## Chapter 218 – Super Strength
“Alright, let’s see what you’ve got!”
Nora’s leg muscles contracted powerfully, then expanded.
“Scarlett, fall back.”
“Y-yes!”
As Scarlett retreated, *BOOM!* An explosion erupted from the ground.
‘Fast.’
Even with all my senses focused, I almost missed it.
It was a movement so fast it left an afterimage where she had been standing.
*WHOOSH!*
Nora charged at Woojin like an enraged bull.
She closed the distance in an instant.
She possessed immense strength.
But simply exerting great force doesn’t equate to running fast.
If she couldn’t control her power and put even a little too much force into her legs, she risked launching herself into the air instead of running.
Simply put, to run on the ground like a human, one couldn’t exert more than a certain amount of force.
*Hum.*
‘The head is the target.’
Woojin barely managed to duck.
A fierce wind grazed over his head.
Despite being sealed for so long and likely struggling with power control, Nora already wielded her strength skillfully.
“Heh, not bad, are you? But you know that first punch was a feint, right?”
Woojin braced himself for the next attack.
Or, he tried to.
However, Nora’s punch that had just passed over his head was generating a violent aftershock.
*KUWAKWAKWAKWA-*
Woojin was caught in the fierce gale, and his body lifted off the ground.
“!!”
This was truly absurd.
This happened from just one punch?
Fortunately, because he had lowered his upper body close to the ground when dodging the attack, he wasn’t blown away too far, and Woojin was able to land quickly.
But at that moment, [Danger Detection] sent him a warning.
*Hum.*
There was nowhere to dodge. Her next punch was 100% guaranteed to hit somewhere on his body.
“It’s over.”
*Thwack.*
The moment the fist slammed into his abdomen, Woojin was sent flying far away.
*KUWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG!*
Crashing through vehicles, demolishing shops, and traversing the downtown area horizontally, he flew approximately 1.4 kilometers before slamming into an apartment building.
*Crumble.*
Immediately, the apartment building collapsed, piling up on top of him like a tomb.
As if she had just hit a home run, Nora watched with a smile, then turned her head to look at her championship trophy.
The red-haired beauty who was cowering and backpedaling on the ground.
“Scarlett, it’s been a while. I’ve really missed you. For a long time.”
She meant it sincerely.
To Nora, Scarlett was a very special existence.
Nora had been around 10 years old when she was dropped on that island.
She had clearly been shivering in the winter cold, but when she opened her eyes, her surroundings were completely different.
The snowy mountains were gone, and scorching heat and intense sunlight were burning her skin.
There was no way a 10-year-old could survive on a deserted island.
Fortunately, she wasn’t the only person on the island, but no one helped her.
Everyone was too busy trying to survive, and there was no charity to spare even a morsel of food.
Then she met Scarlett.
-Oh my. Look at that cute face. Totally my style.
Back then, Scarlett was like the top sergeant of the island, in modern terms. Nora herself was a fresh, newly enlisted recruit.
Scarlett had already purchased a lot of things, and she was planning to leave the island once she acquired the last item from the [Event Shop].
Perhaps that’s why Scarlett was generous. She had more than enough capacity to raise a child.
No, rather, she was bored and lonely, so the new recruit Nora was a source of amusement for Scarlett.
She taught Nora how to awaken and shared everything she had learned from living on the island for hundreds of years.
She even handed over everything she had built herself.
-Are you really giving all of this to me? Why me and not someone else?
-Because you’re my precious little sister?
-Scarlett….
To Nora, she was like an older sister, or even a mother in some ways.
-Contact me when you come to Earth. Let’s get along well then too. But don’t rush out too quickly.
-Okay!
Anticipating the day they would meet again, she waited every day for 10 years, 20 years, 50 years, 100 years, 300 years… continuously.
She waited, sweating under the hot sun, and she waited, counting the stars in the night sky.
And even when she came to Earth, was deceived by her, and was trapped in pitch-black darkness, she kept waiting.
For that day to meet again.
Of course, the emotions she held then and now were somewhat different.
“Scarlett.”
“Ahaha. N-Nora.”
“I’ve really missed you. So much.”
“R-really? I missed you too.”
“Why is someone who missed me backpedaling away from me?”
“Ah, no…. It’s just that my toes are saying they want to live, so they’re moving on their own, beyond my control. Haha….”
“Is that so? Those are some very impudent toes. Should I pluck them all out first and then have a long, heartfelt chat, sister?”
Scarlett quickly pulled her feet back and hid them under her hands, saying she was fine.
“I-I’ll try to soothe them. Look. They’re not running away anymore, see?”
“I don’t know about that. Your body is always doing whatever it wants. Such a prankster. I think I’ll take this opportunity to correct your habits.”
With that, Nora grabbed one of Scarlett’s ankles.
“N-no, it’s really okay.”
Scarlett shook her head, rapidly wiggling her toes. She was tearful.
Nora tapped the five toes of Scarlett’s foot with her fingertips, laughing.
“Which one should I pluck out? You choose, sister.”
“D-don’t, I was wrong. I won’t do it again. I’ll never leave you again.”
“Don’t worry. Even if you leave, I can always find you again. Hmm… I know! Let’s start with the little toe? It looks so cute, it’s totally my style.”
Nora flicked the little toe, and Scarlett, who had been frozen stiff, began to struggle.
“Hiiiik! Don’t, Nora! I was wrong! Waaah! Please don’t pluck my toes! Master! Master, save me!”
“Master? Pfft. Are you talking about that man from earlier? Don’t do that, call me Master. Then I’ll forgive you for plucking your sister’s toes. Come on, hurry up and call me Master, will you?”
Scarlett shook her head.
“N-no.”
“Huh?”
“I only have one Master. I-I won’t betray him.”
“…Really? That’s unusual. For you, who cherishes your body and life the most, to be so stubborn about something like that.”
Nora grabbed the little toe. A chilling smile crept onto her face.
“Well, if that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do.”
“A-ah, no! Don’t pluck it! Please don’t pluck it!”
*Squeeze.*
“Aaaaaaaah!”
Scarlett grabbed her foot and wildly thrashed her upper body. She screamed, crying her eyes out.
“My toe! My toe…!”
Nora snorted.
“Such a drama queen…. I haven’t even plucked your toe yet? Get a grip. Your theatrics are still the same, I see.”
“…….”
Scarlett checked her perfectly fine toe, then her face turned bright red, and she covered her face with her hands.
Nora let go of her foot and stood up.
“Anyway, it’s really amazing. To make this sister, who only knows herself, into a loyal slave. What exactly are you?”
As Nora turned around, Woojin, who had approached her unnoticed, was dusting off the dirt from his clothes.
“How are you still in one piece after taking my punch?”
It wasn’t a full-powered punch, but it still wasn’t weak enough for him to be walking around unscathed.
It was destructive power that would turn a human into finely minced meat the moment it landed. It was power that could tear apart even a tank.
‘Did he use [Rune of Complete Recovery] to revive at the right moment? Or did he have some other means?’
Or has my punch become too weak?
As Nora was lost in thought, clenching and unclenching her fist, the sound of multiple military boots was heard, and soldiers appeared, surrounding them.
“Who are you people!”
“Was the explosion just now your doing?!”
*BOOM!*
At that moment, Nora forcefully stomped on the ground and threw a punch into the air.
Woojin crouched down, and the shopping center behind Woojin was directly hit by the fist wind, collapsing and falling backward.
*KUWAKWAKWAKWA-*
At the same time, the soldiers who had surrounded them were swept away by the fierce wind, flying several meters and collapsing.
“Hiiiik!”
“I-it’s a monster! Run away!”
Without even thinking of regrouping, the soldiers hurriedly fled the scene. Nora snorted.
‘It doesn’t seem like the power has weakened.’
Hmm. Well, I’ll know if I hit him again.
*BOOM!*
Nora instantly approached Woojin and swung her arm.
‘He dodged the head attack quite well earlier. His reaction speed was good too.’
However, she confirmed that he habitually lowered his body, fearing being swept away by the wind.
So this time, she aimed for Woojin’s head, swinging her arm from top to bottom, making it impossible for him to dodge.
‘If he can’t dodge, it’s the head, if he dodges, it’s the shoulder. Instant death the moment it hits.’
Nora’s fist flashed and fell sharply towards Woojin’s head.
*Thwack!*
As expected, Woojin twisted his body, and her fist struck his shoulder.
“!!”
However, the expected instant death did not occur.
Far from instant death, there wasn’t even a scratch.
“How…?”
Nora opened her eyes wide and looked down at Woojin. Woojin stood up and casually dusted himself off.
“What kind of trick did you use?”
“It’s not a trick, I’m just a bit sturdy. Even if I get shot, I don’t even get a scratch. Same with bombs. But your punch is just flashy, it doesn’t seem that much different.”
“What?”
“It’s like an ant crawling over my shoulder. Honestly, it’s quite disappointing.”
Nora’s cheek twitched. A vein popped out on her forehead.
“So everyone was afraid of a woman like this? Praising her as Etana’s rival? I can see their level.”
Nora clenched her fist tightly.
“Ah? Really? You’re saying that was just ticklish? Alright, then endure this too!”
*Whoosh!* Nora grabbed one of Woojin’s arms and slammed him to the ground with a hip throw. Then, she climbed on top of him and relentlessly pounded his face with her fists.
*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*
Each time she slammed her fist down, the ground sank.
The surrounding soil scattered, and an earthquake occurred.
The surrounding buildings shook violently and began to collapse one by one.
*Huff. Huff.*
When the relentless pounding stopped, the place where she was standing had turned into a huge crater, as if a nuclear bomb had been dropped.
The surrounding downtown area had become ruins with not a single building left intact.
‘It’s over now, right?’
She had slammed down her fist with all her might over a hundred times.
She couldn’t hit with full power because Scarlett was nearby and might get caught up in it, but the punches from just now had enough power to erase a mountain from the map.
It wasn’t a level that an ordinary human could withstand.
Yes, it certainly should have been.
“Ptooey, ptooey. Ah, I ate so much dirt. It’s full of radiation and not good for my body.”
“Y-you…! How?”
Nora’s eyes widened as she looked at Woojin, who was brushing the dirt off his face.
He was unharmed. Still without a single scratch.
Woojin took out water from the store window, rinsed his mouth, and turned to look at her.
“So, do you have anything else to show me? If that’s all, you’ll have to prepare to get your butt spanked. As compensation for making me expect so much with your unnecessary theatrics.”
Nora flinched.
She was utterly bewildered, so much so that it was hard to believe she had been raging like an angry bull just moments ago.
