NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26: Maxed-Out Monsterization
Hansen had originally planned to pose as a devoted fanatic, hoping it might get him close enough to tap into one of Orochi's probable UR-tier abilities. If things had gone well, he could have taken off like a rocket right then and there. But if the price was gambling his life just to become someone's lunch, then forget it.
"Understood! Thank you!! Pretend I never asked!!"
Straightening up, Hansen masked his nerves with a humble bow. "In that case, I'll wait until my strength improves further, until I'm truly worthy of an audience with His Majesty."
He then pointed at the exit, "I'll head out now to carry out my mission. I promise I won't let you down, my lord!"
He gave a final nod, respectful but brisk, and turned on his heel with flawless timing. Without a moment's pause, Hansen strode off with sharp, purposeful steps, quickly vanishing into the shadowy corridor beyond the gates. It was as if he feared Psykos might reconsider and call him back at any moment.
A dark show leaned on Psykos's eyes. She really wanted to spray him with some insecticide.
"No! I can't! If I hit him now, I might actually kill him!!" She smirked, "I'll wait until he reaches Dragon-level, then let Orochi take real good care of him!"
…
The moment he stepped out of Gyoro Gyoro's palace, Hansen's body tensed as a cold chill suddenly crept down his spine. With a physique like his, catching a chill was physically impossible. That could only mean one thing: something ominous was watching him.
"The hell is that... Something nasty's watching? I'm outta here!"
Muttering under his breath, Hansen vanished in a dark blur of speed, slipping into the endless maze of underground tunnels. His form twisted and shifted like a flickering shadow as he moved deeper into the gloom.
Mini Gyoro Gyoro, hiding in the shadows, could just stare blankly.
At full speed, Hansen darted through corridors until he reached his private quarters. He slammed the alloy door shut behind him and immediately released a pulse of aura, sealing off the room to prevent any external detection. Only once he was alone and secure did his serious expression dissolve, replaced by a grin that stretched from ear to ear.
Whoosh.
Over a thousand grotesque, mutated flesh chunks tumbled from the sack and hit the floor with wet, organic thuds, piling up until they resembled a fleshy hill. In the dim, murky lighting, each chunk pulsed faintly with an unsettling glow.
Hansen's eyes flared with excitement the moment he saw the pile.
Jackpot. This time, he'd hit the motherlode!
No further hesitation. With gleeful confidence, Hansen plunged both hands into the pile of warped meat, his grin tightening as if savoring a long-awaited victory.
"System! Convert everything for me!"
[Conversion successful! Acquired 110,000 Origin Points!]
The thousand-plus "Monster Cells" crumbled into fine dust the moment they touched his hands, their energy refined instantly by the system's process. The counter on his panel surged upward like a dam breaking.
[Origin Points: 183,691]
His total had just soared to a new record. He was now sitting on 180,000 Origin Points, his highest amount yet.
Seeing that jaw-dropping number, Hansen felt a surge of electricity rush through his body. Every cell seemed to buzz with barely contained excitement as an unfamiliar sense of boldness flooded his mind.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he was genuinely rich. No more agonizing over every expenditure, he could finally spend big without second-guessing every point.
Once the rush faded, Hansen exhaled deeply and stared at the glowing number again. It looked impressive, but when placed against the massive demands of Origin Point consumption, it quickly lost some of its shine.
Just one upgrade from Level 6 to Level 7 for "Overgrowth" would cost 32,000 points. Reaching Level 8 would require 64,000, and pushing it to Level 9? A staggering 128,000. In other words, 180,000 points wasn't enough to max even a single SSR core ability. At most, it would get him two upgrades, nothing more.
That realization wiped the inflated look right out of Hansen's eyes.
"The Monster Association is crawling with Gyoro Gyoro's informants. If I upgrade a core ability now, my power will rise along with my status, and that'll immediately draw attention."
With his sharp instincts returning, Hansen's gaze sharpened.
"I already said I hit a bottleneck, didn't I? That means I need to act like I really hit one. If I evolve too easily, how am I supposed to trick some rich lady into giving me a reward? So…"
Hansen coughed.
"No leveling up for now."
He couldn't afford to upgrade any core abilities, not yet. But that didn't mean the rest were off-limits.
Since he'd be heading into human cities soon, walking around in his savage, monstrous form would be far too conspicuous. In that environment, a reliable disguise ability wasn't just useful, it was critical.
"Priority goes to maxing out 'Monsterization'!"
[Spent 48,000 Origin Points. 'Monsterization' level increased! Lv6 → Lv10 (MAX)!]
[Alert! Copied ability 'Monsterization (SR)' has reached max level. It is now integrated into the body. Ability slot freed!]
[Current ability slots used: 9/15]
With the enhancement complete, Hansen activated the skill without hesitation. This time, the transformation process was completed in a single smooth breath. There was no delay, no jerky transition.
The grotesque, organic armor covering his body seemed to melt away, liquefying like polished mercury and silently flowing back beneath his skin. The transition was seamless, with no lingering energy fluctuations. His monstrous aura dissipated almost completely as his towering three-meter frame rapidly shrank.
Now, standing in his place was a young man about 1.95 meters tall. His features were flawlessly refined, with black hair, black eyes, and a face that could turn heads even in a crowd of celebrities.
"The transformation speed and control have improved massively," he noted, moving his limbs. "The unnatural sensation of a monster mimicking a human has dropped to the bare minimum. Unless I go all out in combat, no one should sense my aura."
He flexed his arms, tested his balance, and pushed off the ground with a controlled burst of strength. It was clear his power had been significantly restrained. Assessing himself calmly, he reached a verdict.
"In this form, I'd say I'm about as strong as Genos was during his debut, probably even stronger. As long as I stay alert, I should be able to handle most situations."
He could still feel the overwhelming might of what he now thought of as "Monsterization Phase Two" sealed within him, lying dormant beneath the surface. That suppressed strength pulsed faintly, like a sleeping beast ready to awaken.
Hansen's eyes gleamed once more, bright with anticipation.
"True, human form weakens me considerably. But in exchange, once I unleash Phase Two, the power boost will be even more explosive."
Hansen's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "I might even temporarily reach Dragon-level, just like Gale Wind did!"
He took a deep breath, forcefully pushing down the impulse to trigger the transformation right then and there. For once, his heart was genuinely stirred.
Dragon-level.
Even if it only lasted a short while, reaching that tier meant standing at the peak of conventional monster strength. It was a defining threshold, one he had finally touched.
"At last, I've set one foot into the era of true powerhouses."
Still, he wasn't about to let that success go to his head. Most of the overpowered villains get defeat with the same mindset. Madara, Aizen, Freeza, they all were defeated because arrogance got the better of them. Hansen wasn't going to end up like that. Also, he was a villain.
"Let's break it down. The full-power 'Monsterization' is already strong," he muttered, stroking his chin as he paced. "But if I want to match Sweet Mask's flawless human disguise, I'll probably need to evolve it to SSR level."
Almost on cue, the system's prompt echoed in his mind.
[Alert! Evolvable ability detected. Spend 100,000 Origin Points to evolve 'Monsterization (SR)'? (Yes/No)]
Hansen was a little skeptical.
He did the mental math. That was six digits, 100,000 flat.
Back when he evolved an N-tier skill, it only cost 1,000 points. Since SR was two ranks above N, adding two zeroes actually made sense. The scaling was steep, but not illogical. Still, that didn't make it feel any less painful.
If he wanted to play it safe, evolving 'Monsterization' to SSR would absolutely be the optimal move. It would minimize risk, boost reliability, and bring him one step closer to perfect disguise and burst power. But even with enough Origin Points on hand, Hansen had no plans to go through with it.
Not now.
This mission simply wasn't that difficult. Hellfire Flame was joining the Monster Association voluntarily. Unlike Garou, who had been dragged in against his will, this guy was more than willing. All Hansen needed to do was make contact and handle introductions. There was virtually no chance of a high-intensity confrontation.
Given that, a maxed-out SR-tier 'Monsterization' would be more than enough for the job.
Spending 100,000 Origin Points just to overprepare for a simple escort mission? Not worth it.
Especially not at this stage. He was still laying the foundation for his future growth, still in the power accumulation phase. There were far too many abilities waiting in line to be strengthened. They were all hungry, all vital, and every point mattered.
He'd just managed to coax a massive pile of resources out of a generous rich lady. Wasting them now would be unforgivable.
They had to be used where it counted most.