A Thousand Pounds of Force

Muscle Growth Type I enhanced his strength by an additional one hundred pounds. With the upgrade to Muscle Growth Type II, the strength increase now reached three hundred pounds. This meant that, in the state of Muscle Growth Type II, combined with his basic strength of seven hundred pounds, Simon could now exert a force of one thousand pounds.

A thousand pounds of force was unimaginable to Simon before. The once heavy iron rod now felt as light as a feather, and the power of his strikes increased significantly. With a single swing, the head of the Water Rat Beast he hit didn't just cave in—it exploded.

While Simon successfully advanced to a Level 3 Spiritual Source User, on the other side, with Long's assistance, Lily managed to kill two low-level Corpse Beasts, becoming a Level 2 Spiritual Source User.

As a Level 2 Spiritual Source User, Lily's body experienced significant enhancement. The most noticeable change was the substantial increase in her basic strength. The poorer the initial physical condition, the more pronounced the effects of evolution. Since Lily was just a little girl, her initial physical condition was much worse than Simon's and Long's, which made her evolution even more remarkable. Now, as a Level 2 Spiritual Source User, her strength had reached six hundred pounds.

"What are your enhancement options?" Long inquired, worried Lily might make a random choice.

"Eyes, ears, lungs," Lily replied simply, her voice barely audible.

"Choose the lungs," Long instructed without hesitation. "With water everywhere, enhancing lung capacity is definitely the right choice. I'm already at Lung Strength Type III."

Simon looked at Long with some surprise and asked, "Why don't you enhance your muscles to increase strength? Why do you keep enhancing your lungs?"

Long chuckled and said, "I get seasick. Besides, the water level keeps rising. One day, everything might be flooded, and we'll have to live in the water. Then you'll understand the benefits of enhanced lungs. Do you know how long I can hold my breath now? Thirteen minutes. That means I can stay underwater for thirteen minutes on a single breath. Do you know what that means?"

"A whale, living in the vast ocean, can typically hold its breath for about ten to thirty minutes. Now, my ability surpasses even those whales with shorter breath-holding times."

Hearing this, Simon couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. He thought that if Long's breath-holding capacity rivaled that of a whale, there might indeed be a future where living underwater could become a reality. Nevertheless, despite his admiration, Simon would still choose to enhance his muscle strength if given another chance.

Simon had discerned a pattern: with each level increase, basic strength augmented by approximately one hundred pounds. Following this logic, Long, now at level four, possessed a basic strength of around eight hundred pounds. In terms of sheer power, Long was no longer his equal.

As they conversed, their hands remained busy. Simon dispatched several more Water Rat Beasts that surged forward, bringing his total spiritual source count to six. He needed twenty-four more to advance further. Perhaps Simon's formidable display had been too intimidating; the staircase was littered with the corpses of Water Rat Beasts, and the remaining live ones fled downstairs into the darkness, abandoning their assault.

Simon did not pursue them. Instead, he glanced upstairs, catching faint sounds from the rooftop. He asked, "Brother Long, shall we go back and take on that Overlord Crab?"

Now armed with a thousand pounds of force, with his speed and reflexes significantly enhanced, and Long elevated to level four, Simon felt confident. Together, they stood a good chance against the level three elite Overlord Crab. Simon's interest was piqued by the special ability revealed by his "Vision Sigil": Overlord Armor.

Special abilities drastically bolstered combat effectiveness. Simon's prowess in overwhelming same-level monsters and even defeating higher-level spiritual source beasts could be attributed not only to his choice to enhance muscle strength, gaining immense power, but also to his special abilities, "Ravenous Fangs" and "Vision Sigil."

"Ravenous Fangs" was razor-sharp and unstoppable. "Vision Sigil" allowed him to understand his opponent's strengths and weaknesses intimately. For instance, when he fought the level three Sea Dragon Lizard, he knew through "Vision Sigil" that it was venomous, thus avoiding its bites during combat. Without this knowledge and precaution, a single bite from the Sea Dragon Lizard could have spelled a completely different outcome.

"Alright," Long agreed eagerly. With a powerful swing of his steel shovel, he sent two low-level zombies flying, then turned and dashed towards the stairs leading to the rooftop.

Simon followed closely, calling out to Lily, "Stay right behind me. When we reach the top, you stay by the stairwell. There's no need to come out. The Overlord Crab is quite dangerous, and those Water Rat Beasts won't dare approach. The zombies can't harm you now."

Lily nodded. As a level two spiritual source wielder, she had gained some experience and could handle these low-level zombies with ease. No longer was she the panicked and helpless girl from before.

The three of them ascended the stairs. Long, leading the way, chuckled, "That creature is relentless, still blocking the exit."

At the rooftop's entrance, the massive Overlord Crab remained steadfast, its powerful claws continuously mangling the now deformed iron door. As Long charged forward, the weakened door finally gave way, dislodged by a forceful push from the crab's claw, and flew straight at Long.

With Simon and Lily right behind him, Long had no room to dodge. Gripping his steel shovel tightly, he braced against the door. 

With a resounding clang, Long's arms trembled from the impact, his face contorted in pain. He let out a grunt, using the twisted iron door as a makeshift shield, and with a burst of strength, he charged towards the Overlord Crab.

The iron door, propelled by Long, crashed into the Overlord Crab, creating a thunderous noise. However, the crab's immense strength kept it from being completely dislodged. Simon, seizing the moment, surged forward and slammed into the iron door with his enhanced strength.

With a resounding crash, the door and the Overlord Crab were sent flying. The obstacle at the entrance was removed, allowing Simon and Long to breathe a sigh of relief as they burst onto the rooftop. 

Following Simon's instructions, Lily stood guard at the entrance. This spot was relatively safe; the Overlord Crab couldn't reach her, and she only had to fend off any low-level zombies that might ascend the stairs.