The sheer number of "Monster Cells" far exceeded Hans's expectations.
"That slime octopus, just a low-tier Tiger-level underboss, was hoarding this much?"
It was obvious now, it had been skimming from the shares meant for the lower-rank monsters, secretly stockpiling a massive amount of Monster Cells for its own next evolution!
Hans picked up one of the squirming lumps. It was slick, wet, and pulsed faintly with a disturbing vitality; chaotic will and life energy surged from it, as if trying to crawl into his body and devour him from within.
He drew in a deep breath, fighting back the overwhelming hunger that rose from every cell in his body.
"This will… comes from Monster King Orochi himself!"
For a normal monster, eating such a thing would be a gamble between power and death, a one-in-ten chance of survival.
But for Hans…
Just then, the familiar system prompt rang out in his mind.
[Detected a large amount of unclaimed life force. Convert to Source Points? (Yes / No)]
Hans's eyes lit up, his grin widening beneath the dark visor.
'It worked!'
"Yes!"
Without hesitation, he confirmed.
WHUMMMM!
A formless force descended from nowhere.
The Monster Cell in Hans's hand began to convulse violently!
PSSHHHT!
The twisted flesh gave off a brief, high-pitched shriek. The glow along its surface faded rapidly, dimming like a dying ember.
Within seconds, the once-living tissue shriveled, blackened, and turned to ash, falling between his claws like dry sand.
At the same moment, a wave of pure energy flooded into his body, warm and immense, before being absorbed by the system, condensed into a single, cold number.
[Conversion successful! Gained 100 Source Points!]
"Holy crap…" Hans muttered, his voice trembling with glee.
Even through his helmet, his mouth curled into a wild grin.
'Just one Monster Cell was worth 100 Source Points!'
He snapped his head toward the remaining unopened crates, eyes burning with greed and excitement.
'Jackpot. This is a freaking goldmine!'
Without wasting another second, Hans lunged forward and began draining every single Monster Cell he could find.
PSSHT!
PSSHT!
PSSHT!
One after another, the pulsating lumps of flesh disintegrated in his hands, vanishing into ash as the numbers on his system panel soared skyward.
[Gained 100 Source Points!]
[Gained 100 Source Points!]
[Gained 100 Source Points!]
…
Minutes later, the last of the Slime Octopus's secret stash had been absorbed.
Hans opened his system panel, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes.
[No Longer Human System]
Host: Hans
Current Species: Monster (Unknown insect-type mutation)
Disaster Level: Tiger (Upper)
[Ability List]
Innate Ability: 1
"Hardened Carapace (N)" Lv.3
[Ability Slots: 5 / 10]
"Overgrowth (SSR)" Lv.1
"Scorch Bomb (SSR)" Lv.1
"Beast's Body(SSR)" Lv.1
"Primal Instinct (SSR)" Lv.1
"Basic Regeneration (N)" Lv.3
[Source Points: 12,629]
Over twelve thousand points!
That Slime Octopus had basically exploded into gold!
With this much, he could afford to upgrade even his most energy-hungry SSR skills multiple levels.
His power was about to skyrocket.
Still, Hans resisted the urge to start leveling right away. He steadied his thoughts, planning his next move.
"I'll keep things stable with Pochi first. Then I'll take over the Slime Octopus's whole network."
"A leader can die, but order must remain."
"If chaos draws attention from above, and they send in another Tiger-level, or worse, a Demon-level, commander, things will get messy fast."
Just then, a strange squelching noise echoed from the far end of the tunnel, growing steadily louder.
Hans's eyes narrowed. He turned toward the sound.
From the darkness emerged a pinkish flesh sphere, roughly the size of a human head, its surface quivering as it flapped two tiny wings.
Six malformed tentacles, each with only two stubby "fingers", wriggled below it, and a single massive eye dominated the center, rotating rapidly with eerie intelligence.
Hans froze for half a second, then recognized it immediately.
"That's… one of the Evil Eye's drones, Little Eye."
A surveillance organism of the Monster Association, an extension of the Dragon-level monster Evil Eye.
"Ohohohoho~~ what a lucky little rookie we have here!"
The pink ball hovered in front of him, emitting a shrill, Dio-like laugh even though it had no mouth.
The sound wasn't carried by air; it was pure telepathy, a direct intrusion into Hans's mind.
That huge eye studied him up and down, its gaze slicing through the black armor as if seeing into his very soul.
"You've even caught Pochi's attention, hm? Seems you came out of that mess with quite the evolution."
Its voice dripped with a smug, oily tone, every word like a slime-coated compliment.
"Ohohoho… very promising. I like you already~~~"
Hans's instincts screamed danger, but his face betrayed nothing.
As a transmigrator, he knew exactly what he was dealing with.
The so-called Evil Eye, advisor to the Monster Association, was just a puppet, a disposable shell controlled remotely by the true mastermind:
Psykos, an esper who secretly ruled the Association from the shadows, rivaling even Tatsumaki in power.
If one of these eyes were here, it meant she was probably watching everything through it.
That included his battle earlier… and his system's power to absorb Monster Cells.
A chill crept up Hans's spine.
The system was his greatest trump card; he couldn't let it be exposed.
Still, judging by her words, Psykos seemed to think his "power-up" was just a natural monster mutation, a rare but plausible evolution triggered by near-death stress.
Good. His secret was safe… for now.
But he couldn't let his guard down. Psykos was cunning, calculating, and always scheming for more control.
Hans quickly made up his mind to play along.
With a low, steady voice, he replied,
"Just lucky to survive, Lord Evil Eye."
The floating Little Eye circled him once, its gaze filled with amusement and malice.
"Ohohoho… modest, aren't we? But remember this, in our Association, power is everything."
Its tone hardened, cold and commanding.
"Since you killed the Slime Octopus, you'll take over its territory and handle its logistics. Can you manage that? Don't disappoint me."
"Ohohohoho~~"
Its laughter echoed through the chamber, the massive eye staring unblinking at Hans,
waiting for his answer.
An opportunity… has come.