Chapter 100: Fighting for a Way to Survive

If the opponent’s strength was only slightly greater than mine, I would unhesitatingly command the five-meter-tall stone giant to leap and crush them on the spot.

However, Nana Lu, standing before me, gave off an aura far surpassing ordinary Radiant Gold strength—though not quite reaching Glorious Platinum, it felt close enough.

A Gold-tier powerhouse already possesses considerable physical defense and attack power, so whether a stone giant’s leap could crush her… that’s questionable.

For lower-tier beings, only magic can deal significant damage.

But right now, I only have enough mental energy left for about two fireball spells, and while their power is close to a flame burst, I’m not confident they could incapacitate Nana Lu.

Moreover, for someone like Nana Lu, who is far stronger than me, a single attack could snap her out of brief mental control, and I’m not certain my current arsenal would even affect her—so the best option right now is… to escape!

How long can my Charm Gaze buy me? Ten minutes? Five minutes!? Or just one minute?

I don’t know!

So the best choice is to put as much distance between us as possible in that time!!

Sitting in the stone giant’s palm, I control the massive creature to sprint forward with me.

The giant rocks crash onto the ground, leaving glaringly obvious tracks, while the enormous body snaps countless tree roots as it moves through the jungle—these are all traces Nana Lu could use to track me, but right now, I have no other choice but to keep running.

“Stop right there!!!!”

Sure enough, less than a minute after I started riding the stone giant’s mad dash, an enraged shout echoes from behind me.

…So my Charm Gaze only lasts one minute? Still, that’s one minute bought!

Hearing Nana Lu’s furious yell behind me, I can’t help but think this to myself.

…The stone giant can only last half an hour at most. Can I shake Nana Lu off in that time?

The answer, of course, is no.

Even if Nana Lu looks as delicate as me, she’s still a near-Glorious Platinum existence. Even if she’s the explosive type, chasing me for half an hour would likely be no trouble at all.

So, the only way to break free right now… is to lead Nana Lu toward an even stronger entity, hoping to draw others into the fray and shake her off my tail!

And the best option… naturally, is that dragon that popped up out of nowhere!

Sure, barging into the dragon’s battlefield might get me attacked or even killed outright, but… I can revive!

As long as I protect the two egg babies and die in the chaos, I can play dead for half a day and then come back to life—a decent way to escape. Of course, if I wake up to find the backpack with my egg babies gone, I’d probably lose it, but there’s no helping it. It’s just a backup plan, and I’ll have to play it by ear.

I think quietly to myself, but just as I sit in the stone giant’s palm, frowning and plotting my next moves, the stone giant suddenly lurches!

“Ugh—”

Caught off guard, I accidentally bang my head against the nearby rock, the impact making my skull throb and probably scraping some skin.

“Hmph! Let’s see how far you can run!”

Nana Lu’s shout comes from behind—she’s clearly almost caught up to me.

I’m a bit stunned by Nana Lu’s speed, but all I can do now is rub my forehead and order the stone giant to speed up, racing toward the direction of the dragon’s roars.

Right now, I can only pin my hopes on that unknown dragon and whatever group or entity might be fighting it.

…Even if being taken by Nana Lu means a carefree life with food, clothes, and free cultivation, I absolutely hate the idea of my fate being in someone else’s hands!

So… I’d rather die than let Nana Lu take me!

I grit my teeth, pulling a few more recovery potions from my storage space and chugging them down to restore as much stamina and mental energy as possible…

I will do everything in my power to carve out a path to freedom and a future of my own!