"Long time no see, Lord Poqi, I'm here!"
Arriving by Lord Poqi's side, Han Sen quickly got into character.
Due to the difference in size and strength, his claws, which could easily pierce Demon-level Monster, were just right for combing Lord Poqi's tangled, coarse fur.
These tough hairs were so strong and resilient that even normal Dragon-level Monster had difficulty penetrating them, making it extremely difficult to clean out the debris and dirt within.
Fortunately, Han Sen inherited Lord Poqi's abnormal abilities; putting everything else aside, his stamina and endurance were absolutely durable!
He threw himself into the task, his hands moving up and down, cleaning and massaging, causing Lord Poqi to gradually narrow his six eyes.
From time to time, comfortable purrs emanated from his throat, a clear sign of his enjoyment.
"Woof... Purrrr..."
Moments later, Han Sen exhaled a puff of white mist, signaling to Lord Poqi that the cleaning was complete.
Lord Poqi stood up and shook his massive body.
Water droplets on his body flew off like arrows, splashing everywhere and blasting large and small shallow pits into the distant rock wall.
Looking at the large black dog now, its previously somewhat messy and dull black fur had become glossy and distinct.
Its appearance had improved significantly, making it seem especially spirited.
Lord Poqi was in a great mood after his bath. He lowered his massive head again, his six burning eyes looking at Han Sen.
He motioned for Han Sen to jump onto his head again, ready to return to their lair.
The first time is awkward, the second time is familiar.
Seeing this, Han Sen executed a practiced leap, landing lightly on Lord Poqi's broad head.
The fur, which was soaking wet a moment ago, had already been instantly evaporated dry by Lord Poqi's terrifying body temperature, giving Han Sen a hot and dry riding experience that was directly maximized!
"Woof! Woof woof—!" (Let's go! Come again next time—!)
Lord Poqi let out a low growl and began to move on all fours.
A black lightning bolt scrambled up the rock wall in a few steps onto the stone bridge and quickly disappeared into the depths of the dark passage.
...
...
Returning to his territory alone, Han Sen was still savoring the feeling of closeness and dependence that the giant beast beneath him conveyed while he was riding Lord Poqi.
This feeling was very peculiar, like playing a simulation game, except the object of cultivation was a Dragon-level Monster capable of easily destroying cities.
If there was a favorability system, Han Sen had no doubt that the little hearts above Lord Poqi's head would have been brushed up to at least the passing line by him.
Unexpectedly cozying up to a Dragon-level cadre, the situation seemed excellent.
However, this world was full of dangers; even though Han Sen's strength was advancing by leaps and bounds, his sense of crisis still persisted.
Just within the Monster Association, there were no fewer than five beings who could instantly kill him!
It's still far from enough!
Thinking about how to continue getting stronger, Han Sen returned to the underground space where his territory was located.
As he approached, chaotic roars, collisions, and screams could already be heard from afar.
When Han Sen's figure appeared at the passage entrance, what he saw was an expected daily scene—
Several Wolf-Level Monster were frantically tearing at each other over the Monster corpses on the ground, with severed limbs and internal organs flying everywhere.
Stimulated by the blood, not only did the battle become more intense, but many restless Monster also couldn't resist joining in.
The scene was utterly chaotic at times.
A few tiger-class watched coldly, occasionally intervening to "mediate," which in reality meant dragging away the weak who had fought to a mutual defeat, disemboweling them on the spot, and enjoying a "fresh" extra meal.
This was the underlying ecology of the Monster Association: chaotic, barbaric, and utterly without order.
Han Sen ignored this; it was like this when Slime Octopus was around, and now that he was the ruler, it wouldn't fundamentally change much.
After all, such a chaotic situation was the result of Psykos, the mastermind behind the Monster Association, manipulating it personally.
Few people knew that she was extensively experimenting with her self-created "Near-Death Evolution Theory" within the Monster Association.
That's right, it was the cheat code of the Saiyan warrior race from the Dragon Ball series next door!
Using the threat of death to promote the evolution of lower-level Monster to higher levels, thereby creating powerful Monster that could be put to use.
But more often than not...
Not every Monster was a quick-evolving Super Saiyan; on the contrary, only a very few individuals possessed such aptitude.
If they died, they were truly dead.
But Dragon-level Monster were hard to find, while Wolf-Level Monster were plentiful.
Even if it only resulted in one or two Demon-level or Dragon-level Monster, it was still a huge profit.
It wasn't until Han Sen's three-meter-tall, ferocious figure appeared that the chaos in the underground space suddenly paused.
All Monster, whether they were fighting or eating, instinctively stopped their movements, and their gazes, filled with awe and fear, simultaneously turned towards this newly appointed Demon-level ruler.
Only a few tiger-class noticed Han Sen's changes.
They could clearly feel that the aura emanating from this new boss seemed even more unfathomable!
Han Sen didn't pay attention to these guys, even casually dismissing "Sharp Fang" who tried to curry favor, and instead walked directly towards his private lair.
This trip out had yielded quite a few unexpected gains, and he needed some time to study the new abilities he had just acquired.
Returning to his lair, Han Sen opened the system panel and took a look.
SSR "Swift Wind."
SR "Monsterification."
"Then let's test the SSR first."
With a thought, Lv1 "Swift Wind" was activated.
Buzz—!
With a thought, an invisible gust of wind suddenly spread out centered on Han Sen.
Within the lair, a Swift Wind surged, and his heavy body, covered in Spike Armor, suddenly became several times lighter!
Every joint, every muscle was filled with unprecedented agility and nimbleness, becoming exceptionally sensitive to the flow of air around him.
The next moment, only a blurred afterimage was left in his original spot, and his true body had appeared at the other end of the lair as if teleporting!
"Hiss... So fast!"
Although he had experienced it before, Han Sen was still somewhat surprised at this moment.
His normal speed alone could already rival the burst speed he previously achieved by forcibly pushing with strength in combat mode!
"This feeling..."
Han Sen raised his claw, covered in spikes, and slightly splayed his five fingers.
Strands of faint green airflow, as if alive, wrapped around his fingertips, dancing with his will.
"The power of wind?"
Noticing that the source of the sudden increase in speed was the tiny air currents wrapping around his body and even inside him, Han Sen tried to control this power more precisely.
Whoosh—!
A condensed, pale green wind blade shot out silently from his fingertip, and a protruding rock ten meters away was easily cut open like tofu, leaving a smooth, mirror-like cut.
Han Sen mused that Wind of Cyclone probably enhanced his slashing power in this way.
As for more uses, that guy was still adapting to his Monsterification power and hadn't had time for deeper development.
But Han Sen was different. Although the power of Lv1 SSR was far inferior to the original, it could be upgraded by adding points, and copying it meant direct mastery.
In a sense, he even understood the power of wind better than Wind of Cyclone, the original owner of the power!