.
Fighting back her nausea, Tang Mo quickly plunged her uninjured arm into the beast’s wound, expertly feeling around inside.
Soon, her eyes lit up. She’d found it!
Grabbing the object she had found, she pulled her blade free and darted back inside the warehouse in a matter of seconds, locking the door behind her.
Less than three minutes later, the footsteps and panting of several other mutant beasts could be heard outside the door.
Tang Mo, facing the door, was sprawled on the floor, completely exhausted. She didn’t dare to even breathe loudly, terrified that the mutant beasts outside would notice her.
Fortunately, their sense of smell wasn’t very keen yet. After circling the area a few times, they stopped, and the sounds of chewing began to echo.
