First Geno Core Battle

Han Sen watched as his geno core was being reinforced. Each beam of light was a reinforcement, and after nine such beams, the process was finished. Immediately, Han Sen could tell the egg had become much stronger.

When Rockman finished, Han Sen took the egg back into his possession. Its shape was very much the same, but it featured a prismatic glow in its interior. It shone with nine separate colors. It could make for a stunningly pretty gemstone.

"It looks like my genes and skills are just too d*mn good. The geno core that I created took first place. Hah. Was there any doubt who was the best? I'm not even sure why I was surprised." Han Sen had let it go to his head a little.

Han Sen thought the black crystal must have helped somewhat, but he firmly believed it was primarily a product of his own body.

Although it had been reinforced nine times, however, the egg still couldn't kill creatures outright. It couldn't even inflict the minor damage. It did make Han Sen wonder how it could be worthy of so simply securing first place.

With his goal of becoming number one complete so soon, Han Sen was a little at a loss on what he should do next.

"If the Crystal Core secured the number one position, the Bulwark Umbrella can't be very far behind, can it? It's saved my life more than the egg has, after all." Han Sen wondered what the result might be for that.

But he wasn't keen on testing that out just yet. And that aside, he needed to accept a challenge first.

If Han Sen had not entered, he wouldn't have to comply with the Geno Core Storage's quota. Now that he had entered, however, he was required to fight at least once a month to maintain his position.

If he lost a fight, his nine reinforcements would still be in place. But if he did not comply with the once-a-month quota, and didn't show up to battle a challenger, the reinforcements would be wiped and he'd have to start all over, without the benefit of a test-skip.

So, no matter what, Han Sen had to make Shadow Shelter work and keep it operational so he could fight at least once a month in the Geno Core Storage.

Not all geno cores could challenge him, however. Only cores within one level of his own could challenge. And since the Crystal Core was number one, the challengers who could fight him had to be within the one-to-ten bracket.

Although it was only a once-a-month thing, Han Sen was eventually going to enter his Bulwark Umbrella as well, and the same requirements would apply to that. But they stacked, and that meant Han Sen would have to battle twice a month.

Furthermore, Han Sen would eventually formulate a geno core for the Blood-Pulse Sutra and his super king spirit. While that would mean he would have to fight four times a month, that wasn't where his biggest issue lay. Rather, it would make hiding his identity a struggle.

As Han Sen mulled this over, Rockman suddenly spoke to him. He said, "King Bell of the Second Rank wishes to challenge you. Heart Wheel of the Fourth Rank wishes to challenge you..."

Han Sen was told that at least seven others wished to challenge him.

None of them were too concerned with becoming first place; rather, they just wanted to know what power the elusive Crystal Core wielded.

Aside from Real Demon and the combatant at number nine, the top ten had all requested a battle with Han Sen. Han Sen viewed the list of competitors and pondered which he should fight first.

It wasn't as if he could avoid the fight, either. If he didn't fight, his reinforcements would be removed and he'd be back to where he started.

He wasn't afraid, though. Han Sen had a lot of confidence in himself, and he didn't think anyone of the bronze geno core tier could defeat him. Even if he had to battle the son of an emperor who had a bronze geno core, Han Sen wouldn't be afraid. He had what it took.

But even Han Sen himself wished to test out the powers of the Crystal Core now. It had improved a great deal, but what those improvements were, he wouldn't have a clue until he tested it in battle.

So, Han Sen decided on accepting the challenge from Heart Wheel. He was the highest rank of the members that came from Sacred Shelter.

Han Sen was still pining for revenge over what had transpired in Hidden Valley. He wasn't going to waste a single opportunity to exact vengeance on the people that occupied that wretched place. He was out for blood.

Of course, Han Sen did not wish to expose his identity. If they learned who he was and came after him, Shadow Shelter would be destroyed in no time.

"Hmm, it would be best if I hid my identity." Han Sen donned a set of armor and removed any pieces of apparel or clothing that might give away his identity.

"Challenge declined. Desired opponent has accepted another challenge." God King was disappointed, hearing this.

Black Mountain God had a different reaction, however, for he heard his Rockman say, "Challenge accepted. Desired opponent has accepted your challenge request."

The bronze geno core tablet then warped itself to form a black hole of sorts. It was a tunnel that would lead the opponents to their designated fighting grounds.

Black Mountain God flapped his black wings and did not hesitate a second before flying through the tunnel.

Upon arrival, Black Mountain God examined the place of battle. It was an ancient city, half-buried amidst a desert. An aura of mystique and secrecy permeated the atmosphere of that place, hinting at a wild and untold history that lay buried beneath its sands.

The powers of geno cores were all different, so the battlegrounds changed to suit the challengers and avoid providing any environmental hindrances to the cores.

Black Mountain God then saw his opponent emerge from another black void-tunnel. He locked him in his sights.