Dark Moon Era

Tang Ling lashed out with a kick. He suddenly felt like his previous thought was a little stupid. What else could this green object be?

It was the ape!

His leg felt like he had kicked an iron plank. Coupled with irritating monkey’s squeals, the green object flew a dozen meters away from Tang Ling. However, it nimbly flipped backward twice in mid-air and landed perfectly, baring its teeth at Tang Ling ferociously.

Tang Ling stood up, stretching his aching leg as he looked serious.

Due to various reasons, his kick was not his strongest, but it could also smash other animals’ skulls easily and shatter their organs.

However, this monkey was fine after the kick! How tough was its body?

Although it could not lay a finger on Tang Ling with his Precise Instinct and his astonishing reflexes judging from its current explosive speed, any faster than that and the outcome would change entirely.

With that thought lingering in his mind, Tang Ling squinted his eyes and sized up the monkey.

Was it really a monkey? A dozen meters apart from it, he noticed that it was covered with moss-like green fur while its claws and fangs were sharp. Its body did resemble a monkey’s, but its face resembled a human. It was not a living being from the old civilization.

As for whether the Purple Moon Era had such monsters, Tang Ling had no idea because his activities were limited to the settlement, the forest, and Safety Sector No. 17, so he only knew about things within the area and what the incomplete information room of the Hope Barrier held.

Due to the surprise attack, the green monkey did not engage Tang Ling abruptly. Instead, it sized up Tang Ling with a glare.

He did not care about the glower. Instead, he glanced over the mountain stream that he had been searching for for so long and what he saw made him gasp.

The place was like a Christmas painting! It did not match the surroundings of the planet at all.

There was faint emerald flowing water with strange mushrooms growing on both sides of the stream. The biggest mushroom was a dozen meters in height and its pileus was as big as a pavilion while the smallest one resembled a normal mushroom.

They were in many colors although just not as green as Gu Gu or purple.

Many green monkeys were jumping around the mushroom jungle, and beneath the stem of the mushroom were dead bodies of many species, including humans, animals, and even insects.

Most of the bodies were already skeletons, but there were also some fresh ones. The place was not filled with a vile rotten stench though. Instead, a strange smell filled the entire mountain crack, covering what would have been a rotten stench.

The mushroom jungle was expanding. It grew on both sides of the flowing stream and was concentrated at the source, becoming less dense down the stream.

And at the source of the stream...

Tang Ling’s hand that was holding his longsword quivered a little because he saw a spaceship. It was an actual broken spaceship at the source of the stream.

Half of its body was embedded in the hill, leaving the other half exposed outside.

The exposed part was not saucer-shaped like the old civilization described, but it was shaped like a shuttle. At the tip of the shuttle was an umbrella-like structure that was heavily damaged, making it look like a battered umbrella.

Other than that, the source of the stream was filled with all sorts of dead bodies such as humans, animals, and so on that were controlled by the fungus.

They were eating and killing the dead prey and tossing the remains into the mushroom jungle. The human dead bodies were even nimbler. Because of their fingers and feet, they were able to move around and perform more delicate tasks.

They were carrying the crudest barrel he had ever seen and collecting a type of liquid secreted by the mushroom stems.

After the barrel was filled, it was carried inside the spaceship.

“Hmph, hmph.” Tang Ling chuckled. He could no longer figure out what all this was about. All he wanted to know was how many lives on this planet had it killed in the past 20 years!

So, is this the Kingdom of Yu that the sick Grandfather Han witnessed?

This was an invasion, an upright invasion! This ridiculous scene must be a recreation of the ecosystem of the spaceship’s mother planet. They grew by consuming humans and expanding their grasp slowly to the entire world, ultimately transforming this planet into their second home!

Is this what it’s all about?

Holding his sword, Tang Ling took a step back and went out of the cave.

The place was beautiful from his vantage point, but the cave was painted with the color of horror as it was filled with dead bodies. The slippery and sticky goo beneath his boots was a mixture of the dead corpses’ liquid and the spores from the mushrooms. A part of the mixture included the innocent blood and tears of life of this planet.

In the next moment, the purple monkey that fixed its gaze on Tang Ling threw itself forward.

Tang Ling did not turn around, but he swung his sword backward with a flashy glare. The sturdy grade C alloy longsword cut a claw off the green monkey’s hand.

He then bolted forward, stepping on the dead bodies as he pushed himself up for a jump. He knocked a 5 to 6 meter-tall red mushroom down and dodged another green monkey’s attack from behind along with the motion.

The monkey, whose claw was cut off, started to squeal irritatingly. The other green monkeys that leaped around the mushroom forest amassed on its position together with the possessed dead animals and humans.

It seemed like this mountain crack was the final battlefield of the mission in Qingxi town. Everything was just as Tang Ling expected.

He was very calm when he faced all this. He even felt excitement to battle in his heart. He was smart and his mind was clear, but unless necessary, he never wanted to observe and analyze, let alone investigate and plan everything meticulously just so that the plan could work.

He tended to uphold brutal force since he liked to vent his anger through slaughtering. Besides that, he could also use the slaughtering to warn, deter, take revenge and pay tribute to the blood and hatred.

Therefore, he was patient as he watched the green wind envelope the monkey whole. He calmly watched the monkey regrow his claw and the monsters amass on its position.

A new mission notification popped up in his mind.

Discovered Myriad Mushroom Crack. Completion rate of mission has reached 70%.

Discovered High Composite Life Form: Green Fungus Mannequin. Completion rate of mission has reached 75%

Discovered broken mothership. Completion rate of mission has reached 80%

Dream Seed 0233, do you want to exit the Dream Domain now? If your answer is yes, the Domain Door will appear after 3 minutes and you can leave the Dream Domain through it, subsequently completing the mission. If not, the option to leave the dream will only appear when the completion rate of mission has reached 90%

Tsk, so this is the Dream Domain?

That was why it would not get any easier from here on. The line between life and death remained. Even if he were to leave the Dream Domain at a completion rate of 80%, he would still have to last for 3 minutes before he could exit.

Was it scary? Indeed, it was. Those monkeys were Green Fungus Mannequin. Were they a type of humanoid life form? They seemed to be undead. As long as the green fungus was around, they were not afraid of getting hurt and death, and were nearly invincible!

In order to destroy the Green Fungus Mannequin, Tang Ling must completely eradicate the green fungus, and to do that, he had to first destroy all the Green Fungus Mannequin.

It was a perfect death loop unless one was so powerful that he could kill them all instantly.

Could Tang Ling do it? No! But lasting for three minutes was possible!

Three minutes would be his personal limit. These Green Fungus Mannequins were as tough as iron nails and were very fast and nimble. If they were to attack Tang Ling in groups, how could he escape? In addition to that, there were still the dead animals and humans behind them.

On top of all that, there was also another scary thing—the risk of infection.

The green fungus highly resembled the Devil Fungus, so would it be infectious as well? Tang Ling dared not test it with his body.

But...wait!

An ironic smile appeared on his face. He sneered at himself for being an opportunist. Wherever there was hope, he would seize the opportunity.

Other than that, he also believed in the concept of giving and taking. He hated waiting and following the rules. He would rather give his life in exchange for huge rewards like this extreme battle.

Tang Ling calmly gripped the torch with his mouth as he removed a belt from his tactical waist pouch and used it to tie his hand and sword together. He took out the remaining 1.5kgs of Level 2 vicious beast meat from his bag and moved it to his coat pocket where he could conveniently reach.

The mere thought about fighting under extreme pain and venting his agony through slaughtering excited him.

As for the weakened state? No, there would not be any weakened state this time! The energy in him would explode when it reached a certain duration. He would then call out to the seed and transform.

What about the success rate? 40%.

But...should he risk the 40% to achieve more? It went far higher than the line between life and death.

Tang Ling was thoroughly aroused as his breath hastened. He shivered as if he was afraid, but in his mind, a decision was made—”No”.

His answer to the Dream Domain was like a horn that sounded the battle. The amassed Green Fungus Mannequins rushed madly towards Tang Ling.

Tang Ling took a step forward and charged forward like a gale.

He brandished his sword in the air as it clashed and glared brightly. The first Green Fungus Mannequin in front of the group was sliced in half mid-air.

It was good news. At least, the grade C longsword was strong enough to penetrate the Green Fungus Mannequins’ defenses.

With a swift thought, Tang Ling twisted his body. His leg was like the fiercest whip, drawing a perfect arch in the air.

Bang!

Two more Green Fungus Mannequins on his left crashed into each other after the first was kicked away.

At the same time, his Wolf Crunch was like a poisonous sting as he held it backward. He swung his right wrist and stabbed the sharpest point of the Wolf Crunch into a Green Fungus Mannequin’s ear.

He pulled the Wolf Crunch out and retracted his perfect kick. Tang Ling bent backward and opened his legs wide, dodging another Green Fungus Mannequin that came from above.

His hands were on the ground, supporting his bent body, and with a quick push, he got back up on his feet.

He spun with both his legs as elegantly as a dancer. Both kicks swept over the air above him and he kicked three Green Fungus Mannequins away in one strike.

He then lowered his body with a quick curve and dashed out like a rocket, crashing into a big zombie tiger that roared before it fell, but he managed to grab it before it collapsed. As though he was holding a sandbag, he hurled it at the monsters 3 meters away from him.

Was it a battle? No, it was a performance, a perfect performance that connect all things together seamlessly. There was no extra movement. All his actions performed were as smooth as water and they brought out the beauty of extreme brutality.

This masterpiece was the combination of his Precise Instinct and maximum control over his body. This was actually just the beginning, a warm-up. It was an upbeat battle symphony that heralded the battle with thundering drums.

Tang Ling was moving forward, heading towards that broken spaceship by shuttling through the mushroom jungle packed with mountains of dead bodies.

Undead monsters? No, there was no such thing as undead. In Tang Ling’s eyes, his enemies had just increased from ten to a hundred.

Even then, so what? Tang Ling sought the extreme, the craze, and the piled-up anger that impacted the walls of the cliff. He wanted to carve an opening and escape through there.

Only with slaughter, the coldest and merciless type of slaughter could he obtain the mercy in his heart. What he felt in his heart might be mercy because Tang Ling was a compassionate person.

Three minutes passed.

Five minutes passed.

Ten minutes passed.

The strangely beautiful mushroom jungle was turned into a bloody path by Tang Ling’s frenzied slaughter. Countless bodies of dead animals and humans piled up on both sides of the path.

The Green Fungus Mannequins were also patched up by the green wind numerous times. They were resilient and fearless in their attacks at Tang Ling as they were not afraid of death.

Tang Ling crested their ferocity with his bloody butchering. All that was left in his mind was to kill.

He panted violently as his sweat dripped off his face, and sometimes trickled into his eyes ceaselessly.

But was he at his limit? He was not.

He still had his strength and speed with him, and his reflexes were not slowing down either.

So, is this it? Tang Ling felt that he could go further and things could get even more exhilarating.

It was at this time that two large Green Fungus Mannequins sprung out from the broken spaceship. Judging from their eyes, they possessed intellect.

They roared on top of the spaceship while jumping around, but they did not attack Tang Ling. Instead, they seemed as if they were commanding something.

What were they commanding? The other Green Fungus Mannequins, of course.

All the smaller Green Fungus Mannequins ceased their attack onTang Ling and scattered away. Upon a closer look, they started to split into a few groups to protect the mushrooms in the area.

Tang Ling squinted his eyes. He seemed to understand what those large Green Fungus Mannequins were trying to do. They wanted to command the lower intellect Green Fungus Mannequins to protect the place and not simple-mindedly fight a fruitless battle.

Did they care more about the mushrooms? Tang Ling’s eyes showed a trace of mad delight. He removed the torch from his mouth.

They care that much, huh? Tang Ling raised the sword and swung it down, cutting the torch in half. He held one half of the torch with his mouth again and held the other in his hand.

Do you think I wouldn’t suspect anything? Tang Ling turned his back at the broken spaceship, slowly moving backwards as if he was being cautious against something.

Ten minutes into the battle, he had gotten very close to the spot where the spaceship was embedded into the wall of the hill.

There were many other zombies around the spaceship, carrying barrel after barrel of black liquid they had collected from the mushrooms into the spaceship as if the battle did not concern them.

Are they not concerned? Tang Ling continued to move like a tiger that had escaped from its cage. He pushed himself backward and knocked over a zombie carrying a barrel less than 5 meters from him.

As the barrel flew up, Tang Ling jumped and grabbed it mid-air.

The two large Green Fungus Mannequins then screamed irritatingly while the smaller Green Fungus Mannequins then frenziedly threw themselves at Tang Ling again.

“Hahahaha!” Tang Ling laughed madly. Without a second thought, he tossed the torch in his hand into the barrel of black liquid.

The fire did not get extinguished. Instead, it ignited the barrel!

Right after that, Tang Ling splashed the barrel of flaming liquid at those huge grayish-white mushrooms. It was very easy for him to attack the giant mushrooms which were only less than 10 meters from him with his precision and strength.

Following the large Green Fungus Mannequins’ wails, the splashed flaming liquid spread like a blazing snake, drawing an elegant fiery arch in the air and landing on the giant pileus of the grayish-white mushroom.

Boom!

A loud explosion reverberated from the burning mushroom, followed by a blazing pillar that rose high up in the air fiercely.

Both large Green Fungus Mannequins lost their minds when the blazing scene unfolded before their eyes. One of them jumped back into the ship and the other one lunged towards Tang Ling madly.

Tang Ling was standing beside the flames. His sword-wielding figure was set off by the blazing background, making him look like an emissary from hell. Unafraid at all, more excitement was incited his brain.

He charged forward and met the large Green Fungus Mannequins in combat.

The group of smaller Green Fungus Mannequins beside him charged into the spaceship madly, none of them caring about Tang Ling anymore. He did not care about them either because he only wanted to fight.

In Tang Ling’s mind, a mission notification from the Dream Domain popped up.

Discovered and destroyed an ‘Energy Conversion Dead Shroom’. Initiate sub-mission: destroy the source. Completion rate of mission: 20%.

Completion rate of mission: 40%. Acquired 1 Dream Coin. Rating for completion rate of main mission: increased by a little.

Completion rate of mission: 60%. Acquired 2 Dream Coins. Rating for completion rate of main mission: increased by a little.

Completion rate of mission: 80%. Acquired 5 Dream Coins. Rating for completion rate of main mission: increased.

Completion rate of mission: 100%. Acquired 10 Dream Coins. Rating for completion rate of main mission: increased by a grade.

“How stingy!” Tang Ling exclaimed in his heart. Even after he reached a 100% completion rate, all he got was 10 Dream Coins and the completion rate only went up from Grade B to Grade A.

However, the 100% completion rate of the main mission was only at Grade C, and now after he had completed the sub-mission, all he did was increase the grade from C to B?

Where was A? Or S? If there really were higher grades, what would he need to do to achieve them?

With that thought in mind, Tang Ling and the Green Fungus Mannequins clashed crazily.

As though they were two cannonballs fired out of their barrels, the two of them clashed in mid-air and the impact from their collision was huge. A thundering bang went off, causing one’s teeth to go numb and a ring of wind was whipped up around them.

The gale burst outwards and swept the other zombies down.

The two of them split after a quick crash. Tang Ling slid backward by around a dozen steps as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

The large Green Fungus Mannequin only faltered backward a little and it got back up on its feet. The grudgeful glare in its eyes was cold as it stared at Tang Ling.

Finally, have I run into some monster that I can’t beat?

The Dream Domain is finally showing me how difficult is it to raise the rating! Is it nearly impossible to go higher?

Nevertheless, Tang Ling was excited because he knew that in this kind of situation, he should no longer measure his strength by his punching force and should change to a more complicated formula.

The calculations were complicated such as the retraction, the impact, and the punch. All the strength that a person could exert would fall within the calculations and the main thing was the retraction of the muscles and his bones.

In more uncomplicated words or in a simpler measurement unit, he would measure his strength to a bull’s.

Tang Ling’s current strength level equaled the strength of two bulls whereas the large Green Fungus Mannequin was around the strength of three bulls or more.

In ancient Huaxia, there was a saying to describe tremendous effort: ‘the strength of nine bulls and two tigers’. Modern people tended to describe power by horsepower, but the essence of both was the same since both found a reference and provided an understandable value.

Facing against a foe whose strength far triumphed his own, would Tang Ling submit? Was he trying to achieve a 90% completion rate as quickly as possible and then exit the Dream Domain?

No, he was just excited. The battle fanatic in him was rising.

He spat the remaining blood out of his mouth and the pain from his ribs further spurred him strongly.

That quick clash with the Green Fungus Mannequin broke his ribs, but as long as it would not hinder his movements, pain was the best arousal drug.

If he could not compete in terms of strength, what about speed?

Tang Ling took the initiative and charged towards the large Green Fungus Mannequins again. This time, he did not aim for a direct clash. Instead, it was a performance of extreme speed.

The two collided once more. Amidst the blazing surroundings and the worried smaller Green Fungus Mannequins that ran back and forth trying to save the mushrooms, only the glares of Tang Ling’s sword and both their afterimages were seen under the darkening sky. The flashes and glares were like silver flowers that bloomed under the night sky.

The numerous afterimages of the green claws were like the green leaves that set off the silver flower as it circled the glares of the sword.

Tang Ling never learned anything about swords and techniques; all he had was speed.

For the large Green Fungus Mannequin, there was no technique in its brawl either. It would not even know what modern boxing was, let alone ancient Huaxia martial arts. All it had was speed.

Fighting speed with speed, the battle was relentless and endless hits and strikes were exchanged between the two.

The extreme brawl lasted for less than two minutes before the two of them split up after one final clash.

Tang Ling panted even more violently. His battle uniform was badly damaged, and cuts and injuries covered his body, dying his body with red wounds.

On the other hand, the large Green Fungus Mannequin had most of its green fur chopped off and there were some serious cuts on its body.

Tang Ling was on the losing side though. It was inevitable that he had to face the risk of infection, but the large Green Fungus Mannequin was free from such a problem. It could recover by replenishing the green fungus.

On top of that, Tang Ling also lost in the speed competition.

Although it was not that much of a difference as his strength, it was a cold hard fact that Tang Ling was slower.

He was not afraid to face the fact nonetheless. The more he fell behind, the more it excited him.

However, time was running low. He had one more trick up his sleeve that he could try. He ought to combine his Precise Instinct with his reflexes to focus on dodging and then search for an opportunity to deliver a powerful explosive blow.

The large Green Fungus Mannequin did not spare as much thought to the battle as Tang Ling. It also did not show its fanaticism in fighting. All it wanted to do was crush this low living being that tried to destroy their ecosystem and rebuild the order in the mountain crack.

The two of them got back on their feet.

Tang Ling’s last battle tactic was the most effective one yet. With his Precise Instinct providing all the numbers and him effectively dodging, the Green Fungus Mannequin’s attack slowly lost its precision.

Tang Ling’s schemes evolved into something bewitching and it felt like he could predict his foe’s movements, hence forming a perfect contrast with the attacks.

The scene with the Leceister silverback bear was in play again as man and beast were working together to produce the show.

This particular way of battle was the limit and the strongest burden that Tang Ling could bear. Due to the Precise Instinct’s rapid operation, in order to achieve specific instinctive predictions and keep up with the Precise Instinct’s speed, he had to utilize everything he had to cope including his strength, speed, reflexes, and even his spirit.

Three continuous battles once again proved how much a battle fanatic Tang Ling was and his tendency to pursue extreme battles. He used the large Green Fungus Mannequin which was far stronger than himself as his own grinding stone. He used it to adjust, think, and combine all his battle techniques.

30 seconds later, the Wolf Crunch swept across the large Green Fungus Mannequin’s brow.

42 seconds later, the Wolf Crunch was stabbed into the large Green Fungus Mannequin’s armpit. It seemed to cherish its body a lot. After the cut to its armpit, it wailed in pain and started to retreat.

Shakily, Tang Ling was barely on his feet. If he had not pushed himself to the limit, this last battle would have been much more of a performance than it already was.

Time was really running out, and he was in the endgame now.

Those smaller Green Fungus Mannequins charged out from the spaceship with the wooden barrels. They headed to the flowing stream for water and tried their best to extinguish the fire in the mushroom jungle.

Was it useful though? It was not since they would soon fall short in their efforts.

When Tang Ling saw the large Green Fungus Mannequin’s reaction, he was even more confident in his final crazy plan.

While the large Green Fungus Mannequin stepped back, trying to save its skin by repairing its injuries, Tang Ling seized the little window of opportunity and grabbed a handful of Level 2 vicious beast meat jerky.

He did not know how much he had grasped, but he put it into his mouth and started chewing. He swallowed a little and then added more in his mouth.

He was not crazy. He was totally out of his mind!

A seemingly endless battle would end and the victor would emerge at the very last few minutes. Tang Ling only had a few minutes on his clock.

Come out! Wake up, seed! I’ve been watering you with energy for the past two days. Wake up!

Tremendous pain burned him like fire as he swallowed the meat jerky mouth after mouth. He was screaming in pain madly, but he did not stop! He was still stuffing the meat jerky into his mouth.

So, you need a powerful spirit to appear, and before this, my spirit wasn’t strong enough to support you. That was why I needed more stimulation.

I did it the last time during the garage mission, meaning that my spirit has grown to the point that it’s strong enough to support you. Am I right?

Tang Ling’s body started to shake. He did not use his eating method since it was not necessary because after he and the seed become one, the powerful body would have a stronger ability to digest.

These few days, I’ve also grown stronger in the Dream Domain, but did the improvement include my spirit? Because I’m not sure about this, I’m only 40% confident in this. But is 40% enough? If it were the odds of winning against the enemy, it’s far from enough; but if it came to you, I’d bet on it even if I have 1% of confidence because we coexist, we are one, we are connected by blood!

SO, COME OUT!

Tang Ling put the last piece of Level 2 vicious beast meat jerky in his mouth. He swallowed half of what he put in his mouth which was a full 600 grams.

What a crazy move! Every single cell in his body was wrapped in fire, burning him tremendously.

Tang Ling’s body was greedy, and so was the seed. This time, both of them were pushed to their very limit. Only with the fiercest battle could they vent their strong emotions out.

Once again, the battle fanatic, Tang Ling, started a gamble on the battlefield. Without further ado, it was time for him to reveal his trump card.

He screamed his lungs out when he called for the seed’s appearance. Together with his tremendous pain, the fanatic battle desire, the endless rage and his crazed excitement, the seed in his heart was summoned!

As though it exploded, the familiar power burned stronger and hurt worse than the vicious beast meat. Quicker than any other time, the energy filled every inch of Tang Ling’s muscles and bones instantaneously.

The large Green Fungus Mannequin is that strong, eh? Why don’t you try a large version of me?!

The transformation took just a moment and a fierce battle machine filled with suffocating pressure appeared in the Myriad Mushroom Crack!

Countdown timer: 5 minutes.

It was the duration of his transformation. The last madness had begun!

Tang Ling picked up the torch that had fallen on the ground earlier when he shouted and caught it with his mouth. He moved rather slowly, but when he suddenly looked up, the demented glare in his bloody eyes exploded.

He moved, leaving an image of himself behind and appeared beside the large Green Fungus Mannequin in the next second.

He raised his fist in the air and punched the large Green Fungus Mannequin with a heavy, thundering thud.

The large Green Fungus Mannequin instinctively fought back, but since Tang Ling was already infected, he did not care about how fiercely it retaliated.

He was exchanging blow with blow. Moreover, can you even hurt me enough?

Punch after punch, the barrage of attacks became the heaviest storm ever, raining on the large Green Fungus Mannequin concentratedly. Every single punch that landed produced a heavy thud on impact, sounding like the fiercest battle drum.

Neither was there a need for Precise Instinct or reflexes nor a need for dodging. Only the craziest offense was on display!

After the seed exploded, the craziness doubled and the battle fanaticism piled up together.

Fight the craziest battle that vented it all!

In 20 seconds, Tang Ling pounded the large Green Fungus Mannequin into a deformed meat paste.

It would not die yet since it would surely repair its body, but his desire to it destroy was powerful. Tang Ling picked the meat paste up and further ripped it into smithereens, tossing it all over the ground.

Even if this could not kill it, it would have to repair itself at the highest cost, would it not?

Countdown timer: 4:30 minutes.

Tang Ling dashed towards the broken spaceship like a hurricane. His huge body jumped up nimbly and latched onto a bulging rock, launching himself higher to the peak of the spaceship where the entrance to the spaceship was.

Tang Ling ran across the top. With every stomp he made, the whole spaceship shook lightly with a heavy thump.

The entrance was right in front of him, so Tang Ling ran faster and jumped in.

Entered the spaceship. Completion rate of the main mission: 90%

Dream Seed 0223 has acquired the right to choose again. Exit the Dream Domain and the Domain Door will appear in three minutes. Remain in the Dream Domain and the next option will appear after a 100% mission completion rate.

Warning: This area is extremely dangerous. This area is extremely dangerous.