*screech*

The rat pack began chasing Strath with inhuman screeching.No matter how hard he tried to change,he could not transform.

People can exceed their potential in extreme conditions. For example, there are reports that a person chased by a bear can run faster than the fastest person in the world, albeit for a short time.That's exactly what the century girl was after. Let's push him beyond his limits, was her idea.Strath was exhausted after circling the wide tunnel for 20 minutes.

For a moment, his foot tripped on something, and Strath fell to the ground.The whole pack of rats swarmed on and bit all over his body. He looked like a hedgehog with countless rats on him.An intense pain spread through his mind. His heart started beating excessively. He didn't want to die; his whole body was fighting to live.His whole instinct for life suddenly peaked.

*roar*

Century girl took out a remote. She had a nervous expression on her face. If Strath lost control, the century girl would activate the explosives she had planted in the tunnel earlier.

"Come on retard! You can do it! Just don't lose your consciousness.”

"I... WON'T...DIE!!!"

As the rat pack smashed his body and devoured his flesh,Strath also started biting rats.A mouth full of sharp teeth plunged into a rat's head. In one bite, the rat's entire head was severed. Then there was the sound of bone breaking, like an explosion.The rats were suddenly alarmed. Many rat cries echoed in the tunnel.Once they were the hunter now rats had become the prey. Strath was purged of all his disgust and began to devour the rats like it was the best food in the world.He started to feel a strange pleasure in eating disgusting rat meats.Mutant rat flesh entering his body was energizing his body and all his wounds were beginning to visibly heal. The excess energy began to diffuse into the transparent sphere in his brain.After the transparent hemisphere reached full filling, it began to expand with the incoming energy.

"More!"

A roar sounded again. There were lots of rat parts and guts flying around. An extremely disgusting odor was emitted from mutilated body parts.The remaining rats began to run away from him with screams. Strath extended his arm towards a fleeing rat, and his arm suddenly became 2 meters long.Before the rat could escape, it was torn apart between clawed hands then fell into the 1-meter mouth full of big nasty teeth.

After he devoured the last rat,the translucent sphere in his brain expanded with the incoming energy flux and suddenly a grey line began to form around it. An unnoticeable energy wave spread through his body, but it did not escape from century girl's notice.

"What the hell is with his body? Was he able to convert all the energy he took into his body without loss?"

After getting up with satisfaction he looked around and stunned seeing all the bloodshed he caused. Although century girl's portable lantern did not provide high-distance illumination, Strath's all-clear look showed the surroundings in every detail.This was total carnage.

One day you get off the bus and meet your lover,walking together by the seaside. The next day you're standing among mutant rat chunks in a disgusting sewer.This was absurd.Strath couldn't accept the reality,all things happened too fast.He fell to his knees and began to cry in the filthy sewer.

The Century girl walked up to Strath and began to speak.

"You know what? I don't have any idea about pre-apocalyptic times.I learned from Mirya that you lived in a pre-apocalyptic simulation. Although it may be difficult for you to accept reality, the sooner you accept it, the better it will be for you.Sometimes I envy you suicide soldiers. You've never had family or loved ones. You don't know how it feels to lose loved ones.”

A look of sadness appeared on the face of the century girl after she had said her last word.But there was rage in Strath’s eyes.Loved ones? Family? He had those but they were not real.Because they were not real,he could not refute century girl and because of that the rage inside of him got more and more.Revenge was all inside his head.Revenge for that all happened to him.Even after he got some people that helped him and talked with them he was just a little more than soulless killing machine in everyone's eyes.Maybe he was just like that.An unimportant throwaway item.He didn't like that notion,not at all.

He raised his head and asked.

“I have a transparent sphere inside my head and a gray line has formed around it.”

“That translucent sphere is your energy core.It is deemed as rank 0.Every grey line is the cultivation phase but the power difference between each lines is very minimal.After someone got 10 grey lines, he or she can try to rank up but that is impossible for you.No it is impossible for all of us.Items that can help you to rank up are in forbidden zones.99 people out of 100 who went there become monster food.”

All of a sudden Century girl startled. She felt like she was in front of a very dangerous predator.All her instincts screamed.

“Hey, what are yo-”

Strath abruptly got up and moved towards the shelter's way.

“Now I know what I need.Thank you.Let's move, we have a lot to do.”

“Hey! Did you suddenly become a man? Don't try to act cool in front of me, ok?” She flustered.

Century girl and Strath did rat hunting in the sewers for a week.Strath looked like he can take care of reality now.

A rat head torned apart from its body with a sickening plop sound.Century girl looked amazed at him.1 week ago Strath was bending his knees and crying,now he had dauntless air around him.She had never seen someone like him in past.A total character chance in a week? If she didn't see him from the start, she would never have believed something like that.But she had some concern about him now.This was not normal even in post-apocalypse stadandart.

“Still 4 grey lines.Energy that rats are giving me can't help me increase my cultivation anymore.”

Century girl dropped playing with her mini tablet.

“That is because of the difference in energy qualities.You need denser and richer energy to improve your cultivation.But i must say never seen someone who formed 4 lines in a week.Maybe you should take a break?”

Strath was indifferent. She knew from the first day he was thinking. It was not needed to be a genius to guess why.He was wanting revenge and she needed some muscle power for her needs.They became some kind of comrades in this godforsaken place.

“I guess it's about time for you to pay me back for that mutagen stone, Strath.”

Century girl chuckled devilishly.He was somehow enough for the things she would do next.

“Get ready, we are going to go to the surface.But let me tell you this first;the road to get stronger has no shortcut.Even with your energy absorption,more you go forward more it become slower. So don't get upset and be patient.”

She told him some things about surface that is must know.Surface is so dangerous that by no means looked like sewers.Danger is everywhere, and he could find himself in a situation that too dire unknowingly.

"Don't trust anyone just trust me." she winked.