Hansen inhaled deeply, doing his best to suppress the unease crawling through his chest. What was with that tone? Black Sperm sounded more annoyed about missing a snack than anything else.
He knew this creature could be unpredictable. In battle, Black Sperm was infamous for his sharp tongue and erratic behavior, but technically speaking, he was one of the rare "intelligent-type" monsters.
In the original timeline, after the complete collapse of the Monster Association, Black Sperm survived against all odds. He even managed to stick with Overgrown Rover and eventually became part of Saitama's household, living as a pet. That alone said volumes about his instincts and adaptability.
Highly intelligent monsters were often more dangerous because of their cunning, but at least they could be reasoned with. And if nothing else, Hansen was betting that, for Gyoro Gyoro's sake, Black Sperm wouldn't just randomly tear him apart.
He drew another breath, trying to think quickly. Memories of his earlier "PY" dealings with Rover flashed through his mind. Black Sperm still looked unsatisfied, maybe even bored, and that gave Hansen an idea.
Putting on a respectful, earnest expression, he bowed slightly. "Apologies for disturbing your rest, Lord Black Sperm. May I offer you a small token of apology?"
He gestured at the group behind him. "These subordinates of mine are durable enough. Please accept them as a post-meal snack, my lord."
Hearing this, all the monsters behind Hansen stiffened. As soon as he spoke, the Tiger-level monsters' faces paled with horror, disbelief clear on every face.
"Eh? For real?" Black Sperm's eyes sparkled.
He had never been picky about food. Back when he was still weak, he had eaten worms out of the dirt just to survive. Now, a fresh and wriggling protein buffet was being handed to him on a silver platter, why would he say no?
His tiny, greasy eyes scanned over the Tiger-level monsters, and a toothy, gleeful grin spread across his face.
"Well then, don't mind if I do."
Before anyone could react, the grotesque little thing launched himself from the ground and landed lightly on Hansen's shoulder.
Gripping one of the armor spikes protruding from Hansen's gear for balance, he swung his right arm.
Boom!
His pitch-black limb expanded wildly, ballooning to dozens of times its original size. In one clean sweep, he scooped up all five Tiger-level monsters as if gathering leaves.
With zero hesitation, he stuffed them into a gaping, abyss-like mouth. A loud burp followed.
"Burp… mid flavor."
Black Sperm hopped down from Hansen's shoulder like he weighed nothing and patted the armored leg beneath him approvingly.
"You're alright," he said with a pleased nod. "Tell Rover I said hi. That mutt's gotten a little chubby lately, hasn't he? I might stop by and mess with him sometime… huh? Why're you just standing there?"
He tilted his head, staring at Hansen curiously. "Hey, hey, hey…?"
Hansen hadn't moved a muscle throughout the entire exchange.
Part of it was shock, he hadn't expected Black Sperm to get so friendly so fast.
But most importantly, he had just seen it.
Not one, but two red-colored UR abilities had appeared in his system log.
[Alert! Target can be copied through contact!]
[Monster: Black Sperm]
[Disaster Level: Dragon (Peak)]
[Ability 1: "Trillion-Level Division (UR)" – By absorbing energy or organic matter, gains the power to multiply endlessly. Each duplicate acts independently while sharing awareness, perception, memory, and a uniform level of speed, strength, and reflex. Provided biomass and energy are sufficient, the copies retain full potency.]
[Ability 2: "Fusion Form (UR)" – Can merge with any number of clones without limit. Each stage of fusion greatly amplifies power. Forms include:
– "Basic Form": Retains capacity to divide. Protein absorption increases size. Limbs or the full body can expand, greatly boosting strength.
– "Multicellular Form": A dense amalgamation of clones that drastically improves combat stats.
– "Golden Form": Over ten trillion units fused into a radiant golden entity with overwhelming might.
– "Platinum Form": All clones permanently merged into one silvery-white form with immense mass and speed, far beyond natural limits. Exclusive techniques: 'Sub-Light Speed Assault,' 'Platinum Pierce,' 'Total Defense,' and 'No-Holds-Barred Reversal Combo.']
[Ability 3: "Cellular Mimicry (SSR)" – Body can shift structure to imitate terrain or reduce visibility. Cells can shrink, stretch, or disguise themselves as part of the environment.]
[Ability 4: "Cellular Detonation (SR)" – Portions of cellular mass can be self-detonated. Explosion size depends on the number of cells consumed.]
There was no room for hesitation. Hansen triggered the copy function the instant the system finished scanning. His movements were automatic, almost unconscious.
[Successfully copied UR ability: "Trillion-Level Division" Lv1!]
[Successfully copied UR ability: "Fusion Form" Lv1!]
[Successfully copied SSR ability: "Cellular Mimicry" Lv1!]
[Successfully copied SR ability: "Cellular Detonation" Lv1!]
[Current occupied ability slots: 10/15.]
Even though this single copy operation took up two-thirds of his capacity, Hansen wasn't about to hold back. A unique, systemic monster like Black Sperm was never about individual techniques. His entire power came from how his abilities interlocked. Given the chance, Hansen intended to replicate everything.
"Tch, so you're still alive…" Black Sperm's words drifted over as he noticed Hansen stirring. Wiping his mouth, he looked visibly let down. "You're no fun at all. Guess I'll get going."
With no further warning, his strange, inky body faded into the walls and shadows of the mine. One blink later, he was gone.
Hansen said nothing. He simply stood there, frozen in silence. The only thought in his head was an apology he didn't say aloud, Sorry, but I couldn't let you enjoy my top-grade protein.
Just then, a prickling sensation bloomed beneath his skin. It felt like countless tiny replicas of himself were activating, pulsing, and vibrating inside his body at the level of individual cells. The process had already begun. He was dividing.
At the same time, a strange instinct surged from deep within. His mind echoed with a compulsion to fuse. If he created enough clones, something inside him could undergo a complete transformation.
Thanks to the system's automatic data transmission, Hansen didn't need time to figure things out. The explanation arrived in his mind with total clarity.
The moment those UR abilities took root, his enormous life force surged on its own. His hyper-stimulated body had already begun undergoing a complete transformation, quietly triggering tens of thousands of cellular divisions and replications within moments.
A quiet whoosh passed through the air.
Only after Black Sperm's presence completely vanished into the depths did Hansen finally release a long, searing breath. His rapid evolution had been astonishing, but when measured against the monsters of the Monster Association, it still wasn't enough.
[Origin Points: 15,246]
A glance at his balance confirmed he barely had enough to upgrade one UR ability by a level or distribute small boosts to a few SSR-tier skills.
"Money. I need more money."
The resolve to earn surged again, sharper than before. Just then, Hansen felt the internal metamorphosis triggered by his new abilities slow down, like it had reached some kind of interim bottleneck.
[Cell Reserve: 1,000,000]
Reading the system notification, he immediately understood the cause behind the earlier instinctual shift. Although he had copied Black Sperm's UR abilities, building up his cell reserve still required a gradual process. This limit was bound tightly to his present physical stats and overall strength. Just like Black Sperm, he could speed things up significantly by consuming large amounts of external protein.
At Level 1, "Trillion-Level Division" granted him a modest reserve of one million cells. It didn't even come close to Black Sperm's monstrous count, which was likely in the tens of trillions.
But Hansen wasn't in a rush. His growth ultimately hinged on Origin Points, and that meant just one thing, he had to secure more income.
While mentally cycling through ways to earn faster outside of simply harvesting monster cells, he casually made his way back to his lair. The moment he stepped inside, a sharp and dissonant alert fired through his heightened senses.
Something was wrong.
Someone was here.
===
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