Heavy breaths echoed down the corridor.
Overgrown Rover let out a guttural growl, the kind that came from deep within its chest, thick with satisfaction. Its six blazing eyes shifted from the five trembling "snacks" nearby to the mangled corpse lying behind them. Blood still steamed from the body, its thick stench wafting through the air. Simple-minded even in its monstrous evolution, Rover still favored big, hearty meals over small bites.
Compared to those scrawny Wolf-level creatures, the fresh carcass looked far more appealing. There wasn't much cunning in that massive head, just a primal desire to eat.
(❍❍❍ᴥ❍❍❍ʋ)
A droplet of drool the size of a grown man's fist fell from between its jagged fangs, splashing against the floor with a disgusting splat. The sound echoed unnaturally loud in the tense silence.
Hansen, heart pounding, was the first to recover from the suffocating fear. His mind kicked into gear at a blistering pace.
He couldn't just stand there and die. That wasn't an option.
The beast moved again, taking a slow, lazy step forward. Its enormous paw fell like a curtain of death. A shadow dropped over the unfortunate Iron Rooster, and in the next instant, a wet crunch rang out. Blood and tissue exploded in all directions, leaving behind only a red smear. There wasn't even time to scream.
Rover didn't react. It didn't care. It had crushed a fellow monster like it was nothing more than a bug beneath its heel. Without hesitation, the beast bent its massive head down and started tearing into the corpse with relish. The cracking of bones between its teeth made Hansen's spine go cold.
His gaze locked onto Rover's forepaw, just a few feet away. It was covered in rough, black fur like volcanic rock. The sight triggered a wild idea,
The system only needs physical contact to copy an ability. That's the condition.
It was suicide to try. But so was staying still. If death was already certain, he'd rather roll the dice.
The others were frozen, completely broken by fear. Their bodies trembled, but they didn't move. Only Hansen stepped forward, lifting his arm with slow, deliberate resolve.
Their eyes widened in horror as he moved. Even Rover paused, noticing something strange. With a half-chewed hunk of meat hanging from its jaws, one of its fiery eyes shifted toward the small figure at its feet.
Hansen's vision narrowed. He could feel the crushing pressure of a Dragon-level aura pressing down on his skull, but he pushed forward. Without hesitation, he drove his clawed hand, black and armored like a beetle's shell, straight into Rover's monstrous paw.
"Rrrh...?"
The texture beneath Hansen's hand was scorching and uneven, like plunging his arm straight into a roaring furnace. Pain lashed through his palm as if his armored shell were on the verge of melting. But just as he gritted his teeth to endure it, a sudden chime rang out in his mind, clear and unmistakably mechanical.
[Monster: Overgrown Rover]
[Disaster Level: Dragon (Peak)]
[Ability 1: "Overgrowth (SSR)" – A mutation that breaks species boundaries. Grants a colossal body without sacrificing speed or strength, allows vast energy storage, and houses a nearly endless life force.]
[Ability 2: "Scorching Bomb (SSR)" – Emits ultra-high-intensity energy blasts from the mouth. Capable of both continuous fire and charged bursts. Each shot can pierce deep underground layers and trigger shockwaves comparable to localized earthquakes.]
[Ability 3: "Savage Body (SSR)" – A nearly indestructible frame resistant to top-tier Dragon-level damage. Has previously survived a casual strike from Saitama, only falling unconscious.]
[Ability 4: "Beast Instinct (SSR)" – Fights on raw instinct alone. Enhances combat intuition, reflexes, and significantly amplifies strength and speed when enraged.]
"Hsssss...!"
Of course. Rover wasn't a high-ranking Dragon-level monster for nothing. Hansen could only describe these four glowing golden abilities with one phrase: absolutely monstrous.
Though SSR rarity meant a steep upgrade cost, it didn't affect copy potential. And now, each of those golden icons hovering in his mind's eye carried a single, gleaming label,
Copyable!!
[Alert! Target ability successfully copied!]
[Successfully acquired SSR abilities: "Overgrowth" Lv1, "Scorching Bomb" Lv1, "Savage Body" Lv1, "Beast Instinct" Lv1]
[Current occupied slots: 4/5]
[Abilities materializing... Initiating adaptive transformation...]
[Disaster Level Increase!]
[Ability slot limit +5!]
[Current disaster level: Tiger (High)]
The system voice faded, and the change inside Hansen began almost immediately.
It felt as if something massive had crushed his heart, only to inject molten fire directly into it the next moment.
BOOM!!
An unseen detonation burst from his chest, launching a wave of searing heat through every vein. At the cellular level, something inside him shattered and then ignited. Every dormant part of his being awakened with violent intensity, as though his entire existence had turned into a furnace of raw power.
A primal force erupted within, like a volcano tearing itself free from deep slumber.
Power! Sheer, unstoppable power!
It hurt like hell. Yet that agony was drowned out by the overwhelming rush of energy flooding every nerve. His body, already transformed, began evolving again.
Hansen's frame swelled and cracked as he grew. Muscles tore and regenerated at once, snapping into new proportions. Bones popped loudly as his limbs lengthened. In just a few seconds, he had expanded significantly in both height and build.
From 170 to 195 centimeters in a breath, his once-slim form shifted into something dense and formidable. A thick, obsidian exoskeleton covered his entire frame, veined with pulsing crimson streaks that glowed like lava beneath the surface. Waves of heat rolled off him in every direction.
His insides were also undergoing a terrifying metamorphosis, blood vessels widened, bones hardened, organs strengthened, and his musculature thickened into monstrous perfection. Bit by bit, his physiology crossed the boundary into something that could no longer be classified as human.
And the energy now coursing through him was no trickle. It was a roaring flood that pushed violently against every limit he'd once known.
Meanwhile, the strange sensation on Rover's leg, coupled with Hansen's explosive surge in aura, finally made the beast pause its feast.
A deep, guttural growl rumbled from Rover's throat, sharp and low, laced with hostility. The sheer pressure of a Dragon-level monster surged outward like a tidal wave, warping the air around it. In an instant, its massive head snapped around, and all six burning eyes locked squarely onto Hansen, who still appeared pitifully small beneath its towering frame.
The chill of imminent death washed over Hansen like a thousand icy needles stabbing through his skull. But instead of fear, a flicker of scarlet madness lit up his eyes.
Fighting through the searing agony of his body's ongoing transformation and the violent surge of energy flooding his limbs, he spun on his heel without hesitation. In one swift motion, he lunged toward a nearby mutated cockroach, which had frozen in sheer terror.
Crack!
The cockroach's thick, grease-slicked arm snapped like a brittle branch under Hansen's grip. Green fluid spurted from the wound as the bones inside turned to powder.
"What are you doing?! Let me go!"
The creature thrashed in fear and fury, its words shrill and panicked, but its movements stilled almost instantly. Something ancient and devastating was building inside Hansen's mouth, radiating an aura so lethal it bypassed physical fear and struck directly at the soul.
The underground corridor, dim and stale, erupted with sudden light and searing heat. In the blink of an eye, darkness turned to daylight.
A massive orb of energy surged into being before Hansen, its glow brilliant and unbearable. The surrounding air warped and hissed with heat, and wild electric sparks danced in erratic arcs. He was forming it instinctively, Rover's most iconic, catastrophic move:
Scorching Bomb.
Rover: ???
Mutated Cockroach: !!!
Rover, who had been moments away from crushing the tiny pest beneath its paw, suddenly paused. Its massive body froze mid-motion as all six eyes blinked in unison, tilting its head in childlike confusion. The killing intent that had erupted moments ago dissipated completely, replaced by a puzzled curiosity.
For some reason, the creature beneath it smelled... familiar. That scorching aura, the heat of that blast, even the scent, everything about it felt oddly reminiscent. It was like a miniature version of itself, or perhaps a fresh hatchling.
In a word: milky.
"Awwooo... awo?" (What... what's going on?)
While Rover was caught in bemused contemplation, the mutated cockroach caught in Hansen's grasp was seized by utter terror. Its arm throbbed in agony, but it no longer registered. All its attention was locked onto the searing white sphere forming in Hansen's mouth. That orb didn't just promise injury. It promised total, permanent erasure.
"No!"
"Spare me!"
"Y-Yamete kudasai!!!"
BOOM!!!
The cockroach's final screams were cut off as the Scorching Bomb exploded point-blank.
Its distorted face and most of its upper body were instantly consumed by the white-hot blast, which expanded into a man-sized sphere of pure destruction. The attack hit the tunnel wall like a divine hammer, erupting in a violent shockwave that shook the ground.
Although Hansen's Level 1 Scorching Bomb lacked Rover's apocalyptic firepower and couldn't punch through the reinforced rock walls of the Monster Association's base, it still unleashed a terrifying force.
The explosion carved a charred crater several meters wide into the wall. Molten stone dripped from its edges, and scorched debris rained from the ceiling. The air sizzled with lingering heat.
[Killed Wolf-level monster "Mutated Cockroach." Gained: Origin Points ×2.]
The system chime rang clearly in his head, confirming the kill and the spoils. The mutated cockroach, for all its noise and struggling, had been erased in an instant, painless and absolute.
As the smoke cleared, the acrid stench of burnt flesh and scorched exoskeleton filled the corridor. Only the cockroach's lower half remained, its legs twitching weakly. The upper body had been completely disintegrated. The severed cross-section was pitch black, sizzling and smoking, with trails of oily vapor rising into the heat-hazed air.
Rover had watched everything from start to finish. Its thick tail swayed unconsciously, smashing into the stone walls on either side. Cracks splintered across the rock from the sheer force, sending dust drifting down from the ceiling.
All six of its eyes narrowed ever so slightly, as if in satisfaction. Its gaze wasn't hostile anymore. That "appetizer's performance" had clearly impressed it.
Hansen, on the other hand, felt like he was about to collapse. Firing the Scorching Bomb had consumed nearly all the energy granted by his new powers. A wave of exhaustion slammed into him like a truck, his knees threatening to buckle.
Still, he didn't hesitate. Gritting his teeth through the fatigue, he shoved the still-steaming remains of the half-incinerated cockroach toward Rover, then carefully backed away, holding his breath.
Rover lowered its enormous head, nostrils flaring as it sniffed the charred offering. Then, with no hesitation, it opened its jaws and extended its thick tongue. The "grilled snack" disappeared in one smooth gulp.
"Awooo!"
The massive beast let out a low, rumbling growl of satisfaction.
Hansen blinked in surprise. Somehow, he understood the emotion behind that sound. Maybe it was the influence of the "Beast Instinct" ability he'd copied, or maybe something deeper had clicked into place, but despite never owning a pet, he grasped the meaning instantly.
"You're saying... it was roasted pretty well, but if it had cooked a bit longer, it would've tasted even better?"
"Awoo! Awoo awooo, " (Exactly! Exactly!)
∪(❍❍❍ᴥ❍❍❍)∪
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