Chapter 37: Zerg Hero - The Venomous Queen
Simultaneously, Catherine revealed her true form alongside him.
Two stunningly attractive individuals, a breathtakingly beautiful woman and a strikingly handsome man, appeared before old Johann's eyes.
This sight drove old Johann to the brink of madness. He kept muttering incessantly, "I knew it! I knew it all along! Why didn't they list to me?"
"How could a leading figure like Overlord No. be someone our vanguard could afford to offd? It's over, everything is over!"
Listing to the old werewolf's desperate soliloquy, neither Charles nor Catherine felt any pangs of sympathy.
In truth, the momt he appeared here, he should have be prepared for the possibility of sacrifice.
"Roar! (Master Overlord, Your Majesty the Que, how did I do?)" Little Gre exclaimed excitedly. She had already ssed the presce of her Que and the Overlord, and seeing them reveal their true forms made her ev more ecstatic.
It was, of course, referring to the currt mission: to hunt down and eliminate all invading emies. Little Gre believed it had executed this task exceptionally well.
In fact, because it wanted to personally savor the hunt, it had be extremely cautious with its poison, fearing to kill its prey too swiftly. The emies outside had all be meticulously slain, one by one, by Little Gre's own hand!
Charles and Catherine bypassed the dazed old Johann, who was kneeling on the g in utter despair. Charles, with a pleased smile, gtly patted Little Gre's head. "Little Gre, you did an excellt job, far better than your disappointing sister."
Moreover...
[Little Gre]
[Species: Zerg → Zerg Hero (Metamorphosis Phase)]
[Combat Power: Tier Superior → Tier 3 Inferior (Metamorphosis Phase)]
[Description: After countless slaughters, the Toxic Baneling has reached the threshold of becoming a Zerg Hero. Bathing in the blood of its kin once more might grant it the chance to become a true Zerg warrior!]
It was almost a foregone conclusion that Little Gre would become a Zerg Hero. Charles was very pleased with the little creature.
Another member was about to join the high-ranking Zerg family.
"Exactly, your sister disappointed me greatly not long ago. She forgot all the combat training and discipline I had instilled in her, choosing to be playful instead. The result? She was killed by those lowly Overlords teaming up against her!" Catherine fondly caressed the antnae on Little Gre's head, though her words were filled with complaints about the deceased Zergling.
"Roar! (I won't be a fool like her, Master Overlord, Your Majesty the Que. Little Gre loves you both the most!)" Little Gre squinted its eyes, clearly joying the atttion.
While they were basking in their camaraderie, old Johann was drched in cold sweat.
He stared in terror at the three imposing figures united before him. Their combined strgth, reaching a formidable Tier 3 Intermediate, crushed any remaining hope of resistance within him.
He collapsed to the g in utter despair, a bitter smile playing on his lips.
From the very beginning, it had be an unequal battle. To think that ev a mere Tier Superior Zerg could possess such intelligce.
The coalition stood no chance of victory. Anyone who opposed Overlord No. was doomed.
"I just want to ask one thing: how exactly did you poison us? At least let me die knowing the truth." old Johann pleaded, almost begging, as he looked at Charles with a desperate gaze. After all, this Overlord was the ruler who controlled everything.
Charles turned his head to look at the inquisitive old Johann and found the situation somewhat amusing.
He shook his head and softly said, "Little Gre, there's still one survivor here. Finish him off."
Charles had no inttion of boasting about his victory. In these times, everyone knew the wisdom of keeping a low profile while amassing wealth. He had adhered to this principle since the game began.
Being cautious never hurt.
Hearing this, Little Gre nodded and spat out a dose of poison. Soon, the light faded from old Johann's eyes.
For some reason, Little Gre felt that its control over poison was becoming increasingly sophisticated. Unlike before, wh it could only spit poison or detonate poison bombs, it could now manipulate and combine toxins within its body to create a variety of skills.
Unbeknownst to Little Gre, it had already reached the threshold of becoming a hero. All it needed was to drain the essce blood of a hundred Toxic Banelings in a gladiatorial ara, and a vomous Zerg hero would be born!
Satisfied with old Johann's demise, Charles nodded approvingly and th left the campmt.
Stepping outside, he saw the blood and scattered remains left by Little Gre's slaughter of the minions.
About half an hour later, the three of them returned to the Zerg hive.
Charles immediately summoned a hundred Tier Superior Toxic Banelings and instructed the worms to work together to carve out a gladiatorial ara.
Leading Little Gre to the trance of the ara, Charles spoke solemnly, "Little Gre, I need you to ter the ara and eliminate all the Toxic Banelings. Absorb their essce blood and advance to become the third Zerg hero in my domain. Are you willing?"
Upon hearing this, Little Gre was momtarily tak aback. She curiously glanced at the kin inside the ara. These were the obstacles standing in the way of her breaking through the racial shackles, wer't they?
How weak.
Facing the Overlord's command, she nodded earnestly and replied, "Roar! (Overlord Master, I will undoubtedly advance to become a Zerg hero and live up to your and the Que's expectations!)"
Little Gre could be quite careless wh idle, but wh it came to serious matters, she was incredibly proactive.
Without hesitation, she stepped into the gladiatorial ara
Looking at her bewildered kin, Little Gre's insect eyes gleamed with intse murderous intt.
What did kinship matter? Zerg only obey the Overlord's commands!
She wielded her insect blades and mercilessly harvested the comrades she once fought alongside, her heart remaining utterly calm.
Just as Charles had visioned, Little Gre's swarm mtality was gradually shifting to a hero's perspective.
From this heroic viewpoint, the Toxic Banelings were not her kin. They were merely resources to aid her asct.
And resources had only one fate—consumption!
Charles watched with anticipation as Little Gre, now veloped in a cocoon, approached her successful evolution. Her data panel indicated she was on the verge of a breakthrough.
They had succeeded!
At this momt, the mysterious Zerg system reappeared.
[Ding! Host's unit detected to be on the brink of ascding to hero level. Choose an evolution path from the options below!]
[Path One: Bloodstone + Essce Blood of Multiple Toxic Banelings + One Bronze-level Overlord Heart = Zerg Hero - Blood Vom Que]
[Path Two: Three Vomous Scorpion Tails + Essce Blood of Multiple Toxic Banelings + One Bronze-level Overlord Heart = Zerg Hero - Scorpion Vom Que]
[Path Three: Source of Toxins + Essce Blood of the Entire Toxic Baneling Swarm (collected by the system) + One Drop of Dark Essce + One Bronze-level Overlord Heart = Zerg Hero - The Vomous Que]
Charles was a bit tak aback, he hadn't expected the system to provide these evolution paths for ascding to a Zerg hero.
This required careful consideration.
After some thorough thinking, and following the logic that the rarer and more powerful the materials, the stronger the evolved hero would be, he ultimately chose Path Three.
But where could he find the Source of Toxins?
That was something incredibly rare and hard to come by...
After a while, gazing at the still-evolving Little Gre, Charles couldn't resist reaching out to Rose for another trade.
[Charles: Rose, do you have a Source of Toxins?]
As if she had be waiting for him, Rose replied almost immediately.
[Rose: I think I do have a Source of Toxins. I just can't remember which uncle gave it to me.]
[Rose: If you want it, though, Dark Essce alone won't suffice. The Source of Toxins is a high-tier, Level 6 material.]
[Charles: One of my subordinates needs the Source of Toxins for a perfect evolution. How about I set up a pact to borrow it from you?]
Rose wt silt for a momt.
[Rose: Forget the pact. Ev though it's high-tier, I have no use for it.]
[Rose: How about this—I'll waive the Dark Essce you owe me, and in return, you must either share your experices from the outside world with me daily, or come visit me at the Succubus Castle once you reach Level 7 to keep me company.]
[Rose: You can pick either condition and set up the pact. I'm quite bored in the castle and need an interesting fellow like you to amuse me.]
[Charles: The pact has be st. Please check your inbox.]
In the d, Charles decided to share his daily experices with Rose. After all, he was quite hesitant to visit the Succubus Castle, fearing that the succubi there might drain him of his essce, leaving him as nothing more than a desiccated corpse!
Before long, the Source of Toxins was delivered to him.
The momt he received the material, Charles said in his mind, "System, I choose the third path!"