Surrounded by a sea of identical black figures, Hansen stood still, calmly parsing the torrent of power and jumbled thoughts flowing in from every clone. With so many copies acting in sync, each feeding back their sensations and experiences, he had already formed a precise understanding of the situation.
Even though the abilities these clones possessed were merely imitations, none reaching the original's peak, they still matched the level he had been at when he first broke into Demon class. And that was only their starting point.
Because once they tapped into the explosive amplification of "Monsterization Phase One," the difference would be more than just numbers, as it would be exponential power. Trying to measure the strength of a broken character was like trying to count stars in a thunderstorm: meaningless.
"If you're calling yourself the 'Bug God,' then you're an embarrassment to the title of god."
While Bug God stood frozen in disbelief, still reeling from the overwhelming pressure, one of the Hansens stepped out from the crowd. His black spiked arms folded across his chest, voice dripping with disdain.
"Boys, today we…"
"Slaughter a god for fun!!"
"You got it!"
"This is gonna be interesting!"
"Let's get it over with! I need a nap."
"How should we kill him? Doesn't matter. Just do it!"
"Erase him completely!"
Their shouts echoed with eagerness, forming a battle cry of unity that rolled across the nest like a storm front.
Bug God's instincts screamed. His five eyes twitched erratically, scanning for a way out. Still trying to preserve his bravado, he barked, "Enough with the drama, brat! You almost had me… but numbers mean nothing before absolute power!"
"Is that so?" Another clone stepped forward, tone cold. "Then let us show you what actual despair looks like."
At his words, mocking voices surged from the horde like waves crashing.
"No way. You didn't really think we were just gonna stand around and watch, right, senpai?"
"Man, the 'Me' can be cruel sometimes, doing this to a fellow 'senior'!"
"Cruel? Nah. 'I' could be a billion times worse!!!"
"Then let's do it… everyone… Monsterization Phase One!!"
"Henshin!!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
In less than a heartbeat, more than a hundred clones triggered their transformation all at once!
Each of their bodies flared with explosive force. Crimson magma-like lines ignited across their black armor. Their muscles swelled. Their speed and strength surged, and their auras skyrocketed to terrifying new heights.
The nest quaked.
Over a hundred intense, nearly peak-level Demon auras rose into the air together like a wall of death. Every clone radiated power that surpassed their original base state by several magnitudes.
The transformation shockwave tore through the chamber. Stone cracked and shattered. The ceiling split with jagged fractures. Rubble poured down like rain. It was as if the nest itself had been thrown into the apocalypse.
Bug God was now pale.
Time to be a bitch.
"I'm sorry! I swear I was just here to drop something off, AAAAAAHHHH!!"
"Too noisy," a Hansen clone muttered, flames erupting across his chest as he raised one spiked arm. "Eat this, Scorching Blast: Type 118 Full Barrage!!!"
VMMMMM!
In the next instant, it was as if over a hundred miniature suns had been detonated within the cave.
Each clone opened his mouth to form a perfectly dense, blinding white orb of energy. The spheres hummed with heat intense enough to vaporize steel, distorting everything around them. In a single unified motion, they fired.
The blinding flash tore away the darkness. The temperature spiked as if the core of the earth had cracked open.
Bug God didn't hesitate. Instinct seized him. His wings blurred into motion, vibrating past their limit. His body turned into a green streak as he bolted toward the edge of the cave.
He slammed all six of his arms into the stone wall, frantically trying to claw out an escape path. But before he could even make progress, the Scorching Blasts, now enhanced by wind-force propulsion, shot toward him like blazing meteors. More than a hundred searing projectiles howled through the air, locking onto Bug God's massive frame with ruthless precision. There were no blind spots. The sky itself seemed to open up and rain death.
"No!!!!"
His desperate scream was short-lived, instantly drowned beneath the deafening roar of explosions.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
The nest quaked under the impact. A relentless wave of fiery detonations tore into Bug God. Its once-unshakable defense meant nothing. Even in its fully liberated form, the first barrage ripped through its armored flesh like paper. The follow-up was merciless. What remained of its body was pounded into fragments, then vaporized entirely.
The blinding brilliance of the attack lingered for over ten seconds before finally fading. But the shockwave it unleashed tore through the entire cavern like a tempest. Dust, rubble, and molten shards swept through the nest.
When the light cleared, all that was left was a massive crater. Its edges were smoothed to a glossy sheen from the heat, and at its center lay a deep abyss stretching toward a faintly glowing underground river. Acrid smoke curled lazily upward, bringing with it the unmistakable stench of scorched flesh.
At that moment, a system chime echoed clearly in Hansen's mind.
[You have slain Demon-level monster "Bug God." Origin Points +998!]
"Done and dusted." One clone casually clapped his hands, brushing off imaginary debris.
"Tch. As expected of 'me', turning an execution into a fireworks show without breaking a sweat." Another clone stood proudly, arms akimbo, admiring the spectacle.
"Hey, seriously though," a third clone chimed in, rubbing his hands together, "can I go out and travel for a bit? The world's huge... I wanna dri, cough, I mean, see it!"
"…Suspicious. That hesitation sounded illegal. No lewd objectives allowed!" A nearby clone immediately cut in.
"..."
Hansen stared at the +998 notification, still processing it.
Bug God had always been said to be on the cusp of Dragon level, and judging by that reward, the rumors weren't just hot air.
A peak Demon-level enemy brushing against the Dragon class really did bring in a windfall.
If nearly a thousand points came from one opponent like that… then taking down an actual Dragon-level monster might break the scale.
But before he could indulge in any more daydreams, Hansen felt several clones beginning to stir. Some were already trying to sneak off toward the outer corridors of the nest.
He sighed as a migraine bloomed.
"Alright, alright! Chill out. Once we're done dealing with the 'Big Eyeball' stage, then 'we' can wander all we want."
Still grumbling, Hansen turned to see a handful of clones already creeping toward the edge of the cavern. His eye twitched.
"For now, get your asses back here!"
"Nope! High-energy admin-level suppression incoming!"
"This place ain't home, we're leaving!"
"Destroy the main body! The world belongs to the clones!!"
"Farewell, main body! Don't forget to burn incense for us!!"
"…"
Hansen: "…"
His headache reached a new level.
Suppressing the clones' restless craving for freedom, Hansen activated the main body's system privileges. In an instant, despite the curses, pleas, and shameless protests, the rebellious clones were forcefully reabsorbed. Their bodies collapsed into clouds of microscopic cytoplasm, dissolving into the ether like droplets of mist.
Unlike Black Sperm, whose duplication came from biology, Hansen's "Trillion-Level Division" was a system-generated UR-tier ability. It wasn't based on genetics or combat evolution. It was structured data, shaped by the very framework of the system itself.
And because the system was a unique, independent entity, only the main body could access its core permissions. The clones might inherit power, even personality, but none could override the authority of the true host.
Simply put, Hansen was the system administrator. Without his clear approval, any clone could be muted or deleted instantly.
The other "Hansen selves" understood that perfectly.
They knew no amount of rebellion could change the fact that they were subordinate. So, with no options left, they hurled a few last parting insults before melting back into their original cells.
"Ah damn…" Hansen exhaled, rubbing his temples and trying to shake the leftover echoes in his mind. "This is starting to feel like some cursed version of Shadow Clone Jutsu… my brain's barely hanging on."
Silence fell over the nest once again. The only sound that lingered was the faint hissing of scorched air, still carrying the scent of carbonized dust.
Crouching down, Hansen picked up the cloth sack lying nearby and opened it. As expected, it was brimming with Monster Cells, an entire load of them.
Without hesitation, he plunged his hand in and activated conversion. One after another, the cells vanished into the system.
A steady chime of notifications echoed in his ears.
[Conversion successful! Origin Points +10,000!]
Hansen stood motionless for a moment. Bug God's final scene flickered briefly in his mind, its desperation, its futile roar, but he felt absolutely nothing. No guilt, no regret, not even satisfaction.
"In the end, I gave in and wiped out one of Gyoro Gyoro's key lieutenants. I'm sure that's gonna cause trouble down the line… but you know what?"
He gave a small, indifferent shrug.
"No hard feelings, Bug God. Workplace competition's just that brutal."
…
The next day.
Deep beneath Long Bridge Abyss, Hansen was perched on the back of a colossal hound, roughly the size of a small hill. Using the hardened claws on his own fingers, he ran them carefully through Overgrown Rover's sleek black fur, brushing it out in long, even strokes.
Ever since his first full "Geothermal River Spa Experience," Rover had become obsessed with this combination of deep cleaning and gentle massage. Every few days, without fail, he would lie down expectantly, tail wagging, until Hansen gave in.
Hansen didn't mind. The beast was basically a certified good boy, personally approved by Baldy himself in the manga. Keeping Rover happy wasn't just relaxing; it was an investment in trust and future survival.
While his hands worked on auto-pilot, Hansen let part of his attention drift toward his internal panel. He flicked it open for a quick look.
[Non-Human System]
[…]