The Hero Association staff took the lead, completely ignoring the B-class rank one Fubuki and her team, and rushed straight to King to report the situation.
King, who was surrounded by the crowd, felt his head spin.
He was least adept at handling such situations.
"Ah, um, I understand, you've all worked hard."
He could only offer such vague words as a perfunctory response, while continuously praying that the train would quickly complete its transfer and head to his destination—City A.
Fubuki stood on the outskirts of the crowd, quietly watching the scene, her shock already beyond measure.
The Hero Association's attitude towards King once again confirmed how transcendent his status was.
"Are all strong individuals so aloof?"
She looked at the man surrounded by the crowd, whose face showed no joy but rather a hint of detachment and impatience, and thought to herself.
She subconsciously clenched her fists, and the image of her sister, always soaring above the sky and looking down on her, appeared in her mind.
I must also become stronger!
Strong enough to stand at the same height as them and see the scenery they see!
Fubuki looked up at the night sky of City Y, her eyes burning with fire.
— — — — — —
After an unknown period, Lin Mo finally escaped from that nightmare-like ceremony.
The train had been directly suspended due to an unexpected incident; the announcement stated it was to investigate potential dangers.
He had no choice but to begrudgingly accept his bad luck and explain the specific situation to the Hero Association staff nearby.
After refusing the Hero Association's offer to "send a special car escort," Lin Mo took advantage of the chaos of the staff handover, pulled down the brim of his hoodie, slipped into the subway returning to City M, and finally arrived back at his familiar apartment... "Phew... I'm finally alive again."
Lin Mo threw himself heavily onto the soft bed, the familiar, slightly otaku-esque air lingering around his nose, and let out a long sigh.
He closed his eyes, savoring his own unique tranquility, as if the "King" revered by thousands just now was merely an illusion unrelated to him.
After lying still on the bed for a full half-hour, Lin Mo finally gathered a bit of strength and sat up.
His eyes narrowed, and all fatigue was replaced by a strong sense of anticipation.
"System, open the personal panel."
As his thought moved, a translucent panel, glowing with a pale blue halo, which only he could see, silently floated before him.
Name: Lin Mo (King)
Gender: Male
Energy Value: 24,036
Stamina: 50
Strength: 50
Speed: 50
Psychic Power: 70
Skills: Intimidation (Dragon-level), Supersonic Speed (Demon-level), Energy Blast (Demon-level), Basic Martial Arts
Items: Basic Stamina Potion × 2, Basic Healing Potion × 2, Basic Mental Recovery Potion...
Looking at the number in the Energy Value column, Lin Mo let out a long sigh of relief.
He had gained a huge amount of energy points after resolving the meteorite crisis.
And this time's train incident, although small in scale, also brought in a considerable income because he easily apprehended the criminals and saved the lives of everyone on board.
His gaze swept over the skill bar, finally settling on "Energy Blast (Demon-level)."
This was currently his only effective offensive method.
In this world overrun by monsters, he couldn't always rely on luck and the Emperor Engine to scare enemies; Intimidation was not a long-term solution after all.
"First, I'll upgrade Energy Blast to 'Dragon-level,' and use the rest for attribute points," Lin Mo silently decided.
With a Dragon-level Energy Blast, he would truly possess a trump card capable of contending with top-tier disasters, and genuinely have the power to protect himself in this dangerous world.
The remaining energy points could then all be used to supplement his basic attributes.
"System, upgrade Energy Blast."
Energy Points -10,000, skill 'Energy Blast (Demon-level)' is upgrading...
The system's prompt sounded in his mind, and Lin Mo felt a massive flow of information instantly surge into his brain.
He could feel his mastery and application of energy continuously improving.
Upgrade successful! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the skill: Energy Blast (Dragon-level)!
Skill Description: Can gather high-density energy light bombs in the hand, with immense power, enough to pose a significant threat to Dragon-level disasters. The skill enters cooldown after firing, with a duration of 0.1 seconds.
Special Effect: Can consume energy points to charge the Energy Blast. A charged Energy Blast will gain a massive increase in power, and can have 'penetration' or 'explosion' effects added.
Upgrade Requirement: Energy Points × 100,000
Lin Mo slowly spread his palm, and with a thought, a golden orb of light quietly floated in his palm.
It appeared softly luminous, without the slightest sense of oppression.
But Lin Mo could clearly perceive that within this small orb of light, there was terrifying energy capable of wiping this entire apartment building off the map.
"He's also a small 'Homeless Emperor'..."
Lin Mo was somewhat amused and exasperated, and the image of that Dragon-level executive from the Monster Association, also a powerful controller of Energy Blasts, couldn't help but surface in his mind.
He even imagined himself and the "Homeless Emperor" meeting on the battlefield, the two of them furiously clashing.
He quickly shook his head, pushing the unrealistic scene out of his mind, a confident smile gracing his lips.
"But I won't be like him, just an ordinary person with powerful abilities..."
Homeless Emperor's weakness was his fragile body, and he would make up for this shortcoming sooner or later.
He looked at the remaining fourteen thousand-plus energy points on the panel, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"System, raise my Stamina, Strength, Speed, and Psychic Power all to 90!"
Strength +40 points, consumes 4000 energy points.
Speed +40 points, consumes 4000 energy points.
Constitution +40 points, consumes 4000 energy points.
Psychic Power +20 points, consumes 2000 energy points.
Total consumption: 14,000 points. Confirm?
"Confirm!"
As soon as the words fell, an incredibly powerful warm current suddenly erupted from his heart, instantly flowing throughout his entire body!
His muscles were tearing and regenerating at an unbelievable speed, becoming denser and tougher!
With the increase in Psychic Power, his spiritual world also opened up.
His thoughts became clearer than ever before, and his perception was infinitely amplified; the entire world became incredibly three-dimensional and vivid in his perception.
The entire process lasted for about a minute, and when the warm current completely merged into his body, Lin Mo slowly opened his eyes.
He looked down at his hands, then gently clenched them.
"Bang!"
A muffled sound echoed in his palm.
"I just don't know what my strength is like now, and there's no standard..."
Lin Mo stood up and stretched his body, filled with an unprecedented sense of exhilaration and security.