"Sorry to keep you waiting, Lord Pochi, I'm here!"
Arriving beside Pochi, Hans quickly slipped into his role.
Given their massive difference in size and strength, his claws, sharp enough to pierce most Demon-level monsters, were actually just right for combing through Pochi's thick, tangled fur.
This fur was so tough that even most Dragon-level beings could barely scratch it; cleaning out the grit and stones stuck inside was no easy task.
Fortunately, Hans had inherited Pochi's freakish endurance. Physically, he was more than up to the job.
He rolled up his metaphorical sleeves and got to work, scrubbing and massaging until Pochi began to relax, his six eyes narrowing in happiness.
Now and then, the great beast let out a deep, rumbling growl of satisfaction.
"Rrroo… grrrrumble…"
A few minutes later, Hans exhaled a cloud of white steam, his signal that the cleaning was done.
Pochi rose, shaking his enormous body.
Water droplets flew like arrows, blasting shallow craters into the distant rock walls.
When he was done, his previously dull, messy black fur now gleamed with a slick shine, every strand distinct.
His appearance looked sharper, livelier, almost majestic.
Pleased with his new look, Pochi lowered his massive head again, all six blazing eyes glancing at Hans, signaling for him to hop back onto his head so they could return to the lair.
Familiar with the routine now, Hans crouched and leapt lightly onto Pochi's head.
The fur, still hot from the creature's immense body heat, had already dried completely, leaving a toasty, comfortable surface, a perfect riding experience.
"Rrroar! Rroar-rrroar!" (Let's go! Come again next time!)
Pochi let out a low growl and dashed off, four paws thundering.
Like a bolt of black lightning, he ran along the rock wall, climbed back onto the bridge in a few steps, and soon disappeared into the tunnel's depths.
Alone again in his territory, Hans was still replaying that strange feeling, the connection and trust he'd sensed while riding Pochi.
It was a weird sensation, like raising a pet in a game… except this "pet" could easily wipe out a city.
If there were such a thing as an affection meter, Hans was pretty sure he'd already raised Pochi's to at least a passing level.
It seemed things were finally looking up; he'd unexpectedly managed to get close to a Dragon-level officer.
Still, this world was full of danger. Even if Hans's power was growing fast, he couldn't shake the feeling of constant threat.
Just within the Monster Association alone, there were at least 5 beings who could crush him instantly.
'Not enough. Still not enough.'
As he pondered how to keep getting stronger, Hans returned to his underground domain.
Even before he reached the entrance, the sound of roaring, clashing, and shrieking echoed through the tunnels.
When he stepped inside, he found exactly what he expected.
A group of Wolf-level monsters tearing each other apart over a mangled monster corpse. Severed limbs and guts were everywhere.
The smell of blood drove them madder by the second, and others lurking nearby couldn't resist joining the frenzy.
Chaos. Total chaos.
Several Tiger-level monsters stood watching coldly from the sidelines, occasionally "intervening", really just dragging off the wounded to gut and eat them fresh.
Such was life at the bottom of the Monster Association: brutal, savage, utterly lawless.
Hans paid it no mind. It had been the same when the Slime Octopus ruled here, and now, under him, not much had changed.
After all, this chaos was by design, engineered by Psykos herself, the mastermind behind the Association.
Few knew she was running large-scale experiments within the organization, testing her so-called "Near-Death Evolution Theory."
Yeah, basically the Saiyan cheat code from Dragon Ball: push monsters to the brink of death to force evolution and create stronger ones.
But most of the time…
They just died.
Only a rare few actually survived and evolved.
Still, Dragon-level monsters were hard to come by. Wolf-level ones? They were disposable.
Even if it only produced one or two Demon or Dragon-level monsters, it was a worthwhile trade.
The chaos abruptly stopped the moment Hans's towering three-meter-tall figure appeared.
Every monster, whether fighting or feeding, froze. Dozens of eyes turned toward the new Demon-level ruler, filled with fear and submission.
A few Tiger-level monsters sensed something deeper; his presence felt heavier, stronger than before.
Hans ignored them. He brushed past even Fang, who had come licking up for attention, and walked straight toward his private lair.
That trip had paid off big time. Now he needed some quiet to test the new abilities he'd just acquired.
Once inside, he opened his system panel.
[Swift Wind(SSR)]
[Monsterization (SR)]
"Let's test the SSR first."
With a thought, Swift Wind Lv1 activated.
Whoosh!
An invisible gust burst out from Hans's body, sweeping the lair clean of dust.
His heavy, armored form suddenly felt light, every joint and muscle brimming with agility and flow.
He could feel every movement of the air around him.
The next instant, a blur replaced him, his real body appeared at the far end of the lair, as if he'd teleported.
"Whoa… that's fast!"
Even though he'd had a taste of it before, Hans was still amazed.
His base speed was now as fast as his former full-power bursts.
"This feeling…"
He raised a clawed hand, fingers spread.
Wisps of pale blue wind wrapped around his fingertips, dancing in sync with his thoughts.
"So this is… the power of wind?"
Sensing that his speed came from the micro-currents swirling within and around his body, Hans began refining his control.
Shhhk!
A razor-thin wind blade shot from his finger, slicing a chunk of rock ten meters away in absolute silence.
The cut was smooth as glass.
Hans nodded to himself. 'That must be how Sonic boosted his own attacks.'
Of course, that guy was still adapting to his monster form, so he hadn't had time to refine it.
But Hans? He didn't have that problem.
Even if his Lv1 SSR wasn't as strong as the original, he could upgrade it, and since he'd copied it, he already understood how to use it right away.
In a way, he now grasped the power of the wind better than its original owner.
Simple, efficient, and free of charge.