Virus King [Translation]

A series of system notifications flashed before Novak, but he paid them no mind for now. His eyes scanned the scattered remains of the Biochemical Demon, and the wild frenzy on his face finally began to fade.

With a calm breath, Novak exhaled into the still icy atmosphere of the dungeon, the cold seeming to cling stubbornly to the air.

As his gaze fell on the spoils of the battle—the items left behind by the Biochemical Demon—Novak's eyes ignited with excitement. The rewards for conquering a newly-discovered dungeon were always bountiful!

But he wasn't in a rush to collect the loot just yet. His focus remained on the remnants of the Biochemical Demon's body. The black-red tendrils of the Blacklight Virus, extending from his palm, pulsed with hunger, ready to consume the creature's remains.

Clearly, the demon's body was of immense value to the Blacklight Virus.

Novak made no attempt to restrain this primal urge. He knew well enough that as his strength grew, so did the power of the virus, as well as its appetites. Killing, hunger, lust—these were primal instincts, but all of them could be controlled.

In his previous life as an SS-class "Apostle of Desire," Novak had mastered the art of balancing control, indulgence, and restraint over these urges.

Within moments, the black-red mycelium had covered the writhing chunks of flesh on the ground. Novak set aside a piece as a quest item for Zogwort, and the rest was swiftly absorbed.

The Blacklight Virus throbbed within him, devouring the power of the Biochemical Demon at an astonishing rate. Novak could feel the surge of vitality coursing through his body, empowering his Virus King ability.

Suddenly, a familiar but unexpected sensation spread through his body. Before he could inspect it fully, a wave of feedback from the Virus King filled his vision:

[You have absorbed the special mutation complex, gaining 30 exclusive Blacklight Virus evolution points!]

[You have acquired the Biochemical Demon skill: Cell Regeneration (Grade A)!]

[The Blacklight Virus has experienced a significant growth. Life recovery speed increased by 300%!]

An overwhelming surge of life energy rushed through Novak's body, filling him with an indescribable sense of power. Every cell felt like it was brimming with vitality, pushing his abilities to their peak.

"Grade A?!" Novak blinked in disbelief. The Blacklight Virus had a slim chance of granting skills through absorption, but he never expected it to work after devouring the Biochemical Demon. And certainly not with such a powerful ability!

Eagerly, he opened his skill bar to check out the new ability.

[Cell Regeneration (Grade A)]: A passive skill, an upgraded version of Living Cells. After complete cellular destruction, the body can regenerate by consuming physical or other forms of energy at the fastest speed. Can heal severed limbs. The recovery effect can be toggled on or off.

"What the hell...?" Novak stared at the ability in awe. This was the same limitless regeneration that the Biochemical Demon had displayed!

With this ability, combined with his time-reversal power, wouldn't he be practically invincible? More resilient than even the most unkillable of beings?

Demon blood? Saiyan blood? None of them could compare!

Then again, maybe the last one still had some advantages.

Still, with this new skill, the skill book he'd earned earlier seemed less valuable. But no matter—those were just minor bonuses compared to this!

Novak grinned, relishing the intense vitality surging through his veins. He raised his hand, and the zombie claw extended once more. The dark, razor-sharp talons gleamed menacingly under the cold light of the dungeon.

Without hesitation, Novak slashed down at his own hand, severing one of his fingers. Blood spurted from the wound, but at a speed visible to the naked eye, granulation tissue began to form. Within ten seconds, his finger had fully regenerated!

The regeneration speed wasn't quite as fast as the Biochemical Demon's, but Novak was more than satisfied.

Whenever Novak gained a new ability, he made sure to thoroughly test and master it. Only then would he confidently use it in battle. This careful preparation was why he could so effectively wield his Time Hourglass power during his fight with the Biochemical Demon.

Thinking about the Time Hourglass, Novak felt a surge of appreciation. What a treasure that artifact was! If not for it, there was no way he could have traded blows with the Biochemical Demon so recklessly. Even if he could eventually wear down the demon through attrition, it would've taken days of relentless battle.

Novak exhaled slowly, knowing that his secret would eventually be revealed to others. But for now, that didn't matter.

Besides, there was something else he needed to focus on.

He collected all the loot dropped by the Biochemical Demon, stashing it in his backpack without inspecting it immediately. Instead, he turned his attention to the final system prompt from before:

[As the first Evolutionary to clear the secret realm dungeon, would you like to release a paid guide video for it?]

Novak grinned. How could a lone-wolf evolutionist like him rapidly amass gold coins and currency? Simply hunting zombies and mutants would be far too slow.

But this—this was the key.

Once cleared, a secret realm dungeon was permanently accessible, allowing other evolutionists to enter and gain experience. Sharing a video guide would be a lucrative way to earn currency while remaining ahead of the competition.

However, if the other evolutionaries don't want to risk their lives as a joke, they will all opt to watch the strategy video for this dungeon!

It's essential to have some understanding of the inner workings of the secret realm.

That's the significance of this reminder from the Cosmic Will!

The dungeon that Novak cleared is likely the first of its kind in the entire Planet Kepler to be conquered.

Although Novak relied on pure strength to make his way through,

Any "first" always draws the most attention!

There are substantial rewards, including a wealth of copper and gold coins!

For so long, he has coveted the treasures of the God of Trading!

Moreover, this video guide is exclusively available to evolutionaries, so Novak is unconcerned about other entities discovering his hourglass time-rewind ability.

With this thought in mind, Novak smiled subtly and, on the flashing system prompt, he replied clearly with one word:

"Yes!"

In the next moment, across the entire Planet Kepler, all the evolutionaries noticed a blood-red message in the "Cosmic Will Reminder" section at the far end of the forum board.

[The Cosmic Will: 'Novak 'White Emperor', an evolutionary from the Faeloria Country camp, has cleared the Cooled Incinerator (Level 5-10) and successfully conquered the nightmare-level secret realm! This dungeon's video walkthrough has been permanently saved! Viewing price: 1 copper coin!]

[The Cosmic Will: 'Novak 'White Emperor', an evolutionary from the Faeloria Country camp, is the first to clear the nightmare-level dungeon and upload a strategy video. Reputation +5! Faeloria Country camp reputation +1!]

In that instant, all evolutionaries across Planet Kepler, who were still battling zombies, were left stunned by this clear notification.