[Ding! Mission triggered: Take in Black Sperm along the way.]
'What the... What do you mean 'along the way'?'
King was considering how to handle Black Sperm when the system notification suddenly rang.
'Raising a dog is one thing. When it grows up, I can use it as a mount. But raising a monkey? If I ride on its neck, wouldn't I be its son? Most importantly, where the hell is the reward?'
King was furious, this stingy system had simply stopped giving rewards altogether.
Actually, according to King's thoughts, he was more inclined to eliminate Black Sperm. After all, Rover could be tamed, but Black Sperm truly wanted to destroy humanity. However, given this guy's level of cunning, for him to dare to come see him alone, he must have other clones hidden in the shadows.
'Besides, his motives aren't pure. I don't want to keep such a time bomb around me.'
King thought, but the system provided a solution in the next second.
[Divine Power.]
Those simple words rang out in King's mind like a clap of thunder.
'Right! Divine Power!'
King didn't hesitate and looked toward Black Sperm with a wicked gaze.
"You... what are you doing? I'm a decent black monkey."
Black Sperm felt his skin crawl under the gaze, but then he remembered this was just one of his clones, so it didn't really matter.
"Since you want to come, let's go back together." King said.
"Really? That's great! I'll help you look after Overgrown Rover from now on."
Black Sperm was overjoyed, but then, a beam of light enveloped his entire body.
"This... this power is?"
Shock appeared in Black Sperm's eyes, his strength was actually growing at a rapid pace.
"If you're willing, let's call it the Power of Light." King said with a beaming smile.
After being fused by the system, the Divine Power had been completely converted into his own power, thoroughly erasing the malice within it. Since God could bestow power upon others, so could he. Moreover, the person he bestowed power upon would become extremely dependent on it. Eventually, through subtle influence, even their thoughts would be dominated. In other words, King was their new God.
"Alright, master! Leave all the housework to me from now on!" Black Sperm was incredibly excited.
He hadn't expected that by joining King, he would not only find a backer but also gain such strength. His comeback was just around the corner.
—
A-City, Hero Association Headquarters.
The massive conference hall was filled with wealthy businessmen and tycoons from various places.
A Hero Association staff member was enthusiastically introducing something on a large screen.
"It is my honor to introduce to you all the apartment complex built with the collective wisdom of the Hero Association."
"Before this apartment complex, no monster is worth mentioning. Heroes officially registered in the Hero Handbook reside here. And they are all A-Class and above—top-tier heroes with immense strength."
"Oh? A-Class Heroes? They might be more reliable than Dobermans or whatever. But at the end of the day, heroes are still human. There will be times when their strength falls short."
The wealthy people below had mocking expressions, but nowadays, monsters appeared frequently. Even Demon-level threats appeared once a month.
Currently, the apartments created by the Hero Association Headquarters were indeed the safest places, so the wealthy were still very willing to shell out the money.
"Next, I will display for everyone present the Hero Apartment's secret weapon."
"The comprehensive defense system against monster threats, created by the S-Class Hero, Metal Knight."
"Using special sensors, it reacts to and rapidly eliminates all disaster factors attempting to invade. It provides 24-hour protection, ensuring no monster can ever intrude."
"Its power far exceeds that of an A-Class Hero and can even handle monsters with a threat level of Dragon."
Beep beep!
A loud alarm sounded.
At the main entrance of the Hero Association, King stood with his two pets, watching the slowly opening gates.
"Danger factor detected. Confirming... Detection results confirmed. Engaging monsters immediately."
Thud... Thud...
A massive robot walked out from the Association. The transmitter on its head gathered light, locking firmly onto Black Sperm and Overgrown Rover behind King.
Boom!
King smashed the robot to pieces with a single punch, muttering to himself, "Metal Knight's defense system? It's quite convenient."
"Judgment under revision. System Level Four."
Dozens of octopus-shaped robots appeared in his field of vision. The laser cannons on their heads locked onto the two Dragon-level monsters once again.
"Danger!"
Black Sperm instinctively hid behind Overgrown Rover, ready to flee at any moment.
Psychic Crush!
King lightly snapped his fingers, and psychic power instantly spread out.
Bang... Bang...
All the octopus robots were crushed into balls of scrap metal, scattering across the ground.
"The measures taken are quite thorough."
King nodded, then prepared to take his two pets toward the apartment.
"Quick! Gate Nine is just ahead, where the alarm just went off!"
"What's going on? All the robots are scrapped!"
"This is impossible. Metal Knight clearly said it could defend even against Demon-level monsters. What on earth happened?"
"Wait, are you King-san?!"
A group of staff and security personnel rushed over. They were shocked to see the scrap metal covering the ground, but then someone noticed King.
"King-san, how lucky! It's my first time seeing you in person."
"Welcome to the headquarters. If you had contacted us beforehand, we could have hosted you properly."
"May I ask if you have some important business here today?"
The Hero Association staff all showed expressions of admiration upon seeing King's arrival.
King said, "Nothing much. I've applied to move into the Hero Apartment, so I'm here to look at the place."
"What did you say? You're going to live in the Hero Apartment from now on? That's wonderful! I'll lead the way for you right now."
The staff were overjoyed.
With King around, what kind of monster would dare to invade the Hero Association Headquarters?
"No need, I can go by myself. By the way, these robots... I don't know why, but they just exploded on their own."
King gave a casual excuse and then immediately left with Black Sperm and Overgrown Rover to avoid being noticed by anyone suspicious.
"So that's it. Metal Knight really did a sloppy job. The Association invested hundreds of billions of funds and commissioned him to develop and design this."
"To think the defense robots would self-destruct. How outrageous! How is this money any different from throwing it into the water?" A staff member complained.
"Forget it. Anyway, with King-san here, what kind of defense system can compare to him?"
"True. Even a God-level threat could be extinguished with a flick of his finger."