Virus King [Translation]

Whoosh!

Novak's body moved with incredible speed, emitting a fierce energy. His sharp claws sliced through the air, producing a sharp, whistling sound. With the advantage of heightened combat awareness, every part of Novak's body became a highly flexible and terrifying weapon.

However, Novak hadn't anticipated that a dungeon within a secret realm could be so challenging. This cooling incinerator was far from a simple, low-level dungeon.

During the fight, Novak began to understand the abilities of the two types of monsters he had encountered. The stitched corpse—resembling a spider—was incredibly fast and agile, with razor-sharp claws. It seemed to be a special variant of a zombie, specifically a type of "creeper."

Creepers were typically zombies that had mutated for increased agility, though they tended to be more animalistic than other mutations, such as the towering "Tyrants." This stitched corpse was no exception. On top of its physical prowess, it also possessed a terrifying sonic attack—completely unpredictable and bizarre.

As for the "Revived Cadavers"—the zombie-like figures dressed as teachers—they were relatively more ordinary. However, upon death, they released a putrid stench from their mouths, a revolting combination of formaldehyde and decayed flesh. Despite wearing a mask, Novak could feel the effects immediately—discomfort followed by a wave of dizziness.

His robust Constitution saved him from further harm. Any lower-level evolver, especially under level 10, without protective gear, would likely have collapsed after facing just a handful of these cadavers. A prolonged fight with over a dozen of them would leave most people incapacitated.

For Novak, however, they were little more than a minor nuisance.

[You have slain the dungeon creature 'Stitched Corpse—Spider Type (Level 7)' and gained 1000 experience points!]

[You have slain the dungeon creature 'Revived Cadaver (Level 5)' and gained 400 experience points!]

[You have slain the dungeon creature 'Revived Cadaver (Level 5)' and gained 400 experience points!]

[…]

[Your level has increased! Current level: 4. You have earned two free attribute points!]

A series of system notifications flashed in front of Novak, leaving him in high spirits. Dungeons within secret realms were, without a doubt, the most reliable source of rewards. The experience alone more than made up for the efforts of his exhausting day.

By slaying over a dozen Revived Cadavers, Novak had accumulated more than 4,000 experience points. Coupled with the two stitched corpses, his total experience had propelled him to level 4 (2100/10,000)!

With such rapid progression, Novak was certain that no one in the entire Proving Grounds of Gods and Demons on Planet Kepler could match his pace.

Still, Novak did not allow complacency to set in.

Countless bodies lay at his feet, but Novak knew that the real threat was yet to appear. The terrifying entity the god of trading had warned him about couldn't be these low-level creatures.

Slowly, his gaze shifted toward the pitch-black incinerator.

He hadn't bothered to devour the fallen creatures with his Blacklight Virus. There were no special genes or viruses worth absorbing from them. Devouring had its time and place, and Novak knew better than to be reckless in a secret realm under the watchful eye of the Trading God.

Sure enough, as soon as his eyes locked onto the dark incinerator, Novak felt every pore in his body tighten.

'Something' was watching him too.

More alarmingly, the temperature in the room was steadily dropping. Novak's breath came out in visible clouds, and a thin layer of frost formed on his eyelashes.

Instead of fear, Novak felt exhilarated. His fighting spirit surged.

The Blacklight Virus within him began to boil. Black-red tendrils of biomass emerged from his hands and feet. The intense heat generated by the virus dispelled the cold around him, causing faint wisps of white steam to rise from his body.

A faint, eerie sound broke the silence.

'Squeak, squeak…'

It was a sound akin to rats scurrying about. Unnerving, yet beneath it lay a mounting sense of dread.

Novak's eyes darted downward, and to his shock, the bodies littering the floor—the Revived Cadavers and even the stitched corpses—were beginning to stir. Slowly, grotesquely, they writhed and crawled towards the incinerator.

Novak's pupils contracted as he realized what was happening.

Without hesitation, he lunged, smashing a nearby cadaver into pulp with his zombie claws. But it was no use.

Even the mangled flesh continued to move, as though infested with countless tiny insects, creeping towards the incinerator.

Then, suddenly, a piece of flesh was spat out from the incinerator.

The sight of it sent a shiver down Novak's spine—a sensation he hadn't experienced in a long time. A cold, unmistakable sense of impending doom washed over him.

Whatever this was, it posed a life-or-death threat.

Novak instinctively stepped back, his body tense like a predator ready to strike. His gaze locked on the incinerator, his senses sharpened, prepared to deliver a devastating blow at the first sign of danger.

As Novak observed with his own eyes, the small, dough-like mass rapidly expanded, swelling like a balloon being inflated. Within mere seconds, the small piece of flesh morphed into a small humanoid figure.

But it didn't stop there. The small figure quickly grew, becoming a fully-formed adult-sized being.

Yet the most unsettling and horrifying aspect was that, aside from its humanoid shape, there was nothing human about it. The head was devoid of hair and any facial features. Its body lacked any gender characteristics, smooth and featureless like a mannequin from a clothing store.

Despite its blank appearance, Novak could feel an overwhelming sense of terror and oppression radiating from the figure. It was suffocating.

At that moment, Novak's eyes shifted upward, seeing exactly what he had expected:

[Biochemical Demon (Level 8—BOSS)]

Level 8.

A BOSS.

So this was what the god of trading had warned him about. Interesting!

Without hesitation, Novak's body erupted in a black-and-red glow, and in the blink of an eye, he crossed a distance of more than ten meters to confront the creature. His right fist, powered by his zombie claws, drove directly into the demon's chest.

For a split second, Novak thought he had succeeded, but before he could celebrate, a terrifying force emanated from his own chest. Blood spurted from his body as the Biochemical Demon kicked him away like a rocket, sending him crashing into the cold wall of the morgue.

Through the haze of pain, Novak watched in shock as the deep wound he had inflicted on the demon began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye. In mere moments, the gash was reduced to a faint scar.

'How is this possible!?' 

Novak stared at the demon in disbelief.

Before he could react, the creature blurred into an afterimage, appearing before him in an instant. Its speed was equal, if not superior, to Novak's own.

With no face to convey any expression, the demon raised its fist, aiming a crushing blow straight at Novak's head!