Chapter 137: Reward for the Brave
"Monster cells… They have research value, but not much."
Genus looked at the writhing biomass in front of him and spoke to Chang Wei.
"It doesn't matter. I just need you to combine them with the Evolution Elixir and create superhumans—or rather, a new breed of humanity."
Chang Wei crossed his arms as he spoke. While monster cells seemed capable of producing Dragon-level monsters, their actual combat effectiveness was questionable. Just look at Haragiri—after monsterizing, he was effortlessly sliced apart by Atomic Samurai. Being a member of the Sword Saint Association, Haragiri should have at least been at the Demon level, comparable to an average S-Class hero.
Disciples like Iaian and the others, trained by Atomic Samurai, all had combat power at the A-Class level. In fact, if they worked together with good synergy, they could even slay Demon-level threats.
If Bushidrill was strong enough to reach the Dragon level, then Haragiri should have been the same. His sword draws in human form were already supersonic—after monsterizing, he should have been even faster.
But unfortunately for him, he ran into Atomic Samurai. And given the natural counter between their fighting styles, it was an instant kill.
This also indicated that monster cells had a relatively fixed upper limit and didn't provide a significant boost in power. And before anyone brings up Gouketsu, let's be real—Gouketsu only made Genos imagine that it would take all S-Class heroes and even Saitama himself to defeat him. That was just Genos being inexperienced.
If he had seen Monster King Orochi or Boros, his overestimations would have been even more exaggerated.
Still, the fact that Gouketsu exerted such immense pressure on the upgraded Genos meant he was at least stronger than Ashura Kabuto, who was already a high-tier Dragon-level threat. After all, Genos had witnessed Ashura Kabuto's Ashura Mode firsthand, so this estimation was fairly conservative.
Even Gyoro Gyoro lamented that losing Gouketsu was a huge loss.
And considering that Gouketsu was a former champion of the Martial Arts Tournament, it was clear that monster cells did enhance abilities—but not by much.
Chang Wei wondered: if monster cells were combined with the Evolution Elixir, could they consistently produce Dragon-level threats?
Sure, they already had an Ashura Kabuto clone, but as Genus mentioned, there weren't enough materials to mass-produce it. The technology required was simply too advanced, and the materials too costly.
That led to this current research project—merging monster cells with the Evolution Elixir.
Through Boros, Chang Wei had already confirmed that genetic power was directly linked to combat strength.
Vaccine Man's third form had a genetic score of one million. Boros? One billion.
Based purely on genetics, Boros was one hundred times stronger than Vaccine Man.
But in reality, the gap was far greater than just a hundredfold.
"A new breed of humanity, huh?"
Genus was intrigued. The Evolution Elixir had already proven capable of significantly enhancing the human body without causing excessive mutations—still keeping them humanoid while drastically improving physical abilities. To Genus, this was already the next step in human evolution.
The only downside was that intelligence hadn't evolved alongside it.
He had been planning to study brain evolution next, but monster cells were an interesting alternative.
A few days later, Chang Wei received Genus' latest breakthrough.
"Supercell Solution!"
Genus, looking like a futuristic Doraemon, proudly displayed the vial in his hand.
Through his research on monster cells, he discovered a unique substance within them—something that did not naturally exist on Earth. However, it could be cultivated, though with a low survival rate.
After numerous trials—one of which nearly wiped out all his samples and caused the entire experiment to fail—Genus finally succeeded in cultivating and extracting this substance. He even managed to develop a synthesis method.
While mass production would be difficult, this breakthrough marked a leap from zero to one.
Chang Wei couldn't fathom Genus' "just-think-about-it" level of scientific prowess. This wasn't just a difference in scientific thinking—this guy was literally powered by sheer will and imagination!
Monster cells were originally created through an extreme process—Gyoro Gyoro had selected countless subjects, and only Monster King Orochi had successfully evolved by crossing the threshold of life and death, breaking through his limiter. Orochi was then able to mass-produce monster cells.
And yet, Genus had cracked the formula just by analyzing them? If this wasn't "I-think-therefore-I-invent" science, what was?
But whatever. Chang Wei didn't care about the details—what mattered was whether this stuff actually worked.
"It can greatly stimulate human potential," Genus explained. "But if the subject can't endure the process, they will die."
He sounded somewhat regretful. This high mortality rate made it unsuitable for mass distribution as a universal human evolution tool.
After handing the formula to Chang Wei, he eagerly returned to his research.
Genus had used the Evolution Elixir on himself and his clones, giving him a body that could work for ten days and nights without sleep—an absolute dream for a scientist.
"Scientists are terrifying."
Chang Wei shook his head. He couldn't replicate that level of scientific thinking, nor could he cultivate such a mindset. And seeing Genus' obsessive dedication, he felt that not becoming like him was probably for the best. Otherwise, he wouldn't be himself anymore.
He had no intention of using this formula on himself. Instead, he had already found the perfect test subject—
King.
A comedic character in the original storyline, comparable to Mr. Satan or Buggy the Clown.
But unlike those two, King had a strong sense of responsibility. Take his legendary "solo stand against four Dragons," for example. Chang Wei wouldn't shamelessly claim he could do the same—if he were just an ordinary human, he wouldn't have been able to stand his ground.
Self-preservation is a natural instinct, but standing up in the face of fear is the true essence of humanity. One isn't necessarily superior to the other.
So, Chang Wei decided to grant King a fateful opportunity.
If it were someone like Mr. Satan or Buggy, he wouldn't have bothered.
People with noble spirits are admirable, respectable, and worthy of aspiration. It's as simple as that.
At that moment, King was at home, gaming. With the Hero Association gone, he felt much more at ease—no longer constantly worrying about being exposed for his lack of power. He had spent years living in fear.
With his savings and the Hero Association's payouts, he had more than enough money to live as a recluse for the rest of his life. He was perfectly content with that—his plan was to stay home and avoid any situation that might force him to be a hero again.
Chang Wei stood in front of King, but King couldn't see him.
"Limited edition figurines… Collector's edition games…"
Chang Wei curiously examined the surroundings, as well as some ahem questionable "treasures."
If all of this were suddenly destroyed, even a cowardly shut-in like King would probably explode with unimaginable rage, right?
King, feeling thirsty while gaming, reached for his drink.
Chang Wei subtly swapped it with the Supercell Solution.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp… Wait, this tastes off?"
King finished the entire bottle in one go, then smacked his lips, trying to place the unfamiliar flavor.
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