Chapter 156: The Martyrdom Power-Up of Mumen Rider
Mumen Rider stood up.
Maybe in the original story, the Deep Sea King was merely toying with him rather than aiming to kill. Maybe it was because he wasn't on the brink of death, so he never transcended mortality to break his limiter.
But that punch from Bug God—he should have died from it.
Yet, he stood up.
Even though he was staggering, as if a mere gust of wind could knock him over.
At this moment, the Evolution Elixir took effect, instantly repairing and enhancing Mumen Rider's shattered bones!
So when he stood up, it might have been sheer willpower and a single breath keeping him going, but in the blink of an eye, he was brimming with strength, renewed and revitalized!
"This guy... is he actually not weak?"
Bug God had been certain that his punch had shattered every bone in the man's body. He had even heard that delightful sound of bones breaking.
Was it just his imagination?
"It doesn't matter if he's strong or not—just kill him."
Royal Ripper charged forward, his twin blades swinging down toward Mumen Rider.
Mumen Rider felt his entire body surging with power. He could even see the attack clearly. At this speed, it seemed like he could actually dodge.
"Whoosh!"
He tilted his head, narrowly avoiding the strike. As the top-ranked C-Class hero—one who had even qualified for promotion to B-Class but refused because he felt unworthy—he was no stranger to combat.
At the very least, a C-Class hero should be capable of subduing criminals and handling Wolf-level monsters.
With a swift counterpunch, he struck Royal Ripper, sending him stumbling back several steps.
"Still too weak. Strange… with the Evolution Elixir's potency, he shouldn't be this mediocre…"
Chang Wei pondered. He could clearly see what was happening inside Mumen Rider's body—he had absorbed the Evolution Elixir, yet his displayed strength remained unimpressive.
Royal Ripper was only momentarily hurt, which only enraged him further.
Seeing Royal Ripper get knocked back, Bug God lunged at Mumen Rider. Among monsters, he carried himself as a big brother figure, and he had long been partners with Royal Ripper.
A powerful, heavy punch hurtled toward him. Mumen Rider chose not to meet it head-on. He had already realized from his exchange with Royal Ripper that his strength was still lacking compared to these two monsters. His only option was to evade, wear them down, and accumulate damage on them.
So he dodged Bug God's fists with all his might, like a boxer slipping punches, striking back whenever possible. If he could deal enough damage over time, he might be able to bring them down!
But when his punches landed on Bug God, who didn't even attempt to dodge, they had no effect. Bug God didn't even flinch.
"Your fists are too weak, hero."
Bug God said coldly. In the next instant, a large blade struck from an unexpected angle, slashing across Mumen Rider's abdomen.
"Aah!"
Mumen Rider let out a scream. His hero suit was no different from tofu before that blade—it was effortlessly sliced open, leaving a horrifying gash in his stomach, nearly spilling his guts.
"Die!"
Royal Ripper knew that no matter how strong human heroes were, wounds like this meant only one thing—death!
He swung both blades down. Mumen Rider barely managed to roll away, narrowly escaping the lethal strike.
"Something's off..."
Chang Wei, observing the battle, noticed something before even Royal Ripper and Bug God did.
Mumen Rider's wound was already starting to heal!
Granted, it was only a preliminary regeneration—just enough to seal the wound and prevent blood loss or organ spillage.
Mumen Rider could no longer feel the pain, but he knew that if he let his guard down, he would die. So he didn't dwell on it. Under the combined assault of Royal Ripper and Bug God, he kept dodging, and when evasion was impossible, he let the attacks hit non-vital areas.
"His cell strength has improved… So that's how it works. The Evolution Elixir is being used this way?"
Chang Wei clicked his tongue in amazement.
If King had been developed into a leveling-up system that even Chang Wei couldn't comprehend through the Supercell Solution, then Mumen Rider's case was… something else entirely.
Chang Wei dubbed it the Martyrdom Power-Up.
Getting stronger by taking hits?
If it were like Doomsday, where injuries triggered adaptation and evolution, that would be one thing. But Mumen Rider's ability was bizarre—it only strengthened cells that had been damaged or died and then regenerated. The rest of his body remained unchanged.
If he wanted to grow stronger, he would have to push himself to the brink of death every single day, covered in wounds and scars.
The good news? His metabolism and cell regeneration speed had increased, so he wouldn't have to worry about his recovery lagging behind.
The bad news? This method of evolution was sheer torture.
If it were Chang Wei, he wouldn't be able to accept it. The term Martyrdom Power-Up was more fitting than ever.
Hmm… he might also end up becoming a massive eater in the future.
By now, Royal Ripper and Bug God had also realized something was wrong with Mumen Rider. No matter how much they hit him, he refused to stay down. His body was covered in wounds, yet he remained full of energy, fierce and relentless.
Bug God even felt that the punches landing on him were growing stronger!
"What's going on? This guy is getting stronger?"
Bug God muttered in surprise.
"My blades… I can't cut through his bones anymore!"
Royal Ripper added. Just moments ago, he had taken a serious shot at Mumen Rider's spine, aiming to sever it and cripple him.
But after the strike, while Mumen Rider screamed in pain and his flesh was sliced open, his bones remained unscathed!
His evolution speed might not have been astonishing overall, but when the same body part was attacked repeatedly, its resilience skyrocketed.
Watching Mumen Rider persist like an unkillable cockroach, Bug God grew impatient.
He immediately activated his second transformation.
In the original timeline, Bug God's second form was likely only at the peak of Demon-level or the lowest tier of Dragon-level—hence why he couldn't harm Superalloy Darkshine. He was certainly no match for Ashura Kabuto, a mid-tier Dragon-level threat.
But now, after being enhanced with Super Monster Cells, his second form had been amplified fourfold, placing him solidly between low and mid-tier Dragon-level.
His body grew larger, and he sprouted four additional arms, now boasting six in total—resembling an Asura.
With a single punch, he obliterated Mumen Rider's upper body, leaving only two legs standing in place.
"With this kind of power, how can heroes possibly resist?"
Bug God declared confidently.
Then, he and Royal Ripper left to hunt for other heroes.
"The gap is just too massive… but Mumen Rider is still regenerating?"
Chang Wei gazed at Mumen Rider's head, embedded in a wall, with only two legs left standing.