NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30: Level Up! Core Ability Evolves Again
Feeling a surge of excitement, Hansen immediately summoned his system panel. It was time to convert his remaining fortune into genuine combat power. Even after maxing out "Monsterization," he still retained a substantial 130,000 Origin Points. However, upgrading the halfway-progressed "Overgrowth" was growing increasingly expensive with every level. Still, this SSR-tier ability had a brutally straightforward effect, it directly enhanced all physical attributes. The higher the level, the more terrifying the overall boost. Since it was an essential investment, Hansen didn't hesitate for a second.
"System, add points!"
[32,000 Origin Points consumed. "Overgrowth" upgraded! Lv6 → Lv7!]
[64,000 Origin Points consumed. "Overgrowth" upgraded! Lv7 → Lv8!]
[Remaining Origin Points: 39,691]
The command was issued and instantly carried out. In an instant, nearly 100,000 Origin Points were refined and absorbed.
A tremendous power surged quietly within him. Though immense, it was fully suppressed by Hansen, who had long since adapted to this transformation process. The physical energy now rising within him had already exceeded Disaster level, yet even without resorting to his monster form, Hansen managed to absorb the enormous wave of power without issue, all while maintaining his human form.
He could feel it clearly, his strength, speed, cellular activity, and resilience were all escalating at an incredible pace. Eventually, only a subtle ripple of residual energy escaped from his body, spreading outward like a gentle shockwave.
Inside the moving train carriage, the lights flickered for a moment, and the metallic frame gave off a louder-than-usual creak before quickly settling again. Hansen raised an eyebrow. Even in human form, undergoing that kind of large-scale enhancement still resulted in minor energy leakage. He'd have to keep an even lower profile in tightly packed public spaces from now on.
In the control room, several train staff were startled by the sudden alarm. They stared at the dashboard, watching as the fluctuating indicators gradually returned to normal.
"What just happened? That jolt just now…"
"Data says everything's normal. Probably just a small issue at a track joint."
"Let's monitor it. If the readouts remain stable, cancel the alert manually."
"M-City's coming up soon, people. Stay sharp!"
None of them realized that the disturbance had been triggered by one of their passengers undergoing a non-human evolution.
Hansen slowly opened his eyes, a gleam of raw power flashing across them. Nearly 100,000 Origin Points had been spent for just two upgrades, but the improvements were undeniable.
In his monster form, his base strength now stood firmly at the peak of Demon level, just one step away from Dragon class. Even his human form had risen sharply, now falling somewhere between mid and high Demon level. Against low-tier Oni-class monsters, he could easily suppress them with one hand without needing to transform.
But that was as far as he could go for now. Pushing "Overgrowth" to Lv9 would demand a staggering 128,000 points. Even with Psykos supplying funds, it would take time to accumulate that much.
"Next up... the UR-tier abilities."
"Trillion-Level Division" and "Fusion Combination", the two abilities that served as Hansen's core trump cards, were next. They complemented each other perfectly.
[10,000 Origin Points consumed. "Trillion-Level Division" upgraded! Lv1 → Lv2!]
[10,000 Origin Points consumed. "Fusion Combination" upgraded! Lv1 → Lv2!]
[Remaining Origin Points: 19,691]
Another 20,000 points vanished in a flash. Even though each skill had only gone up one level, Hansen immediately noticed that his cells were more active, charged with an intense desire to divide and fuse. The base strength of each clone, the capacity of his cellular energy, and the amplification and stability after fusion had all improved dramatically.
With only a few thousand points left, Hansen paused to consider. His strength had advanced significantly, but his R-grade "Spiked Armor" was beginning to lag behind.
The only reason it hadn't become a glaring weakness was thanks to his monstrously durable "Beastly Body." Without that, the armor would've already been a liability.
As the only innate ability tied directly to his body, Hansen had always suspected it might hold hidden potential. If he could evolve it into something like a detachable, form-fitting suit, something in the style of a superhero or a Kamen Rider, complete with special effects, it would be perfect.
Recalling the iconic suits from his memories, he started the upgrade.
[Source Points Consumed ×2560: "Spiked Armor" leveled up! Lv9 → Lv10 (MAX)!]
[Source Points Consumed ×10,000: Ability evolution complete!]
["Spiked Armor (R)" LvMax → "Shadow Armor (SR)" Lv1!]
[Source Points Remaining: 7131]
In an instant, a brand new power surged through him.
The armor, once rigid and rough like an insect's carapace, now felt fluid, like a living, shadowy substance that responded directly to his thoughts. It could even be activated in human form.
["Shadow Armor (SR)" Lv1: A special suit repeatedly altered by the user's will. Its shadow material resembles a liquid memory-metal, capable of "strong defense," "damage absorption," "automatic counterattack," and "form transformation."]
"Wait… this actually worked?"
Hansen blinked, surprised for a moment, then smiled as realization set in. He could feel it clearly, those flashy armored suit ideas he had been imagining right before the evolution had somehow shaped the outcome.
Based on the old "Spiked Armor," this new version didn't just inherit better stats, as it gained the ability to transform its form, and the shell itself had evolved from a Zerg-like biological armor into a sleek, high-tech shadow substance. It now responded completely to Hansen's will and could be customized however he wanted.
According to the natural feedback relayed by the ability, the newly evolved "Shadow Armor" was constructed from Hansen's own biomass and powered entirely by his internal energy reserves. It could emerge as a second skin on specific body parts for localized defense, reinforce his clothing with enhanced protection and regenerative properties, or take full form as a complete suit, offering total offensive and defensive capabilities.
At his mental command, a black liquid flowed like water from beneath his palm, spreading out over his skin. It first shaped itself into a sharp spike, then smoothly transitioned through a series of forms, a dagger, a shield, a hammer, even ultra-thin tendrils.
"Almost complete transformation freedom? That's impressive."
If he had to put it into words, the current ability felt like a hybrid between Venom's symbiote and a high-end nanotech suit. The only thing missing was the voice of an alien parasite or a multi-billion-dollar AI managing its functions.
Fighting the urge to shout "Transform!" and dramatically transform, Hansen instead focused on the coolness of the liquid crawling across his skin, a realization settling in.
The abilities he'd acquired from others, no matter how powerful, always felt slightly disconnected, like software patched onto a system they didn't originally belong to. But the Shadow Armor, evolved from his very first innate ability, wasn't like that. It felt truly integrated. Natural. A seamless extension of himself that hinted at endless possibilities.
"So only innate abilities can evolve based on the user's intent and will? That explains it…"
If so, then the future potential of his innate ability was something worth anticipating.
There was one issue, though.
Even in this upgraded form, the SR-ranked Shadow Armor still radiated a potent monster-like energy. Any decent monster detector would flag it instantly. Its pitch-black appearance didn't help either, visually, it had "villain suit" written all over it. Wearing it in public as a human wouldn't fool anyone. He'd just end up looking like some rogue product of a secret monster experiment.
Weighing the strengths and weaknesses, Hansen concluded that there were still plenty of upgrades and modifications to be made before this armor reached its ideal state.
But that was a problem for later.