CHAPTER 510: 510. AM I ’THAT’ STRONG? (1/2)

In the frozen wilderness, scattered groups of bandits trudged through the snow, lanterns swinging in their hands as their boots crunched on the icy ground. Their breaths came out in clouds of mist, the cold gnawing at their bones, but the fear of their boss’s wrath pushed them on.

"Remind me again," one of them muttered, hugging himself against the chill. "Who are we even searching for?"

"That orange-haired chick," another spat, his teeth chattering, "and the one who’s with her. Boss said that’s the third person."

The first frowned, rubbing his gloved hands together. "I heard Boss got knocked out. Don’t tell me... that mysterious person is already at Divine Seeker stage?"

The others shivered, but this time not from the cold. Divine Seeker was a realm of monsters — who are just below the legendary Immortal Realm.

"Idiot," the tallest one snapped. "If they were really at that level, why would they bother hiding? Boss might’ve been caught off guard, sure, but he can handle a normal Grandmaster easily. Don’t underestimate him."

They were about to move on when—

BOOOOM!

The night sky lit up in a violent flash, fire and smoke surging upward like a second sun rising from the earth. The ground trembled beneath their boots, snow cascading from the trees.

Every bandit froze.

"W-was that...?"

They all turned toward the distance, where a plume of dust and fire was curling into the stars.

"That’s our base!" one shouted in panic.

"No way... Boss!" another screamed, his voice cracking. Without hesitation, the entire group bolted toward the old tower, their lanterns swinging wildly, their formation lost to chaos.

---

Back at the collapsed tower, rubble still smoked and crumbled as the remains of the structure gave in to gravity. Among the debris, a faint glimmer rolled across the cracked stone floor. A pearl —smooth, round, impossibly pristine. Not a single scratch marked its surface, despite the explosion that had leveled the entire base.

A faint ripple of light shimmered around it. Then, as though reality itself parted, Tyla stepped out of the pearl’s pocket dimension. Snow crunched beneath her boots as she landed lightly, her snowy white hair catching the glow of the burning wreckage.

She exhaled, surveying the ruin, before opening the dimension again to let Yumina out. Yumina appeared by her side, gauntlets still strapped to her arms, her expression tense.

Luman’s unconscious body had already been placed gently down in the Pocket dimension, protected from the cold and chaos outside.

Tyla dusted her hands. "Your boyfriend be fine in there for now."

"He is not... We just met... I already have someone I like..." Yumina replied to her teasing.

Yumina’s eyes darted toward the horizon, where she could already see faint lantern lights bobbing through the dark. The shouts of bandits carried faintly on the wind. "We don’t have time," she said firmly. "The explosion was enough to alert half the valley. Reinforcements will be swarming this place soon."

Tyla gave one last glance at the rubble. "Is he dead?" she murmured, meaning Yaso, though her tone carried no pity.

Yumina shook her head. "Doesn’t matter. Even if he survived, he’ll be buried under stone for a while. What matters is us getting out alive."

The two women exchanged a look— silent understanding passing between them. Then Yumina pulled up her hood, her eyes sharp with resolve. "Let’s go. This place won’t be safe a second longer."

As Yumina and Tyla were talking, a sudden chill of danger washed over Tyla’s instincts. Without hesitation, she shoved Yumina to the side.

CRASH!

A massive chunk of debris whistled through the air, smashing into the snow where Yumina had just been standing. The impact shook the frozen ground, scattering shards of ice into the night.

Both women snapped their heads toward the source. Their eyes widened.

Yaso stood amidst the ruined tower, his hulking figure illuminated by the burning wreckage. His steel-coated glove gleamed in the firelight as he swung again, shattering another slab of stone. The giant debris shot forward like a cannonball, whistling through the air.

"Scatter!" Yumina cried. She rolled to the side, her boots crunching against snow. Tyla leapt backward, hair fluttering with the shockwave.

But Yumina’s expression shifted from determination to dread. Her eyes widened in panic as she screamed, "Tyla—behind you!"

Tyla spun —too late.

Yaso was already there. With monstrous speed that belied his size, he closed the distance in an instant. His iron glove glimmered before slamming forward, aiming directly for her face.

BOOM!

The sound echoed like thunder, an air pulse rippling outward from the force of the blow. Snow lifted from the ground, swirling into a violent gust.

Yumina’s heart stopped. She expected to see Tyla’s body hurled like a ragdoll. Instead—

"Eh...?" Yumina made a baffled noise, her jaw dropping.

Yaso froze, his eyes widening in disbelief. His glove remained pressed against Tyla’s cheek, the skin slightly indented, a bruise beginning to form. But Tyla’s feet hadn’t budged. Not even a fraction of an inch. She stood firmly rooted, her head turned slightly from the impact, yet utterly unfazed.

"What... the hell...?" Yaso muttered. His confident sneer crumbled into something resembling fear.

Tyla blinked, then frowned. "It’s rude to punch a lady in the face."

Her voice cracked with anger as she cocked her arm back and let loose.

Her fist slammed squarely into Yaso’s jaw.

The sound was like a thunderclap.

"Gahhh!" Yaso shot backwards as if he had been fired from a ballista. His massive body smashed through a wall of debris, rock exploding outward before burying him under the rubble. Dust billowed up into the night sky, covering everything in a gray haze.

Tyla stared at her trembling fist. "W-wait... Am I that strong?" Her eyes widened in astonishment.

"Tyla!" Yumina rushed to her side, still pale from shock. She grabbed Tyla’s face and examined her cheek. A faint fist mark was imprinted there.

"There’s a bruise," Yumina said quickly. "His punch... it was no weaker than my gauntlet blasts. And yet you only took this much damage?"

Tyla rolled up her sleeves, her eyes burning with fury. "That bastard... how dare he hit me—"

But Yumina caught her wrist before she could storm forward. "S-stop! Don’t be reckless. You already survived something that should have shattered bones. That’s a miracle. Don’t press your luck."

Tyla pouted, clearly unsatisfied, but Yumina tugged at her arm. "Come on. We need to leave before reinforcements arrive."

The two hurried into the shadows.

Moments later, a squad of bandits rushed onto the scene, weapons raised.

"There! They went that way—!" one shouted.

But before they could advance, Yumina turned back. Her gauntlets glowed crimson, the lion mouths opening with a low hum.

BOOM!

A torrent of energy blasted into the snow. The ground erupted in steam as the sudden heat vaporized the ice, blanketing the field in a dense fog.

The bandits coughed and cursed, their vision blinded.

When the steam finally cleared, the two women were gone— swallowed by the snowy wilderness.